Adios Capitan

We've discussed here before how rare it is for a player to stay with a club for his entire career. The current nature of futbol does not lend itself to permanency. Look no further than our friend 'El Loco' Abreau for Real Sociedad! But this week futbol saw a career come to an end for a player who spent a whopping 20 years with the same club. A rarity indeed.

Luis Carlos Cuartero hung up his boots on Monday for Real Zaragoza after spending 20 years with the Aragonian club. The name will most likely be unfamiliar to you as he never scored alot of goals or really even made the starting 11 consistently. But what was consistent was his devotion to his club and to mentor younger players. Cuartero rightly served as captain for Zaragoza at the end of his career including the epic 3-2 triumph over Real Madrid in the 2004 Copa del Rey. It was Cuartero who memorably shouted from the 'palco' of Montjuic after receiving the trophy from 'Su Majestad' El Rey Don Juan Carlos, "Viva la Virgen de Pilar!" This being a reference to the statue of the Virgen Pilar at the Basilica in Zaragoza.

The native of Aragon understandedly wept at his press conference. The last two years were not what he hoped after experiencing injury and relegation from the first division with the club. But Cuartero's heart has been and will always be with zaragoza. This was fittingly summed up last year before the final game of the season when Zaragoza faced Espanyol and needed a win to have a chance at staying in the first division. Cuartero simply stated, "Yo juagria este partido con un cojo." Which means, "I would play this game completely crippled."

At the end of Monday's press conference, team officials and the press stood up and applauded the veteran, a scene rarely seen in Spanish futbol. We should do the same.

Resultados - Jornada 33
Rayo - Celta 4-1
R. Sociedad - Tenerife 1-2
Salamanca - Albacete 3-1
Zaragoza - Gimnastic 1-0
Hércules - Girona 3-0
Alavés - Xerez 1-2
Las Palmas - Eibar 1-0
Levante - Huesca 1-0
Elche - Sevilla Atletico 2-0
Murcia - Castellon 2-2
Córdoba - Alicante 2-1

Clasificacion

1. Xerez - 63
2. Tenerife - 62
3. Rayo - 59
4. Hércules - 59
5. Zaragoza - 58
6. Salamanca - 52
7. R. Sociedad - 50
8. Levante - 49
9. Castellón - 46
10. Elche - 45
11. Huesca - 44
12. Gimnástic - 43
13. Girona - 42
14. Las Palmas - 40
15. Murcia - 40
16. Albacete - 40
17. Celta - 39
18. Córdoba - 39
19. Alavés - 32
20. Eibar - 29
21. Alicante - 28
22. Sevilla At - 13

El Ultimo Suspiro

To this day, injury time remains one of futbol's greatest mysteries. How does the referee actually calculate how much injury time should be added at the end of the 90 minutes? If you watch enough futbol, the majority of the time a first half will see one minute added before halftime and then the second half will see three extra minutes added, even though you hardly noticed a difference in those two minutes of stoppage between the two halves.

There have been legendary injury times such as Manchester United's two injury time goals to beat Bayern Munich in the 1999 UEFA Champions League final. There was also the classic case of a corrupt referee adding 12 (12!) minutes of injury time to a match in South America until the home side finally scored the game-winner. Those aside, any European league will feature several matches every weekend where the balance of the match is tipped either for or against a team either right before or during injury time. This happened over the weekend with Rayo Vallecano and Zaragoza.

Zaragoza traveled down to the Comunidad de Valencia to play Castellon and amid a downpour, maintained a slim 0-1 advantage after a goal in the 45th minute. With a whopping 5,000 people in attendance, time ticked down as Zaragoza was ready to claim the three precious points and situate themselves in the promotion zone. The referee ordered another three minutes be played at the Estadio Municipal de Castalia as part of injury time and that's when disaster struck for Zara. Defender Pulido foollishly brough down Nsue in the area and Ulloa gladly converted the PK for Castellon to equalise the match. Just like that, Zaragoza lost two points and fell back to one point behind in the promotion zone.

On the flip side, Rayo Vallecano and Huesca were dealing with freezing winds in the Aragon city on top of a sopping wet field after recent rains. Hardly any offense was generated at all and a 0-0 result was all but a sure thing. Then lo and behold in the 89th minute (right as injury time was about to start!) Rayo forward Piti was the recipient of a counterattack and plucked the ball from outside the area into the Huesca net to give Rayo the three points. Rayo now sits third and in the promotion zone.

