Anthony Sivera. Stay with that name, with that of the goalkeeper born in Xàbia. Because today, except for surprise, he will be the only one dressed in shorts, blue and white, at the Mendizorroza stadium, of that brilliant batch that amazed Deportivo Alavés (2018-2019), that made Vitoria fall in love and that Abelardo resurrected after taking the team in the bones in December 2017, when the Basques were penultimate. Sivera will be the starter, except for Luis García Plaza’s great change, something very unexpected. He was already in the exciting farewell to Pitu in his first stage in Vitoria, with victory for the locals against Girona (2-1).
Although that campaign was a regular substitute for Pacheco. There were tears for Abelardo, hero, who remembered them with emotion this Thursday in the press room. “Unforgettable,” he confesses. There will also be Víctor Laguardia, of course. One of his soccer “children” and whom he wanted to bring to Gijón this summer at all costs. He made one (Sivera) debut. He made another (Laguardia) a reference in Alavés. The extension of him in the field.
There were contacts, whatever is said. Especially before the change of ownership. In the roadmap of Javi and Fran Rico and, above all, of the coach from Gijón, this Aragonese center-back appeared, who had just finished his contract with the Vitoria-based entity and whose future was up in the air due to many factors. It was a market opportunity. But darling. And ultimately complicated. El Pitu took charge of the operation and had several conversations with Laguardia. There was also a survey, a declaration of interests from Sporting’s sports management to Bahia, holding some conversation with Gustavo Cañizares, the central defender’s agent.
It was too early to make a decision. Laguardia waited because he hoped to renew. In the end he ended up doing it in October. In fact, today he is not expected to be called yet as he is still very green physically. In addition, the economic cost of the operation was unaffordable for Sporting. But this player was the desired one. The change of ownership, and, above all, the arrival of Cali Izquierdoz, reduced the options, despite the fact that some communications were maintained between the Sporting coach and the free defender. On top of that, more teams slipped into the middle of that soap opera between Laguardia and Alavés: Granada, Huesca…
Not even the captain’s differences with Sergio Fernández, Alavés’ sports director, gave Sporting options without financial strength after signing Insua and Cali. “It’s not impossible, but it is difficult,” commented Abelardo. Orlegi negotiated for Micevic, among others, and Bamba was on the radar, who ended up arriving to complete the central payroll, despite the fact that Laguardia was still on the market.
Paradoxes of destiny. This Sporting that arrives in Vitoria today wanting to continue among the first classified and give continuity to the victory against Eibar has almost more members of that historic Alavés than those that the blue and white club has today, which has undergone a profound transformation after returning to hell. In Sporting there is the complete technical body of Pitu, who have been in one of the two stages, or in both, and Jony, idol that campaign. It was, with almost total certainty, the best of Cangas del Narcea in the First Division. He came to be on the national team’s radar, on the pre-list. Duarte, Rioja, and, from time to time, Javi López (from the subsidiary) –in addition to Laguardia and Sivera, who were in both– were the ones who belonged to the second stage of the Pitu in Vitoria. That was blacker.
