Gregorio Manzano took the reins of Sevilla FC one week ago from the sacked Antonio Álvarez, and he did not inherit a club that inspired any confidence from los nervionenses that filled the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán on Sunday afternoon. &nbsp;Although the Andalusians only lost one of their first five matches in La Liga, two draws against cellar-dwellers Racing de Santander and Deportivo La Coruña and a loss to newly-promoted Hércules prompted Sevilla chairman José María del Nido to act swiftly and hire the man that was the betting favorite to become Sevilla manager during the summer months.

Last season, Manzano led Mallorca, a club that fostered mediocre expectations at the commencement of the campaign, to the brink of the UEFA Champions League, when, ironically, Antonio Álvarez and Sevilla broke los barralets‘ collective hearts with a stoppage time goal against Almería that propelled Sevilla into the playoff round of the Champions League and dropped Mallorca into the playoff round of the UEFA Europa League. &nbsp;Besides a fourth-place finish in La Liga, Álvarez and Sevilla defeated Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey final to add to their trophy case.
Del Nido faced a similar situation that Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich endured in 2008, when the managerial mid-season replacement accomplished feats that would make it hard for the owner to supplant him. &nbsp;In Abramovich’s case, Avram Grant led Chelsea to the Champions League final, and save for a John Terry penalty kick that hit the post, Chelsea would have won the trophy that Abramovich most desired. &nbsp;In addition, Chelsea harried Manchester United to the final matchday for the Premier League title, where Chelsea eventually capitulated when they could only draw 1-1 against Bolton Wanderers, whereas Manchester United defeated Wigan Athletic 2-0 to win the league by two points.
Amidst a groundswell to retain Grant as the manager, Abramovich made the decision to release Grant three days after the Champions League heartbreak and eventually hired Luiz Felipe Scolari later that summer.
When Mallorca released Manzano not due to performance but due to financial difficulties that eventually led to administration, José María del Nido wrestled over the future of his team’s managerial leadership between Manzano and Álvarez, but unlike Roman Abramovich, del Nido rewarded Álvarez for his work after replacing Manolo Jiménez&nbsp;and extended his contract through at least the end of the 2010-11 season.
After the ignominy of failing to qualify for the Champions League group stage at the hands of the little Portuguese team that could in Sporting Braga before the start of the La Liga season, Álvarez’s leash shortened considerably, and any other slip-up would be the impetus for Sevilla to fire Álvarez. &nbsp;The 2-0 defeat to Hércules last weekend became that tipping point.
Amazingly, no team hired Manzano in the offseason, but he likely was biding his time until the Sevilla job opened, and immediately after Álvarez received the axe, Manzano accepted the position.
Manzano’s first test in La Liga came against an Atlético Madrid side who dearly wants to right the wrongs of last season’s domestic campaign. &nbsp;While they marveled as a cup team, winning the UEFA Europa League and reaching the Copa del Rey final, their indifferent form in the league equally flabbergasted as they finished ninth, their worst finish since 2006. &nbsp;Atleti has returned to their normally solid play in La Liga this season, sitting in fifth spot prior to the match against Sevilla. &nbsp;The schizophrenia that marred this team last season has not completely left the brain, as their Europa League form reeks of indifference and middling.
Los colchoneros were not at full strength against Sevilla because José Antonio Reyes was serving his suspension for a red card he received in the previous match against Real Zaragoza and Sergio Agüero suffered an injury to the gluteus maximus muscle of his left buttock (no joke) in Friday’s training session.
For Sevilla, Manzano’s team started to come back to a good bill of health as Abdoulay Konko, Frédéric Kanouté&nbsp;and Renato returned to the starting eleven. &nbsp;When Sevilla has been most successful, they played in a classic 4-4-2 formation with Jesús Navas and either Diego Perotti or Diego Capel flying down the wings to provide service for the two forwards Kanouté and Luís Fabiano. &nbsp;While Navas did not play due to a thigh strain and Fabiano sat on the bench due to poor form, Manzano returned Sevilla to the 4-4-2 with Capel and Perotti on the wings and the maligned Álvaro Negredo pairing with Kanouté up front.
After the opening hour where Sevilla slightly wielded the upper hand, Sevilla scored twice within a span of six minutes to break open a tight affair. &nbsp;In the 29th minute, Diego&nbsp;Perotti cut from the right and brought defenders with him, and when he made the reverse pass to his right for Álvaro&nbsp;Negredo into the penalty area, Negredo found some valuable space in which to work. &nbsp;Negredo was not quite set for the shot, so he took a vital touch to his left to set himself up and create space from the two Atlético defenders that were scrambling to close down Negredo.&nbsp;&nbsp;He curled the shot toward the left far post, and de Gea had no chance of getting a hand on it.
