Match Reports

No, I did not go through to Sevilla to watch the last game of the season, but I did watch the highlights on TV last night so I can tell you briefly what happened. (Briefly? I hear you say!)
A small aside - at least I was able to watch the highlights on television, which is more than I could do for the Scottish Cup Final on Saturday, as Scottish football has got its Football-on-TV knickers in a twist and can show neither the live game nor its highlights on satellite TV. I had to put up with Alistair Alexander and the obnoxious Chick Young on Radio Scotland to listen to the game. How much longer must we endure this pompous little man, who "I can exclusively reveal" is the most-hated of any of the TV pundits ever.
Malaga, with two glorious wins on the trot and finishing the season strongly and in a comfortable midtable slot, had nothing to lose but pride against local rivals Sevilla. Sevilla, on the other hand, had everything to play for. Lying in fourth position, all they had to do to ensure they retained that coveted Champions League slot was draw or preferably win against their less accomplished rivals. Just to put more of an edge on it - they also very much wanted to put one over their fiercest city rivals, Real Betis, who were in with a chance of taking the Champions League spot from Sevilla if the results went their way.
Malaga played their normal line-up: (4-2-3-1): Arnau; Gerardo, Cesar, Fernando Sanz and Valcarce; Romero and Juanito; Michel, Miguel Angel and Duda; Baiano. Michel in for Juan Rodriguiez, recovering from an injury sustained against Barcelona.
From the TV highlights, Sevilla threw everything at Malaga during the first half and the visitors were reduced to desperate defending, including last ditch tackles, hoofing the ball into touch and relying on Arnau's elbows, knees, outstretched feet, diving saves and bravery - throwing his body all over the place and smothering the ball with onrushing strikers with the calibre of Oliviera, Antonito and Baptisto to contend with. Some of the shots were wide as well and you could feel the crowd wishing the ball into the net and loudly groaning at every save or miss.
Malaga did not appear as an attacking force until the second half and it was Duda who was brought down 30 yards out when clear of most of the Sevilla team, who were camped in Malaga's half. Now, as you all must know by now, Duda takes all Malaga's free kicks and invariably there is little threat from them. He must have at least three good scoring chances per game from set pieces and all too rarely does anything come from them. So here we were, in the 38th and final game of the season, getting a pasting from our Andalucian rivals and the bold DUDA steps up to take the free kick he has just won for himself. He goes for goal and strikes a shot which swerves around the wall, hits the upper third of the post and goes in, past the flapping arms of the goalkeeper, who, to be fair, may well have got the ball, had it not gone in off the post.
Sevilla 0 Malaga 1
Sevilla try and try to get back into the game and Arnau's body bits have to work overtime to keep the ball out. Miguel Angel and Duda are substituted by Juan Rodrigriuez and Iznate respectively and it is the latter who skips past three players down the left wing in the 93rd minute to send in a perfect square pass into the box, right across the penalty mark. The Sevilla defence is at full pelt running back and both Michel and BAIANO are trying to run onto the pass. It is too quick for the former, but the Brazilian's timing is perfect and he smashes the ball past the keeper to complete Sevilla's misery.
Full time: Sevilla 0 Malaga 2

Malaga finish a very credible 10th in the league, above, for example, Atletico Madrid and Deportivo La Coruna.
Betis are away to Mallorca. Mallorca must get at least a point to ensure a dramatic escape from relegation, as they have occupied one of the bottom three relegation slots for most of the season. Result Mallorca 1 Betis 1 which means that Betis leap over Sevilla in fourth to join Barcelona, Real Madrid and Villarreal in the Champions League next season. Sevilla and Espanyol will contest the UEFA Cup. The joy on the Betis players faces was palpable and the rejoicing in Sevilla's streets late into the night was in all the TV news reports this morning. You can imagine the despondency of the Sevilla players - something akin to Celtic's loss last week to Motherwell, except Sevilla expect to retain most of the players and their manager for next season and have something to build on rather than starting all over again.
Levante and Numancia drop down after only one season up. They are joined by Albacete, whose losing streak continued and they drop after only two seasons in the top league.
Malaga? Could they have been challenging for European spots if Tapia had been appointed in August instead of Manzano - we will never know. And what about Brazilian sensation Baiano - who scored 10 goals in 15 games since joining at the end of January? Well he was on loan from a Brazilian side until the end of the season with an option to buy for 3 million euros (a bargain). However, there seems to be a complication with a Uruguayan side actually holding his FIFA registration, so we will just have to wait and see what happens.
Whatever - when the new season starts next September - your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there.

Posted by malagacf_correspondent at 2:16 PM | Permalink

Whew, it was hot on Sunday for the 17:00h kick off at La Roseleda. Bright, sunny, no wind, 30C, the groundsmen had the sprinklers on right up the point when the two sets of players emerged from the long blue tunnel onto the pitch, causing a flurry of activity amongst the pitchside photographers (who had scurried away when the showers of water cascaded over them) to get back to their favoured positions.
Last week's away victory at Levante all but took the last worries of possible relegation away from Malaga, the only goal of the game coming after a long throw-in from the right touchline from Gerardo, which bounced off knees and thighs before landing in front of Baiano, who almost blew a hole the roof of the net with his powerful volley from 6 yards. Tapia has had an enforced change to his normal line-up with the injury to Juan Rodriguez, sustained in the previous home game against Barcelona. Last week, he introduced hot prospect Alexis at right back, pushing Gerardo upfield into the right wing berth. The youngster played well enough, but was out of his natural centreback position. So this week, Gerardo resumes at right back and the pacy Portuguese winger, Edgar, gets his chance to show Tapia what he can do.
Malaga (4-2-3-1): Arnau, Gerardo, Cesar, Fernando Sanz, Valcarce, Juanito and Romero, Edgar, Miguel Angel and Duda, Baiano.
Today's visitors, Villarreal (the yellow submarines) are very strong opposition and currently lie in fourth position in the table, with three games to go after this one. The top four clubs in Spain automatically qualify for the Champion's League proper, so the team with the third best defensive record (behind Barcelona and Real Madrid) are looking for the win which will keep them in this position. The goals have been coming from Riquelme and Forlan, who between them have scored 33 of the 59 goals scored in the league so far. The South American pairing, bringing the flair of the Argentinean midfielder with the striking power of the Uruguayan forward, has been made possible by the loan of the striker this year from Manchester United, where he failed to impress Alex Ferguson sufficiently last year to gain a regular place in the Red's team. This year Forlan is Spain's second top scorer behind Eto'o of Barcelona. Villarreal, managed by another Argentine Manuel Pelligrini, play an attractive, close passing game in a direct 4-4-2 formation. Celtic fans will remember how they were dumped out of Europe by this team last year.
Villarreal (4-4-2): Reina, Armando Sa, Gonzalo, Quique Alvarez and Arruabarrena, Josico, Marco Senna, Sorin and Riquelme, Lucha and Forlan.

Villarreal win the toss and Malaga kick off defending the Fondo end. We only have to wait 2 minutes for the first attack and it's from Malaga. Duda collects the ball from Juanito in the centre circle and slips the ball into the left wing channel where Valcarce is overlapping. The little fullback's cross is too deep though, as it misses both Baiano and Edgars' runs into the box.
Villarreal's first attempt comes in 8' when perseverance from Forlan wins the ball off Valcarce down their right wing. His inch perfect pass finds playmaker Marco Senna but his shot goes well wide.
Malaga come close in 12' when the lively Baiano intercepts a pass from Gonzalo with his back to goal. He spins on a sixpence and sends in snap shot which just skims past the outside of the near post.
It is all Malaga and in their next attack, Miguel Angel puts in a defence splitting pass for Edgar to run onto. The Portuguese winger is clean through and Riena has to run off his line to hoof the ball off Edgar's feet and into the upper tier of the stand.
In an effort to alleviate the remorseless attacking on his already beleaguered defence, in the 14th minute, Marco Senna, with all his other options closed down by the Malaga defence, starts a run through the middle. Romero moves into tackle him and he falls over. The referee books Romero.
Still it's Malaga who are showing and this time it's Edgar who picks up a pass from Romero and starts off on a run down the right wing. His pace and determination take him past three defenders, but with Miguel Angel and Baiano running into the box, Edgar fails to get in a good cross.
Baiano forces the first corner of the match in 18' on the left, but Reina easily collects Duda's kick. The big goalkeeper, one of the best in Spain, elects to go Route 1, as the Malaga defence scramble back after the corner. He finds Lucha on his own, one on one with Arnau and for an anxious moment looked certain to score. But the Malaga keeper, out of contract this summer and interesting Tottenham Hotspur, makes a great block and clears the danger.
In 19' Duda is brought down by Marco Senna on the left and his free kick finds Baiano, who hooks a first time shot at goal. The ball strikes the crossbar with Reina beaten.
It's an impressive start from the home team and visitors have to resort to some fine short passing and possession play to try to take the sting out of Malaga's persistent attacks.
With no way through against Malaga's tight defence, in 25' Reina again opts for Route 1 with another long kick out his goal. Again Lucha is alert and again there is some panic at the back as Valcarce has to concede Villarreal's first corner. Riquelme's kick is headed clear by Fernando Sanz.
Baiano is showing commitment and invention up front and wins the ball after harrying Quique Alverez. On his own, he runs at the goal but has to pass back to find support. Romero collects the ball but gives it away to Sorin.
In 29' Villarreal make their first substitution as the long haired Sorin is withdrawn and Calleja takes his place.
With this change, Villarreal start to take control of the midfield and now it is Malaga's turn to keep possession along the back four as there is just no way forward past the tightly marking Villarreal team. In 34' Josico finally loses control and fouls Romero in an attempt to win back possession. He is rewarded with a booking from the referee.
In 37' Gerardo tries a long throw from the left. He finds Duda but the little Portuguese winger's attempt is high and wide.
In 41' Baiano dispossesses Riquelme on the left and makes a run down the wing. He is supported by Duda who receives Baiano's pass inside and hits a thunderbolt towards goal. It looks goal bound into the top right hand corner when Reina makes a first class save diving full length across goal. The big keeper manages to get a finger tip to the ball and push it onto the crossbar and away.
Half time Malaga 0 Villarreal 0
The groundsmen again switch on the sprinklers during the interval in the heat of the Sunday afternoon. There is very little shade in the ground which has very little in the way of enclosures or cover (this is the second season in a row in which I have not encountered any rain at all at any home game).
In 48', Forlan, who has been kept very quiet by the imposing defence of the giant Cesar and quick Fernando Sanz, has his first try at goal, but it's weak and goes straight into Arnau's waiting arms.
In 52' it's Forlan again and this time he is closer with his snapshot rasping past the far post.
The next minute and Malaga win a free kick, which Duda takes quickly. Baiano makes the run into the box but Reina manages to scoop the ball of the Brazilian's head.
Malaga have had the bulk of the play, possession and look the most menacing, having had the two closest efforts so far, both coming off the crossbar and Reina has been by far the busiest keeper. However, the entire game turns in the next few minutes. In 55 minutes, Calleja, who has been very energetic in midfield since coming on as a substitute, makes space for himself about 30 yards out. He sends in a shot which has Arnau scrambling to his left and smothering before the onrushing Forlan can get to the loose ball. This is what Geoff and I were watching. As Arnau gets back to his feet, we realise that the referee is reaching for a card. It's yellow, quickly followed by a red and Romero is sent off! We did not see any offence and can only guess that perhaps Romero had made a late tackle on Calleja - who knows? Romero had been previously booked in the 14th minute so was sent off for a second bookable offence. So, for the second home game running, Malaga find themselves down to 10 men with more than half an hour to go.
Riquelme takes the free kick but it goes well over.
In 59' Edgar is dumped on the edge of the box whilst running in on goal. No booking or red card, although the Malaga fans scream loudly enough at the referee. Duda takes the kick and it's beaten Reina all ends up and comes back off the crossbar! Third time the bar has been struck.
In 62' The play moves up to the other end where RIQUELME hits a speculatative shot through a crowded penalty area and with Arnau unsighted, the ball enters the net at the near post.
Malaga 0 Villarreal 1
Two minutes later and Villarreal go two up. In the 65th minute, CALLEJA, who has made a big impact on this game since his introduction in the 29th minute, again finds himself some space 30 yards out. There appears to be no danger but he hits a sweet curving shot which bends away from Arnau and into the net in the top left corner.
Malaga 0 Villarreal 2
For a team hardly at the races, they are now two up against ten men!
Malaga make a double substitution immediately. Baiano and Edgar go off to be replaced by Michel and Wanchope. The lanky Costarican goes right up front in direct replacement for Baiano, but Miguel Angel moves wide right to allow Michel the central midfield berth, with Juanito, the lone anchor in front of defence.
Malaga's ten men still look the most menacing and purposeful and Michel seems very comfortable in the centre of midfield as Malaga regain their grip of the game. Juanito finds Duda wide on the left in the 71st minutes and the diminutive winger sprints into the box and hits a rasping shot from 7 yards, which beats Reina yet again, but comes off the .................... crossbar! Fourth time!
In 75' Duda is replaced by Tote. There is still a feeling that if Malaga can get one back, they could still have a chance of taking something from this game, as, even with 10 men, they seem to have the upper hand.
In 77', the quiet Forlan is replaced by big midfielder Hector Font, as Villarreal try to hang on.
The tactic seems to be paying off as Villarreal's tight possession and close, one-touch passing, stifle Malaga's threat.
In 86' Marco Senna is replaced by Pena.
In 90' Wanchope has a great chance for a consolation as Michel's centre finds the 8'2" striker alone in front of goal, but he shoots tamely at Reina, who gathers the ball easily.
Full time: Malaga 0 Villarreal 2

Seems like the story of the season. Malaga played well enough, made enough chances to win the game, matched supposedly superior opposition across the park and end up losing. You have to believe that all that is missing is a lethal striker to convert some of these chances and half chances and Malaga would be several positions up the table and challenging for some sort of honours. However, with three games to go - away to Real Sociedad, home to Racing Santander and away to local rivals Sevilla in the last game, we will have to wait until next season.

Posted by malagacf_correspondent at 4:51 PM | Permalink

Sunday 24 April 2005: 1900h kick off, sunny, 26C, no wind. Again no Geoff (he has "lost interest") so this week I am accompanied by John, for his first ever Spanish league game.
The league leaders, Barcelona, are in town, hoping to maintain their six point advantage over arch rivals Real Madrid at the top of the table. Last season, when Frank Rijkaard and his boys played here, the home side romped home 5-1, recording their first victory over the Nou Camp giants for 27 years! This season has been very different, with Malaga struggling to find goals and Barca, especially with top scorer Eto'o (21 goals in 32 games), Ronaldinho, Deco, Guily and others all regularly scoring, have 61 goals compared to Malaga's tally of 32 so far.
Malaga return to La Roseleda after two weeks away at Valencia (2-2) and Albecete (1-2), Malaga's goals coming from Baiano (2) and the unlikely source of Duda, also with two. These four points have virtually ensured avoidance of relegation this season (although, it is still mathematically possible, if Malaga lose all their remaining games and, say, Mallorca, win all theirs).
Tapia remains faithful to his normal starting eleven, in the now familiar 4-2-3-1 line-up.
Malaga (4-2-3-1): Arnau, Gerardo, Cesar, Fernando Sanz and Valcarce, Juanito and Romero, Juan Rodriguez, Miguel Angel and Duda, Baiano.
Barcelona (4-1-2-2-1): Valdes, Belletti, Puyol, Oleguer and Van Bronkhurst, Iniesta, Xavi and Deco, Guily and Ronaldinho, Eto'o.

Barca win the toss and Malaga kick off defending the Fondo end in bright sunshine. The Catalan team have brought the biggest away support so far this season and La Roseleda is at capacity, even though Malaga raised the ticket prices starting at 100 euros up to 200 euros for non-season ticket holders!
Malaga go straight into attack, looking to unsettle their illustrious visitors with an early goal. After only 20 seconds on the clock, Miguel Angel is brought down in full flight by uncompromising Spanish international centre back and Barca captain, the long-curly-haired Puyol, just outside the left hand corner of the penalty area. Gerardo takes the free kick and picks out Baiano eight yards out. His fine header brings out an excellent save from Valdes. It's all Malaga and in 4' Romero heads just over from a Gerardo long throw from the right.
It's 9' before we see Barca in attack. Eto'o is brought down 35 yards out by Romero. Deco lines up to take the kick, but hits the wall and lands at Ronaldinho's feet. The little Brazilian takes the ball to the touchline to the right of the goal and wins a corner off Fernando Sanz. Cesar deals easily with the resultant corner kick and the danger is over.
In 17' Miguel Angel is again brought down by Puyol, 40 yards out. Gerardo takes the kick and again finds Baiano in the crowded box. The big Brazilian gets his head to it but it's just the wrong side of the post.
The next minute, Juanito (who's considering an offer from Bolton) is booked for obstructing Valdes.
In 20' there is a real panic in the Barca goalmouth as Valdes just beats Miguel Angel to a through ball with the stylish midfielder clear. The Barca goalie takes no chances and hoofs it high into the upper stands.
Then in 23' Barca take the lead against the run of play. Eto'o forces a corner on the right. Deco takes and the ball comes off Cesar and lands at OLEGUER's feet. The big centre half is quick to react and sidefoots the ball past the unsighted Arnau from five yards. It was their first effort on target, in their third attack on goal so far!
Malaga 0 Barcelona 1.
Two minutes later and Valdes has to make another excellent save from Baiano. Juanito slips the ball to him in the centre circle and the striker goes off on a run past three defenders before unleashing a powerful right foot shot from the edge of the box.
In 27' Guily becomes the next player booked for three successive fouls on Duda as the tricky Portuguese winger attempts a run down the left.
In 28' Van Brockhurst (ex Rangers and Arsenal), makes a break down the left wing and whips in a cross which is met by Ronaldinho in the "D". His powerful header comes off the bar with Arnau beaten, but the offside whistle had already gone.
It's back down the other end next minute and after some more Baiano magic in the box he releases Juan Rodriguez with a short pass, but good defending by Puyol takes the ball off his feet before he can pull the trigger.
Barca approach Malaga's goal again in 33' when Ronaldinho is fouled by Juan Rodriguez on the left. He quickly takes the kick himself and finds GUILY's head, as the little winger sneaks past the static Malaga defence, and his brilliant header goes in just inside the near post.
Malaga 0 Barcelona 2
Malaga have been hit with two goals against the run of play, but are not out of this game and continue to press forward. There is a feeling that if they can get one back before half time, it would put a better reflection on their play and unsettle their visitors.
In 40' there is a right stooshie. Gerardo (who seems to have been given free kick duties ahead of Duda) takes a free kick 40 yards out on the left. He attempts an audacious shot at goal which has Valdes scrambling backwards. The big keeper reverses into the post as he attempts to gather the ball and collapses in a heap. He releases the ball, which seems to go over the line, before Oleguer can run back and hook out and out of play on the left touchline. The stretcher bearers run on to attend to the stricken Valdes whilst the Malaga forwards surround the referee and the farside linesman, gesticulating wildly. However, after Valdes recovers, the outcome is a throw-in on the left wing.
Malaga come close again just before half time after Miguel Angel (who seems to have played most of this half on his backside) is again brought down by Puyol. Gerardo's swinging cross finds Juan Rodriguez's head, but the burly striker's finish is just wide of the post.
Half time: Malaga 0 Barcelona 2
There is a scare for Malaga in the first minute after the restart as Ronaldinho sends a clever pass into the feet of Eto'o and the sprightly Cameroonian striker whips in a powerful drive which just flashes past the far post with Arnau watching.
There is a great chance for Malaga to get back into the game in 49' when Miguel Angel finds Duda on his own on the left. The little winger, who has scored in the last two matches, has a go but his shot goes well over.
In 50' Amoroso comes on for Juanito as Malaga add to their attacking options and try and get something from the game.
In 52' Deco, who has had a quiet game, finds Ronaldinho in space. The little magician has a strike at goal but the ball swerves away just at the last moment and shoots past the near post.
In 55' Malaga's movement and passing catch the eye. Juan Rodriguez breaks down the right wing and as he reaches the edge of the box passes square to Amoroso in the "D". The sure footed Brazilian finds his compatriot Baiano with a defence splitting pass into the box but Valdes manages to get a fingertip to the shot and puts it out for a corner. Gerardo sends in an excellent cross and Amoroso gets a good header in from five yards but it skims the top of the bar as it goes just over.
In 59' Eto'o is taken off and substituted by centre back Motta as Rijkaard tries to hold onto the lead.
In 60' Valcarce has a shot at goal from the left wing but it drifts just wide of the far post.
The next minute Romero brings down Xavi just outside the box. It's tailor-made for Ronaldinho but, as we wonder where he is going to place it, he kicks the ball off the wall and the danger is cleared.
In 66' Romero is taken off and replaced by Manu, as Tapia goes for a more attacking line-up. Manu goes out wide on the right wing and Juan Rodriguez moves inside to form a three pronged attack with Baiano and Amoroso.
The next minute, as Malaga reorganise, Ronaldinho slips the ball through for GUILY to run onto down the right wing. The Malaga defence claim offside but the winger continues his run and hits a strong shot past Arnau.
Malaga 0 Barcelona 3
In 68' Barca anchor man Iniesta comes off for Silvinho.
In 70' full back Valcarce is replaced by striker Tote, with Duda slipping back into an overlapping left full back position and Amoroso going wide left. Malaga now have four fully fledged strikers on the park in a very attacking formation.
In 72' Xavi is next to be booked for not retreating 10 yards at a free kick. He is replaced two minutes later by Gerard.
In 75' there is another controversial moment as Puyol and Amoroso chase a ball which goes close to the left corner flag. Puyol just gets there first and Amoroso catches the big defender's ankle as he attempts to get to the ball. The referee has no hesitation and gives the Brazilian a straight red card! Whilst the stretcher bearers attend to the clearly crippled Barca captain, the Malaga players surround the referee, but unlike the last home game, this referee will not change his decision.
Ten man Malaga do not give up and still take the play to the visitor's half. Tote has a great chance to get on the scoresheet after some neat passing between Juan Rodriguez and Baiano, but he seems to get the ball under his feet and the Barca defence clear.
"Crippled" Puyol has to sprint alongside Baiano in 85' to chase a through ball from Miguel Angel, much to the jeers and whistles from the Malaga crowd.
In 89' Deco wins a corner on the left. He passes short to Ronaldinho who sends in a lovely cross to meet the tall substitute Gerard whose header from 12 yards beats Arnau all ends up to finish the scoring and end a miserable day for the goalkeeper, who is interesting Tottenham Hotspur.
Full time Malaga 0 Barcelona 4
Next week away to Levante and then back here against the "Yellow Submarines" of Villarreal. Your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there.

