No doubt we are a team on the up and will continue heading there now that the players have a coach which they have full confidence and respect in. Having said that however, this weekend will provide the greatest test for Manzano since he has taken over. Barca have started their campaign a bit unconvincingly like ourselves but anyone who knows anything about football, knows this means nothing. Barca is pure class and anything but a picture perfect performance from us will even still, far from guarantee us three points in their hostile home of the Camp Nou.

Supporting Sevilla is fatal to the heart. We’re so unpredictable its crazy. Even during some of our worst times last season under Antonio Álvarez, we managed to go to the Camp Nou and pull off a magical 2-1 victory in the Copa del Rey – a victory which eventually sent us to the final in which we also came out victorious.

Unfortunately for us, we will be without our prolific prodigal son, otherwise known as Jesús Navas, as he is still recovering from his ankle injury that has kept him sidelined for the past month or so. Needless to say that when you play teams like Barcelona, you need your best starting XI, bar none! This won’t be the case as Navas will not travel with the squad, but Manzano hasn’t even had a chance to see Jesús play for his team, so I’m sure he has spent the last 4 weeks coping without him and will play a formation so we are not exposed up the right flank. Another massive blow will be in goal as Andrés Palop is sidelined with an injury he picked up last week against Karpaty. His experience and leadership will be missed but I have full confidence in Javi Varas who has struggled to see game time, not because he’s not a quality keeper, but because he has a legend in front of the pecking order. This will be a personal test for him to show the management why maybe it is time for him to take over the reins in goal.

A boost for us comes as it finally appears that Fabiano and Negredo, our two feared front men, have hit or are about to hit their top form. Both are coming off 2 goal performances in the League and Copa which will no doubt give them full confidence when we travel to Cataluña tomorrow. They will definitely be key in order to get a result away from home.

Our squad for the fixture is as follows:
Martin Cáceres, Romaric, Zokora, Perotti, Luis Fabiano, Renato, Kanoute, Javi Varas, Escudé, Alfaro, Diego Capel, Negredo, Cigarini, Dabo, Alexis, Konko, José Carlos, Luna y Dani Jimenez

A win in Barcelona would definitely show the progress we have made in the span of a month with new boss Manzano, but obviously at this point we have a massive hill to climb.

Vamos Campeón.

A 1-4 victory against La Liga newcomers Levante may not seem like a result which would bring a derailing train like Sevilla back on track, but confidence is everything in football, ladies and gentlemen. Clearly with the talent amongst our squad there is no way we should have lost to Braga in the Champions League, especially by such a convincing margin at home. This past weekend we showed glimpses of the old Sevilla that many people have grown to love. Beautiful one touch football with dangerous flank play, it was a beautiful sight to see us get back to the basics and most importantly, get a much needed confidence boost.

Not only in my opinion was the victory against Levante in the opening match a sigh of relief, but the arrival of Martín Cácares to replace the departed Squillaci was also very comforting. Cácares never really got his time to shine in Barcelona but speaking with a Uruguayan friend of mine and as well as being familiar with him from his time at Villarreal, I am very confident that this is an ideal replacement. Staying on the subject of defence – it really seems that Del Nido and Monchi alike are focusing much on what we have prided ourselves on in the past few seasons and that mentality seems to be that the less goals we concede, the greater chance we have of winning matches. Of course this is true and along with Cácares, we have brought in experienced former-Valencia defender, Alexis and Dabo from St. Etienne in Ligue 1. Bolstering our backline was clearly the aim of the Sevilla management and along with Konko who netted two goals this past weekend, I believe we have more than succeeded in doing so.

Of course defense isn’t everything in football (unless you’re Italian of course) and more than anything, this season will truly tell us if we have a major problem. That problem of course is scoring goals and our (so far) €15m flop Álvaro Negredo will have to have one hell of a season for us to fulfill our hopes of Champions League football for next term. A huge weight that was lifted off our shoulders was when Luis Fabiano declared that he wanted to stay in Sevilla and put pen to paper to extend his contract a further 2 years. The saga that seemed to drag on all summer (as it seems to every year) is hopefully now put to rest as O Fabuloso stated what we all prayed for.

