Terk Posted September 24, 2010 Share Posted September 24, 2010 Just caught up with this, Gricehead. Congratulations on the Palmeiras job, South American glory now awaits you. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted September 26, 2010 Author Share Posted September 26, 2010 thanks Terk. Hopefully so... --- Chapter 124 - Nuisance Once the excitement of a final appearance starts to wear off, I try to bring the players (and the staff, for that matter) back down to earth. We've still got to give a professional performance against Deportivo Cali on Wednesday before we can start to think about the two legged final. Besides, I've already had the shine taken off the achievement with the fallout from that second leg, so I have a right to **** on everyone else's parade. That fallout was, predictably, the loss of Souza for the first leg through an automatic ban, and the loss of Pablo Armero for at least the first leg due to a massive gash in his leg, which caused his substitution. When I need to get myself back in the zone, I usually try to immerse myself in facts and statistics. So as my own personal preparation for Deportivo Cali, I get stuck in to the permutations for the round of sixteen. To reduce the need for a draw, all first placed teams are ranked one through eight based on their group results, and all second placed teams are similarly ranked. Top of the first place ranking then plays bottom of the second place ranking, 2nd in the first plays 7th in the second, etc. As things stand, we place third in the first placed ranking, which would pitch us against Club de Fútbol Monterrey of Mexico in the round of sixteen. The chances of that staying the same are remote, to say the least, however. We can probably rely on the two teams above us, Cruzeiro and Club Deportivo Cruz Azol (also of Mexico), to win their last games. However, if we win by more goals than the Mexican side, we would finish above them. If we draw, likelihood is we will slip down the table. In the second placed table, four teams placed 4th, 6th, 7th and 8th aren't even sure of qualifying until the last game. All this means...well, I'm not sure what it means. My head is spinning, but I've definitely forgotten about the Campeonato Paulista final. All we can do is win our game, I guess. Deportivo Cali are greeted by pouring rain on the day of their visit to São Paulo. On the field of play, their welcomed by a couple of close set pieces from Willian and a long range shot from Figueroa in the first five minutes, signalling our intentions quite clearly. Cleiton Xavier gathers the ball deep to after a broken down attack from Jael, and advances through the rapidly forming puddles. Today's the day for low skidding shots, if ever there was one, and he fires one which beats the goalkeeper all ends up. But it strikes the post. Then it strikes the prone keeper on the backside and bounces into the net. Strictly speaking, an own goal (and a comical one at that) but Cleiton Xavier claims it anyway. We have a few assorted half chances as the half progresses, including a bad decision from Jael when he should have played Diego Souza or Willian in, and Gabriel just missing the target with possibly the longest freekick we've attempted since I took the job. On the downside, Figueroa got himself booked, which we learned in the last game can lead to complications later on... There's not really a lot to say at the interval. Everybody just wants to get this game over, get dry, and get on with the weekend. Even my attempts at instilling the need for professionalism sound weak and half-assed. I send the same eleven back out, and tell them to get the job done. The visitors have, for some reason, had a bit of a roasting though. They come out attacking, possibly looking for the unlikely two goal turnaround which would put them into first place. They almost get one when Escobar receives the short corner eight minutes in, but Marcos is wise to it. Our defence are less wise, and allow the same move to be pulled again. This time there's a deflection, and Marcos is stranded, but Figueroa does his job on the post and clears. Play switches from end to end, Diego Souza heads over, and then the visitors win another corner. This time we pick up the loose man and he quickly loses interest. The ball is floated across, and Willian meets it with a header. A pathetically weak header, which doesn't even get out of the box before Camilo Ceballos picks it up. Unfortunately for us, Marcos elects to chase the ball out, a race he was never going to win. To add insult to injury, Willian blocks him off, giving the keeper no chance to recover. Facing away from goal, he slides it simply across to the lurking Álvarez, who has a relatively simple shot at an empty goal. He doesn't miss. Cat, meet pigeons. I react by taking Willian off and throwing João Arthur on in his place. He shies away from the glares I send in his direction as he takes his seat on the bench. Urging the team forward, Márcio Araújo gets in on the act, forcing a diving save from the opposition keeper. Thiago Gomes heads the corner over. Ten minutes to go, and Diego Souza picks up the ball deep. The defence parts like the Red Sea in front of him, but instead of advancing with the ball, he tries for glory and curls it from where he stands. It sails harmlessly wide. I kick a nearby water bottle in disgust. Marquinhos heads on in place of Márcio Araújo, as we look to attack from every angle, with just Souza staying back to anchor the defence. Marquinhos is involved straight away, taking the ball in the middle of the park and playing it with one touch to Jael. But Jael, oh Jael, he gives it away with a sloppy pass. Herrera nips in to collect. One pass, two passes, three, four, five. Now Parra Cadena has it and he's running at Léo. He jinks past the defender and is through on goal. Marcos advances, but Leó recovers well, and forces the Cali player away from goal. Retaining his composure, Parra Cadena lays it left to Andrezinho, the substitute, who has only been on the field for four minutes. Marcos now has his angles all wrong, and all Andrezinho has to do is slip it in at the near post. Shocked silence around the stadium, and then the booing starts. Of course, right now, we're still top of the table. Deportivo need another goal to swing the goal difference in their favour. Do I switch to defend what we don't have? Do I heck. Marquinhos collects the ball from the restart and advances menacingly. Bereft of support, he gives it to Gabriel. The left back's cross takes a deflection. Marquinhos himself nods it on into the path of João Arthur. The striker literally 360s around his marker and shapes to shoot. It's wide. Just wide, but from all of ten yards he should have done better. As the clock ticks over into stoppage time, Figueroa and Cleiton Xavier play a one two, and the right back heads down the line. He plays it forward to João Arthur, who sprints with the ball and plays in a cross to the near post. There's Diego Souza with a downward header, beating the keeper at the near post. Parity - and dignity - restored. Into the last minute of stoppage time. A freekick in the centre circle is taken by Souza and pinged right to Figueroa. He advances forwards, but seeing nothing on, fires a hopeful cross shot at the keeper's near post. Caught offguard, the keeper palms it away. For a minute it looks as though it might fall to Jael for a simple tap in, but a defender gets across and tackles. The referees whistle goes. Full time? No! Penalty! Camilo Ceballos is pulled up for a foul tackle on Jael! We've been gifted the perfect opportunity to snatch all three points and ensure a place in the upper echelons of the ranking. It's harsh on Ceballos, as is the second yellow card that sees him departing for a marginally early bath. After some discussion, up steps Marquinhos to take the spot kick. Scorer of a massive zero goals so far this season in his eleven appearances. Credit to the midfielder, he shows no nerves as he places the ball on the spot, strides backwards, and begins his run up. He strikes the ball low to the left corner. The keeper guesses right, but the penalty is nigh on perfect, and escapes his grasps. It's just a cauldron of noise, and wild celebration. No-one hears the whistle. No-one cares. The game is won. 25th April 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Copa Libertadores, Group E, Round 6 Palmeiras (4-1-0) 3 Deportivo Cali (3-1-1) 2 (Juan Carlos Mosquera 7og, Diego Álvarez 61 [4th], Andrezinho 83 [3rd], Diego Souza 90+1 [5th], Marquinhos 90+4pen [1st], Camilo Ceballos sent off 90+3) Attendance: 33164 Man of the Match: Diego Souza, Palmeiras Group Position: 1st We finish the group on 16 points. That ranks us 3rd in the order of First Placed teams, and hands us a last sixteen tie against Club Libertad of Paraguay. The last sixteen consists of four Brazilian sides, five Argentinian sides, three Mexican sides, two Colombian sides and one side each from Chilé and Paraguay. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted September 27, 2010 Author Share Posted September 27, 2010 Chapter 125 - This is where it starts to get serious Four games in eleven days. By the end of that time we could be champions of the state and in the Quarter Final of the Libertadores. Or our season could be in tatters, with only the long slog of Série A to look forward to. Four games in which I really need my strongest eleven players playing every single minute. But that's not realistic, so for the first leg of the Derby Paulista I try and pick a team that treads a fine line between cautioness and respect. Defender Filipe makes only his second start, out of position at left back. Marcos is in the side, though, and he has to make a diving save in the second minute, from Boquita's long range effort. Danilo takes the corner short to Indio. Diego Souza narrows his angle, and he's forced to chip it to the far post. Diego closes in and wins the header. Excellent reactions from Marcos touch the ball away from the line. It deflects down and across the line, and hits Filipi, standing on the post, bouncing out into the six yar box, Diego Souza reacts slowly, and is beaten to the ball by Indio, who taps it in for the opening goal. Corinthians continue to rip into us for the first twenty minutes or so. Slowly, we get a foothold, but Corinthians restrict us to long shots, and we can't get one of them on target. And that means, when Dentinho pulls the ball back for Elias to score the simplest of goals, we're in big, big trouble. What an awful first half. That's pretty much what my half time rant was about. I hadn't seen nearly enough, especially from my defence, but it was Anselmo who came on, for Cleiton Xavier. We needed a way back into the game, quickly. We dominated the first twenty minutes, stringing corner after corner together, but Corinthians held it together. Diego Souza was put clear, but was surprisingly outpaced by Renato in the Corinthians defence. Then Luís Felipe went direct, playing it over the top. Diego Souza ran on to it, and with Renato out of position, and Boquita no match in terms of pace, he ran one-on-one with the keeper. Firing it across the body, he found the bottom corner and got us on the scoreboard. As the clock counted down, Marquinhos replaced Zárate. Sandro Silva and Diego Souza were both shot, but I needed my best midfielders right now. The game started to get niggly, and a number of yellow cards were banded about as the referee struggled to keep control. Pierre was pehaps lucky not to receive his marching orders after dragging a Corinthians player down when he'd already been booked. But, then again, we were unlucky not to get a penalty, when Ewerthon claimed he had been fouled in a box. We had only one real chance to equalise, though, and that fell to Diego Souza and was remarkably similar to the first. This time, though, Diego Souza completely fluffed his shot, and it went nowhere near the goal. We'd have to settle for a one goal defecit going into the second leg. 29th April 2012, Pacaembu (São Paulo, SP), Campeonato Paulista, Final, First leg Corinthians 2 Palmeiras 1 (Índio 5 [10th], Elias 43 [6th], Diego Souza 63 [6th]) Attendance: 40199 Man of the Match: Luís Felipe, Palmeiras Pundits concentrate their attention on the performance of Luís Felipe, and the great career ahead of the 21 year old if he keeps putting in efforts like todays. There's passing mention of Ewerthon's penalty claim, but very little concern over our ability to come back in the second leg. The fans, of course, see things differently, never happy to take a defeat against local rivals. My own reaction - well, in a rare outburst I criticise the referee's decision over the penalty, or lack of. I don't go over the top, but just state that there's a case for saying the decision was wrong. The CBF, or possibly the FPF - who knows, don't care about the level of my reaction. They straight ban me from the touchline for one game instead. That decision angers my masters on the Palmeiras board, and I get quite the dressing down. Over-reactions all round, consider it a lesson learned. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted September 28, 2010 Author Share Posted September 28, 2010 Chapter 126 - Go West! On Tuesday we fly west into Paraguay, to the capital La Muy Noble y Leal Ciudad de Nuestra Señora Santa María de la Asunción, which is thankfully referred to as just Asuncíon. I'm glad to be getting away from the suits in the board-room, and their continued jibes about my touchline ban. It's sunny, and more surprisingly, from the point at which we arrive right up to kick off. I'd been warned to expect rain, but there was no sign of it as yet. It had been a tricky decision, whether to bring a strong squad and go for the kill in the away leg, or whether to save legs for the important game on Sunday. In the end I went with strength, with Figueroa, Gabriel, Souza and Anselmo being added to the starting lineup. It was the home side that had the first opportunity, but that saw López heading just over from Zapata's cross. It was enough to show me that we weren't going to get things our own way against their solid 4-4-2 formation. Five minutes later, Melián's header from close range should at least have worked the keeper, but it drifted harmlessly wide. Our first shot at goal came a couple of minutes later, with Sandro Silva unleashing one from twenty five yards, but it was a disappointing effort and never looked like going in. We were getting into the game now, though, and after Léo had put a disappointing header over the bar from a corner, some clever work by Ewerthon set Cleiton Xavier on a clear run at goal. His shot across the goalmouth was too close to the keeper, though. The half drifted on, and that period of pressure proved to be isolated rather than continuous. The best chance of the half came in stoppage time, and it was the home side who had it, when López and Escalante toyed with our defense, putting the latter in with a shooting chance. His shot evaded Marcos' dive, but was just the wrong side of the post. Retreating to the dressing room, we looked to analyse our performance. It wasn't brilliant. All our best work had come down the right, through the pace and crossing of Figueroa. Gabriel was hardly in the game. Cleiton Xavier was having a shocking time in the hole, and my first move was to introduce Marquinhos in his place. I sent the players back out with a hint to take a look at our travelling supporters - who had done us proud in terms of numbers. As often is the case, we started the second half strongly. Ewerthon found himself clear, but the keeper closed him down well. The ball bounced back to Zárate behind him, but another Libertad body got in the way of his shot. Marquinhos took the corner. Over it came, and away for another corner it went off the head of Mieres. Marquinhos trotted over to the other side and sent over another corner. Léo got to it, and diverted his header back across goal. The defender did his job on the post and cleared the ball away. Souza collected, and played the ball back in to Ewerthon who, with his back to goal, laid it off neatly to Zárate. The youngster strode into the box, and was sent sprawling by Frontini, right in front of the Palmeiras supporters. The bench joined in the noisy appeals, but the referee held up his hands and signalled that the tackle was good. More worryingly than the denied penalty claim, Zárate stayed on the floor, but credit the Libertad defender who put it out so he could receive treatment. After a long period of physio attention, the striker was able to continue, to the relieved applause of our travelling support. We built from the back again, through who else but Figueroa. His ball in field found Anselmo, who spotted perfectly the run of Marquinhos. The substitute just managed to get to the ball first and hold of a challenge on the edge of the area. Three steps inside, he was flattened by a lungeing tackle from Luis Zapata. Even the referee couldn't defend that one, and he immediately signalled for a penalty. Ewerthon, without a goal in nearly a month, stepped up to take the spot kick, and buried it superbly in the corner. Coming straight out on the chase, Libertad won a corner. Pacheco swung it in and Pouso flicked it goalwards from the corner of the six yard box. It deflected of Anselmo, negating Marcos' dive, bounced off the post, and was cleared to safety by Gabriel. My second substitution follows soon after, replacing Thiago Gomes with Maurício - an unusual change of central defence for me, but one forced on me by the number of errors Thiago Gomes is making. Goalscorer Ewerthon receives the ball from Sandro Silva with his back to goal again, but this time he spins expertly, taking his marker out of the game, and fires a shot which is destined for the bottom corner, until the keeper gets his fingertips to it, and sends it round the post. The corner is defended well, and we pass the ball about the midfield line, looking for the opportunity to play it into the danger area again. Léo gives it away, and I'm left wondering if I substituted the wrong defender, until he races back and atones for the error with as good a clearing header as you're likely to see. It sets up our own attack, which results in Ewerthon hitting the post from outside the area. The game pauses for the home side to make a substitution, and at the restart Pouso fouls Sandro Silva, becoming the first Libertad player booked in the game so far. Gabriel took the kick to his right, where Maurício was in space. He placed rather than slammed his shot towards the corner, and only a last minute swerve saw it rebound off the inside of the post. It hit the prone keeper on the back, and rolled towards the far corner, where Márcio Gabriel somehow managed to clear it off the post. Ewerthon lurked, but was adjudged offside in the second phase. We continued to push without the sharpness of touch or element of luck we needed to score another. Zárate fired just wide of the post with quarter of an hour to go, and that almost convinced me to settle for what we had. With my last throw of the dice I sent on Robert alongside Ewerthon, in the hope that we could look to counter a little for the last part of the game. He got straight involved, heading over from a freekick with his first touch. Then came the spot of luck we needed. Pouso, having made a poor pass, rushed to pick up the pieces and bowled Gabriel over in the process. The referee whistled for the foul and immediately produced the yellow, and then red cards for the Libertad player. He departed to the dressing room to whistles and jeers from the home faithful. We struck straight from the freekick. Straight down the middle, from Maurício to Marquinhos and in to Ewerthon. The poacher had saved his best for this, though, and curled it into the top corner from 25 yards out to make it 2-0. That, surely, would be enough to see us through the home leg. Libertad, with their man disadvantage, still came looking for goals. It was a strange option, as I think in their position I would have been looking at damage limitation ahead of the second leg. Still, the space created allowed us to play the ball around comfortably, further frustrating the home side and their supporters, and when Figueroa crossed to the edge of the box, Sandro Silva headed down into a meleé of players, and Pacheco frustratedly pushed Marquinhos out of the way in his desparation to get the ball. Marquinhos, to be honest, went down quite easily, but the referee gave the penalty without a moment's hesitation. Only one man was ever going to take the penalty. Ewerthon. On for his hattrick, he took a deep breath and stepped up to the ball. It wasn't the best penalty, going straight down the middle, and the keeper almost saved it - having moved just to his right. The ball bounced off his shoulder and into the back of the net. Ewerthon ran to collect it, and held it up to our fans behind the goal. 2nd May 2012, Doctor Nicolás Léoz (Asunción, Paraguay), Copa Libertadores, Second Round, First leg Libertad 0 Palmeiras 3 (Ewerthon 54pen [16th], 83 [17th], 90pen [18th]) Attendance: 3819 Man of the Match: Ewerthon, Palmeiras Around the other six games played, there weren't that many shocks. Grêmio won at Monterrey, Atlético Paranaense won against Vélez Sarsfield in Buenos Aires, only Cruzeiro of the Brazilian quartet failed to win, being held 0-0 in Santiago by Universidad de Chile. River Plate had the most convincing win of the remaining Argentinian sides, beating Deportivo Cali 4-0 in Colombia, a result that won't have gone down well in that part of the world, and which grabs my attention as to the strength of the teams in this knockout phase of the competition. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted September 29, 2010 Author Share Posted September 29, 2010 Chapter 127 - Sidelined I spend the whole weekend with my assistant, Omar Feitosa. He's been here longer than I have, of course, but I want to make sure I've been through every single outcome, every twist and turn, every little piece of tactical thinking I might have employed in the crucial second leg against Corinthians, had I not been banned from the touchline. I'm sure he's bored of it by the time Sunday afternoon comes round, but he doesn't show it. Diego Souza, Armero and Maurício replace Cleiton Xavier, Thiago Gomes and Gabriel in the starting lineup, and I, reluctantly, take my seat in the stands. The first twenty minutes is quite tight. Then Dentinho goes about as close as he could without scoring. His shot almost evades Marcos, but the keeper manages to divert it onto the post. It bounces clear and goes out for a throw in. Soon after, Maurício robs Dentinho as he tries to start a counter attack. The defender goes for the long backpass, but it doesn't clear Índio. The striker brings it down, and from a position with only the keeper to beat, he misses the target. Maurício looks visibly relieved. He's not the only one. Up at the other end, we build from a throw in on the right. Figueroa, who else, throws it in and it's played across the midfield to Armero, who finds himself in space. Seeing the opportunity, he hits it with his favoured left foot. It flies across the face of the goal and strikes the post, before deflecting wide. His confidence up, he has another go a couple of minutes later. This one goes wider, though. The attacking intent remains, though, and Diego Souza gets a shot on target, forcing the Corinthians keeper into a save for the first time in the game. Stronger and stronger we attack as time ticks on, and finally the breakthrough comes. A minute into the scheduled two of stoppage time, Sandro Silva plays Diego Souza into a shooting position. His shot is blocked, but falls to Ewerthon. Ever the poacher, Ewerthon buries it in the bottom corner. After a quick look along the line at the assistant referee, he wheels away in celebration. Omar chooses to replace Figueroa with Luís Felipe. Under the conditions of my ban, I'm not allowed any communication during the game, which includes the dressing room, so I'm none the wiser as to why the change is made. Early in the second half, Anselmo picks up a card to go with Sandro Silva's from the first half. Armero soon gets us on the attack again, swinging a cross in which Zárate gets his head to. The downward header forces the keeper into an unorthodox save at his feet, and it's hacked away by Renato for the corner. The corner comes across short to Anselmo, but his shot is weak and easily gathered. Four minutes before the hour mark, Omar is in action again. He replaces Zárate with Robert, and I almost fall off my chair. He makes the final change with nearly 25 minutes to go, Cleiton Xavier on for Anselmo. That's awful early for a third tactical substitution. Souza soon becomes the third Palmeiras booked player. Robert comes close by heading over an Armero cross. All our best attacking moves are coming down the left today, and in the last minute of stoppage time, Armero plays it fast and low into the area for Robert to run on to. This could be the deciding goal, if only the veteran can put it away. But no, the keeper blocks it well. There's just time for the corner. It goes into the box, but is well cleared. Luís Felipe picks it up and I'm yelling for him to pump it back into the box, but he dallies and allows Dentinho to slide across him, putting the ball out for a throw-in. The clock ticks over to 94 minutes. I fully expect the whistle to go as soon as the ball re-enters play, Armero throws it to Robert, and he heads it back. The lack of whistle seems to surprise both of them. Robert plays it infield to Souza, who returns it to Armero. As he's done all game, the left back aims a cross into the box. Ewerthon is under it, but Renato is solid and wins the header, flicking it backwards for a corner. Diego Souza rushes across to take the corner, sensing, well I don't know what he's sensing, but the referee shows absolutely no intention of blowing up. He takes the quick corner short, to Sandro Silva. He shoots. It hits the near post, but flies across the face of the goal. Somehow, it evades the players on both posts, and nestles in the side netting just across the goal line. I don't need to say that the place went mad, now, do I? Eventually, things settle down enough for the presentation to take place. A representative from the FPF approaches me in the stand, and invites me to accompany him to pitchside, where I join my team as Marcos collects the trophy for Campeão Paulista 2012. My first silverware for this club, and hopefully not my last. 6th May 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Campeonato Paulista, Final, Second leg Palmeiras (1) 2 Corinthians (2) 0 (Ewerthon 45+1 [19th], Sandro Silva 90+5 [8th]) Aggregate 3-2 Attendance: 40199 Man of the Match: Sandro Silva, Palmeiras Looking back, Palmeiras defended their Campeonato Paulista title with an identical record to the previous year. Whilst not an improvement for the team, I class it as a fairly good result in my first season. Next week Série A kicks off, and we'll need second or better to improve on last year's performance there. But first, a straightforward second leg game against Libertad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
tenthreeleader Posted September 29, 2010 Share Posted September 29, 2010 I like your match writing. You do a nice job with it and you're one of the few on the board to write in present tense and get away with it. Nicely done! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted September 30, 2010 Author Share Posted September 30, 2010 Thanks 10-3. I am aware I slip between tenses. I pull myself up on it quite regularly. Sometimes it works, sometimes not. Last post for a week or so; vacation calls --- Chapter 128 - Eve of the league There's no awards night for the state championships; there just isn't time. The local TV station does a show where they announce the winners of the various prizes. Best Player of the championship goes to Corinthians' Danilo, with Luís Felipe coming second and Sandro Silva third. Luís Felipe gets the Young Player of the chapmionship, though, whilst Jael comes second. As expected, Ewerthon's eleven goals are enough for Top Goalscorer, in the year of the veteran, with second place going to 31 year old Índio of Corinthians and third place going to 33 year old Ricardo Xavier of Guarani. Six players make the team of the year. With one eye on the Série A opener against Botafogo, it's a weak side that lines up against Libertad, defending our 3-0 lead from the first leg. Cleiton Xavier and Marquinhos tested the defence in the opening period. Cleiton Xavier actually worked the keeper. Marquinhos, just worked the ball boys behind the goal. After 17 minutes, Jael did better. Gabriel crossed from the left, and the striker got clear of his marker to head down into the corner. He was delighted, and the crowd cheered, but it put the final nail in the game as a contest. Robert came close just before half time, with a header that scraped the bar. It was the last meaningful action of the half. Half time consisted of telling the lads not to run too hard, and not to get injured. Seven minutes into the second half, after some good work by Robert, Gabriel put in a cross and Jael headed it in again, in an action replay of his first goal. A double substitution brought on João Arthur and Willian, and the two immediately combined, with the former almost scoring with a shot from a tight angle, which the keeper diverted wide. Three minutes later, they combined again, after Jael had nodded the ball down. This time, João Arthur had the simplest of finishes to make it 3-0. All the game needed to top it off was a spectacular goal. Cleiton Xavier did the honour, from thirty yards out, in the 89th minute. He hit the shot with such power, that even though the keeper got a good hand to it, the ball still hit the back of the net. 9th May 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Copa Libertadores, Second Round, Second Leg Palmeiras (3) 4 Libertad (0) 0 (Jael 18 [6th], 53 [7th], João Arthur 76 [3rd], Cleiton Xavier 89 [4th]) Aggregate 7-0 Attendance: 32514 Man of the Match: Gabriel, Palmeiras An utter demolition, and sets us on the right road for the next six months. As 16 become 8, all four Brazilian sides have done enough to progress. Atlético Paranaense were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Vélez Sarsfield, but their 1-0 away win carried them through; Cruzeiro beat Universidad de Chile 2-0 at home to go through; Grêmio made it a 3-1 aggregate win over Monterrey. Only two Argentinian sides made it through, though. Racing Club at the expense of Boca Juniors, with a 3-0 aggregate win and River Plate with a demolition over two legs of Deportivo Cali. San Lorenzo de Almagro were deposed by América of Mexico, being held to a 0-0 in Buenos Aires. Another Mexican side, Cruz Azul, make up the numbers, beating Colombians Millionarios 1-0 at home to complete a 3-2 aggregate win. There's no element of surprise in the draw, as it was predetermined by the second round ties. Atlético Paranaense have an uphill struggle against current Série A champions Cruzeiro. Racing Club, who upset the seeding to defeat Boca, are rewarded with a winnable tie against Cruz Azul. Grêmio vs River Plate is too tough to call, and we face the other upset causers, América. We'll travel to Mexico City first, to the massive Estadio Azteca, the largest football venue on the continent. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted October 10, 2010 Author Share Posted October 10, 2010 Back after a brief break... --- Chapter 129 - Conundrum The Libertadores draw leaves me with something of a conundrum. Sandwiched as it is between the first two league games, the away tie in Mexico absolutely must have the full attention of our first choice players, whilst they may also be needed in the second leg as well. That means Série A ties against Botafogo, Coritiba and São Paulo with a weakened side. Should we progress all the way to the final, there may be as many as nine league games played by then. It's going to be a real test of our squad depth. The short flight to Rio sees us ready to face Botafogo in our league opener. The league itself starts on Saturday evening, with a couple of televised games plus my old employers Treze away at Bahia. São Paulo start with a narrow victory over promoted Portuguesa, in the first Clássico Norte-Sul Paulistano of the season. Flamengo grab an early away win at Atlético Mineiro. Treze, on the other hand, get absolutely battered at Bahia, but Rafael Dida keeps them in the game and they head home with a point. Our forward scouting report suggests to be wary of pacy forward Alex, but Botafogo only name him amongst their substitutes, leaving us a bit unsure of their threat potential. My selection is conservative. Jael and Zárate play up top together, with Cleiton Xavier in behind, but the central midfield trio of Márcio Araújo, Cássio and Pierre could be viewed as very weak. Early exchanges are limited in terms of real chances, and it's not until after the half hour mark that the home side put us under any real pressure. A couple of corners are defended before Bruno Cazarine gets on the end of a cross. Despite being well marhsalled by Valmir Lucas, hs still manages to direct the header goalwards over Marcos' head. It cannons back off the crossbar and is headed away by Murilo Gomes. Joabe picks it up on the left, and plays it in to Vinícius, who stands another cross up into the six yard area. Again Bruno Cazarine wins the header, and again it beats Marcos only to find the bar. Our first real chance comes from the short corner routine. Márcio Araújo is the man on point, and he sees his snap-shot well saved, and then hacked away by Willian before on of his waiting team-mates can pounce. Not much to show for the first half. Nil nil away from home isn't exactly a disaster, though. I take pity on Cássio and drop him back into a more familiar defensive role, allowing Valmir Lucas to try out in midfield. Ten minutes into the second period, we make our first chance from open play, As Cleiton Xavier is put through on goal. His shot is saved well by the keeper, with such firm hands that the rebound bounces out of the area and puts Botafogo on the counter attack. Laio bounds away, taking the ball towards the left corner, before crossing. This time, Murilo Gomes outjumps Bruno Cazarine and concedes the corner. We make a couple of good attempts to attack, which are let down by surprising individual failures. Zárate is set free to chase a long pass from the midfield, but is outpaced by the defender. Jael does all the hard work down the right, but misplaces a simple cutback, hitting it straight to an opposition player. So just as I'm contemplating a change to bring someone reliable on, it's left to Cleiton Xavier to do the business. Running with the ball into the area, he feints as if to stop and pass, throwing his defender off guard only to burst past him with a sudden turn of pace before finishing past the keeper inside the near post. We take the lead just before the hour mark, and I quickly adjust my substitution plans. Marquinhos replaces the still woeful Cássio, with Cleiton Xavier falling back to midfield and Valmir Lucas returning to his preferred defensive role. They take instructions on to the field to look to counter the inevitable Botafogo pressure. Bruno Cazarine continues to be the biggest threat for the home side, but our re-adjusted defensive line is coping with him better. Botafogo make their final substitutions with fifteen to go, but don't bring on Alex. With two minutes left, Murilo Gomes is fouled and has to be helped from the pitch. Léo joins the game for the final throes of what looks like being a solid opening victory. In fact we could have made the margin wider, when Jael cantered away on the counter attack. His cut across the area found Zárate and Márcio Araújo falling over each other to score. Literally falling over each other, but not literally scoring. 