Halfway Home!

Please forgive my tardiness and lack of a post last week. These things happen when you are stuck in bed the whole time and sick as a dog. Thankfully I am now recuperated and ready to blog about our friends in El Infierno. So we are now officially halfway done with the season! Jornada 21 has come and gone which marked the midway point of the season. We have certainly seen our share of suprises and shocking results so let's recap.

The biggest thing that stands out is the tremendous parity in La Segunda Division. It's crowded at the top! A mere six points separates 1st from 11th. So basically any team that can get hot and win three or even four games in a row has an excellent chance at putting themselves in position to win promotion. In addition, the dropoff from 12th to 17th is just a difference of three points. It's really only when you get to 18th and the relegation zones where you see the big gaps in points.

We were all but writing Murcia's obituary just over a month ago and now a recent string of wins has put them at 28 points and just five points out of a promotion spot. Their bright young coach, Jose Miguel Campos is spearheading this revival after the disastrous reign of Javier Clemente. Things can change very quickly. Just ask Celta. The Vigo side was rolling and rocketing up the standings and poised to take over the lead. Yet, they fell in games to Murcia and Xerez and are now back in the middle of the pack.

Of the three teams that were relegated down from the Primera to La Segunda: Zaragoza, Levante and Murcia, the Aragoneses and the Valencianos have the best shot to gain promotion back to La Primera. Murcia, as mentioned above, is glad to be safe of not being relegated a second straight year so they'll be happy with a mid-table finish.

Looking at the four teams that were promoted from Segunda B: Rayo Vallecano, Alicante, Huesca and Girona, I have to say that I'm impressed with three of the four. Rayo and Girona each have 31 points while Huesca sits in 12th with 29 points. Not shabby for their first years back in El Infierno. Alicante, on the other hand, is a complete disaster. As noted last month, they are already on their fourth coach and have pretty much secured their relegation back to Segunda B. They are next to last with a dismal 15 points.

One of the biggest questions is whether this year's surprise leader, Xerez, can hold their form and earn their first ever promotion to La Primera. I've been doubting them all season, yet there they stand at the top of the table with 37 points, three clear of 2nd place Tenerife. Do I think they can continue? In the end, my prediction is no. Tenerife has the look of a team starved to get back to futbol in La Primera and I think they will end up at the top. I like the way hercules has been going about their business the whole season and they will claim the second promotion spot. The third promotion spot will be a grueling race that will most likely go down to the final minutes of the season. Salamanca, Real Sociedad, Xerez and Zaragoza will battle until the end, only to see Zaragoza lay claim to the last promotion spot with a heart-stopping victory against Ray in Vallecas.

As for relegation, Sevilla Atletico and Alicante are definitely headed down to Segunda B. Cordoba and Eibar are the other sides currently in the relegation zone. Unfortunately I think long-time Infierno side Eibar will see their day of reckoning and drop. Cordoba, on the other hand, will rally and please their supporters by staying up. Albacete gets my nod for the final relegation spot.

One last thing, keep Elche forward Miguel Angle Lopez (above photo) in your thoughts and prayers. He returned last week to the pitch after two months away from the game after the death of his infant son. I could not imagine a more painful experience for any parent than for that to happen. Here's hoping Miguel and his family stay strong during this difficult time. Elche is our Team of the Week for that reason.

Jornada 21
Zaragoza - Rayo 2-3
Hércules - Salamanca 2-2
Sevilla At - Alicante 2-3
Xerez - Celta 2-0
Castellón - Tenerife 2-2
Murcia - Cordoba 1-0
Alavés - Albacete 0-2
Girona - Huesca 2-0
Las Palmas - Levante 1-2
R.Sociedad - Elche 0-0
Gimnástic - Eibar - Postponed (weather)

Clasificacion

1. Xerez - 37
2. Tenerife - 34
3. Hércules - 33
4. Zaragoza - 33
5. Castellón - 33
6. Salamanca - 33
7. R.Sociedad - 32
8. Levante - 32
9. Rayo - 31
10. Celta - 31
11. Girona - 31
12. Huesca - 29
13. Murcia - 28
14. Gimnástic* - 27
15. Las Palmas - 27
16. Albacete - 27
17. Elche - 26
18. Alavés - 23
19. Córdoba - 21
20. Eibar* - 21
21. Alicante - 15
22. Sevilla At - 9

Grande Castellon!

In the thick of Winter, all the leagues in Europe, with the main exception being the English Premier League, take a respite from competition. The Mediterranean leagues of Spain, France and Italy take a rational break of 2 weeks more or less. Understandably, the German Bundesliga closes its doors a little while longer simply because, well, it's pretty freakin cold in Germany the first two weeks in January. So alot of what the German sides and other northern European teams like to do is venture south for a little sun and mix in training to prepare for the second half of their league season.

