REVIEW: DEPORTIVO 0 - ESPANYOL 0 (COPA)

16 Mar 2006 -- Once again Deportivo missed out on a chance to progress in the Copa, thanks to a loss at the Riazor. They dominated possession of the ball, but without that extra touch, they weren't able to meet the standard set by Lotina’s team. Because of this, the Galicians will celebrate the centenario without a trophy in their hands.

BEFORE THE GAME
The so-called 'revolution' ended before it started. Caparrós said before the match that he would make a small change to improve the performance of the squad, but in the end he decided to use a similar lineup to the one used against Real Sociedad on Saturday. The difference was the return of Coloccini to defense and the presence of Duscher in midfield, while Romero started as a right winger and Munitis as the second striker.

The big surprise for Deportivo was Héctor replacing Manuel Pablo on the right side. For Espanyol, Lotina started with the expected lineup, including the combination of De la Peña, Tamudo and Luis García in the strike zone. Pandiani was left on the bench.

FIRST HALF
Both teams started the game as everyone was expecting – Deportivo took the initiative and Espanyol tried to hold on to the first leg result. The Galicians had the first chance when Romero crossed the ball, but Arizmendi failed to finish it off. The Catalans responded immediately with a corner kick that Tamudo didn’t head properly.

The next few minutes saw the same story, with Deportivo dominating the ball against the defensive wall constructed by Lotina. Their next chance was a free kick taken by Munitis, which Juanma headed inches away from the post. Later, Arizmendi headed a Munitis cross over the crossbar.

Deportivo continued to apply pressure upfront and as was the case against Real Sociedad, the Galicians had trouble finding the finishing touch in the opposition area. The first half ended better for the home side. Munitis' shot inside the area was miraculously saved by Kameni, but Arizmendi found the rebound, which was once again cleared by the African keeper. Deportivo searched for a win throughout first half, but the visitors’ defensive strategy was too much for them.

SECOND HALF
The last 45 minutes saw the same script, with Deportivo surrounding Espanyol's area, and the Catalans planting a wall in front of them. The Galicians were obligated to play with crosses courtesy of Víctor, Romero and Munitis. With no clear ideas upfront, Caparrós sent Tristán on to replace Romero, and Arizmendi moved to the left wing.

Deportivo started to panic and began to leave gaps in midfield, a situation Tamudo couldn't take advantage of after his dangerous shot was stopped by Molina. After that, Lotina sent Pandiani to replace the Espanyol captain and try to refresh the strike zone.

With time running out, Caparrós sent Xisco on for Arizmendi, a desperate measure in order to find the necessary goal. The Fabril youngster almost had the winning goal at his feet. Tristán passed him the ball inside the area but his shot passed inches away from the post. It was the shot of the night...and also the end of Depor’s dream.

The dream goal never came, since the visitors effectively shut down any danger created by Deportivo, and the home side never found the net. They lacked efficiency in managing their possession of the ball, a problem that has been affecting the squad all season long.

AFTER THE MATCH
The dream of celebrating the centenario with the Copa del Rey in one hand ended with the 0-0 at the Riazor. Deportivo controlled the ball, but once again they never seemed to know what to do with it. Espanyol advanced to the final thanks to the 2-1 win in Barcelona a couple of weeks ago. They will meet Zaragoza in the final and now Deportivo will have to search for another window into Europe next season.

www.deportivo-la-coruna.com

REVIEW: GETAFE 1 - 2 DEPORTIVO (LA LIGA)

19 Mar 2006 -- Deportivo bounced back from the Copa elimination earlier this week to continue their quest for a European campaign in the Liga with a narrow win over Getafe. The Galicians made the most out of their few opportunities to edge out a win against a Madrilean side that dominated most of the encounter.

BEFORE THE MATCH
Getafe were trying to reach the 40 points mark with this match, a mark that all but excludes any relegation worries. The return of influential forward Riki was also supposed to boost the Madrilean side, but coach Bernd Schuster finally decided not to use Riki and opted for much the same lineup he had used in the last match against Zaragoza.

Caparros was also under pressure to deliver a good performance, since La Liga is the only way to a European campaign now for Deportivo. Still, the Utrera-born coach continued with small experiments in the lineup, preferring Hector again instead of Manuel Pablo on the right side of the defense, while Romero had to substitute Juanma after the latter couldn't recover from muscle problems in time for the match. Sergio and Victor also returned to the lineup, while Arizmendi and Ruben were in charge of the striking zone.

