Features
MIÉ 23.03.2016
Sunday 20 December 2015. Malaga CF welcomed Atletico Madrid to La Rosaleda on Matchday 16 of the current Liga BBVA season at a time when they were struggling for form. The club sat sixteenth in the table with just 14 points, and although they were boosted by a comeback against Rayo in Vallecas, doubts lingered surrounding the team's performance level. Javi Gracia's side bucked the trend that day, to the delight of the home faithful.
There are moments that define a season and the inclusion of Ignacio Camacho in that starting line-up was definitely one of them. The Malaga number 6 had made a full recovery from his hip injury and his impact on the team's fortunes was instant. The centre-midfielder put in an outstanding performance in which he dominated the middle of the park and played a key role in the victory over one of the strongest sides in the division.
A turning point
Malaga's record before that win read 14 points from 15 games with nine goals scored and 14 conceded. Three wins, five draws and seven defeats suggested there was plenty of work to be done in a season that was shaping up to be rather perilous. 15 games later and it's fair to say the tide has well and truly turned.
The Andalusian outfit have picked up 25 points from a possible 45 since the number 6's comeback, with the goalscoring figures making for much better reading. Over that 15-match spell (Matchdays 16-30), Malaga have scored 20 goals and only conceded 14, taking them up to eighth in the table on 39 points. The general feeling around the club is that the bulk of the work has already been done, with the final eight games of the campaign shaping up to be a mere formality.
Goalscorer
Camacho means so much to Malaga. The 25-year-old is a leader on the pitch, a player who brings solidity and a dynamic aspect to the team's play, not to mention his knack for springing a surprise in attack. The midfielder has definitely rediscovered his eye for goal, scoring a header in each of his last two games, the second of which earned his side a crucial victory away to Betisto all but secure safety, having played a pivotal role in his comeback game on Matchday 16 against Atleti when the club started to turn the corner.
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