Six minutes later, Diego&nbsp;Capel’s feathery touch sent in Frédéric&nbsp;Kanouté into the box free and unmarked, and de Gea did well to rush off his line and close down the angle to save Kanouté’s shot. &nbsp;The rebound from the save, however, lofted to Perotti just beyond the “D,” and Perotti took the shot on first-time, deflecting off Paulo Assunção to the left side of the goal, and de Gea was frozen once the ball took the deflection.
Save for a period of ten to fifteen minutes in the second half when Atlético Madrid scored their only goal of the match, Sevilla controlled the flow and never felt threatened by the rojiblancos. &nbsp;The search team could not find Diego Forlán throughout the match as he continually looked a frustrated figure, and while Filipe Luís and Diego Costa provided a small spark coming off the substitute’s bench to start the second half, the same team that struggled to secure a draw against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday showed up against Sevilla on Sunday.
Sometimes, managers receives too much credit or blame for what their players do on the pitch, but the eleven that Manzano put out against Atlético Madrid played with a freedom and desire that was achingly unapparent under Antonio Álvarez. &nbsp;As with José Mourinho with Real Madrid, a managerial change can affect the group of twenty-five players in a positive manner if the manager commands the respect of those players immediately. &nbsp;While Gregorio Manzano does not own the sprawling curriculum vitae of Mourinho, Manzano’s achievements at Mallorca certainly deserve credit. &nbsp;When he inspired his Mallorca team to perform at their best when the players were not getting paid, that might be the toughest task to do with professional footballers.
After Sevilla goes to El Molinón to play Sporting Gijón after the international break, their following three fixtures will determine if they will be a genuine factor at the top of the table: home against Athletic Bilbao, at the Camp Nou against FC Barcelona, and home against current league leaders Valencia. &nbsp;If Luís Fabiano brightens his moody attitude and avoids injuries that have plagued him in the past year and a half, his combination with Frédéric Kanouté, as proven in the past, can turn into the lethal force once again. &nbsp;With Real Madrid and Barcelona slightly more vulnerable than at any point last season, Sevilla must seize this tough stretch by the neck and play without fear in order to attain at least six points out of nine. &nbsp;Gregorio Manzano is the right man to motivate this team and lead them for the foreseeable future.
Fueras de Juego
– Scoring problems? &nbsp;What scoring problems? &nbsp;Real Madrid laid the 6-1 hammer down on pathetic Deportivo La Coruña&nbsp;in the final match of the round, and Gonzalo Higuaín got off the schneid with his first goal of the season. &nbsp;This match was Real Madrid’s first since the club replaced their “potato field,” as José Mourinho coined it, with imported Slovakian grass, and the pitch looked and played just as fine as its owners did. &nbsp;Despite the six-goal outburst, Mourinho will not be happy that they conceded a late goal to Juan Rodríguez.
– Mallorca has gone two for two against Real Madrid and Barcelona as Mallorca held Barcelona to a 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou. &nbsp;Mallorca also drew with Real 0-0 in their opening match of the season to steal two valuable points against the royalty of Spanish football. &nbsp;For Barcelona, the same story keeps being told: numerous golden and silver chances but unable to capitalize on enough occasions. &nbsp;Last year, Zlatan Ibrahimovic was supposed to give the Catalans a different element with his size and aerial ability. &nbsp;This year, David Villa is supposed to be the savior as the center forward in the front three. &nbsp;The ghost of Samuel Eto’o continues to loom, as Barcelona has not been as clinical in front of goal since Eto’o went to Inter Milan.
– Almería played the best football of the twenty teams this weekend but somehow managed to only draw against Málaga 1-1 at home in their newly-named arena Estadio Juan Rojas. &nbsp;Ten&nbsp;ocasiones de gol (scoring chances), twenty-six shots overall, and a leaky Málaga defense that conceded the most goals in La Liga prior to this round of matches should have equaled an easy win, but three efforts off the woodwork, a missed penalty by Kalu Uche, and various other misses that avoided the target by a couple of yards or less conspired to split the points with an undeserved Málaga. &nbsp;These types of matches hurt the most, especially for a team that could be in the relegation fight throughout the course of the season.