Remember these two matches should Rayo finish ahead of Zaragoza in the race for promotion.

Other news and notes out of El Infierno:
Xerez coach Esteban Vigo finally gave the nod to Jozy Altidore to suit up against Hercules. That was the good news. The bad news is that Jozy didn't play even though Xerez was up 3-0 in the second half. The resouding win for Xerez over 2nd place Hercules gives Xerez 60 points a bit of breathing room.

Tenerife keeps rolling. After that 0-0 tie against Rayo, the islanders went back home and thumped Levante.

Enhorabuena to Girona and Celta for getting their first wins in El Infierno in over two months!

Resultados - Jornada 32

Albacete - Elche 2-1
Celta - Cordoba 1-0
Tenerife - Levante 5-1
Eibar - Real Sociedad 1-1
Huesca - Rayo Vallecano 0-1
Castellón - Zaragoza 1-1
Gimnástic - Las Palmas 0-0
Xerez - Hercules 3-0
Girona - Murcia 1-0
Alicante - Salamanca 0-0
Sevilla At - Alaves 1-1

Clasificacion:

1. Xerez - 60
2. Tenerife - 59
3. Rayo - 56
4. Hércules - 56
5. Zaragoza - 55
6. R. Sociedad - 50
7. Salamanca - 49
8. Levante - 46
9. Castellón - 45
10. Huesca - 44
11. Gimnástic - 43
12. Elche - 42
13. Girona - 42
14. Albacete - 40
15. Celta - 39
16. Murcia - 39
17. Las Palmas - 37
18. Córdoba - 36
19. Alavés - 32
20. Eibar - 29
21. Alicante - 28
22. Sevilla At - 13

El Nuevo Líder

This weekend promises to be one of the very best in El Infierno. There are several games on the slate with major consequences for teams in place for promotion, attempting to get to the promotion zone and of course teams hoping to avoid relegation. Let's talk about some of them.

Rayo Vallecano - Tenerife
Rayo officials have already declared that the game is sold out. With Rayo sitting in 4th spot, just a point behind 3rd place Hercules, they'll need their best effort against (surprise!) new leader Tenerife. The environment at Estadio Teresa Rivero will be electric. Rayo is handing out 15.000 red and white flags to fans attending the game, plus another 2,000 trumpets will be given to fans throughout the stadium. This game to be played on Saturday could either vault Tenerife into a very commanding position to earn promotion, or tighten up a race that seems destined to end on the final day of the season. Rayo is so tough at home and the Vallecas stadium will be rocking. I'd mark down a good ol' '1' on the Quiniela.

Murcia-Xerez
Well, well, well.... Xerez has finally fallen from the 1st place spot in El Infierno and have thus created panic and anxiety among their fan base. Xerez travels to a very much improved Murcia side and will have their hands full. Murcia coach Jose Miguel Campos is still foaming at the mouth after his side unjustly lost the three points against bottom feeder Sevilla Atletico after the referee gave the 'colista' not one or two, but three penalties, of which all three were converted to end the game in a 3-3 tie. Campos has all but saved Murcia's season, making him one of the hottest young coaches in Spain.
Meanwhile, Xerez is playing the, "we're not worried, we're focused, we'll be ok" card after they dropped a 2-1 result last weekend at home against Zaragoza. However a press conference yesterday by defenseman Juan Redondo was a little more revealing when he said, "if we don't get promoted this year, I'm not quite sure what will happen.." Sounds a little foreboding, no? And to top that off, now the Xerez fans are clamoring for Jozy Altidore to get a shot. All he did was score four goals in two games in CONCACAF qualifying for the US. As one Xerez fan said online, "Well, I think we should use him and take advantage of him before Villarreal takes him back." Now there's a novel idea. Ya veremos. I'm picking the sorpresa and another '1' in my Quiniela. Murcia gets it done and the Xerez crisis continues.