THE FIRST HALF
Getafe started the match in the offensive and Depor's defense had their hands full from the first minutes. Gavilan threatened the goal on three minutes, but couldn't find the net and shortly after, Redondo's finish was wide after a great combination between Dorado and Paunovic. Minutes later the Madrilean side demanded a penalty when Molina appeared to bring down Paunovic in the area, but the referee didn't give it.

On the other end, only Victor was leading the Galician charges, but his crosses were harmless against a well organized defense. The Madrilean side then had to react after Celestini had to leave the pitch because of an injury, and Alberto came in to replace the Swiss midfielder. Then only minutes later, a grave error of Luis Garcia allowed Deportivo to take the lead. Capdevila unleashed a powerful freekick from the right which Getafe's keeper could hold on to, allowing Victor to latch onto the rebound and open the score. Depor defended for the rest of the first half, content with the score and only Alberto had an opportunity to level the score befor the half time whistle.

THE SECOND HALF
Caparros made his intentions even more clear after the break, replacing Ruben with De Guzman and trying to consolidate the midfield. But Getafe quickly punished a defensive Deportivo side, with Pachon finishing a good cross from Gavilan at the long post. With the score level, both teams were looking for the win, but there was not much football on the pitch. Caparros decided to replace an exhausted Arizmendi with Xisco with half an hour left, and only few minutes afterwards, Gavilan was sent out for a second yellow card, leaving his team outnumbered. A second injury then hit the team from the capital, forcing Bernd Schuster to substitute Belenguer with Mario Cotelo, just before Xisco connected with a cross from Hector to bring the visitors in front.

With one man less than Deportivo, and no options left, Getafe tried to level the score but could not create any important opportunities. Caparros ordered the team to defend and even replaced Munitis with Acuna in the final minutes after the winger received a yellow card.

AFTER THE MATCH
Deportivo climbed one place to the eigth spot and only one point separates the Galician set from the European places. The European dreams are very much alive after this victory, but the next home matches will be crucial.

Getafe remain safe on the tenth spot, still three points shy from the targeted 40 point mark, which they will try to reach in the next match.

www.deportivo-la-coruna.com

REVIEW: DEPORTIVO 2 - MALAGA 1 (LIGA)

23 Mar 2006 -- Two free-kicks taken by Víctor were enough to cancel out the advantage that Málaga achieved during the first part of the season. The win marks the end of the curse at the Riazor and is also an advantage in getting a UEFA spot. Pending today's game between Atlético and Sevilla, the Galicians occupy the fifth position in the table and are now more optimistic about the future.

BEFORE THE MATCH
As expected, Caparrós sent the Rubén Castro-Diego Tristán duo to the strike zone, while Munitis started on the left wing and Víctor on the right. Juanma also returned to the starting eleven after missing the last game against Getafe. For Málaga, coach Manolo Hierro chose the combination of Salva and Pablo Couñago.

FIRST HALF: RIAZOR WE HAVE A PROBLEM...
Depor's players knew that an early goal would give them the confidence they had been lacking in the last few home games and tried to open the scoring right from the beginning. In the first clear opportunity, Rubén missed a chance, sending the ball out from outside the area after Tristán made a nice combination with him. Málaga responded and Salva almost scored from a free-kick that Molina failed to contain.

The next few minutes saw the same scenes shown in Depor’s previous home matches: Galician defenders lacking ideas tried to reach the strikers with long balls and the play was inefficient. Both teams had many opportunities to score but the posts denied them. First it was Héctor after a corner-kick taken by Munitis, then it was Pablo Couñago with a shot from the left.

The home side’s poor display aroused the public’s anger and when the first whistles of the night were heard, Caparrós decided to replace Rúben with Iago. The Sevillan coach saw that his team wasn't working properly and decided to make an early substitution. It was a strange change since Rúben was very active during the first minutes. But the situation became worse six minutes later when Duda scored the first goal with a powerful shot from outside the area.

It was the same story as always – Depor did nothing and the opponent was just waiting to strike back. With the score against them the Galicians tried to react, but they never generated any danger. Málaga had more occasions to increase their lead, but couldn't succeed until referee Lizondo Cortés whistled to end the first half.

SECOND HALF: VICTOR SAVES THE DAY
Caparrós saw a new defeat coming and took a risk by sending Xisco on for Sergio in the beginning. The change didn't solve the team’s problems in managing the ball, but at least increased the home side’s offensive efforts. After several attempts by Tristán and Xisco it was Víctor who scored the equalizer, a free-kick from the left side that Arnau failed to contain since several players were blocking his sight.

