Recreativo Huelva Preview

Entrenamiento: 15/04/09
Partido:Recreativo – Real Madrid
Fecha:18/04/2009
Hora:22:00
Estadio:Nuevo Colombino
Jornada: 31
TV: La Sexta, Not on GolTV (outrageous!)
RM Radio: 94.2 FM (Spanish only)

Real Madrid travels to Andalusia to take on Spain’s oldest club, Recreativo Huelva, in a La Liga clash this Saturday, the 18th at 4pm eastern time, 16:00 GMT. Huelva will be looking to take at least a point at home to ease their relegation fears, while Real needs to win to keep up the chase of Barcelona, who face a tricky but winnable tie against Real’s city neighbors Getafe this jornada.

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Recreativo Huelva News:

That is the Nuevo Colombino, Huelva’s home stadium, where Real will look to pull out another win as the season narrows to a close and their title hopes start to fade as Barcelona cant seem to loose a game either. But Huelva will be the more confident side as they com into this game in desperate need of some points, as the 18th spot is still up for grabs (no one wants it, but for the time being its Huelvas) as it looks like Espanyol and Numnacia will be both relegated even at this early a time.

Huleva have a decent squad, boasting some exciting young talents in midfield and attack, sprinkled in with a few handy La Liga players and some journeymen that round out a team that has only scored 27 goals, but has some how conceded 43 goals. A -16 goal difference will always make it hard to compete in the league, so there goal shy forwards are not necessarily the problem, rather they lack a quality defense. Cesar Arzo is the stand out central defender of the bunch, but he is not getting a game this year for some reason. Andres Lamas and a combination of Nasief Morris and Iago Bouzon have been playing in central defense for Huelva, and they have not really got the job done.

Even better, Udinese reject Alain Nef has been deputizing at right back for them after a mid-season loan, and he has not helped their defensive struggle a whole lot either, while Iago sometimes plays out wide at right back as well. Casado and Poli rotate a fair bit at the left back spot, but like I said, they have not shown they are La Liga quality this season. Real will be kicking themselves if they dont press Huelva’s back line and force them to make mistakes.

Sisi, Javi Fuego, Adrien Colunga and Javier Camunas are all good Spanish players. Javi Fuego was a Spanish youth international all the way to the u-23 team, but has never really broached the full squad, but he is a useful central midfielder. Javi Fuego played six seasons with Sporting Gijon, his youth club, and started most of those games since he was 17. He will partner Sebastien Nayar, a promising Argentinian defensive midfielder who was bought from Boca Junior in acrimonious circumstances. Nayar is definitely one to watch, and while he may not be a polished La Liga player, he is definitely of quality.

Rafeal Barber or Zahinos are alternatives in central midfield. Barber is one of those joruney men players that are so popular with the less wealthy clubs in Spain. He started out with two modest outfits before joining Huelva when they were in the 2nd division. Barber starts his fair share of games, and is essentially the hard man of the midfield. He will tangle with Lass, and while I assume hat Nayar would be preferred, as it is a home game, if Barber is to play, he will be looking after either Guti or Sneijder. Zahinos is an ex-Atletico player, and while his appearances are brief, his influence is usually important.

If Huelva choose to go with a three man midfield, I could see combinations of Fuego, Barber and Nayar, or Fuego, Barber and Tornavaca. Tornavaca is the club captain and one of the most consistent players for Huleva. He is usually deployed as a roaming central midfielder, looking for a player to mark but at the same time moving forward a little to help in the attack. Obviously the attack is a little lacking this year for Huelva, but the midfield stays pretty compact when he is in it. If only the defensive line had his leadership in it.

Central midfield may be a battle that Lass alone can win, so Guti probably should start next to Lass in an effort to keep pressure on the Huelva back line. Gago was poor in his brief cameo against Valladolid, and has not really been playing at an acceptable level these past few months. And Parejo is away on international duty this week, and oddly arranged friendly against Eygpt. Since the defensive line of Huleva is so weak, they will stay as close to the midfield as possible, so Tornavaca and Barber/Nayar can shield them as much as possible. If Guti can slip balls through the midfield, and a combination of Higuain and Robben provide what I like to call “winged death”, then we should be all set to score a few. If Sneijder is used, he will be closed down pretty quickly, so I hope Juande looks past all of the paper talk about Guti’s behavior problems.