Elche-Alaves
Keep an eye out for this game as Alaves is looking to climb out of the relegation zone. Both Las Palmas and Cordoba are two points ahead of the Basque side and both are at home this weekend where they are tough to beat. Alaves will need a really strong road effort to have a chance to beat mid-table Elche. If both Las Palmas and Cordoba were to win their and Alaves loses, that's a massive gap of five points between safety and relegation. Considering Deportivo Alaves was the toast of Europe when they dramatically lost to Liverpool in the 2001 UEFA Cup final on an own goal in extra time. Obscure to most in Europe, their play earned praise from all over the continent. Now, they are on the brink of relegation to the Segunda B, and who knows if we'd ever hear from then again.

Resultados - Jornada 30
Celta - Albacete 0-0
Tenerife - Cordoba 2-0
Alavés - Hercules 1-3
Eibar - Rayo 0-1
Huesca - Salamanca 0-0
Castellón - Real Sociedad 0-3
Gimnástic - Levante 2-0
Xerez - Zaragoza 1-2
Girona - Las Palmas 2-2
Alicante - Elche 0-3
Sevilla At - Murcia 3-3

Clasificacion:

1. Tenerife - 55
2. Xerez - 54
3. Hércules - 53
4. Rayo - 52
5. Zaragoza - 51
6. R. Sociedad - 48
7. Salamanca - 45
8. Castellón - 44
9. Huesca - 44
10. Levante - 43
11. Gimnástic - 41
12. Elche - 39
13. Girona - 39
14. Murcia - 39
15. Albacete - 37
16. Celta - 36
17. Las Palmas - 33
18. Córdoba - 33
19. Alavés - 31
20. Eibar - 28
21. Alicante - 24
22. Sevilla At - 12

You Can't Make This Stuff Up

The old saying in show business is that there is no such thing as bad publicity. There are some owners of sports teams that would also share that same sentiment, like Dallas Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones. In the world of European Futbol, the big teams like Manchester United, AC Milan and FC Barcelona are used to drama and bad pub. It usually gets a shrug of the shoulders by their fans and makes for some interesting reading in a sports daily while enjoying a cup of coffee or a pint. I would venture to guess that a team that aspires to earn promotion from El Infierno to La Liga would rather do without any team drama. Unfortunately for Xerez CD, what happened last week has landed them in the papers for something other than their play.

In the very early hours of last Wednesday morning, "la madrugada" as they say in Spain, gunshots were fired in a brothel in the sleepy Andalusian town. That news alone probably would have made the local paper somewhere in the back pages. But when police were called to the scene and realized who was actually there and had allegedly been involved, the story got much more interesting. Xerez President Joaquin Bilbao and his personal chauffeur (nice!) were led away in handcuffs after firing gunshots in the brothel which fortunately did not harm anyone but did end the decoration life of several pieces of crystal hanging in the brothel. Reportedly, Bilbao and his chauffeur got into an argument with some other patrons. Evidently some punches being thrown. Judging the the photo above, Bilbao bore the brunt of one of those blows. Bilbao then left the brothel saying he would be back for 'revenge'. This meant retrieving his gun and proceeding to show his aggressors a lesson and blasted away on a chandelier.

Once the news broke, Bilbao had no other choice but to resign his post as President of Xerez. For Xerez coach Esteban Vigo this was pretty much the last thing he needed to happen as his team had been in a mini-slump picking up only two points in their last three games. For a team that has never gained promotion to La Liga, a distraction like the club president getting arrested for firing his gun in a seedy brothel is not particularly welcomed. To Vigo's credit, the club went out and beat Las Palmas on Gran Canaria with a late second half goal. This tempered worries for now that a repeat of the 2001-2002 season would not happen. That was the year Xerez was looking good for promotion only to secure a meager four points in their last eight games and fall way out of contention. Will Xerez be able to hang on despite all of the club distractions? That is one of the biggest questions heading into the final months of El Infierno.


As for the games, a HUGE match this weekend between Zaragoza and Xerez at the Estadio Chapin. I can't help but think one of the Xerez supporters will be hanging some clever banner mentioning Bilbao. For you Jozy Altidore fans, another week of him not wearing a Xerez uniform and it won't happen again this weekend as Jozy has been called by US Coach Bob Bradley for this week's World Cup qualifiers.