La Liga Jornada 6 Review: Sevilla Shines Against Atlético Madrid in Gregorio Manzano's Debut

La Liga Jornada 6 Review: Sevilla Shines Against Atlético Madrid in Gregorio Manzano's Debut - World Soccer Talk

<div id="attachment_3025" style="width: 505px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/03/Sevilla-Trio.jpg"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-3025" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-3025 " src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/03/Sevilla-Trio.jpg" alt="" width="495" height="329"></figure></div></a>The Sevilla Trio in more harmonious times.</div>
When Sevilla hosted cellar-dweller Xerez on Tuesday evening, an aura of uneasiness surrounded the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán.&nbsp; In the front of the&nbsp;Sevillistas‘ minds was the poor form of their team.&nbsp; An extended run of indolent performances culminated on Saturday evening with a 2-0 debacle against Espanyol, where Sevilla would lose Jesús Navas for a month with an ankle injury.
Sevilla manager Manolo Jiménez refused to participate in a pity party for his team, rejecting notions that injuries are the main reason for their current slide.&nbsp; When he spoke to the club’s website about the current situation, he remarked:
<blockquote>“We’ve gotten ourselves in this situation, and it’s us who has to drag the team out of it.&nbsp; We must seek solutions and not make excuses.&nbsp; If we now use the problems as excuses, we are not going to go anywhere… I fear nothing.&nbsp; We will reach third place.”</blockquote>
Sound and logical words from the boss, but in this business, where results remain the only true capital, his team has not recently provided the wins necessary for a club with such high expectations.