13th May 2012, Engenhão (Rio de Janeiro, RJ), Série A, Round 1 Botafogo 0 Palmeiras 1 (Cleiton Xavier 60 [5th]) Attendance: 16196 Man of the Match: Luís Felipe, Palmeiras League Position (fwiw): 6th There are no other real first day surprises, as Fluminense, Grêmio and Santos win at home, Cruzeiro beat new boys Goiás away, and the other two games end 0-0. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted October 12, 2010 Author Share Posted October 12, 2010 Chapter 130 - I want to be in América Before we head off on our longest away trip of the season, it's time to sort out some contract extensions. Six first team players have contracts which expire in December, and I'm minded to offer five of them new deals. Marcos and Luis Pedro Figueroa are happy to immediately sign one year extensions, whilst Deola and Marquinhos are happy to consider new three year deals with significant improvement in pay. Willian wants to play hardball, though. His wage demands of £10k per week are excessive at best, outrageous at worst, especially for a fringe player. He'll have time to stew whilst the rest of the squad travel nearly 5000 miles north, across the equator, and into what is officially North America. My first eleven is fully fit and ready to go, and yet I can't be certain that they won't be overwhelmed by the Azteca. The trip itself is tense. A team full of energised professional athletes couped up on a plane for ten hours is not a happy scenario. On arrival we arrange a jog around the gardens, before checking into our hotel for the night. On the day of the game, we get to train in the Azteca during the morning. It's a quiet affair, but I'm impressed by the professional attitude being shown. Morale is high. This should be a good game. The rain threatens to spoil the occasion. América's game plan spoils it more. They take a very physical approach in the first half, resulting in two yellow cards in the first ten minutes, and an injury to Ewerthon. Still, it seems to gain them some sort of advantage, as Santiago Fernández manages to hit the bar from just outside the area. Our defence are standing off too much, allowing the América forwards to pass it around between the midfield and defensive lines. Sandro Silva soon earns his own yellow card, for reacting in kind with a crunching tackle as we attempted to clear our lines. Léo is left on the floor after a crunching challenge. Souza reacts and is lucky not to be booked himself. Tempers are running high, fuelled by the roar of the crowd in this cauldron of a stadium. Vera collects the ball and runs at the defence. He slides it through to Fernández, and with the red mist completely down, Léo slides through him. The referee has no choice in the matter, it's a penalty. Up steps Fernández and fires it left of the keeper. But Marcos dives, and pushes it away to safety. The penalty save seemed to spur us on. The ball had deflected back out in to play, another shot had come in and been deflected away again. A third blast went wide of the post. Marcos kicked off. Souza picked up the ball from the headed clearance, and spread it around through Anselmo and Sandro Silva. Forward it went to Zárate, who passed it twenty yards back to Souza again. Souza passed it wide to Figueroa, who played the short one-two with Anselmo, and then went past his marker and put the cross in. It was headed clear to Diego Souza, who played an easy sideways pass to Sandro Silva. Running onto the ball, the midfielder continued into the box, jinked to the right to create space and fired past the keeper to give us the lead. The spirit seemed to drop straight out of the home side, just as the noise died completely in the stadium. Léo had a good snapshot saved on the half hour. He then gets a booking to add to the list ten minutes later. As the half enters stoppage time, Ewerthon picks up another knock. He's virtually immobile now, but with just two of the three minutes of stoppage time remaining he'll get us through to the break. Into the 5th minute of stoppage time, Aguilar finds Beausejour out on the left. He crosses into the box, and Diouf meets it with a smart header which catches Marcos off guard. The sheer wave of noise completely drowns out the protests from our bench. It drowned out the noise of the half time whistle a full minute later, and was only partly replaced by jeers as my assistant charged onto the field shaking his head and pointing at his watch. I crucified my players at half time, for their lack of concentration in the dying minutes. I was probably a little harsh on them, as most of my anger was directed at the officials for the ridiculous amount of stoppage time that allowed the goal to come about in the first place. Ewerthon couldn't continue, which also angered me, so Jael took to the field for the second period. We could still win this. América are also forced into a change early in the second half, when Fernández collides with Diego Souza, ending his game. It was clearly a fifty-fifty ball, but the injury is met by a resounding howl of protest from the stands, which rubs off on the players making them even more aggresive than before. When Anselmo heads a ball high and forward for Zárate to chase, Valenzuela slides through the forward. He didn't even get to see the challenge coming, as he was concentrating on the high ball. He's left in a heap on the ground whilst the referee, thankfully, shows the home player a straight red. The home side make their final two substitutions with a full half hour to play, and squash down into a 5-2-2 formation. With the man advantage, I decide to give Zárate a few minutes to see if he recovers. América are still reorganising when a freekick from in our own half is sent forward via Souza by Figueroa. Sandro Silva helps it forward to Zárate for his first real touch of the ball since his injury. He plays it simply forward to Diego Souza, who avoids the mistimed challenge of Mosquera and fires it inside the near post to give us the lead back. With the lead restored, there's little point in risking Zárate any more. Marquinhos replaces him once our muted celebrations are over. The volume level inside the Azteca has once again dropped right off. Now we need to press home the advantage and take more goals into the second leg if possible. The red card, it seems, hasn't helped to quell the nature of the play. Anselmo gets himself on the list of booked players, and then Jael is added to my list of crocked strikers by Vera. Marquez takes one back for the home side, and also needs treatment. With ten minutes to go, Souza makes and uncharateristic mistake, and gives the ball to Márquez. He gallops away down the line, and my eyes turn towards the towering figure of Diouf, lurking in the are. Sure enough, the ball finds him, and with Maurício apparently a spectator, he fires a shot from six yards out. Marcos does well, though, and pushes it away for a corner. Remarkably, América are now attacking with more panache than at any other point in the game. A goalmouth scramble from the corner sees Diego Souza come away with the ball. He advances down the right and plays a long ball into the path of Jael. A fit Jael would have won the race, but the keeper comes out and deals with the ball outside his area, setting América back on the attack. The ball goes through the middle of the midfield, and finds Diouf clear of the last defender. So far clear that he is well offside, and although the stadium erupts as he places the ball into the goal, it won't count. Jael comes off after only playing twenty minutes or so, with my last option up front being Diego Souza, and Cleiton Xavier coming on to fill in midfield. Not that I expect the substitution to matter with only four minutes remaining. Of course, there's still stoppage time to take into account, and when the fourth official signals five minutes of it, I joke to my assistant that we could be playing for half an hour yet. An attack down our right is broken up by América, who launch it downfield. But they've already brought everyone back, so it's easy for Figueroa to collect and start us on another attack. Marquinhos and Armero exchange passes down the left, with the left back eventually overlapping. He slips it to Sandro Silva, who plays it on to Cleiton Xavier with one touch. The substitute plays the cutest of give and gos with Diego Souza, which sees him through the defensive line and left with a simple finish. Lovely goal from the makeshift attacking line. All América can do is appeal hopelessly for the offside decision. It doesn't get them anywhere, only succeeding in worsening the atmosphere inside the ground. Right now I just want the final whistle to go so we can get out of here, hopefully in one piece. Needless to say, I have to wait until the eigth extra minute to hear it. 16th May 2012, Estadio Azteca (Mexico City, Mexico), Copa Libertadores, Quarter Final, First leg América 1 Palmeiras 3 (Sandro Silva 20 [9th], Mame Biram Diouf 45+5 [25th], Diego Souza 62 [7th], Cleiton Xavier 90+1 [6th], América's Juan Carlos Valenzuela sent off 53) Attendance: 70126 Man of the Match: Diego Souza, Palmeiras We stay around at the stadium only long enough for the post match press ritual, and for the physios to give a proper assessment of our three casualties. Ewerthon looks to have suffered a pulled hamstring, aggravated by a dead leg which means we won't know how bad the injury is until we get home. Zárate, remarkably, seems to have got away with a little light bruising, and Jael has badly bruised his elbow which will need time to settle down before he can play again. Meanwhile, the press tell me that both Brazilian and Colombian national coaches were at the game, with Diego Souza, Léo and Pablo Armero rumoured to be under the spotlight. We get a police escort away from the ground, and thoughts of the other results doesn't even enter my head until we're safely locked in the hotel. The seeding process continues to be effective, with three of the ties ending in away wins from the first leg. River Plate take a 2-0 win back to Buenos Aires with them, having beaten Grêmio 2-0 in Porto Alegre. Cruz Azul perhaps surprisingly came away from Avellaneda with a 2-1 victory over Racing Club, whilst Atlético Paranaense put a single goal past Cruzeiro at home to give them a slight advantage. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted October 14, 2010 Author Share Posted October 14, 2010 Chapter 131 - Renegade On our return to São Paulo, Deola signs his new contract. Marquinhos, however, is holding out for more money. Another fringe player thinking well above his station. The worst thing about Marquinhos in my view is that he was all sweetness and light on the trip back from Mexico, and then informed me the next day of his decision to reject the offer. Tempting as it is to throw him into the reserves, I actually need all the squad depth I can get at the moment. Treze are on television on Saturday night, which gives me an excuse to put my feet up and relax a little. They face Santos, and surprise surprise they're still playing at Presidente Vargas. August is apparently the latest date for completion of their new stadium. I'm shocked to see Claudio Cámpora lining up in goal instead of Rafael Dida, and actually quite concerned when I learn the keeper suffered a nasty hip injury in training and may miss half the season. They go behind to a goal on the half hour mark, but fight back well in the second half with Marcos Paulo equalising and a tap in for Simão to give them the victory. I'm over the moon for them, after all they're still very much my side, with nine out of the starting eleven being my signings. Back to my current team's business, though, and we face Coritiba and their potent Argentinian striker Ariel Nahuelpan. It's an interesting first half. We create a lot of chances, without any of them being clear cut. In the pick of the chances, Sandro Silva misses from the short corner routine. Zárate is guilty of failing to head into an open goal, but to be fair to him the ball wouldn't come down quickly enough. Towards the end of the half, Robert tried to walk the ball into the goal with a run from the left hand side, when he really should have passed it into the danger area. Coritiba, for their part, caused us one or two problems. A counter attack only failed to get a shot on our goal when Luís Felipe dived in with an expertly timed tackle, and Marcos collected a long range shot that ricochet off the goalpost and into his arms. I'm not concerned at going in to the break level, and I'm not about to make any knee-jerk changes. Give it a while longer. The second half begins with end to end, flowing football. A good attack sees Cleiton Xavier into a shooting position, and as usual he works the keeper. It's pushed wide for a corner, and Sandro Silva delivers possible the worst set piece in history. He might as well have just passed the ball to the first defender. Of course, that initiated a counter attack, which ended with danger man Nahuelpan heading just wide. As time ticked on I considered resting some tired legs. Marquinhos and João Arthur were called in from their warm up, with the intention being to replace Diego Souza and Robert at the next opportunity. As I was giving them final instructions, Sandro Silva went for a run down the left. He cut it back to Armero on the point of the area. The left back turned away from goal to control the ball, and the chance seemed to have gone, but he span again, to lay the ball forwards to Diego Souza. Coritiba defenders converged on our playmaker, and Ricardo Conceição committed the foul. Diego Souza picked himself up, dusted himself down, and calmly slotted the penalty into the corner. The keeper didn't even move. I make the substitutions anyway. No point in changing things round now. But the instructions they take onto the field are somewhat different, taking into account the likely barrage we'll suffer for the remainder of the game. Marquinhos immediately plays João Arthur through into a suspiciously offside position, but fortunately it's not contentious as the striker loops his shot wide under pressure. Sandro Silva goes on an almost identical run to that which brought the penalty, but this time Armero elects to shoot on the run when he receives the pass, not troubling the keeper in the slightest. Sandro Silva deserves a rest. He's been excellent again today. So I give Souza ten minutes out of position to see what he makes of the left side of the midfield diamond. The fourth official announces three minutes of stoppage time, amidst comments from our bench that they had better be Brazilian minutes and not Mexican ones. He sees the funny side. Into the third minute of the three, Coritiba burst forward. They win a throw in on the left, which Dirceu centres Luiz Eduardo wins the header and flicks it towards goal. A nasty taste rises in the back of my throat as I anticipate yet another stoppage time incident. Thalisson jumps with Marcos and beats him to the ball, and we can only watch as it bounces into the goal. But the referee's whistle halts the visitors' celebrations. It's not immediately clear whether he blew up for the offside or the foul on Marcos, but either way the goal is disallowed. It turns out Thalisson was penalised for backing into Marcos. Coritiba were still protesting thirty seconds later, when the referee's whistle brought proceedings to an end. 20th May 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 2 Palmeiras (1-0-0) 1 Coritiba (0-1-0) 0 (Diego Souza 75pen [8th]) Attendance: 33673 Man of the Match: Luís Felipe (Palmeiras) League Position: 3rd Cruzeiro's victory over Fluminense and Grêmio's win at Flamengo mean we're one of three sides on maximum points. At the other end, Corinthians and Atlético Mineiro have both started with two defeats. All four promoted sides have taken at least a point from their first two games. 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Gricehead Posted October 16, 2010 Author Share Posted October 16, 2010 Chapter 132 - The Semi Final awaits, doesn't it? Having fended off a rather pointless loan approach from Grêmio for star defender Léo, speculation mounts that Ajax boss Martin Jol is interested in taking the player across the Atlantic. I'm not planning on letting him go anywhere, which makes it a little difficult when he comments to a Dutch blog that he is sorely tempted by the move. So three players will be left out of the return Libertadores tie with América. Two contract rebels and a self-publicist. João Arthur, Anselmo, Márcio Araújo, Maurício and Deola come in to the side. Five minutes in I'm making my first substitution as Valmir Lucas is helped from the field. Thiago Gomes is an able substitute, but I don't like messing my starting back line up regardless. That man Diouf looks to cause us problems in the early aerial exchanges, but he also seems a little short of full fitness, getting caught offside in relatively avoidable situations. Luís Felipe is on the floor on the quarter hour, but he gets up and continues. With América looking to attack to get into the tie, we're pushed further and further back. Just before the half hour mark Fernando López crosses from the right. Diouf escaped the defence, and Deola had to come for the challenge. He punches away and Beausejour collects. Pierre gets a foot in to clear the forward's return cross. Slowly we start to get some possession. We move it through midfield, and find João Arthur. He shoots over, but it's done the job of relieving that pressure. Half time nears, and I'll be damned if we don't get an indicated four minutes stoppage time. In the second minute, López crosses, and Diouf again beats Thiago Gomes. His flighted header beats Deola, and bounces off the bar. Thiago Gomes himself recovers to hack the ball away. I spend half time reminding the players that they're half way there. They don't need to do any more than they've already done. Admittedly the defence, and especially the marking of Diouf, is a concern, but I'm short of defensive options. Seven minutes into the second half, Thiago Gomes deals with Diouf in the only way he seems to be able, earning a yellow card along the way. I switch us to a counter-attacking approach, figuring that we already have to deal with the pressure, so might as well give ourselves outs. It takes ten minutes to pay off. João Arthur gets down the right. He pauses and passes left to Anselmo. The midfielder heads into the box, shoulder to shoulder with Rodrigo Íñigo. He looks to be winning the battle, until the América player sticks a foot over and helps him to the ground. Luís Felipe is a strange volunteer for the penalty kick, but he takes it, and ends the contest there and then. I follow up by removing Diego Souza and bringing on Cleiton Xavier in his place. América try to get straight back into it, Fernández this time forcing Deola to make a save from Sánchez's cross. Diouf almost gets to the loose ball, but Pierre hacks it away. Five minutes from the end, Diouf causes more damage to our defensive line, challenging Maurício, and leaving him in a heap on the floor. With no defenders left on the bench, Diego Souza has to come on to give a bit of protection. The big forward now has more space, and he almost capitalises immediately, rounding Thiago Gomes, but slipping his shot against the post. The referee's whistle comes after just two minutes stoppage time, before we gain any more wounded. 23rd May 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Copa Libertadores, Quarter Final, Second leg Palmeiras (3) 1 América 1 (0) (Luís Felipe 73pen [2nd]) Aggregate 4-1 Attendance: 42963 Man of the Match: Thiago Gomes, Palmeiras So, we've reached the semi final. That was the stated aim of our board. I've got a slightly different agenda, of course, so my focus is on the other fixtures. It's good news for unfancied Atlético Paranaense, who hold out for a 0-0 draw at Cruzeiro. They're the only other Brazilian side to progress, as Grêmio can't overturn the first leg defeat against River Plate. The fourth semi finalist will be Mexican, Cruz Azul having seen off Argentinians Racing Club over the two legs. Both my crocked defenders face hospital trips, and both face lengthy periods out of action, putting me on a collision course for a defensive crisis. Maurício's dislocated shoulder, and Valmir Lucas' knee ligaments, end both of their Libertadores experiences. The man of the match performance for Thiago Gomes is a bit of a positive, though. Attention is very firmly focussed on the Semi Final draw, which takes place the day after the second leg game. Journalists are more interested in who I want in the semi final rather than our quarter final performance. Whilst an all Brazilian final would be brilliant, I'd prefer to avoid River Plate if at all possible. First out of the hat are Atlético Paranaense. Second out of the hat is us. So much for the perfect final. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted October 17, 2010 Author Share Posted October 17, 2010 Chapter 133 - Derby Paulista Ahead of the fourth Derby Paulista of the season, São Paulo manager Cuca is his usual controversial self in the press. Perhaps a little narked at losing out on penalties in the state championship, he questions our crudentials as title challengers, stating that if we added a bit more quality we might be up there next year. Cheeky. Given we finished above them last season, and this season in the state championship. Still, these are always big games, and I don't want to get drawn into any unnecessary comment. I do get riled in my own pre-match press conference though, when some know-it-all tries to target me on Valmir Lucas being a big loss. Assuming he is on a ****-take, I tell him that Murilo Gomes will step up and could push for a first team starting spot on a regular basis if he does well. Later, I find out that Murilo Gomes is quaking in his boots at the prospect, and half the rest of the first team think I'm nuts to be suggesting such a thing. Note to self: never take the **** at a press conference. Saturday in Série A sees Atlético Paranaense temporarily go top with a 3-0 away thumping of América FC, whilst the other new boys in action - Vítoria - earn a creditable point at Santos. The first Rio de Janeiro derby of the season goes the way of Botafogo, who defeat Flamengo 1-0. Corinthians beat Coritiba 1-0 in the fourth game. To add to the special derby atmosphere, it's Pablo Armero's 100th league appearance for Palmeiras. He's heavily involved in our first attacking move, creating the space for Sandro Silva to run down the wing, and then winning the challenge for the loose ball once the cross is defended. The attack culminates in Zárate heading against the bar, but again Armero wins the loose ball, and his low cross/shot is knocked away for a corner. The first quarter of an hour, in fact, is all about Armero's persistance down the left, coupled with Luís Felipe's electric pace down the right. What does disappoint me, though, is our organisation in midfield. The close attention I've detailed on Cléber Santana looks to be pulling us out of shape, and more than once in the first half hour a simple pass is misplaced that gives São Paulo an attacking opportunity. Dagoberto almost makes one such opportunity count, banging a twenty yard effort just over the bar. Discipline looks like being a potential issue as well. Sandro Silva can count himself lucky to still be on the field after elbowing Dagoberto in the face, whilst Armero is amongst a handful of players who get riled on a couple of occasions when appealing for borderline penalties. Despite the attention given to Cléber Santana, he's still able to find time and space on the half hour mark to rattle one in from twenty five yards or so. Now we're chasing the game, and I try to adapt the plan to suit. Another fine move down the left, involving Armero, Sandro Silva and Zárate, probably deserved a better finish from Diego Souza, who curled his shot just wide when he really should have been working the goalkeeper. Similarly, Souza will have been disappointed to have missed the target with a freekick in stoppage time. The players trudged off the field at half time. They were disappointed to be behind, and what's more they knew I was disappointed as well. Marquinhos comes on for João Arthur after the break, with the players getting a lecture about what derby games mean, and how we have to show Cuca that he is wrong. The substitution almost pays immediate dividends, as Marquinhos uses his pace to get into the corner, and puts a lovely ball into the area. Zárate meets it with a close range header, which the São Paulo pushes away on instinct alone. Armero - who else - picks up the lose ball, but he can't find a decent cross and the move breaks down. A player who didn't really feature in the first half was Boiadeiro. His crosses have caused us all sorts of trouble in the past, and he starts to come into the game in the second half. His corners are particularly effective, and when he gets one back his drilled ball across the six yard box needs Deola's attention to avoid it being turned in at the far post. When the hour comes, and we look no more like getting back into the game, and in fact Deola has been called on again to deal with a shot by Jorge Wágner, it's time for more drastic changes. Márcio Araújo replaces Diego Souza, and we look to push players forward more often for the last thirty minutes. São Paulo aren't exactly intent on hanging on to their lead, though, so it's a case of who can make the chances count. Zárate tries, but his header from the edge of the area is easy for the keeper to deal with. Márcio Araújo tries, but his shot from space is wide of the mark. Zárate tries again, but his shot from the edge of the area bounces down off the crossbar and is cleared to safety. We pick up a brace of needless yellow cards in the dying minutes, as once again frustration boils over when the home side try to run the clock down. It's been another tight affair between the two sides, but on the day São Paulo put the ball in the net and we didn't. Them's the breaks. 27th May 2012, Morumbi (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 3 São Paulo (1-0-1) 1 Palmeiras (2-0-0) 0 (Cléber Santana 33 [4th]) Attendance: 59676 Man of the Match: Cléber Santana (MC), São Paulo League Position: 5th Cruzeiro and Grêmio retain their 100% records, with the latter consigning Atlético Mineiro to their third defeat. Treze also suffered a defeat, at the hands of new boys Goiás. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted October 19, 2010 Author Share Posted October 19, 2010 Chapter 134 - A week off The latest of my players to have their heads turned by a European side is Pablo Armero. Javier Clemente, currently manager of Glasgow Rangers, is interested, according to media speculation, and just like his team-mate, Armero quite fancies the cold and wet of Scotland. One player who is departing is Danilo. The 23 year old midfielder hasn't made a single appearance in his four years at the club, and has moved on to Maranguape for just under £200k. For once we have no midweek game, with América Mineiro not due to visit Palestra Itália until next Sunday. It gives the squad a well earned break, and with any luck will allow me to get a few players back to full fitness. It's not all plain sailing though (is it ever?) Three players are away on international duty for the week, which may well rule them out of the América game. Zárate joins up with the Argentinian youth side in Colombia, whilst Pablo Armero is called into the Colombian squad for the World Cup qualifying match between the two teams. Luis Pedro Figueroa forms part of Chile's squad for the qualifier against Uruguay. My two fullbacks picked up their 31st and 22nd Colombian and Chilean caps respectfully, as Colombia shocked Argentina in Bogotá. They are both delayed travelling back to Brazil, however, so are left out of the squad for América Mineiro. The starting eleven are left with no doubt whatsoever that I expect us to bounce back from a win in this game. Jael makes his return to the side after injury, and immediately picks up a knock in the early exchanges. Worse, on 22 minutes, Thiago Gomes limps off, adding to my defensive injury woes. Gabriel is looking to make a claim for the starting left back position, and our best creative threat is coming from his direction. On 26 he passes it in short to Diego Souza, who runs across the D and plants it firmly in the corner to give us the expected lead. Jael is clattered again soon after the restart, leaving me with the impression he's being targetted by the defence. He's determined to make it through to half time, though. Five minutes from the break, Gabriel goes charging down the left again. He swings in a cross deep to the far post, where Jael lurks and heads at goal. The keeper makes a good reaction save, but can only push it back into the mix. Diego Souza pounces and fires it back in. Amazingly, the keeper saves again - a world class double save - and the ball is cleared. Jael makes it to the break, but won't return after it, with Cleiton Xavier taking his place. I toy with a third change, but half time is a bit early the way things are going with injuries at the moment. The substitute takes all of twenty-seven seconds to put the ball in the back of the net to give us a 2-0 lead. Zárate kicked off, Pierre received the ball, passed it to Luís Felipe, who found Anselmo. He ran forward and slipped it to Diego Souza, who rounded his man and played it into the path of Cleiton Xavier running into the box. Easy game. With the lead, we sit back and try to conserve energy and stay injury free. América have other ideas, and before we can safely retire to the dressing rooms, Murilo Gomes and Pierre are both carrying knocks. With América unable to break us down, it's possibly the most boring second half on record. 3rd June 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 4 Palmeiras (2-0-1) 2 América Mineiro (0-2-1) 0 (Diego Souza 27 [9th], Cleiton Xavier 46 [7th]) Attendance: 31646 Man of the Match: Gabriel, Palmeiras League Position: 4th News reaches me that an x-raty confirms broken ribs for Thiago Gomes, so he can be counted out of the semi final games in the Libertadores, along with most of the rest of my defence. The top three also won, with Atlético Paranaense beating previous holders of 4th place Bahia to allow us to leapfrog them. Treze were held at home to a 0-0 draw by Fluminense, in a game which inexplicably saw keeper Claudio Cámpora substituted in the second half. Atlético Mineiro did manage to pick up their first point of the season, though, moving them off the bottom of the table, to be replaced by Portuguesa. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted November 5, 2010 Author Share Posted November 5, 2010 The award winning story continues. Thanks again to everyone who voted me for my first FMS award! Chapter 135 - The eye of the hurricane Palmeiras don't have the best of records against Atlético Paranaense, Furacão or Hurricane as they are known. The last six games have been split straight down the middle. Notably, there hasn't been an away win for the last two seasons. With Thiago Gomes, Valmir Lucas and Maurício injured, and Murilo Gomes not a registered player, I'm down to my last two defenders in Léo and Cássio. Up front things are a little better, with Ewerthon now fit enough for a spot on the bench. It's cool at Arenda de Baixada. Unseasonably so. The warm up is a bit more vigorous than usual. The stadium is full with a very partisan Curitiba-based support. We've travelled in reasonable numbers as well, for what is a massive game. We don't need advance scouting to know Atlético Paranaense are a good side. Striker Adaílton has 23 goals so far this season, and will definitely bear watching. They line up with the traditional 4-2-2-2 formation, whilst I give instructions to Anselmo and Diego Souza to operate a bit deeper than usual. Souza avoids a yellow card for an early foul on the danger man, but Figueroa is not so lucky after twenty minutes. In that time, there have been a couple of headers for both sides which have gone over the bar, but nothing you could describe as a real chance. On 25 minutes, Armero goes on a typical workman like run down the left. He slips it to Sandro Silva, who chips it into the six yard box. Diego Souza rises and heads goalbound, forcing the keeper to tip the ball over the bar. The corner is picked up by Sandro Silva, who shoots for goal. It deflects of his team-mate, and goes behind for a goal kick. The chance lifts us though, and we start getting a lot of the ball in the final third. Jael collects a ball on the D and tries to thread it through to Zárate, but the ball is intercepted. Half an hour passes with the score still level. I'm happy with that to be honest, but the home side remind us of how dangerous they are when Guto strikes from distance, and Marcos has to get down full length to his right to tip it round the post. The referee cards a Paranaense player for over-enthusiastically appealing for a penalty from the corner. Eventually they get on with the game, taking the throw-in. We soon win it back, and hit them on the counter attack down the left. Zárate finds Diego Souza, who is well closed down. Armero picks the ball up and plays it across to Souza. Paranaense defend well, though, not giving the midfielder space to find a shot. Eventually he hits it straight against one of their players. Jael picks up the rebound, and feeds Anselmo. Cutting in from the right, the midfielder slips his way into the box. He hits a shot towards the top corner, but it's a couple of inches too high and cannons off the bar. Into the last five minutes, and we have a corner on the right. Sandro Silva takes it deep to the back post, which Léo attacks and heads it back across goal. Paranaense have Guilherme on the post, and he reacts quickly. He gets his head to the ball, but can't connect cleanly. It flicks up off his head and hits the post. He recovers immediately, and heads away at the second attempt. The home side break, and if Adaílton had been able to find a player with his chipped cross we might have been in trouble. As it was, we headed it away and started a break of our own. Jael won a corner just as the fourth official was indicating for one minute of stoppage time. The ball went short to Sandro Silva, who missed the target with his low shot, sending us into the break on a low. I replace a tired Anselmo with Márcio Araújo during the break. There really was onthing in the game at this stage, so I was keeping my big guns in reserve for now. The players knew the importance the game held - to the club and the fans, they had no idea of my particular goals of course - so I didn't need to say much before I sent them out again. Adaílton again caused us problems in the opening minutes of the second half. He frequently drifted wide in order to collect the ball. The good news for us was that it meant he couldn't then be in the area to get on the end of his own cross. A wayward Diego Souza freekick was all we had to show for the first fifteen minutes of the half. When Adaílton was caught offside, Marcos took the kick long from out on the left. It went in the direction of Jael's head, but he was beaten to the header by Henríquez. Figueroa collected, and exchanged pases with Sandro Silva, Souza and Márcio Araújo before sending it forward to Jael again. The striker went down the line before centering along the ground for Diego Souza. The playmaker took a step before hammering it past the keeper into the near post. A vital, vital away goal. Immediately I called for Ewerthon to get ready to go on. If there was a player to have leading a counter attack game plan, he was it. It was a tough choice whether to withdraw Zárate or Jael, but I kept the assister on. Ten minutes passed, and I found I was pacing my technical area more than perhaps necessary. As with the nature of counter-attacking, Paranaense were seeing most of the possession. Another change was required, and it was Diego Souza who was replaced by Cleiton Xavier for the last fifteen minutes, this time with instructions to waste as much time as possible, and keep the ball when we get it. Our opposition are reduced to ten men, when Henríquez is forced to limp from the field with five minutes of normal time to go. But even then we're not safe. Alex Sandro rises for a challenge with Cássio, who is holding the defensive line well for a player with so little match experience this season. The Atlético player flicks it on, to no-one in particular, but Armero and Marcos get into a bit of a pickle, with both waiting for the other to deal with it. The ball drifts wide, and Alex Sandro nips in to collect. he can't get a shot at goal, but he can putll it back for Raul, who stands in at least ten yards of clear space. With all the time in the world, Raul blasts it at the goal, and it sails over the bar. Four minutes of additional time are signalled from the touchline, and at pretty much the same time Cleiton Xavier rushes out to close down Guilherme, flattening him in the process. Up steps substitute Antônio Carlos. He places the ball right on the edge of the D. The defensive wall of five receives instructions from Marcos, and stand in the accustomed position, protecting their assets. Antônio Carlos strikes it right footed. It misses the very right edge of the wall and flies, unstoppably, into the right most corner of the goal. The goal feels like an arrow through my heart. I'm sure I visibly sagged on the touchline as it hit the back of the net, and the Paranaense players circled the scorer to join his celebration. The noise didn't help. It felt like we had snatched a defeat from near victory, regardless of the fact that the away goal still made it more like a win. Those were my senior players out there, though, and they weren't about to waste the remaining three minutes of play. Jael and Ewerthon kicked off. Cássio, Souza, and Armero combined, and the left back played it forwards to Sandro Silve, setting off on the overlap at the same time. Sandro Silva found Ewerthon lurking out wide, and possession was almost lost when the poacher tried to play it back. The ball fell back to Armero, and his whipped cross flew into the box. Almost in slow motion, Márcio Araújo drifted towards the ball, rose above Alex Sandro, and planted the ball firmly beyond the keeper. Silence fell, except for the travelling Palmeiras fans away to my right, and of course, the bench. Atlético Paranaense's comeback had lasted all of ninety seconds, and this time there was no time for a comeback. 6th June 2012, Arena da Baixada (Curitiba, PR), Copa Libertadores, Semi Final, First leg Atlético Paranaense 1 Palmeiras 2 (Diego Souza 65 [10th], Antônio Carlos 90+1 [4th], Márcio Araújo 90+4 [2nd]) Attendance: 29694 Man of the Match: Pablo Armero, Palmeiras Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted November 7, 2010 Author Share Posted November 7, 2010 Chapter 136 - Cloud Nine On the horizontal plane, we arrived back in São Paulo early the following morning. Vertically, we were still up in the clouds. A win was more than we could have hoped for. I would have been happy with nil-nil, and despite the histrionics of the evening, ecstatic with 1-1. There was, of course, another semi-final taking place at the same time, and Cruz Azul found themselves in exactly the same situation as us, winning 2-1 in Buenos Aires. It's back to league action between the two legs, and we're scheduled to visit the North-East to face Bahia. It means another tight turnaround, with barely a day in São Paulo before we're on the road again. There's a good atmosphere on the journey, though, although I do wonder about the focus on the game to come. As usual, there are three games on Saturday evening in Série A. None of them really threaten the teams at the top of the table, but the occasion does provide an opportunity for some team bonding in front of the tv in the hotel lounge. It's a mixed day for the Paulista. Corinthians win at América by a single goal, but São Paulo are held to a 0-0 draw at home by Flamengo. The third game sees Atlético Mineiro follow up their first point with their first win, beating Coritiba in Curitiba. Diego Souza starts alongside Jael as the pack-shuffling continues. Marquinhos starts behind the front two, with Cleiton Xavier looking to create from midfield. Murilo Gomes is an obvious choice from the sparse set of defenders available to me. First to test Bahia's keeper is Diego Souza, who gets on the end of a cross by his strike partner, and forces a leaping fingertip save. The corner, from Marquinhos, is poor, but we retain possession on the halfway line, and the ball comes back. Márcio Araújo lets fly from distance, and his shot takes a deflection which has the keeper scrambling across to see it wide. Twenty minutes in, Márcio Araújo took a run down the left. Bebeto brought him down, about six yards in from touchline and byline, and received a yellow card for his troubles. Marquinhos took the kick, playing it twenty yards into the box to Márcio Araújo. He carried the ball, looking for a gap to shoot, but held on to it for too long. Williames dispossed him with an excellent sliding tackle, but that only rolled the ball to Cleiton Xavier. His shot, from twelve yards, bulged the back of the net without giving the keeper a chance. Our excitement didn't last too long. The first corner Bahia won, Bebeto curled it in. Armero and Cleiton Xavier totally failed to mark Alison at the near post, and he (he? What sort of name is Alison for a he?) had the simplest of headers to equalise. From there-on in to halftime, we had the best of the chances, but that wasn't really saying much. The closest we came to threatening the Bahia goal was a header by Léo, which was a good couple of yards over. The start of the second half was niggly. Lots of freekicks disrupted play, meaning neither side could really get any fluency together. Our best moves eminated from Luís Felipe, but even those were a metaphor for the whole game. He repeatedly beat his man for pace and got to the byline, only to hit the first man with the cross. If it hadn't been for the tenacity of Jael doing the dirty work and winning the ball back, we'd have been facing a lot more of the ball coming into our half. As time wore on, I started to feel that pang of concern once again. The match on Wednesday wore heavy on my mind, and I was forced to consider conceding this game in favour of the bigger goal. I wouldn't give in that easily, though. On came Anselmo and Ewerthon, with Diego Souza and Marquinhos making way. It didn't make a vast amount of difference. Cleiton Xavier headed a couple over the bar, but he was the only player who came close to scoring. 10th June 2012, Metropolitano de Pituaçu (Salvador, BA), Série A, Round 5 Bahia (2-1-1) 1 Palmeiras (3-0-1) 1 (Cleiton Xavier 22 [8th], Alison 25 [2nd]) Attendance: 23370 Man of the Match: Cleiton Xavier, Palmeiras League Position: 4th As a result of Grêmio's 0-0 draw at Botafogo, Cruzeiro are now the only team with a 100% record. Sadly, that came at the expense of Treze, who the reigning champions thumped 4-1. Atlético Paranaense tasted defeat again, ahead of their rematch with us, losing out at Santos who now move into 5th. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted November 9, 2010 Author Share Posted November 9, 2010 Chapter 137 - A little bit of history The green half of São Paulo is gripped with Libertadores fever. The game is a sellout, and merchandise sails are breaking all recent records. Palmeiras have been to the final four times before, and not since 2000. Of course, what everyone really wants is to go one step further and win the competition. The proud supporters at Palestra Itália haven't seen their team lift the continental trophy since 1999. But one step at a time. First of all, we have to ensure we do a professional job against an Atlético Paranaense side smarting from consecutive defeat. In for the game come Figueroa, Cássio, Anselmo, Sandro Silva, Zárate and Ewerthon. Other than the lack of defenders (I've a grand total of zero central defenders on the bench) this is my strongest team. It will be operating in a slightly more withdrawn role than usual, though. Atlético, on a hunch maybe, match our formation, with the dangerous Adaílton partnered Guto, and a young Paraguayan by the name of Julio Cabrera in the hole. In front of a capacity crowd, Zárate fires a header over the bar in the first ten minutes. Then Diego Souza picks up a yellow card for a challenge on Renan, a complication I didn't need. Atlético, patiently, come forward. I'm happy to let them advance, but not into the danger area. As soon as they look like doing that, Sandro Silva robs them with a crunching tackle. He sets Ewerthon away down the left and we're off on the counter attack. Ewerthon makes it all the way to level with the eight yard pass, before sliding a pass across the area. It skips past Zárate and falls to Anselmo, who dives full length to head at goal. Galatto saves, palming the ball into the ground. Cabrera tackles Souza just before he can get his shot away, diverting the ball into the path of Figueroa. The wing back gets to the line again, and crosses, forcing Cabrera to concede the corner. Zárate took the corner, and made the second cross after the clearance. It went to the back post, where Ewerthon was lurking. He headed over the bar. Again, Atlético came forward, probing at our defensive resolve. Once more we held them off, and after a few sideways passes, Alex Sandro lost patience and hit it from long range. Marcos watched it sail high and wide, and I think I caught a glimpse of a smile on his face. He was right, we'd take shots from that range all day. Atlético were clever enough to learn from their failures, though. Their next attack was quicker, one touch passing, moving the ball rapidly upfield. It started when Adaílton robbed Armero inside his own half. It ended when he received a short pass from Gutu that put him through to slot past Marcos. That put a completely different complexion on the game. Now we had a difficult decision. Try and hold on for an away goal win, and risk losing everything. Or push forward to try and retake the lead outright, and... risk losing everything. Diego Souza immediately got forward and connected with Figueroa's cross, heading just wide. Cássio took a knock, and laid there for a terrible moment, but then jumped up and ran back. Léo headed a corner over. This all happened in a flash. Five minutes at the max. Then Sandro Silva received the ball on the edge of the area. He looked for a shot, or the opportunity to play a team-mate in. Only Armero was there, overlapping. Sandro Silva played the pass, Armero collected. His first touch wasn't brilliant, and took him towards the six yard box. Just bloody shoot I shouted inside my head. But this was nosebleed territory for the left back. He stuttered, struggling to get the ball out from between his feet. Alex Sandro came to his rescue, taking the ball off his toes and clearing it long. But the referee blew his whistle, and pointed to the spot. It was a harsh decision. There were remonstrations. One or two Atlético players were probably lucky not to be carded. Meanwhile, Ewerthon calmly picked up the ball and placed it on the spot. He stepped up, and hit it towards the bottom right corner. Galatto dived, guessing right, and for a moment it looked as though he was going to get there. The ball evaded him, though, and nestled into the bottom of the net, igniting something of a barrage of noise. Ewerthon had scored his 20th goal of the season. Was it going to be the most important so far? Which way would the game swing next? We wouldn't have to wait long to find out. Guilherme and Chico advanced down the left. Chico passed right to Gabriel Pimba, who played a first time pass into the area. There was Adaílton, free of Cássio again, and he did exactly the same as he had the first time, breaking Palmeiras hearts a little bit in the process. Into stoppage time, only two minutes of it. Time for one last attack for us. Armero and Sandro Silva went down the left. Sandro Silva crossed. Alex Frega cleared. Anselmo rose well to win possession in midfield, and directed the ball back to Sandro Silva. He played in Armero. Across came the cross again. Again Alex Frega rose to clear, but this time he couldn't direct it up field. It continued on pretty much the same trajectory, and Guilherme had to drop right to the byline to clear and prevent a corner. Once again, Anselmo was there, challenging Chico. He won the header, and sent it back into the area. Zárate had drifted clear of the defensive line, who were appealing for offside, unaware of their team-mate still standing near the byline. Zárate found himself in space, the ball at his feet, my heart in my mouth. One touch, and a clean shot inside the near post restored our lead. Again. This was fast turning into a classic. After the fast and furious action of the first half, the first order of the day was a breather for all concerned. Then it was down to defensive duties. We had to deal with Adaílton, and Léo would be the man given that detail for the second half. A second half that would make or break my Libertadores dreams... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted November 11, 2010 Author Share Posted November 11, 2010 Chapter 138 - A little bit of history repeated As often happens after such a barnstorming first half, the beginning of the second period was a bit of a damp squib. More like a continuation of the half time break, as the two sides got to grips with their newly received instructions. My opposite number had chosen to make a double substitution, removing the guilty Alex Sandro and Julio Cabrera, in favour of Antônio Carlos and Alan Patrick. The like for like substitutions didn't change their approach to the game, although it was clear, too, that they had made differences in their marking assignments. A period that had seen three goals in the first half passed without even a shot at goal in the second, with the clock showing almost sixty minutes played when Guilherme stepped up to whip over a freekick from the left. Adaílton advanced menacingly towards the ball, but Marcos came out well and punched the ball away for a corner. Alan Patrick took the corner short to Renan. The defence rushed to block the shot, and Renan took the ball to the byline. He dinked a ball to the near post, and the other substitute Carlos flicked the ball on. It was a clever move, taking most of the active defenders out of the game, and leaving Gualberto clear at the back post to nod over the line. The blood drained from my face as the realisation set in: now it was us who needed to score to stay in the tie. On the pitch, heads remained high. We took the ball forwards again straight from the restart, Sandro Silva going on another lung-busting run down the left, and standing a decent cross up for Zárate to challenge for. Just as Marcos had done two minutes earlier, Galatto got there and punched the ball clear of danger for a corner kick. Zárate went across to take, aiming for Sandro Silva on the near post. Carlos flicked it on, and it fell beyond the far post to Cássio, who despite his defensive failing, played a good little ball back into the mixer. A crowd of players including Anselmo, Diego Souza and three Atlético defenders converged on the ball, but again Galatto rose highest, this time holding the ball close to his chest. It was time for a change. Cleiton Xavier would be the man coming on, turning our shape into a slightly more attacking one. Anselmo looked crestfallen as he headed towards the bench. There was little I could to console the player at this stage. Renan earned himself a yellow card, bringing down Diego Souza thirty five yards or so from goal. As the referee chatted with the Atlético midfielder, Figueroa made as if to line up the shot. The Atlético defence didn't seem to believe him, assembling a meagre two man wall to defend against the potential shot. Sure enough, when the referee blew for the kick to be taken, he stepped up and struck it hard. It started miles to the right of the wall, but curled late, and Galatto had to get down well to stop it creeping inside the near post. The ball died on the grass five yards short of the touchline, with Chico winning the race over Zárate to recover and send it to safety for a throw in. Zárate tried to get round Guilherme from the short throw, but the defender covered well, and we won a corner. Sandro Silva delivered a poor corner. Chico headed it away, and Figueroa re-distributed the ball to Cássio. The defender looked uncomfortable in possession so high up the pitch, but was rescued by an equally clumsy forward's challenge from Guto. Another freekick, this time five yards close to goal. Souza lined it up, but pinged its straight off the wall, the ball spinning left for a throw in. Twenty minutes to go. and a yellow card for Léo showed that frustrations were starting to build amongst my players. Fifteen minutes to go, and a long period of possession resulted in just a snatched shot from Cleiton Xavier which drifted well away from goal. Ten minutes to go, and Atlético make their final substitution, replacing Chico with Douglas. Another like for like change. Five minutes to go, and again the ball comes to Cleiton Xavier in a shooting position. Again, he fires it high over the bar. Three minutes of stoppage time. Sandro Silva goes on another breath-taking run down the left, but the end product isn't there and his cross is easily gathered by Galatto. It's last chance saloon time, as the keeper takes his time to restart. We need to get the ball back. he aims for Adaílton with the kick, but Léo is there and heads it forwards to Diego Souza. He flicks the ball wide, and after some headed exchanges, Armero picks the ball up. Dead on his feet, he swings it long down the line for Ewerthon to chase. Gualberto does well, shielding the ball before calmly placing it out for a throw in. Last minute of the three. Armero took the throw in, and received it back. He curled a cross with the outside of his left foot; headed away. Back to Cleiton Xavier, who elected to fire a ball into the mixer rather than making a specific effort to shoot. It deflected off someone, I'm not sure who, into the path of Diego Souza who had drifted away from his marker. Stooping, the playmaker headed the ball across goal towards the far post. It was too close to the keeper, and Galatto pushed it away for Guilherme to tidy up. Was that it? The last chance? Figueroa rushed to take the throw in. It was long, aimed generally into the box rather than at a particular head. Cleiton Xavier couldn't reach it, and Gualberto cleared. Léo was beaten by Guto in the air, but Sandro Silva was on hand to intercept the flick and spread it right to Cássio. With the clock showing twenty seconds into the fourth minute of stoppage time, we needed the ball back in the box, now. But Cássio, oh Cássio. He took a touch, and then another, and then Guto was on him, robbing the ball and starting off down the line. Léo raced back to provide cover, but the referee, clear in his mind that our attacking phase of play had ended, put the whistle to his lips and broke my heart. 13th June 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Copa Libertadores, Semi Final, Second leg Palmeiras (2) 2 Atlético Paranaense (1) 3 (Adaílton 24 [24th], Ewerthon 37pen [20th], Adaílton 40 [25th], Mariano Zárate 45+2 [6th]. Gualberto 60 [1st]) (Aggregate: 4-4, Atlético Paranaense win on away goals) Attendance: 45000 Man of the Match: Adaílton (ST), Atlético Paranaense Not that it really matters, but River Plate thumped the Mexicans on their home soil, setting up an Argentina vs Brazil final. The wrong one, though. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted November 12, 2010 Author Share Posted November 12, 2010 Chapter 139 - The Aftermath That game is going to take some getting over. I'm not sure how we are going to do it, but I do know that a home derby against Santos is not the way I'd choose. Now that our commitments are that bit fewer (and I have to start planning for another full season here) I need to make some decisions about players. There will probably be a number of comings and goings before next January, but for now I content myself with listing rare participants Dinda and Edinho, in the hope I can boost my transfer budget a little. Saturday sees four games involving clubs from the bottom half of the table, including Treze who face Internacional. It's a game I can watch on TV, and is actually a reasonable way for me to unwind. Memories of happier days are refreshed when Treze knock three first half goals past the red and white clad side from Rio de Janeiro, including a 7th minute screamer from Rafael Diógenes. They seem, at last, to have abandoned the "Euro" 4-4-2, and reverted to a 5-3-2 formation not dissimilar to what I had them playing. Other big winners on the night are Fluminense, who rocket up to 3rd for 24 hours at least, beating Portuguesa 2-0. Flamengo join their city neighbours in the top five with a win against América. To complete the results, São Paulo win at Atlético Mineiro. We would face Santos with largely the same team, and in front of pretty much the same sort of crowd. We needed a performance, not least to pick up the fans. We also now probably needed to try and win the league so that the second half of the season isn't a complete write off. All that threatened to be undone when David, yes that David, lined a freekick up in the third minute. Deola, one of the changes from the Atlético Paranaense game, acrobatically tipped it over the bar, though. A knock for Luís Felipe and a yellow card for Diego Souza followed, but nothing of any quality, as we struggled to put Wednesday night behind us. When the breakthrough came it was with a sense of relief. It was by no means a typical Palmeiras goal. Léo's header from the halfway line was flicked on by Ewerthon. It looped up and over the defence. Three Palmeiras players ran through the defensive line before they reacted, and it was Jael who got the last touch to send it beyond the outrushing keeper. Paulo Henrique almost equalised in stoppage time, waltzing through our patchwork defence and pulling off a shot that Deola did well to block. but other than that we closed the half our quietly and confidently. Luís Felipe indicated he was happy to give the second half a shot, whilst disappointing performances from Souza and Ewerthon met with "discussion" during the interval. Ten minutes into the second half, Ewerthon went down in installments. We could cary one knock in the team, but not two, so I made a double substitution, bringing on Zárate and Pierre, which saw Souza move to right back, a manufactured change due to no first team right back being available from the bench. He soon proved his worth, galloping down the right and putting over a cross which was delivered on a plate for Jael to nod home his second goal of the game. That effectively put the game to bed. Bad news for us wasn't over though, with Pierre being forced from the field with ten minutes to play, forcing my hand into a third substitution. Márcio Araújo replaced him. We lose our discipline as a result, with Léo and Anselmo picking up cards. Inside the second minute of stoppage time, Souza again got down the right wing, and again put in a deep cross. This time Zárate arrived at the appointed hour, heading a third goal to put that finishing gloss on the scoreline. 17th June 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 6 Palmeiras (3-1-1) 3 Santos (3-1-1) 0 (Jael 27 [8th], 66 [9th], Mariano Zárate 90+2 [7th]) Attendance: 42070 Man of the Match: Jael, Palmeiras League Position: 4th A convincing win against a strong Série A side was a good start to cleansing the anguish of the Libertadores. We only had to look upwards in the table, though, to be reminded of it. Atlético Paranaense also won, against Goiás, to stay above us on goal difference. Surprisingly, though, the top two both drew, spelling the end of Cruzeiro's 100% record. Even more surprisingly, it was Vitória who held them to a 0-0 draw. With a touch of irony, Santos had to hand over £65k after the game, as part of the deal which took David across São Paulo state. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted November 14, 2010 Author Share Posted November 14, 2010 Chapter 140 - From a distance I spend most of the first half of the week fighting off attention for or from my players. Funny how people try to pounce when you're down. Vitória boss Nelsinho Baptista is courting Marquinhos, along with half of Western Europe, whilst Ronald Koeman wants to take Léo to Anderlecht, from underneath Grêmio's nose of course. João Arthur, however, just wants to play football for us, and goes public with his assertation that he deserves more first team time. In amongst all this, I have to deal with the media attention that losing semi-finalists get when the final comes around. The first leg, from Curitiba, is not something I really wanted to spend time watching, but duty (and the syndicated TV channel) called. I don't know whether to feel jealously happy or patriotically upset when River Plate take the lead after fifteen minutes. Atlético Paranaense, minus Adaílton who broke his collarbone at the weekend, seem unable to respond; maybe it's a game too far for them. When they concede a penalty with ten minutes to go, my colleagues in the studio are saying that's game over. I nod ruefully, knowing that they still have one or two tricks up their sleeves for the second leg, as we found out. Our Saturday game, fully refreshed after a week off, is at home to 6th placed Fluminense. With the additional loss of the injured Pierre, and suspended Luís Felipe and Souza, my squad is rather stretched, forcing me to name 17 year old Vilela (Evandro Vilela) on the bench. Diego Souza hits the bar after just a minute, as it looks like the pundits have got it right predicting us to perform strongly. Sandro Silva deals strongly with Fluminense dangerman Darío Conca as early as the twelfth minute, forcing the visitors into a substitution. Retribution is not long coming, as Ralf takes out Anselmo with a two-footed challenge in the middle of the field. Anselmo leaves the field, but is joined by Ralf after the referee pulls out the red card. Cleiton Xavier is the substitute brought on, and we look forward to 75 minutes playing against ten men. We're straight on the attack, forcing Ánderson Martins to bring down Diego Souza just outside the area. Figueroa takes the freekick, but hits it straight against the wall. We continue to camp in the final third, though. Cleiton Xavier hits one long range which is deflected wide by a Fluminense defender. The next attack sees Sandro Silva head down the left. He crosses into the middle of the box, towards Ewerthon. The poacher cushions a header away from goal, towards the onrushing Márcio Araújo. From twenty yards, he blasts it into the corner. He almost makes it two before halftime, but his shot from a similar range is well saved this time. Cleiton Xavier has an effort, too, from miles out, which curls towards goal at the last minute. The keeper is equal to that one as well. We have to be happy with one at the break, though. A flurry of yellow cards for the visitors heralds the start of the second half. Cleiton Xavier gets involved, not wanting to be left out. It's pretty clear that Fluminense have been told to step up the physical side of their game, presumably with an eye to the weakness of our bench. This limits our chances somewhat during the first twenty minutes. They don't, however, remember to keep this out of the box, and when Leandro Euzébio fells Diego Souza, the referee gives us a penalty. Goalless Figueroa steps forward to take the penalty, calmly putting us two up, and celebrating like he'd won the world cup. That cues the replacement of the limping Márcio Araújo with new boy Vilela. Five minutes from time, Cleiton Xavier commits a second foul right in front of the keeper, and he, too, walks. Diego Souza drops deeper as a result. A corner in stoppage time is our only other chance of the game. 23rd June 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 7 Palmeiras (4-1-1) 2 Fluminense (3-2-1) 0 (Márcio Araújo 25 [3rd], Luis Pedro Figueroa 68pen [1st], Fluminense's Ralf sent off 16, Palmeiras' Cleiton Xavier sent off 85) Attendance: 36807 Man of the Match: Márcio Araújo, Palmeiras League Position: 3rd Both Cleiton Xavier and Anselmo will miss the next game, through suspension and injury respectively, extending our injury crisis forward into midfield. The other results of the day saw Grêmio beat América to go top for 24 hours. Cruzeiro's 0-0 draw at Atlético Paranaense on Sunday was enough to see them back to the top of the table, but certainly tightens things up. They will no doubt be disappointed not to take advantage of their opponents' focus being on other things. Elsewhere, a couple of real thrashings were handed out, a rarety in this division. Both were shock results on paper, the first seeing Atlético Mineiro hammer Bahia 5-1, and the second, unfortunately, being a defeat by the scoreline for Treze at Vítoria. All six goal in that game came in the first half, with Treze's current management commenting post match that they had never seen such a dismal defensive display. Márcio Araújo's goal was voted "Goal of the week" for Série A, narrowly beating old friend Lucas Roggia's effort for Internacional. It seems he's finally broken into the team up in Porto Alegre. There isn't as much attention on the second leg of the Libertadores as there was on the first. Partially, I suspect, due to it being in Argentina, but mainly due to the Brazilian media having already written off Atlético Paranaense's chances. They still look toothless in a benign first half, and when River Plate score two minutes into the second half it definitely is game over. Gabriel Pimba get them one back midway through the half, but it's too little too late, and the trophy stays in Argentina for a second year. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted November 18, 2010 Author Share Posted November 18, 2010 Chapter 141 - Six pointer It's probably too early to be talking about Championship deciders, but it's definitely not a stretch to say that Cruzeiro will be up there at the end of the season. And given that's where we want to be in November, beating them would definitely be a good thing. Their manager has a word or two to say about us as well, hinting that we don't really have a chance of achieving our goal, and once we lose on Saturday that will be clear to everyone. Given the list of players we're missing, it's not going to be easy. The already extensive injury and suspension list is complemented by Figueroa's callup to the Chile squad and Mariano Zárate's callup to the Argetine youth squad. So we arrive at Mineirão in Belo Horizonte missing seven first team players. Partly because of this, and partly because of the strength of our opponents, our shape is slightly more defensive than usual. Luís Felipe and Souza come into the side, whilst Dinda and João Arthur earns returns to the first team squad and take a place on the bench. Both sides start nervously, in good conditions in front of a big crowd. The home team set out a 4-1-3-2 formation, which validates our choice of a more defensive midfield setting. We win a freekick after 25 minutes of cagey play, which Léo takes short to Luís Felipe from within our half. The right back takes it across the line, and advances about ten yards before playing it across the midfield line. Diego Souza steps over the ball, leaving it to Sandro Silva. That gives us the fraction of a second advantage, and allows the first time ball to spring Ewerthon from the defence. He takes it round the keeper and places it into the bottom corner. First blood to the green team. Léo, still being chased by Grêmio for an exceedingly unlikely loan move, fires a header over the bar soon after, whilst Cruzeiro - for now - remain timid. They are limited to a couple of shots from very long range before our next attack, and neither of them trouble Deola. Diego Souza takes a corner, and the defensive header returns the ball back to him. he chips the ball first time to the near post. Sandro Silva flicks it on, and Jael has the downward header from point blank range, but somehow Fábio throws himself across and manages to turn the rising ball over the bar. A world class save to deny us the two goal lead approaching the break. The corner results in another header over the bar from Léo. He makes it a hattrick in the last minute of the half, and with only one minute of injury time to play, we're soon back in the dressing room, analysing how to face the rest of the game. Omar Feitosa takes Léo to one side and has a few quiet words about his heading technique, whilst I address the rest of the squad. We've been dominant, and I want to encourage more of that, without allowing any scope for the home side to sneak something past us. Five minutes into the second half we win a corner. Diego Souza goes across, and floats it towards the back post. Léo rises high and connects, but this time heads downwards. Fábio again makes the block, but this time it trickles away to him. There's Jael, reacting first to show he can poach goals as well. The perfect start to the second half, giving us a great cushion to defend. Omar Feitosa just smiles at me. Our tails are up now. So far up, that less than five minutes later, Ewerthon is challenging back to dispossess Fabinho in the centre circle. He turns and plays it forward to Jael, who holds it up and waits for players to overlap him on the counter. He plays ball towards the head of Márcio Araújo, who dummies cleverly, taking defender Neguete completely out of the game, allowing the ball to run through for Ewerthon to chase down. Free of the defence, and one on one with Fábio, there's only one outcome here. Three nil, and this is getting embarrassing for the home team. Time for some changes, then. Souza and Diego Souza make way, to give Dinda and Marquinhos game time. Diego Souza hands the captain's armband to Léo, and departs to applause from the small band of visiting fans, tucked away in the corner of this massive stadium. Ten minutes or so after the change, Marquinhos lines up a freekick out on the right. He whips it in, inside the wall, and guess who rises for the ball? Captain Léo. This time he need no other help, placing it perfectly into the roof of the net, giving poor Fábio no chance. Léo celebrates by getting himself booked, giving Cruzeiro a freekick in a dangerous position. Bernardo summed up the home side's day, by firing way over the bar, and I signalled for my last substitution. Cássio replaced Márcio Araújo for the last eight minutes. Deep in stoppage time, Deola picked up a worrying knock, as he collided with the post whilst covering the closest Cruzeiro chance of the day. After a minute of treatment, he signalled he was fine, and we played out the remaining time for a convincing, and potentially very important, victory. 30th June 2012, Mineirão (Belo Horizonte, MG), Série A, Round 8 Cruzeiro (5-2-0) 0 Palmeiras (5-1-1) 4 (Ewerthon 25 [21st], Jael 51 [10th], Ewerthon 55 [22nd], Léo 67 [1st]) Attendance: 41060 Man of the Match: Ewerthon, Palmeiras League Position: 1st It's our turn to go top, at least for 24 hours. For the first time since ou Libertadores exit, there's a real feeling of achievement in the camp, and the journey south is a cheerful one. Even Marquinhos is happy, as he agrees to sign his contract as soon as we arrive back. Sunday sees Grêmio travel to Salvador, and Atlético Paranaense travel to Porto Alegre, as the two try to keep pace with us. There's also a must win home game for Treze against Portuguesa. With the light mood persisting, the coaching staff gather to watch the match coverage, with a few beers and a little jocular debate about our own relative strengths thrown in. Grêmio seem to be of the opinion that they can match us every way, taking apart Bahia by the same 4-0 scoreline. Down at the Beira-Rio, Internacional complete a 2-0 win over Atlético Paranaense, with an injury time goal for Lucas Roggia. The evening trio of games also has more than it's fair share of goals, as Flamengo and Atlético Mineiro take up the general theme of big away wins. Treze, fortunately for them, buck that trend, with two goals from Luís lifting them to eleventh. There's other business taking place this day, though, and it might not be so pleasant. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted November 19, 2010 Author Share Posted November 19, 2010 Chapter 142 - A window on the world It took a while to twig exactly why a huge pile of paperwork was waiting for me on Monday morning. The first of July. Of course, it's a pretty meaningless date over here on the South American continent. Just the start of another month in the middle of the season. But, back in Europe, it spells the opening of the transfer window, and as usual, the big clubs, and some of the not so big clubs, are on the hunt for talent. The big pile of papers are formal transfer offers. The talk has stopped, now the hard work begins. The first one I turn up is from Fenerbahçe. They are willing to meet our £9.5m valuation of defender Léo, but want to pay £1.7m up front with the rest over 30 months. Unacceptable. I lead them to believe that if they pay the full amount up front, I'd be willing to do business. Willian follows Marquinhos into agreeing a revised contract, which (if we can stop people leaving) means I'm happy with out current squad position. Having seen the sort of money we want, the Turks withdraw their interest in Léo. Also realising they're out of the hunt, Grêmio turn their loan attention to Souza. The outcome is the same; outright rejection. A whole flurry of "greatest respect", "would love to sign", "we're looking to make an offer" and similar comments are scattered through the press; local, national and international, but now is quite possibly the worst time to take any notice of the footballing press. It causes a few issues on the training field, unsettling players, and turning their heads, but largely my guys are a professional bunch, and we have a good week of training ahead of our second road trip to Goiânia. Goiás manager Jorginho takes a different approach in his media comments. He is clearly trying to take the pressure off his own side as he labels us title favourites. If it's anything to do with me, he won't be the last to be making that statement. Saturday football, watched from the comfort of our hotel, just around the corner from the 50000 capacity Serra Dourada stadium, features Cruzeiro, looking to get back on track with a home tie against rock bottom Portuguesa, followed by a televised game from Presidente Vargas, featuring Vasco da Gama as the visitors. The frankly shocking scoreline coming in from Mineirão is 1-1; an early goal for the home side cancelled out by a last minute equaliser. It doesn't lift the visitors off the bottom, but it must have caused untold damage to the already battered morale of the champions. My attention is drawn, though, to the pre-match build up from Campina Grande. Still looking patched up and made to do, Presidente Vargas doesn't look as though it is ready to go away any time soon. Indeed, the studio pundits mention that the rework required on Treze Stadium is of such an extent that it now looks likely to be 2013 before the team can move in. I can't help but feel for them. Onto the match, though, and Treze get off to the worst possible start, conceding in the first minute. Luís equalises after twenty minutes, heading home a freekick from the near post, but a long shot from Souza gives the visitors the lead again two minutes before the break. Six minutes into the second half, disaster strikes, when Tiago Messias is harshly sent off after an altercation with Vasco's Kim. Against the odds, though, a through ball from Ricardo Goulart with twenty minutes to go finds Luís breaking clear of the defence. He slots past the keeper to secure a point for his team against adversity. I make a few changes for the Goiás game. Gabriel and Cleiton Xavier take their places in the starting lineup. Lusmar is included in the lineup for the home team. Goiás had done their homework. For the first twenty minutes, they closed down our main lines of attack down the flanks. Anyone who got to the byline found a defender in close attendance. This resulted in a number of corners, but our delivery was disappointing. The first shot from open play came in the 22nd minute, when Márcio Araújo fired just over the bar from just outside the area. Goiás came alive after that, pressing hard, and creating a few shooting opportunities of their own. But our defence was up to the challenge. We soon got back on the offensive, with Jael heading over and Sandro Silva heading against the bar. Jael then hit the post, but we couldn't force the breakthrough. An adequate first half, but nothing more, and I let the players know it during the break. Once again, that garnered a reaction. Three minutes after the restart, Sandro Silva fed Diego Souza in the box, and he fair lashed it into the top corner. Sandro Silva gets himself booked soon after, and we keep Goiás at bay until the hour mark, when Wendell squirms his way between a couple of defenders, and fires a close range shot which Deola has to push away. Léo puts it out for a corner. Goiás turn up the wick, and force three successive corners. Léo eventually gets it away, and sets up a counter attack through Ewerthon. The striker has a battle with Lusmar down the left, which my old midfielder, to his credit, wins. Jael makes way soon after for Zárate. His appearance signals a siege on the Goiás goal. Zárate heads straight to the keeper, then Ewerthon forces a save from point blank range, then Márcio Araújo fires a long range shot which just catches the bar on the way over. The game ends, though, with a flurry of yellow cards, and I'm forced to bring Pierre on for Márcio Araújo to avoid an "incident" developing. A disappointing end to a game which flattered to deceive. Still, a win is a win. 8th July 2012, Serra Dourada (Goiânia, GO), Série A, Round 9 Goiás (2-3-3) 0 Palmeiras (6-1-1) 1 (Diego Souza 49 [11th]) Attendance: 11972 Man of the Match: Diego Souza, Palmeiras League Position: 2nd It was a win, and it was enough to keep up with Grêmio, who got an excellent result at the Morumbi, with two goals from old friend Mithyuê. With nine games of the season gone, a gap was already opening up between the two of us and the rest of the pack. We'll miss Sandro Silva for our next game, thanks to his yellow card. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted November 21, 2010 Author Share Posted November 21, 2010 Chapter 143 - Rumour Mill The Monday papers, as well as commenting on the weekend games, are full of rumour and speculation. It's hard to separate the wheat from the chaff, but what's for sure is that my players are still in the spotlight. Diego Souza is praised in an interview with none other than José Mourinho of Inter Milan. The article, carried by the Milan Football Post, claims interest in my playmaker from a host of other clubs, including Porto, HSV of Hamburg, CSKA Moscow and Zenit St. Petersburg. I'm comfortable that no more than a couple of those sides can match my hefty valuation of the player, but at 27 I can see his head being turned by the offer of a big money deal in Europe. Of course, he's committed here for another three years, and he's already my highest earner. A columnist in the São Paulo Football Chronicle claims that River Plate boss Leonardo Astrada was at Serra Dourada to watch our game, ahead of making an offer for Luís Felipe and one of the home sides players. Although, judging by his comments on the match, I have my doubts whether the reporter was actually there. An even less likely story eminates from deepest Ukraine, where Metalist are reportedly trying to capture Luis Pedro Figueroa. He's another player in his late twenties who might fancy playing outside the South American continent, but if reports are to be believed Metalist will face competition from Racing Santader. I know where I'd rather go. Another Ukranian side, Dinamo Kiev, join the lengthening list of Léo's admirers. It's of note, though, that neither they, nor Standard Liege, Nice, Sampdoria or Catania have made any sort of move since we clarified our demands with the Turks. Tuesday is just as mental. Léo once again states he's keeping his options open, whilst Real Sociedad are rumoured to be throwing their hat in the ring for Luís Felipe. There is a fax from San Sebastían, but it's not about the full back. Rather, they want to know what it would take to prise Vilela away from us. That's right, Vilela, the seventeen year old with a total of one substitute appearance to his name. The war of words escalates over the right to sign Figueroa, as Metalist boss Miro Markevych drools over the player in an online interview. The site editor also adds that Düsseldorf and Ascoli are the third and fourth clubs in the mix, but only one club commits money to an offer, and that's River Plate. Again, it's an offer with a minimal amount up front, and the balance over two and a half years, which is of no use to me. However, if they come back with the full amount up front, I'm willing to at least talk about it. By Wednesday, I'm almost wishing we had a midweek game, to give me something to focus on. The same website that featured the interview with the Metalist manager, has also somehow got hold of Figuerao himself, and carries a soundbite saying the fullback is interested should the Ukranian side make an offer. They'll have to be quick, as River Plate come back with our asking price, and are allowed to talk to the Chilean. On the subject of Diego Souza, CSKA Moscow manager Leonid ****skiy (what a wonderful name) is the next to go public with his aspirations. I somehow doubt the Russian Defence Ministry backed club have the funds required to pay our valuation, so it's a rather pointless exercise in my opinion. Thursday brings yet more joy. Anderlecht boss Ronald Koeman wants to sign Armero, according to various articles in the European press. As usual, there are reported to be a string of suitors right behind him, including Hull City, Nice and Kaiserslautern. But, of course, it's still all hot air and not backed by any cash. Closer to home, Grêmio want to loan Márcio Araújo. Why they think I'm going to loan players to title rivals I have no idea, even if they offer a fair lump of cash up front. Friday - the thirteenth, which is an omen in itself - continues the general trend. Armero gives a fairly neutral response to the Anderlecht speculation, whilst Vitória are reportedly tapping up João Arthur. Now there's a player I actually wouldn't mind moving on. Another player who wouldn't be missed is Edinho (the sixteen year old striker). Villareal want to splash the best part of half a million pounds, but due to his age he won't be going anywhere for another 18 months. Interest in Márcio Araújo spreads as far as Argentinian outfit Bielefeld. They'll need to come up with a large wad of cash for one of my key midfielders. On Saturday - at last - there's some football to watch. My television viewing is split between a very tough away trip for Treze to Atlético Paranaense, and Cruzeiro's tie at Pacaembu. The latter is an utter snooze-fest, whilst the match at the Arena da Baixada is one of those I remember so well from my days with Treze. Completely against the run of play, and with their only shot on target, Luís scores from outside the box midway through the second half to give Treze an invaluable away win. Our home match against Internacional is televised, alongside Grêmio's fixture against Santos. Souza steps in for Sandro Silva, whilst Armero and Marcos return to the lineup. Cleiton Xavier unwinds his heavy ammunition inside the first ten minutes, with a thirty yard strike which sees Lauro flinging himself full length across his goal to push it away. Our next attack sees Jael hacked down by Nílton in the D, resulting in a yellow card for the Internacional player and a good shooting opportunity for Diego Souza. He steps up and blasts it far side of the wall, and again Lauro makes a top drawer save. Armero takes a knock in Internacional's first attack of the game. After treatment he's fit to continue, but noticeably more reluctant to get down the flank. Ewerthon also get a kicking midway through the half. He gets up and shakes it off, and takes our next corner, delivering short to Márcio Araújo, who sees it cleared it off the line. The ball comes back to Luís Felipe, who's shot is deflected away for another corner. Again, it's played short, but this time Márcio Araújo stands it up to the back post, where Léo has his header saved by the keeper. Into first half stoppage time, Internacional win a corner when Anderson Paím's attempt at a cross is blocked by Luís Felipe. He takes the corner himself, towards Nílton at the near post, but Diego Souza wins the header and immediately sets us on the counter attack. Souza heads forward from midfield, finding Jael who heads it down into the path of Ewerthon. The top scorer sees Jael's run and plays the ball back into his path. Jael collects and heads to the corner, before crossing along the ground. The advancing Cleiton Xavier times his arrival perfectly, and places the ball inside the near post. Great time to score. Gabriel takes Armero's place at the break, and I try to encourage the players to go out and push home the advantage in the opening minutes of the second half. They seem to take it to heart. Jael does some good work, playing a one-two with Diego Souza, and muscling his marker off the ball to lay it into Ewerthon's path. The ball could possibly have been played a little further in front of the poacher, and as a result his shot was from a little too far away, and was easy for the keeper to gather. Internacional win a corner just after the hour mark, and play it short to Nílton. Souza gets across to close him down, and stops the first shot, but holds onto Nílton's shirt as his opponent tries to turn away. The referee couldn't blow his whistle quickly enough to award the softest of penalties. Taison steps up, and puts it out of reach of Marcos in the corner. I'm tempted to react with changes, but there really isn't the need. Sure enough, Luís Felipe gets straight down the wing and crosses a good ball in which Diego Souza heads on. Jael chases it down and keeps the ball in at the far touchline. He turns, and fires it across to Márcio Araújo, who was lurking on the point of the box. Back to goal, he plays it backwards to Gabriel, who swings it in to Souza. Five yards outside the box, he lets rip. The keeper never sees it as it flies into the top corner. Now that is the trigger for changes. Internacional still look dangerous, so I'd like to hold on to what we have. Diego Souza makes way for Pierre, and the midfield reshuffle into a more defensive shape. Zárate also replaces Ewerthon, to give us more height for the counter attack. Our next attack doesn't come from the counter, though, it comes from a slow build up, and ends with another Cleiton Xavier piledriver. This one takes a deflection, forcing the keeper into a reaction save. The corner is defended, but we retain possession. The ball comes back to Cleiton Xavier, who again works the keeper from distance. This time Internacional pick up the deflection and play their way out of trouble. We see out the remaining time without too much difficulty, restricting Internacional to a couple of long range efforts which Marcos just has to watch over the bar. Job done. 15th July 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 10 Palmeiras (7-1-1) 2 Internacional (3-2-4) 1 (Cleiton Xavier 45+2 [9th], Taison 65pen [11th], Souza 68 [3rd]) Attendance: 30838 Man of the Match: Luís Felipe, Palmeiras League Position: 2nd Again, we simply keep pace with Grêmio, who beat Santos 1-0. Meanwhile in the non-televised games, Flamengo win the Fla-Flu Derby to go 4th, but that gap between second and third is looking very healthy. Brasileirão (partial table) - 15th July 2012 | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Grêmio | | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 2 | +12 | 26 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Palmeiras | | 10 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 3 | +14 | 25 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Cruzeiro | | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 12 | 7 | +5 | 19 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Flamengo | | 10 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 11 | 3 | +8 | 18 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Atlético Paranaense | | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 17 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalbeider Posted November 22, 2010 Share Posted November 22, 2010 Caught up after way too long without reading. That's what slow Monday mornings at work are for, huh? Anyway, this is still great, Palmeiras are great, your league form looks great, and the Libertadores exit was... not great. Next year, I'm sure. Get those crowns! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted November 23, 2010 Author Share Posted November 23, 2010 Thanks Dal. Slow work mornings are great for reading FMS. So are afternoons. --- Chapter 144 - Fond Farewells and Happy Returns We bid a slightly reluctant farewell to Luis Pedro Figueroa as he agrees terms with Racing Santander and packs his bags for the trip across the Atlantic. He's the first genuine first team player to leave under my reign. In four years with us, he's amassed just over 100 league appearances, and has been consistent, chipping in with a handful of goals and (before this season) a hatful of assists. Did I really want him to go? Probably not, but I never expected the Spanish to cough up the full £2.5m. We have strength in depth at right back, and a number of very promising youngsters coming through. It won't damage us, but it risks setting the wrong precedent. I don't intend on us becoming a selling club to Europe. Other than that, it's a very exciting week for me. It marks my first return to Presidente Vargas, to face up with my old side. It's not something I ever expected to be doing, of course, because of Treze's somewhat farcical move to their new ground. It's also something that I've struggled to come to terms with dealing with over the past months. The date has always been there on the calendar, and I suppose I've just ignored it. I can't any more. It looks as though Treze may be missing another of their key players as well. Kaká is subject of a £2.2m bid from Hannover. Pierre goes down with an injury in training during the week, so he'll miss the trip, as will Armero after his injury in the last game. In transit to Campina Grande, I get a phone call from base, informing me of a £1.6m bid from Kaiserslautern for Gabriel. Yet again, it's a structured bid with the majority of the funds coming in over two and a half years. Unacceptable, both in terms of structure and overall value, for a very good young player. I just hope he isn't going to be offended at being denied the opportunity of the move. Saturday's football this week focusses on a crucial 3rd vs 4th place tie between Cruzeiro and Flamengo. It finishes 4-1 to the home side, as Cruzeiro finally get back to winning ways. Corinthians win to leapfrog Flamengo Walking out into PV on Sunday afternoon brings all the memories flooding back. My first home game as a football manager in Brazil. My first state championship trophy. The emotional scenes when we clinched promotion from Série C, and then when we won Série B. Seeing the stadium full more often than not. Laying the groundwork for a season of continental competition. The fans, thankfully, remember these good days, and give me a rousing reception when we take to the pitch for the warmup. It's helped, in no small amount, by their current comfortable 9th place in the Série A table, and I have to remember that they're on a three game unbeaten run. More importantly, I have to make sure my players take the game seriously. Gabriel comes in for Armero, but otherwise the side is unchanged. I note with no little joy that Luís is suspended and won't line up against us. It is, however, Rafael Dida's first game back after injury, and I am actually a little concerned that they may have rushed the keeper back. We talk about ensuring we test him early on during the pre-match huddle. I'm pleased to note that six players from last season remain in the Treze starting eleven, with three others being players I brought to the club for this season. As I expected, Treze play to their strengths in the early exchanges. That means attacking down the flanks and trying to get crosses into the box. Cleidson in particular starts strongly, and looks to be where the biggest threat will come from. I'm probably that bit more animated than normal on the touchline, pointing out to my players exactly how they should be dealing with their opposite numbers. We start to gain a foothold in midfield after the first ten minutes, and that advance sees Ewerthon head just over from a Luís Felipe cross. Cleiton Xavier is soon winding up his big right foot, but his first attempt is wayward, leaving significant room for improvement. Murilo Gomes also can't find the target with a header from the same right-wing source, whilst Cleiton Xavier's second attempt is well held by the reliable Rafael Dida. Then, five minutes before the break, Luís Felipe breaks down the right again. This time he pulls the ball back, and Cleiton Xavier hits it first time. It curls viciously, but just not enough, striking the post square on and flying away from danger. Half time comes with the scoreline still blank. Again, it's been a lacklustre first half performance. Again, we ramp up the atmosphere in the changing rooms, keeping the personnel the same but switching roles a little. Cleiton Xavier and Simão exchange yellow cards in a touchy opening to the second half, and it's Treze who have the first chance, firing a corner in from the left which Diego Souza heads clear. It puts us on the attack, and a neat touch by Ewerthon takes his marker out of the game, allowing him to scoot down the line and cross deep. Jael arrives at the far post with a downwards header, straight at Rafael Dida. The keeper does well, and deflects the ball away. On 68 minutes I switch Márcio Araújo and Jael for Sandro Silva and Zárate, to introduce fresh legs into the equation. Souza carries the ball forwards, but he seems to run out of steam and his forced shot sails well over. I'm beginning to wonder whether some of my nerves and general mental state is rubbing off on the players, as we seem to lack that clinical touch. Preparing for a final assault, Treze swap Kiko out for Radamés. With ten minutes to go, we win a freekick when Cleiton Xavier is obstructed just outside the area. He takes it himself, firing in to the wall and seeing the ball deflect for a corner. Zárate fires in, and it's headed clear by Marcos Paulo. Luís Felipe returns it, and Souza helps it on, but Leonardo clears in a manner which implies panic is just under the surface. It's left to Marcos to gather, and set play up down the left against through Gabriel. He plays a ball for Ewerthon to run on to, but the striker is blocked off by Emerson, earning the home team player a caution. Gabriel swings the freekick in, and Fernando Silvério rises tallest to head behind in an uncontrolled manner. Across goes Ewerthon to take the corner. It's poor, and is cleared at the near post by Marcos Paulo. Again Luís Felipe collects, and this time he shoots, but the ball connects directly with Fernando Silvério and flies clear. Marcelinho looks to collect, and the crowd roar as they sense a last counter attacking opportunity for the home side, but Gabriel reads the situation well, and gets a foot in first, sending the ball forwards again to Murilo Gomes in an advanced position. He's checked by Leonardo, who should go into the referee's book, but for some reason doesn't. There's seven and a half minutes to go, as Luís Felipe and Gabriel stand together over the freekick. In a training ground move, they run over the ball in diagonally opposite directions, moving it slightly to the left for Sandro Silva to blast goalwards. It deflects off Emerson completely by chance and flies out for yet another corner. Ewerthon takes, and Marcos Paulo clears. Luís Felipe picks up to maintain the pattern, but his distribution is poor, and Leonardo intercepts. This time there is a counter attack on, with both Marcelinho and Rafael Diógenes ahead of him, and only Gabriel and the fast retreating Luís Felipe covering. He takes the ball out towards the right touchline as he runs forwards, but then picks the more difficult aerial ball to Marcelinho on the far side. Luís Felipe, to his credit, has recovered well, and clears far enough with his header to allow us to regroup defensively. The ball eventually comes back to Luís Felipe, and he sets off down the right, but Radamés halts him, and this time the yellow card does come out again. Ewerthon is found offside as Sandro Silva tries to play him through from the freekick, and the move breaks down. Into the last five minutes, and Luís Felipe again forces a corner on the right. Ewerthon plays it to the near post, where Sandro Silva closes on the ball, but Fernando (one of the two by this name in the Treze squad with which I am not familiar) heads away. Treze have by now given up the idea of leaving anyone upfield for set pieces, so Gabriel has all the time in the world to collect. He plays it down the left for Ewerthon before receiving it back in a more central position via Cleiton Xavier and Souza. Taking the ball out to the left, he looks for the cross, but Marcos Paulo holds him off well. Cutting back inside, he plays the ball to Sandro Silva on the point of the area. The midfielder spins, runs five yards across the top of the area, and aims a curled shot at the far corner. It sails mere inches wide of the post. Somehow, Treze get the ball up our end of the pitch in the last five minutes. Cleidson throws it in and Radamés works the angle to get the ball to Fernando. He hits a vicious shot which, thankfully, flies wide of the far post. With four minutes of injury time upon us, we seem to give up. Treze more than matched us defensively, and although the fans may not like the 0-0 outcome, I feel satisfied that I can leave Presidente Vargas for the second time with happy memories. 22nd July 2012, Estádio Presidente Vargas (Campina Grande, PB), Série A, Round 11 Treze (4-3-3) 0 Palmeiras (8-1-1) 0 Attendance: 10000 sell out Man of the Match: Luís Felipe, Palmeiras League Position: 1st Whilst we were, in the eyes of the pundits, throwing away two points in Paraíba, Grêmio were throwing away all three in Goiás. Thanks to a sending off, and two goals from Goiás' Wendell (one from the penalty spot) we go top of the league. The other significant result saw Vitória, of all teams, rise to 4th by seeing off Atlético Paranaense 1-0. And Vitória are our next opponents. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted November 26, 2010 Author Share Posted November 26, 2010 Chapter 145 - Chaos Not only are Vitória coming to São Paulo next weekend, they want to take Marquinhos of our hands. Their offer, though, is a derisory £210k up front, followed by £1.5m over four years, with appearance and goal bonuses thrown in. Grêmio are also interested in taking the midfielder, on a loan deal with a £180k payment up front and £1.5m option to buy. I'm tempted at the thought of letting him out on loan, but would want more up front and a bigger option fee. Grasshoppers submit an offer for Gabriel which is also structured over three and a half years. Kaiserslautern follow suit. He's not going anywhere at the moment, though, without a sizeable fee up front. Grêmio improve their loan offer for Marquinhos slightly, but not enough to make me flinch. Flamengo are tempted as well, but also can't stump up a large enough offer. From our own squad, it looks like we might be going to lose Robert. The 31 year old wants away because of the lack of first team opportunities, and after our litle chat about how I need him to stay to give us depth in the squad he decides to give an interview to the local paper. I play my response with a straight bat - he's a squad player, but Robert knows he's coming to the end of his career and hands in a transfer request to seek that one final contract. He then proceeds to injure himself whilst contributing precisely nothing in a 6-0 demolition of Guaratinguetá reserves. Saturday evening gives us a choice of two televised games in the city. São Paulo host Bahia at Morumbi, whilst Treze have travelled to face Corinthians at Pacaembu. Taking the last game first, Treze play out a creditable draw against the Paulista runners-up, whilst Dagoberto grabs a second half goal to give São Paulo the points. They move 9th, for now. We go into our game against Vítoria in the knowledge that Grêmio and Cruzeiro have both secured three points to keep us honest. I've made just one change from our last outing, replacing Márcio Araújo with Sandro Silva. On a cool evening, we struggle to make much headway in the opening exchanges, and by the half hour mark have not only failed to register a shot on target, but also have collected two yellow cards for Luís Felipe and Cleiton Xavier. Vitória haven't troubled us much by that point either, with danger mand Jorge Henrique being well penned up by the defence. Cleiton Xavier is eventually the one to warm the Vitória keeper's hands, hitting a shot from thirty yards or so, which forces Viáfara into a diving save to his right. From the throw in, Sandro Silva wins a freekick just outside the area, going down like he'd been shot. Diego Souza lined up the set piece, curling it round the wall and towards the far corner, where Viáfara just manages to claw it away from the post. The keeper makes it three in a row, when Cleiton Xavier shimmies into the box and hits it from eighteen yards. He probably knew least about this one, instinctively blocking it at head height. Having created just those three chances in the first half, we head out of the second with a less conservative style. We're on the attack for the first few minutes solidly, mostly down the right. Luís Felipe wins, and then takes, a throw in level with the penalty area. Receiving the ball back, he looks for options, before pulling the ball back across the field to Souza in the D. Esdras closes him down well, and the midfielder's shot is blocked less than a yard after it left his foot. It rebounds out to Cleiton Xavier, and even this keeper can't do anything about the trademark twenty-yarder into the top corner. Zárate rapidly replaces Ewerthon as we look to exploit any space which appears behind the Vitória defence. They switch from a defensive 5-1-2-2 to a more standard 4-2-2-2, coming out of their shells for the first time in the game in the process. Turns out they're actually quite good as an attacking unit, and it's only about a quarter of an hour until they have the scores level. Leumir cuts in from the right, and walks straight through Gabriel's tackle as though he wasn't there. He plays the ball in to Vandinho, who holds it up with his back to goal. No-one in the defensive line takes responsibility for pushing onto the man, and after a few touches he turns between Souza and Léo, and blasts an equally unstoppable shot into the top corner. The first decent chance we put together to retake the lead doesn't come until the last ten minutes. Diego Souza gives his man the slip, and turns on to a ball twenty five yards out. He hits another unstoppable shot, but this one hits the underside of the crossbar. Somehow, the keeper had sharp enough reactions to push the ball away as it bounced down, and from there on it all got just a bit frenetic. Ramirez collected just a yard or so from his recovering keeper. He turned and played it right for Leumir. In space, the wing back had time to clear anywhere he wanted, but his dallying allowed Sandro Silva to close him down, block the clearance, and pick the ball up himself. The quick ball to Zárate's feet led to a chip towards Jael in the area, but Reniê beat him in the air. The clearance only went as far as Zárate, who spotted Cleiton Xavier in space and headed the ball in his direction. Wary of the threat the midfielder posed from distance, Reina ran out to close him down, and deflected the inevitable shot out wide to Luís Felipe. The cross came in, and Zárate got his head to it, but couldn't direct it on goal. Vitória head down the other end, and win a freekick which Jorge Henrique plays short to substitute Elkeson. They get the ball forward down the left to Vandinho, and Luís Felipe is forced into a superb tackle to dispossess the man in red and white. He plays a long ball straight as an arrow down the line, some 60 yards or so, which Jael meets on the bounce. Running for the byline, he crosses back towards the penalty spot. Zárate is there, and heads the ball down to the feet of Diego Souza. Less than ten yards from goal, he can't miss, and heads home the ball as it bounces up to chest height. Vitória have the final throw of the dice, with a freekick which seems to have come straight from the training ground. Two men line up well to the right of our wall, which my defence seem not to notice. The ball inevitably goes that way, and all of a sudden Reina is bearing down on goal. He fluffs his lines, though, blasting his shot harmlessly over the bar. 29th July 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 12 Palmeiras (8-2-1) 2 Vitória (5-4-2) 1 (Cleiton Xavier 52 [10th], Vandinho 69 [20th], Diego Souza 86 [12th]) Attendance: 30694 Man of the Match: Diego Souza, Palmeiras League Position: 1st Not a game we played well enough to win, in my opinion. But if we can stay on top playing below our best, who am I to argue? We leap back over Grêmio to the top of the pile, with only two goals now separating us due to the nature of their win. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted November 27, 2010 Author Share Posted November 27, 2010 Chapter 146 - Persistence Grêmio just won't give up. I've given up thinking that they actually want our players on loan. I'm now convinced they're just trying to destabilise us, to knock us off the top of the table. Their latest offer - for Márcio Araújo again - suggests £525k up front with a £3.4m completion pricetag. I decide to test their resolve, and suggest they offer roughly double that in terms of a final fee. Not surprisingly, they politely decline. Vitória continue their pursuit of Marquinhos, but this time in the papers rather than via an offer. That doesn't mean we don't receive any more offers; we do, for Gabriel, from Kaiserslautern again. They haven't learnt from previous attempts, as it still sees the majority of the fee payable in installments. Ahead of the clássico Pa-Po at Canindé on Sunday, there's a big game between Cruzeiro and Grêmio on Saturday. The televised 3rd vs 2nd encounter is very even in the first half, and continues that way into the second. Cruzeiro's right back Pedro Ken sees red midway through, and Grêmio spy an opportunity, but they can't make it count. The two sides continue to cancel each other out, and the game ends in a goalless draw. The trip across town takes us to a Portuguesa side who are currently rock bottom, having won only once this season to date. We're missing Cleiton Xavier after his recent yellow card triggered a suspension. I also bring in Pablo Armero, Márcio Araújo and Zárate. The first goal of the game comes almost by accident. I guess that sort of thing happens to a team down on their luck. We're building down the left when Armero miscontrolled the ball too far in front of him. Preto tries to start a counter attack, but Sandro Silva robs him. He's robbed himself, but the loose ball falls to Diego Souza. With the defence out of position, Ewerthon sneaks in behind them. Diego Souza's pass finds him perfectly, and the poacher has time to round the keeper before tapping the ball home. Chances at both ends go begging, but we're on top and favourites to extend our lead. The chance to do just that comes just after the half hour when the ball comes back out to Sandro Silva. With time and space, he rifles a shot at goal. Rainier in the Portuguesa goal puts his hands up instinctively to block the shot. It falls back in front of him, and there's a white shirt to put it away. Unfortunately, it's Murilo Gomes, and the shot goes straight back to the keeper. Guigov and Luís Carlos both pick up yellow cards in the last five minutes of the half, and Luís Carlos is probably a little lucky to stay on the field when called for a further foul. A familiar face takes to the field for the opposition in the second half - Soutto - looking to lead the midfield line and make Portuguesa more of a creative force. We know what he can do, of course. Ten minutes into the half, we have yet another gilt edged chance to extend our lead. After a sustained period of pressure on the edge of the box, Diego Souza takes the ball wide. He rounds his man with a burst of pace, and whips a cross towards the back post. Ewerthon drifts away from his marker, and looks certain to nod the ball in, but he miscues it over the bar. Unbelievable. Almost immediately, Soutto leads a counter attack. Two on two, there doesn't look a great deal of danger to us, but one of the forwards unleashes a long range shot, forcing Marcos to dive full length and tip the ball round the post. It sets my heart racing, and leaves me wondering whether we're going to rue our missed chances. Five minutes later, Murilo Gomes Luís Ricardo a couple of yards outside the area. João Filipe strikes it, straight against the wall. I introduce Marquinhos and Valmir Lucas to try and energise the midfield. Five minutes from time, Armero and Sandro Silva combine well down the left, and the full back crosses to the far post. Zárate arrives, and again heads a peach of a chance over the bar. The feeling that we're going to pay for this grows, and lodges itself in the pit of my stomach. A minute from the end of the ninety, Luís Felipe wastes a cross from the right, straight into the hands of Rainier. The keeper throws it out to Paulo Sérgio, but it's a poor throw, bouncing just before it reaches the left back. A flick from his head is as much as he can manage, and Luís Felipe is there to pick it up. Paulo Sérgio does his best to win the ball back, but Luís Felipe outsmarts him and gets a cross in. It's cleared with a diving header by Danilo Teixeira. Valmir Lucas plays it back in to the feet of Zárate, who unselfishly passes it sideways to Ewerthon. A second, simple goal for the poacher. Eventually. 5th August 2012, Canindé (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 13 Portuguesa (1-3-8) 0 Palmeiras (9-2-1) 2 (Ewerthon 8 [23rd], 90 [24th]) Attendance: 18997 Man of the Match: Ewerthon, Palmeiras League Position: 1st Following Saturday's result, we've got two points breathing space back to Grêmio, and another four back to reigning champions Cruzeiro. Vitória have risen to fourth, thanks to a good victory over Corinthians. Two points then separates fifth to tenth, headed by or next opponents and Libertadores foes Atlético Paranaense, and containing a once again over-achieving Treze, who comfortably beat Flamengo 3-1 in front of a capacity crowd. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted November 30, 2010 Author Share Posted November 30, 2010 Chapter 147 - Rematch Our first midweek match since the Libertadores semi final also happens to be a chance to avenge that defeat. Atlético Paranaense are in São Paulo, and we're out to put things right. The game isn't until Thursday, though, and there seven other fixtures on Wednesday evening which demand our immediate attention. Grêmio once again have the chance to go top as they host struggling Internacional, whilst Cruzeiro can close the gap at least temporarily if they win at Botafogo. As always, though, my eyes are drawn towards Treze's game, this time at Atlético Mineiro. The games are staggered across various kickoff times, from 19:30 to 21:45 local, and of the three games I follow it's Treze who start first. They have an early goal from Rafael Diógenes cancelled out by a Diego Tardelli equaliser just before the half hour mark, and it remains 1-1 at the break. The second half is just starting when Botafogo x Cruzeiro kicks off, and there's soon excitiment in that game when Willian gives the home side the lead in the second minute. Alex adds a second on the quarter hour, and when Anderson Santana puts past his own keeper on the half hour mark it really does look like Cruzeiro are going to fall to one of their curious heavy defeats. With the Cruzeiro game heading towards half time, news filters through from Belo Horizonte. A first goal from former Sport Recife wingback Jonas has amazingly given Treze another three points on the road, elevating them into the top six for now. There are no further goals in Rio. In fact the four hour festival of midweek football ends in dull fashion, as Grêmio play out a miserable 0-0 draw in front of their own fans. Those fans also had to endure watching my former playmaker Mithyuê being carried from the field with what would turn out to be a broken ankle, ruling him out for the rest of the season. So all in all a good Wednesday evening for us. A win for our opponents on Thursday would lift them to fourth, and a win for us would put us four points clear at the top. Jael returns to the side in the only change to the starting line up, whilst Cleiton Xavier takes his place amongst the substitutes after serving his suspension. Troublesome fullback Guilherme is missing from the visitors' line-up through injury, but dangerman Adaílton is right there, ready to pounce. Léo is detailed to keep the Paranaense striker under close guard, and it costs him a yellow card as early as the fourth minute, as he brings the striker down twenty yards from goal. There was no way Adaílton was going to let anyone else take the freekick, but thankfully for us he hadn't quite found his range yet today. We got ourselves into the game through a cacophony of corners, which yielded little in the way of shooting opportunities. Armero had a long range effort deflected early and harmlessly away, whilst Léo bulleted a header high over the bar. Adaílton himself was the second player into the book, receiving his caution for a shirt-pull on Souza after twenty minutes. The freekick in our own half presented us with an opportunity to build down the left with Armero. He found Ewerthon drifting into a wide left position. The striker controlled the ball, and laid it back into the path of Sandro Silva. The midfielder took one touch, clearing the ball from his feet, before striking a 25 yard shot which left the keeper standing and watching in disbelief as it hit the back of the net. A tenth goal of a very good season from Sandro Silva, and one over the enemy for us. Soon after the restart, the dangerous Adaílton drew another booking, this time for Armero. The left back was the guilty party at the other end of the field shortly afterwards, missing a gilt-edged chance to double our lead when Luís Felipe's deep cross found him unmarked at the far post. He could only send his header feet wide, however. We spend most of the rest of the half in the visitor's defensive third, looking for a way to break them down, but without much success. Chico and Sandro Silva take the yellow card total to five before the break, which heralds cheers from the almost full home stands as we leave the field. Mindful of our next game on Sunday, I'm tempted to make changes during the interval. However, history has proved that, despite our first half dominance, games against Atlético Paranaense are rarely straightforward, and rarely end with only one goal on the scoresheet. Vowing to give the starting eleven another twenty minutes of so, I send them back onto the field of play. My opposite number makes a single change, introducing António Carlos into the game, who immediately sets about assaulting Sandro Silva, getting away with nothing more than a talking too from the previously card-happy official. He proves dangerous for different reasons on the hour mark, when he hits a thirty yard freekick less than a foot wide of Marcos' post. As planned, I make my changes soon after, resting Ewerthon and a gingerly-walking Sandro Silva, replacing them with Zárate and Anselmo. The referee, having apparently found his cards again, soon books Renan for the visitors, and then inexplicably lets Adaílton off for an almost identical challenge as his initial booking. We're starting to put our stamp back on this half, though, and when Márcio Araújo sends a corner over with just over quarter of an hour remaining, Léo makes no mistake, and signs off ahead of his enforced weekend off with a superb downward header into the opposite corner. Atlético appeal, pointing to a prone Antônio Carlos, but the officials aren't having any of it. Good, he deserves what he gets. With the game pretty much beyond doubt, Cleiton Xavier replaces Márcio Araújo for the final minutes. With the chief corner taker off the field, it falls to Zárate to take the next set piece. Curiously, his kick bounce twice through a throng of players in the area, and no-one is more surprised than Cleiton Xavier when the ball falls to him at the far side. He swings a leg at it more out of instinct than any plan, and is unlucky to see the shot slip just wide of the post. The Atlético defenders just look at each other in consternation. Defensively, we've kept the visitors' danger man quiet for the entire game, and their first meaningful chance from open play falls to his fellow striker Guto with eight minutes to play. Our veteran keeper is equal to the striker's close range downwards header, though, and diverts it away to safety. Adaílton has noticeably become more and more frustrated as the second half has wore on, and has found himself dropping deeper and wider in order to seek out possession. It suits us, as does his manager's decision to switch formations out of desparation in the dying minutes. We're given plenty of space in midfield to hold on to the ball, and see out the remaining time comfortably. 9th August 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 14 Palmeiras (10-2-1) 2 Atlético Paranaense (6-3-4) 0 (Sandro Silva 21 [10th], Léo 73 [2nd]) Attendance: 36758 Man of the Match: Léo, Palmeiras League Position: 1st It may not have been a classic, by recent standards, but it was a win, and it was revenge. And so it was surprise package Vitória who jumped to fourth, after a thrilling 3-2 win at Flamengo, whilst we move four ahead of Grêmio and a massive nine ahead of Cruzeiro. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted December 14, 2010 Author Share Posted December 14, 2010 Chapter 148 - Explorers Vasco da Gama are struggling; languishing in the relegation zone, and winless away from Rio. So, despite it being our third game in eight days, I have confidence that we can defend our 100% home record. The pundits tend to agree, suggesting an easy win for us in front of our own fans. Their opinion is backed by the bookies, who have us odds on for the win. That combination should probably set alarm bells ringing. For a change, there's only one game on Saturday evening. But it's certainly a big one from my persepective, as Treze face Grêmio at Presidente Vargas. My old team certainly could do me a big favour in this one. As I settled down with a cold beer, in my mind I knew it was going to be a tough game for my boys. Indeed, they were straight under the cosh. It was completely one way traffic for the entire first half, but the defence held strong to the break. Second half, much the same, but Grêmio bring on Ribeiro for Lenny which seems to give them a new angle. Shots rain in, and for the most part Treze are penned in their own half. As the tie heads towards it's conclusion, the home supporters seem to be indicating that they're happy with a goalless draw. Six minutes from the end, they finally break into the attacking third. The ball comes across, and Luís rises to win the header. There's a collective holding of breath, which I find myself joining in with. The header, though, is poor, and is easily claime by the keeper. It's raised the expectation of the crowd, though, and they urge their heroes forwards for another attack. Drawn up the field, Grêmio hit them with a long ball down the left. Herrera gets to the line and crosses towards the far post. There lurks Ribeiro, who nods back across goal, beating an otherwise faultless Rafael Dida. 89th minute, and all is lost for the valiant Treze boys. That last minute goal ruins the rest of my evening, and the dark cloud persists well into the match-day preparations at Palestra Itália. The press are around, with their latest batch of rumours, to make things worse. According to them, Grêmio are sniffing around Maurício and Sporting Gijon are after Pablo Armero. Although I'm not saying so in public, one of those things is true. Yet again, Grêmio have made an approach for one of my players with an initial loan deal on offer, with a price for a permanent deal attached. It's not happening. For the thousandth time. I make quite a few changes to my starting line-up. It starts with looking at those struggling for fitness, and I guess I just get a bit carried away. Léo is unavailable of course, so Valmir Lucas gets a start at the back. The two full backs change as well, with Gabriel and forgotten man Filipi getting the nod. Goalkeeper Deola is given the shirt as well. In addition, Anselmo and Cleiton Xavier replace Souza and Diego Souza. I don't mess with the strikers, though. The game starts with Vasco sitting so deep it's incredible. Sandro Silva receives an early short corner, and actually has the chance to move five yards forward before taking his shot, so far are the defence sitting back. Valmir Lucas is pushing right up alongside the midfield, and he tees up the ball for a long range effort from Márcio Araújo. From thirty yards out, the midfielder hits the bar, bringing a huge response from the home fans. Vasco soon pick up on the fact that today's referee is on the lenient side. He lets a trio of challenges go unpunished that on another day (or with another official) could have seen yellow cards all round for the visitors. James Rodríguez is the unlucky fourth, going into the book just before twenty minutes have been played. Then, all of a sudden, he's flashing yellows around everywhere. Murilo Gomes and Márcio Araújo are cautioned within two minutes of each other. Vasco gain confidence as the half wears on, and have their best chance from a corner. Patric sends it across, and Gil rises in front of his marker on the edge of the six yard box. He connects with a good downwards header, which Deola pushes away instinctively. The rebound falls to Léo Gago, seven yards out, who has to score. But no, he skies it over the bar. Massive let off, and I know it. Vasco end the half with a flowing passing move which shows just how far their confidence has grown. Fortunately, it ends with a shot off target, and I'm left to retire to the dressing room a little perplexed as to how to approach this one. In the end, I dish out some pointed criticism of individual plays. No-one has been downright poor, but a few players - Ewerthon for example - just haven't been in the game enough to make a difference. The referee's new found generosity with yellow cards continues in the second period, with Cleiton Xavier and Filipi joining Léo Gago in the book. Our best chances fall to Sandro Silva, and he fails to impress with his finishing touch. Neither could be classed as tap-ins, but failing to work the keeper with either effort is pretty unforgivable. He makes way, with Marquinhos coming on. Still we can't break through, and when I nervously look at the clock there's only five minutes left. Five minutes to save our unblemished record. Ewerthon finds himself taking a corner, which is defended away. Filipi returns the ball out wide, but Ewerthon miscontrols and gives the defender the opportunity to clear. It's worked back in again, and laid back to Cleiton Xavier in his favourite position. Twenty five yards out, he curls it low, but it slips just the wrong side of the post. It's going to be one of those days. Vasco have the chance to nick it, when Marcelo Tavares lines up a freekick in the last minute. His effort is woeful, and with one last flourish of the yellow card, the referee books Élton and brings the game to a close. 12th August 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 15 Palmeiras (11-2-1) 0 Vasco da Gama (2-4-8) 0 Attendance: 30709 Man of the Match: Filipi, Palmeiras League Position: 1st Yes, it was something of a shock result, but reaction seemed positive around the stadium, with fans concentrating on our twelve games unbeaten rather than the loss of the home record and our impotent display. A bigger shock came at Mineirão, where a rapidly waning Cruzeiro were beaten 2-1 by Coritiba, a result which allowed surprise package Vitória to leap into third place. Brasileirão (partial table) - 12th August 2012 | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Palmeiras | | 15 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 23 | 4 | +19 | 36 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Grêmio | | 15 | 10 | 4 | 1 | 18 | 4 | +14 | 34 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Vitória | | 15 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 20 | 10 | +10 | 28 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Cruzeiro | | 15 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 18 | 13 | +5 | 26 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Atlético Paranaense | | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 14 | 8 | +6 | 24 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Goiás | | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 15 | 11 | +4 | 24 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Botafogo | | 15 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 9 | +3 | 24 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted December 17, 2010 Author Share Posted December 17, 2010 Chapter 149 - Derby Paulista, of the fourth kind The second consecutive midweek game threatens to severely stretch my squad depth. Even without the outcome of my rotation policy for the Vasco game, we can't take either of the next two matches lightly. Next Sunday brings Grêmo to town for a top of the table clash. This Wednesday we make the short trip across the city to Pacaembu, and the fourth Derby Paulista of my career. Transfer rumours are once again rife around the club. Arriving at Pacaembu, a reporter asks me if it is true one of my defenders will be departing for Portugal in the near future. I give the standard answer of "no comment". In reality, we're in the final stage of negotiation with Vitória Guimarães over a deal for Maurício, who has slipped down the pecking order. Initially they offered an installment based deal, and I was quite surprised when they came back with the £1.7m in full plus a profit-based sell-on clause. Whether it's the right time to be weakening my squad further is debatable. The midfield pairing of Souza and Diego Souza return for the derby. Another calculated risk, as I'd like them both to play on Sunday as well. Corinthians, sitting in 12th going into the game, are missing four key players through injury or suspension, and our advance scouting is backed up by the early team news, which suggests a first start for the season for their right wing back Eduardo Ratinho and only a third appearance for defender Jonathan González, who cost £5.75m from Arsenal de Sarandí at the beginning of the month. The 19 year old certainly has something to prove! A mistake high up the pitch by Filipi in the third minute allows Wilson to take the ball down the left for the home side. He's got terrific pace, and homes right in on Deola. His shot is straight at the keeper, though, and Dentinho can't make anything of the rebound. It's an early warning of what's going to be in store for us. My opposite number makes a strange, seemingly tactical decision after just 16 minutes to remove his young central defender González, and replace him with Renato. That backfires less than ten minutes later, when the replacement suffers an injury and has to leave the field himself. João Gabriel comes on, and for the moment at least, Corinthians are at sixes and sevens defensively. I take that as a sign to push on and try to take advantage. We have chances. Murilo Gomes heads over the bar. Jael forces a save from the keeper with a freekick, and best of all Diego Souza hits the target with a decent long range effort which the keeper struggles to get away. Ewerthon gets to the rebound first, but he's too wide, and Jael can't quite get to his chipped cross. It remains goalless at the break. I assume at half time that Corinthians will at least have been able to sort something out defensively, so look to focus my team on any potential weak spots which may appear. I also switch Zárate for Ewerthon to give us a little more height and physical presence in the box. Ten minutes in, Zárate and Marelo Oliveira jump for a ball in midfield, and the Corinthians players comes off worst. Another enforced substitution for the home side, who bring on Argentine midfielder Leonardo Pisculichi. On the hour mark, a cross from the left is met by Jael, who gets his header on target only to see it tipped over the bar by the home side's keeper. The corner is defended away, leaving Murilo Gomes appealing for a penalty. Down at the other end, my heart is in my mouth, as Dentinho and the out of position Índio tear open our defence, before setting up Pisculich for the shot. Fortunately, it's straight at Deola, and Murilo Gomes can clear. The leg weary, and cautioned, Souza is replace by Pierre, as I completely fail to come up with any way of breaking this Corinthians defence down. Meanwhile, they enjoy their best period of pressure of the game so far, camping in our half and winning a series of corners and attacking throw-ins. With ten minutes to go, I throw caution to the wind, going to a full 4-3-3 and replacing Diego Souza with Marquinhos. Almost straight away, the ball comes loose to Zárate in the area, but he finds that the Corinthians keeper is in similar form to Deola, and the ball is shepherded away for a corner. In the same phase of play, Filipi whips in a wonderful deep cross from the right, and Zárate gets his head to it. His frustration is plain to see as the ball deflects away off the foot of the post. The rebound sets Corinthians away on an unlikely counter attack, but even with five minutes left on the clock, they are happier to run it into the corner than towards goal. For us, the opposite is important. It's all about getting the ball forwards as quickly as possible. Zárate is the outlet, drifting onto the left wing. He collects the ball and drifts deep with it, before passing it through the midfield. A poor forward ball from Cleiton Xavier has me on my feet, ready to berate the midfielder at the next break in play. The clearance from the keeper, though, falls to Filipi on the right. His headed return finds Zárate, strong in the air, just outside the box. The header down falls to Cleiton Xavier, who does what he does best, and fires an unstoppable shot into the top corner, before turning to me and smiling. I look at my watch. A little over two minutes remaining. Now the nature of Corinthian's game has swung round, and I'm urging my players to keep their heads and mind their defensive duties. In games like this, there's usually an equalising chance in the last few minutes. It comes when Corinthians win a freekick on the right. It's swung into the box, but Murilo Gomes is strong and intelligent, rising ahead of the striker to ensure the ball goes away for the corner. A Corinthians player jogs over and puts in the cross, and again Murilo Gomes is strong and heads clear. Dentinho receives the ball twenty five yards out, but he was so tied up in berating his team mate for not giving the corner directly to him, that he loses out to a firm challenge from Pierre. The long ball goes forward, and it's a straight race between Marquinhos and the keeper. The keeper was always favourite, but our makeshift striker ran him close, and it ate up enough time to rule out any further attacking opportunity. The final whistle blew, and the packed stand behind the goal erupted with green and white clad noise. 15th August 2012, Pacaembu (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 16 Corinthians (5-6-4) 0 Palmeiras (11-3-1) 1 (Cleiton Xavier 87 [11th]) Attendance: 40199 Man of the Match: Filipi, Palmeiras League Position: 1st We left that one a little late for comfort, but the timing and nature of the goal ensured an excellent atmosphere in the dressing room after the game. I was a little surprised to hear that Filipi had been awarded a second man of the match award in succession, not least because of his early errors in the game, but I can't really begrudge him his reward. In the end, that was a victory we made look much harder than it should have been, and if we play like that against Grêmio we're going to be found out. On another day of staggered kickoffs, the only game finishing at the same time as ours saw Atlético Paranaense slip to defeat. They'd be pushed down the table by later results, which saw Goiás climb to 5th after an away win in Salvador, and Botafogo go 6th after a televised and comfortable 3-1 victory over Treze, coming from behind at half time. Cruzeiro also got back to winning ways in the city, scoring in the first minute against São Paulo, and hanging on for the rest of the game. Grêmio vs Vitória is the headline game on Thursday evening, although none of the TV broadcasters have picked the game up for live coverage. They probably made the right decision, with hindsight, as the two sides played out a boring 0-0 draw, without a single clear cut chance for either side. Vitória bossed the midfield, helped by Willian Magrão's second half sending off for the home side. Hopefully, Grêmio will play like that on Sunday... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted December 20, 2010 Author Share Posted December 20, 2010 Chapter 150 - Fan day My employers, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to make Sunday's game against Grêmio a "fan day", with discount ticket offers and entertainment throughout the day. This for a game we could probably have sold out anyway. And now they expect me to turn one of our most difficult games of the season into a "spectacle" to ensure new fans stick with the club. Great. On top of that, I'm still having to fend off a great deal of interest in my players, with Diego Souza being increasingly talked up by the CSKA Moscow manager, and Grêmio making perhaps the cheekiest offer (in terms of timing) yet, to loan Cássio for the rest of the season. I'm making my own rare foray into the transfer market as well. Midfielder Thiaguinho has been in my sites for a while, with Fluminense seemingly happy to loan him out, having only signed him permanently this year. Previously he was on loan at the Maracanã for three seasons from Boavista Saquarema. He's now 27, and not a natural first team choice, but I'd take a cheap loan deal with an option to buy at the end of the season. My hand was somewhat forced when Portuguesa had the same idea. Saturday evening is quieter than normal, with the only game being played seeing Goiás miss out on the chance to continue their rise up the table, losing 1-0 at Fluminense. Thiaguinho played in the game at right back, but as it wasn't covered on TV I didn't get to see any more of him than the highlights show allowed. It'll probably be his last game for them this season, as news comes through after the game that Muricy Ramalho has accepted my loan offer. Our preparation meeting for the Grêmio game is a positive affair. On top of the confirmation that the game will indeed most likely be a sellout, comes scouting news that the visitors will bring a very much depleted squad. Already missing Mithyuê through long term injury, fellow playmaker Leandro is also doubtful with a twisted knee. Tinga and of course Willian Magrão are suspended, leaving their central midfield without much experience. On top of that, with our very own Lenny (who seems to have settled well, scoring ten goals to date) ineligible, there's a sizeable gap up top as well. From my perspective, Léo returns for Valmir Lucas and Zárate gets the nod ahead of the misfiring Jael. Despite the rain, the pre-match entertainment seems to go well, with five-a-side games on the pitch, and various dancing displays from local troupes. It's up to us to continue the entertainment. Grêmio have managed to drag a very decent midfield and attacking combination from the depths of their squad, Ribeiro partnering the prolific Germán Herrera up front, with Choco and Fellype Gabriel in midfield. These latter two are both very attack minded players, so we could need to do some serious defending. I'm minded to look to contain in the early periods of the game, with the hope that the extra 24 hours recovery time since the last game might play into our hands later. Sandro Silva has the first real shot, firing in long range after ten minutes, but it's relatively easy for the keeper to pluck out of the air. The conditions are helping produce some spectacular tackles, and Cleiton Xavier wastes no time getting stuck in on Fellype Gabriel and left wingback Thiago Machado. Fortunately, all clean challenges. Zárate has a real chance to open the scoring less than two minutes later, when Ewerthon's storming run down the right produces a cross of the highest quality. The Argentinian creeps in at the far post and heads across goal, forcing Victor to get right down and fumble away the slippery ball. It continues to be all Palmeiras pressure, as Cleiton Xavier fires off a range-finder which skims the bar, before Diego Souza almost foxes Victor with a twenty-five yarder that the keeper has no chance of catching. Grêmio's plan seems to be to get the ball forwards down the line quickly, and so I keep reminding my defenders not to edge too far up the pitch in case they have the pace to catch us out. As the spectacle it was supposed to be, the game peters out for much of the rest of the half. Thiago Machado finds himself in the book for presumably retributory challenges on Cleiton Xavier, whilst Murilo Gomes and Souza both come out of firm challenges none the worse for wear. Cleiton Xavier works the keeper from long range again, whilst another chance outside the box falls to Murilo Gomes who puts it the wrong side of the post. Souza ends the half in the referee's book, and whilst we're not ahead, I feel we're edging the game on points. Bruno Uvini is straight in the book from the kickoff of the second half, for slashing at Ewerthon. Gabriel swings in the freekick, and as a mass of players challenge for the ball, the referee blows his whistle and points to the spot. The Grêmio players are perplexed, asking what the offence was. Adding to the confusion, the referee points at Bruno Uvini and signals for a handball, but then takes no further action. Now surely, a deliberate handball in the area is a booking? Still, at least we have a penalty, and the perfect opportunity to edge ahead. Ewerthon steps up, and makes absolutely no mistake, to score his 25th goal of the campaign. Straight from the restart, Bruno Uvini goes down in a heap under Léo's challenge. His frantic rolling around doesn't fool the referee, and neither does his indication that our defender deserved a yellow card. There is a real injury shortly afterwards, though, with Ewerthon forced to depart after a firm challenge by Mário Fernandes. Jael quickly warms up and replaces him. The striker has a lot to prove, having not scored for an age. Filipi restarts play with a throw in on the right, which comes back to Gabriel in Cleiton Xavier territory. His shot is good, and at least tests the keeper. It's quite a stern test, not helped by the wet ball, and Victor has to palm it away. Good pressure from Jael forces Thiago Machado to put the ball behind for a corner. Zárate's corner comes short to Sandro Silva, whose shot is blocked by the onrushing defender. It comes back to the midfielder, who gives it to Zárate before starting a diagonal sprint for the far post. Zárate spots him, and chips the ball perfectly into his path. The header, well timed, bounces off the underside of the bar, and agonisingly away from Sandro Silva himself and the other closing Palmeiras attackers. The hour mark passes, and once again we come on the attack. Gabriel fires a cross from the left which swirls in the wind, but Zárate still manages to get on the end of it, forcing Victor into his umpteenth save of the game. That signals the start of another turgid period of play, though, with Fellype Gabriel and Murilo Gomes exchanging yellow cards. With less than ten minutes to go, I make a couple of changes aimed at freshening legs and shutting up shops. Marquinhos and Márcio Araújo replace Diego Souza and Sandro Silva who have both run themselves ragged. Five minutes can be a long time in football, but in the end we don't even give Grêmio a sniff of the ball until the fourth minute of stoppage time. Even then, only because Marquinhos insisted on fashioning himself a shooting opportunity rather than being content to pass the ball around like the rest of his team mates. Márcio Araújo smothered any attacking intent that might have resulted from the possession, though, and the remaining time ticked away to mark an important victory. 19th August 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 17 Palmeiras (12-3-1) 1 Grêmio (10-5-1) 0 (Ewerthon 47pen [25th]) Attendance: 44334 Man of the Match: Victor (GK), Grêmio League Position: 1st The gap at the top is now seven points, and I have to say I'm quite happy with that. The pessimistic around the club would point out that there was a similar gap at this point last year, and indeed right into October, but we still managed to finish third. I hope to God that such a plunge in form leaves us well alone this year. Speaking of plunging form, Cruzeiro continue to stutter, being held at home by Santos, and losing their third place to Vitória. Flamengo move into fifth, at the head of the tight chasing pack, just two points ahead of Treze who are in 9th after a comfortable win over Atlético Mineiro. It can't all be good news, though. Murilo Gomes reached the yellow card limit and will miss our next game, which is bad enough, but Ewerthon's injured ankle will keep him out for a long while, but we won't be sure until the swelling has gone down and we can get a scan of it. We can't afford to lose our most prolific goalscorer for an extended period, that's for sure. The post-match press conference focusses heavily on this and on Victor's man of the match performance. As soon as I'm out, I call in the scouts to take a look at potential loan signings in the striking department. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Chapter 151 - Wheeling, dealing and healing Feedback on the "fan day" wasn't good. Not only did we not manage to sell out the stadium, but the footballing experience apparently wasn't particular impressive. I manage not to tell the board "I told you so" on this occasion. However, they say, they'd like to try again. Next week. Against Flamengo. I need some good news after that. It doesn't come from the journalist waiting outside, looking for a comment on one of the day's transfer rumours. No, I tell him, I'm not about to let Léo go to Cruzeiro under any circumstances. It seems like Léo isn't the only defender staying put. Maurício arrives to tell me he hasn't been able to agree personal terms with his Portuguese suitors, and doesn't want to leave anyway. In that case, I tell him, he needs to knuckle down and force himself into the team. Thiaguinho (Thiago Rocha da Cunha) arrives on Monday, for a full week of training ahead of our next game. His move causes some internal strife at Fluminense, with Darió Conca amongst the players to publicly condemn the move. The week is another busy one from a transfer market perspective. We have initial loan enquiries rejected by Vitória (for Vandinho), Fluminense (for Alan) and Goiás (for Wendell). All want fees in excess of £1m for what would be three month loans. We do have a couple of offers accepted, one by Paraná for 22 year old Maicon, and one by Treze for that man Luís. Meanwhile, Grêmio make another derisory offer, this time to take Murilo Gomes off our hands for the rest of the season. This is accompanied by similar offers for Valmir Lucas from Flamengo and for Luís Felipe from Atlético Paranaense. The silly season is well and truly here. Valmir Lucas is definitely going nowhere, as he joins Ewerthon in the treatment room, after sustaining a similar injury to the striker in training. Later in the week, Grêmio approach us to enquire about Marquinhos' availability. They'll soon have asked about the whole squad. There's further good news, tempered by very bad news, on Thursday. Maicon (Maicon Aparecido da Silva) arrives from Paraná, but Thiaguinho has a nasty collision in training, which sees him carried from the field. Early prognosis isn't good, but he'll have surgery on his hip over the weekend and we'll know more on Monday. It just gets worse on the injury front at the end of the week. Maurício, who has shown real determination since his flirt with a transfer, tears a groin muscle, and will be out for most of September. The weekend needs to come quickly, whilst we still have players left. Highlight of my Saturday night viewing is Treze x Coritiba. It's a rematch of the midweek Copa Sudamerica preliminary in Curitiba last Wednesday, which Treze nicked by the odd goal. This time the visitors take the lead through twenty goal man Ariel Nahuelpan towards the end of the first half, but Treze's never say die attitude sees Marcelinho hit a screamer of a freekick to equalise twenty minutes from the end. They've still got the skill and mental strength to succeed in this division. Now all they need is a stadium to go with it. Flamengo, sitting fifth in the division, lost twice to us last season. However, I don't have such good memories, having lost twice to them with Treze. They'll miss injured defender Thiago Sales, and suspended midfielder Fernando, but still have dangermen in Marquinhos and Adriano, although the latter spent the last match on the bench. Playing in our favour is Flamengo's involvement in the Copa Sudamerica preliminaries. Maurício's injury, added to that of Valmir Lucas' and Murilo Gomes' suspension gives me a massive defensive dilemma. Basically, it's down to a straight fight between Thiago Gomes and Cássio to partner Léo. The other question is who to put up front - does loanee Maicon deserve a full 90 minutes? Plenty to mull over whilst trying to sleep on a Saturday night. Morning brings clarity in terms of my selection. Thiago Gomes' experience gives him the nod in defence, and it would be stupid to throw Maicon straight in at the deep end, so Jael will start. Adriano once again starts on the bench for Flamengo, whilst 18 year old right back Pablo, a £700 signing eight days ago, makes his second appearance. Straight from the kickoff, we pass the ball back to Deola, and the start to build an attacking move. This results in Sandro Silva fashioning himself a shooting opportunity, which is blocked well by Bruno. It's a promising start, and gives the fans something to cheer about immediately. So far, this "fans day" is going much better than the last one. Two minutes later, we've turned attack into defence, as Flamengo close us down, and Léo plays a wayward backpass which goes out for a corner. It took a good block from Sandro Silva to prevent a clear shot on goal from the short corner, and another block by the same player a few seconds later on the edge of the area. Flamengo keep up the pressure, camping in our half for an extended period. Headers fire over the bar. Corners swing dangerously into the six yard box. The initial crowd noise quickly subsides, leaving a dis-satisfied buzz around the stadium. Deola's ball out to the right is controlled by Filipi, who plays it forward towards Zárate. With his back to goal, the striker comes deep to collect the ball, and lays it back to Cleiton Xavier. A first time ball over the top drops perfectly into the path of Diego Souza, who takes one touch at full run before planting it beyond Bruno and in at the far post. That's better. Diego Souza milks the applause of the crowd, running right up to the hoardings with his arms aloft. They're worked up now, and are still cheering five minutes later when Filipi moves a ball in from the right towards Diego Souza. This time, the midfielder dummies to shoot, and allows the ball to continue along it's original trajectory to Zárate. As Bruno tries to recover, Zárate fires firmly into the corner for 2-0. Both goals have been slightly more direct than the usual Brazilian fayre, but hopefully the quick fire double has done enough to break Flamengo's spirit. Diego Souza has a gilt edged chance to make it 3-0 minutes later, when Cleiton Xavier elects to play a through pass rather than shoot from just outside the area. The scorer of our first goal finds himself face to face with Bruno, who to give him credit has made himself large. The shot from close range is blocked away by the keeper, and flies behind for a corner. To say it was all one way traffic for the rest of the half would be no understatement. We had four decent chances to extend our lead, most of which saw headers put just over when perhaps they should have hit the target. Still, I can't complain with a lead in a half we dominated. The Flamengo manager makes a midfield change at half time, and then only five more minutes before introducing Adriano, in a like for like swap with Iván Alonso. An injury for Jairo soon after forces his final change with 35 minutes still to play. An unnecessary yellow card for Sandro Silva signals a double substitution for us with just over twenty minutes to play. Márcio Araújo replaces the booked midfielder, whilst Maicon debuts in place of Jael. A knock for Filipi forces me to replace him with Luís Felipe, but not before Márcio Araújo slips the ball in for Zárate to put the ball under the diving Bruno for our third. Fifteen minutes from time, a throughball from Pablo (not the 18 year old right back) finds Marquinhos, who finally lives up to his reputation, giving Thiago Gomes the slip and putting the ball beyond Deola's reach for what surely must be a consolation goal for the visitors. The keeper is furious at his defensive colleague, having lost not only his clean sheet bonus for this game, but also a record that goes back more than eleven hours. Keen to redeem himself, Thiago Gomes drives forward from the restart, winning a corner with a long range effort that deflects well wide. Zárate slips the corner to Márcio Araújo, whose shot deflects off a couple of Flamengo defenders before rippling the back of the net, confirming that the three points are staying in São Paulo. 26th August 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 18 Palmeiras (13-3-1) 4 Flamengo (8-4-5) 1 (Diego Souza 15 [13th], Mariano Zárate 20 [8th], 73 [9th], Marquinhos 75 [17th], Márcio Araújo 81 [4th] Attendance: 45000 (sell out) Man of the Match: Mariano Zárate, Palmeiras League Position: 1st Feedback from the board is much more positive for this fans day. They all seem in an exceptionally good mood during the post match hospitality. Their mood is probably helped by the news that Grêmio have been held to a 0-0 draw across the city at Canindé, home of strugglers Portuguesa. News travels fast across São Paulo! Apparently William Magrão was sent off again, his fourth red card of the season. In the other games, Cruzeiro got themselves back to winning ways, at home to basement dwellers América, moving back into third thanks to Vitória slipping to a narrow defeat at home to Botafogo. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 Chapter 152 - Man in the Minierão We have another midweek trip, north-east to Belo Horizonte and the Mineirão for the second time this season. There's a fair amount of office work to do first, though. I reject out of hand a loan offer for Murilo Gomes. I didn't think he'd fancy Belgrade. Meanwhile, I have another iron in the fire myself. I've been tracking Figueirense's Zé Carlos for a while now, but so have French, Spanish and Portuguese teams. The grapevine is buzzing with stories about the levels of offers being made. Being based on the same continent as Figueirense should, in theory, offer us some advantage. I'm told my initial offer is too low, and advised on the quiet what an acceptable amount would be. I throw the change in, only to immediately pick up the rumour that we've been outbid by Spanish second division side Rayo Vallecano. The figures being spoken about are relatively small, but I know that Figueirense are cash strapped, and therefore desparate for every penny. I can only wait and see, I guess. One deal that is tied up is the transfer of 16 year old Edinho to Spanish side Valencia. It's worth a cool million up front, but not for another year and a half, because of restrictions on young players going abroad. Meanwhile, the reserves hammer São Caetano 5-0, with Robert and João Arthur reminding me that I don't necessarily need to spend money on the forward line. The week wouldn't be the same without someone trying to poach one of my players away on loan, and this time it's our recent enemies Atlético Paranaense who want Filipi and Lokomotiv Moscow fancy Gabriel, whilst Bahia are rumoured to be on the trail of Marquinhos. The majority of the midweek fixtures are on Wednesday evening, whilst we play on Thursday. As we're not making the short flight into Minas Gerais until the morning, I pop across town to Morumbi to watch São Paulo host Treze. It's a close game, in which Treze are punished for Radamés' first half penalty miss, when São Paulo score early in the second period. The Série A mid-table is so tight, though, that Treze actually go up a place to 9th as a result, due to Corinthians' heavier defeat. Cruzeiro dropped yet more points with a 0-0 draw at Bahia. The prep for our next opponents is fairly straightforward. Atlético Mineiro are having a very poor season by their own standards, languishing in 16th. There most well known threat, striker Diego Tardelli, will move to Wolfsburg at the end of the season. He's only managed four goals this season so far in Série A, which demonstrates the mutual struggle club and player are having. The familiar face of Diego will most likely line up in defence, now a fixture in the first team after his two seasons on loan at Treze. Team selection is pretty straightforward for me. Souza is suspended, which means Márcio Araújo starts. Pablo Armero comes in for Gabriel, whilst despite Murilo Gomes being eligible, the rest of the defence stays the same. The home team line up with a formation that seems intent on, firstly, getting crosses in for the target man Obina to bring down for Diego Tardelli, and secondly hitting us with pace on the counter attack. It also looks as though both sides are prepared for the physical battle, as demonstrated by both Sandro Silva and Filipi in the opening exchanges. Léo also gets a crunching challenge in on Diego Tardelli in the centre circle, which goes completely unnoticed by the ref. We just manage to register a shot on target inside the first ten minutes, after Sandro Silva's excellent run down the left results in a weak cross that the keeper gathers easily. It's Diego Souza who finds himself with the opportunity, level with the last defender and forced to take the early shot, which the keeper pushes over the bar. Márcio Araújo has a shot well saved on the quarter hour mark, but when Diego Souza carelessly loses possession in the middle of the park, Atlético Mineiro threaten. Obina pulls out wide with the ball, and it's crossed predictably to Tardelli. The striker's skill show through, as he beats Cleiton Xavier to the ball and forces Deola into a smart save to turn the ball away for a corner. The question of why our attacking midfielder was left marking their most potent threat is something for later consideration. Defensive disorganisation proves to be our undoing from the corner. It's flicked on by Diego, and Werley retrieves from out wide. He tries to cross, but once again Cleiton Xavier is in attendance. His block sends the ball out towards Rodrigo Galo in a central position, midway into our half. With the defence having been dragged out to the right, he plays a simple ball left for Torres, who has a clear shot at goal to put the home side ahead. He celebrates wildly, which is not surprising considering it's the Newell's midfielder's first goal of the season in his thirtieth appearance. Stunned into action, we win a freekick on the right. It's at least thirty-five yards out, and too wide for a shot, but Cleiton Xavier heads over to take it anyway. He fires a low ball into the meleé of players around the penalty spot, and from my vantage spot the ball just seems to bounce away. The referee looks at his assistant, which I assume is to work out whether it's a corner or a goal kick, but then he points to the spot. He talks briefly over his headset to the fourth official, who explains to a livid Cardoso that Diego had backed into Léo. Diego, the last player on the Atlético Mineiro team who I want to see having a bad game, remonstrates with the referee fiercly, and is perhaps lucky not to be carded as a result. With principal penalty taker Ewerthon sidelined, captain Léo takes responsibility himself for the spotkick. He wouldn't have been my choice, but on the pitch he is in charge, and on his head will come any retribution if he fails. He steps up and, amazingly calmly, sends the keeper the wrong way to level up the match. We push on from the equaliser, looking to pile on the pressure with the hope that the home side would crumble. Keeping a close eye on Tardelli whilst we push up, we fail to watch for the ball over the top from Yuri, heading for Torres. The midfielder, buoyed by his earlier goal, bursts free of the defence and slots confidently past Deola. For the next five minutes, the home side show us why they are struglling, as first Zárate and then Sandro Silva waltz through the defence, only to see strongly hit shots well saved by the keeper. The second of these almost deflects into Zárate's path, but a last ditch tackle sees the ball swing away for a throw. Despite our pressure, Atlético hold out until half time with their lead intact. For the first time in a good while, there are angry faces and recriminations in the dressing room. I've already decided on my changes, which will see Maicon replace Jael and Murilo Gomes take the place of Thiago Gomes. Cleiton Xavier will push further up the pitch, and hopefully get into the position to do what he always does best. Cardoso obviously decides that he's going to hold on to what he's got, removing the first half hero Torres, and replacing him with another defender. First chance of the second half falls to Zárate, who heads over from a swinging Sandro Silva cross. Maicon shows he is still perhaps short of confidence at this level, dawdling on the ball for a little too long and allowing the Atlético defender to get a tackle in. Léo does well to deal with a good freekick from the home side, rising above Tardelli and heading the ball to relative safety. Tardelli himself recovers the ball, and crosses towards the far post, where Rodrigo Galo should really have done better with his header. From the goalkick, Yuri's tug on Cleiton Xavier causes the referee to get his notebook out for the first time in the game. It wouldn't be the last. The hour mark approaches, and soon passes. A long ball forward towards Zárate draws an unnecessary foul from Werley on the edge of the area. Cleiton Xavier fires the shot straight at the wall, and it rebounds out to Tardelli, who threatens to go on a one-man counter attack against our entire defensive line. Turning back on himself, he plays it left to Leandro. Had Torres still been there, we would probably have been in a world of hurt, but as it was, Léo had to put in a well timed tackle to relieve Tardelli of the return ball. Filipi picked up the loose ball, playing it to Cleiton Xavier, who ran fully fifty yards before setting up Diego Souza for the shot. The keeper, once again, saved comfortably. Coming forwards again, Yuri's ball aimed for Tardelli was covered by Filipi. Finally, we got the ball under control and earned ourselves a bit of a breather in what was definitely a frenetic game. Armero took the ball forwards, and played it in to Cleiton Xavier. We played neat midfield triangles, without really getting anywhere, until the playmaker spotted a cute pass towards Zárate. The striker spun off his man just long enough to find a shot into the corner, and finally the Atlético keeper was beaten from open play. We should have pushed on for the winner from there, but the whole tone of the game shifted. Diego picked up a yellow card for a crunching tackle in the middle of the park on Cleiton Xavier, and Jairo Campos followed him a minute later. Diego Souza held back Leandro for his own personal booking, and then Armero felled Rodrigo Galo to make it five cards in the half. With ten to go, Yuri mistimed a tackle on Márcio Araújo, with a predictable outcome, When he went in hard on the same player a minute later, there was only going to be one result; the home side would face the final minutes of the game a man down. That should have been our chance. It looked like it was, when Maicon was played through on goal, but a wonderful last ditch challenge by Werley kept his side in the game. Tardelli cut a lonely figure on the half-way line now, as his team-mates defended their own penalty area as if their lives depended on it. Shots were blocked, corners were cleared, Cleiton Xavier's stand-up cross to the far post was miraculously plucked from the air by the keeper, just before Sandro Silva arrived to head it in from two yards out. Fittingly, the game ended with another yellow card, for Sandro Silva. 30th August 2012, Mineirão (Belo Horizonte, MG), Série A, Round 19 Atlético Mineiro (5-2-11) 2 Palmeiras (14-3-1) 2 (Jorge Torres 21 [1st], Léo 25pen [3rd], Jorge Torres 27 [2nd], Zárate 64 [10th] Atlético Mineiro's Yuri sent off, 83) Attendance: 33216 Man of the Match: Jorge Torres (ML), Atlético Mineiro League Position: 1st Grêmio take full advantage, beating Atlético Paranaense 1-0 to close the gap back to seven points, and in the other game Vitória miss the opportunity to go third, being held by Coritiba. Once again, we face a suspension to a key player, with Sandro Silva missing our next game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Chapter 153 - Deadline Day Friday is transfer deadline day, which hopefully will bring an end to the rumour, press speculation, unsettling approaches and ridiculous offers. Until then, though, I find myself sitting nervously, watching the telephone and daring it not to ring. At about 10am, it rings. It's not the call I had been expecting. It's Figueirense chairman Norton Flores Boppré. He tells me he's gone over his manager's head and accepted our offer for Zé Carlos. The manager and his representatives had been umming and ahhing for days. Every time we made an offer, they made another suggestion. Cleverly, I supposed, they were using the strength of interest in their player to elicit the best price. However, as time went on, the risk that the deal wouldn't conclude at all grew. The board couldn't take that risk, with the financial state of the club. His parting comment before he cleared me to talk with the player's representatives, was to let me know that Zé Carlos had no intention of moving to Europe. The deal was as good as done. The deal was done by noon, and the player flew in to São Paulo on Saturday morning. We'd got ourselves a good backup striker for just £200k. As the second international transfer window of the season slams shut, there have been a handful of noteable transfers. The balance this time has been more towards players leaving Brazil than arriving, in the big money deals. Four clubs have splashed more than £2m for players from elsewhere on the sub-continent. Of those, we've already met Jonathan González of Corinthians. We may get to meet Aljandro Gagliardi, who Botafogo signed from Instituto for £2.7m, on Sunday. Internacional paid Deportive Cali £5.5m for Dawhling Leudo, a 23 year old Colombian midfielder, who appears to be taking a while to settle in. Grêmio complete the set, with their £2.3m signing of Damían Suárez from Defensor Sporting. The closure of the international transfer window doesn't stop domestic transfer speculation. Marquinhos, Filipi and Gabriel are targetted this week, but as far as I'm concerned it might as well all be paper talk. In terms of talent leaving the country, Santos have raked in around £14m through the sales of Renan Oliveira and Maylson; Internacional have made £10.7m from Sandro and Talles Cunha; Fluminense's Anderson Martins departed for £6m and Atlético Paranaense's Alex Sandro went for £5.75m. Also, Treze lost Kaká to Hannover for a steal at £2.7m. Saturday night's games feature, amongst others, a home tie for Treze against struggling Bahia. If everything goes to form, they should win this. Allowing Fabiano Oliveira a free header in the 17th minute didn't point them in the right direction though, despite Rafael Dida's best efforts to keep it out. It took a penalty scored by Marcelinho with quarter of an hour to bring things level. As a bonus, I got to see Miguel (one of my loaned out strikers) make his Série A debut for the last ten minutes or so. He didn't pull up any trees. Botafogo will be at almost full strength, according to our scouts. Colombian right back Jáider Romero is suspended, whilst Argentinian loanee midfielder Eduardo Fernández must be a favourite to make his debut, having cost the Rio side £1m for the rest of the season. They have struggled for goals, achieving their current 8th place through being frugal at the back. Top scorer Bruno Cazarine hasn't played since concluding his January transfer to Zaragoza, which is surely a case of cutting ones nose off to spite ones face. For us, Luis Felipe comes in to freshen up the right back position, and Murilo Gomes plays in place of Thiago Gomes. Souza comes back in to replace Sandro Silva. Up front, Maicon starts and Zé Carlos makes it onto the bench. The teamsheets reveal that Bruno Cazarine has been forgiven, and Eduardo Fernández doesn't even make the bench! More surprising is that they line up with an attacking 4-3-1-2 formation, braver than most teams at Arena Palestra Itália this season. It doesn't affect our game plan, though, and we're ahead after eleven minutes, when Luís Felipe's cross finds Diego Souza in the area, and the midfielder heads calmly past the keeper. Botafogo are forced into an early substitution after twenty minutes, when defender Fábio Ferreira collides with Zárate, and has to be replaced by Douglas. After half an hour, Diego Souza steals possession on the halfway line, and using his strength, holds off Botafogo's challenges all the way to the byline. He stands a cross up for Zárate, who is unfortunate to see his header rebound off the crossbar. The ball is headed back into the box, where Maicon challenges for the ball, and is left in a heap on the floor. Márcio Araújo gets a stoppage time booking, finishing off the half in uninspiring fashion. A limping Maicon is replaced by Zé Carlos during the break, whilst my opposite number replaces Boaventura with centre back Tiago Soler. It means a re-hash of the visitors' defensive line is on the cards. Early on, a backwards header by Bruno Cazarine is intercepted well by Luís Felipe, who runs beyond the defenders and shoots across goal. The keeper saves well, diverting the ball away for a corner. Armero had a good chance from the left when he received the ball from a cross-field pass by Cleiton Xavier. He lashed his shot towards the far post, but it went just over. Another attack broke down when Cleiton Xavier fouled Bruno Cazarine on the edge of the Botafogo area, earning himself a yellow card as well. The keeper hit the freekick long, and Léo was forced to head behind for a corner to stop Anderson Lessa breaking free of the defence. Across came the corner, and Túlio Souza's header went over, but the referee blew his whistle, indicating Léo was fouling Douglas. A strange decision, considering he wasn't really in with a chance of winning the ball. To add insult to injury, Léo was booked. Anderson Lessa stepped up, and put the ball right in the corner, out of the reach of Deola. I couldn't believe we were back level, having dominated the game so far. Calling for attack, I pushed Diego Souza forwards. Chances immediately started to come. Léo blasted one wide from distance. Diego Souza forced a smart save from the keeper, and then headed one over. Murilo Gomes headed a corner over. If we'd taken one of those chances, we would have wrapped the game up. But there were negatives as well. Too many bad decisions, from Cleiton Xavier, for example, when he elected to cross from a position where he would have been better running across the area and unleashing one of his rockets. In the end, we couldn't break them down, and as a result dropped another two points. Somehow I didn't expect the fans to be as happy with this draw. 2nd September 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 20 Palmeiras (14-4-1) 1 Botafogo (9-3-7) 1 (Diego Souza 12 [14th], Anderson Lessa 65pen [3rd]) Attendance: 32636 Man of the Match: Douglas (DC), Botafogo League Position: 1st Fortunately, given our current injury situation, Maicon won't miss more than a week. He should be ready for our trip to Curitiba next Sunday in fact. Although that's three draws in the last six games, it does increase our unbeaten run to seventeen games. That's apparently enough to keep the fans happy, probably due to our good fortune with other results. Both Grêmio (at Corinthians) and Cruzeiro (against Goiás) had played out 0-0 draws, so our lead remained intact. Brasileirão (partial table) - 2nd September 2012 | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Palmeiras | | 20 | 14 | 5 | 1 | 32 | 8 | +24 | 47 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Grêmio | | 20 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 19 | 5 | +14 | 40 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Cruzeiro | | 20 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 22 | 14 | +8 | 35 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Goiás | | 20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 22 | 12 | +10 | 34 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Flamengo | | 20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 23 | 18 | +5 | 34 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Atlético Paranaense | | 20 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 20 | 11 | +9 | 33 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Vitória | | 20 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 23 | 13 | +10 | 33 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 Chapter 154 - Absentees 7th placed Vitória make a £1.7m bid for Marquinhos on Friday afternoon. Not only is this a structured deal (with only £210k up front), but we actually signed Marquinhos from them, and there's a 60% sell on clause! They would be getting their player back for just under £700k. I don't think so. Missing from the trip to Curitiba are Armero and Zárate, who have been called up by their countries to represent the senior and under-20 sides respectively. Colombia play on Saturday night, a World Cup qualifier against Peru in Bogotá. It's clear from the chatter on the way to the airport that most of the squad had watched the game, and that the 6-1 pasting that Colombia handed out was something of a shock. Whilst it's a tad harsh to go into a league match at the same time as an international double-header, we're in not much worse a position than our Sunday opponents. We go through the scouting on the plane, and it's clear they are going to really struggle for attacking options. With 25 goals already, and joint top scorer in Série A, Ariel Nahuelpan is a massive figure for the Coxa-Branca. It's a real boost for us, then, that he suffered fractured ribs in just the last game. Also missing through injury is Ricardo Conceição, who I remember causing me problems when at Santo André. Other absentees will be striker Edwin Cardona (with the Colombian Under-20 side), midfielder Andrade (suspended) and defender Dirceu (torn hamstring). We should be able to take them, if we can overcome our goal-shy recent form. We'll start with a more solid midfield of Sandro Silva and Márcio Araújo, and Jael partnering Zé Carlos up front. Marcos will get a turn in goal. Our opposition will rely on Hugo and Thalisson for their goals, although midfielder Bida actually has more than the pair of them this season. Wet conditions await us, and the Couto Pereira pitch is inviting to heavy challenges. That's certainly how the game starts, when Sandro Silva gets stuck in in his usual way to retrieve the ball. This is Curitiba's patch, though, and they know the conditions well. A sliding challenge sets Hugo free, and Marcos has to watch the first shot of the game drift wide. We soon have our own opportunity though, with a sustained period on the edge of the home side's box. Luís Felipe does some good work, and gets a cross in which causes panic in the home defence, but the ball bounces just out of the reach of Sandro Silva. Márcio Araújo receives the ball on the edge of the area, and shapes to shoot, before at the last minute slipping the ball through for Zé Carlos. The striker shows no nerves, firing the ball inside the near post for his first goal in Palmeiras green. We push on strong after taking the lead. Jael heads over, and both Gabriel and Diego Souza curl shots marginally wide. Souza lines up a freekick, twenty-five yards out, and his strike towards the near post is simply instoppable. 