There was something particularly striking in the chaotic planning of the Hercules 2022/23 project: the absence of centers with a professional track record. Especially considering his new coach’s style book, angel RodriguezFootball’s ups and downs in the Second RFEF, where defensive solidity is a key attribute, should the people of Alicante not want to repeat the mistakes of the past and this time promote to the third tier of national football.

After the first two pre-season friendlies against Al Wehda and the AFE team, in which Rodriguez had to line up a double centre-back, the Blue and White coach now knows the identity of the first defender who should be a core part. next year a solid wall

Just minutes after finishing Friday’s friendly game, Hércules formalized the contract of Barcelona-born 28-year-old Marcelo Djaló, who is also a Guinea-Bissau national, and made 12 appearances. A player who arrived after being unemployed for nearly a year after terminating his contract with Portuguese Boavista in November 2021 for personal and family reasons..

Up until this setback, Djaló was completing a career in which he excelled above all else. The deal he signed with Juventus in 2014Despite not making his debut for the Italian team, he went to Girona, where he remained on loan at the Granada subsidiary and went on loan to Girona the following year, where the competition forced him to spend a year for the first time. League. He would find stability in Lugo, where he presented his best performance in two phases (2016-2017 and 2019-2021). The first allowed him to sign for British Fulham, where he had barely had the opportunity, and the second, to do it for Boavista.

Djaló stands out for his physical presence (1.92 meters tall and very fat), but in Hercules they are aware of when he is sedentary and the ideal would be to give him a specific work plan so that he can integrate into the group. Paco Peña and Rodriguez also hope to have a goalkeeper in the airplay, an experienced leader and a football player who doesn’t shiver in the hot moments of the season.

more signatures

Despite Djaló’s signing, Hércules still has to add more reinforcements in the centre. Main position full-back Felipe Chacartegui and defender Felipe Chacartegui and junior squad player Dani Marín were the teams the coach used in the first two practice matches of the summer.

Despite the fact that the presence of competitors must be taken into account, the result for the moment is unbeatable. Hercules kept a clean sheet in both games and was unharmed defensively. It’s a tradition throughout the league, so after these first tests there is an air of optimism in that sense. Next Tuesday, he will come to Rico Pérez, where Castellón is his opponent. This will be an opportunity to gauge the overall condition of the team, and in particular the overall condition of the Alicante team’s defence, which needs to add more soldiers to what’s currently available in their coaching roster.