When former Sevilla manager Juande Ramos resigned in October 2007 to fill the job opening at Tottenham Hotspur, Sevilla promoted Manolo Jiménez from its reserve team Sevilla Atlético with the hope that Jiménez would continue their upward ascent as a burgeoning Spanish and European force.
This ascension started under Joaquin Caparrós, when he led Sevilla to the Segunda División crown in 2001 and was promoted to the top flight.&nbsp; With homegrown talents José Antonio Reyes, Sergio Ramos, Antonio Puerta, Antonio Barragán, etc. flooding the Sevilla cantera, there was no chance that Sevilla would struggle to remain in La Liga.&nbsp; After an eighth-place finish and a tenth-place finish in their first two years back in La Liga, Sevilla finished the 2003-04 season in a landmark sixth-place, earning a ticket into a European competition, specifically the UEFA Cup, for the first time since 1995.
Sevilla president José María del Nido, however, refused to be caught up with his team’s triumphs.&nbsp; With Real Madrid and Barcelona receiving the vast majority of the TV broadcasting money, del Nido knew he had to sell his most prized assets to infuse extra cash into the team and ensure future success domestically and internationally.&nbsp; He sold José Antonio Reyes to Arsenal in the 2004 winter transfer window for €25 million, and in the 2005 summer transfer window, del Nido sold Sergio Ramos to Real Madrid for €27 million, then a record fee for a Spanish teenager.
To fill the absence of these wonderful talents, del Nido, along with sporting director Ramón “Monchi” Rodríguez, brought in players from around the world at relatively inexpensive prices.&nbsp; These players included Dani Alves, Frédéric Kanouté, Christian Poulsen, Seydou Keita, and Júlio Baptista.&nbsp; All of these players, except for Kanouté, who still plays for the club, were eventually sold at a much higher price tag than at the price for which they were bought, and the Sevilla boardroom continues to be fiscally responsible to this day.
Del Nido made another change that at the time seemed to be a bit of a gamble.&nbsp; He replaced Caparrós before the 2005-06 season with Juande Ramos, an unremarkable manager whose last indentation on La Liga before del Nido bestowed the Sevilla job on him was leading Málaga to a ho-hum tenth place finish in the 2003-04 season.
In the next two and a half seasons, Ramos reached heights that this club never fulfilled in its history.&nbsp; Two straight UEFA Cups, consecutive top five finishes, a UEFA Super Cup over Champions League winners Barcelona, a Copa del Rey, and their first berth in the UEFA Champions League when they finished third in the 2006-07 season.
Ramos’ team played with a relentless style that flourished in the final third while simultaneously kept firm in their defensive half.&nbsp; Two new kids from the youth system began their journeys with the first team: Diego Capel and Jesús Navas.&nbsp; Ramos never hesitated to employ his young talent, and knowing that at some point his veteran players would be sold, it was somewhat necessary to bleed in these youth players into the squad.
Leaving Sevilla to follow the money at Tottenham (although who would not be tempted with a four-year contract worth €9 million a year), in stepped Manuel Jiménez Jiménez, a Sevilla lifer.&nbsp; He was Sevilla’s first-choice left back for nearly fourteen years from the mid 1980s to the late 1990s and after retirement as a player, he coached Sevilla Atlético for seven years, nurturing the Sevilla youth talent as they made their way into senior-team prominence, such as Carlos Marchena, Jesús Navas, etc.
With the keys to the car, Jiménez knew he had to impress immediately because his initial contract as the first-team manager was to expire at the end of the season.&nbsp; Topping their Champions League group with five wins out of six and relegating Arsenal to second place in the group helped Jiménez’s cause.&nbsp; Although Sevilla would lose to Fenerbahçe in the first knockout round on penalties and finish fifth in La Liga because Atlético Madrid held the head-to-head tiebreaker over them, del Nido was convinced that Manolo Jiménez was the right man, and he gave Jiménez a contract extension.
A third-place finish in the 2008-09 season, including one of the matches of the year when they defeated Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu 3-4 (a win, along with comments about Real Madrid having no shot to beat Barcelona in El Clásico the following week, that cost Real manager Bernd Schuster his job), gave Sevilla another chance to improve on their previous Champions League effort.
Through February 20 of this year, Sevilla achieved a place in the Copa del Rey final in May, their run capped off by dismissing title-holders FC Barcelona, first place in their Champions League group, handing Mallorca its first home loss in the league, and constancy in the top four of La Liga.&nbsp; Everyone involved with the club sought even higher aspirations in this campaign.
Then the slide commenced.&nbsp; A four-game winless streak in La Liga before the match with Xerez and a languorous effort in their second-leg defeat to CSKA Moskva that eliminated Los Rojiblancos in the first knockout round for the second time in three years threw the team into a black abyss.&nbsp; Surely, a home match against Andalucian neighbors Xerez would become the perfect antidote to cure Sevilla of its current malaise.
Through 90+ minutes, Sevilla looked to be on their way to a much-needed win.&nbsp; Although far from impressive, Frédéric Kanouté’s 62nd minute penalty seemed to be the decisive blow against a desperate Xerez squad that needed points wherever they could find them.
