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Friends Of Don Quixote: Follow The Leaders
Sevilla's big win over Valencia last week has set the stage for what should be a fascinating battle for third place.
Feb 4, 2010 11:50:00 PM
By David Mosse
Valencia manager Unai Emery could be forgiven for cursing his team's luck. For two months, everyone in Spain got its licks in against Sevilla, taking advantage of the Andalucian club missing so many key players, as the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium suddenly became an easy place to pick up points.
It all started with consecutive draws against bottom feeders Malaga and Valladolid, followed by defeats to Getafe and Racing Santander on each side of the winter break. Throw in the setbacks to Barcelona and Deportivo in the Copa Del Rey -- although Sevilla advanced in both ties -- and Manuel Jimenez's men went an astonishing two and a half months without celebrating victory at home.
Even the 1-0 win over Almeria two weeks ago that ended this terrible run brought jeers from the home fans, but by the time Valencia came to town last Sunday, Sevilla was ready to defend its turf against one of the top visiting teams in La Liga. Alvaro Negredo scored both goals, the second a delightful chip from the edge of the area, as the Andalucians pulled out a thrilling 2-1 victory.
The result moved Sevilla into fourth place, just three points behind Los Che for the final automatic Champions League spot. With Deportivo struggling to overcome some crippling injures and Mallorca unable to produce its best form away from home, as witnessed by last week's embarrassing defeat to Xerez, the stage looks set for a two-horse race directly below Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Negredo's emergence has coincided with the return of Luis Fabiano, who found the back of the net in the midweek Copa Del Rey win over Getafe. Jimenez still has problems at the back with the absence of Sebastien Squillaci, but Marius Stankevicius filled in admirably in the middle against Valencia and Ivica Dragutinovic could be back this weekend after recovering quickly from a rib injury.
Sevilla heads to La Romareda to face a Real Zaragoza team that knocked off Tenerife last Sunday for its first away win in 25 matches in the Primera, while Valencia takes on struggling Valladolid. Los Che have improved their home form of late after dropping bucketfuls of points at the Mestalla earlier this season.
Emery came under fire for some of his team selections against Sevilla, in particular leaving Argentine midfielder Ever Banega out of the starting XI. Banega entered the fray early in the second half, along with Serbian striker Nikola Zigic, who caused all sorts of problems for the Sevilla defense. Joaquin, meanwhile, aggravated a muscle injury late in the match and is a serious doubt to face Valladolid.
The encounter at the Mestalla will mark the debut on the Valladolid bench for Onesimo Sanchez, who takes over on an interim basis after Jose Luis Mendilibar was let go this past Monday. Mendilibar is the seventh manager to lose his job this season, and was the second in as many days, as Villarreal said goodbye to Ernesto Valverde immediately following a home defeat to Osasuna.
Replacing Valverde for the remainder of the campaign will be youth-team coach Juan Carlos Garrido. His first game in charge is against Mallorca at the Ono Estadi, where Gregorio Manzano's side has collected full points this season. Deportivo travels to Malaga, looking to rebound from a disappointing loss to Real Madrid last Saturday.
Real, still without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo, hosts Espanyol on Saturday with an opportunity to perhaps cut into Barcelona's five-point lead, as the Blaugrana face a very dangerous Getafe side at the Camp Nou. Los Azulones begin the weekend within striking distance of a Champions League spot.
First Quest: Barcelona vs. Getafe
Saturday, 2:00 p.m. EST, ESPN Deportes
Barcelona spent much of the early part of the week refuting claims that it receives favorable treatment from referees, following Pedro's controversial goal against Sporting Gijon. But Pep Guardiola's side must turn its attention to probably its most difficult game this side of the winter break, and Guardiola might be short-handed at the back.
Carlos Puyol is suspended, while Daniel Alves and Eric Abidal are both injury doubts. These absences could result in another chance for Dmytro Chygrynskiy, as well as a first opportunity for youngster Albert Dalmau. The good news is Getafe will be without its most dangerous attacking player: Pedro Leon picked up a fifth yellow card last weekend against Racing Santander.
Getafe was held to a scoreless draw at home by Los Verdiblancos, but Michel's side remains one of the most impressive in the Primera and will seek an upset victory to stay in contention for a Champions League spot. Barcelona has won four in a row in the league, even without much contribution from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who hasn't found the back of the net since early December.
Second Quest: Mallorca vs. Villarreal
Sunday, 11:00 a.m. EST
In addition to falling to Osasuna last Sunday, a defeat that cost manager Ernesto Valverde his job, Villarreal lost Santi Cazorla for six-to-eight weeks with a herniated disc, just in time for a visit to the Ono Estadi. Mallorca might be coming off a terrible defeat away to last-place Xerez, but Gregorio Manzano's side has yet to drop any points at home this season.
