We have failed to have a solid right sided defender since the departure of Dani Alves about a year ago and it was clearly our weak spot this season. Konko didn’t live up to the expectations he had when arriving from Genoa last summer and Mosquera was well below-par hence his transfer to Mexican side América early last week.

Gámez was clearly one of Málaga’s best players last season as they just failed to qualify for the Europa League in their first season in La Liga after finishing 8th. Before last season started there was massive interest in Gámez from other top European clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Valencia. Jesús stated that he held out for a move to us because he preferred the location of Sevilla and was more motivated by our Champions League football.

The deal was said to be easy as both presidents previously had a solid relationship and Málaga were keen to acquire Lolo and Duda who spent last season there and hope to use them in their push for Europe this season. Both of our loanees impressed during their time last year and were key parts of the starting XI who helped our Andalucían neighbours almost qualify for Europe.

Although Jiménez isn’t ready to totally give up on Konko yet, there is no doubt that Gámez has been brought in to give us strength down the right side – strength which we so desperately needed. To be fair, Konko was injured a lot of last season and he could still turn out to be a decent player for us but Gámez is a proven talent in La Liga and one of the most sought after defenders in Spain and it’s a huge bonus that he is also Spanish – something I love to see in the squad.

Lolo was a good young prospect but considering he wouldn’t have fit into Jiménez’ plans, it was good to sell him and get someone worth while in return. It was obvious that the right back spot needed to be addressed in this transfer window and Gámez is more than a quality signing in my eyes.

Monchi’s clear objective this transfer window was to add strength to the squad and with the signings of Zokora and now Gámez, his objective seems to be met.

Remember to:
Facebook me;
Follow me on Twitter;
Subscribe to my YouTube Videos;
and check out my other love,
Spain World Cup Blog

Today will mark the fourth time we’ve played Depor this season in which we’ve won the previous three matches. We knocked them out of the Copa del Rey with victories both home and away and also in the reverse of this fixture when we came out of A Coruña with a 1-3 victory.

So sure, we’ve had Deportivo’s number this year but this match means a lot to both sides so it won’t be as simple as we may have hoped for. We’re still looking to secure that third spot for direct qualification to the Champions League while Deportivo are looking for a European place of their own, except in the Europa League but also a very slim chance of getting into that fourth spot.

This match will be our last played at home this season and nothing would be nicer than going out in style with an emphatic victory over a solid Depor side. On a night where our beloved ex-captain Javi Navarro will receive a retirement award before the match, we should show the confidence and hunger which he inspired during his time with the team.

Last Minute Updates:
• Kanouté did briefly struggle this week with his fitness but trained normally on Thursday and Friday so he will most likely start today.
• Romaric is suspended for today’s match after getting sent off last week.
• Chevantón makes his return to the squad after being sidelined for most of the season with a knee injury.

The official squad for tomorrow’s match:
Palop, Javi Varas, Konko, Adriano, Squillaci, Escudé, Dragutinovic, Crespo, Fernando Navarro, Maresca, Renato, Duscher, Jesús Navas, Perotti, Diego Capel, Luis Fabiano, Koné, Chevantón and Kanouté.

A win today would solidify us in third place and also allow us to say goodbye to our home fans and know that they can go home happy. We haven’t exactly been convincing at home this season but if Kanouté and Fabiano can link up like they have in recent weeks I can’t see the Depor defense keeping up with us.

Jiménez surprised me and probably any other Sevillista when he left Jesús Navas, Diego Capel and Diego Perotti all on the bench to start the match with Adriano being the only true winger in the starting XI.

It was also evident that we need to address our right back problem this summer as Konko was being turned inside and out by Plasil the whole match. Dare I say it but Osasuna actually had control of the match for the whole first half but just failed to capitalize on their chances and opportunities so we went into the break deadlocked at 0-0.

Entering the second half nothing changed as in the 48th minute, Nekounam smashed his freekick towards the top right corder but San Andrés (Palop) matched it with a perfect save. Off the corner it was Plasil again causing us trouble as Konko didn’t mark him properly and as a result he headed towards goal but what looked to be dangerous, hit another Osasuna player and went the danger was cleared.

