Barcelona - Sevilla: Copa del Rey 2nd leg
By: Isaiah | January 15th, 2008It’s 1-1 and we’ve got to make a statement. It’s more of a statement game than Murcia because, despite the 4-0 scoreline, it was Murcia and this is the UEFA Cup defending champ. This is the game where Frank can make up for all he seems to have lost over the last year. If that’s merely trusting Henry and Bojan, then so be it. Let’s see the boys shine!
Deco is back in the squad, which is:
Valdés, Oier, Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, Márquez, Henry, Milito, Deco, Thuram, Gudjohnsen, Abidal, Zambrotta, Sylvinho, Bojan and Giovani.
Note that Abidal has spent much of the week with more stomach issues (what’s up with that? Any Lyon supporters have info about this?) while the obviously Messi, Eto’o, Toure, and Ronaldinho join him. Good to see Zambrotta included, hopefully he plays 90 because we need the width, even if Capel could take advantage of any forays up the field. Puyol is so much better in the middle and I’d like him to stay there, despite how well he’s played at right back while covering for Zambrotta.
I think we’ll win because we’re a better squad. I’m sorry to have to put it so simply, but it’s the truth. We’re at home, we’re better, and we’ve got a lot to play for. We’ll miss Eto’o, doubtless, but I think Gudjohnsen, Xavi, and Iniesta can provide enough balls for Bojan and Henry; those two play so well together and obviously have huge mancrushes on each other which is good for the team, I think. (Can one have a mancrush on Bojan without it being illegal or at least really creepy? I’m sticking to Toure, of course, but I need a stand-in mancrush…I think I’ll go with Iniesta)
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Tags: Barcelona, Bojan Krkic, Copa del Rey, Deco, Eric Abidal, Frank Rijkaard, Preview, Thierry HenrySubscribe
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Marca gamecast it is, aye man?
Correct me if I’m wrong: as it stands, Barca wins if the score stays level at 0-0, right?
But a goal either way will likely decide who advances…
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United States
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whew, couldn’t watch but i monitored the blog on emd…
btw my tvu crapped out on me last weekend during the murcia game…all i got were negative images
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United States -
You should use http://www.live-footy.org I had the Arabic stream but synched my sevillafc radio up to it and it was perfect.
By the way..fuck all the refs who call shit games in Spain. I’m sick of getting dicked. Both games we played you.
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It is going to be a long month without Kanouté Kone and Keita
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United States -
Huh… I’ve never though of that, Ryan… interesting: blame the refs when your team loses.
Come on, man. Sevilla’s in eighth place in the league, having lost more games than won. They’re not having a good season (take, for example, the fact that they just failed to defend the Copa del Rey).
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United States -
Ryan: I totaly feel you on the refs, they seemed to be calling things one-sided. And it helped that barce spent more time falling down than attempting any attacks. Well before the game ended, it was clear that besides Bojan, everyone else on the home side was just trying to draw fouls, hoping for a goal from a set piece.
And mac: Sevilla didn’t lose the game. They didn’t lose either of the games.
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United States -
Mac,
Read my Sevilla page before you start saying things ok? I’m the first to tell you we are having a rough season. If you read any of my posts, I NEVER blame the refs. I never do when I play in my leagues now nor when I watch. But you have to admit that it was ridiculous today. It was a bit over the top, even for me. The same with the last game. The ref calls the game both ways, and both refs in both games called them both terribly.We didn’t score and we played more defensive than we should have. That is why we lost.
Did I say ‘we lost because of the refs?’ no. I said I’m simply sick of the Spanish refs who are calling shit games this season. Not just against Sevilla, but against other teams as well.
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Yeah Ryan I’ll admit that Spanish refs aren’t great. I had to use the Arabic stream after trying about 3 different others. I had the Barca radio commentary playing at the same time, which worked out well, as the stream was shit and I could hardly see the players.
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Australia -
Ryan, simmer down now. You’re right that both games were sickeningly called. Spanish refs infuriate me just about every time I watch anything involving them, be it Champions League, La Liga, or even internationals.
