<div id="attachment_3359" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="http:\/\/epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/05/Spanish-National-Team-Euro-20081.jpg"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div></a>Vicente del Bosque hopes his team will continue its trophy-winning ways at World Cup 2010.</div>
Yesterday, <a href="http:\/\/www.laligatalk.com/vicente-del-bosque-announces-spains-provisional-30-man-squad-for-fifa-world-cup-2010-part-one/3348">the goalkeeping and the defense were discussed</a>, and while the three goalkeepers contending for the final goalkeeping spot will state their cases to Vicente del Bosque on and off the pitch, they will have little to no chance of participating in the World Cup.&nbsp; The players who will compete for the final midfield spots, however, will more likely have a chance to run onto the field in South Africa.
Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta, and Cesc Fàbregas, stalwarts in Spain’s midfield, have had chronic injury concerns throughout the second half of the season.&nbsp; Iniesta might be back for FC Barcelona in their final match against Real Valladolid after a hamstring tear six weeks ago; Xavi continues to play with a muscle injury in his leg that could jeopardize his World Cup ambitions; and Fàbregas is still in rehabilitation after cracking his fibula against Barcelona in the Champions League in April.&nbsp; While all three will be on the squad, there is no guarantee that they will be able to play in every World Cup game.
Besides the aforementioned midfielders, Xabi Alonso, David Silva, Sergio Busquets, and Marcos Senna seem to be locks for the plane to South Africa, so the last four midfielders will be competing for the last two spots: Juan Mata, Jesús Navas, Santi Cazorla, and Javi Martínez.

Juan Mata, in tandem with David Silva and Pablo Hernández, contributed significantly to Valencia’s attacking midfield as the fourth-best offense in La Liga.&nbsp; While Mata has had a tendency to drift in and out of matches, he rose to the call nearly every time that Valencia needed him.&nbsp; Nine goals in thirty matches in La Liga from the left wing position, a relatively healthy campaign, and three goals in seven international matches for Spain are an abundance of accomplishments that sees his inclusion into the Spain squad a near formality.
Jesús Navas’ anxiety problems due to clinical homesickness have been well documented, but his commitment to fight this issue as well as stellar play for Sevilla has reassured Vicente del Bosque that selecting Navas into his squad will not become a detriment to the team.&nbsp; More than what he has done on the pitch, the courage and perseverance necessary to overcome his psychological problems shows that the crushing pressure of a World Cup will not get the best of Jesús Navas.
Flying down the right wing for Sevilla all season, he became the linchpin for Sevilla’s attack because of intermittent injuries to Luís Fabiano and Frédéric Kanouté.&nbsp; Many times during Sevilla’s inconsistent season, he was the only player that had any sort of capability to bother the opposition because of his speed and guile.&nbsp; Because Spain does not have a true right winger in the squad, Navas will likely earn a seat on the plane to South Africa.
Santi Cazorla is the only player that could oust Navas from the World Cup squad.&nbsp; Equally competent on either wing, Cazorla has been a mainstay on the Spain squad since his surprise inclusion into the UEFA Euro 2008 squad, where he came in as a substitute in five of their six matches.&nbsp; The injury bug bit Cazorla all season with inveterate leg and back issues, and Villarreal missed his influence considerably, as they mired in mid-table for a majority of the season.&nbsp; Cazorla is starting to regain his fitness after he came back from injury in mid-April, but unless he stars in the Spain training camp and exhibitions, his lack of game action will be the sole reason he is left off the squad.
Javi Martínez of Athletic Bilbao was one of the surprise selections by Vicente del Bosque into the thirty-man squad, but if one has watched La Liga all season long, Martínez would not be that much of a revelation.&nbsp; Only twenty-one years old, Athletic saw him as such a talent that they paid Osasuna €6 million when he was only seventeen.
More than a typical Bilbao rugged midfielder, his dribbling and shooting skill is unquestioned, <a href="http:\/\/www.youtube.com/watch?v=56OirGsPiJY">as shown here in one of the most spectacular individual moments of the season</a>.&nbsp; His box-to-box energy throughout the season kept Athletic in the hunt for a European berth, and without his industry in their midfield, Gaizka Toquero and Fernando Llorente would not have enjoyed the freedom to focus on the final third.&nbsp; Nearly every World Cup squad includes one player from left field, and although del Bosque has a glut of central midfielders, Javi Martínez should not immediately be dismissed as one of the seven that will not make the final 23-man roster.
Tomorrow, this column will focus on the battle for the final spot in the forward position.
Vicente del Bosque’s Provisional 30-Man Squad
Goalkeepers: Iker Casillas, Pepe Reina, Víctor Valdés, Diego López, and David de Gea
Defenders: Sergio Ramos, Álvaro Arbeloa, Raúl Albiol, Gerard Piqué, Carles Puyol, Carlos Marchena, Joan Capdevila, and César Azpilicueta
Midfielders: Xavi Hernández, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Xabi Alonso, Juan Mata, David Silva, Marcos Senna, Santi Cazorla, Jesús Navas, Javi Martínez, and Cesc Fàbregas
Forwards: David Villa, Fernando Torres, Fernando Llorente, Pedro Rodríguez, Dani Güiza, Álvaro Negredo