This weekend we travel back home to take on a team who once has “Super” as the prefix to their name. Indeed that is some feat if you can manage that. Anyone who knows La Liga, knows of course, that team is Deportivo la Coruña. The Galician side are coming off a boring 0-0 stalemate at home to Real Zaragoza and although they seemed to lack any creativity from what I saw, Depor are a team you always have to be aware of. They consistently pull off defeats against La Liga’s big boys of Madrid and Barcelona season after season so of course we cannot take them anything but seriously. One positive sign for us is that we are fortunately not traveling to their fortress of the Riazor where they are nearly impossible to beat. Having said that, we must somehow adopt the same mentality and make the Sánchez Pizjuán our fortress as it was for much of last season.

It will be interesting to see how all these new faces will fit into defence and how they will play alongside each other and although it is scary, I am very excited at the prospect of Alexis and Cácares holding the backline together and moreover, leading the team up field.

All we can do now is hope that we have got the right frame of mind and from there on we just stick to our game, and the results should follow.

Vamos mi Sevilla.

While there is no question about who has the stronger squad, there is a little bit more significance to this game than just any other match between us. Nothing can be taken for granted in two-legged affairs like this Supercopa one as just this past season we eliminated the mighty Barça from the Copa del Rey which obviously we eventually went on to win. Also, of course of recent our once star left-back, Adriano Correia was transferred to the Catalàn club just like Dani Alves and Seydou Keita in previous years. No doubt there will be a little bit of friendly competition amongst Adriano and his new squad with his former teammates.

One thing that must be noted is the fact that we are just coming off a week where there were many international friendlies played and having the superstar squad that Barça does, it must be expected that fatigue may be a factor. This could obviously work in our favour as even Victor Valdés has to play due to an injury Pinto is struggling to recover from despite having just returned to training from his summer vacation. Having said all that though, unfortunately Álvarez will have to contemplate very carefully what lineup he plays as we have a very important Champions League game on Wednesday against Portuguese side Braga.

Despite coming off a somewhat of a disappointing loss to Espanyol in the Trofeo Carranza which was decided in penalties, this is a totally different match which a much greater reward. Three points are absolutely crucial if we have serious aspirations of adding another trophy to our cabinet. Going to the Camp Nou with nothing will be very difficult for us to achieve a result.

The 18 man squad selected by Álvarez is as follows; Palop, Javi Varas, Konko, Dabo, Fazio, Squillaci, Escude, Renato, Cigarini, Romaric, Zokora, Navas, Alfaro, Perotti, Diego Capel, Negredo, Kanoute and Luis Fabiano. With all the recent paper talk about LuFa going to Olympique Marseille its a huge personal concern about how well our star striker will play and if he does if it will be his last match in the colours of Sevilla. Players left out of the lineup due to injury or who are not fit, are Fernando Navarro, Lolo, Cala, Luna, José Carlos, Rodri, and the injured Guarente and Acosta.

With both teams set to be missing a few players tomorrow it is really anyone’s match. Barça will come out strong as usual but depending on the players that Guardiola has at his disposal, we may just have the upper hand. I am excited to see just how well our new signings Luca Cigarini and Mouhamadou Dabo perform against the strongest team in La Liga; hopefully they patch up the holes we had last season in both midfield and defense and show exactly why our transfer genius Monchi decided to bring them to Nervión.

¡¡Vamos mi Sevilla,
Vamos Campeón!!

We travel to Italy with a nearly complete squad with the exception of Jesús Navas who is still on his post World Cup holiday/recovery period and both Konko and Acosta who were declared unfit to travel with the squad following some minor injuries they’ve sustained.

Atalanta is an opponent of some significance as this is our new signing, Tiberio Guarente’s former club. This match will allow Álvarez to asses just how well new signing’s Guarente and Dabo fit into and play with the rest of the squad.

While the game is technically meaningless, it allows Álvarez to evaluate the squad in a competitive match against a decent opponent to prepare for the Supercopa de España against Liga Champions, Barcelona later next month.

The squad traveling is as follows: Palop, Javi Varas, Dabo, Fernando Navarro, Luna, Cala, Lolo, Squillaci, Escudé, Fazio, Renato, Romaric, Guarente, Zokora, Alfaro, Perotti, Capel, José Carlos, Negredo, Luis Fabiano, Kanoute and Rodri.