That said, I don’t believe the ref screwed anyone today more than anyone else. Bojan was clearly fouled by Drago in the box, but it would have been seriously harsh to call it at that moment. However, the goal that was scored right after that was also clearly offsides, so if you’re worried about that, don’t be.
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Oh, I also used the arabic stream. just thought i’d note that.
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It wasn’t the goal that I was upset about, that was all Duda’s fault. If you are offsides, don’t play the ball. If he stays where he is, Navas scores.
I agree with the Bojan call too. It wasn’t that Sevilla was screwed as much as I thought two good teams that deserved to have a good game were semi-robbed my a terrible ref.
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United States -
Problem with that match was that both teams were playing not to lose. Aside from that first, dynamic and adventurous Dani Alves pass into the box, both teams were playing tight, preferring to not concede than to really take the game by the scruff.
Capel is probably still trying to get free on the wing, wondering why this Italian dude in a Barca shirt is following him to the men’s room, for chrissakes!
Rijkaard should have been smacked upside the head for leaving Dos Santos in for as long as he did. It was good to see Deco get some pitch time, but you knew that he couldn’t possibly have any meaningful effect on the match, aside from giving the Nou Camp faithful a name to chant.
Sevilla never really looked like scoring, aside from that opening flurry, and Henry, being marked by at least two men whenever he got the ball, didn’t have as influential a match as he did v. Murcia, though he still played very well. He was sharp, just blanketed as Capel was.
Still, we win by not losing, and move on. I’m going to attribute Dos Santos’ wild inconsistency to youth. I think he deserves more playing time, if only to raise his price when we sell him, as we should.
Iniesta showed up today, Xavi stank out the planet, but the defense was strong. Held its shape, and Puyol always seemed to be in the right spot. But Sevilla helped them out a lot with the way they played. I don’t know why I fired up my DVR to watch the match, expecting to see an aggressive, attacking affair with both teams flying all out to WIN the tie. Silly me.
I didn’t think the ref was all that bad. There was a lot of stuff that he let go, rightly so. We’re never going to get the “no blood, no foul” that we see in the English game. And frankly, given how often that ref has hosed us, I’m surprised at how neutral he was. If both sides think he screwed up, that’s probably a good thing, rather than one side screaming bloody murder, as is usually the case when he takes the pitch.
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And I know it’s all blather and rumor mongering, but I’d make that Drogba for Ronaldinho swap (if you believe the English press) in a heartbeat.
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Definately I wouldn’t think twice about it. The problem is though, how hould he go with Henry? Henry may end up being sold, which I would hate. He just looks so sophisticated.
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Can’t see Henry getting sold. Not after one season, and not with the promise he’s shown in recent matches. I think Drogba would be great with Henry. Henry loves the wing, and Drogba is a pure striker. Feed him the ball and it goes into the net. Barca needs more guys like that. That’s the beauty of Eto’o.
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So if we get Drogba…what happens to Eto’o? I prefer Samu to Didier any day of the week. Seriously, Samu is the greatest.
If we sell Ronnie, I want the profits. We have a forward line of Henry, Bojan, Eto’o, and Messi without Ronaldinho. So….who wants Didier? Get midfielders, defenders, and goalies, but who needs more strikers?
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I just can’t see Henry, Krkic, Eto’o and Messi all being healthy and at their best at the same time. Look at the past two seasons by way of example. With that 100-Euro transfer fund Rijkaard will have (if he’s in the house), not to mention the proceeds from other sales, there will be plenty of dough for other positions.
If we get Drogba, given Eto’s increasing fluency on the wing, that’s an easy fix. Maybe it’s Henry, Drogba, Messi and Eto’o, with Krkic still being a year away from being a regular starter, Drogba will leave us in great shape in the front. He’s also extremely durable, which has been a problem with our current front-line folks, which I’m still wondering isn’t attributable to the team’s trainers/medical personnel. Dunno.
