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Apart from what Simon says, I'd also say, dont post so often you'll lose the readership. What you could do is write it in word then post every 3-4 games in one chunk. It might seem daft, but actually its easier for people as they dont see about 20 posts they've missed and then decide it isnt worth catching up. Theres no point in going to all the trouble of writing, then not giving your writer time to read.
So the transfer deadline came and went and the squad I’ve got is the one I’m stuck with at least until January. The headlines of the transfer window are undoubtedly Chelsea’s purchase of Totti for £32.5 million and Real Madrid’s acquisition of Ballack from Bayern for £16.25 million.
Then the bad news, two weeks prior to our opening game, star striker Robinho picks up a knock that will keep him out for a few weeks. It’s a race against time to get him fit for the opener that ultimately fails, although the injury has passed he simply isn’t fit enough to play. The same is true of Petit who is just short of match fitness. I am forced to play Dario Silva and Jesus Navas up front whilst Casquero comes in for Petit.
The match itself is unexceptional, Bilbao had the better chances (we didn’t get a shot on target) but overall our players performed slightly better than theirs and we never really looked like conceding.
Summary
Given the circumstances (new manager, star striker missing) I’m fairly pleased with this result. Obviously a win would have been better but at least we didn’t lose and we played quite solidly. If we can match Bilbao through the season I will be happy. Next up is Malaga away.
Oops, forgot about the midweek European match against Litex of Bulgaria. Still no Robinho, I’ll save him for Malaga, Petit came back though. Julio Baptista picked up a calf strain against Bilbao so Gerardo Torrado came in. This meant that the centre of midfield is completely different to the one that played against Bilbao. Also, Kepa came in for Dario Silva so the front line was made up of the two promising but young strikers.
All the goals came from set pieces. Our first was well taken by Jesus Navas from Navarro’s lob into the box from 40 yards. This was his first for the club although the way he is playing, even at 18, suggests it won’t be his last. They then equalised directly from a free kick on the edge of the area. The winner (of the game if not the tie) came when Fernando Sales headed in from a corner. Once again I am happy with the result. I just hope we can step up a gear once Robinho returns.
Malaga 2 – Sevilla 0
What a disaster. Robinho returns and plays his worst game since signing. Perhaps the pressure of his competitive debut got to him. The rest of the team fared no better and were out done by two classy goals from Alex Geijo, his first for Malaga. There is not much more to say really other than with Valencia away to come next week followed by difficult games against Litex, Athletico Madrid and Barcelona after that, it could be some time before the season gets going for us.
Valencia 4 – Sevilla 0
That was predicatable, Valencia dominated from first to last, their Italian strike force of Corradi and Di Viao taking us apart on a whim. Nobody in the team displayed anything like their best form. If things carry on this way I’ll be sacked before Christmas.
The second leg of the European tie. We the went in 2-1 up from the previous match but on a woeful run of form. The majority of our players had low morale and to be honest I didn’t really fancy our chances. My mood didn’t get any better when they scored after 3 minutes – their right full back heading in from a corner. Although we pressed nothing much happened until the 73rd minute when they scored a breakaway goal to go 2-0 up on the night and 3-2 on aggregate. Things were looking bleak. However, we responded well and 6 minutes later Kepa crossed for Robinho to slot home, his first competitive goal for the club. With the scores level on aggregate we headed into extra time.
The introduction of three substitutes seemed to give the team a new lease of life and within a minute of the restart one of them, Dario Silva, had scored after a lovely inside pass from Robinho. Deep into the second period of extra time Dario Silva returned the complement as Robinho scored his second. Tired but elated, the team celebrated their progression to the league stage of the competition. The worry however is that they will not have time to recover effectively for the vital match against Athletico Madrid on Sunday.
Sevilla 2 – Athletico Madrid 3
After the excitement of the midweek European game it was back to our por league form. For the second game in a row we were down a goal within 3 minutes of the kick off, this time the young superstar Fernando Torres drawing three defenders and the keeper towards him so that when he passed to the Nano, all the young winger had to was to roll the ball into an empty net. Athletico doubled their advantage on 32 minutes, Nano breaking from deep and weighting a sublime pass that left Fernando Torres one on one with the keeper. Naturally he coolly slotted home. At this point it seemed as if the game would be a repeat of the Valencia debacle but on 63 minutes Zonneveld clawed one back, a well taken free kick and his first goal for the club. For a while it seemed as if we might even get something from the game until Salva headed in from close range on 76 minutes. This was followed by a superb cameo from Robinho. Obviously fired up he was given the ball at the kick of and ran through the gap left by the opposition midfield and flanked on either side by an opposition defender sent a wickedly outswinging shot from 30 yards past the goalkeeper and into the bottom left hand corner of the net. It was however to prove fruitless in the end as Athletico ran out winners by three gaols to two. After 4 matches we sit in 17th place, one outside the relegation zone and we face Barcelona away next, still at least we showed a little fighting spirit this time.
