The Way Forward (Sevilla’s Future?)

Once again, Messioronaldo has written up some of his excellent thoughts and made a great mid-week post for you all to enjoy. Be sure to join in the conversation in the comments, and if you’d like to write for Monchi’s Men, don’t hesitate to contact us.

This is complicated, very complicated. I’m glad it’s not my problem.

Tricky Problem 1

We are going to be scrapping for every point until the end of the season so there won’t be much time for experimentation. Emery will get his chance to experiment during the pre-season and that could be a giant stride forward for the team.

But he’ll need to know who’s going and who’s coming (and we’re not sure of Monchi’s future)

Celta and Mallorca are heading to the second division, the third place will be fought between Deportivo, Zaragoza and Granada. From these clubs we have Antonio Luna (Mallorca) and Javi Varas (Celta) on loan. Luna was born in Mallorca so he might be content there in the second division. If Javi Varas returns it will upset Julian who is expecting to be the second goalkeeper so Varas moved on for cash.

We also have Alexis Ruano on loan to Getafe, Bernardo Espinosa (Sporting Gijon) and Luis Alberto (Barcelona). Alexis will not return, I’m sure. There was a disagreement with the club and he accused them of favouring Martin Caceres because of a clause with his agents.

Bernardo might be a useful backup for centre defence, but strangely he’s only played 16 games for Sporting. Even if Botía and Fazio stay we need another central defender. I’m quite sure that Barca will not pay 4 million for Luis Alberto, so if the deal is not renegotiated he will return to Sevilla. (That would mean he stays or is used in a player exchange deal).

Tricky Problem 2

It seems that Beto is the only player that will surely start next season with Sevilla.

We have the following players in limbo: Stefanovic, Babá, Campaña, Del Moral, Trochowski, Cala, Botía and Rabello.

The Rabello situation must be top priority. Sell Stefanovic, Cala, Del Moral, Babá and Campaña. With Botía, I’m still trying to understand that very strange contract but I know it’s worked against him this year, when he doesn’t play Sevilla save money. But saying that, I have no idea what to do with Botía.

Sell Campaña? yes, sorry. I see a reasonably good player but I’m still waiting to see a ‘great’ Jose Campaña.
Trochowski, when he recovers, will need to learn football again. Not all of it, but he will need to integrate his ‘new leg’. If it functions OK he might still have to adjust style and posture. When he starts to kick a ball again, it will just be the start of another long phase of recuperation.

Tricky Problem 3

The budget is negative, we cannot buy anyone without selling one or more players. The eternal problem is that the market is a jigsaw puzzle, one player has to move to release the money to buy another. Much of the negotiation is ‘who blinks first’, trying to get the best deal at the last moment. How does that affect the pre-season planning? The manager ends up with an unknown asset and loses a top player.
If there are offers for Navas, Kondogbia and Negreo, which one(s) do we sell? My choice will surprise you. Navas. And I would also sell Reyes, Manu Del Moral and Rakitic. Why? Because the ‘gearbox’ mechanism between midfield and forward line still does not function. Rakitic, although he has the quality, makes too many unforced errors.

Tricky Problem 4

Who do we buy?
Over to you, I don’t know, but I would like three or four Brazilians, similar to Alves, Adriano, Fabiano and Renato (they weren’t expensive).

Next to go?

In a recent press conference Del Nido has reiterated (as he has before) that Sevilla is a selling club.  And alluded to the likelihood that we will continue to be a selling club regardless of whether we qualify for European competition or not.

My question then is this: Who do we think will be the next player Sevilla sells?  I don’t mean, who will be the next to leave because they haven’t performed to standard.  I mean a guy who has played well and will be sold for the sake of preserving this team’s fiscal viability.

Possible candidates:

1. Navas
2. Perotti
3. Rakitic
4. Cicinho
5. Negredo
6. Navarro
7. Medel

Others? And a bonus question, how much do you think they will go for?