Marius Stankevicius gave away a cheap foul deep in the right flank, and although Fabián Orellana’s free kick was headed away into touch, the resulting throw-in by Sidi Keita led to a penalty box scramble, in which Xerez defender Leandro Gioda capitalized on the loose ball and slotted it past Andrés Palop.&nbsp; 1-1 final.&nbsp; It was only Gioda’s second goal this season for Xerez, the other coming in Xerez’s only away win this season, a 2-4 victory over Málaga.
Gioda might just be the kiss of death for the opposition when he scores, but that was little consolation for Manolo Jiménez, who could feel and hear the unerring venom from the Sevillistas at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, whistling and chanting for Jiménez to be sacked.
Their wishes came true on Wednesday, when Manolo Jiménez became the eighth manager fired in La Liga this season.&nbsp; In the press conference that confirmed Jiménez’s dismissal, sporting director Monchi commented:
<blockquote>“He (Jiménez) has done everything possible and impossible, and we only have words of appreciation for his work because he could not have been more professional.&nbsp; It is time to rejuvenate the team.”</blockquote>
Sevilla’s first-choice replacement, Luis Aragonés, did not accept the job, apparently quibbling with del Nido and Monchi over the length of the contract.&nbsp; Aragonés wanted the assurance of being contracted through the end of next season, but del Nido would only guarantee Aragonés through the end of this current campaign.
Michael Laudrup seems to be the second choice, although Sevilla has denied of any talks with the former Barcelona and Real Madrid midfielder and former Getafe coach.&nbsp; Whatever decision the Sevilla brass makes, the incoming manager will know that the Sevilla job has reached the point, at least in the mind of José María del Nido, where a Champions League spot is necessary and progressing beyond the first knockout stage of the Champions League is paramount.
For Manolo Jiménez, his first stint as a manager in a top-flight division can be classified as a success.&nbsp; No one questioned his passion for the game or his commitment to his players.&nbsp; For those who grew up in the Sevilla academy under Jiménez, like Jesús Navas and Diego Capel, this decision will affect them both professionally and personally.&nbsp; There is little doubt that he will manage again, possibly as soon as next season, but for a person that gave more than twenty-five years of his life to Sevilla, the hurt he feels at this moment will take time to heal.
Fueras de Juego
– Coming into this mid-week round, the top three teams had the top three defenses in terms of goals allowed, but who had the fourth-best defense?&nbsp; The men from Pamplona.&nbsp; Osasuna’s defensive line of César Azpilicueta at right-back, Nacho Monreal at left-back, and Miguel Flaño, Josetxo, and Sergio González as central defenders have propelled their team to a relatively comfortable gap above the relegation zone.&nbsp; With the third-worst attack in La Liga, their defensive intensity is essential to their success, and Barcelona certainly knows what kind of defense Osasuna possesses.
In October, Osasuna held Barça to a single goal, and a Gerard Piqué own goal in stoppage gave José Antonio Camacho’s men a share of the points.&nbsp; On Wednesday evening, credit is due to Osasuna’s defense more than the Blaugrana being off their game, and even though Barcelona would eventually win 2-0, Osasuna proved to be one of Barça’s fiercest competitors this season.&nbsp; Any team that can hold Lionel Messi scoreless twice in one season should be commended.
– Racing Santander, who has the worst home record in the league, hosted Mallorca, who had only won twice out of twelve away matches, on Wednesday evening.&nbsp; A 0-0 draw was inevitable, and that is exactly what happened.&nbsp; A valuable point for Mallorca at this stage of the season, but this chasm of a disconnect between home and away form is astonishing.&nbsp; Mallorca has earned a staggering thirty-six points while only gaining eleven points on the road, a point difference of twenty-five.&nbsp; Only Villarreal has a similar gulf in La Liga, with the Yellow Submarine garnering thirty points at El Madrigal while attaining only seven points away from home, a difference of twenty-three points.
– Valencia distanced themselves from the pack with their 1-0 win over Málaga and now possess a six-point lead over Mallorca for third-place and an automatic berth into the group stage of next year’s Champions League.&nbsp; As for the final Champions League spot and the two Europa League places, every team involved for those European invitations apparently wants to back into those invites rather than earning them.&nbsp; No team ranked fourth through ninth won in Round 29, and these teams have been so mediocre that Atlético Madrid, the model of inconsistency this season, now sits in eighth place after they defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0 on Thursday.
– Getafe manager Míchel provided the quote of the round about his own dismissal late in his team’s 2-4 pounding by Real Madrid:
<blockquote>“All I said was, ‘If you were from Madrid you’d have protested it.’&nbsp; The linesman understood that I disrespected him, and I was sent off, but I have never spoken about referees or shown disrespect.”</blockquote>
George Orwell would be proud of Míchel for his valiant attempt at doublethink.

