Half hero, half tightrope walker. A path between the discoverer of penicillin and the star seller is offered for lovers who have not yet entered the routine. From the very first moment, challenges are met head-on, luck is tested, and a stubborn momentum pushes him forward. In the present, Hercules faces the real test of who they are and what they can become when the road gets rough.
The blue and white coach does not claim certainty or intimidation, yet he understands that his bet has reached a turning point. The future of the team will hinge on the next six matches. The plan has to work now. Six clashes against direct rivals that could come back into play in January, but not entirely, will determine the stability of the locker room and the mental state of the squad.
Lolo Escobar remains skeptical about defending this decisive stretch of the season, refusing to bow to Míchel and avoiding a fixed plan for the right wing.
So far, in the first six days of the second half, he has surpassed the start-record set by his predecessor, delivering his best hours in this spell. Angel Rodríguez arrived in Paterna with nine points, one fewer than the Extremadura player had accumulated just before taking the Valencia subsidiary.
What followed was a downturn: one win, one draw, and four losses marked the coach from León as Hercules now confronts a tough period. It would be overly simplistic to expect quick fixes, because every poor result in direct duels pushes a project already starting from a deficit further back, making a climb to the top spots increasingly difficult.
4 POINTS
► Hercules has entered a six-game stretch with only one victory and four losses, leaving fourteen points on the table.
10 POINTS
► Lolo matched Angel Rodríguez with one more point gained in the first six days of the second lap than at the start of the season.
Hercules defends a growing doubt as the defense struggles to find consistency
Hercules has not defended well all season. In Lolo, this weakness is masked by occasional victories, but the truth remains that clean sheets since his arrival owe more to his defensive insight than to a stable containment network. In the most extreme cases, Carlos Abad has stepped up as a reliable option. Interestingly, when Escobar lists possible replacements, two defenders are highlighted: Dani Marin and Felipe. New arrivals followed, including Mario Gomez and Diego Jimenez, yet the team still leaked goals against two consolidated attacks, Espanyol B and Teruel, and faced difficulties against Prat and Ebro, both showing signs of decline.
Hercules CF | Pressing the switch…without breaking
The lack of connectivity is cited as the reason, but the longer issue lies in weeks of work that have not solved a problem present since the summer planning. The proof sits in the fact that the most consistent defender is the center back with the fewest vulnerabilities, Roger Riera. He is expected to start this Sunday against Mestalla with his fifth different teammate of the season, and still no goals to his name. Evaluations linger on whether this will be the last such lineup.
Without Nico Espinosa, the right wing struggles to produce
Another unresolved issue is the right wing. Losing the young player created a vacancy that allowed less dangerous dynamics to slip through. The winger known for confidence remains underwhelming in ball circulation, and assists have not flowed freely.
There was a strong hope for the Alicante winger’s return after Christmas, prompting a push for reinforcements on other fronts. Yet the plan faltered. The strategy shifted toward compensating for the loss rather than leveraging the best offensive asset from the left flank, or other options with a sudden spark as soon as the ball starts to roll.
Hercules delivers Nico into the hands of the surgeon who saved Dembélé
In a different approach, Raul Ruiz and the presence of Diego Jiménez and Emil were leveraged, even with the captain’s five goals and numerous assists last year. Against Ebro, La Almozara served as a tactical necessity rather than a sign of fading confidence in the defensive line, though it was less effective than the previous season. The balance between defense and attack remains a delicate act, with Sergio Mora’s influence in question.
The brain does not come forward, it is not a differential value
Among the struggles, Michel Herrero stands out as the most exposed in attack. Not capitalizing on a player with the ability to create moments of difference remains a challenge. Ángel Rodríguez and his circumstances overshadow others. The idea that a good unit always understands each other, regardless of position, does not hold up under scrutiny when tested against real competition.
Hercules CF | Raúl Ruiz: Wasted bullet?
Lolo ended the effort of his predecessor by freeing him from the weight of the final pass, but the Valencian attacker did not shine. The contribution cannot be reduced to a single side or one tactic; it requires breaking lines, penetrating the box, and becoming a decisive weapon in attack. Artiles has stepped in and is in form, yet taking this risk is delicate because when Míchel is in charge the flow of football often becomes more fluid and results tend to follow.