The whole Kanouté/Fabiano partnership which appeared to be working so well over the past few weeks just wasn’t happening in Pamplona and also realizing that we had no width, Jiménez put on our prodigal son Jesús Navas for Kanouté.

Jiménez confused the hell out of me when he took off Adriano who was clearly our only attacking threat the whole match and put on Diego Capel. It was so obvious that Konko was struggling so why not take him off for Capel and push Adriano to right-back where he is just as comfortable? I don’t know Manolo, I don’t know… The substitution did bring a bit more pace on the left flank but Capel was well marked and couldn’t do much and Osasuna at this point were still controlling the match.

We started to turn the heat up a bit but regardless, it was too late and despite a break or two we failed to materialize anything dangerous. With 10 minutes left, Romaric picked up his second yellow and was sent off. The call was pretty harsh in my eyes considering it didn’t even look like he had any wrong intent in the tackle. The drama didn’t stop there though as in stoppage time, Sergio was given a straight red for a tackle on Diego Capel which was also a harsh call but that’s football and two bad calls ultimately made the match even.

This was supposed to be the match where we sealed third place but we still find ourselves yet to do that. I don’t know what’s more worrying – Jiménez’ awful tactics or the fact that we couldn’t manage a win over Osasuna this whole season. No disrespect to the boys from Pamplona but when we play our game, we are clearly on a whole other level but this inconsistency could come back to haunt us.

This season has given Sevillistas a lot to be excited about but at the same time gives us a lot to put into perspective. We’ve been really up and down throughout the campaign and despite that we sit in a solid league position, and have technically qualified for Europe for the 6th consecutive season (regardless of whether it’s the Champions League or Europa League). Those are the positives, here are the negatives. Jiménez has less than inspired our players throughout the season and it’s a scary thought to see players who have such little faith for the man in charge. You can’t expect us to break into the top 2 if we don’t have the proper coaching and as much as I’ve tried to defend Jiménez and put my trust in him throughout the course of the campaign, I think I officially give up. Romaric, Renato and Duscher are all central midfielders so starting them in a four-man midfield just doesn’t work… We’re not Barcelona or Real Madrid, all the remaining matches still matter! With a win we could have solidified that third place spot but instead it’s going to be down to the wire to do so.

Optimists would say that we’ve officially qualified for Europe for the 6th season running but realists (call them pessimistic if you want!) would say that we should be achieving so much more. I think I’m somewhere in between and I just expect so much more out of this beloved club. It’s so obvious that one of the main reasons behind Fabiano and Kanouté’s successful partnership has been Jesús Navas’ near-perfect service and without him they clearly struggled. Not only did Navas not play, but there was no winger on the right flank at all to support our dynamic duo up top.

My thoughts on this matter are simple. We’re a big club now, whether we like it or not, that’s what it has come down to. We need a coach to inspire the players, give them something to look forward to and something to believe in. I think that by keeping Jiménez, we would only stagnate as a team and not progress like we so badly need to. We have the squad to cause some serious damage in Europe but at the same time there are obvious problems that need to be addressed. Those will be saved for another post, on another day but for now we have to decide how we are looking at this situation.

Should I be optimistic right now or a bit more reserved?

This match is the tale of two sides in very different situations. We’re fighting our way to becoming one of Spain’s strongest teams and poor little Osasuna is fighting to stay in La Primera. Despite this massive gap in the table between us and our friends from Pamplona today’s match will be anything but simple or straight forward. Last time when we played Osasuna at home we drew 1-1 in a match which was supposed to be an easy three points for us.

We are playing away and a win today coupled with another couple convenient correct results will guarantee us Champions League football next season and surely that is motivation enough for us to get the right result.

Kanouté and Luis Fabiano have been in top form lately showing just why they are one of Europe’s best striking partnerships and it will be key for them to perform well today in Pamplona. It’s been a hot and cold season for our two star hitmen with both of them serving some time on the sidelines due to injuries but ever since about a month ago when they’ve both been at peak fitness they have clicked again and are working wonders for us. It’s a shame that Fabiano (last year’s Pichichi runner-up) has hit his peak towards the end of this season but hopefully he can finish off in style and if that means pushing Osasuna further down towards La Segunda then so be it!

