Murcia - Barcelona: The End of the End, Saturday 4pm (GolTV)

By: Isaiah | May 16th, 2008

Well, it’s the last preview of the 2007/08 season and it can’t come fast enough for most of us. We all want to get on with the changes, with the new era that will be beginning at the final whistle. But this is could be our last chance to see several of our players in the stripes: Eto’o, Zambrotta, Guddie, Oleguer, Ezquerro, Pinto, perhaps even Henry. And it’s our last chance to see Rijkaard staring out impassively at the field while we wonder what the hell he’s thinking about. Or if he’s thinking anything.*

Valdés, Pinto, Xavi, Ezquerro, Puyol, Oleguer, Bojan, Eto’o, Messi, Abidal, Thuram, Henry, Zambrotta, Gudjohnsen, Giovani, Fali, Rueda.

Even without Deco, Ronnie, Iniesta, Toure, and Marquez, the potential lineups available should be more than enough to smack around a relegated team with nothing to play for. However, and I hope no one is offended by this, but Murcia sucks. I mean, they suck…a lot. They’re 7W-9D-21L with 33GF and 60GA. That’s a -27 goal differential, if you didn’t care to do the math. At home they are much better than away (6W-4D-8L, 18GF 21GA) but that 18 goals scored is the lowest in the entire league. Obviously Barcelona sucks away from home (4W-8D-6L, 25GF 28GA), but Murcia has to suck more, right? Right?! Oh god…

So we have a shot at not ending the year on a down, of recovering not only our away goal differential (currently at -3) and of sending of Frankie boy and company in the best way we can manage at this point: 3 more points and 3rd place in the league. If we lose and Atletico draws or wins (or if we draw and Atletico wins), we’re in 4th. Not that I mind 4th any more than 3rd, but why give the ruling junta at the top any more fuel for the fire? Why cause them to sacrifice even more players in a reactionary way?

That’s all I’ve got for the preview because, really, what’s there to talk about? It’s all about transfers right now, so let’s transfer away, I guess…I am so opposed to the sell-off that it’s not funny. Or maybe it is because it’s sports and I’m taking it personally. Regardless, I’m feeling the pain of it. Eto’o to Evil Empire Jr? F-that. Berlusconi can take his immigrant-hating ass elsewhere for a striker. Funny how that thinking doesn’t apply to soccer players…

*Apparently at his last press conference the press gave him a T-shirt that says, in Catalan, “You’ll never smoke alone” in an echo of the banner from the Camp Nou the weekend before. See the shirt here.