Barcelona 4 – Sevilla 0
A mild autumnal night at the Nou Camp, surely one of the best football arenas in the world. It is nights like this that every manager dreams of being a part of. What does not come up in the dream however is the thought of being absolutely thrashed. To be honest we were out played, out passed and out thought. All of their goals were beautifully taken and we only really started to play when, at 4-0 up they stepped down a gear. To make matters worse, arguably their best player, Ronaldinho, was injured and didn’t play. Probably best to draw a line and hope we can finally get our season up and running against Mallorca on Sunday.
At last something to celebrate. I was, as always, a little worried going into this one. Mallorca were unbeaten and we were coming off an atrocious run of form. Gerardo Torrado started and finished it. The first came on ten minutes, when, breaking from midfield he latched onto the ball and calmly slotted it past the keeper. His second and Sevilla’s sixth goal was a free kick. In between came a Robinho hat trick (all well taken) and another free kick from Zonneveld (a carbon copy of the goal he got against Athletico Madrid).
Naturally I am delighted. A clean sheet, Robinho back on form and showing signs of developing a partnership with Dario Silva, a hatful of goals, 3 points and perhaps most important of all some restored confidence in the team. The only cloud seems to be a slight knock that will put Robinho out of the midweek European game with Wil (no, I’ve never heard of them either) and possibly next weekend’s match against Numancia. However, both matches are at home, neither team is much fancied so I am quietly confident.
Sevilla 2 – Wil 0
It turns out that Wil are a Swiss team. Although I would have preferred to keep the team that did so well against Mallorca together, I was forced to make some changes. As well as Robinho, Dario Silva picked up a minor knock so the front line was once again the two youngsters Jesus Navas and Kepa. Petit was also replaced by Casquero.
The game went well from the start but it was not until the 58th minute that Gerardo Torrado, continuing his recent good form, broke from midfield, latched onto a good pass from Antonio Lopez and scored from just outside the area. The result was sealed when Jesus Navas picked up on their goalkeepers fumble and rolled the ball into an empty net. Roll on Sunday and Numancia.
Sevilla 2 – Numancia 0
The run of good form continues, not only a win but a third clean sheet in a row. For once it was our turn to score early, Robinho picking the ball up from the opposition defender’s foot and blasting past the oncoming keeper on 8 minutes. Ten minutes later Casquero shot from distance again beating their hapless keeper. 2-0 and game over.
I am now faced with a bit of a dilemma. The next match is away to Second Division Ferrol in the Copa del Rey. I had hoped to use mainly the back up team in this competition but I am worried that by doing so I could lose some of the momentum we have been gathering recently. In any case, the game is only a few days away so it is probable that the majority of the players who faced Numancia will not be sufficiently fit in any case. I’ll have to make my decision on the day.
This one was incredibly irritating. In the end I patched together a team made up of roughly half first team and half back up players. This means that the momentum is lost from the previous games, morale starts to drop again and many of the first team remain unrested. One player who did get a break was Robinho and it appears that if he is not playing or is not playing well we are nothing like the team we can be. This of course is worrying as any long term injury or loss of from Robinho will spell disaster for the team as a whole.
Their goal came on the half hour, a free kick that deflected off the wall straight to the feet of their left winger. The free kick and subsequent goal were the only two shots they had on target all match. Although we dominated we couldn’t convert any of the twenty or so chances we had and so we go out of the cup amidst a plethora of “giant killing” headlines. Next match is away to Monaco but at least we have eight days to recover.
Monaco 3 – Sevilla 0
Another disaster. Our defence looked clueless against their interchanging three man front line. With holes opening up all over the place they surgically picked us up. The only player who emerged with any credit was Robinho who at least tried but even he couldn’t do much with the meagre pickings he was forced to survive on. Hopefully we can pull ourselves together for the next match away to Albacete and what is now looking like a crucial opportunity to put some more points on the board.
One other thing, I’ve put in a bid for Juventus’ Croatian defender Igor Tudor. Should I be successful he will hopefully go some way to shoring up our leaky defence although he will not be able to join until January.