Bundesliga side Schalke04, no stranger to European success, settled into the cozy confines of the Valencian coast. To keep their form at match level, a friendly, or 'amistoso' as its called in Spain, was set up between Schalke and Castellon, one of our beloved sides from El Infierno. Schalke is a team that reached the quarterfinals of last year's Champions League so it is a side of quality. The seven-time Bundesliga Champs also have a UEFA Cup in their trophy case (1997) and a recent runner-up Bundesliga finish in 2007. Now for the delicious part. In their friendly against Castellon, the locals, playing with a side of mostly reserves, claimed a spirited 1-0 victory. It was a young chap by the name of Ferran Giner who scored the gamewinner in the second half. Ferran is the son of a former Valencian player, Fernando Giner, and has risen through the ranks of the Castellon 'cantera'. With players like these in the mix knocking off a habitual European top side club like Schalke, there is no wonder why Castellon stands at 29 points and a game away from reaching promotion to La Primera Division. Keep an eye on them.

As for our Showdown at La Romareda last weekend. The game was a tense affair in the first half and finally Zaragoza was able to break through with a goal in the last 15 minutes of the game and held on for the 1-0 win. There's no reason why Zaragoza can't maintain its home form on the road but somehow, it continues to be an issue. if they right that, the Aragon side should be at the top the table of El Infierno by the end of Week 42.

Players to watch for are David Rodriguez and Dinei at Celta. Both are good goal scorers and have Celta back in the hunt. More on them in another week's post!

1. Xerez - 33
2. Zaragoza - 33
3. Salamanca - 32
4. Tenerife - 30
5. Hércules - 29
6. Castellón - 29
7. Levante - 29
8. Huesca - 28
9. R.Sociedad - 28
10. Celta* - 28
11. Girona - 28
12. Gimnástic - 27
13. Rayo - 27
14. Las Palmas - 26
15. Albacete - 24
16. Elche - 22
17. Eibar - 21
18. Alavés - 20
19. Murcia* - 19
20. Córdoba - 18
21. Alicante - 12
22. Sevilla At. - 9

JORNADA 19
Castellón - Gimnástic 2-1
Girona - Eibar 2-0
Xerez - Tenerife 2-0
Sevilla At. - Huesca 1-1
Alavés - Celta 1-2
Hércules - Alicante 1-2
Murcia - Albacete 1-0
Zaragoza - Salamanca 1-0
Las Palmas - Córdoba 0-0
R.Sociedad - Rayo 1-1
Elche - Levante 0-2

Showdown at La Romareda

It doesn't really matter the country or even the division where the futbol is played, any time there is a game between the first and second place teams, it gets everyone's attention and will certainly have ours this weekend. First place Salamanca, with 32 points, visits second place Zaragoza, with 30 points, in this weekend's marquee matchup in El Infierno.

We've already had a chance to talk a little about both sides and referenced some of their past glories and star power. The same can be said for both teams this year and look no further than the quality of side that Zaragoza possesses. Looking up and down their roster, the names stand out: Ewerthon, Pavon, Ayala and Oliveira. Both Oliveira and Ewerthon have made national team appearances for Brazil. In fact, Oliveira would have made Brazil's 2006 World Cup team if he hadn't torn up his knee the previous Fall. Pavon is a player who made his name rising through the ranks of the Real Madrid system. It was Pavon who was cited by many who were critical of Real Madrid's yearly signing of 'galacticos' saying the team should be focusing its efforts on producing 'Mas Pavones' instead of throwing money at high priced stars. Pavon eventually fizzled out at Real but has since become a mainstay with the Aragon side.

Roberto Ayala, commonly known as 'El Raton' is a grizzled veteran of Spanish futbol spending many years playing at the Mestalla for Valencia. He was an integral part of those wonderful Valencia teams that captured two La Liga titles and back to back appearances in the final of the UEFA Champions League. But the Argentine defender is known best as simply 'El Capitan.' No one has captained more matches for the Argentina National Team than Robero Ayala. If you consider the long history of Argentine futbol, it's an impressive distinction. His appearances date back to the silver medal winning team at the 1996 Olympics all the way to the runner-up performance at the 2007 Copa Amerixa where sadly, Ayala contributed to Brazil's 3-0 win by scoring an own goal in the waning moments of the first half and giving Brazil an insurmountable 2-0 lead. Roberto is living out his futbol days in La Romareda for Zaragoza but remains a key component for the side. He's a sentimental favorite here and that's why I'm picking Zaragoza to squeeze out a 2-1 victory.

Jornada 18 - Resultados:

TenerifeSevilla At 2-1
Rayo - Levante 0-0
Huesca - Alavés 2-0
Córdoba - R.Sociedad 2-2
Celta - Hércules 2-1
Gimnástic - Girona 3-0
Eibar - Xerez 1-1
Albacete - Zaragoza 1-1
Castellón - Elche 2-2
Salamanca - Las Palmas 2-2
Alicante - Murcia 0-2

Clasificacion:
1. Salamanca - 32
2. Zaragoza - 30
3. Xerez - 30
4. Tenerife - 30
5. Hércules - 29
6. Gimnástic - 27
7. Huesca - 27
8. R.Sociedad - 27
9. Castellón - 26
10. Rayo - 26
11. Levante - 26
12. Las Palmas - 25
13. Celta* - 25
14. Girona - 25
15. Albacete - 24
16. Elche - 22
17. Eibar - 21
18. Alavés - 20
19. Córdoba - 17
20. Murcia* - 16
21. Alicante - 9
22. Sevilla At - 8