Deportivo Preview

By: Corey | March 13th, 2008

A tad on the gay side, I know I know

This Sunday Real continues their challenge to win a second La Liga title in a row with a trip to the Riazor. There has not been a Real win in Coruna in 17 years, and although Deportivo were a great side for many of those years, they have dissolved into relegation fodder right before our eyes and must surely be under dogs for this game despite the streak. Our last win was a 3-0 in 1991, and we have ended up losing our past four visits. The game kicks off at 3pm eastern time, so I may be able to catch it if I hurry back to school, which is the plan since I am so bored at home.

‘We are confident we are going to win. It has been 17 years since Real Madrid won here and it will soon be 18,’ said Depor striker Xisco

Tough talk from a guy who cant hit the broad side of a barn. This game is an interesting one, as it has to do with the different stats highlighting the match. One is the obvious 8 point gap that we once again have on the Catalans, which I didnt think we would ever get back. The second is our struggles on the road of late, 3 out of 4 coming to losses. And there is the 17 year curse, going way back to 1991 where Cruyff’s “Dream Team” won the league and it was the Picichi was dominated by two defender, Hierro and Koeman, although it was won by Manolo of Atletico. It was a long time ago, and we should hope that the Real squad does not think of this supposed curse and continues on with their Liga campaign.

Real Team News:

Real has not sustained any injuries as of late, the last being Robben, who is back to jogging once again, but as is his fragile nature, wont be rushed into anything. Likewise, we are still without Metzelder, who I suspect wont be back until May, and at that only for some fitness so he can play for Germany in the EURO. I feel for the guy, he has a strange injury and I hope we will see him fresh and ready to go next season. Both Robben and Metzelder have been working on their own this week.

An interesting note is Wednesday, Parejo, Chema Antón, Sergio, Mateos, Vázquez, and Tébar were all called up to train with the first team, nice to see Schuster is finally giving these players a chance. Tebar and Parejo are of interest, although Mateos and Sergio may actally get a game since our defense has been so banged up. Vazquez is unlikely to play, while I have no clue who Chema Anton is?

Anyways, the squad is complete except for Robben and Metzelder, while Ruud works out in the gym and may be ready for next weekend, it still seems a bit mysterious as to what ailes him, but as he gets older his body breaks down quicker so I give him the benefit of the doubt.

Canna, Marcelo and Torres have rejoined the squad, so we will be able to see a strong defense on Sunday, although Sergio Ramos will serve the 2nd match of his 2 game suspension. With that in mind, here is my predicted lineup.

————Casillas————-
Torres—Pepe—Canna—Heinze
Guti—Diarra—Baptista—Robinho
——-Raul——Higuain———

Now this is my predicted lineup, its not the one I really am pining to see. I would do away with the two Argies in a heartbeat, in favor of Marcelo and Soldado/Saviola even. Higuain was good against Espanyol, but I feel like he wont have much of an impact on such a difficult away trip. Likewise, the support of the fullbacks will be crucial in this game because Depor wont be be sitting back so Heinze is a safe bet, but Marcelo’s forrays forward would help keep one Christian Wilhemsson on his toes. But his defensive frailties may be out downfall, so he probably wont get a runnout at the place he made his debut for us a year ago.

The other question mark I have with the team (well Guti is always a question mark) is the central midfield partnership. Diarra and Baptista did the business in the beginning of the year, but Baptista was moved farther forward recently to aid Raul with Ruud out, and the Diarra-Gago thing sorta go going. The Gago-Baptista thing really never took off, so what is the ideal partnership here? I think whatever you put out, your either gonna get a good game or a bad game, they partnerships seem irrelevant sometimes, the players just are not as consistent as you would hope.

Glad to see Canna next to Pepe, although one would hope with Canna back Heinze doesnt revert to his usual suckiness. One would hope….

Deportivo Team News:

The things you find on Google. So Depor like I said, are in trouble, with their 2-2 draw with Valencia a brightspot in a dark season (How cliche of me). 31 points puts them in 16th, level with 17th Valladolid and 1 point above Huelva in the final relegation spot. I think Javier Clemente is an ass so Murcia is goin down, which means there is one spot left to fight over, and my money is on Depor, their team is just dismal. 40 conceded, 35 scores, and Andrews Guardado is the leading scorer on 6. Just seems like a rough year, but they have been on the slide for a few years, and it seems a fitting end to one of the would be-big boys of La Liga to go back the way they came after a 17 year stay in the top flight.