Vicente del Bosque Announces Spain's Provisional 30-Man Squad For FIFA World Cup 2010 Part Two - World Soccer Talk

Vicente del Bosque Announces Spain's Provisional 30-Man Squad For FIFA World Cup 2010 Part Two

<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="image"></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 - World Soccer Talk

La Liga Review: The Guillotine Falls On Manolo Jiménez

<a href="http:\/\/epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/02/Sevilla-Mallorca.jpg"></a><div><figure class="image"><a href="http:\/\/epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2010/02/Sevilla-Mallorca.jpg"></a></figure></div>A half-empty stadium.&nbsp; A running track surrounding the pitch that places the fans further away from the action.&nbsp; Supporters that create less noise and din than those at the Vancouver Olympic Centre, where the Olympic Curling competition is contested.&nbsp; The ONO Estadi hardly constitutes as an intimidating atmosphere, but RCD Mallorca has managed to maintain a perfect ten-for-ten home record in La Liga.
Twenty-seven goals scored and three conceded show their dominance on the Balearic island, but whom they beat in this incredible home record somewhat sullies their sparkling home form.&nbsp; Valencia and none of the Champions League teams have visited the ONO Estadi.&nbsp; Defeating Athletic Bilbao, Deportivo La Coruña, and Villarreal created a few notches on Mallorca’s belt, but their horrific standing away from home means that they need to secure positive results against the top teams in La Liga in order to remain in the final Champions League spot.