Manzano will be minus center back Ivan Ramis, which likely means another opportunity for Ruben Gonzalez alongside captain Nunes. Ramis was very nearly sold to Scottish club Celtic this week, but the transfer fell through at the last moment. Leading scorer Aritz Aduriz hopes to bounce back after missing a first-half penalty in the loss to Xerez.
It remains to be seen what changes are in store for Villarreal under interim boss Juan Carlos Garrido, but two players hoping for more playing time are Robert Pires and Gonzalo Rodriguez. The Argentine is still working his way back from injury. Pires compared Garrido this past week to former manager Manuel Pellegrini, and he needs to be that good for Villarreal to possibly salvage this season.
Ladies-in-waiting: Real Madrid vs. Espanyol
Saturday, 4:00 p.m. EST, Gol TV
Manuel Pellegrini was so pleased with his team's performance last week at the Riazor he might repeat the same formation on Saturday against Espanyol, even with Gonzalo Higuain and Lassana Diarra both available and eager to return to the lineup. That would mean another opportunity for Raul alongside Karim Benzema, who scored two goals against Deportivo.
The Chilean probably won't have much of a choice at the back, as Ezequiel Garay is expected to miss out through injury. Sergio Ramos performed well last week and will slide into the middle once more, with Alvaro Arbeloa and Marcelo occupying the wing-back positions. Cristiano Ronaldo serves the second match of his two-game suspension for hitting Malaga's Patrick Mtiliga across the face.
Ladies-in-waiting: Racing Santander vs. Atletico Madrid
Sunday, 3:00 p.m. EST, Gol TV
So much of the momentum Racing built up over the past several weeks went up in flames on Thursday at the Vicente Calderon, as Los Verdiblancos suffered a disastrous 4-0 defeat in the first leg of a Copa Del Rey semifinal tie. Racing returns to the field on Sunday to face the same Atletico side and will be without manager Miguel Angel Portugal, suspended after being sent off last week against Getafe.
Atletico did lose Jose Antonio Reyes for up to a month with a knee injury sustained in the second half on Thursday, but will head to El Sardinero feeling confident. Much of the focus will be on Racing boy-wonder Sergio Canales, who is now being closely watched by Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque.
The Impertinent Curiosity: Other Games
Valencia vs. Valladolid
Athletic Bilbao vs. Xerez
Malaga vs. Deportivo
Osasuna vs. Tenerife
Almeria vs. Sporting Gijon
Real Zaragoza vs. Sevilla
“Friends of Don Quixote” appears Friday mornings on Goal.com. Also check out “Men of La Mancha” on Monday mornings, as David Mosse recaps the action from the weekend.
For more on Spain click ahead to Goal.com's Spain homepage
It all started with consecutive draws against bottom feeders Malaga and Valladolid, followed by defeats to Getafe and Racing Santander on each side of the winter break. Throw in the setbacks to Barcelona and Deportivo in the Copa Del Rey -- although Sevilla advanced in both ties -- and Manuel Jimenez's men went an astonishing two and a half months without celebrating victory at home.
Even the 1-0 win over Almeria two weeks ago that ended this terrible run brought jeers from the home fans, but by the time Valencia came to town last Sunday, Sevilla was ready to defend its turf against one of the top visiting teams in La Liga. Alvaro Negredo scored both goals, the second a delightful chip from the edge of the area, as the Andalucians pulled out a thrilling 2-1 victory.
The result moved Sevilla into fourth place, just three points behind Los Che for the final automatic Champions League spot. With Deportivo struggling to overcome some crippling injures and Mallorca unable to produce its best form away from home, as witnessed by last week's embarrassing defeat to Xerez, the stage looks set for a two-horse race directly below Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Negredo's emergence has coincided with the return of Luis Fabiano, who found the back of the net in the midweek Copa Del Rey win over Getafe. Jimenez still has problems at the back with the absence of Sebastien Squillaci, but Marius Stankevicius filled in admirably in the middle against Valencia and Ivica Dragutinovic could be back this weekend after recovering quickly from a rib injury.
Sevilla heads to La Romareda to face a Real Zaragoza team that knocked off Tenerife last Sunday for its first away win in 25 matches in the Primera, while Valencia takes on struggling Valladolid. Los Che have improved their home form of late after dropping bucketfuls of points at the Mestalla earlier this season.
Emery came under fire for some of his team selections against Sevilla, in particular leaving Argentine midfielder Ever Banega out of the starting XI. Banega entered the fray early in the second half, along with Serbian striker Nikola Zigic, who caused all sorts of problems for the Sevilla defense. Joaquin, meanwhile, aggravated a muscle injury late in the match and is a serious doubt to face Valladolid.
The encounter at the Mestalla will mark the debut on the Valladolid bench for Onesimo Sanchez, who takes over on an interim basis after Jose Luis Mendilibar was let go this past Monday. Mendilibar is the seventh manager to lose his job this season, and was the second in as many days, as Villarreal said goodbye to Ernesto Valverde immediately following a home defeat to Osasuna.