Resultados - Jornada 29

Albacete - Huesca 0-2
Rayo - Gimnastic 3-2
R. Sociedad - Girona 2-0
Salamanca - Tenerife 1-2
Zaragoza - Sevilla At. 4-0
Las Palmas - Xerez 2-3
Levante - Castellon 3-1
Elche - Hercules 2-2
Murcia - Alaves 1-0
Córdoba - Eibar 1-1
Alicante - Celta 2-2

Clasificacion

1. Xerez - 54
2. Tenerife - 52
3. Hércules - 50
4. Rayo - 49
5. Zaragoza - 48
6. R. Sociedad - 45
7. Castellón - 44
8. Salamanca - 44
9. Huesca - 43
10. Levante - 43
11. Gimnástic - 38
12. Girona - 38
13. Murcia - 38
14. Elche - 36
15. Albacete - 36
16. Celta - 35
17. Córdoba - 33
18. Las Palmas - 32
19. Alavés - 31
20. Eibar - 28
21. Alicante - 24
22. Sevilla At - 11

Locos por 'El Loco'

Every sport has its share of journeymen. These are players who, for whatever reason, cannot seem to stick with a team. Futbol has a tendency to have more of its share of journeymen. This has to do with the fact that there are so many clubs spread out throughout the world. Some players bounce around their home country playing for different teams in a certain league. Some may even venture beyond borders and play in a different country or two. Then you have journeymen like Sebastian 'El Loco" Abreau whose career has spanned six different countries and three continents (if you count Israel as part of Asia which I will).

The 32 year old Uruguayan striker has now played for a total of 15 clubs, including his current club, Real Sociedad. His professional career started at age 20 so in 12 years of playing professional futbol, El Loco is averaging under a year with each team. The club career is as follows (deep breath): Defensor, San Lorenzo, Deportivo de La Coruna, Gremio, Tecos, San Lorenz (again), Nacional Montevideo, Cruz Azul, Club America, Nacional Montevideo (again), Dorados Sinaloa, CF Monterrey, San Luis, UANL Tigres, River Plate, Beitar Jersusalem, River Plate (again) and Real Sociedad. *whew!*

In regards to his playing time in Spain, El Loco's playing rights were owned by Deportivo from 1998-2004. In that span of time he was loaned out six different times to Brazilian, Uruguayan and Mexican sides including a stint with Gremio of the Brazilian league where he shared the pitch with a very young player by the name of Ronaldinho. It's quite a shame that El Loco managed to see time in only 15 matches with the Galician club in those six years as he missed out on those wonderful Super Depor teams that won a la Liga title, a Copa del Rey title and an appearance in the 2004 Champions League semifinals.

To his credit, El Loco remains humble and good natured about his nomadic professional career. He's jovial in the clubhouse and continues to wear jersey #13 for luck wherever he plays. El Loco should also be lauded for his relationship with the press where he has said that if someone is going to take the time to ask him a question, he will provide a thoughtful response as opposed to cliches. Good for him.

So why are we talking about El Loco? Well, in the eight games he has played with Real Sociedad after taking the place of the injured Diaz de Cerio, all he has done is score six goals. This included a hat trick last weekend against El Infierno leaders Xerez at the Andalusian's home grounds of Estadio Chapin. It was Xerez's first defeat since December and all of the sudden tightened up the standings in La Segunda Division. It has also extended a lifeline to fans of the Donostia club who thought their hopes of promotion evaporated with De Cerio's injury. That has now changed with the exploits of El Loco. Real Sociedad find themselves just 7 points behind the final promotion spot with plenty of futbol to play and El Loco leading the charge.


A couple other news and notes. No sign of Jozy Altidore in uniform in that Xerez-Real Sociedad game last weekend. Hope he enjoyed watching El Loco.
Also, Murcia is welcoming back Francisco Gallardo to the mix. The midfielder from Sevilla has already spent one tour of duty in Murcia playing for the side in 2006-2007 where his play garnered the respect and affection of Murcia fans. Unfortunately for Gallardo, he will always be known for a very unfortunate and lewd goal celebration in 2001 when he was with Sevilla. After a Sevilla goal, Gallardo took it upon himself to congratulate his teammate's strike by nibbling on the teammate's penis. Yowza. That charade earned him a fine and suspension by FEF and rightly so! Let's hope Francisco keeps any goal celebrations this year to above the waist.

