You’re probably thinking that with such a big game, we’d have an equally mammoth preview to offer lots of insight into the stakes and tradition and HATE HATE HATE, etc that go into probably the biggest inter-city rivalry in Spain. But then again, what more could possibly be said about this game? It’s our hated rival, so we should beat them. We need this game to have a prayer of playing in Europe, so we should win. Not qualifying for Europe could have disastrous results, so we REALLY need to win.
What more is to say? WIN THIS GAME, SEVILLA! GO DO IT! NOOOOOOOOOOW!!!! VAMOOOOOOOOS!!!!! A POR ELLOS!!!!!!!!
Vamos! I might even put off studying for finals for this one (my last finals of grad school, no less)
I haven’t had a chance to let my Betis-hate brew in a couple years (couldn’t watch the draw at that ghetto stadium on the other side of town). Béticos de …..
By the way, you guys mentioned that Koné is “hurt” in your last blog post. Apparently there’s a long tradition in the lore of La Liga of players with these contracts getting “hurt” right before they hit their target for contact renewal. Anyways, given how he’s played at Sevilla, he’d probably just come back a blow like he always has. Stay at Levante and clog up their payroll…
See here for more Kone anger: http://ravesen.blogspot.com/2012/05/kone-y-los-pitos.html
http://ajet.wordpress.com/2012/05/01/arouna-kon-que-a-usted-le-vaya-bien/
To answer a question from last post’s comments, my Master is in International Development (MPA/ID) at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Lots of fun, lots of work, glad to be done.
ahhh… international development. MPA/ID is a badass program. congratulations! i just tossed you a facebook message.
What ya talkin bout willis?! Kone was never really given an opportunity just like theyre doing with BABA now.
I think Koné was given SOME chances to succeed, he just failed miserably with pretty much all of them (including missing some cringe-inducing sitters, as I recall). I don’t think that’s unfair…clearly he was meant to be playing behind Kanoute, Fabiano, and Negredo (in whichever combination was there during his various stays with us), and it was up to him to do much better with those opportunities. If he’s upset about his time here, I don’t see that he has anyone but himself to blame. Having said that, it’d be nice if we could in some way benefit from his recent improvement in form (and obviously this year we would’ve LOVED to have had a striker, for free, who scored as much as he has), but the fact is that he’s not really an investment we necessarily deserve to profit from…we couldn’t get him to be the player he’s been this season; Levante apparently could and did. That doesn’t mean I don’t think the whole “injured” thing is a crappy deal, and I definitely hope it costs Levante dearly…somehow.
Levante have a very winnable final three games. The hardest being home versus bilbao on the last day. They could definitely take all nine points.
Whereas Malaga need to play away at Barcelona and Atletico.
I don’t know who has the tie breaker between them, but Levante still has a very real chance of making the CL. If they finish 4th that’s another 12 million euros or so they can buy a new striker with…
HOLY CRAP!!! i saw it was the 91st minute with atletico winning 1-0 so i figured id watch injury time. corner kick sociedad. GOAL!!!!
that leaves this game tied if they hold on and atletico dropping unexpected points!!!
Hey, I didn´t get a FB message from you, Rene, perhaps you sent it to another Ryan Moore (there are lots)
hmmm… weird. check again? because i just clicked on the link in your name and its definitely you with your wife (?) and the message is in my outbox…
I’m here. VAMOS
fantastic scenes in the pre-game! the team definitely can’t complain about the support!
Varas
Luna Fazio Cala Navarro
Navas Trocho Medel Reyes
Manu Negredo
Palop, Andujar, Deivid, Raki, Guarente, Luis Alberto, Baba
GOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLL NEGREDOOOO!OO!O!O!O!O!O!!!!!!!!!!
What a great play from Trochowski. Beautiful patience and a superb finish by Negredo.
5th minute!
While Negredo scored that goal I was just writing that we were enjoying our typical great-but-goalless first 5 minutes.
good LORD the RSP has never sounded so great. It’s like the whole stadium is made of Biris.
Great goal. Trocho finally proving he’s worth something.
we’ve gotta be real careful with their counters today. countering teams have been killing us lately
keeping an eye on the live table as this game progresses…
after we scored and levante just conceded to zaragoza (BET YOU WISH KONE WAS HEALTHY NOW, EH BASTARDS?!?!), we’re sitting in 7th, 1 point behind atleti in 6th and 3 behind levante in 5th.
Levante just went down a goal with Zaragoza! Go Jimenez!
They used to call him “Helpful Jiménez” for this very reason! #thingsimadeup
I thought it was Jodete Jimenez…#somethingimadeup
Negredo puts the ball in back of the net but was rightly called (JUST BARELY) offsides.
Negredo getting kicked in the chest. No foul.
Oh, offside.
Oh no, not offside-Jeremy was talking about a different thing, my stream’s just about 5 minutes slow
spending a bit more time on our end of the field now…we need some extended time on the ball with calm possession.
Table update: Malaga now also losing to Barca.