The late 10:00 PM Saturday kickoff saw Mallorca play Sevilla, one of their direct rivals competing for fourth place.&nbsp; They knew that Deportivo La Coruña came through victoriously over Xerez 2-1 at El Riazor earlier in the evening and climbed one point over them.
Squad rotation in anticipation of Sevilla’s Champions League first leg against CSKA Moskva on Wednesday and injuries meant that they did not present their strongest eleven against Los Barralets.&nbsp; Sevilla manager Manolo Jiménez omitted Diego Perotti, Luís Fabiano, Adriano Correia, and Julien Escudé, whereas Frédéric Kanouté could not pass a late fitness test.
Mallorca, however, fielded their optimal eleven, although their bench was thin due to injuries for Víctor Casadesús, Tuni, and Alhassane Keita.&nbsp; Eager to quiet the skeptics about their weak home strength of schedule to this point, they wanted to regain their leads over Sevilla and Deportivo La Coruña.
Mallorca’s fans did not receive the memo, as the team’s most important match of the season was not enough to tempt them to fill the ONO Estadi.&nbsp; The status quo prevailed for the islanders as the stadium featured many empty seats and unexceptional support from their fans.&nbsp; Unfazed by this, Mallorca did what they have done all season at home: score first.
Ayoze sent a through ball down the left flank for Gonzalo Castro to run onto, and Castro’s cross into the box avoided the head of Sevilla defender Ivica Dragutinović and bounced straight to the unmarked Borja Valero.&nbsp; He could not take the shot first-time, so he controlled it with one touch, but Andrés Palop rushed quickly toward him to take it off his foot.&nbsp; Valero dribbled past Palop, but his touch took him to the brink of the end line, where he cut back a squared pass to Mario Suárez.&nbsp; Suárez tapped it home for the 1-0, 5th minute lead.&nbsp; Replays only showed inconclusiveness about whether the whole of the ball went out before Valero crossed it, but nevertheless, the goal stood.
Dudu Aouate has been a solid goalkeeper all season and directly contributed to Mallorca’s fifth-place defense, twenty-four goals allowed in twenty-two matches.&nbsp; He plays with an aggressive flair, but this cost him in the 23rd minute, when he inexplicably scurried out of his box to clear a long ball from Fernando Navarro.&nbsp; Aouate had no chance of getting to the ball because the breathless speed of Jesús Navas would always arrive first.&nbsp; Navas took a touch around Aouate and guided a left-footed effort into the open net from just inside of the penalty box.
When Álvaro Negredo received a straight red card in the 24th minute for a deliberate kick on José Luís Martí, another Mallorca home triumph seemed imminent.&nbsp; The red card was a little harsh, but Negredo’s petulancy and skulduggery cost his side a man for the final 66+ minutes.&nbsp; Mallorca controlled the rest of the first half, which included a perfect opportunity for an anonymous Aritz Aduriz to boot in a beautiful Borja Valero early cross, but he could not steer it towards goal.&nbsp; Aduriz and Negredo are currently in a battle for the final spot for forwards in the Spanish national team with Dani Güiza, Fernando Llorente, and Roberto Soldado, and neither Aduriz nor Negredo would give national team coach Vicente del Bosque anything to add to their résumés.
Heading toward a 1-1 halftime score, Mallorca defender Iván Ramis tried to retrieve possession away from Didier Zokora and scissor-tackled him from behind in the second minute of stoppage time.&nbsp; Referee Fernando Teixeira Vitienes was not hesitant in flashing the red card, and Mallorca’s advantage withered away.&nbsp; 1-1 halftime.&nbsp; Although the two teams combined for twenty-six fouls, three yellow cards, and two red cards, the play, as a whole, was neither dirty nor overly physical.&nbsp; Spanish referees tend to call the match a little tighter than most referees, but Teixeira Vitienes’ fastidious nature led to many of these calls when they were not necessarily as bad as he saw them.
