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Friends Of Don Quixote: Samuel Eto'o Back To Haunt Zlatan Ibrahimovic
The Catalan giants hope for a return to form from Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who is struggling once again to escape the shadow of Samuel Eto'o.
Mar 11, 2010 11:52:00 PM
By David Mosse
Barcelona will be minus the suspended Zlatan Ibrahimovic for a crucial encounter against Valencia on Sunday, which might be a blessing given his form at the moment. Pep Guardiola's side actually played better down a man in Almeria last week following Ibrahimovic's sending off for elbowing Domingo Cisma in the face, and the Swede hasn't performed well in several weeks.
In the long run, Guardiola knows he needs his talented striker back on track, but Ibrahimovic seems to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Not only has his lousy play contributed greatly to Barca's sputtering form of late, it hass brought back a debate that appeared to be settled earlier this season.
Ibrahimovic always had big shoes to fill in replacing Samuel Eto'o, but few were complaining after the Swede was arguably the best player in Spain for the first half of the campaign. He scored almost a goal per game, set up countless others, and while Barcelona missed Eto'o's tenacity in certain matches, it was tough to argue against the switch given Ibrahimovic's all-around brilliance.
But his skills have mysteriously deserted him since the winter break, reducing the Swede to a more conventional striker, and while Ibrahimovic is unequivocally the better player, Eto'o is a more prolific goalscorer. Ibrahimovic is also not the most popular player around, so his first bit of adversity with his new team brought the critics out in full force.
Arrigo Sacchi conveniently picked this moment to reveal he advised Guardiola against buying the 28-year-old because of his supposed individualism. The truth is Ibrahimovic might be a selfish person, but he's not a selfish player and when in form this season he fit in just fine, even showing the willingness to pressure defenders, something he was never asked to do at Internazionale.
The one legitimate concern was his track record in big games, and that question has yet to be answered, though he did come off the bench to score the winner in the first clash with Real Madrid. Unlike Kaka, who has used up all the patience of Madrid supporters, Ibrahimovic still has it all in front of him, especially with Eto'o struggling to make an impact in Italy.
If Barcelona's most expensive signing ever can recapture his form from the first four months and help lead the club to another league title and Champions League triumph, folks in Catalonia will be forced to forget about Eto'o once and for all. Ibrahimovic won't contribute much from the stands on Sunday, but the week off might be just what he needs to recharge his batteries.
The continuing struggles of both Ibrahimovic and Thierry Henry have placed an even greater burden on Lionel Messi, but the Argentine is responding in a major way. Messi scored both goals in the 2-2 final against Almeria last week to surge ahead of David Villa in the race for the Pichichi, as the Valencia striker was shut out at home in a disappointing scoreless draw against Racing Santander.
Unai Emery's side does maintain a four-point edge for the final automatic Champions League position, as two teams closely behind square off this weekend when Deportivo travels to Sevilla. Mallorca moved up to fourth on goal difference with a 3-0 thrashing of Sporting Gijon last Sunday and takes on Getafe away from home, while Villarreal welcomes Xerez to El Madrigal.
Elsewhere, Madrid tries to pick up the pieces from its astonishing Champions League elimination with a seemingly easy match against Valladolid, and crosstown rivals Atletico host Osasuna on Monday with another opportunity to move into the top half of the table.
First Quest: Barcelona vs. Valencia
Sunday, 2:00 p.m. EST, ESPN Deportes
Pep Guardiola is also suspended after both he and Zlatan Ibrahimovic had appeals denied. Guardiola was sent off in the first half of last Saturday's game against Almeria for disputing a decision by referee Clos Gomez. The good news is that Carlos Puyol overcame his back problems from early in the week and should be available, while left back Eric Abidal looks to be nearing a return.
The absence of Ibrahimovic will likely bring Thierry Henry back into the fold, as Guardiola likes to use Henry as his target man up front when the Swede is out of the lineup. The 32-year-old Frenchman has only three league goals this season and needs a big finish to have any shot of returning to the team next year. Barcelona will be without midfielder Seydou Keita for another week.
Valencia's hopes may literally rest on the shoulders of David Villa after he exited Thursday's Europa match against Werder Bremen with a shoulder injury. El Guaje sat out the first meeting between these sides at the Mestalla and his presence was sorely missed, as Valencia created the better chances throughout but had to settle for a scoreless draw.
Second Quest: Sevilla vs. Deportivo
Saturday, 4:00 p.m. EST, Gol TV
Manolo Jimenez faces a potential striker shortage once again after Frederic Kanoute picked up an ankle injury in training and is a doubt for Saturday's match against Deportivo. With Luis Fabiano unlikely to recover in time, the onus could fall on Alvaro Negredo to start alone up front. The 24-year-old played well in the Copa Del Rey tie between these two sides back in January.
