There is more happening behind the scenes than meets the eye. The crowd’s favorites often reflect the coach’s toughest challenge: players who are hard to sway. The squad is long, and so is the glare on Alvaro Hernandez, known as Alvarito, a quick, hungry forward chasing personal glory with relentless energy. He pursues the opponent’s goalkeeper with grit and refuses to back off from the attack, yet struggles when asked to fall back and guard his own goal.
Enrique Moscat
He lacks a few essential traits that constrain the club’s plans. This shortfall gradually nudges him into a secondary role, culminating in a crisis last Sunday. Against Formentera, Alvarito was the fourth option in the lineup. The Extremaduran coach picked dapaah and ketu over him, with Javi Moreno not favored for that match.
First, he lost his place on the left wing, the position where his best attacking moments once shone; he then shifted to the right, even finding ground given to Roger Colomina, a versatile midfielder who has drawn more attention. Now, after winter reinforcements, he is no longer the primary choice to replace teammates who have moved ahead of him.
Young blue-white star Alvarito: I have a lot to learn
Pedro Rojas
For the Madrid native, this is not unusual. He has always needed to prove more than others to secure minutes. The same pattern appeared with Lolo Escobar, and now Torrecilla faces a similar test. There was a moment when Alvarito considered leaving, but his deep integration into the dressing room life kept him in the fold. Minutes on the pitch remain scarce, especially coming off the bench, and he feels that he was not born to sit in the stands. At twenty-six, Hercules sees him as a future asset, yet renewal chances look slim unless his role in Torrecilla’s system improves. If nothing changes by June 30, when his current contract ends, he may face an uncertain future. The coach suggested moving him from the left wing to the right so Alvarito could operate with his natural foot, contribute as an assister, deliver better crosses into the box, and focus more on supporting teammates.
Alvaro Hernandez, Alvarito, controls the ball in the air during a match for Hercules last season. Notes on the image indicate a photo credit from a local press outlet.
Alvarito did not fully embrace the new role while operating on the opposite wing. From the left side, his typical moves included dribbling, cutting inside, and shooting. He did not deliver a disastrous performance until the eighteenth matchday, when he scored six goals. Yet, for most of the second half, his contribution faded as the minutes dwindled.
Torrecilla and the club’s management worked in the off-season to make him a more complete and balanced player who could make a real difference. The start suggested progress, but the path to invisibility was gradual and relentless.
Damned comparison
His individual brilliance on the ball stands out, yet he remains less reliable as a teammate when the game is not in play. He supports non-match day duties the club asks of him, and his warmth toward the fans remains evident. The young star has the same goals as a player who is treated as untouchable by some, yet he achieved this while playing roughly half the minutes of a rival with a similar profile. If Nico Espinosa recovers fully, he could become the fifth winger option, though that would depend on whether he is prepared for the minutes required. Hercules, a club seeking a way to score, could benefit from such a decision.
Two matches
Totally played with Torrecilla this season
Called up repeatedly for 19 days, yet started only nine times. He has four goals in 854 minutes, comparable to Ketu’s output in more than 1,600 minutes.
The club remains committed to Alvarito, but the coaching staff presently lacks faith in the player, even after the defeat against Formentera. Lane replaced Samu Vazquez following an erratic defensive display. It was an emergency decision to remove Mendes and will not be repeated except in extreme circumstances. It would be shortsighted to convince those who have fought for two years that they are far less capable than the late arrivals. In this way, even the strongest groups can begin to fracture.
Eighth match on artificial turf
Hercules will play its eighth match of the season on synthetic turf at the Municipal de San Gregorio. The seven players used in the first half of the season look imbalanced; the team has collected only ten points from twenty-one possible. The Alicante club has won all three visits to the Balearic Islands Penya Deportiva, Penya Independent, Formentera but dropped two of three visits to Catalonia the European venue and Sant Andreu. A draw was recorded in the Terrassa fixture. The third defeat came at Atletico Saguntino in the old Morvedre, on a surface very similar to that which will be seen in Torrent on Sunday.