La Liga Review: The Guillotine Falls On Manolo Jiménez

La Liga Review: The Guillotine Falls On Manolo Jiménez - World Soccer Talk

<div id="attachment_2753" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2753" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-2753" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/02/La-Romareda.jpg" alt="La Romareda" width="500" height="331"></figure></div>La Romareda in the resplendent crepúsculo (twilight).</div>
The January transfer window is made for the top teams to reinforce their squads for a title run.&nbsp; As a whole, the window flew by with little fanfare.&nbsp; Real Zaragoza was one of the few teams in Europe to make sweeping changes to their roster.&nbsp; While their moves would hardly gather any front or back page headlines, the Zaragoza board realized that they needed to effect change in order to avoid relegation.
Even before January, they let go of manager Marcelino García Toral, the same man that guided the Aragonese club to promotion last season.&nbsp; While the move was not popular with some of the players and the fans, the Zaragoza brass believed in the reserve team coach, José Aurelio Gay, to run the senior team for the rest of the season.

A capable midfielder for Espanyol and Real Zaragoza in the late 1980s through the 1990s, Gay’s subsequent managerial career garnered mediocre results with multiple teams in the lower divisions of Spain.&nbsp; With his latest stop with the Real Zaragoza B team, he led the group of academy players to the top of Group XVII, the Aragon region of Spain, with a positive, attacking style that rarely occurs in the rough and tumble of the Tercera División, the fourth level in the Spanish football pyramid.
If Xavi Hernández complains of the man-marking and the lack of space he sometimes receives in La Liga and in the UEFA Champions League, he would dread playing in the Tercera División because a vast majority of the players at that level do not have the technical skill to compete for roster spots at the top level but have the heart and desire to chase the ball and commit fully to challenges.&nbsp; Some of them are part-time players, and others are young cantera kids who are trying to impress their superiors, so a tireless work ethic is necessary to survive in this division.
A coaching change, however, appeared to be only window dressing as the poor results continued into January.&nbsp; President Agapito Iglesias gave his consent to several signings as well as releasing a couple of their important players.&nbsp; With the worst defense in La Liga, defenders were at the top of the list of improvements needed.&nbsp; Jirí Jarošík, former CSKA Moskva and Chelsea defender, arrived on a free transfer, and they loaned veteran Italian defender Matteo Contini from Napoli until the end of the season, with an option to buy him outright.&nbsp; They even brought former FC Barcelona and Villarreal defender Edmilson back from the dead.
Besides the holes in the back line, Zaragoza needed finishers.&nbsp; Abel Aguilar was Los Blanquillos‘ top scorer with only four goals, so reinforcements in attack became important to keep up with the opposition if the defense could not hold.&nbsp; Lazio loaned speedy winger Eliseu Pereira, who played with Málaga for two seasons, and Recreativo Huelva standout Adrián Colunga was loaned to Zaragoza.&nbsp; These two pale in comparison to Zaragoza’s third forward signing, Chilean striker Humberto “Chupete” Suazo.&nbsp; A prolific goal-scorer with Chilean club powerhouse Colo-Colo and 2009 Mexican Apertura champions Monterrey, Monterrey loaned him to Zaragoza until the end of the season, with Zaragoza having the option to make the loan permanent for €10 million.
The one significant player to leave Real Zaragoza in January was 36-year-old captain Roberto Ayala.&nbsp; Signed by Zaragoza from Villarreal before Ayala had played a single match for Villarreal, the Argentinean defender’s career path slowly turned downward from that point forward.&nbsp; While the former Valencia legend played admirably and adequately for the Aragonese club, the heights to which he played for Valencia and the Argentinean national team never materialized at Zaragoza.&nbsp; Ayala and Zaragoza came to terms with the mutual termination of his contract, and he returned home to Argentina, where he currently plays for Racing Club de Avellaneda.
With all of these alterations within the team, they needed time to work out the chemistry among themselves.&nbsp; Unfortunately, with only half of the season remaining and relegation a looming possibility, they needed to generate positive results quickly to avoid falling to the Segunda División for the second time in three seasons.
Although they lost 4-2 to Villarreal two weeks ago, they fought back from a 3-0 deficit to make the last ten minutes of the match nail biting.&nbsp; Goals from Eliseu and Ángel Lafita made a stroll for Villarreal turn into a strenuous run.