Posted by hodgers at 2:10 PM | Permalink

Jornada 30, that means 9 games to go until the end of the season, including this one. After the disastrous run during November and December when the prospect of relegation was becoming a worrying reality, under new boss Tapia, Malaga now believe they only need a further six points or two wins from these 9 games to ensure safety. A few more points and who knows where you can end up in this league! After today, the next few games are away to Valencia and Albacete, home to champions-elect Barcelona and away to Levante. So on paper, today's opposition, Getafe, represent a real opportunity to take the first three of the points required.
On paper. This is an historic season from Madrid's fourth team (after Real, Atletico and Rayo with their Coliseum Alfonso Perez stadium holding only 14,400 spectators), being their first season ever since their foundation in 1983 that they have achieved La Liga status. Hence every game makes history as they are playing teams for the first time and visit La Roselda for the first time ever. And what a season! In their last away game they beat Real Madrid 2-1 and sit one point ahead of Malaga in the table. In 39 years old Enrique Sanchez Flores, they have one of the youngest managers in La Liga. In Sanchez Broto, they have an experienced goalkeeper, a former Malaga goalie who left the Costa del Sol to sign for Steve Archibald's Airdrie in 1999, spent three years with Livingston before becoming a Celtic player in 2002. Last season he played in La Liga for the to-be-relegated Real Murcia under John Toshack and was signed as cover for Aragoneses by Flores. The 33 year old stopper has pushed himself into the first team and has become the regular choice. Getafe play 4-4-2, with blond midfielder Rivas pulling the strings for the two big strikers Yordi and Panchon.
Getafe (4-4-2): Broto,Yanguas, Belenguer, Nano and Pernia, Cotelo, Rivas, Gabi and Vivar, Yordi and Panchon.
Malaga's team has the now familiar line-up, with Tapia keeping faith with the men who did so well for him since he took over as manager in January. There has been some transfer speculation concerning a number of Malaga's players, notably Juan Rodriguez (Liverpool), Miguel Angel (Betis) and Juanito (Deportivo). Also Amoroso may be leaving for Qatar and Baiano's future is also uncertain. There is no place for Wanchope on the bench as he is recovering from his two World Cup qualifier international matches for Costa Rica against Panama and Trinidad and Tobago.
Malaga (4-2-3-1): Arnau, Gerardo, Cesar, Fernando Sanz, Valcarce, Juanito and Romero, Juan Rodriguez, Miguel Angel and Duda, Baiano.
It's been a lovely Sunday afternoon in Malaga. It's 1700h, it's 24C, the sun is shining and Helen (no Geoff, yet again) is worried because we have not brought sun tan lotion with us. Malaga are in their familiar blue and white stripes, Getafe in all scarlet red.
There is a one minute silence before kick-off in respect of the death of "El Papa". This is a total silence from the crowd and I considered what it would be like if there was a Celtic-Rangers match on and a minute's silence was requested for the death of the Pope.
The first shot of the game is from Panchon in 4' who takes a snapshot 35 yards out, but the shot is also 35 yards wide. This wakes up Malaga who then begin to dominate play. Duda forces a spectacular one-handed save from Broto in 6' with Juan Rodriguez denied. A number of shots are fired in by Malaga in the next few minutes. First in 7' Gerardo has a go from 30 yards, then Juanito runs onto a loose ball, but his low shot is straight at Broto. Then a good effort from Juan Rodriguez looks goal bound except at the last moment it swerves just wide of the post.
Getafe show again in 12' with nifty footwork by the big No.9 Yordi as he drifts past Gerardo down their left wing, but Romero steps in and takes the ball past three players before releasing Duda with a 30 yard pass down the left wing. Cesar and Fernando Sanz are looking strong in defence although Yordi and Panchon look lively. On the centre line on 14', Fernando Sanz makes a sliding tackle on Rivas and the loose ball is picked up by Baiano on the left touchline. The Brazilian starts a run across the field, evades a tackle from Yanguas then does a step over to get past Belenguer. As Nano tries to cover, BAIANO sends in a rasping, curling shot which goes in off the post. Great goal and a candidate for some award. It's MALAGA 1 GETAFE 0
Malaga keep up the momentum and Duda again brings out a fantastic one-handed save from Broto from a free kick 25 yards out after Juan Rodriguez had been brought down. In 17' Malaga almost increase the lead as Juan Rodriguez narrowly heads wide after a neat lob from Romero. There is a scramble in the box as Baiano, Miguel Angel and Duda all have shots blocked as Malaga pile on the pressure. In 20' Duda has a great chance down the left wing with a great one-two with Miguel Angel, but his strong drive from inside the box hits the side net.
After this flurry of attacks, Getafe get back into the game and Rivas is taking the eye in midfield. The game however becomes bogged down in midfield as both teams fail to keep possession.
In 32' Juan Rodriguez brings down Yordi out wide on the left wing. Getafe get everybody up for the free kick. The kick is taken by Pernia but seems to go behind most of the Getafe players, but somehow, centreback NANO, with his back to goal, manages an amazing overhead kick which flies past Arnau to make it 1-1.
It's Getafe's first effort on target, but it's a great goal.
Half time Malaga 1 Getafe 1
In 50' the first booking of the game is Getafe's Vivar for tripping Juan Rodriguez after the big striker had left the central midfielder for dead. Duda takes but shoots straight to Broto.
In 53' it's nosebleed territory for anchor Romero as he chases a bouncing ball into the box. Broto panics and the ball goes out for a corner. Duda's corner is headed out by the defence but only to Miguel Angel, waiting 20 yards out. The stylish playmaker hits it on the volley and it screams netbound only to come crashing off the bar. The ball falls to Duda who sends it back in but Romero heads just over. Malaga are back in attacking mode and Getafe have their backs to the wall, as Juan Rodriguez, Miguel Angel and Romero force errors with their running and chasing.
In 64' Romero, who has had an excellent game. again runs into the box and forces yet another corner. He meets Duda's kick with his head but finds the sidenet.
With Getafe missing in attack, Tapia takes off Fernando Sanz in 66' and brings on Amoroso.
Two minutes later Romero is dumped in midfield. Duda's kick finds Baiano in space and the Brazilian's shot requires yet another spectacular save from Broto, who manages to get his finger tips to the ball at full length to put it out for a corner. Amoroso takes the kick but the ball is hoofed away anywhere.
Malaga go 4-2-4 trying to find the winner, with Juan Rodriguez wide right, Duda wide left and the two Brazilians, Baiano and Amoroso through the middle. Juanito has dropped back to centre half and Romero and Miguel Angel operating in midfield.
In 78' Baiano is tripped on the left 30 yards out. It's yet another opportunity for Duda (who takes all the free kicks, but rarely seems to threaten the goal). His kick this time comes back off the wall and the referee blows for a penalty for handball in the box! The crowd are ecstatic! Who will take the kick? Remember, Malaga are the only team not to have scored this season from the spot. This in fact is only their second award of the season. But wait, there is a stooshie out there on the park. The Getafe players surround the referee and chase him around the penalty box. This lasts for several minutes and the crowd are becoming restless. The referee then decides to consult his linesman. The result? Take the free kick again! Astounding! No penalty! In 45 years of watching football, I have never seen the likes of this before. (On watching the TV highlights later, the ball quite clearly comes off Nano's head, but that's not the point). Duda's retake again hits the wall, but this time the referee gives a corner. Amoroso takes it quickly, gets the return from Baiano but his shot hits the side net.
In 85' the ball is played down the right wing for Juan Rodriguez. As the ball passes way over his head Amoroso is brought down off the ball by Yordi. The Brazilian lies in a heap on the ground as the referee has no hesitation of showing the big centre a straight red card.
There's a full 6 minutes of added time, but it is not Malaga's day and they are denied the win they surely deserved.
Full-time Malaga 1 Getafe 1
Next home game is in three weeks against mighty Barcelona. Never fear, your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there!

Posted by hodgers at 10:15 AM | Permalink

Tapia's men face three tough matches in a row. Last week, it was away to Deportivo La Coruna. Malaga were defeated 1-0 through a very soft penalty award and also suffered the sending off of Cesar (for two laughable bookable offences). The technical term for that game was "We wuz robbed". Next weekend, Malaga are away to Real Madrid (who were beaten yesterday 2-1 by fellow Madrid team, Getafe, with Solari getting Real Madrid's consolation in the 89th minute).

This weekend, it's Real Betis at home. Betis are a big club with over 40,000 season ticket holders. Lying seventh in the table, just outside the European slots, they boast some superstars in their line-up. First of all there is the £20m+ rated right winger, Joaquin, a Spanish internationalist at 20, and a possible transfer target for Chelsea. They also boast in Oliveira a striker whose 15 goals so far this season make him third top scorer in the league (behind Barcelona's Eto'o (19) and Villarreal's Forlan (16), yes, he's on loan from Manchester United). Oliveira's two Brazilian countrymen, Edu and Assuncao, have also been regularly on the scoresheet, particularly Assuncao, who has outshone many more illustrious scoring deadball takers in La Liga (particularly, D Beckham) with some amazing freekicks, especially in the range 30-40 yards. In goal there is Toni Doblas, another young goalkeeper who has been taking the eye. And in reserve, there is another Brazilian, Denilson, who is worth the admission money on his own, when he plays to form. They play counter attack football, with pace and accurate passing, in an increasingly popular formation (4-2-3-1). Team: Doblas, Melli, Rivas, Juanito, Fernandez, Arzu and Assuncao, Joaquin, Edu and Fernando, Oliveira.
Malaga make one change from their normal line-up, with the big Portuguese centre back, Litos (an ever-present last season) replacing the suspended Cesar. Team (4-1-2-2-1): Arnau, Gerardo, Litos, Fernando Sanz and Valcarce, Romero, Michel Angel and Juanito, Juan Rodriguez and Duda, Baiano. Juan Rodriguez plays wide right and Duda on the left with Miguel Angel the main support for Baiano through the middle.

It's Sunday night. It's 10pm (yes, 10pm). The game is live on Spanish TV. It's a very mild 16C, with no wind. There are flares going off, big drums being beat in a steady rhythm, huge banners covering from top to bottom of the stands all around the ground, we've also got those infuriating flashy touchline advertising boards which have Toyota Yaris's driving from left to right. The ground is full, with a large contingent from Sevilla to support Betis, for after all this is a derby match. La Roselda looks different, as the main stand to our right has been completely demolished and from our seats we can see traffic moving on the street. But it's as fantastic atmosphere in the stadium and when Malaga run out of their new blue tunnel onto the pitch, they are welcomed with a cacophony of noise and blue and white confetti from the top tier of the stands. Geoff has failed to make it again, so Helen is beside me, as Betis win the toss and elect to kick towards our end at the Fondo in the first half.

The game has hardly settled down from the kick-off when, in the third minute, Arzu finds Joaquin on the right touchline. This is going to be a big night for our left back Valcarce, who must snuff out the runs and crosses from this very dangerous threat. So the experienced full back makes his presence felt and the young winger is felled 30 yards out, wide on the touchline. Assuncao takes the kick into a crowded penalty box, but Litos heads it out. The back four quickly move forward, but the ball comes back to JUANITO, the Betis centre back, standing in the clear(ly offside position) and strokes the ball past Arnau. The goal is given much to the anger of the Malaga players and crowd alike, but the referee has decided, so that's that.
Malaga 0 Betis 1
Malaga are stunned by this start, not what they wanted at all. So we have to wait until the 9th minute before they mount their first real threat on goal. Romero wins the ball in midfield and finds Baiano on the left wing. He runs past three defenders before cutting back to Romero, who, with plenty of time, is able to send in a piledriver. But it is well wide. Malaga come closer in the 12' when Duda is fouled by Joaquin out on the left wing. Unusually, it's Baiano who takes the kick. We see why as he sends in a screamer which Doblas does very well to get a hand to. From the corner kick, Duda finds Baiano who knocks it onto Litos. The big centre back is clearly being held back, but no penalty is awarded. (Fact - Malaga are the only team in La Liga this season who have not scored from the penalty spot. They have only been awarded one all season and Juan Rodriguez missed). It's still very early in the game, but already we are beginning to think that nothing was going our way.
This is confirmed in 17'. Malaga have been pressing for an equaliser, with Betis very much on the back foot. There are some dubious tackles in midfield, for which most referees would award a free-kick for, if not shown a card or two. This referee wants to see a flowing game and allows "advantage". Romero is hacked down in midfield, but the ball breaks to Duda, so the ref waves "play on". Of course, Duda is promptly tackled by Melli, who passes it quickly to Assuncao. The Brazilian lobs over the Malaga defence, who are up at the centre line, and EDU runs onto the ball, takes it past the flailing Arnau and it's 0-2.
Malaga 0 Betis 2
Our Brazilian, Baiano, is looking very lively at this point, with a good first touch and movement. But our star is Romero, the bandy legged Uruguayan, who is strong in the tackle and purposeful with every pass. The two who have been making Malaga tick since the turn of the year, Miguel Angel and Juan Rodriguez, are almost absent from the play tonight.
In 23' Baiano wins a corner by harassing Fernandez, when the ball should just have been cleared up. Duda's corner, though, is just headed over by Litos. Then in 26' Duda is fouled out on the left wing, 40 yards out. He takes it short to Romero, who finds BAIANO in the "D" with a super accurate pass through a ruck of players' legs. The striker doesn't hesitate and spins around to beat Doblas from 20 yards. Malaga are back in the game!
Malaga 1 Betis 2
Tapia recognises that there is nothing happening down our right wing at all and makes a surprise substitution after only 30 minutes. Juan Rodriguez comes off for Tote (the striker is on-loan from Betis and very keen to show them what they are missing). Miguel Angel moves right and Tote takes up the more central role, playing off Baiano.
In 36' Romero again wins the ball and sees Miguel Angel making a run down the right. The midfielder runs into the box and is one on one with Doblas, but the young goalkeeper manages to block the shot.
The following minute, Gerardo is deemed to fouled Fernando and it's our first opportunity to see Assuncao take a free kick. It's 35 yards out but he is aiming for goal. Unfortunately for Betis, Rivas gets in the way of the shot and it goes over for a goal kick. There has been no real threat from Oliveira or the other Betis players really as Malaga have kept them pinned down in their own half. Melli is the first booking of the game in 44' after hacking down Romero and it's halftime. It's been a quick first half and Malaga must feel that the game is not beyond them, although Betis have only been in Malaga's half half a dozen times and have scored twice.
Half-time Malaga 1 Betis 2
When the teams line up, Miguel Angel is back in the middle and Tote is wide right as Tapia tries to make the break through. Juanito is the first Malaga player in the book after bring down Oliveira in the centre circle after 48'.
In 52' Baiano is still a threat as he creates something out of nothing in the "D" but his shot goes just over. The next minute he outjumps the Betis defence to head a Duda freekick just wide. Tote is causing panic down Betis's left with his strong running and scent for goal. He is continually brought down but the referee waves play on even when Malaga don't have the advantage. In 63' Duda is presented with two clear chances, probably the easiest chances in the whole game, but he panics and puts them both well wide, with only Doblas to beat. This has a section of the crowd urging Tapia to make another substitution and take the little Portuguese winger out of his and our misery. There is a substitution in 64' but it's Baiano off for Wanchope. The 8'6" Costa Rican striker begins winning all the high balls into the area, but he can't direct them into the path of his team-mates and Tote is particularly frustrated, getting into good scoring positions, without the service. However, when he does get the ball, Tote's lack of match practice shows and his shooting is well off the mark.
In 71' Tapia takes off captain Fernando Sanz to bring on another striker, Amoroso. Betis are just now getting out of their half and Tapia clearly believes he does not need four defenders. Amoroso has a good touch and a keen eye for movement around him and he is quickly giving Tote the service he has been looking for. However, Tote is not able to convert the good runs and positioning into a real threat to his erstwhile colleagues.
In 77' Arzu commits a heinous tackle on the dangerous Amoroso which gains him a yellow card. But also, he's injured himself and has to be carried off in a stretcher and is replaced by Benjamin. Gerardo takes the free kick and Doblas makes an excellent save. It is not Malaga's day!
In 87' it's the best chance of all for Tote to open his account for his new team when Gerardo finds him free in the box out on the right. The crowd get to their feet in anticipation but his powerful drive is blocked by Fernandez, who ran back at speed across the path of the shot. We all know that was the last chance to get the draw which is the least that Malaga deserved from the game.
Full time: Malaga 1 Betis 2

Next week it's away to Real Madrid. The next game is after a short break for Easter, when Malaga are at home to the third Madrid team, Getafe, on 9 April. Your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there.