When Sevilla scored in the 57th minute to take the one-goal advantage, the invincibility that shielded this Mallorca club at home disappeared for the first time all season.&nbsp; Ivica Dragutinović made Aouate look like a fool as his free kick from near the right touchline curled over Aouate’s outstretched hand and into the top left corner of the net.&nbsp; Aouate cheated and took a couple of steps forward and off his line in anticipation of a cross, and he could not recover once he saw that the free kick was heading toward goal.&nbsp; Two goalkeeping mistakes from the Israeli international, and Mallorca could not recoup.
Sevilla would score a third goal six minutes later, but the defeated attitude that Mallorca displayed for most of the second half meant that 1-2 would have been enough for the Andalusians.&nbsp; Mallorca substitute Pierre Webó became one of the few Mallorca players to display the gusto needed to achieve a positive result against Sevilla, but his efforts were in vain as he did not receive the help needed to overturn the two-goal deficit.&nbsp; Paradoxically, Mallorca played with the spirit and desire required of them to defeat top opposition when they fell two goals behind, but as the full time whistle blew, Mallorca suffered its first defeat at the ONO Estadi in the league.
It was not the final whistle, however, as someone in the crowd ridiculously decided to bring his own whistle and declared the match over before Teixeira Vitienes blew his whistle for fulltime.&nbsp; Less than a minute later, the match was officially over, but the whistle in the crowd meant much more than a fan frustrated with his home team’s effort.
Unless Mallorca can ameliorate their enigmatic road form, they will need to secure points against Barcelona, Real Madrid, Valencia, and Atlético Madrid at home in order to maintain a top six spot and be invited into European competition next season.&nbsp; Sevilla righted their ship and are now four points ahead of Deportivo La Coruña and five points ahead of Mallorca for the final Champions League place.&nbsp; Athletic Bilbao crept to within one point of Mallorca with their 4-1 mauling of Tenerife at the San Mamés for the final Europa League spot, so Mallorca cannot afford to be mediocre the rest of the way.
It would be fatuous to declare that Mallorca’s season would be a disappointment if they do not finish in a European place because at this point last season, they were mired in the relegation zone.&nbsp; Their perfect home record was never going to last, but the way in which they conceded the loss to Sevilla unveiled their growing fatigue.&nbsp; Unless they receive a surge of vitality, do not be surprised to see this engaging club fall into mid-table before the season concludes.
Fueras de Juego
– Look at Barcelona’s second goal against Racing Santander to see how not to perform the responsibilities of a player in the wall on a free kick.&nbsp; Thierry Henry’s free kick would have bounced off the middle of the wall if the Racing players were brave enough to take the hit.&nbsp; Instead, the wall broke in the middle as they parted like the Red Sea, and Barcelona was on their way to another easy victory.
– Almería 1-0 Atlético Madrid.&nbsp; Every adjective and description should be and has been used for Los Colchoneros this season.&nbsp; It was almost expected for Atleti to struggle against low-lying Almería after they handed Barcelona its first defeat in La Liga.
– A couple of tributes at the Santiago Bernabéu brought some perspective to the weekly “importance” of football matches.&nbsp; Before kickoff, there was a minute of silence for the death of Real Madrid legend Luis Molowny.&nbsp; Then there was Cristiano Ronaldo’s tribute to his home island Madeira after he scored the opening goal for Real Madrid against Villarreal.&nbsp; He lifted his jersey to reveal the written “Madeira” on his undershirt.&nbsp; A simple and understated message for his homeland, who has endured floods and mudslides that have killed at least forty-three and injured many others with many still missing to this point.&nbsp; He will play in a charity match for the flood victims between FC Porto and an amalgamation of players from the two Madeira-based Portuguese Liga sides, C.S. Marítimo and CD Nacional at a date later to be determined.