The goal was a morale booster for the home side and twenty minutes later Víctor scored again with a new free-kick from the left side. The Madrilian winger was inspired and ten minutes later had a new chance to score, but this time his shot passed inches away from the right post.

For the first time this year in La Liga, Depor ended a game at the Riazor with a win. Caparrós knew the value of these three points and replaced Tristán with Manuel Pablo. Héctor moved to the centre and the game ended with three central defenders. Although Depor’s inaccuracy continued during the second half, the combination between Tristán, Iago and Xisco satisfied the crowd in the stadium.

The desperation and frustration of Málaga was evident and although coach Hierro introduced 'Chengue' Morales, the team’s situation didn't change. A confrontation between Salva and Héctor caused the referee Lizondo Cortés to award five minutes of extra time. During injury time Juan Rodriguez was sent off for aggression toward Munitis. Alexis also saw a red card for his behavior. Málaga is close to the Segunda division and the Andalucian players took out their frustration on this game. Proof of this is the seven yellow cards handed out.

AFTER THE GAME
After four months of suffering, Deportivo finally achieved a home win, three important points that let the Galicians climb to fifth spot in the table thanks to Celta’s defeat in Alavés and the draw between Villarreal and Valencia. Now Deportivo will visit the Santiago Bernabeú on Sunday with a UEFA spot in their pocket.

www.deportivo-la-coruna.com

pretekli ste nas>mora da si srecan

raduj se jos malo jer nece dugo trajat

poz,deportivista

Srecan sam  , a tek cu biti srecan kad vas pobedimo u derbiju - ponovo 

 

 

 

 

sad mogu da dopunim kolekciju 

REVIEW: DEPORTIVO 2 RACING 0 (LIGA)

03 Apr 2006 -- A good performance of Iago lead Deportivo to their second consecutive home victory. Capdevila scored the first goal and the Fabril youngster secured the win with his first goal in Primera. It was a comfortable match for the home side and now they continue with the illusion of reaching the European competitions.

BEFORE THE MATCH
As it was expected Caparrós gave a new opportunity to Iago as second striker while Sergio appeared in midfield. The Sevillan coach chose the Catalan, meaning that De Guzmán started on the bench. In Racing Manolo Preciado had the absences of Oriol and Pinilla while Jonathan Valle made a quick recuperation from a muscular injury. Felipe Melo also started on the bench after suffering a lot of criticism for his recent performances.

FIRST HALF
The convulsive week that Deportivo lived during the last four days didn't affect the Galician squad, the local players began the actions with serenity. They always maintained the initiative of the game and dictated the rhythm of the actions. However, there wasn't a clear occasion on goal during the first eighteen minutes.

Then, the excitement started with the most dangerous weapon of Deportivo in the current season: stationary plays. Iago took a corner-kick on the right and his cross was headed by Víctor in the box, the ball reached Joan Capdevila who just sent it to the back of the net.

The goal gave more confidence to Deportivo and the visitors felt the obligation of trying to reach the draw. With more empty spaces against a rival that was risking a great deal the Galicians generated a couple of opportunities, Iago appeared again making a good assistance to Sergio, but the Catalan send the ball inches away from the post with a long distance shot, later Diego Tristán had a one-on-one encounter against Pablo Alfaro, but in the end the Sevillan striker could only win a corner-kick.

The first half ended with a new opportunity for the home side, once again Iago took a free-kick on the left and the ball reached Sergio, the Catalan sent a curling shot that hit the post, the rebound ended at Tristán's foot, but he couldn't control the ball and he sent it out when Dudu Auote was defeated. At the end the play didn't count anyway, as the Sevillan marksman was offside.

SECOND HALF
Racing's coach, Manolo Preciado, tried to risk a little bit more replacing Damiá with Felipe Melo, but the change didn't work out since his team continued to fail in the management of the ball. Preciado tried to push more with Antoñito, but three minutes later Deportivo secured the win with the second goal.

A combination in midfield ended with a cross to the right wing, Manuel Pablo ran with the ball and sent a cross to the centre that the defensive line only saw coming, Iago controlled the ball and sent it to the lower corner, Riazor saw the consolidation of a boy that could be a solid alternative for the future. It was Iago’s first goal in Primera.

The Galicians could have even scored a third goal, but Auote cleared a powerful shot by Munitis when he was inside of Racing's area. The visitors tried to react, but they didn’t generate any clear danger against Molina. Caparrós even had time to prove De Guzmán in the position of Duscher, and Momo also enjoyed ten minutes of play. It was also possible to hear some chants against Lendoiro. “Low salary!” Were the reclaims of the fans attending the game.