Albacete 1 Sevilla 1
I was expecting more from this match. We went ahead on 26 minutes, Antonio Lopez heading in a corner (his first competitive goal for the club despite a promising pre-season where he netted twice). From that point on we were on the defensive. Their goal came in the 57th when, with us defending way too deep, a free kick from their half somehow found their Uruguayan striker Pacheto completely unmarked in the area. He simply turned, shot and scored. Despite a number of promising attacks we were unable to restore our lead and had to settle for a point.
A quick note on the league table. We are currently in 16th with eight points. We do however have a game in hand which, should we win (unlikely given our present form), would take us up to eleventh. Perhaps unsurprisingly Real Madrid lead having taken 25 from a possible 27. Our main rivals, Betis, are in 13th with ten points. If we do not come above them come the end of the season the fans will lynch me so at present this goal is my main target.
To state the cliché, it’s a funny old game. After a string of substandard performances we suddenly play like a dream. As matter of fact prior to this game several of my players were showing signs of discontent and beginning to lose faith in my ability. This time it was us who scored on three minutes, full back Redondo standing in at right wing due to injuries to both Fernando Sales and Marco Navas heading in a beautiful cross from Antonio Lopez. On 17 minutes Redondo crossed and their defender Pena accidentally o deflected the ball into his own net. Gerardo Torrado headed in the third from a corner on 31 minutes and a minute later Zonneveld scored his third goal of the season from a free kick (this is a useful aspect of his game that I had not really considered when I bought him at the begging of the season). Julio Baptista completed the rout on 66 minutes scoring a screamer from the edge of the penalty area.
A little side note here, our worst performer of the day (although by no means a discgrace) was Robinho. Given my misgivings about the “one man team” this was strangely encouraging. In fact, despite scoring 5, neither of the front men got on the scoresheet.
Next we play Real Sociedad away. They currently lie in tenth so any kind of result would be a real morale boost. It will be interesting to see how the more pessimistic members of my squad are feeling and how they respond to this convincing performance.
Real Sociedad 1 – Sevilla 4
This was without a doubt the most pleasing performance of the season so far and it could have been so different. On 11 minutes Javi Navarro was sent off for a professional foul and at the same point Marco Navas had to go of injured. Redondo stepped into the breach again and Kepa was sacrificed so Pablo could come into the defence. At this point I would have happily settled for a draw. It’s a good thing nobody told Robinho this as he relly got the bit between his teeth. Beating defenders at will he scored twice before Kovacevic clawed one back (again poor marking from a set piece, we really need to work on that in training. At that point it could have gone either way although Robinho was by far the best player on the pitch, causing havoc despite playing alone up front. He got his reward in the 82nd, another stunning run and beautifully placed goal. Finally, and as if to rub salt in the wound, he score his and our fourth on 86. An absolute masterclass and our first league away win of the season.
Robinho’s performance has given me a idea terms of tactics. He played so well alone up front that I may well try this when we next face one of the big boys, this will let me put another player into the midfield (not sure who yet) and should stop us from being so overrun, we face Real Madrid at home in a few weeks so I may well try this then or perhaps in the following game away to Deportivo.
There is more good news, Tudor accepted a contract and will join us on the 15th of December. Although his wage demands are high we can afford this and still keep within our weekly budget. I also snapped up Bruno Gama, an exciting Portuguese prospect recommended to me by my scouting team. He is only 17 and will play in the under 18s this season and then move up to the reserves next year. He also joins on the 15th of December.
Finally, a quick look at the league table. We currently have 14 points and are in 8th place, it’s amazing what a couple of good results can do for you. We’ve over taken Betis (currently 13th with 13 points, that’s how tight things are). Real Madrid continue to set the pace having only dropped 2 points. They have 28 points, second are Valencia with 23. Next up is an important European match at home to Bochum who are currently managerless having just sacked Peter Neururer. There are rumours that they are about to appoint ex Bayern Munich manager Ottmar Hitzfeld, let’s hope it happens after we face them.
Sevilla 5 – Bochum 0
Another stunning display. Julio Baptista got the ball rolling on 25 minutes, Robinho drawing two defenders to leave just enough space for the Brazilian defensive midfielder to place a sweetly taken shot to the keepers right. The second fell to Julio Baptista as well, heading in from close range after Javi Navarro knocked the ball into the box from a corner. The third was a well taken shot from Robinho moving onto a cross from Jesuli. Number four was from Dario Silva, beating the keeper after a one-two with Robinho. At 4-0 I felt it was safe to rest both Robinho and Julio Baptista, Jesus Navas and Petit coming on in their place. It was Petit who scored the fifth, a nicely taken free kick from the edge of the area.