Replacing Valverde for the remainder of the campaign will be youth-team coach Juan Carlos Garrido. His first game in charge is against Mallorca at the Ono Estadi, where Gregorio Manzano's side has collected full points this season. Deportivo travels to Malaga, looking to rebound from a disappointing loss to Real Madrid last Saturday.
Real, still without the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo, hosts Espanyol on Saturday with an opportunity to perhaps cut into Barcelona's five-point lead, as the Blaugrana face a very dangerous Getafe side at the Camp Nou. Los Azulones begin the weekend within striking distance of a Champions League spot.
First Quest: Barcelona vs. Getafe
Saturday, 2:00 p.m. EST, ESPN Deportes
Barcelona spent much of the early part of the week refuting claims that it receives favorable treatment from referees, following Pedro's controversial goal against Sporting Gijon. But Pep Guardiola's side must turn its attention to probably its most difficult game this side of the winter break, and Guardiola might be short-handed at the back.
Carlos Puyol is suspended, while Daniel Alves and Eric Abidal are both injury doubts. These absences could result in another chance for Dmytro Chygrynskiy, as well as a first opportunity for youngster Albert Dalmau. The good news is Getafe will be without its most dangerous attacking player: Pedro Leon picked up a fifth yellow card last weekend against Racing Santander.
Getafe was held to a scoreless draw at home by Los Verdiblancos, but Michel's side remains one of the most impressive in the Primera and will seek an upset victory to stay in contention for a Champions League spot. Barcelona has won four in a row in the league, even without much contribution from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who hasn't found the back of the net since early December.
Second Quest: Mallorca vs. Villarreal
Sunday, 11:00 a.m. EST
In addition to falling to Osasuna last Sunday, a defeat that cost manager Ernesto Valverde his job, Villarreal lost Santi Cazorla for six-to-eight weeks with a herniated disc, just in time for a visit to the Ono Estadi. Mallorca might be coming off a terrible defeat away to last-place Xerez, but Gregorio Manzano's side has yet to drop any points at home this season.
Manzano will be minus center back Ivan Ramis, which likely means another opportunity for Ruben Gonzalez alongside captain Nunes. Ramis was very nearly sold to Scottish club Celtic this week, but the transfer fell through at the last moment. Leading scorer Aritz Aduriz hopes to bounce back after missing a first-half penalty in the loss to Xerez.
It remains to be seen what changes are in store for Villarreal under interim boss Juan Carlos Garrido, but two players hoping for more playing time are Robert Pires and Gonzalo Rodriguez. The Argentine is still working his way back from injury. Pires compared Garrido this past week to former manager Manuel Pellegrini, and he needs to be that good for Villarreal to possibly salvage this season.
Ladies-in-waiting: Real Madrid vs. Espanyol
Saturday, 4:00 p.m. EST, Gol TV
Manuel Pellegrini was so pleased with his team's performance last week at the Riazor he might repeat the same formation on Saturday against Espanyol, even with Gonzalo Higuain and Lassana Diarra both available and eager to return to the lineup. That would mean another opportunity for Raul alongside Karim Benzema, who scored two goals against Deportivo.
The Chilean probably won't have much of a choice at the back, as Ezequiel Garay is expected to miss out through injury. Sergio Ramos performed well last week and will slide into the middle once more, with Alvaro Arbeloa and Marcelo occupying the wing-back positions. Cristiano Ronaldo serves the second match of his two-game suspension for hitting Malaga's Patrick Mtiliga across the face.
Ladies-in-waiting: Racing Santander vs. Atletico Madrid
Sunday, 3:00 p.m. EST, Gol TV
So much of the momentum Racing built up over the past several weeks went up in flames on Thursday at the Vicente Calderon, as Los Verdiblancos suffered a disastrous 4-0 defeat in the first leg of a Copa Del Rey semifinal tie. Racing returns to the field on Sunday to face the same Atletico side and will be without manager Miguel Angel Portugal, suspended after being sent off last week against Getafe.
Atletico did lose Jose Antonio Reyes for up to a month with a knee injury sustained in the second half on Thursday, but will head to El Sardinero feeling confident. Much of the focus will be on Racing boy-wonder Sergio Canales, who is now being closely watched by Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque.
The Impertinent Curiosity: Other Games
Valencia vs. Valladolid
Athletic Bilbao vs. Xerez
Malaga vs. Deportivo
Osasuna vs. Tenerife
Almeria vs. Sporting Gijon
Real Zaragoza vs. Sevilla
“Friends of Don Quixote” appears Friday mornings on Goal.com. Also check out “Men of La Mancha” on Monday mornings, as David Mosse recaps the action from the weekend.
For more on Spain click ahead to Goal.com's Spain homepage
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