Through seventy-six minutes at Tenerife last Sunday, Tenerife outclassed Zaragoza, but poor finishing yielded only one goal for Los Chicharreros.&nbsp; In the span of six minutes, an unnecessary penalty conceded by Tenerife central defender Ezequiel Luna that was converted by Humberto Suazo, a beautifully lofted shot by Adrián Colunga over Tenerife goalkeeper Sergio Aragoneses, and an Ángel Lafita blast from over thirty yards that was the “Golazo de la Semana” led to José Aurelio Gay’s first win as manager of the senior team and Zaragoza’s first win away from La Romareda.
Returning from the warm temperatures of Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands to the cold Cierza winds in Zaragoza, they hosted Sevilla FC on Sunday, who was fighting their way back into the Champions League spots with two straight wins in La Liga over Almería and Valencia and a midweek win in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal over Getafe.&nbsp; Ángel Lafita was suspended for this game due to an accumulation of five yellow cards, and Adrián Colunga filled in to pair with Chupete Suazo in attack.&nbsp; Five of the January signings started in this match for Real Zaragoza, and the team performed as though they had been there since summer training.
Sevilla fielded a relatively weakened side, as manager Manolo Jiménez decided to rest the likes of Luís Fabiano, Renato, Jesús Navas, Didier Zokora, and Diego Perotti because they played midweek in the Copa del Rey semifinal and will likely play them in the second leg this Wednesday.
For the first half-hour, the teams were fairly even, as both teams had decent chances on goal but failed to capitalize on them.&nbsp; Then from a corner kick in the 31st minute, Sevilla failed to clear the ball, and the ensuing scramble in the penalty box led to the ball popping out for Matteo Contini, who shot it across goal to the right far post, and passed Sevilla goalkeeper Andrés Palop for the opening score.
An egregious goalkeeping error by Juan Pablo Carrizo gave the Andalucians the equalizing goal less than three minutes after they fell behind.&nbsp; From the left flank, Diego Capel floated a cross just beyond the right post.&nbsp; Carrizo made the decision to venture off his line to punch the cross away.&nbsp; He flailed and failed miserably to make contact with the ball, and Juan Cala’s header hit the crossbar.&nbsp; Frédéric Kanouté slotted the rebound from five yards out, and Carrizo appealed and remonstrated to referee César Muñiz Fernández that he was obstructed.&nbsp; Clearly, there was no foul, but Carrizo needed someone to blame for his mistake, and for his efforts, Muñiz Fernández rewarded him with a yellow card for dissent.
Equality would not last long, as Álvaro Negredo headed the ball into his own net from an Eliseu whipped cross in the 41st minute.&nbsp; Zaragoza held a 2-1 lead into halftime, and they deserved the lead in spite of the go-ahead goal being an own goal.&nbsp; The club from Aragon created more quality chances than Sevilla, and their commitment and spirit shone through the whole squad.&nbsp; Even Chupete Suazo harried and hurried the Sevilla defenders and midfielders as they crossed the halfway line.&nbsp; Suazo acknowledged that he has had attitude problems in the past, when he played for Universidad Católica in Chile and in Monterrey.&nbsp; If José Aurelio Gay can get Suazo to work outside of his striker role, he must be doing something right.
Predictably, the second half transpired with Sevilla imposing their game onto Real Zaragoza, as Jiménez sent in Perotti, Renato, and Navas in to overturn the one goal deficit.&nbsp; Sevilla could not break down the Zaragoza defense (who knew?), and frustrations became tangible when both Álvaro Negredo and Marius Stankevicius received straight red cards late in the match for vicious tackles on Matteo Contini and Ander Herrera respectively.&nbsp; Sevilla never mounted a serious challenge to Carrizo in the second half, and Real Zaragoza elevated out of the relegation places with a 2-1 victory, two points clear of 18th place Real Valladolid.
Last season, Mallorca and Espanyol were in the last two places in the table at this point of the campaign.&nbsp; Like phoenix, they rose from the dead and finished ninth and tenth respectively at the end of the year.&nbsp; Real Zaragoza is a strong candidate to fulfill that role this season because of the renewed sense of hope instilled by José Aurelio Gay and brought by the new players that arrived in January.
The next five matches look promising for Real Zaragoza as they only face one opponent in the top half of La Liga, the ever-inconsistent Getafe.&nbsp; If they are to remain in La Liga for next year, this stretch of matches is crucial for their survival.
Zaragoza President Agapito Iglesias wrote an open letter on the club’s website at the beginning of the New Year to apologize to the fans.&nbsp; In part of his post, he said:
“The first thing I want to do, having taken on the role (of president) is ask sincere forgiveness for all our mistakes.&nbsp; We have 23 league games left, a lot of months of football which we are facing with a slight disadvantage but in which everything is still possible.”
His vision and foresight are becoming to blend with reality, and with continued good play, they control their own destiny instead of relying on others to fail.