Defender Abdoulay Konko limped off in the first half last Saturday against Real Madrid and could miss out as well. The Sevilla back line figures to be tested as Miguel Angel Lotina is planning to field three strikers in an effort to jump-start his attack away from home. Deportivo came from behind to knock off Tenerife last time out behind a brilliant all-around performance by Andres Guardado.
The Mexican winger will be entrusted with supplying Pablo Alvarez and Juan Carlos Valeron, as the Galician club seeks an important victory in the battle for the fourth and final Champions League spot. Deportivo enters this round two points behind both Sevilla and Mallorca, and may benefit from its opponents having one eye on the upcoming CL fixture against CSKA Moscow.
Ladies-in-waiting: Valladolid vs. Real Madrid
Sunday, 4:00 p.m. EST, Gol TV
Manuel Pellegrini has no choice but to capture the league title in order to save his job, so his decisions may become less political, which could spell trouble for Kaka. The Brazilian has already been removed from the past two games with Madrid chasing a goal, and there is a growing sentiment among media and fans that Rafael van der Vaart deserves greater playing time.
Both Xabi Alonso and Marcelo missed the Lyon match through suspension and will be welcomed back with open arms for the trip to Valladolid. The good news is Sunday's opponent remains winless in 10 league games. Onesimo Sanchez's side put forth a strong performance last weekend against Athletic Bilbao, but fell 2-0 and continues to lose ground in the relegation battle.
Ladies-in-waiting: Villarreal vs. Xerez
Sunday, 12:00 p.m. EST, Gol TV
Xerez is almost certain to drop down, but Nestor Gorosito deserves a great deal of credit for improving the team in recent weeks. Los Azulinos knocked off Malaga 4-2 last Sunday, overcoming the bizarre sending off of Argentine midfielder Emiliano Armenteros, who received his marching orders a mere 30 seconds after coming on in the second half. Figueroa Momo scored twice to lead the way.
Winning at El Madrigal won't be easy, however, as Villarreal is due for a breakout game offensively. The Yellow Submarine squandered a golden opportunity to move up the table thanks to the wastefulness of its strikers in a scoreless draw against Espanyol last time out. Giuseppe Rossi did make his return after a lengthy absence and could reclaim a place in the starting XI.
The Impertinent Curiosity: Other Games
Getafe vs. Mallorca
Sporting Gijon vs. Athletic Bilbao
Racing vs. Real Zaragoza
Almeria vs. Malaga
Tenerife vs. Espanyol
Atletico Madrid vs. Osasuna
"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 previous weekend.
For more on Spain click ahead to Goal.com's Spain homepage
In the long run, Guardiola knows he needs his talented striker back on track, but Ibrahimovic seems to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Not only has his lousy play contributed greatly to Barca's sputtering form of late, it hass brought back a debate that appeared to be settled earlier this season.
Ibrahimovic always had big shoes to fill in replacing Samuel Eto'o, but few were complaining after the Swede was arguably the best player in Spain for the first half of the campaign. He scored almost a goal per game, set up countless others, and while Barcelona missed Eto'o's tenacity in certain matches, it was tough to argue against the switch given Ibrahimovic's all-around brilliance.
But his skills have mysteriously deserted him since the winter break, reducing the Swede to a more conventional striker, and while Ibrahimovic is unequivocally the better player, Eto'o is a more prolific goalscorer. Ibrahimovic is also not the most popular player around, so his first bit of adversity with his new team brought the critics out in full force.
Arrigo Sacchi conveniently picked this moment to reveal he advised Guardiola against buying the 28-year-old because of his supposed individualism. The truth is Ibrahimovic might be a selfish person, but he's not a selfish player and when in form this season he fit in just fine, even showing the willingness to pressure defenders, something he was never asked to do at Internazionale.
The one legitimate concern was his track record in big games, and that question has yet to be answered, though he did come off the bench to score the winner in the first clash with Real Madrid. Unlike Kaka, who has used up all the patience of Madrid supporters, Ibrahimovic still has it all in front of him, especially with Eto'o struggling to make an impact in Italy.
If Barcelona's most expensive signing ever can recapture his form from the first four months and help lead the club to another league title and Champions League triumph, folks in Catalonia will be forced to forget about Eto'o once and for all. Ibrahimovic won't contribute much from the stands on Sunday, but the week off might be just what he needs to recharge his batteries.
The continuing struggles of both Ibrahimovic and Thierry Henry have placed an even greater burden on Lionel Messi, but the Argentine is responding in a major way. Messi scored both goals in the 2-2 final against Almeria last week to surge ahead of David Villa in the race for the Pichichi, as the Valencia striker was shut out at home in a disappointing scoreless draw against Racing Santander.