Huelva’s danger comes from its wings, where Sisi and Camunas make moves. Sisi is a Valencia product who, much like a player in Real’s cantera, was never given a shot. He is a fast player that sometimes over runs the ball, but he definitely can beat his man and get a cross or shot in. He is not as good a finisher as Camunas is, but he is the creative spark of the squad. On the opposite side is Camunas, who really is the leader of the team. He and Adrian Colunga share 8 goals each and lead the team. Also in the mix is Marco Ruben, who is on loan from Vilarreal, but has had an indifferent time with Huelva so far, only scoring 3 times.

Huelva has two more wingers that is uses rarely. Cristian Madiana, who is on-loan fro Spartak Moscow, and Kanga Akale, who is on loan from Lens. Both are pacey wingers with high technique levels, but their end product is often lacking, which is usually what sees them left out. Other players who have played very little this season for Huelva are Portuguese internatonal Beto, Jesus Vazquez and Quique Alvarez, Javi Guerrero and Ersen Martin. I assume Beto and Vazquez are injured, and Vazquez is just to old, but Malaga coach Lucas Alcaraz really loves to rotate his squad so I dont see why some of these players do not see much time.

With that being said, it is pretty hard for me to predict what Real will come up against on Saturday. The rotation policy of Alcaraz is more reminiscent of a coach using whatever players he can piece together, although his striking trident of Sisi, Colunga and Camunas are pretty consistently chosen to start. Not to many goals between them, but consider them dangerous. The defense and midfield are what see alot of players swapping positions and such, usually because of injury but also because the defense really just is not good enough for La Liga. Expect to see a fair share of goals from this game.
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Real Madrid News:

As I mentioned before, Parejo is away on international duty with the u-20 team playing Egypt. Not sure how that was worked out since its not within the FIFA calendar, but none the less, Parejo probably wont be making the squad even if he comes back on Friday from the international match. All 24 players were in training during the week and will be available for selection for this match, so Juande will have to keep a careful eye on who is training the hardest and who may have the best form at this moment.

With that in mind, we will see a very strong Real side in this match:

————–Casillas————–
Ramos—Pepe—Canna—Heinze
Higuain—Lass—Sneijder—Robben
————-Raul——————–
—————–Hunter————-

Bench: Dudek, Metzelder, Torres, Gago, Guti, Van Der Vaart, Saviola

The ploy here is that with Higuain and Robben in the lineup, there is enough width, but also with Higuain and Huntelaar, there is plenty of strike power as well. Raul provides extra help defensively since Sneijder is pretty weak in that department, and Robben is essentially the playmaker, although Higuain does his fair share too. I think Raul operates best this way, although having Higuain less wide and more central would help him alot too. Also, Sneijder really doesnt combine well with Raul’s style of play, as someone like Gago in good form, or even better De la Red would. I would prefer Guti to start over Sneijder, but I feel that like so many coaches before him, Juande just doesnt have much trust in him. To bad…

I do expect to see Guti at some point though, along with Van der Vaart, who is slowly starting to impress. In such a formation, VdV would do well in Raul’s role, but again, with Sneijder as a central midfielder it clogs things up a bit. Plus, whenever VdV was given a chance in such a role he looked worse then when he was played as a winger. No Drenthe, Faubert etc. because they just plain suck. Also, Miguel Torres should not be left out, but he will be. He played really well at left back, not so well at right back, but he is much more consistent a player, and 10 times the defender then Heinze is, so I dont see why he start there. Heinze to his credit may move into the center alongside Pepe, but that is more of a liability then having him at left back. Either way, I dont want Heinze in my team!
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Some pre-match interviews from Marca, AS and RealMadrid.com to round out the preview.

Sneijder

Interviewhere.

Next on tap are Recreativo.
It’s an important match. We have eight games left and all are finals. We must stay on course and try to reduce the lead as much as possible. We cannot suffer any setbacks.

How do you feel heading into the final stretch of the season?
I feel good. I feel perfect physically and am ready to help the team with anything it needs. I am working hard, as is the entire squad.

What has allowed the team to put together this impressive run?
We are winning almost every match. We are playing well and as a team. We have good and bad games, but we are able to fight and win like we did against Valladolid. That’s been the key. We work as a close-knit team.

Is the Clasico at the Bernabeu the most important match of the season and will it decide La Liga?
It appears to be the most important, but if we take care of business it shouldn’t be any more important than the rest. We have eight finals left including trips to Sevilla, Valencia and Villarreal.

If you win La Liga, will it be more special that last year’s title?
Of course. It has been a lot harder this year and we have had to fight like crazy. We have played very complicated matches and been able to overcome adversity. Winning the league would be incredible.

