The first week of the season often reveals more than a drill schedule or a friendly result. For Real Zaragoza, Tuesday’s open session at Ciudad Deportiva did exactly that: it showed a team already moving into competition mode, a fan base eager to lean in and a squad still carrying a couple of important absences as the opener against Nástic de Tarragona approaches.
About 400 aficionados watched the session, continuing a routine that has become familiar since the arrival of Ibai Gómez. In that sense, the training ground setting was not a surprise. What made this week stand out was the timing. With the league debut set for Sunday at 21.30 hours at Nou Estadi Costa Daurada, the club is no longer in pre-season limbo. The work now has a clear deadline.
A familiar gesture, but a more meaningful one this week
Open sessions have become a regular feature under Ibai Gómez, usually taking place in the first training session of the week. That familiarity matters, because it helps explain why Tuesday’s crowd of around 400 did not feel like a one-off publicity exercise. It was part of a pattern. But it was also a signal that Real Zaragoza are entering the real thing, with the official competition about to begin and the margin for uncertainty shrinking.
The squad’s defensive situation is the main practical concern. The shortage of central defenders remains, with Iranzo not yet arrived and Diego González unavailable. That absence matters because it limits flexibility at exactly the point when a manager usually wants clarity, especially in the final days before a league opener.
The defensive picture remains the biggest issue
Diego González’s situation has been especially sensitive since Friday, when he suffered a head collision with Zarandona in the match against Bilbao Athletic and was unconscious for around 5 minutes. He was evacuated by stretcher that night and spent the night under observation at Hospital Quironsalud. On Wednesday, he is scheduled to repeat the TAC.
Diego Monzón is also out after the sprain in the lateral external ligament of his right ankle suffered on 15 July in the match against Villarreal B. So while Tuesday’s session was about public connection and final preparation, it also underlined how thin the available defensive options are becoming before the trip to Tarragona.
That is the real takeaway from an otherwise positive scene. Real Zaragoza can count on energy, visibility and a growing sense of anticipation, and the open training session showed both the club’s pull and the coach’s willingness to keep supporters close. But the squad still has to bridge the gap between a well-attended training ground and a demanding first competitive night. In a season that begins on Sunday at 21.30 hours, that gap is already looking important.