Posted by hodgers at 11:38 AM | Permalink

Whew it's hot today! 27C and bright sunshine at the 17:00h Sunday kick-off time - still our seats this season are not directly in the sun, but it is still shirt-sleeve weather. 20th February? Fantastico! No Geoff for the second home game running so Helen is sitting beside me at today's game.

Malaga under Tapia has recorded three wins, one defeat and one draw and have conceded only one goal. However, at the start of today's fixtures, they sit just one place ahead of the bottom three relegation places, despite their magnificent 1-0 away victory last week at Numancia (Juan Rodriguez). So another home win is imperative. For the first time this season (probably), Tapia has a full squad to pick from, free of suspensions, injuries and international call-ups. So when the teams are announced, the big surprise is that there is no place in the team nor on the bench for Wanchope, who sits in the stand, contemplating. In fact, Tapia picks what has become his first choice eleven, in a 4-2-3-1 formation, using both Romero and Juanito as joint anchors in front of defence.
Team: Arnau, Gerardo, Cesar, Fernando Sanz and Valcarce, Juanito and Romero, Juan Rodriguez, Michel Angel and Duda, Baiano.

Espanyol (Barcelona's "other" team, who play at the Olympic Stadium) have been the surprise team of the season, sustaining a top six (European) slot all season on merit. Their manager, Lotina, has to do without de la Pena (who got his first cap for Spain in the recent thrashing of San Marino), Velamazan, Pochettino and Posse, all injured. However, he still has a strong squad with Cameroon goalkeeper Kameni, midfield supremos Alex and Fredson and goalgrabbers Maxi, Dani and Tamudo available.
Team: (4-4-2): Kameni, Jarque, Lopo, Soldevilla and David Garcia, Alex, Ito, Fredson and Maxi, Serrano and Tamudo.

Malaga win the toss and elect to kick towards the Fondo end (that's our end, for those of you who have visited La Roseleda) in the first half. But it's Espanyol who take the eye with solid passing and keeping possession. They look well organised and at first glance we can see why they currently enjoy sixth place in the league. However, in the eighth minute it's Malaga who take the lead. Duda sends a long ball into the box where Malaga have three waiting. It passes Baiano and Miguel Angel but not JUAN RODRIGUEZ who slots home from 8 yards.
Malaga 1 Espanyol 0.
It is all Malaga now and Alex is booked for a two footed foul on Duda in the 9th minute.
In 13' there is good passing down the right wing between Miguel Angel and Juan Rodriguez and finally Gerardo, but the full-back's cross into the box is too long and the danger is cleared.
The next minute and Miguel Angel finds Baiano out wide on the left touchline. The Brazilian turns sweetly and threads a pass through four defenders' legs to Romero, who in turn slips it into the path of Juan Rodriguez. The Malaga starlet takes the ball around a defender before hammering in a shot that Kameni is pleased to see bounce off his legs to safety.
In 15' Malaga keep up the pressure as Romero enters nosebleed territory (for him) with a powerful shot that Kameni does well to stop.
In 16' Duda swings in a cross from the left. Baiano is surrounded by three defenders but manages to head the ball down to MIGUEL ANGEL, who takes it on his right foot, swivels past a defender and onto his left foot and slots home from 12 yards.
Malaga 2 Espanyol 0.
Espanyol may be stunned but it's still Malaga on the hunt for more goals. In 19' Romero sends a delightful pass into the path of Baiano, whose run is timed to perfection, but Kameni and Lopo combine to stifle the threat.
Arnau's first save comes after 20 minutes, but it's easy as Maxi shoots straight into his arms from 25 yards.
In 25' the busy Miguel Angel picks up a pass from Juanito, who is a terrier in the tackle and his closing down wins a large percentage of the ball in midfield. Miguel Angel finds Baiano in the box, but as usual the lone front man is surrounded by defenders. Non-plussed, he holds onto the ball until he gets support, this time from Duda, but the little winger is offside.
The next minute and it's Espanyol getting a little bit back into the game. Midfield general, Fredson, who has been impressive with his use of the ball, this time is on the end of a cross and his header goes narrowly past and reminds us all that this game is not over.
In 28' Alex, who is clearly the dead ball expert for Espanyol taking all their free kicks and corners, has an opportunity from 30 yards after Duda brings down Serrano. It's a powerful effort but it goes wide.
Then in 33' there is a big stooshie in midfield. Miguel Angel is standing on the centre line when he receives a short pass from Juanito. In rushes Alex from behind bringing Miguel Angel crashing to the ground. It is a hideous foul and the referee is immediately surrounded by players from both sides, while Miguel Angel writhes about on the ground. At first I'm not sure what all the fuss is about, but then it becomes clear. Remember the ninth minute? Alex has already been booked! And yes, the referee produces a second yellow card and then a red one and Alex is sent off. So Espanyol are 2-0 down and now down to 10 men. The Malaga fans are delirious! We've won the game, the league, the cup, the UEFA Cup and the World Cup. You little beauty!
In 35' Malaga almost increase their lead. Whilst Espanyol are still reorganising after Alex's dismissal, Valcarce finds himself alone in the inside left slot so elects to fire in a powerful shot at goal that only just goes over with Kameni stranded.
But Espanyol are not sixth for nothing. In Tamudo, they have a tricky little striker who can produce danger from nothing and is always on the prowl. In 39' he hits a really powerful shot straight into Fernando Sanz - it's a great block but poor Fernando is pole-axed and requires treatment before he can continue.
In 41' there's a scare for Malaga as the ball breaks off Juan Rodriguez after a corner kick and Arnau has to be lively to stop the ball going in at the near post.
Then Malaga regain their attacking boots and Romero finds Baiano in the box. Similar story, surrounded by defenders, holding on to the ball, looking for support. Again it's Duda and again the winger cannot manage a shot as he is dispossessed before he pulls the trigger.
We're ready for half time and waiting for the whistle. Espanyol are not. We are into injury time and Arnau has to make two fantastic saves, one after the other, first from a snap shot from 20 yards from Maxi which he dives across goal to parry away, then secondly to Tamudo's shot after the little striker latches onto the rebound. Arnau has to get up smartly off the ground and is able to turn to shot around the post for a corner. Arnau is congratulated by his team mates and also receives loud applause and cheers from the crowd. (The double save is featured heavily later on Spanish TV as one of the highlights of the weekend).

Half time: Malaga 2 Espanyol 0

In 48' Miguel Angel receives the ball from Romero on the centre line and starts on a run. He finds he is alone so keeps running until he reaches the by-line where Jarque, who has had to run back 40 yards, sticks out a foot and the ball goes out for a corner. Duda's kick is headed clear.
Espanyol are pushing right up to the centre line and Kameni has to deal with a "pass back" from the centre circle which is bouncing 10 feet in the air! He can't handle or it's a foul and the ball is being chased by Baiano. What to do? He heads the ball vertically in the air and out of Baiano's reach, then kicks the ball back upfield before it touches the ground. Pure theatre!
In 55' Malaga go looking to extend their lead. Juan Rodriguez wins a corner on the right. Duda takes it short with Gerardo. He receives the return pass and then drives at goal. Kameni has to dive full length across his goal to stop the shot but it comes out to JUANITO five yards out and he taps into the empty net for his first goal of the season.
Malaga 3 Espanyol 0
In 60' Tote comes on for Duda. Although he hasn't shown much to date, Tote is already the crowd's favourite and receives a great cheer on his introduction to the play. Tote goes up front alongside Baiano and Miguel Angel moves out wide left.
Romero seeks out Miguel Angel in his new position and from an impossibly acute angle, the number 21 fires in a shot which Kameni has to touch onto and over the bar.
Malaga are cruising now and play becomes bogged down in midfield with a series of possession keeping passes, greeted with "Ole, Ole" at each pass. The crowd become bored and start chanting matches between each end of the ground, shouting "oh-a-oh-a, oh-a-ai" and finally, Mexican waves.
In 71' the tiring Baiano is replaced by Michel, who takes over the left wing berth and Miguel Angel returns to his more normal position in the middle of the field.
The next minute and the crowd is silenced when Serrano makes a run down the left wing and sends in a powerful cross across the goal. Cesar misses it altogether and Fernando Sanz has to slide across the goalmouth in an attempt to clear. However, DANI, who has come on Fredson, is there and he fires home from 12 yards with Arnau mesmerised.
Malaga 3 Espanyol 1
If Malaga are affected by this reverse it does not show and the players look to be playing out time (What? with 20 minutes to go? Suicide!)
Lopo is booked for a two footed challenge on Juanito in 79' as frustration at the events unfolding begin to show.
Then in 85' it happens. Serrano, who is finding lots of space down the left, hares down the wing with the Malaga defence caught upfield. They are on the run trying to catch up and Serrano spots Tamudo making a strong run into the box. Serrano's powerful cross eludes Cesar and FERNANDO SANZ, rushing to get between the ball and Tamudo, makes a strong connection and has to watch agonisingly as it goes in the wrong side of the near post for an own goal.
Malaga 3 Espanyol 2
Well, 10 men Espanyol have a second lease of life and seem to have boundless energy and determination. Malaga are now on the back foot and it's a nail-biting climax to an excellent evening's entertainment.
In 88' Gerardo is booked for bringing down Tamudo on the edge of the box. For a moment the crowd holds its collective breath, but the referee says it's outside the box and not a penalty. Maxi hits the free kick with all his might and the ball comes off Miguel Angel's head for a corner. But Miguel Angel doesn't know this as he is knocked out. There are some anxious moments as the medics attend to him and he is eventually carried off on a stretcher, where he continues to receive attention behind the goal. Edgar comes on as substitute.
There is no respite for Malaga as Espanyol bring on another striker, Jonathan, and the remaining minutes are spent in the Malaga goalmouth with last ditch clearances the order of the moment. The only cheer for Malaga fans is when Miguel Angel shakily gets onto his feet and has to be led to the dressing rooms.
Finally the referee blows for full time and nail-biting can stop.
Full time Malaga 3 Espanyol 2

Brilliant spectacle, great result and Malaga jump three places to 14th after this result and six points clear of the third relegation team in 18th place, Racing Santander (who had a brilliant 1-0 home victory themselves today over last season's champions, fifth placed Valencia.) There are no easy games for any team, which makes the league very compelling. Next week, another interesting match with Malaga making the trip up north to Osasuna, who drew 0-0 today away to Getafe in Madrid and sit in 11th place in the table.
The next home game is on Wednesday 2 March against Athletic Bilbao, who ended new manager Luxemburgo's dream of eight straight wins today by beating Real Madrid 0-2 at the Bernabeu. No matter who they are, they will get a game at La Roseleda. As always, your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there.

Posted by hodgers at 12:31 AM | Permalink

Dear Diary,
What a fortnight it's been! Snow on Torre del Mar beach, two new signings for Malaga and one departure and the first rain since November, albeit rain is an overstatement as we had some drizzle for an afternoon - which is having the locals making plans for a possible drought if we don't get some more rain during February.
In the week after the win against Atletico Madrid, we saw the arrival of Tote on-loan from Real Betis, with an option to sign for 1m€ at the end of the season. Tote is now 26, but at one time was as revered as his then team-mate, Raul, at Real Madrid as the dream ticket in attack in Spain. Successive managers and extreme competition for the striker's role for the Blancos saw Tote make the move to Andalucian rivals, Real Betis but again never got the opportunity to prove himself in Sevilla. With the arrival of Oliveira from Valencia at the beginning of the season, Tote saw his options decrease even more. Always a goalscorer in every team he's played for, he seems a good bet for Malaga, who will surely be given the opportunity this season to make a name for himself and salvage what was a very promising career.
Also in that week saw the signing of Fernando Baiano (on his shirt, Fernando) from Brazilian club, Sao Caetano, having previously played in the German Bundesliga for Wolfsburg. The six feet plus Brazilian is well loved in his home country and at 25 has already an impressive goalscoring record. His signing, however, caused an administrative problem for Malaga, as the Spanish Liga rules only allow three non-EU players in the first team squad. Malaga already had three, Wanchope (Costa Rica), Romero (Uruguay) and Leko (Croatia). The Brazilian, Amoroso, already has dual nationality, after years of playing in Europe. So, Leko, whose contract was due for renewal at the end of the season was sacrificed and has left the club. He has returned to Croatia and has signed for Hadjduck Split.
(Footnote: the day after Leko left, Romero gained dual nationality and so no longer counts as a non-EU player. Sod's Law applies in Spain too).
Last week, Malaga played away to Real Zaragoza in a game which the home team won 1-0, but only after Malaga had two cast-iron penalty claims turned down and also had two men sent off (Edgar and Duda) both for deliberate hand ball. Your Correspondent may be biased, but it was also a bit of a mystery to each of the five major TV stations in Spain why they were straight red cards and why penalties weren't awarded, so we can safely say "We wuz robbed".
New Manager Tapia (it means "garden wall") therefore had three new signings and at least two changes to make to the starting eleven for tonight's crucial game against Mallorca. Malaga sit one point clear of the three relegation places in the league in 17th place. Mallorca start the game in second bottom place (19th). So a six-pointer in prospect. In the event, it was starting debuts for Michel (pronounced Meetchel) and Fernando, with Tote, Amoroso, Wanchope, Litos, Iznate and Calatayud on the bench. In a much changed line-up, Michel started on the left wing, Gerardo on the right wing, Romero at right back with Juan Rodriguez playing off Fernando in attack.
Malaga (4-4-1-1): Arnau, Romero, Cesar Navas, Fernando Sanz, Valcarce, Gerardo, Miguel Angel, Juanito and Michel, Juan Rodriguez and Fernando.
Mallorca also have had a change of manager with Benito Flores being replaced by Hector Cuper, the Argentinean who gained fame some seasons ago with Valencia, before trying his luck in Italy. He has been busy during the January transfer window, signing Uruguayan midfielder De Los Santos, Italian midfield legend Iuliano, and strikers Okabu, Romeo and Felipe Melo. In Luis Garcia they already have a proven goalscorer, with 8 goals this season.
Real Mallorca (4-4-2): Moya, Campano, Fernando Nino, Ramis and Poli, Iuliano, De Los Santos, Arango and Tuni, Luis Garcia and Okubo.

It's a 17:00 kick-off, and although a mild 16C, there's been a slight drizzle this afternoon so the surface might be a little greasy on top. The opening exchanges are confined to midfield and we had to wait until the 8th minute before we had any real goalmouth action. Big strong Juan Rodriguez wins the ball in the midfield and slips it to new boy Fernando who with slight of foot ghosts past three defenders and puts the ball in the path of the supporting Miguel Angel. Moya is first to the ball and the danger passes. Valcarce sends in a tempting cross after 15 minutes, but Moya beats Juan Rodriguez to the ball. Malaga are trying hard but there's a lack of cohesion about their play, probably due to the number of enforced changes, players out of position and first team debuts.
Mallorca's first attempt comes after 20 minutes when Arango takes a free kick 20 yards out, but his shot goes straight into the arms of Arnau. Two minutes later Mallorca have another chance when Iuliano is fouled on the edge of the box. Luis Garcia takes the kick but it bounces off the wall out to Mallorca skipper, Campano, whose strike from 30 yards goes wide.
At the other end, in 24 minutes, Juan Rodriguez is fouled outside the box out on the left. Gerardo's free kick hits the wall, deflected off De Los Santos's outstretched arm but Moya gets behind it. Although there are claims for a penalty, the referee is not interested.
The best chance of the half falls to Juan Rodriguez after 36 minutes, who is on his own 30 yards out when a loose ball falls at his feet. He sends in a rasper, but Moya, who is having a fine game, is able to scramble across his goal to make an excellent save.
Both teams have been huffing and puffing but neither side has seriously threatened the goal with both defences and goalkeepers looking comfortable.
Half time Malaga 0 Mallorca 0.
Malaga start brightly and force a corner a minute after the restart. Miguel Angel takes but again Moya shows safe hands and grabs the ball off the head of nine feet two giant centre back Cesar Navas.
In 52' Valcarce finds some overlapping space wide on the left and his pass finds Fernando, who, spinning round, tries a first time shot that just goes over. Two minutes later, the best move of the match has Miguel Angel in midfield sending a superb through pass, splitting the Mallorca defence right down the middle, to match the perfect run from Fernando. The big Brazilian sees Moya coming off his line and tries to lift it over him but it goes just over the bar.
After 55', Juanito comes off and is replaced by Amoroso.
Amoroso is quick to make an impression and his quick feet mesmerise the Mallorca defence and he finds Fernando in the box. The striker is surrounded by three defenders and can't get the ball away from his feet but the ball spins out to the lurking Miguel Angel whose snapshot just goes wide from 18 yards.
It's been all Malaga since the restart but Mallorca prove that they are dangerous on the break in 60' when Valcarce is booked for a foul on Okabo, who was in full flight. The danger isn't over and there is a bit of pushing and shoving as a wall is constructed for the free-kick with two Mallorca players wanting to help make up the wall. The always impressive Aranga takes the kick and Arnau can only watch as the ball strikes the underside of the bar and bounces clear.
This wake-up call galvanises Malaga back into attack and Amoroso and Michel link up well with neat interpassing down the left. Romero is in support and he takes the pass from Amoroso to unleash a screamer from 30 yards which again forces a great save from Moya. Moya's clearance finds Luis Garcia who releases Campano down the right wing. Valcarce is closing him down and Arnau nervously covers his near post, but the Mallorca captain's powerful drive ends up in the side net.
In 64' it's Amoroso and Michel again combining well down the left. This time the cross finds Fernando, but his first time effort from 12 yards lacks venom and Moya is able to make a comfortable save. That's it for Fernando as he is substituted by Wanchope.
In 72' Okabo is taken off and is replaced by Romeo for Mallorca.
In 75' Michel comes off as Tote is introduced to a great welcoming roar from the crowd.
The team rearranges itself with Wanchope and Amoroso up front with Tote sitting just between them in the "hole". Juan Rodriguez drops back to a more centre midfield role alongside Miguel Angel in a very attacking formation.
In 78' Iuliano goes in with both feet and flattens Miguel Angel out on the left wing. It's a dreadful foul and deserves a red card but the referee shows only a yellow. This brings the crowd to its feet in indignation with cries of "fuera, fuera" (get off) and much waving of white hankies.
In 82' Malaga are looking strong and forcing the play deep into Mallorca's half. Their team formation seems to be working and players are finding team-mates almost intuitively with their passes, in stark contrast to the first half. Amoroso out on the left spots the run of Wanchope and sends a delightful 40 yard pass into his path. Chope is in the clear and bearing down on the keeper. The crowd roars and gets to its feet in anticipation but Wanchope loses his footing at the crucial moment and lands flat on his backside. Enough said!
Full time Malaga 0 Real Mallorca 0
Two points lost at home could be costly. Other results today mean that Malaga remain in 17th place, still looking for a little run of wins to lift them up the table and away from the relegation zone. Next week they have another opportunity when they are away to bottom club Numancia.
Then the following week they return to La Roseleda for the visit of Espanyol. The "other" team from Barcelona have had a good season so far so it will be yet another tough test for the Blue and Whites. Your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there!

