Mario Disappears from Torrecilla's Board

Hercules coach Ruben Torrecilla is known for sticking with a small group of players, a loyal core where not everyone finds their place or prominence. He did so last season and has repeated the pattern this year. Among the players who are largely overlooked by Torrecilla is Mario García. The Cadiz midfielder arrived last summer from Algeciras, after three seasons of playing consistently in the Primera RFEF, with the task of providing muscle, work, and skill in front of the defenders.

Mario started the season as a key player alongside Roger Colomina, but as the months passed, he alarmingly lost his prominence. A muscle injury caused him to miss several matches, and since then, he hasn't regained his spark, especially physically, which is particularly noticeable on a large field like Rico Pérez. Now, the Cadiz player is last in the rotation within the engine room, and in fact, in the last three games, he has been left without any minutes. He is behind Mangada, Colomina, and Artiles in the rotation, and his last start was two months ago against Sevilla Atlético.

Torrecilla has always publicly acknowledged his obsession with the position he played as a footballer: "In this category, the team that loses the midfield is dead," he often repeats. Since his arrival at Hercules, the Extremaduran coach has demanded the presence of a defensive midfielder, but all experiments have been futile. Last season, Mangada took on that role in the final stretch of the league after Artiles' injury, and this year, the gamble on Mario has clearly failed. Additionally, midfielders like César Moreno or Franck Angong have been directly shown the door.

Meanwhile, Hercules continues to prepare for the important clash this Sunday (19:30 hours) against Alcorcón at Rico Pérez. The blue and white team, which will be without left-back Retu due to suspension, has fallen into no man's land after collecting just one point from the last nine. They are six points from promotion and seven from relegation with five matches left to play, four of which will be at Rico Pérez. Hercules will close the season by visiting Villarreal B and hosting Alcorcón, Algeciras, Intercity, and Atlético Sanluqueño at their home ground.