The only sour note was the dismissal of Javi Navarro in the 90th minute, a second yellow card for a pointless trip on the young Danish striker Bechmann. In all honesty with three red cards so far thuis season (if you count the one issued in pre-season that kept him out of the opener) he is proving somewhat of a liability and it is likely that he will lose his place ahead of Aitor Ocio once Tudor joins next month.
Still, best not to dwell on the negatives, this win will almost certainly put us through to the second knock out stages of the competition which, if we are honest, is likely to be our only opportunitiy for silverware this season.
Derby day and the build up started early. Betis manager tried Serra Ferrer trying to take an early advantage by stating he fully expected to get the win. I responded by telling him that obviously the nature of the derby meant it would be competitive and that any talking should be done on the pitch. His subsequent silence indicated that I had the upper hand in this particular battle at least.
On the day the biggest crowd of the season turned up to see a predictably tight. Chances were few and far between but it was Dario Silva, at last repaying some of the faith I had in him, who took his. The first a nice break from just over the halfway line (where the Betis defence were holding far too high a line) on 21 minutes. The tie was eventually put beyond doubt in the 81st when io Silva Redondo picked up on opposition defenders mistake and passed to Dario Silva who scored with possibly the easiest chance he will have all season.
Once again I am pleased. A derby win is great for morale and for the fans and it also marks a continuation of our good form. Following the match I couldn’t resist a little dig at Betis and their manager, telling them how much I enjoyed the tactical victory. I don’t usually get involved in media slanging matches with other managers but he started it and they are our biggest rivals.
Panionios 1 – Sevilla 3
Another good win under our belt only marred by the dismissal of Pablo Alfaro. We went one up directly from the kick off, Dario Silva and Robinho interchanging passes and literally leaving their players on their backsides before Robinho finished from close range – a lovely display from two in form strikers.
Pablo Alfaro went on 52 minutes for a professional foul so Dario Silva made way for Pablo. At this point I was worried we might throw the game away but I needn’t have been concerned. Robinho, once again displaying his prowess as a lone striker, skipping past three challenges before sending a powerful shot past the keeper. The third was a mistake from their keeper, his clearance reaching only Robinho who took the ball forward free of pressure from the opposition defence and calmly beat the keeper. Their consolation came from a headed corner but was far too little, far too late.
Sevilla have qualified for the second knock out stage of the competition with the other teams in the group still to play their final matches. If Monaco fail to beat the Swiss team Wil, we will go through top but, given our abysmal performance against last year’s Champions League runners up earlier in the season, I will be more than happy with second place.
Levante 0 – Sevilla 0
All in all, a frustrating afternoon. The team looked tired and lacked focus, perhaps an indication of the number of games they have played recently. Early in the game Robinho was accused of diving and booked. Throughout the first half Levante constantly threatened and it was only some stout defending and inspired goalkeeping that kept them from scoring. The real turning point came just before half time when Robinho was again accused of diving and received his second booking. Down to ten men and showing no signs of getting a goal, things looked bleak.
Dario Silva, working alone up front, was particularly disappointing, a sign that the one striker idea is only likely to work with Robinho. This point was emphasised when Kepa replaced Dario Silva. Although he did slightly better our attack lacked quality throughout. Levante on the other hand pressed forward and looked dangerous, it is surprising that they are doing so badly in the league (19th place) and should they continue to play like they did today I can certainly see them pulling themselves out of trouble. Most annoyingly, Robinho is now suspended for the Real Madrid match as therefore the lone striker experiment will have to wait. Real beat Bilbao 3-0 this weekend, a return to form after a slight wobble, and to be honest I don’t fancy our chances much although you never can be sure in football.
In all honesty our best chance of getting anything out of this fixture came when star striker Robinho received his second yellow card for diving in the previous fixture. As I have previously mentioned, I was planning on using him alone up front against the might of Real. This plan went out of the window as the quality of player we have in reserve just isn’t up to standard.
Real have a dazzling array of attacking talent. They started the match with Ronaldo and Michael Owen supported from the midfield by Figo, Ballack and Zidane. As if to rub salt in the wound, Raul, Beckham and Guti were all available on the bench.
The goal came early and from an unexpected source, Argentine centre back Walter Samuel making the most of a goal line scramble following a fifth minute corner. The remainder of the match saw Real squandering pleanty of good chances although we had our fair share including two well saved free kicks. When the final whistle blew it could easily have been a draw and I was proud of my players. At the very least we had avoided the mauling I had half expected.