2-0 within a little over quarter of an hour, and the inhabitants of the sparsely populated home stands already seem defeated, although that could be their rain-drenched clothing giving that effect. The rest of the half sees our midfield risk the wrath of the referee with some mistimed, and frankly unnecessary, challenges. Diego Souza is the only one actually to receive a card, and that sees him substituted by Cleiton Xavier at half time. It'll also mean a suspension for the midfielder. On the hour, Murilo Gomes picks up a knock, which forces my hand for my second substitution. Thiago Gomes replaces him. My final change follows a little later, with João Arthur returning to first team action in place of Souza. He's responsible for our third goal, working the old short corner routine with Sandro Silva, who fires the ball between the keeper and the man on the post. That's pretty much a wrap. 9th September 2012, Couto Pereira (Curitiba, PR), Série A, Round 21 Coritiba (6-7-7) 0 Palmeiras (14-5-1) 3 (Zé Carlos 6 [1st], Souza 17 [4th], Sandro Silva 86 [11th]) Attendance: 17512 Man of the Match: Souza, Palmeiras League Position: 1st Convincing, and an excellent first full game for Zé Carlos, who can only have been inches away from the man of the match award. Murilo Gomes and Gabriel will both recover in time for next weekend, thankfully. For once, it was a full Sunday of fixtures, and Grêmio let us know that anything we can do they can do better, with a 4-0 thumping of Flamengo, Lenny getting on the scoresheet as well. Cruzeiro against slipped to a draw, at Fluminense, meaning they lost their third position to Goiás, who beat Internacional 2-1 in one of the evening fixtures. Treze were in São Paulo state, losing 1-0 to Santos, and slipping back to 11th. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 Chapter 155 - Choque Rei revisited Zárate collected his 11th Under-20 cap for Argentina on Tuesday night, in a friendly against Bolivia. Not particularly noteworthy in itself, but it will be long remembered by those lucky enough to be there for his four goals in the first half. The game wasn't televised, but the highlights made it onto YouTube, presumably from some amateur filmer in the stadium. It really was an outstanding performace, and you could see his confidence building as the half went on. The Colombian senior team, and Pablo Armero, followed up their humiliation of Peru with a 2-1 win over Uruguay in Montevideo. It puts them top of the race to appear in Brazil in 2014, approaching the halfway stage of the qualification tournament. Armero had a very good game, creating one of the goals. Preparation for the Clássico Choque Rei takes up most of the week at Palestra Itália. City journalists are only to happy to remind me that São Paulo are the only club to beat us in the league this season. We hold the high ground, though, having seen them off in the state championship and staring down at them eight places and twenty points behind us in the table. Squad selection will wait until Sunday morning, though, as there are Saturday matches to take in first. Top billing from our perspective is given to Grêmio's trip to Belo Horizonte to face Atlético Mineiro. It's another disappointing game for the specatators, though, as it ends in a goalless draw. We'll certainly take that result. Atlético Paranaense continue to build their run of results, moving temporarily into fourth with a 2-0 win over América. Flamengo go fifth with a derby win against Botafogo. We know the São Paulo squad well. The statistics show that their main problem is the same as Coritiba's: they can't score goals. This despite having pace and power aplenty with Paulo Roberto, Fernandinho, Dagoberto and Toluca loanee Kieza to choose from. Previously prolific Dagoberto has made most of his appearance from the bench this season, and as such has a disappointing return of 4 goals so far. They do have the capability to get doals from midfield, with Cléber Santana and Jorge Wágner being amongst the top scorers for the team. Notably, they are at full strength, with no injuries or suspensions in the side. Pablo Armero, Zárate and Cleiton Xavier all come into the lineup for the televised clássico. I toyed with the idea of starting João Arthur in place of the suspended Diego Souza, but soon decided that such an occasion was not one for toying! The match is about a day too early for Ewerthon to be considered, although it's good news that my top scorer is approaching the point of being back in contention. I try to supress the inevitable frenetic start to a derby game by instructing my players to get the ball down and pass it around, to settle their nerves as much as those of the fans. It seems to work, and we create our first shooting opportunity after seven minutes, when Cleiton Xavier gets the ball as the most advanced attacker, and is given time to curl it from the edge of the area. The São Paulo keeper flings himself to his left, and just diverts the ball away from the top corner. Being renowned for hitting goals from long distance has it's disadvantages, as the keeper clearly knew exactly where my player was going to put his shot. In response, Cléber Santana hits the side netting after ten minutes, but he will be disappointed with his effort. Despite a fair amount of provocation, the referee manages to keep his cards in his pocket until midway through the half, at which point he books Murilo Gomes for a challenge no different from thee or four before. Léo and Souza both head corners over the bar, which gets me thinking about focussing training on aerial challenges. Léo has me thinking differently from the second goalkick, as he cushions a wonderful header down to Souza to start our build-up again. Zárate comes deep and collects the ball, taking it down the left before slipping it to the overlapping full back. Luís Felipe's low cross is aimed for Sandro Silva's attack on the near post, but just evades the midfielder. It bounces up off Cléber Santana, and loops towards the back post, where Márcio Araújo heads in from the tightest of angles. The São Paulo keeper immediately jumps up and hurls abuse at his right back, Boiadeiro, who had clearly lost track of the scorer. With the crowd now bouncing around the Palestra Itália, Zárate embarks on another run from deep, this time down the left. His ball inside is into the path of Sandro Silva, who hits it first time. The keeper saves, and Danny Morais just gets in front of Zé Carlos to prevent a shot on the rebound. Cleiton Xavier takes the corner, and has to clear up the clearance as well. He chooses to play it 60 yards back to Marcos, who immediately distributes it back to Armero on the half way line. The left back plays it forward to Sandro Silva, who turns it infield for Cleiton Xavier. Out comes the big gun again, with the keeper this time force to tip over the bar. An injury to Miranda ensures there are a few minutes of stoppage time at the end of the half, and we comfortably hold on to possession for that period. There's absolutely no need for me to change anything, other than to have a quiet, reassuring word in Zé Carlos' ear. The striker had barely seen the ball, through no fault of his own. If he keeps getting into positions, then it'll come. Within sixty seconds of the restart, we won a corner. Within ninety, we won a penalty. Cleiton Xavier's corner found Márcio Araújo at the near post, and his legs were cleanly taken by Paulo Roberto. A striker's challenge if ever there was one. Sandro Silva volunteered for spot-kick duties, and blasted it past the stationary keeper, giving him no chance. That heralds a change for São Paulo, with Dagoberto being introduced as the raider in a 4-3-1-2 formation. São Paulo inevitably look to come on to us pretty much straight away. This gives plenty of opportunity for us to hit them on the break, and Zé Carlos and Zárate do exactly that less than five minutes later, exchanging passes as they storm forward. The ball finished with Zárate, who tried to curl past the keeper, but put it just too close to him. As the visitors' attacking efforts bounce off our defensive perimeter, so their enthusiasm wanes. We're able to get control of midfield again. Cleiton Xavier fires over another right wing freekick, and watches as Léo heads it over. Again. My opposite number has his last roll of the die, bringing two midfielders on, and sacrificing a right back. I figure it's about time I made changes as well, and signal to the subs to conclude their warmups. I settle for a double midfield switch; João Arthur and Anselmo replacing Souza and Cleiton Xavier. They see out time, and only a stupid booking for Luís Felipe for a shirt pull in stoppage time can sour my smile as I leave the pitch to the adulation of the crowd. 16th September 2010, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 22 Palmeiras 2 São Paulo 0 (Márcio Araújo 34 [5th], Sandro Silva 47pen [12th]) Attendance: 45000 sell out Man of the Match: Mariano Zárate, Palmeiras League Position: 1st An absolute storming game from Zárate, in particular. He's clearly buzzing after his internation experience. But a good all round team performance as well. The fans now think we're invincible, and discussion is turning to whether we can make it through the rest of the season unbeaten. The São Paulo boss can't help heaping praise on my Argentinian striker in his post match press conference, and I follow along pretty much the same lines. Elsewhere, Cruzeiro make it five without a win, finding themselves in 6th after losing 1-0 at Vasco, whilst goals in the 2nd and last minute for Luís ensure that Goiás only take one point away from Presidente Vargas, moving the former Palmeiras striker up to joint top scorer in the process. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EvilDave Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 You're making great progress with this Gricehead, surprised not to see more comments but your view count is ticking over nicely. Looks like a lot of success on the pitch as well, keep it up! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 Thanks EvilDave. I'm not that bothered about comments, but the steady rise of views is comforting, I must admit! Success on the pitch means nothing if we don't lift that Libertadores next season... Chapter 156 - I want to be in América (Minas Gerais remix) América Futebol Clube, Belo Horizonte's third team, are our midweek hosts. Whilst I've never faced them in their home town with either Palmeiras or Treze, their stadium, Independência, is very familiar. It played hosts to the top flight sides from the capital of Minas Gerais state, whilst the larger Mineirão was being redeveloped last season. The Coelho followed Treze's route up from Série C to Série A in three seasons, making their first appearance in the top flight since 2001. Currently they are rock bottom, four points from safety, and have only scored eight goals. We travel up on Tuesday morning, with Ewerthon, who has now fully recovered from his injury, but without Dinda, who is catching a separate flight to Recife, having agreed to join the Série B club on loan for the rest of the season. Surrounded as it is by mountains on all sides, and with it's numerous parks and open spaces, Belo Horizonte is a picturesque city. Unfortunately, it suffers from it's problems, and now that the big clubs have gone back to their home, Independência and it's surrounding streets have become graffiti covered once more. Our scout reports that they will be missing striker Marcelo Tevez through suspension, meaning that they will likely start with Vitor and Joãozinho up front, who have score five of the club's league goals between them. Also missing will be number one goalkeeper Bruno Colaço and defender Bruno Costa through long term injury. For me the main decision is how much, if any, game time I give to Ewerthon. I want to make a couple of other changes, though, to ensure legs remain fresh for Sunday's home game. To that end, Valmir Lucas and Anselmo come in to the side, with Murilo Gomes and Sandro Silva taking a rest. After spending Tuesday mainly unwinding at the hotel, I take the squad for a light training session on Wednesday morning. Evening soon comes round, and exchanging team sheets, I notice that our scouts got it partially wrong; Fábio Bala accompanies Vitor up front. At least the information about their likely defensive formation was correct, although I'm sure anyone with half a brain could have predicted that. The home side cause us a few problems early on, getting the ball wide and pumping it early into the box. A header from Diego Barros after quarter of an hour is the first real threat on either goal, and we continue to look dazed even after that. What possession we manage to get sees Zárate set up Anselmo in the area, but the keeper closes the angle down well, and the ball spins away for a corner. The dead ball is cleared, and after exchanging headers a few times, we manage to get the ball back to Zárate, with his back to goal just outside the area. As he tries to turn, he's scythed down. The referee waves play on as the bench rise in protest, a decision which is fully justified as the ball runs to Zé Carlos, who smashes it across the keeper and into the far corner. Credit to the home side, their heads don't drop. Márcio Araújo is forced to take a yellow card for the team, putting a halt to a breakaway attack soon after the restart. Then George gets himself into a good position centrally, and puts Marcos to the test from twelve yards. The keeper makes the grade, and continues his seven hour clean sheet for now. Anselmo joins his midfield partner into the book before half time for persistent fouling, and we reach half time at a canter. A noticeable lack of creativity from Cleiton Xavier in the first half sees him replaced by João Arthur in the second. The opening minutes revolve around set pieces, with Vitor conning the referee into booking Léo and giving América a dangerous freekick. Nothing more dangerous than an airy lob from George comes from it, though, which Marcos is able to casually watch over the bar. Zárate and João Arthur both manage to manouevre themselves into shooting positions in the box, but the keeper continues to stand up to well to those sort of attacks. With fifteen minutes left, I give Ewerthon the nod. He replaces tour goalscorer, América have already made their three changes, so can't react to this, and the expert marksman immediately starts getting into threatening positions. This creates space for the midfield to advance, and Anselmo is guilty of putting a shot wide after an excellent dribbling run into the box. Minutes tick down, including three of stoppage time, and I'm left pondering a pretty dire second half, and a narrower win than most pundits would have predicted. 19th September 2012, Independência (Belo Horizonte, MG), Série A, Round 23 América (4-4-14) 0 Palmeiras (16-5-1) 1 (Zé Carlos 26 [2nd]) Attendance: 5946 Man of the Match: Souza, Palmeiras League Position: 1st I'm left feeling surprisingly deflated by the result and performance. I'm reminded by a number of my staff that three points, and an extension to our unbeaten run, is all that matters. We could have done without Léo and Anselmo's yellow cards, though, which means both players will miss our next game. Cruzeiro cruised past Internacional to retake third place, as Goiás lost 1-0 home to Vitória. São Paulo claimed a single goal victory in Clássico Majestoso. I wasn't particularly interested in finding out what had happened in any of those games, though. I wanted to know how Treze had gone on in their Copa Sudamerica game. I soon found out, thanks to someone at our hotel having the forethought to obtain a printout of the match report. Taking a 1-0 lead from the away leg, Treze had nicked another goal just before half-time through Rafael Diógenes. I don't know what happened at half time, but Coritiba self-destructed just three minutes into the second period, losing defender Démerson to a straight red card. After that, my old friends went to town, with João Paulo causing havoc down the right, and three more goals being smashed in by Juan Pablo Pereyra, Radamés and Rafael Diógenes again. Their reward for qualification is a first round tie again Alianza Lima of Peru. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 13, 2011 Author Share Posted January 13, 2011 Chapter 157 - Hoping for a little more excitement Seventeenth place Bahia are in town for the weekend, having made the long trip South. Advance scouting tells us that they have a full squad to chose from, with the exception of left back Diogo, on loan from São Paulo, who picked up an injury in midweek that rules him out. That midweek game saw them crash out of the Copa Sudamerica 6-2 on aggregate. The scouts offer me no insight as to who Diogo's replacement could be, but do let me know that in Fabiano Oliveira, Bahia have one of the top scorers in the division; and he's on form at the moment with three in his last four matches. Only Goiás and Atlético Paranaense of the clubs in the top half of the table are in action on Saturday, and they both record straightforward 2-0 wins. Murilo Gomes and Sandro Silva, rested after having the week off, come in to replace the two suspended players, and Souza makes a reappearance in the side at the expense of Cleiton Xavier. Ewerthon remains on the bench, as I can't really drop either of my two strikers at the moment. Bahia's side is as predicted, with Fernando making just his second appearance at left back since arriving from Toronto in July. Zárate needs physio attention as early as the third minute of the game, but it doesn't stop him popping up to bullet home a header to give us the lead two minutes later. Diego Souza is officially credited with the goal later, but both players agree that it was the striker who scored. Sandro Silva deserves much of the credit, though, for a vicious cross that left the defence completely flummoxed. We don't do the simple things, though, and the defence parts to let Fabiano Oliveira in to equalise almost straight away. He could have another almost immediately, but skied his far post header inexplicably. Unphased, he lurked at the far post for a corner just after the quarter hour mark, and gave his side a shock lead, whilst I yelled expletives at my defence. My yelling seemed to wake us up. We came forward with a real purpose, and pinned the visitors in their defending third for much of the rest of the half. It took another exquisite cross from Sandro Silva, though, to create the killer chance, with Zárate again on the end, this time without doubt. It's the last significant action of a thrilling first half. I don't know where to start in addressing my players. Pablo Armero and Valmir Lucas have had real stinkers, whilst Zárate and Márcio Araújo are really struggling after being kicked from pillar to post. Unfortunately, I can only make so many substitutions. In the end, I protect my injured players, introducing Ewerthon and Cleiton Xavier. Bahia start the second half defending very deep, eager to hold on to what they have I suspect. They can't do anything, though, about Diego Souza's close range header from Luís Felipe's cross, as our first attack of the half leads to us taking the lead again. I urge caution, remembering what happened in the first half. We don't seem to be doing cautious today, though, and sure enough Bebeto is straight down the right again, crossing for Fabiano Oliveira again. Only a fine stop from Marcos prevents a hattrick for the striker on this occasion. The visitors don't seem to have much of a plan after their "hit back quick" ploy fails. Fabiano Oliveira sees himself booked for a foul on Souza, who then goes forward and hits a long range effort just wide of the post. With just less than 20 minutes to go, I make my final change, throwing on Maicon in place of Zé Carlos. Immediately, both Sandro Silva and Cleiton Xavier get knocks, leaving me helpless. Sods law says that Bahia will have one more chance, and it comes in the last minute, from the simplest of attacks. Daniel takes a throw in on the right, and when he gets the ball back he whips it over to the far post. Bebeto jumps higher than Pablo Armero, and heads the ball between Marcos and the post. Bahia immediately make a double change to shore up at the back. We break forward from the restart, urged on by the crowd. Sandro Silva picks the ball up just outside the area. He's closed down and can't get the shot away, so slips the ball into the area. There's Ewerthon, although the run of the ball drags him wide. He's one on one with the keeper and shoots, but puts it agonisingly wide. The crowd, to a man, stand with their mouths open in shock. 23rd September 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 24 Palmeiras (17-5-1) 3 Bahia (5-5-12) 3 (Diego Souza 6 [15th], Fabiano Oliveira 8 [19th], 17 [20th], Mariano Zárate 35 [11th], Diego Souza 47 [16th], Bebeto 90 [5th]) Attendance: 32967 Man of the Match: Diego Souza, Palmeiras League Position: 1st Valuable points lost, in a game that couldn't have been any more different from our last if it had tried. From now on, I think I'll take a 1-0 win! Diego Souza and Sandro Silva took the plaudits publically, but the whole team have to know that we need to be winning those sort of games. Grêmio took full advantage, of course, beating Botafogo by a single goal, whilst Cruzeiro moved back into third with a Borges hattrick inspired 3-0 crushing of Treze. And then there's the injury situation. It must be bad news, because the team doctor is hiding from me. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 Chapter 158 - Crocked Mariano Zárate will miss two weeks, whilst Sandro Silva will fortunately only be out for a few days. It could have been a lot worse. We're scheduled to face Goiás next Sunday, for another Fans Day. Bahia prove that their result against us wasn't a fluke, by beating Atlético Paranaense 2-0 midweek. And yes, it's two more goals from Fabiano Oliveira. He's just risen up my Christmas shopping list a little further. Flamengo draw the only other relevant league game with Coritiba, but there's the small matter of a Copa Sudamericana game in Campina Grande. The game erupts in the last ten minutes, with Alianza Lima's Jonathan Rodríguez scoring in the 81st minute. Luís grabbed an all important equaliser three minutes later, but the joy was short lived. Leonardo Rivero rammed home a winner in the last minute. They'll have a real job on in Peru. Saturday sees three games, involving 5th placed Flamengo, 6th placed Atlético Paranaense and my old favourites Treze. The club from Curitiba collected all three points against Fluminense, but Flamengo suffered a shock 2-0 reverse against Bahia. Also in Rio, Vasco held Treze to a 1-1 draw, in a game which saw Ricardo Goulart score his first goal of the season. Goiás have dragged themselves up to a surprising 5th place, largely thanks to the goals of Wendell, Alessandro and Rafael Moura. Lately, it's been Rafael Moura scoring the majority of the goals, and he will be missing, apparently after developing a strained wrist since the last game. They'll also miss attacking midfielder Wanderson, after his sending off. Former Treze loanee Lusmar is joined, somewhat surprisingly, by Danilo Polizer. The defender was never top quality in Campina Grande, and I'm surprised anyone in the top flight has taken him on. I'm forced into two changes, with Ewerthon replacing Zárate and Anselmo coming in for Sandro Silva. Léo also returns to the side in place of Valmir Lucas. The fans pack the stadium from very early on. I'm required to speak through the PA system from the centre circle, as part of the "Fan Day" experience. A full set of home and away shirts, freshly washed of course, are handed out as prizes for various activities on the pitch. Eventually we get down to the pre-match ritual. Lusmar and Danilo Polizer both make the Goiás bench, and both come over for a few words during the warm-up, which is nice. It's hard to work out from the provided team-sheet what Goiás are planning, but once they get out on the pitch it becomes clearer. They're coming out to attack us, with a 4-2-3-1 formation which sees Wendell as the nominal striker, but with Alessandro attacking the left channel and Gilson Silva the right. They also have the tricky Roberson coming through the middle, and we really need to keep a close eye on all three of those sources of trouble. The game kicks off to a cacophony of noise, which probably works in our favour, as the referee gives Anselmo the benefit of the doubt for an early clumsy challenge. In terms of chances, the visitors keep us quiet for the first quarter of an hour. If we weren't on such a good run, that might have quieted the crowd, but full marks to them, they kept up the noise. It paid off when Ewerthon played a short corner to Márcio Araújo, who blasted the ball in via the man on the post. As Goiás come out on the counter, Diego Souza puts a good solid challenge on Wendell which leave the striker limping and feeling his thigh. Five minutes before the break, Ewerthon hits a shot from outside the area, which bounces back off the post. It wouldn't have counted, however, as the assistant on the near side indicated that Diego Souza was offside. We still scored a second before the break, though. Into stoppage time, Armero threw the ball to Ewerthon on the point of the area. The striker was forces away from the goal by defensive pressure, but turned and slipped the ball to Anselmo. He, too, was quickly closed down, but found Zé Carlos in space just a couple of yards away. Once again, the Goiás defence closed him down, but in doing so, allowed Diego Souza to get clear. Another simple ball left the playmaker with a shooting chance from the penalty shot. He didn't miss. The patter of the game changes with a two minute period of madness by the redheaded Souza, who upends Fábio Bahia on the halfway line and then, less than 90 seconds after being booked, charges straight into a sliding challenge on midfielder Rithely. The second foul was worse than the first, giving the referee no choice but to send him off. We reorganise, with Márcio Araújo and Diego Souza dropping back, whilst Goiás bring on Lusmar for Gilson Silva and inexpicably go to a more traditional 4-2-2-2 formation. Must have been something pre-planned before the red card. Some excellent defending restricts Goiás to long range shots through the tricky period whilst we adjust to the lack of an eleventh man. Léo picks up a yellow card. As the clock ticks into the last twenty minutes, I pull Ewerthon out of the attack and replace him with João Arthur. Despite having the majority of the possession, Goiás really don't cause us any problems for the rest of the game. Rithely struggles to finish the game, as does Wendell, who amazingly has been asked to play about seventy minutes with a clear knock. 30th September 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 25 Palmeiras (17-6-1) 2 Goiás (12-5-7) 0 (Márcio Araújo 18 [6th], Diego Souza 45+1 [17th], Souza sent off 52) Attendance: 43252 Man of the Match: Márcio Araújo, Palmeiras League Position: 1st A surprisingly easy victory, as Goiás completely belied their league position. All I can assume is that Rafael Moura must be a really key player for them, and that we were lucky to meet them when he was out of commission. That wasn't, apparently, our only piece of luck this weekend. Our fierce local rivals São Paulo went to Porto Alegre and did a smash and grab job on Grêmio, grabbing an early goal and then defending for all they were worth. The home side lost midfielder Tinga to a red card just before half time, which really didn't help their cause. Cruzeiro also lost at the hand of a São Paulo side, Portuguesa, whilst a home defeat for Vitória completed the set for the top seven clubs. O Clássico das Multidões goes off with a bang at the Mineirão, with Atlético storming into a 4-0 first half lead, and running out eventual winners by six goals to two. Grêmio play their game in hand on Wednesday night, which turns out to be a very disappointing 0-0 home draw with Vasco, giving us a clear 12 point lead in the table. Brasileirão (partial table) - 3rd October 2012 | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Palmeiras | | 25 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 43 | 11 | +32 | 60 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Grêmio | | 25 | 13 | 9 | 3 | 24 | 6 | +18 | 48 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Atlético Paranaense | | 25 | 13 | 4 | 8 | 25 | 13 | +12 | 43 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Cruzeiro | | 25 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 28 | 17 | +11 | 42 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Goiás | | 25 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 28 | 18 | +10 | 41 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | Flamengo | | 25 | 12 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 24 | +1 | 41 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 15, 2011 Author Share Posted January 15, 2011 Chapter 159 - Seaside Rendezvous The short trip to the seaside to play Santos is a good excuse for a couple of days rest for the squad. We put the squad up in a four star spa resort out on the peninsula in Guarujá, and organise a few relaxing activities for the players. Meanwhile, the coaching staff meet to discuss a Santos side we know quite well. They're currently in the middle of an awful run of form, taking six points from the last eight fixtures, and scoring just twice in the process. In fact, they've only notched 13 league goals all season, Five of those have come from want-away striker André, whilst fellow striker Tiago Luís has scored one. Only one other striker on the books has scored a goal; Stefan, against Treze. In midfield, however, they have a familar face in former Treze and Palmeiras stalwart David. We hire out one of the Hotel lounges for a Saturday night team viewing of the pick of the fixtures, which sees Cruzeiro and Vitória meet to decide who will get back to winning ways. A Borges double means it's Cruzeiro who take the points, and climb temporarily back to 3rd. After that, it's an early night before our own appointment with the TV people. There aren't too many selection headaches to spoil my sleep. I've alread told Marcos that Deola will get a chance in this game, and Souza's suspension means that Sandro Silva automatically returns to the side. It's a landmark game for a couple of players: Diego Souza's 200th league game for us, and Murilo Gomes' 50th. Santos line up in a 4-2-2-2 formation, as expected, but with no sign of David in the match-day 18. We plan to pay close attention to André; both on the field and off it, as my chief scout is in the stand to provide an official report. Before kickoff, he sends down a message that there is a familiar face - Portsmouth's Terry Gibson - sitting near him. Our early pressure leads to absolutely nothing, unlike Santos' first set-piece, which is delivered straight to Bruno Rodrigo at the far post. It's the defender's first goal of the season, and sets three sides of the ground alight with noise. We're all at sixes and sevens following that goal, and Santos have the ball in the net again before the half hour mark, when André finds space for a long range shot. It takes a deflection, and Tiago Luís pounces to finish; fortunately for us, from an offside position. Eventually, the referee brings the first half to a close, and my players troop silently to the dressing room. They know what's coming, and I don't bother holding back. They've been dreadful, utterly dreadful, and not a single one of them escapes criticism. I tell them they've got twenty minutes to sort it out, and send them back onto the field. Finally, at the end of that twenty minute period, we work their keeper. Márcio Araújo hits it from long range, but sees his effort tipped round the post. Encouragement, at least. It persuades me to give the current eleven just a little more time, and that patience almost pays off when Diego Souza directs a header narrowly over the bar. With fifteen minutes to go, I make a triple change, with Jael, Maicon and Cleiton Xavier taking to the field of play. Cleiton Xavier soon gets into play, and puts a ball across for Jael, who heads over in a similar fashion to Diego Souza. We never looked like scoring to be honest. 