The Renaissance Continues for Real Zaragoza as They Defeat Sevilla Under the Spanish Dusk

The Renaissance Continues for Real Zaragoza as They Defeat Sevilla Under the Spanish Dusk - World Soccer Talk

<div id="attachment_1938" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1938" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-1938" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2009/09/Sevilla-FC.jpg" alt="Sevilla FC" width="500" height="375"></figure></div>Photo courtesy of Metro Centric.</div>
While the press and the media focus most of their ink and font on the newly built Real Madrid and the continued brilliance of FC Barcelona, Sevilla carries on with their consistent good form.&nbsp; On the surface, there is nothing too sexy that immediately grabs headlines, but arguably, Luís Fabiano is currently playing as the best forward in the world since the continuation of World Cup Qualifying at the beginning of June.&nbsp; He tallied four goals in four Eliminatorias Sudamericanas for the Seleção, including a brace in a historic road victory against Argentina, five goals in the Confederations Cup to earn that tournament’s Golden Shoe, and three goals in four matches in all competitions for Sevilla this season.
Sevilla also made some shrewd acquisitions in the summer transfer window to bolster the squad.&nbsp; They brought back Lolo from his loan spell at Málaga and bought Didier Zokora from Tottenham Hotspur for €10 million to reinforce the central midfield, they got Espanyol academy graduate Sergio Sánchez for €3 million to augment the defense, and they acquired Álvaro Negredo from Real Madrid for €14 million to deepen the pool of strikers. &nbsp;Probably the best move Sevilla made in the close season was not an acquisition but the ability to keep Luís Fabiano from suitors such as AC Milan.&nbsp; Now they are two deep in every position on the pitch and can cope with the demands of three competitions without compromising their ability to feature quality squads in each competition.
An inauspicious start to the La Liga initially raised questions about the viability of Sevilla this season.&nbsp; Even though Frédéric Kanouté earned a red card at the end of the first half against Valencia, Valencia outplayed Sevilla for the entire match, save for a few pockets of brilliance sprinkled in between, and lost their first game of the season at the Mestalla 0-2.&nbsp; A defeat by the hands of Valencia was by no means shameful, but Sevilla wanted to build on their third place showing from last season with a defining opening win in the biggest game of Jornada 1.&nbsp; Manolo Jiménez did not allow his players to sulk after the setback, and his Sevilla side defeated Real Zaragoza and Osasuna in La Liga in an easy fashion and turned away a disciplined Unirea Urziceni outfit 2-0 in the Champions League.
In sixth position at the start of Round 4, Sevilla faced a fourth placed Mallorca squad that gained seven points in their first three matches, including an unlikely 1-1 draw at El Madrigal against Villarreal in torrential rain and a 4-0 flogging against promoted Tenerife.&nbsp; Sevilla engendered a feeling of vast superiority as they made Mallorca look ordinary and unworthy to hold such a high position in the La Liga table.&nbsp; Sevilla combined their penchant for neat, passing football with a more direct approach to play Mallorca off the field in the first half.
The first goal came after seventeen minutes, when Julien Escudé flicked a header from a corner in the direction of Sébastien Squillaci, and Squillaci outleaped Mallorca midfielder Bruno China to the header and scored from five yards away.&nbsp; The second Sevilla goal arrived in the 25th minute, and this time, they displayed the fluid football for which they have been known.&nbsp; Jesús Navas initiated the move with a run down the right wing, where he passed the ball to Luís Fabiano.&nbsp; Continuing the run, Navas slashed inside toward the penalty area where Fabiano produced a cutting ball to Navas inside the box.&nbsp; Taking two defenders with him, he resumed his dash toward the end line and supplied a telling ball across the six-yard box and over Mallorca goalkeeper Dudu Aouate’s head.&nbsp; Diego Perotti headed the cross into the back of the net from a yard out, but there was a good possibility that Navas’ cross would have gone in anyway.
Mallorca would eventually become more comfortable and create some opportunities, most of them in the last ten minutes of the first half.&nbsp; Aritz Aduriz’s header forced a good save by Sevilla goalkeeper Andrés Palop in the 38th minute, Sevilla defenders blocked shots by Pierre Webó and Aduriz in the 44th minute, and Palop batted away Fernando Varela’s near-post strafer in the 45th minute.
The second half consisted of more Sevilla pressure from every part of the pitch, whether it was an inch-perfect diagonal ball from just inside their own half to the right edge of penalty area by Negredo, a lung-busting run by left back Adriano down the left wing that forced substitute goalkeeper Germán Lux out of his area, or a couple of headers inside the area from Squillaci that tested Lux.&nbsp; Alhassane Keita, a 74th minute substitution for Webó, was the only Mallorca player that constructed some positive moves toward goal, including a one on one with Palop that eventually fell apart because Keita looked for contact inside the box by oncoming defender Escudé rather than focusing on the shot.
A 2-0 full-time score flattered Mallorca, but nevertheless, Sevilla continued their good run of form heading into a crucial three games, which include a trip to San Mamés to go against resurgent Athletic Bilbao, a journey to Ibrox Stadium to face a robust Rangers side, and a home fixture against high-flying Real Madrid.&nbsp; In the Sevilla season preview, the question was asked if Sevilla could break the Barcelona – Real Madrid duopoly and finish in the top two.&nbsp; Barring injury, Sevilla should definitively finish in a Champions League spot.&nbsp; If they continue to keep the discipline and shape in the back four, maintain the defense that gave up the second fewest goals in La Liga, and create numerous goal-scoring opportunities that was lacking in the previous season, do not be surprised to witness a split between Barcelona and Real Madrid at the end of the campaign.

Sevilla Flies Underneath the Radar

Sevilla Flies Underneath the Radar - World Soccer Talk

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