Transfer Latest
With the departure of Tom de Mul to Standard Liege on a season long loan (with an option to purchase at year-end), it begs the question if this move is part of a bigger picture that President Del Nido has in mind. It was reported earlier this week that we were interested in two Liege players – Steven Defour and Sebastien Pocognoli. Maybe some sort of agreement was struck between Del Nido and Standard to help strengthen their squad in order to allow us to buy one of their top players. Maybe it’s an over-thought, but our president always has something crafty up his sleeve and it wouldn’t surprise me if this time is any different.

It is needless to say that with upcoming crucial matches, summer holidays are over in Sevilla.

LuFa today stated that he does not expect a transfer away from the Sánchez Pizjuán as he is happy in Nervión despite being linked with European heavyweights such as Tottenham, Inter and Manchester United. He stated that he could not speak while with his native Brasilian squad in South Africa but he is very content fulfilling his one year left in Sevilla.

While Fabiano may be technically, the strongest football in our squad, I was following the saga not minding either of the possible outcomes which either included LuFa staying in Sevilla or leaving for another European giant. Fabiano staying obviously provides us with great strength up front as he is still one of the best strikers in the world as displayed in his several World Cup performances. On the other hand, Luis is 29 years old, which by footballing standards, is old for a striker. The €20m+ which was being rumoured as the price for the Brasilian is in my opinion, an offer worth grabbing as we could definitely invest that into the squad in massive ways. Not that we have to worry about that anymore though, as Fabiano says he will be in Nervión next season.

Other musings around Europe have us linked to PSV midfielder Ibrahim Affelay, Everton star Mikel Arteta and most noticably, Napoli’s Luca Cigarini. There seemed to be some substance to the Cigarini gossip before it was reported that there was a breakdown in negotiations between Napoli and Sevilla in regards to the transfer. The Arteta rumour most likely is paper talk as I cannot see Everton accepting a £9m offer when there’s been talk of Manchester City offering £20m+.

Season Preperations
Disregarding the chaos that is going on in the transfer market, we are progressing nicely in our pre-season leading up to the 2010-2011 campaign.

Three consecutive wins against weaker opposition Chiclana, Villa Rota and San Fernando has set us up nicely for our World Cup stars Jesús Navas, Squillaci and Zokora to return to the squad in time for the Trofeo Carranza, and more importantly in the buildup to the beginning of the season. The return of these three crucial players means Antonio Álvarez will have some decisions to make as he must trim the squad down to 25 players to submit to UEFA before the start of the season. The issue will be even worse as we are still in the hunt for a new midfielder which will create more congestion within the squad. The excess number of players in the squad could mean the likes of Chevantón, Duscher, Lolo, De Mul and David Prieto all finding new homes for next season as it is said Álvarez isn’t pleased with their progress so far this pre-season. They could all be transfered in attempts to raise funds for a more prolific midfielder which we so desperately need.

Who we will actually sign in the summer before the start of the season is still very much a mystery but with the massive loss of Adriano to Barcelona, we definitely need some strengthening if there’s any hopes of not only closing the gap between ourselves and the big two in La Liga but also for our well being in the Champions League. We cannot expect to make it very far if the squad looks the same as it does today, on September 1 when the transfer window closes.

I have a lot going on in my life over the next few weeks, as my wife is due to give birth at anytime. Due to this, I am going to take a break from writing for a while—mostly because of the chaos of the baby and learning how to be a father for the first time. But enough about my life, I am writing this to announce that Anthony will return to being the Sevilla blogger after this post. His excellent writing is the reason most of you began following this blog, and I look forward very much to reading his new posts. Again, thank you all for your reading my posts and with your kind comments.

Finally, Sevilla unveiled their kits for the upcoming season on Monday. While there are many new features, most of the kits are what you would expect from a Sevilla kit, but the third kit…whoa!

Turquoise and yellow I was not expecting. I am actually really fond of the home and away kits this year. The home kit is generally the same design as last year’s kit, except the back has the horizontal red stripe that peaks just below the center of the name and a diagonal stripe through the area with the numbers. Look closer to see that these stripes work together to form an outline of the shield, which contains all of the monuments on the back of the shirt. It is a nice design which I think ties in well with the red stripe seen on the front of the kit. It also ties in well with the theme of this year’s kits—unity.