You played an important role on the team last year, but this season has been a little different.
Last year was my first in Madrid and we played great and had a good season. But then I got injured and was out for three months. The team was playing well and it was hard for me not to be able to help my teammates. I know I am not in my best form yet, but I am convinced everything will come with time.
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Higuain

Interview here.

The team’s next visit is to a difficult stadium where keeping the streak alive may be a challenge.
Just like all our remaining matches, but the team is in good form and we want to stay on course with a win in Huelva.

Two years ago a great run of yours in that same stadium finished with a goal by Roberto Carlos. How do you remember it?
It was a great moment because it gave us the win. They pulled level at two and we had the league in play. It’s a great memory and I hope something similar happens on Saturday.

Does anyone believe that Barcelona won’t slip up?
We know we’re on the right track. Barcelona have a lot of matches to play and we believe they will stumble at some point. We have a great team and are committed to winning La Liga.

Xavi said the treble is within grasp. What are your thoughts?
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration. They are very much alive in all three competitions and are playing very well, but this is football and anything can happen. We’ll be right on their heels in case they do slip up.

Might that slip-up take place against Getafe?
It is possible. But for it to help us we must win in Huelva.

You have played a decisive role down the stretch in recent years. May that moment be at the Bernabeu against Barcelona this year?
I hope I score against Barcelona at the Bernabeu, but we must first win the matches that come before.

Did your goal against Malaga boost your morale enough for the end of the season and a possible call-up by Argentina?
I hope. Scoring is very important for a forward. I am happy because the team is in good form and I am playing. I hope I get that call, but I don’t think about it on a regular basis.

There’s been a lot of talk about signings for next season. How do you see yourself affected by whatever happens?
I see myself here. I have a contract until 2013. There is always talk about players coming and going, but you have to stay calm and collected in such situations.

It’s rumored that Arsenal have expressed interest in you.
I am happy that great teams have taken notice, but I am happy here and want to stay for a long time.

Did you see Cristiano Ronaldo’s goal?
A fantastic goal.

What are your thoughts on the presence of English teams in the Champions League?
The Premier deserves a lot of credit. It’s among the best and its teams have proved it.

What more do you need to do to be called up by Argentina?
Honestly, I think I have been clear about the national team. My heart belongs to Argentina, so I hope to get that call.

Casillas stated that Madrid needs more competitive players to do better in Europe. Do you agree?
I think many things are taken out of context. Iker is the best goalkeeper in the world and I don’t want to create any controversy with him. Everyons is entitled to an opinion. We’re not in it because we weren’t able to make it to the next round. Madrid will recover its European prestige, and I hope it happens next season.
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Lucas Alcaraz

Interview here.

When asked about the fact that Real has triumphed in its encounters against Huelva when he has been coach, he said “It is an equipment that, as always, has much quality, that has limited to the maximum its errors and that take advantage of to the maximum those the opportunities. That causes that it has increased to his defensive reliability and the attainment of victories”.

When asked about the possibility for a shock on Saturday, the Huelva coached said”to begin adding in some party and, from there, to take to an inertia positiva”. ” There are nine points in seven days and you are always going to be one week that is going to mark more than another one and is necessary to try to add the maximum of puntos”

The importance of this match for both sides “It is in favor clear that this party is important, of the necessity of results that we have all the equipment of down. We must play with the determination to secure this result, independent of the organization of rival” he stressed.

Therefore, Alcaraz insists to the Huelva players to confront the shock before the targets ” with the principle determination” , with the idea of not increasing the distance that separates to him of the salvation. ” We have the illusion to secure a good result because, aside from the motivation that can give us, it is necessary”.

At the same time, the technician made a brief review of the causes that have taken to the Recreational one to their present situation. ” We do not have been right facing the goal, nor have had luck with the by arbitration decisions. We have needed just a little bit always, as much in the first return as in which we took of second division”, Alcaraz admitted
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With Huelva’s weak defense and our penchant for scoring goals on the road, I see that this one is a bit of a wash. Huelva really is a weak team, and even though they are full of Spanish players I like, it wont save them from relegation, nor should it. They should probably go down, but that is sort of the way it goes in La Liga these days.

Game time is 4pm eastern, but as it is not on GolTV, it will be tough for me to do a Cover It Live blog, but I can try it if there is enough interest. Leave your thoughts on the match and also whether or not you would like to see a live blog for the match.

HALA MADRID!

Category: Team News

Tags: Team News

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