Mallorca Loses Its Home Invincibility to Sevilla FC - World Soccer Talk

Mallorca Loses Its Home Invincibility to Sevilla FC

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>In terms of the football played on the pitch, the Sevilla – Real Madrid clash qualified as the best match of the young La Liga season.&nbsp; Honorable mentions to Athletic Bilbao’s 3-2 victory over Villarreal CF in Round 3 and the pulsating 2-2 draw between Valencia and Atlético Madrid last Saturday night, but this fixture contained everything that a writer and a supporter wanted: back stories prior to the game, vigorous and attacking football, tensions boiling over the players at hand, and incredible stops by both goalkeepers.&nbsp; All of these elements amalgamated into an ebullient effervescence of magical football.
The story that dominated this game prior to kick-off was the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo due to an ankle injury sustained in Real’s 3-0 victory over Olympique de Marseille in the Champions League on Wednesday.&nbsp; In Real’s Round 2 match-up with Espanyol, Ronaldo started on the bench and only held a 0-1 lead at Estadi Cornellà-El Prat when he came into the game in the 66th minute and immediately changed the game.&nbsp; Now that Madrid could not rely on Ronaldo versus a quality side like Sevilla, would Madrid respond positively to their first significant injury crisis of the season?
The first half hour of the match saw Sevilla control the tempo and possession, as they kept Real Madrid on their heels.&nbsp; Real changed their system slightly with a 4-2-2-2 with Karim Benzema and Raúl up front with Guti and Kaká just behind and Xabi Alonso and Mahmadou Diarra protecting the defensive four, but this change did nothing to prevent Sevilla’s waves of attacks.&nbsp; Man of the match Jesús Navas ran rampant down the right flank as Marcelo continually abandoned his defensive responsibilities at left back; even when Marcelo stayed disciplined, Navas went through and around him with relative ease.&nbsp; One of Marcelo’s forays into the offensive third, however, did result in one of Madrid’s best scoring chances in the half when his shot from just outside the penalty box went a couple of feet wide of Andrés Palop’s near post.&nbsp; The only negatives for Sevilla were that they did not capitalize on their numerous chances and Sébastien Squillaci had to be taken out of the game due to injury.&nbsp; Fernando Navarro came in for Squillaci, reshaped the defense with Abdoulay Konko moving into the center of defense from right back, Adriano switched flanks and went to right back, and Navarro filled in at left back.
Sevilla broke the deadlock in the 33rd minute, when Jesús Navas headed home the opening goal.&nbsp; The opportunity started with Diego Perotti cutting into the penalty area from the left flank.&nbsp; Taking defenders with him, he flicked a back heel into open space down the left wing, where Fernando Navarro ran onto the pass and perfected a pinpoint cross to Navas in the box.&nbsp; Not known for his heading ability, Navas would not win many standing aerial battles, but the teasing cross by Navarro gave Navas the ability to get a running start and beat a ball-watching Marcelo to give Sevilla the 1-0 lead.
The underlying tension and visible frustrations of Real Madrid came to a head in the 35th minute.&nbsp; After a foul on Guti, Didier Zokora shouted some nasty words into Guti’s ear, presumably for Guti going down easily.&nbsp; Guti retaliated by getting into Zokora’s face, and in response, Zokora put his hands onto Guti’s mouth and shoved him away.&nbsp; Guti and Zokora nearly came to blows, while Diego Perotti involved himself in the mêlée by shoving Guti in the back to stand up for his teammate.&nbsp; By this time, most of the players tried to sort out exactly what happened and kept each other from worsening the situation.&nbsp; Zokora, Perotti, and Guti all got yellow cards, but symbolically, Sevilla showed they were not afraid of Real and further buoyed them to attack the Real goal.
Until the third minute of the second half, Sevilla continued to boss the game, but a Pepe equalizing header from a Guti free kick tied the score at 1-1.&nbsp; In less than thirty seconds, Sevilla went from a potential 2-0 lead and certain victory to a 1-1 dogfight.&nbsp; In the events immediately preceding the Pepe header, Álvaro Negredo showed his speed for a big man and ran down the right wing near the by-line.&nbsp; He squared the cross across the six-yard box and Perotti had the simple finish, but somehow, Iker Casillas got across the goal line and stopped a certain goal at the far post.&nbsp; Casillas was in position at the right goal post to stifle any attempt by Negredo to shoot at the near post, but when Negredo passed the ball across the six-yard box, there was a 99.9% chance that a goalkeeper could not recover and get to the other post in that short of a span.&nbsp; Casillas got there and stunned Perotti, the team, and the fans; that is why Iker Casillas is in that 0.1% of goalkeepers.
That goal temporarily took the wind out of Sevilla’s sails, and Real Madrid began to take the game to Sevilla for the first time in the match.&nbsp; Gonzalo Higuaín replaced an ineffective and virtually non-existent Karim Benzema in the 53rd minute and contributed almost immediately with some trenchant runs and a couple of shots at goal.&nbsp; Sevilla halted the momentum train in the 66th minute when Renato scored to regain the lead at 2-1.&nbsp; From a short corner, Adriano’s cross picked out an unmarked Renato who headed it towards the left far post for the goal; even the sublime Iker Casillas had no shot this time.
For the rest of the match, they went tit for tat, climaxing on the last movement of play in the fourth minute of stoppage time.&nbsp; After Casillas saved another shot by Luís Fabiano, he quickly punted the ball, and the ball cushioned on the chest of Higuaín.&nbsp; He settled it, made a mad dash toward goal, and laid the ball off for Kaká.&nbsp; Kaká then gave Sergio Ramos a lovely through ball at the right side of the penalty area.&nbsp; Ramos controlled the pass with one touch and then gave a last second, desperate lash at the ball, but it sailed wide of Palop’s near post.&nbsp; End-to-end action from kick-off to the final whistle, literally.&nbsp; A conclusion any less compelling would have taken away from a truly scintillating affair.
There are still thirty-two matches left in the season, and this result could have less importance by the end of the campaign, but that is for the future to tell.&nbsp; Many will say that Cristiano Ronaldo could have legitimately made the difference in the result for Real Madrid.&nbsp; That very well may be true, but placing that aside for a moment, for this night, in this context, the match of the season shook the players and the observers to their respective cores and witnessed&nbsp;gripping football at its very essence.
Sevilla’s 2-1 victory over Real Madrid on Sunday night signaled a change in many people’s minds about La Liga only being a two-horse race this season.&nbsp; With Real Madrid and FC Barcelona maintaining 100% records through the first five rounds, this talk looked justified, but lurking behind with only one loss was Sevilla.&nbsp; Disrespected would not be the appropriate description that defined Sevilla’s chances to claim the domestic title, but they were certainly overlooked.&nbsp; Until they engineered a convincing victory over Barça or Real, they would continue to be the outsiders looking into the palace.&nbsp; They are outsiders no more.

Sevilla FC's Defeat of Real Madrid Announces Their Presence in the La Liga Title Race - World Soccer Talk

Sevilla FC's Defeat of Real Madrid Announces Their Presence in the La Liga Title Race

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