If you look closely, you can see that what appear to be stripes throughout the white and red fabric is actually small monument patterns worked into the threads of the kits. Sevilla’s official website has this to say regarding these patterns:

The shirts, as is customary in recent seasons, convey a clear message of openness. Last year, the shirts bore the names of the towns of Sevilla, Andalusia, and Spain, this time containing the main monuments of the 52 provincial capitals in the nation. This will reassure Sevilla as a national reality open to all kinds of support, combined with a classic battle cry in the last five years that has resulted in victory: “We are Sevilla, we are champions.”

Overall, I like the kits. The home and away kits look fabulous, and the third kits is something I could grow into. I mean it could be much worse than turquoise and yellow, so I will be thankful for that. What do you guys think? Good and bad opinions are more than welcome!

Spain won the World Cup! ! I guess we can finally put the tired cliché of perennial Spanish underachievement in major tournaments to rest for good—gracias a Dios! Huge congratulations to the Spanish National Team! This was a team that we saw grow over the course of the tournament, a team that gave us changes in tactics, teamwork, formations and fortunes. This was a team that started with a shocking loss, and bounced back after many had written them off. Del Bosque put together a mix of Spain’s most experienced players and some of Spain’s most promising youth, and the result was something the Spanish people had only dreamed of—they were crowned champions of the world!

As this is the Sevilla blog, I must comment on our only player left in the tournament, Jesús Navas. Navas featured in his third game of the tournament today, coming on at 60 minutes for a struggling Pedro. I was a bit surprised by the substitution to be honest, as Del Bosque hadn’t shown any interest in using Navas since the group stages, but I think it was a key change for Spain.

Prior to this substitution, Spain was playing way too narrow. David Villa was having trouble breaking through the Dutch defense, and Iniesta and Xavi were mainly trying to make things happen from the middle. On the few occasions Spain had broken through the defense, Iniesta had shown a lack of desire to shoot with his left foot, allowing for the Dutch defense to break up the run. Sergio Ramos had made some decent crosses early on, but he lacks the pace of a real winger, and as he has to get back on defense for every play, he cannot get up quite as far or fast as a true winger. Navas provided that for Spain. Once Navas made his appearance, it opened up the Dutch defense quite a bit. His pace and wide threat forced an added defender to that side, which gave Iniesta more room to work his magic. Zonal marking had this to say of the Navas effect:

Another del Bosque substitution was crucial – Pedro was withdrawn after a quiet start to the second half, and replaced with Jesus Navas. And then, finally, Spain had natural width and someone to run at Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who eventually had to be replaced. Navas’ delivery was as inconsistent as ever, but he did a good job by stretching the play and providing dribbling rather than one-touch passing, which opened out the game and allowed Iniesta and Xavi more space to work in. It was Navas’ run and cross that presented Villa with a golden opportunity at the far post midway through the second half, and later his run and shot deflected inches wide, into the sidenetting.

I really cannot think of a better way to describe the entire World Cup for Jesús Navas. He was plagued by inconsistency, but his pace and ball handling skills provide Spain with a width and handling quality they rarely possess with other players on the pitch. He works entirely too well on the right with Sergio Ramos for my taste, as Real Madrid have already shown an interest in signing him, but the depth he provides Spain I think was key to their success in today’s game. He provides space for Iniesta and Xavi, and when his crosses are on target, Navas can burn a team quickly from the wing. In that light, it was a great tournament for him and Spain, and after playing 60 minutes in the World Cup final (counting extra time of course) Navas can say he was part of the only Spanish team to win it all. ¡¡¡¡ Campeones del Mundo !!!!

First, I want to congratulate Jesús Navas and the rest of La Furia Roja on making it to the country’s first World Cup Final! While Navas hasn’t seen action since the group stages, it is a great accomplishment to be on the team, and considering he is warming the bench along with players like David Silva, Cesc Fabregas, and Fernando Torres, I don’t think he should feel too bad. Del Bosque only uses Navas when Iniesta in not on the field. I don’t think I have seen both on the field through any of the warm-ups or World Cup. So, as long as Iniesta remains in superb form, I don’t think we will see Navas in the final at any time where the outcome is not already decided.