Scary to think about, but its the reality of being a Sevilla supporter.  Put your answers in the comments.  Cheers.

Training, Friday Sept. 21

[Our friend Tim of messioronaldo.com has returned to the Ciudad Deportiva today for more scouting during today's training activities.]

Training Session 10:00 a.m.

Friday 21/9/12

Ciudad Deportiva, Sevilla.

Absent: Medel, Cicinho.

Great, I’ve just watched Sevilla v Sevilla without any Real Madrids or Rayo Vallecanos trying to spoil the party. I still feel like I’m walking on clouds having seen such talent at work. Very entertaining and interesting, especially if you are interested in training techniques. But before I bore you with techniques I’ll give you the juicy bits you are all waiting for.

Spectacular goal, chileno (overhead kick) by Negredo from 8 yards out. Great goal by Babá who rounded López and scored from a difficult angle. Navas scored a replica of a recent goal where Reyes threaded a pass through the entire opposing defense, leaving Navas with the task of beating the goalkeeper.

Perotti didn’t have much possession early in the game and I was starting to think he wasn’t up to speed, but later he proved me wrong. He took three runs into the penalty area which would have resulted in penalties with a twitchy referee. Perotti is back, and he’s dangerous. Some great shooting too, stopped only by great goalkeepers, one shot from Rakitic was from almost the centre of the pitch and it was going to enter until López tipped it over.

The first game was 15 minutes with the pitch set at half size (Fazio helped move the goalposts). The second game was with the pitch set at threequarter size. In this game, all dead balls were returned to López who aimed his goal kicks at Reyes. With Navarro and Kondogbia in support, Reyes was tasked with producing a wing attack.

In the main game the pitch was set at full size. The dial was turned up to maximum for intensity and quality. It was a quality game, great football with very few errors and nobody limped off injured (hooray). I’m starting to feel that Sevilla are once more destined to be giants.

Medel did the press conference, no mention of injury, perhaps he and Cicinho are working in the gymnasium. If so, that would mean that Sevilla have the enfermería empty at a vital stage of the season.

Quick update, Training, Wednesday 19th September

[Here's a nice, little update by Tim of messioronaldo.com, who went to visit Sevilla's training session yesterday morning and afternoon at 10 and 6pm at la Ciudad Deportiva just outside of town.]

No press conference.

Present

Botía, Cala, Campaña, Diego López, F. Navarro, Fazio, Hervás, Jesus Navas, Kondogbia, Luna, Maduro, Medel, Palop, Rakitic, Spahic, Trochowski.

Absent

Perotti, Manu Del Moral, Babá, Rabello, Cicinho, Coke, Negredo, Reyes, Bernado.

With about fifty spectators in the Ciudad Deportivo, three professional camera teams from local TV and a change towards more humid conditions, a very intense session for both goalies while for the players no ball work, just sprint variations and circuits of the pitch.

A group of defensive players (Botía, Medel, Maduro, Spahic and Kondogbia) did slow circuits of the pitch – while Fazio was participating in the sprints with Cala, Navas, Rakitic, Campaña and Trochowski. Navas did a few sprints before disappearing and was soon followed by Fazio. While Cala, Campaña, Trocho and Raki continued and did a full hour of sprint training.

In the sprints, Fernando Navarro was impressive. I’m told that in a straight sprint, Perotti is faster than Navas but unfortunately Perotti is still not ready and despite his statements yesterday, I doubt he will play in La Coruña.

The goalkeeping session (Palop and López) consisted of the goalkeepers taking turns receiving the ball to feet, clearing by shooting at a practice net to the left, then retreating to make a rapid save to his right. This went on for a full hour, very intensive. Palop gave the impression that he is still at the very top of his game, saving almost everything that was remotely saveable.

Enjoy some pictures after the jump!