Posted by hodgers at 1:10 PM | Permalink

January 23rd 2005: 19:00h kick-off. It's been a terrific week of weather here in the Costa del Sol, really warm sunshine every day - the first local strawberries of the season at the market, in every way it's like spring after the coolness of December. Full moon, full house for the visit of star studded Atletico Madrid, including of course wunderkid Fernando Torres and last season's Malaga hero, Salva, in attack. New signing, Gronkjaer, from Birmingham City, has strengthened an already strong squad, which boasts an all-star midfield of Marcelo Sosa and Frenchman Peter Luccin. Atletico have slipped recently to 10th position (cf Malaga in 18th out of twenty) after an outstanding start and will be looking for a win to get themselves back in contention for a European placing.
New signings on Malaga's horizon: last week saw the transfer of Michel from Real Murcia and the transfer out of Luque to Cuidad de Murcia. The hot gossip though is about the signings of two renowned goalscoring strikers - the former Real Madrid starlet, Tote, from Real Betis, and the Brazilian, Baiano, from Wolfsburg. Hopefully these two players will be on show at the next home match on 06 February against Real Mallorca.
For his second game in charge, new Malaga boss Tapia is unable to field the same starting eleven as last week, because Duda is suspended due to reaching five yellow cards. However, Miguel Angel returns after suspension in an otherwise unchanged team, with Arnau retaining his position in goal. Malaga (4-5-1): Arnau, Gerardo, Cesar Nevas, Fernado Sanz, Valcarce, Edgar, Miguel Angel, Juan Rodriguez, Juanito and Leko, Amoroso.
Atletico Madrid (4-4-2): Leo Franco, Mollinero, Garcia Calvo, Perea, Antonio Lopez, Ibagaza, Sosa, Luccin, Gronkjaer, Fernando Torres and Salva.
Atletico Madrid are in their usual red and white stripes, with red shorts, whilst Malaga are in their home strip of blue and white stripes with blue shorts.
It's a Sunday night at 7pm, 15C, and the pitch is perfect condition. In a full house, there is a buzz around the stadium and Malaga win the toss electing to play towards the Fondo end (where we sit) in the first half.
The opening exchanges provide no threat on goal and we have to wait until the 4th minute when Leo Franco has to be smart to whip the ball off Amoroso's feet after good work by Edgar on the right wing.
Malaga prove to be more in control in these early moments and Valcarce's run down the left wing ends with a cross which forces a fine save from Leo Franco off Juan Rodriguez's header.
It's 10 minutes before Atletico manage to threaten goal. Gronkjaer makes a run down the left wing and sends in a cross which Arnau has to be alert to with Fernando Torres lurking.
The next minute, Malaga win a free kick 30 yards out on the right. Leko and Miguel Angel stand over the ball with all the big guys in the box waiting. Miguel Angel runs over the ball and Leko sends in a looping shot which Leo Franco is happy to see go just over.
In 14', it's another chance for Malaga from approximately the same position. Again, the training ground practice comes into force with Miguel Angel and Leko over the ball. This time Leko sends in an inviting cross to Amoroso's head which Leo Franco comes to first and punches the ball clear.
Penalty claims from Malaga after 16' when Leko is elbowed to the ground in the box when receiving a neat pass from Edgar, but the referee says play on.
In 18' the first booking of the game and it's Sosa, after bring down Juan Rodriguez in full flight.
The next minute it's another chance for Leko from a free kick outside the box, but Leo Franco makes an excellent save and tips it over. Miguel Angel takes the corner, but Fernando Sanz's header goes just past.
We have to wait until 22' before we see Fernando Torres have a shot on goal. He goes on a run, and with his quick feet gets past three defenders, but his shot is so high it almost makes the upper tier and has the occupants of Row Z scrambling for cover.
The second booking is in 30' when Gronkjaer is brought down by Gerardo.
Malaga have another chance in 33' when Gerardo's long throw finds Amoroso with his back to goal. The tricky Brazilian tries an overhead kick, but just fails to connect and the danger to the visitor's defence is cleared.
Perea brings down Juan Rodriguez near the left corner post and Leko's free is headed wide by giant centre back Cesar Nevas.
In 36' Fernando Torres wins another free kick about 30 yards out. Peter Luccin takes the kick after much toing and froing in the wall with three Atletico players trying to push their Malaga counterparts away from the line of the shot. However, Luccin's shot goes so wide it almost goes out for a throw.
In 40', another booking - this time it's Gronkjaer for off the ball comments to the referee.
Malaga are seeking the opening just before half time and when Perea handballs just outside the area, it's a chance for Juan Rodriguez, but his effort hits the wall and the danger has passed.

Half-time Malaga 0-0 Atletico Madrid

It's Atletico who start the brightest and from the kick-off, Gronkjaer takes the ball down the right to the touchline. With nobody in support, he tries a banana shot which just goes wide of the far post while Arnau can only watch and pray.
The next minute, Miguel Angel finds himself booked for a studs up challenge on Luccin on the centreline.
It's still Atletico pulling the strings and Antonio Lopez wins a corner after a run down the left wing. He takes the corner himself and Arnau has to make a good save from Fernando Torres's header.
After 50' Malaga form their first attack of the half. After some slick interpassing, Amoroso is brought down and Miguel Angel's effort is just wide.
In 60' Juan Rodriguez joins the names in the referee's book after a foul on Luccin.
A double substitution for Malaga after 61'. Amoroso comes off for Wanchope and Leko makes way for Michel, making his debut for his new club.
Atletico also make a change in 63' when Sosa is replaced by the towering Nano.
A fright for Malaga in the 64' when Fernando Torres finds the net with Arnau well beaten. The referee is pointing to the centre spot, but the linesman has his flag up for offside and the goal is disallowed.
In 67' Wanchope wins a corner after some harrying play down the left, but Miguel Angel's corner poses no danger to the Atletico defence, which has coped with everything Malaga has had to offer so far. Likewise Malaga's strong men in the middle, Fernando Sanz and Cesar Nevas have snuffed out the threat from Fernando Torres and Salva.
In fact, the first time we see Salva in the game is after 69'. We know from last year that he can be apparently quiet in a game then appear out of nowhere and score a goal, so it's no surprise really when we've had to wait so long to see a glimpse of the threat posed by our former hero. He slips in behind Fernando Sanz for the first time in the game and gets in a powerful shot which Arnau palms away. Then, it's goodbye Salva as he is substituted for Colsa to warm and affectionate applause from the home support.
In 73' Juanito goes down in a heap after a disputed tackle with Nano, who is a big and awkward sort of a player. Juanito has to be helped off by the physios for further treatment. Nano, meanwhile is fit enough to take the freekick awarded by the referee. His screamer demands much of Arnau but the Malaga Keeper makes a great diving save to keep the ball out.
Juanito returns limping heavily to the fray, perhaps hoping to run the injury off, but within two seconds of his return he is crunched to the ground by Luccin and has to be replaced by Romero, the Uruguayan making a return from injury after several weeks out of action.
In 78' Romero brings down Fernando Torres as the game continues with neither side seeming likely to make the breakthrough. Colsa, another giant centre forward, steps up to take the kick and his crashing shot beats Arnau, but comes off the inside of the far post and across the goalmouth. Whew - that was close.
In the 80' minute it's Colsa again and the Malaga goalkeeper has to make an excellent diving save to keep the ball out. Arnau collects the ball and sends it high and long into Atletico's half. The ball is only half cleared and falls to JUAN RODRIGUEZ, who finds himself in the clear. The burly midfielder/striker does not think twice and blasts the ball low into the near corner of the net from 30 yards.
Malaga 1 Atletico 0.
The crowd go wild. Geoff does an interesting dance up and down the aisle. The scoreboard erupts into a colourful display of "GOL" "GOL" and loud triumphant music blasts from the public address system, long after the restart.
Atletico are stunned and Malaga have a great chance to go two up when after a fine run by Wanchope in 84', the lanky Costa Rican cuts the ball back to Michel. The debutant is fouled in the box and the referee points to the spot! Penalty! Goal hero Juan Rodriguez steps up and takes a shot low the goalkeeper's left post. However, Leo Franco guesses correctly and makes a great save.
The final six minutes are played under a cacophony of whistles from the crowd as they try to convince the referee that he should blow for full-time any time he wished. Atletico did try to find their way through for an equaliser and it was a great relief when the referee did eventually blow for the last time.

Full-time Malaga 1 Atletico 0

A great result for Antonio Tapia's men - two wins on the trot for the new boss against teams in the league's top ten clubs. This result means that Malaga end the day out of the relegation zone, three places higher than this morning. An excellent game to watch, an excellent result. Away to Real Zaragoza next week, with another opportunity to gain some points before the next home game against bottom club, Real Mallorca.
Your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there!

Posted by hodgers at 1:22 AM | Permalink

A New Year, three weeks holiday from football, Malaga falling into the relegation zone after last week's 2-1 defeat away to Racing Santander, with Malaga's goal scored in the 85th minute by Cesar Nevas at a corner, resulting in the resignation from Manager Manzano. A "new" manager, Antonio Tapia, promoted from Malaga B and given to end of the season to prove himself. A new manager appointed for Malaga B, former Spain international, Jose Maria Bakero, also until the end of the season. A new signing for Malaga in the January window, Michel, from Real Murcia, an experienced midfielder, with a flair for attacking and scoring. Whew!
The media reported that under new coach Tapia, Malaga were undergoing double training sessions, which were "meticulous" in detail. It was announced midweek that Tapia would take over from Manzano and coming from Malaga B, he was already well acquainted with the team and most of the members of the squad have graduated from his B team over the past few years.
His first game, a game against fierce local Andalucian rivals Sevilla, who are still in the UEFA Cup and performing well in La Liga, going into tonight's game occupying 5th place, whereas Malaga rest in 18th place. However, it was an interesting team selection from Tapia, with Arnau making his first appearance in goal after Calatayud had held the berth for 18 consecutive matches. Also, there was no start for top-scorer Wanchope, nor new boy Michel. Usual suspect Miguel Angel was suspended and Romero injured, so there was a potential problem in midfield. Not for Tapia - Juanito, who has been playing as a centre back in partnership with Fernando Sanz all season, found himself in midfield alongside Leko, with the giant Cesar Nevas in defence. Also, there was a return for out of form left winger Duda and Gerardo came back after suspension, in 4-5-1 set up, with Amoroso up front on his own, but supported by the willing Edgar and Juan Rodriguez, when Malaga were on the offensive.
Malaga (4-5-1): Arnau, Gerardo, Cesar Nevas, Fernando Sanz, Valcarce, Edgar, Juanito, Juan Rodriguez, Leko and Duda, Amoroso.
On the bench were Calatayud, Wanchope, Luque, Giejo, Paco Estaban and Usero - the latter three all taken from Malaga B this season, with Cesar Nevas, Juanito and Juan Rodriguez making it six from the 17 squad members drawn from Tapia's former charges.
Sevilla came to La Roseleda having won only two of their nine away games so far, the last notably just before Christmas when they beat Real Madrid and sounded the death-knell for Comacho as the Blanco's manager. However, in Brazilian Baptista, they have a prolific scorer and perhaps this was why Tapia fielded three centre-halfs. Sevilla adopt a 4-2-3-1 system, which is more attack minded that the usual eleven men behind the ball and counterattack-at-pace approach, so common in Spanish football, but very successful for Valencia last season (and Chelsea this season).
Sevilla (4-2-3-1): Estaban, Ramos, Navarro, Aitor Ocio, David, Alves, Marti, Renato, Jesuli, Baptisto and Aranda. There was no place for strikers Carlitos, Antonito or former Malaga favourite Dario Silva, showing the depth of talent in this squad.

It was a full house, with a sizable showing from Sevilla in the away crowd section, a bit surprising as it was a 10 pm kick-off and Sevilla is a good two hour plus drive. It was a mild 15C at kick-off, which Sevilla took, kicking towards the Fondo end.
There is a great atmosphere in the ground and an air of expectation and uncertainty you always experience when it is the first game under a new manager. Malaga looked bright and busy but in 5 minutes it was Sevilla who first threatened the goal when Cesar Nevas had to bring down Baptista just outside the box as the Brazilian bore down on goal. However, Renato's free kick came to nothing and the ball goes out for a throw.
The unusual set-up for Malaga seems well bedded in (meticulous training?) with Cesar Nevas dominant in the air in defence and Juanito likewise in midfield. In 8' Juanito wins the ball in the centre circle and releases Juan Rodriguez. The big midfielder slips a neat pass into the path of Amoroso, whose first time shot just skimmed the outside of the post with Estaban beaten and the crowd on its feet.
The next minute Gerardo takes a freekick wide on the left, but his screamer goes wide of the far post.
Then it's Duda's turn to take a free kick, but his shot goes straight into the defensive wall.
It's all Malaga and after a series of short passes from the midfield, Edgar has a great chance to put the home side ahead, but Estaban dived at full stretch to his right to deny the Angolan/Portuguese at the near post. The next minute Edgar goes on a run down the right wing and whips in an inviting cross but it's just beyond the onrushing Amoroso.
In 16' it's the first booking of the game as Navarro is cautioned after a high tackle on Duda.
It's 20 minutes before Sevilla really make any sort of impact since the opening moments and again it's Baptista who forces Fernando Sanz to make an excellent tackle to gain a corner. It's taken by Renato (was Rene in the stand?) but Arnau meets it with his fist and punches the ball well clear.
Sevilla pose more danger at a free kick, but fortunately it's centre back Aitor Ocio who finds himself clear and before he can shape up for a shot, Arnau is out to collect the ball off his feet.
In 31' the big Sevilla number 9, Aranda, goes on a run right down the middle and gets past both Cesar Nevas and Fernando Sanz for the first time and again Arnau looked alert and scooped the ball away from his feet to avert the danger.
It's all Sevilla now and some slick passing down the left wing has Baptista running onto the ball, except Fernando Sanz got there first and made another clean tackle.
Some frustration creeps in as Duda is booked for a late tackle on Renato after 39'.
Juanito picks up a loose ball (as was his wont this evening) in the centre circle and sent a looping pass out wide down the left for Duda to run onto. With Amoroso, Juan Rodriguez and Edgar all available in the box, instead he elects to blast the ball well over the bar.
In 43' it's Fernando Sanz to the rescue again as he has to make another telling tackle to deny Aranda.
On 45' the last attempt of the half falls to Edgar who heads over after some fine work by Valcarce on the left wing.

Half-time Malaga 0 Sevilla 0

Within 30 seconds of the restart, Malaga almost take the lead. Edgar is brought down on the right wing. Duda floats one into the box and Juanito makes a good connection. Another fine save from Estaban keeps the scores level.
In 52' Gerardo finds Edgar on the right but the speed merchant is again brought down, this time by David. From 35 yards, Gerardo has a go and his shot is almost deflected past his own keeper by Aitor Ocio, but Estaban manages to make the save on the line.
In 54' Edgar slips the ball to Amoroso who's able to spot Juan Rodriguez's run with an excellent through ball. The big midfielder put everything into his shot which Estaban got behind, but required treatment after being winded.
In 57' Amoroso is clearly disappointed when his number 9 is shown on the board on the sidelines and he is replaced by Wanchope.
Wanchope is in the thick of things soon, closing down on Navarro who had collected the ball from Estaban and forcing the centre half to concede a corner.
Malaga seem to be getting back on top again and there is a sustained period of pressure with shots raining in from Juan Rodriguez, Leko, Wanchope, Duda and Edgar as the Sevilla defence fail to clear their lines.
In a rare moment of relief, Sevilla win a freekick on 65' and Baptista's effort is so close we are all holding our collective breath. But the ball goes wide!
From Arnau's kick, Edgar appears on the left and is able to lob the ball towards Juan Rodriguez. Aitor Ocio manages to steer the ball away from the Malaga player towards his goalkeeper, but WANCHOPE is alive to the possibilities and forces himself between the defender and keeper to nudge the ball over the line and score. To say the team, crowd and public address system went wild is a huge understatement.
Malaga 1 Sevilla 0
Although there is 25' still to play in the half the game is over as Sevilla's every attack is snuffed out by Fernando Sanz and Cesar Nevas in defence and Juanito winning everything in midfield. Malaga did have a few opportunities to increase their lead, but in truth they were very happy to settle for 1-0 and three points.
The final whistle came with Tapia killing the game with time wasting substitutions, with Leko coming off for Usero and Duda off for Giejo. Goodbye Manzano, Hello Tapia. What a start for the new manager! But no opportunity for new boy Michel, whose time will surely come next week, when the mighty Atletico Madrid come to town. Never fear, your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there.

Full-time Malaga 1 Sevilla 0

Posted by hodgers at 2:52 AM | Permalink

Yesterday, manager Gregario Manzano left Malaga CF with a year and a half of his contract still to run. He left because of "his part in bringing Malaga to such a lowly position in La Liga". Manzano had done wonders previously, particularly with Real Mallorca, with whom he won the Copa del Reyes (the King's Cup, the equivalent of the FA Cup in Spain) and had enjoyed some UEFA Cup successes. He left Atletico Madrid at end of last season to join Malaga, where he promised to get the club into the UEFA Cup next season, after the club narrowly missed out on qualification last season when they lost to Real Betis in the last game. However, after a string of defeats, notably the last home game against Real Sociedad when they lost 5-1 and most recently at the weekend when they lost 2-1 away to Racing Santander, Malaga find themselves in third bottom place, in one of the automatic relegation places alongside new boys Numancia and ironically Real Mallorca. Unless there is some quick reversal of fortune in the league, the team will find themselves isolated in this zone and unable to get out of it.
Having said all of this, this coming weekend's match represents the last game of the first half of the season, so there is plenty of time for a recovery. Malaga have appointed their Malaga B manager, Antonio Tapia, to take over first team affairs until the end of this season. Tapia has been reasonably successful with Malaga B, getting them promoted to La Segunda (Second Division) and keeping them in that tough league, playing this season against such as Celta Vigo and Valladolid, using predominantly young players, as Malaga use their B team as a feeder for the first team.
(La Segunda note - the top three teams are automatically promoted to La Liga, replaced by the bottom three teams from the higher division. If Malaga were to be relegated, no matter where Malaga B finished in the table, the B team would have to be relegated to the Third Division, as the two sides cannot coexist in the same league. Similarly, Malaga B can never be promoted from La Segunda, even if they finish in the top three. Final note - the leading side in La Segunda at the moment is another Andalucian team, Cadiz, which would be another attractive local derby, if they are promoted and Malaga manage to stay up. Cadiz is also where former Raith Rovers manager, Antonio Calderon, is youth team manager, so for me there is added interest).
Malaga B is run almost like a separate club, with its own manager and backroom staff and playing squad. Many young stars have signed for Malaga, played a season in the B team, then broken into the first team the following season. Tapia's job has been to nurture and develop this talent, which he has done well. This year's first team squad has at least six players who played for the B team last season, so Tapia knows the squad well.
He starts his tenure with two tough home games in a row. The first is at 10pm local time on Saturday against fierce Andalucian rivals Sevilla, a game which will be shown live across Spain on public TV (i.e. like the BBC) and also in the UK on Sky Sports 2. Then next week, Atletico Madrid visit La Roseleda, complete with superstar striker Fernando Torres and former Malaga favourite, Salva, who was top scorer for Malaga last season with 19 goals.
Looking forward already to Saturday evening's match - you know that your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there!