Sevilla FC has announced via website that several summer fixtures have been scheduled around the province of Cadiz, España beginning immediately after the World Cup. While I am sure Jesús Navas will be granted a reprieve from training with the team for a while, this trip could require him to leave Sevilla for the neighboring province almost immediately after his return from South Africa. Though, it is not like the team will be that far from home, as we are talking about an hour and a half commute to give you a sense of the actual distance—they’re not even leaving Andalucía!

Current fixtures are as follows:

July 16 – Chiclana CF—Estadio Municipal — Chiclana de la Frontera, España

Chiclana plays in the Primera División de Andalucía. Chiclana finished 7th overall in the division with a total of 53 points, 63 goals scored, and a goal differential of +17.

July 17—CD Rota y UD Roteña— Navarro Flores

This will feature a selection of both CD Rota and UD Roteña players. Like Chiclana, the clubs both play in the Primera División de Andalucía, where the finished respectively in 11th and 12th place. CD Rota scored 42 goals and gave up 47, while Roteña scored 50 and conceded 57 goals; therefore, both teams have a negative goal differential.

July 23—CD San Fernando—South Bay

San Fernando, also plays in the Primera División de Andalucía, and boasts a respectable 2nd place finish in that division. CD San Fernando scored 74 goals and conceded only 33 giving them a whopping +41 goal differential. The club’s top scorer is Puli, who netted 27 goals for the Cadiz club.

As with most summer friendly matches, none of these are top-tier clubs. So, as we see the scores coming in, or evaluate new transfers let’s remember that. For some of these players on the smaller clubs, it will be the first time they get to play against world-class athletes. Monchi commented on the trip, “They are training with public which is the style that Antonio uses, but we cannot forget that at this time workloads are much larger and it is very difficult to assess the level that the team can offer in the future.” He added, while apparently forgetting about the World Cup, “It is a moment where everyone is hungry for soccer. The benevolence of the Cádiz beaches bring many Sevilla people to the area and there is a mixture of Sevilla and Cadiz fans … It is a tribute to the fans so they can see their idols up close.”

Below is a highlight video showing the Cadiz trip of 2008:

As the domestic leagues take a backseat to the action in South Africa this month, I wanted to take some time and comment about the Sevilla players in the World Cup and their performances thus far. Please feel free to agree or disagree, as this article is mostly opinion.

Sébastien Squillaci
I wanted to start with France, as the drama of this squad has reached epic proportions over the past few days. France were horrid in this world cup, but I can’t help but comment on how proud I was of Squillaci throughout the France games. His main accomplishment this week might be that I saw him mentioned relatively little in the articles about the French National Team’s dramatic self destruction. He wasn’t singled out, like Gourcuff, and was reportedly against the training boycott, as pointed out by Sarah in her post on the France World Cup Blog. A few key highlights of this post are quoted below:

• Gourcuff is dropped from the starting XI vs Mexico- reportedly because his teammates won’t pass the ball to him. He is replaced by Malouda.

• The France team travels to the training grounds but refuses to train. The players arrive without shoes, indicating they had no intention of ever training. When Patrice Evra explains this to a member of the training staff, he and the staff member have to be pulled apart by Domenech as they get into a fight in front of the press.

• Le Parisien reports that a dozen players on the team did not support the boycott which the paper suggests that Abidal, Gallas and Malouda spearheaded. Though the paper indicates a dozen players were not comfortable with the idea, they only list Gourcuff, Lloris, Mandanda and Valbuena as opposing the idea. L’Equipe suggests the players against the strike included Lloris, Govou, Mandanda, Clichy, Squillaci, Sagna, Diarra, Gourcuff, Malouda, Valbuena and Toulalan.

A translated portion of the Le Parisien article is also found below:

If the sling has been conducted by Abidal, Gallas, Malouda, a dozen players among them Mandanda, Lloris, Valbuena and Gourcuff were not favorable. But they are silent. “Some came in the room and Raymond in the evening and were in tears,” said Henri Monteil, general secretary of FFF “Charente free”, confirming that this decision was not shared by everyone.