Diego Capel played solid on the left for us last week and got some good minutes in, something he has been lacking this season. It will be interesting to see which “Diego” Jiménez starts – Capel or Perotti. The Argentine youngster has been an absolute sensation this season and has become a fan favourite amongst us Sevillistas. That being said though, Capel is a proven talent, we all know that and if he’s not happy then one of Europe’s top clubs will snap him up in a flash which I definitely don’t want to see happen.

Fernando Navarro and Konko are in the squad after both being out of last week’s due to suspensions.

Osasuna might be fighting for their lives but let’s be honest here – we don’t expect to walk out of Cataluña with less than all three points.

Today we travel to El Madrigal to take on a Villarreal side who currently sit in fifth place, one point behind Valencia for that fourth and final Champions League spot and two points behind us for third place in the league. This match is the end of our death run which included matches against Barça, Real, Valencia and now the Yellow Submarine. A win is going to be crucial because the matches to close out the season are pretty favourable for us as opposed to Villarreal and Valencia who still have to play the top teams in the league as well as each other.

Not only have we been abysmal of late but Villarreal have been suffering as well. A mere 4 points from their past 5 games have seen the Yellow Submarine drop out of fourth place but a win today can change all that. If we lose and Valencia picks up at least a draw against Espanyol we would see ourselves drop out of the top four for the first time since November 29th, 2008.

Luckily enough for us, Villarreal will be missing some of the key players in their squad due to injury. With Santi Cazorla, Marcos Senna and Guille Franco out hurt, this will no doubt leave a few holes in the midfield which we must capitalize on. There is no doubt that Senna is a massively influential figure in the middle of the park and not having him is a huge blow for Manuel Pelligrini.

I guess not all is good for us either as Acosta, Fazio, and Chevantón are out with injuries and Romaric is suspended for the match due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

It will be key to get Kanouté the service he needs as without him scoring we look very boring up front as Fabiano isn’t exactly on the top of his game either. Capel played well last week when he came off the bench so it will be interesting to see if Jiménez starts the Spanish youth international against our new prodigy Diego Perotti who has brushed aside Capel in the pecking order.

Regardless of injuries, suspensions, or whatever other little facts surround this match, there is no doubt that it is a must win for both sides which will make it one to watch. Both teams need this victory to even hope of making the Champions League next year and a loss will probably still see them playing in Europe but rather in the Europa League.

Juande Ramo$ and the mierda visited Nervión in a match which held so much at stake for both clubs. Real in their pursuit of Barça for the glory which is La Liga and us to end our three game losing streak and also solidify our Champions League spot.

We came out of the gates flying and playing the most beautiful football we’ve played all year and on the 16th minute Renato scored off a pin-point Diego Perotti cross. I can’t emphasize how much I’ve come to love this kid over the past couple months and his effort on this play shows exactly why he’s passed Diego Capel in the pecking order. A perfectly executed cross with the outside of his right boot was absolutely mouth watering to anyone who knows football.

We didn’t even stop after the goal though as we continued to dominate possession and for the most part, Real could barely get it out of their own half. On the 20th minute we should have been two-nil ahead when Adriano made minced meat out of Real’s whole left flank and eventually crossed in only for Kanouté not to expect the ball to come all the way through and watch the ball roll wide of Casillas’ goal. This would come back to haunt us as on the 45th minute, just before the half time whistle was blown, Cristoph Metzelder broke down the right side and put in a low cross which would usually be harmless but Raúl got around Escudé way too easily and tapped it in to level the score at one goal a piece.

1-1 at half, no big deal right? We still have the support of our loud, faithful crowd and they will be able to give us a lift come the second half.

The second half was kind of back and forth with both teams unable to settle on the ball and knock it around. That all changed though on the 62nd minute when Miguel Torres put in a cross only for Raúl to once again get around Escudé and smash in a left footed volley and put the capital club up 2-1. It didn’t end there though as just a few minutes later Higuaín hit a shot which Palop (who had an aweful match) spilled only for “El Capitan” Raúl to pounce on the volley, complete his hat-trick and put Real up 3-1. We did get some consolation when in the 80th minute Jesús Navas led a counter attack in which he whipped in a cross that Diego Capel got ahead of Sergio Ramos and put it in to create a tense finish to the match. As the game was so close we committed basically our whole team to attack and were punished at the death when Huntelaar sent Marcelo through our weary defense and the Real defender made no mistake in beating Palop to put the mierda up 4-2 which was also the final score.