Posted by hodgers at 10:44 AM | Permalink

After being thrashed 3-0 away to Villarreal on Sunday, it was back to La Roseleda for Wednesday night's match against Real Sociedad, the team from San Sebastian, the capital of the Basque Country on the Bay of Biscay coast in the north of Spain.
This is the last game of the year as La Liga enters a three week break over the festive period, with the next match away to Racing Santander on 09 January 2005.
Since the last home game, Sarafin Roldan, the President of Malaga CF, has stated that money would be made available to Manzano to obtain two new strikers, as the present crisis has been blamed on the lack of availability and fitness of the two transatlantic strikers, Wanchope (Costa Rica) and Amoroso (Brazil) who have been playing for their countries in World Cup qualifiers and friendlies. Four names have been toted, of whom two are Spanish, one is Egyptian and the fourth a "Spanish/Brazilian". We shall wait and see.
In the meantime, Manzano has to pick his team up from the defeat by the Yellow Submarines of Villarreal and face Sociedad, a squad who is bristling with talent, including the Serbian, Kovacevic, the little Turk, Nihat, and the excellent Ukrainian winger, Karpin. During the close season, Manager Amorrortu has reinforced his squad with the signings of defenders Brechet and Rossato and the midfielder, signed from Glasgow Rangers, Arteta, who was arguably the Light Blues' best player last season.
As Geoff and I were taking our seats (with Sheila and Helen along for their Christmas present from us), the team came out to warm up and it became apparent that both Duda and Luque were missing, so who was going to play down the left wing? Both Alexis and Gerardo were on view, with Edgar also chosen, so we had three right sided players who can play on the wing and no left equivalent. This was Manzano trying something different and the team lined up in a very unfamiliar 4-4-3 formation: Calatayud, Alexis, Fernando Sanz, Juanito and Valcarce, Gerardo, Romero and Miguel Angel, Edgar, Wanchope and Amoroso.
Real Sociedad (4-2-3-1): Alberto, Rekarte, Labaka, Rossato and Garrido, Aranburu and Mikel Alonso, Karpin, Gabilondo and Nihat, Kovacevic.
Malaga win the toss and Sociedad kick off, defending the Fondo end. But it's Malaga who look most urgent and keen to be on the ball with the Basques on the back foot. But it's 6 minutes before the first shot on goal. First Alexis takes a throw-in on the right to Edgar, who slides a great cross to the feet of Amoroso, but the shot goes just past.
Two minutes later it's the Brazilian again, this time supplied by Miguel Angel, who seems to have taken up a wide left berth. This is not his natural or best position, so there was some murmurings from the supporters about this selection. However, he found Amoroso's right foot and the shot had to be saved and pushed away for a corner. Miguel Angel takes the kick but fails to beat the first defender.
It's all Malaga as they press forward for an early opening goal which would settle their nerves and regain some confidence. They push forward and at another corner in 11' they are caught cold as the defence clear to little Nihat who races into the open spaces provided by the absent Malaga defence. He slips the ball to Rossato who has raced out of defence to support the attack. He whips the ball across to the unmarked KOVACEVIC whose clever header eludes Calatayud to make it 0-1. This was literally Sociedad's first attack and shot on goal in the match.
Malaga 0 Real Sociedad 1
This stunned Malaga, but they continued to plod away. Miguel Angel looked increasingly uneasy out on the left wing, being forced to make passes and crosses with his less favoured left foot. The weak attempts are easily mopped up by the giant Labaka, in particular.
In 13', Calatayud makes his first save, diving full length to his left to push away a freekick from Rossato.
In 19' Sociedad again threaten on the counterattack and the dangerous Kovacevic is one on one with Calatayud, but the Serb's lob is just over.
In 21' Gerardo takes a quick freekick on the right and pushes the ball into space in front of Wanchope, but he easily outpaced by the imposing centre back Labaka.
More danger for Malaga in 27' when Karpin's cross again finds Kovacevic free in front of goal. He shoots straight at Calatayud, who can only push the ball straight back to the big striker. The Serb tries again, but this time Calatayud gathers the ball safely.
The following minute, Miguel Angel pulls his shot wide after another quick Gerardo freekick.
In 30' Amoroso is chopped down in front of the dugout and Manager Manzano is warned for complaining when the referee plays on.
In 32' Wanchope uses some slick close control to weave past two defenders and surviving a scything tackle in the process. He found himself clear in the box and was about to pull the trigger, when the referee stopped play and brought the action back to where the lanky striker had been fouled. Gerardo takes the kick but the ball comes off the wall.
In 36' there is some good wing play by Edgar down the right but he is brought down. Gerardo takes the freekick but it misses everybody and goes across the field and out for a throw.
In 40' Valcarce appears on the right wing! The left back advances towards the box where he is brought down by Labaka. Gerardo again takes the kick and again it misses everybody in the crowded area. This time VALCARCE (who has returned to his more customary place wide on the left) rescues the ball before it goes out for a throw, takes it almost to the line and whips in a cross which flies over Alberto's flailing arms and into the net at the far post.
Malaga 1 Sociedad 1
Half time comes with the scores level and remarkably no cards have been shown - a first this season at La Roseleda.
Malaga kick off and Romero finds Amoroso through the middle but his shot is tipped over for a corner which is cleared.
Malaga continue to press forward and Alberto has to dive full length to keep Romero's piledriver out after Wanchope's effort is miscleared.
In 50' Alberto has to be quick off his line to take the ball away from Amoroso who is put through by Edgar.
The next minute, Gerardo is felled on the left wing deep inside Sociedad's half. Malaga expect the whistle for the freekick, but it does not come. Karpin is first to react and hares down the wing into big open spaces. He whips in his centre to find the big KOVACEVIC unmarked and the striker makes no mistake to make it 1-2
Malaga 1 Sociedad 2
In 59' Sociedad make another rare attack and Nihat's shot is blocked by Alexis for a corner. The Turk takes the kick himself and it finds the head of LABAKA to make it 1-3 for the visitors.
Malaga 1 Sociedad 3
At this point, tensions in the crowd spilled over and many supporters around the directors' box in the centre of the stand made their protests loud and clear to Roldan and the other board members and shouts of "Manzano out" and "No politics, just more players". Scenes started to get a little ugly as riot police in full gear ran to the directors' box to protect the board members. As the riot police took their places, a torrent of empty plastic Coke bottles rained in on Roldan and his colleagues.
Meanwhile on the park, nothing was going right for the beleaguered Malaga team. With 21 players in the Sociedad half, the ball breaks to NIHAT who runs towards the goal and easily beats Calatayud with an excellent shot.
Malaga 1 Sociedad 4
Things go from bad to worse when the referee produced his first card of the game in 77' (in fact the only card of the game) and it's a red one! Gerardo is sent off for a tackle, which failed to make any contact, but with studs showing.
In 80' Karpin again shows his pace, skill and accuracy down the right wing. In yet another break from defence, the winger has no one in front of him as he runs into Malaga's half. This time he finds NIHAT on his own and the little striker taps the ball home to make it 1-5 and complete the rout.
With angry scenes around the Director's Box and decreasing interest on events on the park, the referee blew for full-time with no stoppage time added on.
Full time Malaga 1 Sociedad 5

This result finds Malaga at their lowest point in their La Liga history where they have been established in the top half since their promotion from La Segunda. This performance is easily the worst I've witnessed in the season and half I have been coming to Malaga matches. The team selection was poor, with players asked to play out of their normal position and in a 4-4-3 formation which has been tried here with these players and failed. The two strikers looked tired and unfit and it remains to be seen whether Manzano will survive into the New Year. I think he will and will try to introduce some new faces into the squad in the January window. The season is not yet half way through, so it is a little early to write them off just yet. Having said that, last year at this time they were in sixth place with essentially the same team and we were dreaming of possible European football here this season.
Next home game is against local Andalucian rivals, Sevilla. The White and Reds are currently lying third in La Liga after they went away to Real Madrid and beat them 0-1 at the Bernabau on Wednesday night. So not an easy start to 2005!
We wait to see what happens next as the season unfolds. Your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Posted by hodgers at 6:14 PM | Permalink

Crisis at La Roseleda? Having been thrashed last week at Camp Nou 4-0 by Barcelona, Malaga find themselves in nineteenth place in La Liga, (second bottom) occupying one of the three relegation places. The team has not scored a goal for over 500 minutes (Gerardo's sublime free kick against Real Betis in Sevilla on 31 October) and has not won a match in the last eight outings.
On top of this, we enter a stage in the season when the squad available for selection is diminished by injuries and suspensions. Last week started with only 10 first team players available, with injuries to Litos, Manu, Edgar, Romero, Gerardo, Valcarce and Luque requiring the attention of the physios. In defence, Juanito and Alexis are suspended after reaching 5 yellow cards, which means a first team debut for the giant 9' 3" Malaga "B" centre back, Cesar Navas. Edgar, Gerardo and Valcarce recovered sufficiently to start in this "must win" game, in a team which showed six changes from the side that began last week's humiliation to the runaway leaders in this season's title race, Barcelona. The team picked, in a more traditional 4-4-2 formation was:
Calatayud, Gerardo, Cesar Navas, Fernando Sanz and Valcarce, Edgar, Miguel Angel, Leko and Duda, Wanchope and Amoroso.
What of the opposition, Levante Union Deportiva? Valencia's "other" team, on whose ground Scotland played Spain in October, were La Segunda champions last season, winning promotion with Getafe and Numancia. Unlike their fellow newcomers, though, Levante have had a solid start to the season and have taken everybody by surprise with their attacking play, with pace throughout the team. Former German international superstar, Bernd Schuster, has gained much respect in his new role as manager, and his close season signings, including Ian Harte (Leeds United), Jan Mjallby (Celtic) and Sergio Garcia (Barcelona) have bolstered a side with no fewer than four former Malaga players in Juanma, Nacho, Sandro and Jesule. Their top scorer with 5 goals so far this season, Manchev, will require close watching and we were warned in the press to expect strong running from the winger, Ettien, who can operate down either wing.
Levante (4-4-2): Mora, Pinillos, Jesule, Culebres and Harte, Ettien, Rivera, Celestini and Nacho, Sergio Garcia and Manchev.
Malaga win the toss and elect to play towards the Fondo end in the first half. Wanchope makes an intervention at the kick off, runs down the left wing and finds Michel Angel in the centre, but the midfielder's shot is weak and is easily saved by Mora. A bright and encouraging start by Malaga.
But it's eight minutes before we see another meaningful attack. This time it is Edgar operating as a right winger, and he passes Harte with sheer pace and makes a great cross from the by-line to Amoroso, but the Brazilian is dispossessed and the danger is cleared.
In 15', Valcarce makes some space wide on the left to find the gold booted Amoroso, who again shows alertness, slipping the ball to Michel Angel, but the number 21's shot goes horribly wide.
Amoroso is involved in most of what is good in Malaga's play and he is rewarded the respect of three defenders each time he receives the ball.
The first attack by Levante is in 29' but it serves as a wake-up call when Ettien runs the length of the right wing and sends in a powerful cross to the waiting unmarked Sergio Garcia. Calatayud comes off his line and has to make an excellent one handed save to avert the danger.
In 32' Ian Harte is presented with a free kick opportunity just outside the box on the right hand side. His left footed shot beats the wall but Calatayud makes the save look easy.
The next minute it was Duda's turn at the other end, but his free kick just fails to make contact with the giant Cesar Navas's head, running in six yards out.
Miguel Angel becomes the first player booked in 38' after bringing down the Levante captain, Rivera, after the midfielder had left him standing.
The front two of Sergio Garcia and Manchev are having no joy with Malaga's defence, which is finding Fernando Sanz and new boy Cesar Navas in commanding form.
Just having said that, Levante almost score when a mix up between Gerardo and Calatayud finds the keeper stranded to allow Manchev a shot at the open goal. Captain Fantastic Fernando Sanz appears from nowhere to clear off the line.
In 41' Duda starts on a long run down the left but is chopped down by Rivera, who becomes Levante's first booking. From Duda's free kick, Mora punches the ball off Amoroso's head to clear.
Malaga come close to opening their account just on half time when Leko is slipped the ball by Amoroso. The Croatian's first shot is blocked, but he gets the rebound which he sends just over, with the crowd on their feet.
Half time 0-0
From the kick off, Wanchope makes a run down the right wing. He finds AMOROSO, but the Brazilian is forced to run along the eighteen yard line passing three defenders before finding space to shoot. What a shot! His powerful attempt is fired back across the goal and beats Mora at the far post. Great goal! A long time coming and the crowd goes bananas.
Malaga 1 Levante 0
In 50' Cesar Navas blots his copybook with a booking for blocking the run of Celestini, who looked to run straight into the totally tall-as-anything defender.
In 55' Malaga's confidence is starting to come back with slick one-touch passing movements. First Gerardo passes back to Calatayud, who plays the ball out to Cesar Navas. The big one in turn pushes it to Miguel Angel who finds Edgar wide on the right. The pacy Portuguese/Angolan runs deep into the Levante half before the good play is interrupted by a crashing foul from Jesule, for which Edgar has to receive treatment off the park.
In 59' Amoroso shines again with some brilliant footwork down the left wing before making the short pass to Leko, who has drifted forward into a scoring position. Unfortunately the ball goes under his feet and the Levante defence is able to make the clearance.
Levante are becoming more of an attacking force and Ettien is finding space wide right and making some strong runs down the wing. Valcarce is booked in the 61st minute as his frustration at not containing the winger forces a rash challenge. Captain Fernando Sanz is also booked for protesting and in a mini-flare-up, Levante right back Pinillos is also booked.
Levante pile on the pressure, looking for an equaliser, and the Malaga defence is put to the test. Celestini forces a fine save from Calatayud after 65' as the keeper has to dive full length to his left to smother the shot.
Ettien continues to find space on the right and all Levante's attacks are down this route, where the already booked defenders Valcarce, Fernando Sanz and Cesar Navas have to be careful.
After a sustained period of desperate defending, Duda eases the pressure with a great run down the left wing. Amoroso and Wanchope are waiting in the middle but the Portuguese winger elects to shoot straight at Mora instead.
In the 69' minute, Duda repeats the process. His lung bursting run outstrips the Levante defence and he cuts inside this time to give himself a better angle for the shot, but Mora is well-placed to make the save.
Schuster makes a change in 72' bringing on Reggi for the ineffective Sergio Garcia.
The next minute Duda has a chance to settle it from a free kick after Amoroso is brought down just outside the box, but the little winger's shot goes just over.
Schuster makes a double substitution in 79' with Jofre on for Nacho and Juanma on for the tiring Ettien.
Manzano makes his first substitution in 81' when Amoroso is brought off to a standing ovation from the Malaga support. Juan Rodriguez is brought on and he takes up an attacking position alongside Wanchope.
Malaga are now starting to hold on to the ball more in a possession game to let the time pass and hold on to their slender lead. In 87' Duda is replaced by Luque and in 90' Wanchope is taken off to give Malaga "B" striker Paco Estaban a few moments with the first team.
Full time Malaga 1 Levante 0
This win sees Malaga jump three places in the league and out of the relegation zone. Next Sunday they face a tough away game against the "Yellow Submarines" Villarreal, who are in UEFA Cup action this week. Then the following Wednesday, Real Sociedad visit La Roseleda for the final game of the year before the midseason break over Christmas and New Year.
Looking forward to it already, your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there.