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I need to point our right here that I dislike Didier Drogba. He just doesn’t seem like a nice guy. In fact, he strikes me as a total jerko. Not like how Eto’o is a jerk because he’s an egomaniac, but in the sense that Didier strikes me as just being an a-hole. That kind of jerk. Like not really a decent human being.
I’m not sure, though, where that thought comes from. Maybe it’s like how I dislike John Terry because he looks like a twathead. I mean, really, that guy just looks like the least pleasant guy. Totally that one dude in high school who always made you feel like crap because he was way “cooler” than you. And if you were that guy, well, I hated you in high school.
I don’t want to spend our cash on Drogba. Sorry. There are better deals out there and we can use versatile, solid strikers as stopgaps instead of trying to find a way to squeeze in another galactico. I don’t know that that’s how I want the team to develop.
In rumorland, there’s the thought that Maicon could come here. Having Zambrotta and Maicon would be fantastic, if they can deal with not playing all of the team’s matches. As it is, we’re missing Belletti’s ability to fill in when Zambrotta is injured. That’s pretty obvious.
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Can you really say no to one of the best strikers in the world? Im not so sure. Maybe Laporta will do it just keep the fans happy. Who better to replace Ronnie with than Didier? Maybe Ronaldo is a bigger financial draw and Kaka may bring more awards but Drogba is one of the most effective players on the planet.
I’ll agree with Isaiah though… it’s not the most important signing of the summer. We’ll have to replace a load of players in the summer and the striker position is a place where we have Bojan/Etoo/Henry for one place.
Out wide we will probably only have Giovani/Messi for two places although Henry/Etoo/Bojan can all move wide.
Considering the likes of Thuram/Sylvinho/Edmilson will be out of contract, I think, and Deco and Ronnie may be sold I’d spend the money on others like IsaiahPosted from
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I completely agree with you that Eto’o is better, and obviously if I had to choose it would be him. No doubt about it. And yes, he does seem like an arsehole, and he is an excessive diver. But still, he is one of the best, and would be a great asset to have. A Ronnie swap would be interesting, but I would like to see how much money we could get out of it first.
If Rijkaard is still in charge at the end of the season, I think Deco will be sold. It’s been pretty obvious that him and Frankie don’t get along. And although I am sick of talking about him, Mourinho would bring the best out of Deco.
Isaiah, I thought Zambrotta was leaving? Carlo Ancellotti came out and said that they will sign him in August, and Zambrotta keeps saying how much he misses Italy. We will definitely need money if that happens (hopefully for Lahm or even Dani Alves), plus money for the five others (here’s hoping for Fabregas.)
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I agree with your priorities, Isaiah and Ciaran. I’m just thinking of the Ronnie (plus some cash) for Drogba swap rumor. A 100 million Euro transfer fund will go a very long way toward addressing the more immediate concerns. The Philipp Lahm deal is purportedly all but done, and he’d be an excellent addition. Dynamic young fullback.
Impossible to argue with Maicon, either. Since it’s looking like January is going to pass without anything except the backup keeper move, this summer should be very interesting.
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Ryan just reread your posts and noticed you didn’t say anything I said you did. Ugh. Sorry. I hear “refs” after a match, those engrams start kicking in and I flip.
john, I use the term “lose” as in “lost the home-away fixtures.” Sevilla might not have lost either of the games (and neither did Barca win any), but they lost out this round… Same I said last year with Barca-Liverpool in the CL. Both teams won a game (and scored 2 goals), but Barca essentially “lost” the fixtures by the away-goals rule.
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And I know EXACTLY what you mean about Drogba, Isaiah. Then again, he doesn’t have much of a say in how he looks (facewise).. so it might just be an aesthetic bias on our parts. I can’t condemn the guy on his pictures, maybe he’s a good guy once you meet him.
Anyway no, we don’t need more strikers.
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I know it’s the Copa and not the league, but yay, Mallorca!
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I know it was brilliant, wasn’t it? Seeing Madrid lose is the best thing to see in football (other than seeing Barca win).
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Australia
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