Valencia’s draw with Barcelona means that our third spot in the table is looking less secure than ever. We are only one point ahead of Valencia for third and 2 points ahead of fifth place Villarreal.

Next week we take on the Yellow Submarine which (I’ve said this a million times before but it’s more true now than ever) is a must win match. We cannot afford to lose anymore points to the teams which are rivaling us for the top Champions League berths and a loss against Villarreal would probably seal our passage to Europe, but it would be in the lesser of the two competitions – The *new and revamped* Europa League.

The rest of the games on schedule are winnable and I think anything other than a third place finish and Champions League qualification would be a serious failure for the club, especially after all the high moments of this year. Jiménez looks likely to be headed out the door next year whether or not we maintain this third spot and I really don’t know what to think about it. I think it’s important for a club to have stability but at the same time we need a coach who can take us forward and the inconsistency of this year is unacceptable for a club who wants to challenge for the domestic titles as well as progress further in European cup competitions. Qualifying for the Champions League will mean two things; 1) We now have the prestige of being considered a Champions League club and will be able to attract new talent and new managerial personnel to the club over the summer and assemble a more solid squad for the beginning of next season and 2) We will have more money to play around with in the transfer market to buy the type of calibre players we need to distance ourselves away from the competition of Villarreal, Valencia, Málaga, Atlético and Depor in the league.

Our exit from the Copa del Rey obviously brought Manolo Jiménez’ critics back out and most reports signal that he will be headed for the exit door come summer. This game is one for Manolo to show he still has what it takes to lead us to the places we need to be and moreover show that he still has much to contribute to the club.

El Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán hasn’t been a kind place to us this season and although we proudly call it home, we’ve done better elsewhere. Tomorrow though regardless of what the statistics say we’re playing at home to a decent Almería side.

While we are trying to keep our eight point lead in the Champions League qualification places Almería have European aspirations of their own, sitting eight points behind a Europa League qualification spot. That being said places all the more emphasis on the importance of this match for both sides.

In the reverse fixture earlier this year we travelled to our fellow Andalucíans and left with the maximum points as Adriano grabbed the winning goal.

Today’s match like as most of this season, we will see many players out of the squad due to injuries. Our squad has been injury plagued all year and tomorrow, Fazio, David Prieto, Koné and Crespo are the ones who have fallen. Colombian International Aquivaldo Mosquera is suspended for the match which thins out our back line even more.

Some good news though as French Capped Julian Escudé is back from his back injury and Drago along with Maresca return to the squad. Luis Fabiano is included in the squad after playing comfortably for most of Wednesday’s Copa matchup and young Argentine Diego Perotti stays with the squad for the 7th game running.

Our Goal
Coming into this season, myself like many others didn’t really know what to expect of this Sevilla side. Being a force in pre-season and repeating that form in the league are two different stories so I tried not to get my hopes up. After two months of going undefeated in the league though I couldn’t help but feel the utmost optimism. It honestly looked as if we were never going to be defeated but then of course that dreadful night against Málaga changed everything.

Here we sit though on March 8th, 2009 having been knocked out of the UEFA Cup during the group stages ending our hopes of a third trophy in four years and then of course the Copa del Rey heartbreak suffered a mere few days ago at the hands of Athletic Bilbao causing us to be solely in the running for the league. Barça has been near unstoppable this season so winning the league is basically impossible.

It’s hard to find optimism out of all these things but “El Presidente” José Maria del Nido and Brazilian International sensation Luis Fabiano have set the record straight regarding our objectives for the rest of this year.

The President said this season is far from a failure and that our main objective at the beginning of the season was to qualify for the Champions League next year, something we are currently in a good position to do.

Luis on the other hand said that if Sevilla do not finish in third place the season will be an absolute “disaster”. He did then go on to say that he doesn’t see why we can’t because the quality is obviously there and that injuries have plagued our season so badly which resulted in a few bad games.

With Real’s draw against Atléti today and Villarreal’s win over Espanyol we now sit 10 points out of second and 2 points ahead of the Yellow Submarine in third place.

Tomorrow could very well signal where we’re headed for the rest of the season.

Vamos Campeón!!