Posted by hodgers at 9:05 AM | Permalink

Sunday 28 November 2004 - Day 13 of La Liga brings Albacete to La Roseleda. Albacete are one of the smaller teams in the league and their ground (Carlos Belmonte) only holds 16,500 spectators. Two seasons ago they won promotion from La Segunda and narrowly escaped relegation last year. This year, too, they have found the going tough and have rarely moved from the bottom three places, the drop zone.
Malaga too have had a tough period, one which was predicted as they have faced three of La Liga's top four (and are away next week to the fourth - Barcelona), and have not won a game for six matches. They have played well enough against the big guns, but the rub of the green and a little more class is needed to really compete with them. So this week's match was one in which Malaga might start as favourites against one of the minnows. Having said all that, in this league every team is capable of beating (and often do) each other so that a defeat or win can usually mean a drop/rise in the table by six places. So the league table is constantly changing, which makes every game interesting.
A 5 o'clock evening kick-off, and although the temperature was around 19C, there was a dampness in the air which forebodes the rain forecast for the end of the week. It has been several weeks since we had any sort of rain, so it we are all kinda looking forward to it so we can stay in and watch a video or something.
Malaga had a full squad to pick from and Manager Manzano picked a very attacking eleven, in a 4-4-3 formation, with Edgar starting up front alongside Amoroso and Wanchope, and right winger Manu dropping to the bench. Also, Gerardo is suspended, so young hot prospect Alexis gets his third outing of the season at right back.
Team: Calatayud, Alexis, Fernando Sanz, Juanito, Valcarce, Michel Angel, Leko and Duda, Edgar, Wanchope and Amoroso.
Albacete kick off and for the first five minutes take the initiative, looking to be first to every ball and working hard with three players around any Malaga player on the ball. In fact, their tactics were in place from the kick-off and they maintained their workrate and their formation throughout the game. Their style, so common in visiting teams, is counter attack, with eleven behind the ball when it is in their own half, breaking quickly into attack with four strikers, playing a 4-2-3-1 formation.
We have to wait until 8 minutes before we see a cohesive Malaga attack. With every forward player closely marked, Fernando Sanz and Juanito have only each other to pass to at the back. Valcarce, the left full back who loves to overlap is given the ball in his own half and starts on a run. Having no possibility to pass to his teammates he continues on his own and tries a shot which goes well over.
From the goal kick, the ball is moved by Albacete quickly into their first real attacking move down their left wing, where little Pena looked tricky on the ball. Alexis goes to make the tackle and wins the ball, but he hesitates in delivering the ball upfield and Pena wins it back and sends in a dangerous cross into the box. The ball is pushed out by Calatayud, but only to VIAUD, whose powerful shot is deflected off Juanito and into the net.
Malaga 0-1 Albacete
Definitely not in the script. Malaga's team and supporters are stunned by this and Albacete take heart from their early opening and press for another which could kill off the game early. In 11' Duda gives away a freekick in a dangerous position, but the freekick comes back off the wall and the ball is cleared to safety.
Two minutes later, we have a repeat as Juanito commits a foul in the same position, but again the wall is equal to the attempt. Alabacete were clearly not here to make up the numbers and be the whipping boys. They are already fighting for survival and their determination is apparent in their tackling and closing down.
However, in 16' Malaga almost equalise. Duda is dispossessed but the ball falls to Valcarce who slips it forward to Amoroso. The Brazilian uses some nifty footwork to get past the fullback and cut he ball to Michel Angel, who is in the clear for a shot on goal. Unfortunately, the ball falls to his left foot and his weak effort is gathered up by the tall Gaspercic in the Albacete goal. In fact, now you come to mention it, the visiting side were full of very tall players, reminding me of Dunfermline Pathetic when Dick Campbell was the manager.
In 19' Pena again gets around Alexis to find Redundo on his own near the penalty spot and Calatayud has to make an excellent save from his point blank shot. It is still Albacete who are keeping possession and finding their men and Pena almost scored with a cross cum shot which had Calatayud stretching to tip the ball over as it almost sneaked in at the top corner.
The next minute sees Valcarce finding Amoroso out wide on the left wing. Again the mesmeric skills are brought into play and he finds Duda this time with an excellent pass, but the little Portuguese winger is having a bad day and his shot is easily blocked.
In 25' Albacete striker Ivan Diaz tries his luck from the half way line with Calatayud off his line, but the Malaga keeper can only watch as the attempt goes wide.
In 31' Valcarce is booked for bring down Viaud, who otherwise would have been clear down the right wing.
Malaga are finding it impossible to break down the tight defence and Manzano's experiment of three up front does not seem to be working. The pace and accuracy of Edgar's passing and runs down the right wing have not been seen as the Angolan has been given a free role to no avail.
Half-time 0-1
Manzano recognises that his tactics are not working as Alabacete have the upper hand in every department. No other visiting team so far has had such a strong hold on the game, including Real Madrid and Valencia. So Manzano changes his team by bringing on Luque for the out of sorts Duda and the more defensive Romero for Michel Angel.
However, in 46' within the first minute of the restart, Malaga go two behind. Again the unfortunate Alexis hesitates on the ball, having difficulty in finding a player to pass to. Striker MOMO, signed from Deportivo, takes the ball from him and makes a run towards goal with only the goalkeeper to beat, which he did with a crashing shot, which left Calatayud rooted to the spot.
Malaga 0-2 Albacete
The next minute Leko is booked for a high elbow as Malaga's frustration mounts.
In 48' Luque is already making a difference with his runs down the left wing. He is "stopped" in his tracks by centre back Gasper, who is booked. From Luque's freekick, Edgar heads wide, but the fans can at least see some glimmer of hope after going two down. Malaga have now changed to a 3-4-3 formation as they try to gain control of the midfield and provide service to their strikers.
In 50' Luque again breaks through and slips the ball back to the supporting Valcarce, who hits a shot which just goes over.
In 61' Manzano has to juggle his team again as second half substitute, Romero, is himself substituted by Giejo, after a crunching tackle has left the Uruguayan limping. The introduction of a fourth striker, means that Malaga are now in a 3-3-4 formation, with the two giant strikers, Wanchope and Giejo working down the middle, with Edgar on the right and Amoroso on the left.
In 62' Luque breaks through into the box and is upended by Gaspar. Two things should have happened here. One, Gaspar should have been sent off. Two, a penalty should have been awarded. But, it is not Malaga's day and the referee waves play on.
Two minutes later, Valcarce's cross finds Wanchope but the ball is under his feet and the chance is lost.
Albacete are guilty of using timewasting tactics as they try to frustrate the home side even more. A couple of substitutions are made when the player coming off is at the furthest point on the ground and he walks slowly off. The referee could have within his rights sent the player off but takes no action.
In 79' the best move of the match again features Valcarce and Luque down the left wing and the wingers accurate cross is met by Wanchope's head, but the shot unfortunately, but endemic of the day, comes off the post and goes wide.
In the final 10 minutes, the Malaga fans are on their feet waving white handkerchiefs and shouting "Fuera, fuera". In Spanish football, this custom occurs when the home support is suggesting to their manager that they have had enough and it is time for a change. Although the Malaga team keep trying to score and get something from the game up to the final whistle, the score remains the same and Albacete win 0-2. This win means they leap over Malaga, who themselves now enter the dreaded red zone in third bottom place. There is no hiding place in this league and Manzano, whose attempts today having proved fruitless, will have find some answers quickly, if the bright start to the season is going to end in tears.
The last four games of the year could not be tougher with trips to Barcelona and Villarreal and the visits of surprise team of the year, Levante, and local rivals Sevilla.
Whatever happens, be assured your Malaga CF Correspondent will be here.

Posted by hodgers at 3:42 PM | Permalink

hello fellow Malaga CF supporters - yes it's me again with the latest report on your Spanish La Liga team of choice!

It's Saturday night. It's 8 o'clock at night. It's another match in the fascinating season that is La Liga in Spain. Tonight Malaga face another of the top teams in Spain, Valencia, a team who are the current league champions, also UEFA Cup Champions, also SuperCup Champions. Of course, all that success was under the manager Benitez who has gone to Liverpool. Now, Valencia are managed by former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri, who, although still featuring strongly in the Champions League, are somewhat underperforming in the Spanish La Liga, so much so that Ranieri's position is under threat.
The midweek World Cup qualifiers have taken their toll on Malaga's squad with both Wanchope (Costa Rica) and Romero (Uruguay) unavailable for tonight's match. Valencia also have a number of players who featured for Spain in their excellent victory over lacklustre England in Wednesday's friendly in Madrid.
Malaga's line-up includes three players promoted from last season's Malaga B team - Juanito, Juan Rodriguez and Giejo.
Malaga (4-4-2): Calatayud, Gerardo, Fernando Sanz, Juanito, Valcarce, Manu, Michel Angel, Juan Rodriguez, Duda, Amoroso and Giejo.
Valencia (4-2-3-1): Canizares, Torres, Caneira, Pullengrino, Moretti, Bareja, Sissoko, Xisco, Corredi, Aimar and Angulo.
From the kick-off the two styles became apparent - Malaga, the team playing from the back to the front with neat interpassing, searching for the gaps in defence which the forwards can exploit - Valencia, all behind the ball, close man marking with four men ready to break into speedy counterattack.
Valencia were in their away all orange strips, with Malaga in their familiar blue and white vertical stripes.
In 2' it was Valencia who were first to show a threat on goal with the midfield maestro Sissoko blasting an effort over the bar. Next it was Angulo, who gained his first cap for Spain against England in midweek, but his shot went wide.
Malaga had their first attack on goal in 9' after some good wing play on the left by Valcarce, who found Amoroso, who's effort is deflected past for a corner.
Amoroso is brought down in 12' just outside the centre circle. Duda's free-kick just goes over.
In 19' Duda whips in a cross from the left, which Canizares gathers easily and throws out to Angula who runs past two defenders and Calatayud, but his shot is hoofed off the line by Juanito.
Two minutes later, Valcarce is given space to run down the left wing, but after running 80 yards, his shot goes straight to Canizares.
Hero turns villain in 23', when Valcarce's loose pass is intercepted by Angulo, but the Valencia's front man's snap shot goes wide.
In 23' the closest to a goal yet when Manu latches onto a loose ball and his strong drive has to be scrambled away by Canizares.
We are all excited after 28' when Duda is fouled just outside the box. The Valencia defenders are clearly worried and take time to form a defensive all. Caniera becomes the first name in the ref's book for not retreating 10 yards. Duda takes the kick, but it comes off the wall.
Real danger for Malaga after 32' when Michel Anguel loses possession in midfield allowing the little Argentinean Aimar to slip the ball through to Angula, but his lob finds the roof of the net with Calatayud beaten.
We are all on our feet in the 37' when Duda finds space on the left and fires in a shot, but it hits the side net.
Amoroso is brought down yet again on the edge of the box after 40', but Duda's freekick just goes past the far post with Canizares beaten.
The giant Sissoko, Viera-like in midfield, is starting to impose himself, winning everything in the air and on the ground, and making very clever passes. One such finds the busy Aimar, who forces a corner on the left with 45 minutes gone. He whips the corner into the box, Calatayud fails to gather on his line and the ball is bundled over the line with a number of defenders and attackers - and the goalkeeper landing in a heap. The referee blows for a goal whereas the Malaga team protest strongly to both the referee and the farside linesman, resulting in a booking for Michel Angel for dissent.
Half-time: Malaga 0 Valencia 1
Malaga start the second half brightly, fired up by their belief in their misfortune at losing a goal in the manner that they did. But it was Valencia who showed first after 50' when Aimar's pass to Angula down the right allows the front man to find CARIERO with an inch perfect cross, from which the central defender coolly slotted home from 10 yards.
Malaga 0 Valencia 2
In 55' Angula clashed with Gerardo and both men went down like a sack of tatties. After some minutes of treatment, both were substituted. Alexis came on for Gerardo in a straight forward right back for right back substitution for Malaga.
Another chance in 58' for Malaga, when the clever Brazilian Amoroso releases Duda into space. The little Portuguese winger's pass is met by the onrushing Giejo, whose goal-bound shot is deflected past for a corner.
In 63' Leko comes on for Juan Rodriguez, who although looks a promising talent for the future, was finding the Valencia defence too strong to penetrate.
Two minutes later and Alexis is booked for scything down Aimar.
In 65' Alexis puts Amoroso through, who in turn finds Michel Angel clear on goal, but the stylish midfielder lifts the ball over the bar.
In 69' the ineffective Corredi is substituted by Mista, second only to Ronaldo last year in the top scorers list.
In 72' Alexis makes a run to the touchline and manages to break the ball against the fullback for a corner. However, the linesman flags for a goalkick and is rewarded by being hit on the head by a plastic Coke bottle, thrown from the crowd. This prompted both visual (on the giant scoreboard) and verbal (over the PA) announcements that such actions will lead to "sanctions" by the club on the offenders.
The very next minute, Malaga come close to getting back into the game. Giejo takes a quick free kick to Michel Angel in space on the right, but the brilliant midfielder's shot goes just wide of the far post.
Then in 80' some real drama as Malaga continue to seek a breakthrough. In a crowded penalty area, Manu drives a strong shot towards goal and the ball appears to come off a defender's arm. The whole Malaga team surrounded the referee in protest as the man in black awarded a goal kick. Amoroso was booked for dissent.
In 81' Edgar comes on for Manu as Malaga strive to find a way back into the match. In response, Valencia remove striker Xisco and replace him with veteran defender Carboni.
But it is Valencia who close next with yet another break from defence. This time Mista's shot comes off Calatayud's legs and Juanito has to clear. His clearance goes to Duda who manages a cross into the box to find Edgar's head, but the effort goes wide.
Full-time Malaga 0 Valencia 2
An unconvincing display from the Champions, but one which will keep Ranrieri's job safe for a little while longer. Malaga again showed that they are capable of competing with the big boys, but without Wanchope up front, they didn't have the class to beat Canizares, who again showed his class as a goalkeeper and declared another clean sheet.
Next week is another home game for the blanquiazules against Albacete. This is a game, which on paper Malaga should be favourites to win, and with all their squad back and available could be a goal fest. We shall see, as your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there.

Posted by hodgers at 12:02 AM | Permalink

Day 10 of La Liga brought the mighty Real Madrid to Malaga. Although it was the 7th November, it was a hot 25C during the afternoon but with the kick-off at 19:00h I thought it might be prudent to take a jersey with me in case it got a little cooler in the evening - I didn't need it.
Last week, my son, Denis, and I went through to Sevilla to watch the Real Betis - Malaga match. This was a match full of incident - eight bookings, a man sent off for both teams, an intriguing clash of dissimilar playing styles (Betis being an 11 men behind the ball, get it to the forwards who were three fast and both accurate at passing and shooting, classic counter-attack style; Malaga, the passing team, patiently building from the back, with clever midfielders searching out the forwards with incisive passing, in a more attack-minded formation) in front of a passionate 40,000 crowd. The final score was a draw 1-1, Betis scoring after only 6 minutes, catching the Malaga defence on the hop with their quick movement and passing from right to left with right winger Joaquin prominent before Oliviera blasted home from 6 yards. Malaga's response was on the cusp of half-time, with unusually a free-kick outside the box not taken by Duda but by Gerardo, whose powerful kick flew over the wall and left the keeper with no chance as it entered the net close by the near post.
There was controversy after the game as it became clear that an injustice had been done to Romero, who received his marching orders for a second yellow card after supposedly fouling Edu, the Betis's Brazilian midfielder. However, TV evidence showed that there had been no contact between the players, that Edu had in fact tripped over a blade of grass, so the card was rescinded, allowing Romero to play in the Real Madrid match.
But to yesterday's game. An almost capacity La Roseleda, with the 8000 non-season-ticket seats selling between 100-150 euros at the ticket office, there were some spaces, but not many. There was a fantastic atmosphere in the ground with much banging of drums, flags and banners, singing and chanting. Real Madrid's players were greeted with whistles and jeers as they came onto the pitch, whereas Malaga's men were welcomed with a ticker tape flourish.
Malaga had captain Fernando Sanz back from suspension, but the Portuguese winger/striker, Edgar, had only a place on the bench after being out for three weeks with a leg injury. This meant that Manu, who had a good outing the previous week at Betis, retained his right wing slot. The big surprise was that left wing maestro Duda was left out of the starting line-up, with Manager Manzano, preferring a more solid midfield trio of Michel Angel, Romero and Leko to stifle the creativity of the prodigious talents of the Real Madrid team.
Malaga (4-4-1-1): Calatayud, Gerardo, Fernando Sanz, Juanito, Valcarce, Manu, Michel Angel, Romero, Leko, Amoroso and Wanchope.
There was some great anticipation as to who would feature in the Madrid line-up, but we knew beforehand that David Beckham would not feature, nor the central defender Samuel, still recovering from injury. Would Michael Owen feature in the starting line-up?
Real Madrid (4-2-3-1): Casillas, Salgado, Helguera, Pavon, Roberto Carlos, Guti, Celades, Raul, Figo, Zidane, Ronaldo.
The legendary side from Madrid were playing in their all-black away strip, with essentially four strikers!
Wanchope kicked off for Malaga to start the game and in a fast and furious opening few minutes the tactics of both sides became clear. Both teams were committed to attack from the start and it was fascinating to watch Raul start wide on the right touchline, Figo central behind Ronaldo with Zidane wide on the left. Next minute, seamlessly, Zidane was central, Figo wide right with Raul on the left. Next minute Zidane was making runs down the right wing - and so it went on throughout the game with each of the three players interchanging and all looking comfortable whichever position they were in and always seeming to know where to find each other. Impossible to man-mark this team!
Malaga on the other hand operated with Romero lurking behind Michel Angel and Leko, with Manu wide right and Amoroso just behind the giant that is Wanchope. There was a big gap down the left wing where Duda was missing, but this was the secret tactic - with no left winger to defend against, Salgado was sucked into the middle of the field, leaving Valcarce oceans of space to overlap into and time and time again he was able to make penetrating runs and crosses from the left wing. The other ploy was to use the pace of Manu to exploit the gaps left at left-back for Madrid where Roberto Carlos is keen to depart to add his contribution to the attack.
In fact it was Roberto Carlos who first had a shot on target after 6 minutes receiving a clever pass from Figo, before releasing a trademark drive at goal, but Calatayud was alive to the danger to make the save look easy.
In 9 minutes, Roberto Carlos almost opened the scoring at the other end, heading strongly back towards Casillas from a great left wing cross from Valcarce, with Manu rushing in to meet it, which had Spain's Number 1 forced to make a good save.
In 12 minutes, the first showing from Ronaldo in front of goal, but his header went wide after a strong cross from Salgado. Then two minutes later Raul saw his effort go wide from 20 yards after some neat work by Figo.
In 17 minutes, the centre of the park opened up as Romero ran with the ball unchallenged into, what is for him, nosebleed territory. The Madrid defence kept waiting for the pass, but Romero elected to shoot from 20 yards, but it flew over the bar.
In 22 minutes, Raul playing centrally slipped the ball to Zidane, now out on the left. He advances into the very outside corner of the penalty box to be met by Gerardo. Zidane did a little shuffle which seemed to baffle the Malaga right back, who stuck out a foot for the ball, for Zidane to fall over. Penalty! Malaga fans are not happy at such a soft decision but it did not prevent FIGO from executing a perfect spot kick.
Malaga 0 Real Madrid 1
With the Malaga heads still down two minutes later, Ronaldo slips past Fernando Sanz to go one on one with the keeper but the hard driven shot went just wide of the far post.
In 28 minutes, Amoroso showed some of his excellent ball skills to collect the ball in mid-air and bring the ball down and pass to Leko, all in one elegant movement. The Croatian's shot is blocked but comes to Wanchope whose fierce drive brings out an excellent diving save from Casillas, who turned the ball out for a corner. Manu's corner drops to Romero who again blasts over the bar.
Amoroso is beginning to shine for Malaga with his touches and skill as the home team start to dominate in midfield. In 34 minutes, Guti is booked for bringing the Brazilian down whilst in full flight.
After 39 minutes, Gerardo becomes the first Malaga player in the book for a foul on Figo.
Halftime 0-1
Upon the restart, Malaga start where they left off and a great sweeping move involving several short interpasses, ends with Manu's final pass just too strong for Amoroso eight yards out.
In 49 minutes, Figo is booked for kicking the ball away as the men in black struggle to get back into the game.
Next minute, Romero's name is in the book for a foul on Guti on the centre line.
In 51 minutes, the threat from the Madrid side returns when Ronaldo releases Raul who is through on goal. However, his shot goes just wide.
In 53 minutes, after Fernando Sanz trips Ronaldo 40 yards out, we get a chance to see a Roberto Carlos freekick. His long run up starts almost from the centre line and his strong low shot evades the twenty players in front of him, but Calatayud only had to watch as the ball sailed wide.
Malaga storm back two minutes later with a great run down the right by Manu, whose cross finds Amoroso, but the shot is blocked. Wanchope then has a great chance but he is crowded out as he tries to get the ball clear for a shot. Figo, back defending, is happy to clear the ball away anywhere, to break up the attack.
In 57 minutes, Wanchope is booked for a needless foul on Guti, who has assumed control in midfield and seems to be everywhere.
Ronaldo starts a run in 60 minutes, but is held by Juanito who becomes the fourth Malaga name so far to be inserted in the book.
Two minutes later, Malaga are still trying to get a way back into the game with the skilful Amoroso finding Wanchope, but the giant Costa Rican shoots straight at Casillas.
The next minute Valcarce finds Amoroso who this time tries a shot which has Casillas scrambling across the goal to turn the ball around the post.
This was to be Amoroso's last effort as in 66 minutes he and Romero were replaced by Edgar and Duda respectively as Manzano brings fresh legs and more pace onto the field in an effort to find the equaliser.
Malaga are still reorganising after the double substitution when Ronaldo latches onto a through ball and puts Raul clear, but the Madrid number 7 shoots straight at Calatayud.
In 69 minutes, Ronaldo comes off as Michael Owen is introduced to the game.
Edgar is proving to be a menace to the Madrid defence with his strong direct running and comes close with his first effort. However, tragedy for the Portuguese as he goes down clutching his leg whilst on a run on his own with the ball in 71 minutes and has to go off with a suspected hamstring injury, after only 5 minutes on the field. He is replaced by Swiss international striker, Giejo.
Michael Owen's pace and directness is a new dimension for the all-blacks and in 77 minutes shows some nifty footwork on the right wing before releasing Figo, but the Portugal captain's shot is parried away fro a corner by Calatayud.
The next minute, the favour is returned by Figo and this time OWEN makes no mistake from eight yards to score his fifth goal in five games for Real Madrid.
Malaga 0 Real Madrid 2
Straight afterwards, Figo is replaced by Argentinean left winger Solari.
In 80 minutes Giejo is brought down in the box, but despite loud appeals, no penalty is given.
Manu tries a shot in the following minute, but it has no power and is dealt with easily.
In 82 minutes, Michel Angel, showing signs of frustration, becomes the fifth Malaga player in the book for a foul on Zidane.
In 83 minutes, Real Madrid make their final substitution with the tall striker Morientes coming on for Raul.
In the final six minutes, it was all Malaga as they tried to get something from the game. First Wanchope shot just wide after the chance was created by a crossfield move involving Manu and Duda. Then Manu dribbled past three defenders to get into the box only to see his shot hit the side netting. Then after a great run in from the left by Duda, the little Portuguese winger's shot was blocked by Salgado. From the resultant corner, Casillas is again forced to scramble across his goalmouth to make another fine save.
Full time Malaga 0 Real Madrid 2
Although Malaga did not play badly and created a number of scoring opportunities, in the end it was the sheer class of Real Madrid that won the day. For me it was fantastic to see so many world class players on view and having to play at the top of their form.
After Deportivo in the previous home game, then Real Madrid this time, it does not get any easier with the next visitors being Valencia, three of the so called "top four" in Spain (the fourth of course being Barcelona).
Looking forward to it already as your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there!

