In the 73-74 season, the border was reopened to foreign players, closed since Spain’s failure in Chile 82. Barça signed Cruyff and Sotil, Madrid signed Netzer and Mas. Those from Madrid did not work out. Netzer was an interior player with a great long pass but he arrived with back pain and was hamstrung. Oscar Pinino Mas, Argentine, was a left winger who was remembered from the ’66 World Cup; He was over, he had one great shot left, nothing more.
Miguel Muأ±oz was in his fourteenth season as coach. He had won the first three editions of the European Cup as a player, the fifth as a coach, and had renewed Di Stأ©fano’s glorious team with the ye-yأ© generation, winner of a new European Cup. The garters were sticking out of his ears. But now, with the ye-yأ©s already in their thirties, the team began to falter and the foreigners punctured. Madrid won little, tied a lot and lost more than necessary. On Cruyff’s back, Barأ§a shot up the table. The cry of “Out with Muأ±oz, out with Muأ±oz!” It took over the Barnabas, a hive of rumors. The talk was that the players were angry because Netzer and the basketball guys earned a lot.
The first match of the second round was lost by Madrid in Castellأ³n, their fifth defeat. Even more painful because Castellأ³n was a satellite team of Madrid, which used it to complete the training of its youth players or to dispose of its discards. That same night, while the team has dinner in Valencia, the club officially announces that Muأ±oz was renewed for another year, to support him.
But on Monday Muأ±oz personally asked Bernabأ©u to relieve him. He couldn’t be more like Barnabas – “I’ve seen him suffer and I don’t like to see anyone suffer” – he agreed. On Tuesday, Molowny, who was at the club as head of the youth team, took over. It was an act of solemn sadness, in the Ciudad Deportiva, where many fans came to, this time, applaud and cheer for Muأ±oz when he came out. The saying of “coach ratified, coach dismissed” dates back to that time. In the first session of Molowny, the young Planelles was heavily booed, who was accused of snitching on the inside of the squad.
Molowny had a good reputation as a coach in Las Palmas, with whom he came close to winning the League with that generation of Guedes and Germn. The first rival was Granada, at the Bernabأ©u. He came at a good time, fifth in the table and after eliminating Burgos in the Cup. He was trained by Joseأto, an old teammate in Muأ±oz and Molowny’s Madrid. Aguirre Suأ،rez and Fernأ،ndez were already there (although this one would fail that day) but their fierce fame was not yet so widespread. Amancio’s injury was a few months away.
The Barnabas was filled. Molowny only introduced one change with respect to the Castellأ³n team: Velأ،zquez, who did not play there due to federation suspension, came in for the young Del Bosque (Netzer was injured). The team was: Garcأa Remأ³n; Morgado, Benito, Executioner; Pirri, Touriأ±o; Amancio, Planelles, Santillana, Velأ،zquez and More. For Granada: Izcoa; Castellanos, Aguirre Suأ،rez, Falito; Jaأ©n, Montero Castillo; Escobar, Lorenzo, Porta, Chirri and Quiles. Medina Iglesias referees and the Bernabأ©u registers an entry. There is a desire to cheer, everyone goes to the field spurred by the old saying “a new coach, a sure victory.” Although there is no shortage of those who are dissatisfied with everything. What’s more.
In the 13th minute comes the only goal of the match, the work of Lorenzo, who easily gets rid of Benito and scores with a faulty shot that deceives García Remأ³n. Madrid attacks and attacks, but has no clarity or luck. Up to four times Granada defenders take the ball out of bounds. With the final whistle, discouragement spreads: Madrid is lost in the middle of the table, with two negatives. They have won five games, drawn eight and lost six. He is 10 points behind the leader, Cruyff’s irrepressible Barأ§a, and only two behind the third from the tail that marks automatic relegation.
Real Madrid fans are dejected. Even Bernabأ©u has to defend himself: “I will only leave if they kick me out or if Madrid goes down to Third Division.” Before a month passes, the tremendous 0-5 against Cruyff’s Barça will take place. But Molowny remains calm, ends up making things right and that summer wins the Cup, in the final precisely against Barcelona. And he delivers a healthy team to Miljanic, who will face the new stage.
There began his fame as a firefighter, which increased over the years. Up to three more times he came to the rescue and the balance was three Leagues, two Cups, two UEFA Cups and a League Cup.