Rayo – Sevilla Match Comments, Team News

Ever since the league’s draw, we always knew Sevilla would have to face some top teams from Madrid and Barcelona looking down on us in the standings early in the season. Probably nobody guessed that that run of difficult games would start in week 3 with Madrid’s Rayo Vallecano. But so it is that we travel to Madrid this week to take on one of the three remaining undefeated teams in La Liga for a match that we’ll probably be looking back at in a few weeks as relatively easy points we’re either glad to have or annoyed to have lost.

One thing we didn’t know at the time of the draw, of course, is when the game would take place. This is of course because the LFP doesn’t announce the times of games until a week or two beforehand, which is a ridiculously stupid thing to do but what do you want, the LFP to NOT do ridiculously stupid things? On the plus side, though, this policy gives the organizers the opportunity to place marquee (and/or key) matches in prime slots to maximize viewership. So where did they place this game between teams tied for 1st and 4th, the highest ranking matchup of the week? At 6am ET/3amPT on Sunday morning, of course! Played by geniuses, run by idiots, etc.

However, Sevilla has more troubles than just an early Sunday game to deal with. The “injury plagued” groove the club usually waits until at least November to get into has already started, and Kondogbia, Campaña, and Perotti are all out for this match with injuries. Baba is an injury doubt, and of course Diego López will sit this one out with his red card suspension. Remarkably, Medel didn’t find a way to get suspended for accumulation of yellow cards in only two games, so he’ll be available.

In other news, Sevilla closed the transfer window by not suddenly losing any valuable players. They also didn’t succeed in unloading anyone we didn’t need or making an surprise late purchases (the transfer of Gio dos Santos to Mallorca for one million euros notwithstanding), which is especially troubling because it definitely looks like the club wanted to sign another central midfielder (the failed attempts for Jonathon dos Santos, Granero, and Ryad Boubedouz are particularly troubling evidence of both the ongoing decline of La Liga and the apparent gap in our midfield depth chart). But overall I’m happy with the transfer season: we held onto Rakitic, Negredo, and Navas, and picked up a few promising players for free or cheap in Rabello, Cicinho, and Kondogbia. It could have been much worse, you guys. Mostly I’m just glad the whole thing’s over with, and we have a few weeks’ silence before the rumor mill starts churning for the January transfer window.

Anyway, let’s do this, rojiblancos! Everyone set your alarm and let’s pick up some away points!

Transfer Window Retrospective: The Rest

Previously we looked at the team’s transfers in defense, and today we examine the arrivals and departures on the rest of the field. Let’s get started!

• While Kondogbia was covered in our post about the defense, he could also be considered here, as he typically plays as a defensive midfielder. I’m not sure in which role Monchi et al have selected him, but it’s not hard to imagine him playing alongside Medel in a 4–4–2 in defensive lockdown mode, or in a 4–2–3–1. Of course he’s very young, so it’s possible this will be a growing/settling year. Whether he plays much this year or not, though, this looks like a signing that will pay dividends for several years in the future.

• Along with the previously mentioned Cicinho, the signing that has given Sevillistas the most ilusión is without question the promising young Chilean Bryan Rabello. The 18-year-old has been dazzling oppositions in Chile with Colo Colo and youth national teams, and when his contract expired, Sevilla and a host of European clubs lined up for his signature. He’s a creative attacking midfielder who can play all along the midfield line, providing speed and penetration from the wing or danger and creativity from the middle of the pitch. As a young, exciting and cheap (check that–free) player, Rabello is exactly the kind of signing Sevilla built its impressive last decade on, and is just the sort of acquisition Sevillistas have been calling for in recent years. He’s supposed to begin on the B team, but I expect he’ll see some minutes with the senior team at some point this year.
  • Age: 18. Position: M. Previous team: Colo Colo. Cost: Free.
• For a minute there it looked like Hedwiges Maduro was going to end up down an all too familiar and unfortunate road when concerns were raised about his heart. Although some feared he might never be able to play again, he has since been cleared by specialists in the USA, and has rejoined the team and commenced normal train. Given the arrival of Kondogbia and the continuing presence of Medel, Trochowski, and even Rakitic, it’s not clear that Maduro will see a lot of time, and he may have been added for late-match substitutions and to provide cover for injuries, suspension, etc. Here’s hoping that if he does see a lot of the field it’s because of his outstanding play and not because we’re missing better players.
  • Age:27. Position: DM. Previous team: Valencia. Cost: Free
• Another arrival whose price is tough to beat, Javi Hervas was actually signed from Córdoba on a free mid-season last year and was immediately loaned back for the remainder of the season. But he’s ours now, and many people see him following a very promising trajectory. At 23 this feels like a signing for the long-term more than this season, but I expect he’ll see his fair share of minutes during the year, especially if any of the projected starters struggle. In any case, this player also seems like someone whose full impact won’t be felt for a season or two.
  • Age: 23. Position: M. Previous team: Córdoba. Cost: Free.