Posted by hodgers at 3:31 PM | Permalink

Over a number of seasons in Spain, four teams have emerged as the strongest and most consistent, winning the League Championship and featuring in the Champion's League - Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Deportivo.
The team from La Coruna, a busy port way up in the north western extremity of the country, where the Bay of Biscay meets the Atlantic Ocean and which must represent one of the longest journeys between teams in La Liga, has had a settled side for many years, rare in football these days. Many of their players, including their manager, Irureta, have been around for a long time, including the former Brazilian international, Mauro Silva, who at 37 is still turning out world class performances. Also in their team, there are four current Spanish internationals in Sergio, Victor, Valeron and Luque, with the Uruguayan striker, Pandiani, their top scorer so far this season and since replacing Roy Maakay, when he left for Bayern Munich. Also impressing this season is their right back and captain, Manuel Pablo, whose pace and tackling shone like a beacon in Deportivo's midweek Champion's League match at Anfield against Liverpool. Formidable opponents then, whom Malaga have not beaten since season '99-'00. Irureta is reportedly interested in signing Malaga's centreback, Juanito, but the Malaga-born player looks set to sign a three year deal with his home town team in the coming weeks.
Malaga's last game was away to Athletic Bilboa, which they lost 1-0 to a goal conceded early in the first half from a well taken free kick from Yeste, which was deflected past Calatayud. Injuries to Giejo and Amoroso (although the Brazilian is hopeful for a return to the team in time for next week's game away to Betis) meant that Wanchope was up front on his own and he scored what proved to be a good goal from video evidence. The referee gave it, pointing to the centre spot, only for the farside assistant to flag that the goal should be disallowed as Wanchope had barged the goalkeeper. The referee then cancelled the goal and awarded a free kick instead. However, the replay showed that the ball was already over the goal line before Wanchope made contact with the keeper in his follow-through. A sare one!
Malaga's line-up was an unusual (for them) 4-5-1 formation, including Romero as "anchor" in front of the back four and Leko supporting Wanchope in attack, in a more advanced role for the Croatian midfielder. Team: Calatayud, Gerardo, Fernando Sanz, Juanito, Valcarce, Edgar, Miguel Angel, Romero, Leko, Duda and Wanchope.
Deportivo play 4-2-3-1 Team: Molina, Pablo, Andrade, Cesar, Capdevilla, Sergio, Mauro Silva, Victor, Valeron, Luque and Pandiani.
Malaga kick off in perfect conditions for football. It's 8 o'clock on a Saturday evening in late October and it's 25C and no appreciable wind. From the start the home side look lively with good passing movements from the three central midfielders, Romero, Leko and Miguel Angel causing Deportivo concern. A telling pass from Miguel Angel from the right wing found Leko in the "D" in only six minutes. There was a groan from the crowd as Leko elected to pass the ball to WANCHOPE instead of taking a shot himself, but the Costa Rican international, who recently scored a hat-trick for his country against Canada, made no mistake from six yards. 1-0.
Deportivo were playing high up the field, operating the offside trap successfully and were closing down very quickly every time a Malaga player was on the ball. From very early on in the game it was clear that their main threat up front was to be through the pace and skill of Luque on the left wing and in 11 minutes the winger came close with a rasping shot which Calatayud was happy to see go wide.
In 16 minutes, Wanchope received a ball from Romero just inside Deportivo's half and started a run through the inside right channel. He is a tall player and looks slightly ungainly, but he has good feet and excellent control and he swept past four defenders before releasing the ball to Leko, again lurking in the "D". This time he elected to shoot with great effect as the ball crashed into the net. But our celebrations were short-lived as the referee had already blown for offside.
Malaga were enjoying the best of the play at this time, with Romero running the show in midfield from his position in front of the defence, spraying long and short accurate passes to his more advanced team mates.
In 24 minutes, Fernando Sanz became the first booking of the game for a foul on Luque, as the game became bogged down in midfield. With both defences pushing up, there were 20 players around the centre circle at times. Sanz will miss next week's match at Betis after reaching five cards so far this season.
In 34 minutes, Edgar's pace, from a Miguel Angel pass, brought him into a shooting position, but he hit the side netting.
All Malaga's forward moves were going down the right flank as Manuel Pablo stifled the threat from Duda down Malaga's left.
In 38 minutes, Duda took a free kick from the left wing. Instead of putting the ball into the crowded penalty area, he elected to hook the ball back to Gerardo, standing alone about 25 yards out, in what looked like a training round ploy. However, Gerardo's effort was high and wide.
In 40 minutes, Miguel Angel conceded a free kick for a foul on the impressive Luque 30 yards from goal, as Deportivo sought the equaliser. Luque's direct free kick beat the wall but Calatayud was well placed to make the save.
In a similar position, two minutes later, Valcarce conceded a free-kick, but this time Luque's effort soared over the bar.
Half time Malaga 1 Deportivo 0
Malaga started brightly on the resumption with good runs from Miguel Angel and Leko providing openings up front and exposing the Deportivo defence, but no danger to the goal.
In 51 minutes, Miguel Angel was the second Malaga player to be booked for a foul on Luque after being wrong-footed by a pass from Valcarce got him in a fankle.
In 54 minutes, Romero intercepted a through ball and made the short pass to Leko whose strong run through the middle caused some panic in the Deportivo defence. He passed it out to Edgar on the right wing whose strong cross was met well by Miguel Angel's head and goalkeeper Molina needed two attempts to bring the ball down and smother it.
In 56 minutes, Gerardo was booked for a foul on Luque, wrapping his arms around the winger and stopping his progress when in full flight.
Two minutes later, a great chance for Malaga as Leko finds Wanchope in space. The big striker broke through to be one on one with Molina but his carefully placed shot went inches wide of the far post.
In 62 minutes, Romero became the next Malaga man booked, for a foul on .......... Luque!
With Malaga on top and Deportivo struggling to make an impression up front, Irureta brought on veteran striker Fran for centre back Cesar.
In 68 minutes, for the first time in the game, Duda eludes Manuel Pablo down the left and his cross was met by Miguel Angel in the clear. His powerful shot had Molina well beaten but the ball came crashing back off the crossbar.
In 69 minutes, Rodriguez was brought on for Leko as a straight replacement in midfield.
In 72 minutes, Wanchope should have tied things up for Malaga when Edgar's right wing cross presented him with a free header. His effort again went wide though and the lanky striker put his head in his hands as he knew he should at least have been on target.
A minute later Irureta again signalled his intent by bringing on out of form striker Tristan for full back Capdevilla. Duda was replaced by Malaga's Luque at the same time.
Then in 80 minutes, the tiring Wanchope, alone in attack for Malaga, was replaced by right winger Manu, forcing the home team to make a number of positional changes with Edgar taking up the striker's role in the centre.
But the old master Irureta's changes to Deportivo were more telling as they came more into the game and started to threaten again and again. In 80 minutes the impressive Valeron was just wide after a superb run from another attacking substitute, right winger Munitis, who had come on for Victor.
Malaga's Luque became his side's fifth booking for a foul on Tristan as the big striker was making an impact up front. From the free kick, Tristan's effort hit the side netting when we all thought it was in.
Then in 85 minutes, Deportivo's pressure paid off as TRISTAN's head met a Valeron cross at the far post which Calatayud looked to have got a hand to, but to no avail.
1-1
Deportivo went all out for the winner as Malaga looked tired. In 87 minutes the dangerous Tristan came close again with another header from a pass from Luque on the left.
In the last minute, Manu was dispossessed in the Deportivo penalty box, who swung quickly into counter attack, ending with a Luque shot across the goal which we were all grateful to see go wide.
Full time Malaga 1 Deportivo 1
A draw probably a fair result in a game that could have gone either way.
Next week Malaga are away to local rivals Real Betis in Sevilla, for which we intend to make the two hour journey with my son, Denis, who arrives in Spain on Thursday for short holiday.
The next home game is on weekending 6/7 November against Real Madrid.
Your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there.

Posted by hodgers at 9:31 AM | Permalink

Yes, another match day at La Roseleda, where today's visitors were Club Atletico Osasuna, from the town of the same name in the north of Spain. This little club has had a very good start to this season, having already beaten Real Madrid in La Liga and boasting the top scorer in Milosevic, the former Celta Vigo and Aston Villa striker, who has netted 5 times in the opening 5 games. Before the kick off, they were lying in fifth place on 10 points, with Malaga sitting in 9th with 7 points, after succumbing to a defeat last week away 1-0 to Espanyol, themselves sitting proudly third after 5 games behind Valencia and Barcelona.
Malaga were keen to return to winning ways at home and a repeat of their performance at their last home game (against Numancia) was what was desired by the Malaga faithful. Against Espanyol, Luque got the shout for left wing before Duda, who dropped to the bench. However, the Portuguese maestro returned to the starting line-up today, in what is becoming the recognised first choice eleven, under Manzano.
Malaga: (4-1-3-2) Calatayud, Gerardo, Fernando Sanz, Juanito, Valcarce, Michel Angel, Edgar, Leko, Duda, Amoroso and Wanchope.
Osasuna: (4-2-3-1) Sanzol, Exposito, Cruchega, Josetxo, Corrales, Punal, Garcia, Ortiz, Aloisi, Moha and Milosevic.
It was a 17:00h kick off, but the sun was still very strong and we sat down in a sweltering 28C heat. The opening exchanges produced no goalmouth action, as both teams set out their stall for the evening. Malaga tried to get some passing moves going but were frustrated by some excellent closing down employed by the visitors and it wasn't until the 8th minute that we saw a shot on goal, with Amoroso shooting just over after connecting with a Valcarce by line cross from the touchline after a neat one-two between the full back and Duda.
In 19 minutes Wanchope broke through the middle and was brought down just outside the box close to the touchline. There were howls of the Spanish equivalent of "last man, send him off", but the referee simply awarded a free kick. Duda floated the kick into the crowded penalty box (throughout the game, both defending teams had all eleven players defending inside their own penalty boxes for corners and suchlike free kicks). There seemed to be some pushing going on and here were screams of "penalty, penalty" from behind the goals, but the referee remarkably asked for the free kick to be taken again instead. One of many baffling decisions made during the game. The ball broke to Gerardo lurking just outside the D, but he characteristically blasted his effort well over.
Two minutes later, Malaga again had a impressive attack with a strong run by Edgar down the right wing. His perfect cross found Wanchope in the clear, but the lanky Costa Rican had strayed offside.
In the 23rd minute, with Malaga keeping up the pressure, Leko received a ball won by Michel Angel in the centre circle. Leko lofted the ball over the static Osasuna back four to AMOROSO, whose run was perfectly timed and he slid the ball past the advancing Sanzol into the net at the far post.
1-0
As happens, Osasuna staged a fight back and won a free kick in a dangerous position just outside the box. Anchor man Garcia swerved the kick over the wall and Calatayud had his first touch of the game when he managed to get his fingertips to the net bound ball and put it over the bar. From the resultant corner kick by Moha, a tricky and hard working little winger, the ball bounced around the Malaga area, with several attempts failing to clear the danger. Wanchope eventually became the defensive hero by dribbling the ball out past three players where the previous hoofing out of the area had failed.
Half time 1-0
Osasuna came out strongly and seconds after the restart and Milsoevic had Calatayud scrambling across his goal to again deny the big striker. There was a clash between Wanchope and Garcia on the centre line and the referee awarded in the Costa Rican's favour. However, play was stopped whilst the nearside assistant advised the referee of some dastardly goings-on on the touchline and the result was that Osasuna's Mexican manager, Aguirre, was sent off to sit the rest of the game out from the stand.
Osasuna were not out of it and in their best period of the match Moha was always causing trouble with his running, trickery and incisive passing. One such move down the left wing ended when Moha went past two defenders and sent in a strong cross for Aloisi to head straight to Calatyud.
One goal was not looking enough as time and again only excellent interventions from the Malaga defenders stopped dangerous Osasuna attacks. In the 61st minute, WANCHOPE answered our prayers with a superb solo goal. He won possession in a strongly contested tussle with Garcia, before turning towards goal and making his advance past three other despairing tackles before slotting home from 12 yards. Brilliant!
2-0
The ground resounded to Chope, Chope (pronounced choppy) as our new hero delivered the goods at an important time in the game. El Chope is such a hero back in Costa Rica that now all Malaga games are beamed live back to the small Central American country each week.
On 65 minutes, Malaga scored what seemed to be the clincher. Fernando Sanz intercepted a cross intended for Milosevic (as he had been doing with Juanito all game) in his own half. He ran forward six yards and released Duda wide on the left wing. He took two touches before sending an inch perfect cross which Amoroso finished with a resounding volley past the helpless Sanzol. We were up on our feet for another incredible goal. The huge electronic scoreboard was going daft and strange music came belting out the speakers. But Amoroso was adjudged to be offside and the goal was cancelled. This decision resulted in the white hankies being brought out by the crowd who were chanting "fuera, fuera" (go away, get off) to the referee.
However Osasuna did not give up and Milosevic again came close going wide in 70 minutes and in a better chance in 85 minutes when he was just about to pull the trigger inside the six yard box, when Valcarce stole the ball off his toes and cleared to safety.
In the 90th minute, Calatayud came out to two fist the ball to safety on a one on one with Milosevic with the big striker receiving both fists to the side of his face. He was not happy about this and was threatening to return the favour to the giant goalkeeper. Juanito intervened and separated the two protagonists. Meanwhile the referee missed all this as he was attending to a substitution on the touchline. When he came back onto the field he promptly booked both Milosevic and Juanito! Juanito almost had the last laugh as he saw Sanzol off his line and attempted an outrageous shot from half way over the stranded keeper's head. Sanzol was however able to scramble backwards and make a save.
Full time 2-0.
This result and a number of others today has seen Malaga jump to fourth place in La Liga behind Barcelona, Valencia and Sevilla. Real Madrid suffered another home defeat tonight against Deportivo who lie in 10th and 11th places respectively. Next week is an international weekend so games will be played. The following week is the away match up in Bilboa against Athletic (in 15th place) with the next home match three weeks away on the 24th October against one of Spain's big guns, Deportivo. Your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there.

Posted by hodgers at 11:04 PM | Permalink

Hello Fellow Malaga Fans around the world.
Yes it's a new season and on Sunday 12 September, we saw Malaga's first home game of the new season (having suffered a 2-0 defeat away to Atletico de Madrid in the opener). It's all new - new season, new manager, Gregorio Manzano (ex-Atletico Madrid, so a quick return to his former haunt in the first game), new players, new stand open at La Roseleda and new seats for Geoff and me, still at the Fondo end, but to the right of the goal and a bit closer to the action. So all full of anticipation and excitement we made our way to our seats. We were joined by Geoff's daughter, Zoe, across here on holiday at the moment and keen to compare Spanish football with the fare served up at White Hart Lane, where she works on match days for Tottenham Hotspur.
Manzano had come with a bit of a reputation, particularly in his days at Real Mallorca, and he has stated that it his ambition this season to get Malaga into a UEFA Cup slot, which was narrowly missed out on last year. In the close season, Malaga have lost leading goalscorer Salva (to Valencia), fellow strikers Diego Alonso (to Pumas in Mexico) and Canabal (did not renew contract) and from the defence, Josemi as transferred to Liverpool for £5m. Drafted in are a few younger players recruited from last season's successful Malaga B team, who play in the Second Division, namely centre back Juanito, hot prospect teenager right full back/winger Alexis, and strikers Juan Rodriguez and Swiss international Alex Giejo, topscorer last season. Two other strikers have been resourced, Amoroso, a Brazilian international, signed on a "Bosman" from Borussia Dortmund and Paulo Wanchope, the Costa Rican international, signed from Manchester City for £500k. Both these latter two players have only been with the squad for a matter of a week or two and Manzano has had them in for double training sessions to get their fitness levels up. This was necessary particularly for Wanchope (El Chope, as he is known back in Costa Rica) who missed most of last season with a knee injury and received surgery in the USA. Hopefully he has fully recovered and will play a leading role in Malaga's fortunes this season. Neither new signing started in the previous game, although Amoroso did come on as a sub late in the game. So home debuts for both were another reason to look forward to this game.
Teams: Malaga (4-4-1-1): Calatayud, Alexis, Fernando Sanz, Juanito, Valcarce, Gerardo, Michel Angel, Romero, Duda, Amoroso and Wanchope.
Real Zaragoza: (4-4-1-1): Lainez, Cuartero, Alvaro, Milto, Aranzabal, Gelleti, Movilla, Zapatar, Savio, Javi Moreno, David Villa.