The way things are right now has me dreaming:
Malaga loses to Barca and then to Atletico
Atletico and Athletic tie when they play
Levante loses today at least one of two remaining
Sevilla in Champions??????
(very optimistic and possibly bad math)
Oops, athletic and atletico don’t play again in La Liga, I was looking at Europa…
Malaga ties it up in Barcelona
Anyone with a live feed of the game? Can’t find it and not on local TV here.
http://www.rojadirecta.me/goto/ligadeportivas.blogspot.com.es/p/ligadeportivas1.html
here’s what i’m watching…it’s not pretty but it’s been consistent.
Thanks. Is this what you watch normally?
Negredo just got straight MUGGED, no cards given. I wouldn’t have watned a red card in this game, but there were multiple fouls there that deserved some plastic.
i think the ref is concerned about this game getting chippy, and is holding the cards. but he’s in danger of losing control of the game here.
http://racinguistatv1.blogspot.com.es/p/racinguista-tv-4.html
This one might be better quality, but the video was getting bad: http://racinguistatv1.blogspot.com.es/p/blog-page.html
Messi puts barca back on top with a PK
Not sure we have a great chance of catching Malaga, but as much for catching them, we need Barca to beat them so that RM has it all to play for against Bilbao later today.
Really wish Negredo would quit embarrassing himself and the club with so much play acting. It is not becoming of a player of his skill.
perhaps you would like to see him childishly go after ankles because he’s getting angry about the fouls he’s been getting? no?
Negredo’s gonna have to sit at HT if he doesn’t get himself under control. That could have been a straight red there.
Lots of getting very close to the second…would love to see one of those get in before half!
Play the game, players. We need more playing of this game and less playing of the ref. This game is white hot right now.
Looks like Negredo’s ankle massacre there has claimed Betis’ first sub.
I know derbis have a tendency to get chippy, but i’m not pleased with Negredo’s antics this half.
gol, betis
Foul in a very dangerous place and Betis puts it away just before halftime.
Fucking Betis score.
Assuming we make it to halftime at this score, that will be 45′ in which we really dominated them but have basically nothing to show for it.
Ugh, Betis wins a yellow and another very dangerous free kick after sevilla cleanly wins the ball and the Betis guy flops to the ground, removes his shinguard, and shows everyone his little owie.
Halftime, and not a moment too soon.
crap
On the plus side, now I remember why and how much I hate this team.
Fazio in last derbi: second yellow in second half, kills our chances of winning.
Fazio today: yellow card before half time…???
Negredo is rivaling Betis with his incessant bitching, but Betis hacked us for 35 minutes and saw one card. We caught them once (very ugly) and have two cards.
Ridiculous.
Completely agree with this assessment.
LOL. On the other side of the ball, here’s a post from a betis fan: “they are such a filthy team. always have been and always will be. they are ladrones”
Somebody needs to call the Waaaaambulance, haha
second half has started!
come on sevilla, PUT THIS GAME AWAY!!!
Reyes with an utterly baffling shot (?) from 0 degrees after some nifty work leaves him free on the touchline with several to cross to in the middle. womp womp.
Looks like Raki getting ready to come on shortly.
anyone else think it’s weird that manu still seems surprised and distressed when he misses the easy goals? you’d think he’d be used to it by now.
Manu finds YET ANOTHER WAY to fuck up a golden chance. Dead ball 2 feet from the goal and manu can’t touch it. I am a Baba agnostic. There is no way to know whether or not he exists.
Rakitic will replace…Reyes! Kind of a surprise, to be hones.t
Haha, Betis guy goes up for a ball with his elbow aimed squarely at the base of Negredo’s skull. Upon realizing his aim was perhaps a bit too good, he suddenly has an injury in his ankle…ish area.
25 minutes to get a desperately needed 3 points. Come on, boys.
BABA
It’s weird, because it’s like…to never play he must really suck. But then he gets on the field, and it doesn’t LOOK like he sucks!
In fact, he looks very good.
He can jump to the moon that’s for sure.
5 minutes left to get the goal that, to my eyes, we’ve deserved. We’ve gotten close but it’s not looking good…
Meltdown
How little Betis deserve this win, and how tremendously bitchy they have been throughout, these are the things that I am thinking about right now.
i’d like to say, in the moments before i hurl this computer into that wall, that i may not be around on the internet as much in the coming days. because my computer will have been broken.
incredibly hard to lose to TWO direct kicks that go in off the post.
damn. we deserved to win this game, but have lost.
Well, there goes Europe…
Great just great. What’s worse than losing to these bastards?
Losing to them at home and outplaying them. Jeremy’s got it right: you defend well all match and lose on two free kicks that bounce in off the post – that’s some deep shit luck.
so true. that was a really dumb foul by Navarro. And then Medel just makes it worse with the Red.
Life’s a pitch..
Oh boy, I just want this season to end.. And I’ve been saying this ever since Marcelino got us into the deep end..
Goodbye Europe, goodbye Michel (i guess)…
Haha, I guess on the bright side, we can maybe just take some maletas from these last games? Since we’re pretty much playing for nothing now?