AFTER THE GAME
Although Depor conquered the win the difference between Depor and the sixth position is still the same (two points), Celta's victory in Calderón stadium against Atlético (0-3) demonstrates that the Galicians aren’t able to sleep in the UEFA spots. At the same time, the defeats of Sevilla (1-2 Vs Betis) and Osasuna (0-4 Vs Getafe) gives hope to Depor, the fourth place is only six points away and now the crucial moment starts. Consecutive games against Villarreal, Sevilla and Celta will decide the European aspiration of Caparrós' team.

www.deportivo-la-coruna.com

REVIEW: VILLAREAL 1 - 1 DEPORTIVO (LA LIGA)

09 Apr 2006 -- Villareal and Deportivo delivered some entertaining football in a match that ended in a fair draw. Molina and Barbosa had their hands full especially during the second half, when the match could have gone either way.

BEFORE THE MATCH
Caparros had little doubts about the lineup, and with Victor regaining fitness just before the match, it was clear that Depor's coach would use mostly the same line-up as against Racing, with De Guzman replacing an injured Duscher and Arizmendi coming in for Diego Tristan.

Manuel Pellegrini was also consistent in his line-up and used his usual starters, even though most of them were tired after the Champions League match against Inter in midweek. The only important change was the presence of Barbosa in the starting eleven. The young goalkeeper was announced as a starter for the next few Liga matches since he will also have to replace Viera in the first leg of the Champions League semi final later this month.

THE FIRST HALF
Deportivo started the match determined to score in the first minutes, with Victor and Capdevila looking for Arizmendi with crosses from the wings. But the striker couldn't create any danger and slowly Villareal balanced the game. Still, it was Deportivo who were more threatening, but a long shot from Victor went just inches wide, with Barbosa beaten.

The Galicians then made a step back, allowing Villareal to take the initiative, but a solid defense helped by Munitis and De Guzman stood firm. Iago finally took center stage as he led a series of counterattacks that could have ended in a goal. First it was Barbosa who stopped Iago's shot from the edge of the box, after dribbling the Villareal defense. Then, Arizmendi beat the offside trap and received a pass from his young partner only for his powerful shot to hit an onrushing De Guzman.

The end of the half found Villareal looking for their first opportunity and it came from a corner, when Coloccini blocked Franco's shot from point blank range. Moments later it was again Franco, who found some space in the box but his teasing shot evaded both the goal and a streched out Forlan.

THE SECOND HALF
The match continued in much the same style as before, with Villareal looking to apply more pressure on the Galician defense. Their efforts paid off almost immediately as Molina was forced to save twice in the span of two minutes. Venta first came on alone against the keeper, but couldn't shoot past him, then Riquelme unleashed a surprisingly powerful shot from the edge of the box.

Deportivo continued to concentrate on counterattacks, but it was increasingly difficult to find the rythm, with most players massed in their own half. Caparros reacted and made the first change, replacing Iago with Ruben and giving the attack a boost. But with his team still uncapable of creating any danger, Caparros was forced to make another susbtitution, this time bringing in Romero for Victor. With two fresh players, Depor started to search again for the goal and it came five minutes later when Munitis cut from the side to the center and then laid a ball for Sergio. The Catalan midfielder made no mistake and drilled the ball into the lower right corner, leaving Barbosa with no chance.

Villareal reacted instantly and the next corner brought the equalizer, after Franco rose above Depor's defense and sent a powerful header into the net. With the score equal, both teams tried to score the winner, but it was Villareal who had the more convincing chances. First it was Riquelme who tested Molina with a shot before both Ruben and Xisco went close after a great Manuel Pablo pass. Then Villareal missed the biggest opportunity of the match when Gonzalo alone with Molina couldn't find Jose Mari in front of the empty goal. The match ended with Villareal still pressing but the "Yellow Submarine" had to settle for a draw.

AFTER THE MATCH
Neither Villareal nor Deportivo could benefit from the favourable results of this matchday, that saw Sevilla draw against Zaragoza and Celta lose against Valencia. Both teams keep their place in the standings, with the European places well in sight. Depor will face Sevilla and then Celta, giving them the opportunity to settle their quest for Europe. But against Sevilla, Caparros will have to cope with the absences of Coloccini and Manuel Pablo. Villareal on the other hand will have a hard time playing against Barcelona and a loss could be fatal for their European ambitions.

www.deportivo-la-coruna.com