The visitors, winners of the Spanish Cup last season and in the UEFA Cup this season, are the first leaders of La Liga after the first match and their centre back, Alvaro, tops the goalscoring charts with 2 goals. Nonetheless, Malaga should and must expect to take all three points against this team at home. Teams like Zaragoza (pronounced tharagotha) play deep in defence, all eleven behind the ball and look for goals on the counter through speedy forwards, particularly David Villa. In Cesar Lainez, Zaragoza have one of the best young goalkeepers in Spain and tipped to be a future international, so as Malaga fans, we knew we would have to be patient and hope that our new strikers could make devastating impact on their defence.
We had to wait until the 6th minute for the first goalmouth incident. Duda took a free kick out on the left, which Wanchope latched onto, only to see Lainez palm the ball away to safety. As early as the 16th minute we had our first booking of the game when Gelliti brought down Duda illegally in the centre circle. We did not know it then, but this was to become a feature of a desperately disappointing spectacle as the play got bogged down in the midfield and the referee seemed to be constantly disrupting the flow of play with every tackle seemingly a foul. And so Miguel Angel became the next in the book, on 21 minutes for a tackle on the centre line. In 28 minutes, the first attempt on goal from the visitor. Good interpassing down their left ended with a shot on target from David Villa but Calatayud saved comfortably enough. A promising move from Malaga on 34 minutes finishes with slick pass from Amoroso to Duda, who's felled in the "D" by Cuartero, who becomes the next name in the book. Up to this point, Wanchope, who must be 8 feet three, with most of that leg, had been showing plenty of movement up front, in a casual laconic loping sort of way and Amoroso always seemed to find space to accept a pass and do something with it in a crowded defence. It was not Duda who took the resultant free kick but Amoroso and there was the sense of something special about to happen when a Brazilian lines up a free kick just outside the box, but his kick was poor and came back off the wall.
On 40, Duda had a fine effort which Lainez double fisted away for a corner. Three minutes later, Fernando Sanz became the third name in the book for a tackle from behind in the centre circle. Then right on half time Malaga came closest to scoring when there was an almighty scramble in a crowded penalty box after a corner on the left with the ball bouncing around like in bagatelle. It finally fell to Juanito whose shot was saved by Lainez.
Half time 0-0
The second half was no better than the first and following the pattern, Amoroso was booked in the 59th minute for diving after being poleaxed by Aranzabal just outside the box. On 66 the first substitution for Malaga brought Portuguese-Angolan Edgar on for Gerardo as a straight replacement on the right wing. In the moments directly after as Malaga were adjusting to the change, Zaragoza had a chance but Calatayud saved the shot and Romero booted the ball into the stand for safety. On 71, Edgar's pace took him past defenders down the right and he pulled back an excellent cross from the touchline, but Michel Angel's header was held by Lainez. Both Amoroso and Wanchope has faded from the game at this point so it was no surprise when Wanchope left the field on 73 and Giejo entered the fray to a rousing roar from the crowd. Malaga changed format slightly with Amoroso playing up with his new team mate as Malaga looked for the goal which would win this game. On 82, already booked Michel Angel was involved in altercation with Milto and was immediately substituted by Manzano, who brought on Leko, recently returned from international duty with Croatia. The bookings continued in this scrappy game when Alexis caught Savio's heels on the centre line.
Full time 0-0
The next few matches are against teams which Malaga must take points from (Mallorca, Numancia, Espanyol and Osasuna), before they play the big guns in successive weeks after that (Deportivo, Real Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona). For the home games anyway, your Malaga CF Correspondent will be there.

Posted by hodgers at 11:35 AM | Permalink

A busy day for me, Wednesday 22 September, with Helen and I flying in from Glasgow in the morning after a trip to Scotland to attend a wedding. Scotland was dark, cold and very wet, but it was not too long before we got home and got back into tee shirt, shorts and sandals. Unfortunately Helen has caught a cold from her stay in Scotland, but hopefully the sunshine and dry weather will help her recovery.
It was a 9pm kick-off against the La Liga newcomers, Numancia, promoted from La Segunda as runners-up to Levante last year. They have got off to a reasonable start and before today's game, after three matches, were above Malaga in the table on goal difference. The temperature was a balmy 26C and the stadium, with its new stand now open and allowing the support to be all around the ground, had a different, more intense atmosphere. Numancia are a team without recognisable stars, coming from a smallish town in the north of Spain. Their main threat is from their Korean international, Lee Chun Soo, signed at the last minute from Real Sociedad, before the season started, who plays wide left in a four man attack.
Malaga's manager, Manzano, has a problem on the right wing and cannot decide between Edgar, Manu and Gerardo for the position, having tried each one in each of the previous three games. On Sunday past, away to Real Mallorca, it was Edgar's turn, and he made his point by scoring (along with Wanchope's first goal for Malaga) in an excellent morale boosting 2-1 away win. This week is three games in a row, as Malaga are away to high flying Espanyol next Sunday, but maximum points from these three games would give the team the confidence all sides need early on in the season.
For the Numancia game, it was both Gerardo (at right back in place of Alexis, to combat the pace of Soo) and Edgar in the line-up in a 4-3-2-1 system, with Edgar and Amoroso in advanced positions ahead of Duda, Leko (the Croatian provides more attacking options than Romero) and Michel Angel, behind the lanky Costa Rican Wanchope (El Chope has recently been recalled to the international scene, after his impressive start to the season).
Malaga: Calatayud, Gerardo, Juanito, Fernando Sanz, Valcarce, Michel Angel, Leko, Duda, Edgar, Amoroso and Wanchope.
Numancia: (4-2-2-1-1): Nunez, Velasco, Otxoa, Molina, Graff, Palacio, Ros, Kiassos, Soo, Tevenet and Pineda.

People were still streaming in to the ground, when, after only three minutes, Malaga got off to a sensational start. Duda took a corner from the left after Chope forced a fine save from Nunez. The ball was cleared only to MICHEL ANGEL, lurking just outside the box, who hit the ball sweetly on the volley and it swerved past the box full of players just inside the post. What a goal! 1-0
We were still talking about Michel Angel's rare goal, when five minutes later, Duda passed from the left to WANCHOPE, who with his back to goal, controlled the ball magnificently to swivel round and hammer home from 20 yards. 2-0
Three minutes later, Malaga's dominance continued and Michel Angel came close to repeating his earlier effort from another Duda corner, but this time it went wide.
It was 18 minutes on the clock before Numancia showed up front and Pineda and Soo linked well but it came to nothing. Two minutes later, Malaga forced another corner, this time on the right, after a typically string run from Edgar. Duda took the inswinging corner, which found AMOROSO at the far post for the Brazilian to score his first goal for his new club. 3-0
You get a bit silly when your team goes up 3-0 after only twenty minutes, dreaming of cricket scores, but Numancia did not give up and from a well worked free kick in 28 minutes, just outside the box, Otxoa was clean through but shot straight at Calatayud.
The game went into a series of needless fouls in midfield as Numancia tried to stem the attacking play from Malaga, but the referee did not resort to the book, until the 41st minute, when Graff was deemed to be last man and sent off for cynically bringing down Amoroso as he started to bear down on the goalkeeper.
10 man Numancia did not give up and came closest to scoring before half-time when Ros ran onto a loose ball after Duda lost possession on the left wing on the centre line, but although Calatayud was beaten, his powerful drive came off the far post.
Half-time 3-0
The second half was a bit of an anticlimax after the sensational first half. Numancia down to 10 men predictably put all behind the ball in damage limitation, hoping to catch Malaga on the break with the pace of Pineda and Soo. Although Malaga played some nice football, with some neat passing and displays of skill, the cutting edge had gone with Chope shooting wide and Gerardo blasting well over on three occasions. In 63 minutes Chope was substituted to great cheers from the home support - his workrate and threat up front has already made him a fan's favourite - and Manu came on. This required a reshuffle of the team to a 4-4-2 formation with Edgar and Amoroso becoming a two pronged strike force, as Manzano tried to find more goals.
In 65 minutes, Amoroso was clean through in the box and was cynically brought down in a sandwich between the two giant centre backs, Oxtoa and Molina. A certain penalty, but the referee waved play on.
Then two minutes later, Tevenet plays the ball off Gerardo to gain a rare corner for Numancia. From the resultant corner kick, the ball bounced around the Malaga goalmouth like bagatelle, with the defenders unable to clear the ball from the area. OXTOA was able to stick out a foot to stab home a consolation goal. 3-1
Two minutes later Leko was booked for a foul on Oxtoa and while play was stopped Luque came on for Duda. Manu was next in the book for a foul against Palacio on the centre line.
On 80 minutes, Swiss striker Giejo (pronounced Geecho, ch as in loch) came on for the tiring Edgar.
Fernando Sanz became the third Malaga player in the book for use of his elbow against Soo in the centre circle.
The game was dying as we headed for full-time when LUQUE burst through the centre of the defence on a superb solo run and from 12 yards blasted the ball into the top corner to make it 4-1. Seconds later Giejo was put through by Michel Angel and he was one on one with the keeper but his firm shot went just wide the far post.
Full-time Malaga 4 Numancia 1

Your Malaga CF Correspondent

Posted by hodgers at 11:28 AM | Permalink

Hola, fellow Blanquiazuls,
Some of you may know that Geoff and I have renewed our season tickets for the upcoming season. We have changed positions and have moved to the other side of the Fondo goal end, which should make it easier for us to get in and out the ground compared to our previous seats. Whether we get a better view of the action remains to be seen. I'll keep you posted.
Thought you might like a quick update on what is happening at La Roseleda - comings and goings, well, mostly goings. First of all we have a new manager, Gregorios Manzana (manzana is Spanish for apple, strange name) who was formerly the main man at Atletico Madrid. Changing managers seems to be thing here, 18 of the 20 clubs in La Liga have new managers since the end of last season. Gone are Insua (back to Argentina), Salva (back to Valencia), Diego Alonso (back to Uruguay), Rojas (end of contract - not renewed). Potentially going at goalie Calatuyud (Liverpool want him) and Miguel Angel (who has been linked to a number of clubs, including several in the English Premiership) but may go arch rivals Sevilla if they up their offer. No sign of many new faces arriving except the squad has been increased by the inclusion of six players from Malaga B, which competes in the Second Division here as a team in its own right. Last year Malaga B entered these dizzy heights for the first time ever and managed a credible midtable finish. Of course the rules here dictate that a "B" team cannot be in the same league than the "A" team, but none the less they are competing at a very high standard. One of the new recruits is a Swiss international forward, Giego, so we will see him next year.
As part of their preseason training, Malaga's first team are off to Switzerland to play two Swiss teams and one from the Bundesleague in a wee meaningless tournament.
Anyway, please find attached the fixture list for next season [page1; page 2], so that you can look forward as much as me to each game. You will see that the first home game is in September, so we will all have to wait some time yet.
If there is any breaking news before then, hasta luego!
Your Malaga CF Correspondent.

Posted by hodgers at 5:20 PM | Permalink

Well, what about this weather? Here on the Costa we've had heavy rain for five days (although today we are back to "normal" with clear blue sky and sunshine). Elsewhere in Spain they've been having snow in places which haven't had snow in a lifetime for some old folks and it's the main news story every night on Spanish TV. There was even deep snow in Malaga province (up to the north and up in the mountains admittedly). However that did not stop the weekend's football. The worst pitch was in Soria up in the Pyrenees, where Numancia had to clear three feet of snow off the pitch before their game with Barcelona (which ended 1-1).
Malaga also had to make the long trip up to the north of Spain to Pamplona (you know, that mad place where they chase bulls through the streets each Spring?) to play Osasuna. Now Osasuna on paper was going to be a difficult match as they were sitting in 11th place in the league, but Malaga is their "bestia negro" and Osasuna haven't beaten Malaga for the last seven games. How would Tapia's men get on against them? I switched on teletexto on Canal Sur with some apprehension on Sunday night to get the score. And there it was: Osasuna 1 Malaga 6. SIX!!! What a result! The game was over after only thirteen minutes as Miguel Angel had scored in only two minutes and Baiano had opened his Malaga account with a stunning individual effort. Then Duda scored a rare goal after a free kick had been awarded inside the box after the goalkeeper picked up the ball from a pass back to make it 3-0 before half time. Then Juan Rodriguez made it four early in the second half. Things started to get nasty, as frustration took over and Osasuna had two men sent off for off the ball "tackles". However they did pull one back after Arnau had made a save and their forward was first to the rebound. But Baiano got his second before substitute Wanchope rounded things off with a free header after a corner taken on the right by Miguel Angel. Wow! What a result! This was a result that moved Malaga a little clear of the dreaded relegation zone into 12th place, giving them some breathing space of seven points ahead of the 18th (and first of the three relegation slots).
This week in Spain, with the worst weather recorded in over thirty years for this period, the football fixtures throw up a midweek game to give the teams three games this week.
Last night it was the turn of Athletic Bilboa (Athletic, not Atletico, as the team from the Bay of Biscay was founded by English sailors in the port). Now Athletic were also doing quite well this season, sitting in eighth position in La Liga and had progressed into the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup after finishing fifth last season. Their team has been together for a long time and features four players with experience of playing for Spain. Their main threat in front of goal has been the experienced striker Urzaiz, but ably supported by Yeste and winger Etxeberria. So it's a surprise when the team is announced and Urzaiz is on the bench, with the young, tall imposing Azkorra given the striker's role: Athletic (4-2-3-1): Aranzubia, Iraola, Murillo, Prieto and Del Horno, Tiko and Orbaiz, Etxeberria, Yeste and Ezquerro, Azkorra.
La Roselda looked strange with the old main stand half demolished as Malaga continue to improve their ground to meet World Cup standards. This means that the teams come onto the field through a new innovation - a large blue extending concertina-type tunnel from one of the Fondo corners! Also the fact that the main stand is out of commission gives the ground an unbalanced look, with the crowd on three sides only of the rectangle. As for the team, unsurprisingly, Tapia gives the nod to the same team that has produced three wins in a row (including that 1-6 result on Sunday): Malaga (4-2-3-1): Arnau, Gerardo, Cesar, Fernando Sanz and Valcarce, Juanito and Romero, Juan Rodriguez, Miguel Angel and Duda, Baiano.
We were in fear of getting wet for the first time in two seasons last night as the rain had been incessant since Friday and was forecast for the rest of the week. However, for the football, there was no rain, no wind and it was even quite mild at around 18C for the 20:00h kick-off. Helen was with me again as Geoff couldn't make it and as it was a Wednesday we just had to go to the shopping mall around the corner from the ground (where we park the car) before the game. Needless to say, we had less time than usual to get ourselves settled in before the game started. In fact we had almost just sat down, when Malaga kicked off, having lost the toss and defending the Fondo end in the first half. Malaga were in their blue and white stripes with blue shorts, Athletic in their normal red and white stripes with black shorts.
So it took us all by surprise when in the second minute, Miguel Angel wins the ball in the centre circle and sends through a delightful pass for Duda to run onto. The little Portuguese winger beat a defender before sending an inch perfect pass to JUAN RODRIGUEZ. The burly striker took the ball on his right foot, went past a defender then the onrushing keeper, before unleashing a powerful shot into the empty net with his left foot.
Malaga 1 Athletic 0
What a start! Was it to be another six of the best? Another goalfest?
We wondered, but not for long as the game developed into a dreary midfield battle interrupted continuously for free kicks by an over fussy referee. In fact we had to wait until the 20' before the next shot on goal and that was from a clearly frustrated Duda, who attempted to beat the keeper from the halfway line which went well wide.
Then Athletic began to take more control of the game, keeping possession with some neat and accurate passing. The young striker, Azkorra, looked as if he could be a bit of a handful and in 25' came close with a header after some nifty work in midfield created the chance. It's Azkorra again the following minute, when this time he gets ball to feet and starts on a run, going past three men, but his shot is blocked by Cesar and cleared upfield to Romero. The bandy legged Uruguayan finds Baiano on the left and he makes a run along the 18 yard line, evading tackles from three defenders. The fourth defender is about to make a tackle when the Brazilian releases the ball to Juan Rodriguez, now standing alone on the right. He takes a step forward before unleashing a powerful drive at goal, which Aranzubia has to make an excellent save to stop it from making it 2-0.
Athletic however were more in the game and most of their play was down the right wing where Etxeberria was proving too good for the usually dependable Valcarce. The Spanish international got to the touchline and send in a powerful cross which had Arnau at full stretch to palm away from the onrushing Azkorra.
In 33' it's still Etxeberria causing trouble and he pops up in the middle to head a cross from left winger Ezquerro and Arnau can only watch and hope as it sailed just the other side of the post.
In 36' Athletic make their first substitution, with right back Gonzalez coming on for Tiko. It seems to be tactical and Iraola moves forward to take the midfield role. In 38' there's a stooshie in the box as Miguel Angel is felled by an elbow off the ball (clearly seen in the later TV slo-mo). But neither the referee or his assistant have seen this and although the Malaga players swarm around the referee like a swarm of bees, no penalty is awarded.
The game dissolves again into a midfield battle with both sides cancelling each other out.
Half time Malaga 1 Athletic 0
Athletic take the field early for the second half, perhaps to get themselves warmed up and used to the conditions and slightly greasy surface. It seems like five minutes before the Malaga team finally emerges from the blue tunnel in the corner of the pitch and the game can resume.
Whatever the reason for Athletic's early return, it's Malaga who go close in 47' when, after Miguel Angel has been flattened for the umpteenth time in the match, Juan Rodriguez takes the free kick using Roberto Carlos-type power, but Aranzubia makes a great save and manages to get to the spilled ball before Baiano.
Then Athletic keep possession for several minutes in midfield to no great effect. It's Malaga who make the break in 55' and Duda rushes onto a Juan Rodriguez cross and clashes with the goalkeeper on the penalty spot. It looks serious for Duda and he's stretchered off to be replaced by Iznata. The left full back and deputy for the ever present Valcarce at last gets his chance in front of the home crowd and takes his place wide on the left wing. Baiano is also substituted and Amoroso takes his place. Athletic also make a change and bring on Urzaiz for Azkorra.
In 63' it's the first card of the game and it's yellow for Murillo for a foul on Iznata. From the free kick, Miguel Angel finds Amoroso but his header is straight at the keeper. Malaga are coming back into the game and from a Gerardo throw in on the right, he takes the return from Juan Rodriguez, beats two defenders as he runs along the by-line, but his cross is too strong and passes both the onrushing Amoroso and Iznata to fall to Valcarce out wide on the left wing. The full back unleashes a screamer on the volley, which has Aranzubia diving full length to hold the ball and make an excellent save.
In 66' Miguel Angel is booked for diving, after being flattened yet again by the uncompromising Athletic defenders.
That's it for Malaga and it becomes a torrid last twenty minutes as Athletic try to find a way past the unyielding Malaga defence. It's not pretty but the defensive wall of the back four plus Romero and Juanito and now Iznata is too much for the Athletic forwards to penetrate.
Still, into the 90th minute among the shrill whistles from the crowd urging the referee to blow the whistle for full time and Arnau has to make a double save after close range shots in crowded penalty area after Etxeberria's clever corner kick eluded both Cesar and Fernando Sanz.
Full time Malaga 1 Athletic 0
This fourth win in a row takes Malaga up into 11th spot in the league table. Although a dreich affair, the quality of the opposition should not be underestimated and this was another excellent result, which has got the Spanish press talking about Malaga as a potential for Europe next season. A bit early for that, although this league is a bit like that, with so many good teams being closely matched. However, the next three games will be the biggest test for Tapia and his team as they take on Deportivo away (a game to be shown live on Canal+, Spain's equivalent of Sky Sports, so may be that might be Sky's Sunday game next week too?), Real Betis at home, then Real Madrid away.
The Andalucian derby is always one to savour and a win over Betis has almost the same feeling towards it as, say, Celtic beating Rangers, Spurs beating Arsenal, Scotland beating England or even Raith Rovers beating Dunfermline Pathetic. Don't fear, your Malaga CF Correspondent will the there!

Posted by hodgers at 12:08 PM | Permalink