Resultados - Jornada 28

Celta - Elche 2-2
Tenerife - Albacete 1-1
Hércules - Murcia 3-2
Alavés - Zaragoza 2-2
Eibar - Salamanca 1-2
Huesca - Alicante 0-1
Castellón - Rayo 0-0
Gimnástic - Cordoba 2-2
Xerez - Real Sociedad 1-3
Girona - Levante 0-0
Sevilla At. - Las palmas 2-2

Clasificacion

1. Xerez - 51
2. Hércules - 49
3. Tenerife - 49
4. Rayo - 46
5. Zaragoza - 45
6. Castellón - 44
7. Salamanca - 44
8. R. Sociedad - 42
9. Huesca - 40
10. Levante - 40
11. Gimnástic - 38
12. Girona - 38
13. Albacete - 36
14. Murcia - 35
15. Elche - 35
16. Celta - 34
17. Las Palmas - 32
18. Córdoba - 32
19. Alavés - 31
20. Eibar - 27
21. Alicante - 23
22. Sevilla At - 11

Andalucian Desperation

Matches like the one that took place at El Arcangel last weekend in Cordoba is what helps make futbol so special. Promotion and relegation within a futbol division is the most logical method to ensure integrity within the sport. I compare that to what happens in the NFL, NBA or MLB. Teams who are in the lower rungs of their conference or division have no incentive to try. They know they are not making the playoffs, so why bother giving a full effort? Thankfully, futbol does not follow the same guidelines. Last week's Cordoba-Castellon match was a clear reason why promotion and relegation works so well.

Castellon made the quick trip over to the former Arabic capital of the Iberian Peninsula to play in a match that had huge consequences for both teams. Cordoba was hovering in 19th place, the final spot in the relegation zone, and desperate for the three points. Meanwhile Castellon was a mere two points behind the promotion zone with thoughts of dates next year in the Nou Camp and Santiago Bernabeu dancing in their heads. What this gives us is a match where both teams are desperately seeking a win. And this is what provides some of the best futbol and drama. The fans at El Arcangel were not disappointed.

Several minutes prior to halftime, Castellon's Mario Rosas gave the visitors a 0-1 lead, and for the moment, a spot in the promotion zone. After halftime, Cordoba's veteran leaders, the Italian Pierini and Spainard Yordi took charge and led the Cordoba comeback. The former Fiorentina player equalised in the 65th. Cordoba maintained the pressure in the second half, but as the minutes ticked down, it looked as the 'empate' was sure to happen. It was then in the 93rd that Yordi took in a long ball only to be pushed down in the penalty area. The former Zaragoza player, who earned two Copa del Rey titles with the Aragon side when it was in La Primera, coolly slotted home the PK. Cordoba keeper Raul Navas was also a hero barely knocking away a Castellon chance in the dying seconds to ensure the three points. With the win, Cordoba stayed 1 point above the drop zone while Castellon dropped another point further from Hercules in the fight for the third promotion spot.

This is the type of game that begs the question: Who is the more desperate team? The one fighting for promotion to one of the greatest leagues in the world? Or the one that is trying to survive and avoid futbol obscurity. Such is life in El Infierno where every week dreams and desperation are juxtaposed on a patch of grass.

For those keeping track, Jozy Altidore once again sat our Xerez's last game. The "Free Jozy" campaign is reaching a fever pitch!

Resultados - Jornada 27
Albacete - Eibar 2-0
Celta - Huesca 0-1
Rayo - Girona 1-1
R. Sociedad - Sevilla At. 1-0
Salamanca - Gimnastic 4-0
Zaragoza - Hercules 2-2
Las Palmas - Alaves 2-1
Levante - Xerez 2-2
Elche - Murcia 1-1
Córdoba - Castellon 2-1
Alicante - Tenenrife 2-2

Clasificacion
1. Xerez - 51
2. Tenerife - 48
3. Hércules - 46
4. Rayo - 45
5. Zaragoza - 44
6. Castellón - 43
7. Salamanca - 41
8. Huesca - 40
9. R. Sociedad - 39
10. Levante - 39
11. Gimnástic - 37
12. Girona - 37
13. Albacete - 35
14. Murcia - 35
15. Elche - 34
16. Celta - 33
17. Las Palmas - 31
18. Córdoba - 31
19. Alavés - 30
20. Eibar - 27
21. Alicante - 20
22. Sevilla At - 10

Hop On The Celta Rollercoaster!