Deportivo 1 – Sevilla 3
The new tactic worked like a dream. In the end I opted for a 4-1-4-1 formation, Robinho obviously acting as the lone striker and Gerardo Torrado being asked to act as the hatchet man in front of the back four (his remit – tackle hard, pass short and take no risks). Also, after what seems like months of waiting but was in fact only five weeks, Tudor joined and went straight into the back line.
Deportivo took the lead on 12 minutes, classy attacking midfielder heading in during the second phase after their original corner had been cleared. From then on though it was the Robinho show.
His first came on 20 minutes, drifting out wide he beat their left back Romero to pick up Casquero’s long pass, cut inside, dribbled round the keeper and slotted home. The second came after some good interplay between Robinho, Casquero, Julio Baptista and Fernando Sales ended with the latter passing across the penalty area to find Robinho who calmly rolled the ball into the net. The final goal saw Robinho complete his hat trick when Deportivo, pushing for an equaliser, were caught on the break. Jesuli passed to Robinho and defender Jorge Andrade’s skewed clearance only delayed Robinho slightly as he picked up the ball and chipped the on rushing keeper. 3-1 game over. The only question is whether I keep the same tactic against the next opposition, Espanyol away.
Espanyol 2 – Sevilla 2
In the end I decided to go back to my familiar 4-4-2. The lone striker tactic worked well against Deportivo but I wonder how much that was to do with the surprise element. I don’t want to lose that when I have to face top teams and the team were just starting to perform with the 4-4-2. Also, the lone striker tactic takes a lot out of Robinho and I don’t want to risk a long term injury by wearing him down too much.
They scored first after 26 minutes, on loan midfielder Ito spinning off the back of Pablo Alfaro and latching onto Ibarra’s long pass to slot home. The equaliser came 12 minutes later when Robinho picked up the ever improving Jesus Navas’ defence splitting pass. Our second was almost a carbon copy of the first, Jesus Navas again supplying the ammunition for Robinho to finish although this time with his head. Their equaliser was disappointing particularly given the time it was scored, 86 minutes. A mix up between Tudor and Julio Baptista in the penalty area left Raul Tamudo with a free header. 2-2 and no time to respond.
A quick note on Tudor. He performed very well against Deportivo and did well again against Espanyol, the only blemish his mix up with Julio Baptista. At 26, an established international with big club experience and only £2.2 million he looks like a good buy and should relish the opportunity of playing regular football, something he wasn’t getting at Juventus.
Racing 1 – Sevilla 2
The final game before the winter break and a win to boot. Again using the 4-4-2 formation, we scored first, Zonneveld finding Robinho in enough space in the penalty area to turn a shoot. They equalised of 54 minutes, Javi Guerrero wrong footing Tudor and scoring with a powerful shot. The winner came on 68, Jesus Navas capitalising on his recent good form by picking up a lovely inside ball from the similarly named Marco Navas and firing home. All in all, a satisfactory end to a satisfactory half season.
Half Term Report
So, how am I doing. The club are in eighth place with 26 points, five points of fourth place and a Champions League place (surely a step too far this season). Recent form has been good after an atrocious start. City rivals Betis are in 14th place with 14 points. We are still in the UEFA cup although we are out of the Copa del Rey.
My signings have for the most part looked very good. Robinho has been an absolute revelation, equally adept as a lone striker or in a partnership he has been scoring goals for fun. He is currently second in the league goals scored table with 15 (behind Fernando Torres who has 17, what a partnership those two would make) and has another 6 in the UEFA cup. He is without doubt my star player.
Zonneveld has been consistently solid, performing well without ever giving any cause for concern. He has also chipped in with a few well taken free kicks and broken into the Holland international set up. Again, a pleasing start.
Tudor has only been with us for three matches but already looks like he will give the defence some of the solidity they have been lacking.
Petit on the other hand looks as though his best days are behind him and will probably not get that much opportunity to play. It’s a pity because in his prime he was a marvellous player.
As for the rest of the team, the only real worry I have is on each wing. None of the players I have here have really excelled and I am more than likely going to use January signing Adrianinho on the left wing where he can play as well as up front. The two youngsters up front have both done okay and I am particularly pleased with Jesus Navas who at 18 looks like he could be some player.
Financially we are in the black but could do with making some money being £10 million down for the season (largely due to the transfer outlay on Robinho, Zonneveld and Tudor). Perhaps some of our transfer listed players will be snapped up during the January transfer window. We are well within our weekly wage budget.
Both the board and the supporters are satisfied (but not happy) with my overall performance.
To sum up, I am cautiously optimistic about the future, things could go either way but were the season to finish now I would be confident at least of keeping my job.
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