Unai Emery's side does maintain a four-point edge for the final automatic Champions League position, as two teams closely behind square off this weekend when Deportivo travels to Sevilla. Mallorca moved up to fourth on goal difference with a 3-0 thrashing of Sporting Gijon last Sunday and takes on Getafe away from home, while Villarreal welcomes Xerez to El Madrigal.
Elsewhere, Madrid tries to pick up the pieces from its astonishing Champions League elimination with a seemingly easy match against Valladolid, and crosstown rivals Atletico host Osasuna on Monday with another opportunity to move into the top half of the table.
First Quest: Barcelona vs. Valencia
Sunday, 2:00 p.m. EST, ESPN Deportes
Pep Guardiola is also suspended after both he and Zlatan Ibrahimovic had appeals denied. Guardiola was sent off in the first half of last Saturday's game against Almeria for disputing a decision by referee Clos Gomez. The good news is that Carlos Puyol overcame his back problems from early in the week and should be available, while left back Eric Abidal looks to be nearing a return.
The absence of Ibrahimovic will likely bring Thierry Henry back into the fold, as Guardiola likes to use Henry as his target man up front when the Swede is out of the lineup. The 32-year-old Frenchman has only three league goals this season and needs a big finish to have any shot of returning to the team next year. Barcelona will be without midfielder Seydou Keita for another week.
Valencia's hopes may literally rest on the shoulders of David Villa after he exited Thursday's Europa match against Werder Bremen with a shoulder injury. El Guaje sat out the first meeting between these sides at the Mestalla and his presence was sorely missed, as Valencia created the better chances throughout but had to settle for a scoreless draw.
Second Quest: Sevilla vs. Deportivo
Saturday, 4:00 p.m. EST, Gol TV
Manolo Jimenez faces a potential striker shortage once again after Frederic Kanoute picked up an ankle injury in training and is a doubt for Saturday's match against Deportivo. With Luis Fabiano unlikely to recover in time, the onus could fall on Alvaro Negredo to start alone up front. The 24-year-old played well in the Copa Del Rey tie between these two sides back in January.
Defender Abdoulay Konko limped off in the first half last Saturday against Real Madrid and could miss out as well. The Sevilla back line figures to be tested as Miguel Angel Lotina is planning to field three strikers in an effort to jump-start his attack away from home. Deportivo came from behind to knock off Tenerife last time out behind a brilliant all-around performance by Andres Guardado.
The Mexican winger will be entrusted with supplying Pablo Alvarez and Juan Carlos Valeron, as the Galician club seeks an important victory in the battle for the fourth and final Champions League spot. Deportivo enters this round two points behind both Sevilla and Mallorca, and may benefit from its opponents having one eye on the upcoming CL fixture against CSKA Moscow.
Ladies-in-waiting: Valladolid vs. Real Madrid
Sunday, 4:00 p.m. EST, Gol TV
Manuel Pellegrini has no choice but to capture the league title in order to save his job, so his decisions may become less political, which could spell trouble for Kaka. The Brazilian has already been removed from the past two games with Madrid chasing a goal, and there is a growing sentiment among media and fans that Rafael van der Vaart deserves greater playing time.
Both Xabi Alonso and Marcelo missed the Lyon match through suspension and will be welcomed back with open arms for the trip to Valladolid. The good news is Sunday's opponent remains winless in 10 league games. Onesimo Sanchez's side put forth a strong performance last weekend against Athletic Bilbao, but fell 2-0 and continues to lose ground in the relegation battle.
Ladies-in-waiting: Villarreal vs. Xerez
Sunday, 12:00 p.m. EST, Gol TV
Xerez is almost certain to drop down, but Nestor Gorosito deserves a great deal of credit for improving the team in recent weeks. Los Azulinos knocked off Malaga 4-2 last Sunday, overcoming the bizarre sending off of Argentine midfielder Emiliano Armenteros, who received his marching orders a mere 30 seconds after coming on in the second half. Figueroa Momo scored twice to lead the way.
Winning at El Madrigal won't be easy, however, as Villarreal is due for a breakout game offensively. The Yellow Submarine squandered a golden opportunity to move up the table thanks to the wastefulness of its strikers in a scoreless draw against Espanyol last time out. Giuseppe Rossi did make his return after a lengthy absence and could reclaim a place in the starting XI.
The Impertinent Curiosity: Other Games
Getafe vs. Mallorca
Sporting Gijon vs. Athletic Bilbao
Racing vs. Real Zaragoza
Almeria vs. Malaga
Tenerife vs. Espanyol
Atletico Madrid vs. Osasuna
"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 previous weekend.
For more on Spain click ahead to Goal.com's Spain homepage
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