I am not trying to be mean here, but with all the great players and even a few good coaches to pass through Coruna since 1991, I find it disheartening to see the rejects and youth team cast aways that dominate Deportivo’s lineup. The blame has to lie on el presidente here, his constant coaching changes of the past few years and the squad changes have hurt a big club like Real, but they do far more damage to a club that has only some recent success to show. Jabi Irruetra probably never should have left, cause Capparros did a miserable job, and the players he recruited are the ones in this mess. He tried to recreate his Sevilla success somewhere else, its a huge mistake by coaches.

So, with that, here is the dangerman of the squad. Andres Guardado, who I know well from watching the US manhandle the Mexicans so frequently these days. He has done well in his first full La Liga season, despite his suck team. You could say that they have quality like Fabricio Coloccini, but then you could say why did Milan constantly ship him to other teams if he was so good? Also, they do have the mequrial talent of Juan Carlos Valeron, who’s troublesome knee has shorn us of one of the most talented passers in La liga. But hey, whats a Spanish playmaker without all his flaws (Valeron, Guti, De la Pena, Baraja to name a few recent ones). I think Lafita may be a late bloomer some day, and De Guzman is decent, but not nearly as talented as his little brother at Feyenoord (Real should sign that kid in a heartbeat). Sergio is a good player too, cant forget him, so I guess I found a few polished gems.

But then there is rejects like Riki, Bodipo, Wilhemsson, Juan Rodriguez, Verdu, Cristian, Ruben, Lopo, Kasmirski and Barragan (rejects or youth team flunkies). Barragan looked so promising, but he has receded back into the early developer to play the rest of his career at low level teams thing. Riki, Bodipo, Rodriguez, Lopo and to some extent even Valeron are journeymen of the league. Wilhemsson just plan sucks, bouncing around leagues like no other in the past three years. Verdu and Cristian came from Barca’s ill fated youth setup from before Messi and Dos Santos’ time. And Ruben I think came from Tenerife, but I may be confusing him with a very young striker Real has on loan right now, correct me if I am wrong. He may just be a Depor youth guy.

So here is the probably lineup we will face, very similar to what Valencia saw at the Mestalla:

————Aouate————-
M. Pablo–Kasmirski–Amo–Lopo
–De Guzman–Coloccini–Sergio
—–Wilhemsson—Lafita——
————Xisco————

Something of that nature, maybe moving Coloccini back and taking Kasmirski out to throw in Juan Rodriguez or maybe hand Valeron his first start in a year. I doubt it, he probably wont be risked, so maybe Rodriquez if they are feeling frisky. Riki and Verdu are often subbed into the game while Cristian featured alot but now is not so much. Miguel Angel Lotina has a few cards up his sleeve for the match, and with the moral boosting late draw against Valencia we cant underestimate this team.

I do not have much for how they play or what they will do against us, I have yet to watch them play this year I am pretty sure. Injuries I could not find once again either, which is becoming increasingly hard for me. So I will leave you with the words of Miguel Angel Lotina and a few Real player interviews.

Marcelo

The match against Deportivo must bring back good memories for you. You played your first minutes as a Real Madrid player at Riazor Stadium…
Yes, I remember, but it isn’t such a fond memory because we lost. We are training well in order to win there.

How did it feel being a starter on Saturday?
Very well. I was happy for playing again. I want to carry on this way.

Guzmán, one of Deportivo’s players, says he won’t have sex in one year if he defeats Casillas.
To each his own. No one agrees with Julian, I love how all associated with football still agree sex is more sacred the football…

Do you dare bet anything if you score?
I never do. I would just celebrate it.

Vicente del Bosque may be the next coach of the Spanish national team. Has the squad talked about this?
No.

Are your main goals this year to win the League and to play in the Olympic Games?
I want to stay here, win the League and help my national team.

There are four English teams in the Champions League quarterfinals. What do you think about that?
I’d rather talk about La Liga because we are no longer in the Champions League.

What’s wrong with your eye?
I was elbowed during the game on Saturday.

Has the team’s eight-point cushion sentenced the League?
No. There are still eleven games left. We haven’t won yet.

The team hasn’t won at Riazor in 17 years… That’s a long time…
Yes. We have the chance of doing so this year. I think we can do it.