On the departures side, there’s a number of players who didn’t bring in money but won’t be missed particularly either. Guarante has been shipped to Bologna on loan, and if you’re saying “we still own him?”, that pretty much says everything you need to know about the impact his departure will have. Ditto Acosta, who returned this summer from a loan at Racing and now heads to Boca Juniors on loan. Luis Alberto and Koné are two forwards whose loan deals have ultimately lead to permanent departures. We’ve covered Koné’s departure elsewhere, and I feel kind of similarly bad about Luis. In Monchi we trust, but I’d feel better about losing that talent if Baba had seen more minutes last season. Finally, we bid farewell to Kanouté this summer, and we all wish the club legend the best.

So that covers the whole transfer field at this point. Any additional thoughts on these exits and arrivals? How’s the roster looking for everyone at this point?

Transfer Window Retrospective: Defense

As we approach the first game of the season (less than a week away, on August 18 at 3pm ET vs. Getafe), it seems like a good time to evaluate the summer’s transfer moves. While the transfer window of course doesn’t close until after the season begins, we’ll be preoccupied with actual games—you know, the small part of La Liga they still try to decide on the field—so this week seems like a good time to look back and see how we did. Let’s start with the defenders and keepers, and we’ll cover the rest of the field later this week.

We begin by noting a somewhat rare situation: this summer we have sold a high-value transfer target (Cáceres, to Juventus for €8M) to fund the rest of our transfer activity. This is of course nothing new, but what’s unique this year is we already know what impact his departure will have because he was gone on loan last year. So instead of wondering if the Uruguayan’s absence will be a factor, we know how we’ll fare without him. Obviously there are other stories and reasons for why our defense struggled last year, but the fact remains that while we lost Cáceres without getting any funds with which to replace him last year, this year the money came to replace him. And if you count goalies, every penny Sevilla has spent this summer went to buying defenders.

So how’d we do? Let’s have a look at our acquisitions:

• Cicinho has easily been the most exciting of the defensive signings, and may well be the signing of the season based on his impressive pre-season performances. A young attacking right back Brazilian with a strong predilection for playing high up the field and making aggressive overlapping runs, Jesus Navas has likely not been this excited about a signing since our last young attacking right back Brazilian joined the team back in 2002. In pre-season matches, Cicinho’s ambition, quality play, and apparent unspoken understanding with Navas seemed to instantly recreate a fluidity and danger we haven’t seen on the right side of the field since Dani Alves left for Barcelona. He looks like a fantastic signing, and I can’t wait to see how he does this year.
  • Age: 26. Position: RB. Previous team: Palmeiras. Cost: €4M (estimated).
• Speaking of transfers with Barcelona, Sevilla landed 23-year-old Masia product and Barca-DNA-haver Alberto Botía after his contract at Barcelona and his loan deal at Gijón expired this summer. (While he wasn’t in contract with anyone, due to his complicated contract and management structure, he wasn’t free). While he was a part of Spain’s inglorious, winless and goalless Olympics, he’s a promising Spanish youth national teamer, and as a bonus Barca was allegedly pretty angry about losing him. So, you know, there’s that added bonus.
  • Age: 23. Position: CB. Previous team: Barcelona. Cost: €3M (estimated).
• I don’t know much about Geoffrey Kondogbia, but given our recent history of losing signings due to the interest of bigger clubs, it’s exciting to have succeeded in signing this young and promising player who had been rumored to be getting a lot of attention from several top clubs. Hopefully he’ll be with us several years as a strong presence in our back four or filling in for Medel while the latter is missing matches for accumulated yellow cards.
  • Age: 19. Position: CB/DM. Previous team: Lens. Cost: €4M (estimated)
• Finally, Diego López is I suppose not technically a defender, but his purchase from Villarreal for €3.5M merits mention, and I’m not going to write a post just about goalkeepers. With Varas out on loan to Celta, López will I suppose begin the season as Palóp’s backup before taking over the starting job mid-season in a firestorm of controversy after the 38-year-old club legend has a string of matches with terrible blunders that lead to goals conceded. He’s a fantastic signing, and while I feel conflicted about benefitting from Villarreal’s misfortune, I guess it’s better us than some other club.
  • Age: 30. Position: GK. Previous team: VIllarreal. Cost: €3.5M

As far as departures, Escudé was sent to Besiktas on a free. And if I followed these sorts of things I’d mention that this week the papers say some clubs are interested in Spahic and Fazio. But of course I don’t bother with rumors like that, so I won’t.

How do you think the club did reinforcing in the back? Who are you happiest to see, and what other changes do you think should be made before the window closes?

Signings and Trophies

• First trophy of the year!!!!!  Trofeo Puerta.  With a 2-0 win over Deportivo.
• Sounds like this new Brazilian defender Cicinho has been impressive.
• Signed a CB, Botia, who was on the Spanish Olympic team…  As an added bonus, he played for Barcelona and their rights to him expired a month ago.  So we’re sort of sticking it to them.  Yay!

I think this team is slowly coming together.  A lot of new faces and not a lot of time for them to gel (first game in 9 days?!?!?!).  But, what the hell?  Why not be optimistic, right?

 

Odds and Ends

God, the off season is boring.

Some random bits:

• Our team is the unproud owner of a number of hooligans.  If anyone can explain to me exactly what went down with the preseason violence and Del Nido’s response, I’d greatly appreciate it.
• We signed a 19-year-old french guy named Geoffrey Kondogbia for five seasons.  He is a 6’2″ DM who had been playing for Lens and has been playing for all of the French youth teams.  He is another advanced prospect (like Rabello) and seems like a very promising pickup.
• Piris was jerking us around and then Roma swooped in so Monchi said, “stop wasting our time” and walked away.
• Escude and Guarente are gone.  Sqd: Thank you for all of your immense contributions to this club and its great history!!!  Guarente: Don’t let the door hit you on the way out!

Otherwise, I’m just bored.  This season really needs to start.

La Liga Fixtures!

La Liga’s fixtures for the year were announced this week, and while Marca has the complete fixture list, our friends at El Desmarque have helpfully pulled all the Sevilla matches for your review, available after the jump. A few notes:

• Obviously the Week 4 and 6 combo punch of RM and Barca ought to get the season off to a very encouraging start.
• Weeks 10 (Levante), 11 (at Athletic), 12 (Betis), and 13 (at Atlético), and the reverse fixtures, should be similarly compelling and pretty tough for the team.
• If we’re still eligible for anything at that point, closing the season by hosting Valencia should be a very exciting game. The Barca-Malaga could also be a crucial last match of the year.
• Overall it looks like a pretty doable schedule…other than the aforementioned stretch of rivals in weeks 10-13, the tougher games are pretty well spread out throughout the year.   As always, our fate will be decided by the results we get against the dozen or so “lesser” teams, but it’s still nice to see how things will sit for the team.

What do you think? See anything interesting in Sevilla or La Liga’s schedule? Check out the schedule below, and share your thoughts!