Weekend Preview
By: Corey | September 21st, 2007
So this weekend Real travel to Valladolid on Sunday with a 3pm eastern kickoff. I yet again wont be watching the game because I have to drive back to school around 4, but Ill watch the highlights at my meeting Sunday night because thats what I do. I got yelled at the other night for watching football videos in class not by my professor, but by my lady, because I wasnt talking to her and looking at her in class enough. We sit right next to each other…women just dont understand sports.
Valladolid are a decent side, they ran away with the Segunda title last year, and have some useful players in their ranks, including Borja, former Real youth player as well as Garcia Calvo and Alberto Marcos, also former youth players. They have some good strikers in Ogbeche (former PSG starlet), Llorente, and Esoyanoff, as well as midfielder Vivar Dorado (ex-Getafe) and young gun Sisi. They started out with a win, then an entertaining draw with Deportivo and a loss against Valencia due to a late El Moro strike. So they may feel hard done, but they are certainly no push over, as we saw last week with Almeria, even the promoted teams take it to you in Spain (a good arguement for why Spain is the best league in the world).
In Real news, Metzelder missed training the other day due to a bruise on his knee and may be rested for this game. Pepe was in full training, but he was not doing ball work, likewise with Heinze. Expect Marcelo to start if Schuster wants a Roma-esque all out cluster fuck attack. But im goin with Heinze here, and even though Pepe probably shouldnt start he probably will. Id put Sergio Ramos in the center and give Torres or Salgado the start. Probably Torres the start, im biased.
Seeing as how against Almeria we could barely string two passes together, Guti and Sneijder will have to be better. If Gago starts, he will have to be much much better passing the ball. I wouldnt mind Diarra on the bench for this one, as Borja and Dorado arent the physical pair in the center that Diarra would be best suited for. But Gago wont be given another chance to impress unfortunately. I also see Higuain starting on the right again, as Robinho seems just not have it yet again.
Striking wise its obvious, who is on the bench is a mystery. With Higuain starting on the right, Robinho will be on the bench, and Saviola was dropped for the Werder game. He scored against Almeria but was unimpressive otherwise. Id hope Soldado makes the bench and gets a run out.
I feel bad for the players that arent getting a look in right now. Buttt, seeing as how we have a midweek game against Betis coming up as well as the Champs League my guess is Julio Baptista, Soldado, Torres, Jordi Codina, Balboa and Marcelo will get more playing time. Marcelo is the only one of them with a start, funny cause all of those players would start 25+ games for other Liga teams, hell Soldado and Balboa did.
3-0 to Real, Raul with 2 and Higuain with a late goal. Have I been right on these before? 50% so far, and that isnt bad for absolute shots in the dark.
This is a cool little factoid from RealMadrid.com:
Rafael Yunta was the first footballer to play for both clubs. The midfielder stayed at Real Madrid between 1944 and 1948, leaving then for Valladolid, where he stayed for two seasons. José Mariscal was his ’successor’. This defender was part of the Whites in the 1948/49 and 1949/50 campaigns. He was transfered during the latter to Valladolid, where he remained three years. Alfonso Navarro, Ragel Lesmes, Francisco Juanco, Miche and Morollón followed in their steps in the 1950s.
Some of Real Madrid’s greatest stars have came from Valladolid, one of the brightest being Manolo Sanchís Sr., who played for the Castillian side between 1962 and 1964, joining Real Madrid that same year, where he remained until 1971. The Club’s current Technical Director, Miguel Ángel Portugal, had two spells as a Madridista player: between 1979-81 and 1982-83. In the 1987/88 campaign he proved his worth as a striker at Valladolid.
Fernando Hierro, one of Real Madrid’s greatest players, played for the Castillian club between 1987 and 1989, leaving for Real Madrid in June of that same year. He eventually stayed at the Club 14 seasons, scoring 105 goals despite being a defender.
Amavisca had a similar experience. He was a Valladolid player between 1989 and 1994. He then joined the Whites, remaining at the Club until 1998.
Iván Campo began his professional carreer at the Castillian team in 1995, playing there for one season. After playing for Valencia and Mallorca, he joined Real Madrid in 1998. The defender won one League and two European Cups with Real Madrid and decided to continue his career in the English Premiership. César Sánchez was Valladolid’s keeper for nine years. He played at Real Madrid in five campaigns, winning two Leagues and one European Cup.
Alberto Marcos and García Calvo began their careers at Real Madrid in the 1993/94 and 1995/96 seasons, respectively. Several years later they decided to join Valladolid and they are both still there. García Calvo had a spell at Atletico Madrid before joining Valladolid again this season.
Tote, Tena, Julio César, Bizarri, David Aganzo, Fernando, Santiago Aragón and many others have also played for both Clubs.
The last two players to have joined the list are Gabriel Heinze, who played for Valladolid before joining Manchester United, and Borja, a Real Madrid youth system player who has just joined Valladolid after being at Mallorca.
After a long day off (its a Jewish holiday so of course my school has no classes which means i drive 4 hours home and play golf with my dad) its always good to learn something still. And who doesnt want to see this:
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