Atletico Madrid are asking referees to protect Kun Agüero…
I’m old enough not to ask for help any more. I’ll protect myself.

How does the squad feel?
We were sad the day after we lost against Roma, but we talked about it and realized we had to carry on with our heads held high.

Some media have said that Schuster isn’t happy with the squad.
He looks pleased to us. I think he feels well here. We are doing well in the League and I think he is happy.

Baptista

The team hasn’t won at Riazor in 17 years.
The most important thing is that we realize that winning is the only thing that will allow us to keep our eight-point cushion. We have to win, so we will have to put an end to what’s happened there in the past.

An eight-point lead is very significant when there are only eleven games left in the season. Do you think just winning your home games will be enough to take the title?
No. We have to focus on each game at a time. It would be a mistake to think that winning our home matches would be enough. There are still many fixtures left and we can’t afford to make any mistakes if we want to keep this cushion because what happened before could happen again. The important thing is to win every game, to take each match as if it were our last.

It is rumoured Luis Fabiano may sign for Real Madrid next year. What do you think of that?
Everything that can help is fine with me. We know having a competitive team is important.

There’s been a defeatist atmosphere after the Champions League elimination. Does the squad believe winning the League won’t really be that much of a success?
It is very important for us to win the League, but it seems the media believe there isn’t much merit in winning the competition. We’ve never regarded it less. We want to win every championship, but we know that can’t happen all the time. For us it is very important to win the Legaue because it is the only title we can fight for now.

People said the team was going to try to win the three titles this season. Did that put pressure on the squad?
We never said we would win all three titles and we always knew it would be difficult despite the excitement the media created. We all wanted to win the Champions League, but it simply wasn’t to be this year. We have to make a great effort to win the Legaue.

Would the squad rather be in Barcelona’s situation, being alive and well in all three competitions, than being leaders?It is impossible to do everything right all the time. There are many new players on the team, so it was always going to be hard to achieve that. Winning the League is very important to us. We will aspire to other titles next year.

What The Hell Kind Of Shirt Is That?

Do you think Barcelona have given up?
We’ll have to see. The League is very competitive. They may catch up with us if we make mistakes, so we’ll have to avoid making any. I don’t think they’ve given up, but we depend on ourselves more than ever.

How have you changed now that you’ve found a spot on the team and are beginning to be criticised?
I think fans applaud and cheer you on when you play well, and that they don’t when you perform under par. This is normal in football, so there is no reason to get nervous. I was in a complicated spot when I arrived and I didn’t know if I would play much. My situation has drastically changed. This is being a very productive year for me.

De Guzman said he wouldn’t have sex in one year if he scored against Casillas. What do you think of that?Everyone is entitled to do as he pleases. I try not to do things like that. Again!

Rafa Benítez didn’t call up Xabi Alonso this week because the player asked for some time off because his child was going to be born. What would you have done in his situation?
It’s hard to talk about something that hasn’t happened to you, so I don’t know. Being a father is as important as playing a game, so it is hard for me to have a clear opinion on the subject. I would try to make the right decision if I were in his situation.

Referee Turienzo Alvarez, who caused havoc in the Racing-Real Madrid fixture last year, will officiate the match. Do you think he may feel a lot of pressure?That’s up to him. It’s normal for referees to make mistakes. There is no reson for him to feel any pressure on the pitch.

Henry recently said he doesn’t feel comfortable at Barcelona. Do you think he may feel that way because of the problems the team has?
That’s one of the problems having many star players together entails. You have to put them in their place and things aren’t turning out well for them. We aren’t in a situation like that.

Lotina

“Obviously, when either is going to be an advantage for us. Possibility that it could play with Lafita and Wilhelmsson, if we continue in this state, can occur at any party, but right now I do not have that problem because I want before see how Andres, “explained.

Regarding the draw of last Sunday with Valencia in the Mestalla stadium, acknowledged that Lotina preferred retaining the result in the second half instead of striving for victory. “The point on Sunday was important and why eché the hand brake for a tie puntito. Had been eight or ten points, the changes have been more offensive,” explained technical Deportivo.

Lotina showed his humor when he spoke about statements by Canadian Julien de Guzman, who assured that it would be able to be a year without practicing sex if you mark another goal to Real Madrid. “That’s not what I do even League champion. That is sacred,”

Haha, yes it is big guy. Yes it is.