These can be trying times for futbol teams playing in El Infierno. The February-March time period is usually when the dreams of promotion start to die. At the midway point in January, it was worth noting that eleven teams were within six points of the three promotion spots. A scant six weeks water, that has all changed. Now only six teams are viable contenders for those three precious spots to play the 2009-2010 season in La Primera. A tip of the hat should be given to teams like Zaragoza and Castellon, who are still fighting for promotion. A pat on the back to Real Sociedad, Huesca, Girona and Salamanca. Good effort boys, but it just wasn't meant to be. Then you have a team like Celta which barely even deserves a shaking of the head. Como pudo ser?

It wasn't that long ago where I, along with the futbol dailys on the Iberian Peninsula, were singing the praises of the work of Pepe Murcia and Celta de Vigo. After an atrocious start, the team skyrocketed up the table and sat on the doorstep to promotion. Strikers like Dinei and David Rodriguez were taking it to teams from the onset of the first or second half whistle and scoring goals early putting teams on their heels. It was a brilliant strategy and it worked to perfection. A 2-0 win over 'colista' Sevilla Atletico back on January 17 put Celta in a position to be in a promotion spot. An away victory over celler dweller Murcia was seen as a '2' in that week's Quiniela... Ah, but that's why they play the game.

Murcia ended up winning 1-0 which jump started their revival. A week later 'lider' Xerex slapped around the vigueses 2-0. After that, it was all downhill and it still keeps going. In Celta's last seven games, out of a possible 21 points, the Galicians have earned a mere two. That's all. Two freakin' points. So now that those dreams of promotion have ended, Pepe Murcia, should he still have a job by the time you read this, needs to make sure the team doesn't get relegated. That's the thing about El Infierno. A rise to the top is hard work and difficult, but a fall from grace is quite easy.

Some other news and notes out of El Infierno. Our friends at Rayo Vallecano, who sold tickets for 1 Euro, ended up having 12,000 fans or so when they hosted Sevilla Atletico. The home fans were awarded with a 1-0 victory. Unfortunately, a couple days later, Rayo player Carlos de la Vega was found to be involved in a drug scandal where he was one of eleven men who hid 600 kilos of cocaine in a windmill. Yowza! I believe as of this morning, Carlos was on his way to jail. Bad news there for the Rayistas.

Can someone please explain to me why exactly Jozy Altidore hasn't seen the pitch at Xerez? I can understand why Xerex coach Esteban Vigo doesn't want to disrupt the rhythmn that his players have gained in their surge to the top of the table. But leaving a quality striker like Jozy on the bench and not even being substituted in for the last 10-15 minutes is a head-scratching move. Here's a guy that could sub in for the latter parts of the game and use his size and speed to overwhelm opponents and score some late goals. That what Pelligrini was doing at Villarreal. And don't even tell me that getting minutes for Villarreal but none at Xerez makes any sense. It doesn't. If this keeps going, we may need to start a "Free Jozy" campaign.

Big kudos to Alicante for earning as many points in 2009 as they got in the last four months of 2008. They went on the road and beat Eibar over the weekend. That's your team of the week!

Resultados - Jornada 26

Tenerife - Celta 3-0
Hércules - Las Palmas 4-2
Alavés - Real Sociedad 2-1
Eibar - Alicante 1-2
Huesca - Elche 3-2
Castellón - Salamanca 2-0
Gimnástic - Albacete 1-0
Murcia - Zaragoza 1-4
Xerez - Rayo Vallecano 1-1
Girona - Cordona 1-1
Sevilla At - Levante 1-2

Clasificacion
1. Xerez - 50
2. Tenerife - 47
3. Hércules - 45
4. Rayo - 44
5. Zaragoza - 43
6. Castellón - 43
7. Salamanca - 38
8. Levante - 38
9. Huesca - 37
10. Gimnástic - 37
11. R. Sociedad - 36
12. Girona - 36
13. Murcia - 34
14. Elche - 33
15. Celta - 33
16. Albacete - 32
17. Alavés - 30
18. Las Palmas - 28
19. Córdoba - 28
20. Eibar - 27
21. Alicante - 19
22. Sevilla At - 10