On the field Squillaci has been a staunch defensive presence. He started the last game against South Africa, and was one of the few solid players in an otherwise horrible French showing; however, it is those events off the field I will give him the most credit for. It is hard to be one of the few opposing the action of the team captain, and his silence is the matter—while not ideal—is understandable. I am just happy to see he was against this training boycott in the long run, and that he was able to avoid much of the drama the enveloped most of the rest of the French squad.

Squillaci had this to say of his World Cup experience:

“This campaign will leave marks,” explained Squillaci. “We can only blame ourselves.” The question now is what state incoming coach Laurent Blanc will find the team in when he takes over in July. Out-thought tactically, lacking conviction and unable to impress on the pitch, the players must quickly face up to their failings.

They could also benefit from recalling some forgotten values, as brought back to mind by Squillaci. “It’s an indescribable feeling to wear the France shirt and sing La Marseillaise,” he said. “Playing in a World Cup was a childhood dream for me. As long as I’m still called upon to play for the national team, I’ll be ready.” A little more of that same desire would have served Les Bleus well in South Africa.

Didier Zokora
I really don’t have much to say here. Zokora hasn’t impressed me much this World Cup. With all of his caps, and his impressive nickname, I just can’t help but feel he hasn’t been the leader that the Elephants needed this time around. After two games, the Ivory Coast remains at 1 point with a -2 goal differential. Even with a win in the next game, and a Portugal loss, the Elephants would need Brazil to deliver a beat down to Portugal—while winning handily themselves—to hope to advance. I just can’t see this working out to their advantage.
Zokora has never been a huge goal scorer, for club or country, but he is a well-respected defensive midfielder known for his leadership skills, and tough challenges. Watching the Ivory Coast games, that passion he usually exudes hasn’t been seen, like in 2006, and at times I have hardly remembered he was even on the pitch.

Romaric
I could really just repeat what I said of Zokora here. Romaric has provided only one shot on goal this tournament for the Ivory Coast. I haven’t seen the creativity I am accustomed to from him, and I can’t help but feel that this is one of the reasons the Ivory Coast midfielders have thus far been unable to put forth many chances for their strikers.

He was planning on the world cup being a stage for his return to form, and so far that has not really happened. It is good to see him healthy though.

Luis Fabiano
Fabiano has been just as hard working and dangerous as ever in this World Cup. He always puts forth a great performance for his country, and currently has 2 goals in 2 games for Brazil. He sits in the sixth position for the Golden Boot, and will have a chance to improve that position in the next game and in the round of 16.

However, O Fabuloso had his own Thierry Henry moment in the last game when he handled a ball twice before putting it in the net. The ref asked him if he had played it off his chest, which can be seen in some highlight videos, and Fabiano seemed to confirm the referee’s scenario when questioned. Not one of my favorite moments of his, but it is rare that a player actually admits to handling a ball if the referee doesn’t call it. Nonetheless, I couldn’t help but be disappointed in our striker at that moment.

Jesús Navas
Despite his lack of accuracy in the last game, Navas has still been great for Spain in this World Cup. He began as a late sub in the warm-up matches leading up to the world cup, and has moved into a starting role in the last match.

While Phil Ball and I apparently disagree, Navas is not entirely at fault for some of his crosses failing to connect. It is his job to put the ball in play for the strikers, and it is the strikers job to be there to receive that ball. To be fair, Spain has yet to put forth a striker that has that killer instinct in this World Cup, and some of Navas’s crosses have failed to connect due to that—others have just been poor crosses.

The threat he brings forth from the right side has often forced a second defender toward him and opened up room on the left. He has put a lot of crosses into the box this World Cup, and I suspect a few more of those will connect for Spain making people forget about the poor ones.

Navas has looked comfortable for La Furia Roja, and his accuracy will improve. He has been a spark for Spain from the bench, and I don’t blame Del Bosque for giving him more playing time. It will be interesting to see how this one plays out, but I think the right side attack (Navas and Ramos) for Spain has served them well when other options proved less fruitful. Improvements in finishing will see fewer rumblings about cross accuracy, as Jesús gains more confidence playing on this stage with this team.