7th October 2012, Vila Belmiro (Santos, SP), Série A, Round 26 Santos (7-8-10) 1 Palmeiras (18-6-1) 0 (Bruno Rodrigo 14 [1st]) Attendance: 17655 Man of the Match: Bruno Rodrigo (DC), Santos League Position: 1st And so Grêmio took full advantage with a 1-0 win at Coritiba, closing the gap to nine points. Goiás and Atlético Paranaense played out a 1-1 draw. In my personal pick of the other games, Treze won 3-1 at Internacional to cement their mid table position. All of this is completely secondary to our result, though. We were poor. It doesn't matter that we've gone 22 unbeaten before today, that performance was unacceptable. It's the last time, for sure, that we'll have a relaxing build up to a game this season. I'll make sure of that. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 16, 2011 Author Share Posted January 16, 2011 Chapter 160 - A lot of Cross people The atmosphere is not good through the week. Players give me a wide birth, quite rightly. There's a perfect opportunity to bounce back against Cruzeiro in our next home game, and for that reason I take the unusual step of denying the Argentine FA's request for Mariano Zárate to be released to the U20 squad for games either side of the weekend. The scout report on André arrives on my desk early in the week. It backs up the striker's reputation, but says that we will struggle to prise him away from Santos. We'll see about that in January. I'll be looking to spend a fair bit of money strengthening for the Libertadores challenge in the first half of the year, and André is fairly high on my shopping list. There are six Série A games on Wednesday evening, not involving us because our booked opposition, Fluminense, are involved in the Copa Sudamerica. Treze also feature in that competition, giving me a perfect opportunity to wallow in some televised football. Treze, trailing 2-1 after the first leg, have it all to do in Lima. After a tetchy first half, Rafael Diógenes opens the scoring early in the second half. Alianza equalise on the night six minutes later, but Diógenes adds a second on the hour, tieing up the scoreline in the only manner that could lead to penalties. The odds on that happening looked slim, though, after three goals in ten minutes. Both sides probably had enough chances to win the game, but neither could find the net in the remainder of the ninety minutes, and with no extra time in this competition, penalties were the outcome. Diógenes, Simão, Radamés, Kiko and Luis all scored their spot-kicks. Unfortunately, so did the first five takers for Alianza. The home side had the advantage of going first in sudden death, and made no mistake. Captain Tiago Messias was also spot on. Alianza slotted home their 7th successful penalty, and it was left to Héctor Hernández (a player who wouldn't even have been in the lineup under my stewardship) to slip up and end his team's continental escapades. Back in the league, Grêmio and Cruzeiro both won, the second placed team notching their 22nd clean sheet of the season - surely some sort of record in the making? Although Zárate stayed at home, Pablo Armero did go on his travels - helping Colombia maintain their position at the top of the World Cup qualifying group, with a 3-1 win in Ecuador. He'll now make the journey to La Paz in Bolivia for another game on Wednesday. You can't deny that Cruzeiro are a strong team, even if they have struggled in the middle of the season and slipped off the pace. In Borges they have a rare thing - a ten goal Série A striker. The 32 year old is in his second season with the Cross, contributing eight goals in the championship winning side last season as well. They can select from Kléber (who has never quite lived up to his 2010 form which saw him notch 29 Série A goals) or Wilson Júnior alongside him. Our scouts report that they may struggle for midfield strength this weekend, with Paraguayan Néstor Ortigoza away on international duty, Bernado suspended and long term injury victim Fabrício also out The seven afternoon fixtures complete whilst we're preparing for our game. A win (and another clean sheet) for Grêmio in one of the televised games keeps the pressure on, whilst Treze claim another win on the road, at Portuguesa. Souza returns to our lineup, as does Zárate. I toy with dropping Ewerthon, but keep the faith, letting him know that he needs to put on a display in front of the home fans. Cleiton Xavier comes in, as does Gabriel, to complete the changes. Surprisingly, Borges is only on the bench for the visitors, 20 year old Dudu getting the nod alongside Kléber. The stadium is filled with a mass of green and white, and the fans do their part throughout a first half which doesn't really live up to the expectation set by the fixture. It's played at a very slow pace, almost stationary at times. Cleiton Xavier fails to find his range on a couple of occasions, and at the other end Dudu fails to take a chance created for him by some sloppy aerial defending. Paulo André and Cleiton Xavier collected yellow cards, with the latter receiving a slightly debilitating knock as well. But when we created a good chance, we took it. As the game entered stoppage time, Sandro Silva looked to thread a through ball to Zárate. It flicked off a defender and Zárate reacted quicket, turning and firing past the keeper into the far corner. Cleiton Xavier can't continue after half time, so Márcio Araújo comes on, giving us a more defensive look to our midfield. Cruzeiro replace Dudu with Borges, which causes some rapid rethinking in our defence. For twenty minutes we seem content to absorb the visitors pressure, keeping Kléber and Borges quiet. Then Cruzeiro win a freekick, for a foul which sees Souza booked. Durval fires it past the near side of the wall, but the ball deflects off Gabriel, and then off Márcio Araújo, before spinning out to Paulo André. His touch is too firm, allowing Ewerthon to nip in and steal possession. It's an ideal opportunity to counter attack, as Zárate races through the middle and waits for Ewerthon to make the pass. But when it came it was poor, and Caruzzo cut it out. All of a sudden we were turned, and Borges slipped the ball through to Kléber, allowing the striker a simple equaliser. There's no immediate reaction, which is disappointing. There's no reaction at all from Ewerthon, which is worrying. As my opposite number makes his last two changes, I do the same, giving Zé Carlos and João Arthur ten minutes to see what they can do. The answer: nothing. 14th October 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 27 Palmeiras (18-6-2) 1 Cruzeiro (13-9-5) 1 (Zárate 45+2 [12th], Kléber 66 [17th]) Attendance: 44300 Man of the Match: Luís Felipe, Palmeiras League Position: 1st More points dropped, and Grêmio are starting to breathe down our necks now. Cleiton Xavier's yellow triggers another suspension, so there will be changes again for next Wednesday's game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 17, 2011 Author Share Posted January 17, 2011 Chapter 161 - Do the Maracanã The midweek trip to Rio will be straight in, straight out, hopefully with three points. Fluminense are missing their defensive midfield pair of Leandro Euzébio and Diguinho through suspension, and a handful of other first team players with injuries. Our scout network suggests that their intense schedule of travelling for the Copa Sudamericana is catching up with them. They've been hit and miss in the league recently, but in Alan they have an in form striker, who is also on my new year shopping list. Márcio Araújo replaces Cleiton Xavier, the playmaker having stayed at home through suspension. Through arrogance, I persist with Ewerthon again, although at some point soon I may have to yield. The Maracanã is sparsely populated - apart from a corner of green clad Palmeiras fans that is. It's a shame for such a grand stadium. It's quiet, and gets quieter after two and a half minutes when Ewerthon plays a through ball which Diego Souza storms through and collects. One on one with the keeper, he makes absolutely no mistake and gives us a lead that should calm our nerves. Quarter of an hour later, Ewerthon plays an identical ball, but Zárate just doesn't have the pace to outrun the Fluminense defender. A chance gone, but good play from my poacher. Just before the half hour mark, Ewerthon does the running himself, gets to the byline, twists and turns to fool his marker, and then plays the ball back into the middle for Souza. The redhead hits it sweetly, and despite Rafael's best effort, we're two-nil up, and heading towards a cleansing of our previous poor performances. Right back Gonçalves causes us a few problems heading through the last fifteen minutes of the half, getting into some extremely advanced positions, and forcing strong challenges from our defensive line. They, too, are clearly growing in confidence as the game progresses, and when Diogo is challenged after collecting a Gonçalves cross, I'm up on my feet applauding the defence. The referee has other ideas, and points to the spot; an outrageous penalty decision, which the home fans grasp on to with all their hopes. Murilo Gomes is booked, but I don't notice. I don't even really notice when Darío Conca puts away the spot kick. I fume off the field at half time, and it takes me most of the break to calm down sufficiently to give a decent team talk. The thing is, my players have done nothing wrong, and the game should be as good as over. Instead, we're staring down the barrel again, and the only thing standing between us and more lost points is my players' flakey confidence. Not winning this game might just finish them, and bring about a Palmeiras slide of similar proportions to that my predecessor suffered last season. My worst fears are almost realised when Fluminense break straight from the kickoff, and Deola is forced to push a shot from Bruno Veiga round the post. Souza brings the ball away from the corner, and finds Zárate on the halfway line. The striker holds up the ball, waiting for support, and is decked by a sliding challenge from Tartá. The referee turns a blind eye, but then books Souza for a soft challenge thirty seconds later. I'm pretty sure smoke is starting to come out of my ears by this point. My opposite number withdraws Tartá at the next opportunity, as if with a nod towards the fact that he got away with it. I'm preparing my own substitutions when the referee awards Fluminense a freekick ten yards outside the area. Darío Conca lines it up, and a wicked deflection renders Deola a spectator. The ball bounces down off the crossbar, almost into Deola's arms. He catches it on the second bounce, and I start breathing again. Jael is my first introduction, with just over twenty minutes to go, but he doesn't get straight into the action, as we're forced to defend when Fluminense raid down the left and a deep cross finds that man Gonçalves free at the deep post. His downwards header is straight at the keeper. We respond, sending Jael away down the right with a long pass from the defence. He jigs and jags, twisting and turning, before cutting a ball back for an advancing Sandro Silva. The midfielder's shot finishes just wide of the post. With ten minutes to go, Marquinhos and Anselmo come on, as we try to back off from the frenetic pace a little. Five minutes later, Fluminense have a throw in on the left. They work the ball into the box through a Diogo cross, and we make several attempts to clear. We get it as far as ten yards out of the box before Cesinha nods down to Darío Conca, who spots the advancing leftback João Paulo. He hits a first time strike which Deola doesn't even see on it's way to the roof of the net. My knees go weak, and I have to grab hold of the side of the dugout for support. The Fluminense team gather on the touchline for some sort of Samba celebration. I don't know why they bother, as there's barely anyone watching. Sensing blood, Fluminense come forward for the kill, and they almost get it when Moraís forces Deola into another smart save. Gabriel brings the ball away, and we soon win a corner at the other end. Marquinhos sends it deep, and the red head of Souza rises above the crowd. He connects, but sends it just over the bar. Agonisingly, in fact. We're into the last minute or so now. Alan comes deep to collect the ball, but can't make any headway. Ewerthon and Jael lose out in an aerial battle just outside the Fluminense area. Luís Felipe is well challenged by João Paulo when advancing down the right. Then Souza, through frustration, slides through Bruno Veiga. The referee calls him over, and we all know the outcome - a second booking for the midfielder. Adding insult to injury; rubbing salt into the wounds. Create your own metaphor. 17th October 2012, Maracanã (Rio de Janeiro, RJ), Série A, Round 28 Fluminense (9-4-13) 2 Palmeiras (18-7-2) 2 (Diego Souza 3 [18th], Souza 30 [5th], Darío Conca 40pen [8th], João Paulo 86 [3rd], Palmeiras' Souza sent off, 90+4) Attendance: 15249 Man of the Match: Ewerthon, Palmeiras League Position: 1st Three games without a win, and that 22 game unbeaten run seems like a long time ago. The fans aren't particularly impressed, but they're not as ****ed off as I am, I can guarantee that. At least Ewerthon re-found his form. Small mercies, etc. I didn't want to think about the game on the long coach journey back. The only thing capable of distracting me was Treze's game against Vitória, who had dropped to mid table with a loss of form that made ours pale into insignificance. Two first half goals for Rafael Diógenes set them on their way, and a second half header from Tiago Messias made the points safe, before the visitors got a consolation goal. Ricardo Goulart ran riot, giving me a timely nudge as I prepare my January shopping list. The win lifts them to 9th, and with a precious game in hand that could move them even higher. They face us in ten days at Palestra Itália, and I wouldn't be surprised to see them take all three points in that game as well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 18, 2011 Author Share Posted January 18, 2011 Chapter 162 - Ten Games To Go I'm told it was only a five hour journey back to São Paulo. It certainly seemed like we were only back in the city for five minutes before we were flying off to Porto Alegre for our Saturday evening clash with Internacional. We couldn't even fit a proper training session in between journies. All that travel time meant too much opportunity to dwell. I tried everything to tell myself that this loss of form wasn't the end of the world. I even resorted to telling myself that winning the league wasn't important, as long as we qualified for the Libertadores. It didn't work. I couldn't help but recall the team's last ten games of last season, where they only won two and ended up third. You can bet the Cruzeiro and Grêmio managers remember it as well. Our final ten fixtures feature teams which can cause us a lot of damage. Two more trips to Rio, and of course that massive last day return to Porto Alegre, which our airport coach driver clearly has on his mind, as he takes a completely unnecessary detour past the Olímpico Monumental stadium on his way to our hotel. Must be a Grêmio fan. Treze at home, will be dangerous, as they'll be out to get us, whilst the clássico against Corinthians won't exactly be a cake walk either. Almost lost in the noise is Pablo Armero's second appearance of the week for Colombia. He has a good game, but his country allow the others to catch up a little by only getting a 2-2 draw in Bolivia. Guto Ferreira's Internacional find themselves marooned in mid-table again. They've struggled all season to score goals, with top scorers Taison and Alecsandro managing ten out of the team's sixteen this season. Taison gets his goals from midfield, and Internacional have struggled to find a striker to pair with Alecsandro regularly. A familiar name lurks, in Lucas Roggia, but he hasn't scored since July and seems to have lost favour, with Cruzeiro loanee Soares starting most of the games. Most of this trouble has come about due to the loss of Wanderley with cruciate ligament damage early in the year. There are a total of four changes in our starting eleven from the last game. Pierre comes in for Souza; Marcos replaces Deola and Pablo Armero returns from international duty; and Maurício starts in place of Murilo Gomes. Cometh the hour of the exchange of teamsheets, it becomes clear that Taison has inexplicably been dropped. Neither does Soares start. Instead, Ferreira chooses to pair Lucas Roggia with Thiago Humberto, who has only played in four games and hasn't scored this season. The midfield selection is just as confusing, Colombian Dawhling Leudo makes only his second appearance since signing from Deportivo Cali for £5.5m. His partner, Edno, on loan from Corinthians, has only just managed ten appearances. The central defensive pairing only have 22 appearances between them. Very, very strange. It's an interesting opening few minutes. Ewerthon almost plays Diego Souza in for a repeat of the first goal in Rio. The Internacional defence have obviously seen that movie, and get back to put a tackle in. The left back comes away with the ball, seemingly heading nowhere, before launching a huge curling ball down the line. It almost goes out of play, but bends inward to drop perfectly at the feet of Thiago Humberto. Maurício gets across and barges him unceremoniously (and illegally) off the ball. A couple of minutes later, Armero curls a cross towards the far post, which fails to swing as much as he intended, and ends up bouncing off the crossbar with the keeper flailing. The ball is launched down the left again, and once more Thiago Humberto picks it up. Maurício gets across yet again, and repeats his agricultural challenge of early. The only problem being that this time it's in the area. He's not happy about the decision, but you'd expect that. It's captain Bolívar on penalty duties. It could have been worse; it could have been Lucas Roggia. At least we've got time to do something about the adverse scoreline this time. Although we almost don't, when Bolívar gets free and puts in a cross straight onto Thiago Humberto's head. Fortunately, the striker continues not to trouble the scoreboard operator. A superb, powerful header puts Zárate through on goal soon after, but the keeper is equal to his shot. It's adrenaline pumping stuff, and I can hardly believe only fifteen minutes have passed. The next few minutes prove equally intense. Maurício's peculiar defensive style is adopted by both Pablo Guiñazú and Dawhling Leudo, outside the area on each occasion unfortunately, whilst a strange sequence of passes in the final third almost inadvertently sets Internacional on the counter - that man Bolívar somehow getting forward to put another dangerous cross into the mixer. We get lots of possession in and around the final third, but the midfield seem scared to shoot, instead preferring to endlessly recycle the ball out onto the wings. The game is crying out for Cleiton Xavier, and I make a mental note to make that happen at the break, just as Sandro Silva finally splits the defence with a pass that finds Ewerthon in an extremely Ewerthon-like position. This time the keeper isn't stopping it. After a casual glance at the linesman, I join in the team's celebrations. It's soon half time, and the team have saved themselves from another roasting. So much is the relief, that I actually forget that I had planned to introduce Cleiton Xavier. Internacional sub the carded Kevin Cura, and shortly after the restart introduce the experienced Fábio Rochemback for Edno. Three minutes later, Igor limps off and Ferreira is forced to complete his substitutions by bringing on Élson. On the hour mark, after we'd failed to create a single chance, I make a triple change. Pablo Armero is struggling, so makes way for Filipi. Zárate has struggled to keep himself onside when the Internacional defence push up, and Jael replaces him. Finally, Cleiton Xavier comes on, with license to shoot. Almost immediately, Jael has a gilt edged chance, which he heads over from close range. All in all, it's a much less frenetic second half. Neither side really look like scoring, and as a result our winless streak continues. 20th October 2012, Beira-Rio (Porto Alegre, RS), Série A, Round 29 Internacional (9-8-11) 1 Palmeiras (18-8-2) 1 (Bolívar 9pen [6th], Ewerthon 33 [26th]) Attendance: 17337 Man of the Match: Bolívar (DR), Internacional League Position: 1st It turns out that might actually be a point gained, as news filters through that Santos have done us a massive favour, beating Grêmio 3-1. Beating Grêmio is one thing, scoring three past them is unbelievable. Six points ahead again now. Seven matches take place on Sunday, with Cruzeiro picking up a win against Corinthians. As for Treze, they faced 4th placed Atlético Paranaense at PV. That man Rafael Diógenes was on the scoresheet again, as the underdogs ran out 1-0 winners, and moved up to 7th. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 19, 2011 Author Share Posted January 19, 2011 Chapter 163 - Thirteen in the 'hood It wouldn't do for me to be able to keep the same team from one game to the next. Pierre's yellow card in his first game for ages saw to that, but further injury news becomes apparent once we're back in São Paulo. What appeared at the time to be a dead leg for Diego Souza suffered swelling overnight, and means he will be out for at least a week. National papers are now picking up on our unsuccessful streak. The leading São Paulo based tabloids go with the headline "Verdão title dream a nightmare", which seems to scan equally well in English and Portuguese. Most pundits expect us to bounce back with a hoome victory over one of the divisions smaller teams next weekend, but I know better. This is Treze we're talking about. One thing that swings in our favour is that Treze have a midweek road trip in Rio to deal with. It's not televised nationally, and the São Paulo TV and Radio stations are focussing on Santos' match with 4th placed Flamengo, forcing me to catch updates on the internet. The game is settled by one goal just into the second half. No, it's not Rafael Diógenes this time, but Flu's Bruno Veiga, who breaks free of the high Treze defence after Joâo Paulo gives the ball away. True, Tartá missed a penalty later in the half, but it was still a tight affair, and the error didn't stop the Treze fullback from winning the man of the match award. Flamengo won 2-1 in the city by the sea, and look to be the team most likely to mount a late challenge for the top 3. We play them a month from now. Midweek training is halted when a clash between Zé Carlos and Cássio leaves the striker screaming in pain. The medics rush out of the training ground buildings, and the sheer number of them, combined with the furious activity around the injured players tells me it's a bad one. By the time I arrive the diagnosis is made, the immediate treatment is dispensed and Zé Carlos is on his feet, still grimacing, and being helped towards the medical centre. It's a dislocated shoulder, and spells the end of his season. A massive shame for the lad. The morning of our game, the São Paulo footballing media run with a story that says Léo and Sandro Silva are strong contenders for the player of the year award. They then go on to controversially add that the current favourite is none other than Rafael Diógenes. Now I've mentioned him a number of times, and probably know more about him than most Série A managers due to the close attention I pay to Treze matches, but that still comes as a surprise. If there was a breakthrough award, I could understand him winning that, but for a player playing his first full season in Série A, and at such an unfancied club, it's unexpected. It'll also add a good couple of million to his asking price, I suspect. As for today's Treze side, well we'll have to watch out for Luís, who is matching his younger strike partner step for step in terms of league goals scored. Ricardo Goulart we know a lot about, but unless he's improved his stamina since last season he must be unlikely to feature after playing 90 minutes on Wednesday. Radamés is injured, but other players I know well; Rafael Dida, João Paulo, Cleidson, Marcos Paulo, Tiago Messias and Kiko are in good contention for a starting place. We probably face bigger selection issues ourselves. No Diego Souza, no Zé Carlos and no Pierre. Cleiton Xavier and Souza will start. The Treze teamsheet reads: Rafael Dida; Jonas; Emmanuel Dorrego; Fernando Santos; Hector Hernández; Audálio; Marcos Paulo; Bruno; Kiko; Luís and Rafael Diógenes. A total of eight of my signings, and another five on the bench. My team talk consists of telling the players that they bloody well better go out and get a win, not just because of our recent poor form, but because of who it is in the other dressing room. They start well, letting Treze (and in particular, Kiko) know that they have a physical game on their hands. Just five minutes in, Luís Felipe gets down the right and worries the Treze left back before pulling the ball back to Souza. The midfielder hits it first time, and it crashed past Rafael Dida into the roof of the net. He celebrates, running to the bench as if indicating that he'd done as he was told. But I knew just how many leads we'd thrown away recently. Souza is clear in a shooting position again before twenty minutes is up. He's a man on a mission today, and he draws a typically top drawer save from Rafael Dida with his twenty yard effort. We're playing some excellent possession football, Pinging the ball around, and finding space, with a definite display of more urgency than usual. On 25 minutes Maurício challenges for possession, and plays a controlled ball forward for Cleiton Xavier. The playmaker takes one touch before lofting a ball to the feet of Zárate. He plays a ball to the feet of Ewerthon, who has Hérnandez in very close proximity. Ewerthon shrugs off the challenge with an excellent (an unusual)display of strength, and places the ball perfectly in the corner, out of the reach of the keeper. Get in! Once again the frankly useless Hérnandez has let his side down. Pretty much straight away we're on the attack again. We win a corner, which Cleiton Xavier pings to Sandro Silva twelve yards out. He holds on to possession, giving Cleiton Xavier time to overlap and find some space. He receives the ball, and floats it towards the near post, and Bruno heads clear. Luís Felipe collects, and feeds it back to Cleiton Xavier, who is still in space just outside the area. Cleiton Xavier + space + shooting range = trouble. It's a while since we've seen a Cleiton Xavier special. It gives Rafael Dida no chance. At 3-0 up, even we can't throw this one away, can we? The half hour mark passes, but we're not letting up today. Armero and Sandro Silva work a move down the left, which ends up with the midfielder having the ball in about the same place Cleiton Xavier just scored from. He proves that he is equally as deadly from that range, although with more finesse than power, as his shot is closer to the keeper, but drops over his outstretched arm. Of the four, it's probably the one Rafael Dida should feel most upset with. If he can hear himself think; the noise in Palestra Itália is unbearable at the moment. I feel a little bit sorry, if I'm honest, for the small group of travelling fans tucked away in the corner. Fans that a year ago would have been cheering me, and who now must be feeling disconsolate at their team's performance. Maybe it's time to ease off a bit? We get to stoppage time, and then Ewerthon runs on to a Sandro Silva through ball. He gets clear of the defence and shoots, but it hits the post, and the linesman raises his flag as well. There really is nothing that needs to be said at half time. Out of choice rather than necessity, I introduce Anselmo and Jael for Márcio Araújo and Zárate, and tell the whole side to go out and enjoy the second half. Treze's current manager makes a couple of changes as well, with Simão and Cleidson coming on for Bruno and Dorrego, who in particular has been shocking. It's a much quieter second half, from Rafael Dida's perspective especially. Treze have settled for damage limitation, with Rafael Diógenes settling into a deeper role in midfield. We play pretty football, and create a couple of chances, but the number of bodies in the Treze box doesn't help us convert any. Jael has a header which drops onto the top of the crossbar, and has to be cleared smartly away by the third Treze substitute, Fernando Silvério before Ewerthon can tap it in. My last change involves Marquinhos replacing Cleiton Xavier, who leaves the field to a standing ovation. His hunger for game time should have made a difference to our approach for the last fifteen minutes. It didn't, but that's not a disaster in the grand scheme of things. 27th October 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 29 Palmeiras (18-9-2) 4 Treze (11-9-9) 0 (Souza 5 [6th], Ewerthon 26 [27th], Cleiton Xavier 29 [12th], Sandro Silva 32 [13th]) Attendance: 33854 Man of the Match: Luís Felipe, Palmeiras League Position: 1st With Vítoria holding out for a goalless draw at Atlético Paranaense, and the relegation battle between Vasco and Portuguesa also ending in a draw, our match is certainly the pick of the highlights show. Of course, it was the only one not televised in the first place, which was a bad decision by someone. The Treze staff, very decently, stay around for a bit of a chat, a bite to eat and a drink or two. It's an opportunity to find out how the new stadium is progressing (it isn't) and catch up on the progress of our loaned out players. The Treze delegation return north on Sunday morning, and with my squad enjoying a day off, I can settle down to keep my eye on the other seven league fixtures. There are two top six games, Grêmio x Goiás and Flamengo x Cruzeiro, as well as a couple of games in the city. Grêmio cruise to a comfortable 2-0 win through first half goals, whilst 3rd vs 4th ends in a 1-1 draw, which helps neither of their diminishing chances of finishing in the top two. Brasileirão (partial table) - 28th October 2012 | Pos | Inf | Team | | Pld | Won | Drn | Lst | For | Ag | G.D. | Pts | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 1st | | Palmeiras | | 30 | 19 | 9 | 2 | 51 | 16 | +35 | 66 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 2nd | | Grêmio | | 30 | 17 | 9 | 4 | 30 | 9 | +21 | 60 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 3rd | | Cruzeiro | | 30 | 14 | 11 | 5 | 35 | 19 | +16 | 53 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 4th | | Flamengo | | 30 | 15 | 7 | 8 | 34 | 27 | +7 | 52 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 5th | | Atlético Paranaense | | 30 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 27 | 17 | +10 | 48 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 6th | | São Paulo | | 30 | 13 | 4 | 13 | 18 | 19 | -1 | 43 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 7th | | Goiás | | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 30 | 26 | +4 | 43 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 8th | | Botafogo | | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 23 | 21 | +2 | 42 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 9th | | Treze | | 30 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 34 | 38 | -4 | 42 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 10th | | Corinthians | | 30 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 15 | +1 | 42 | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 22, 2011 Author Share Posted January 22, 2011 Chapter 164 - Pa-Po, or Top v Almost Bottom The pundits make us odds on favourites for the Clássico Pa-Po against relegation favourites Portuguesa. But then, they've changed their mind about the player of the year award as well, putting Cleiton Xavier at the head of a list of five Palmeiras players as favourites. Midweek Clássicos in Série A are rare beasts, and they come with their own particular atmosphere. And, of course, there's not much preparation time. Currently in 19th place, the Portuguese are eight points from safety with eight games left. Not the best of equations. Their main problem is goals, especially from midfield. Only 15 scored all season, and strikers Luís Ricardo and William have ten between them. It's not all doom and gloom, though, as in midfield they have the experienced and highly rated Tinga, and Atlético Mineiro loanee Soutto. I'd like nothing more than to keep a winning team intact, but the game next Sunday against Atlético Paranaense is a tougher tie on paper. I pencil in all sorts of changes, but eventually settle on just three - Filipi, Marquinhos and Pierre for Luíe Felipe, Cleiton Xavier and Souza. Our scouting hasn't prepared us at all for Portuguesa's 4-3-1-2 formation. Soutto is left on the bench, with veteran Marcos Paulo alongside Tinga and Rai. There's also no place for Luís Carlos, as Dinei accompanies William up front. We should have been ahead after eight minutes. Pablo Armero floated a dangerous cross right onto the penalty spot, and Zárate got up to head it first, but his header was straight at the keeper. A similar chance falls to Zárate again after quarter of an hour, but the keeper does well again. Léo picks up an unnecessary yellow card after twenty minutes, and two minutes later Pierre is forced off with an injury. It's unfortunate for the midfielder, who seems to have something go against him every time he makes it into the team. Anselmo replaces him. The visitor's first chance comes from a freekick on the right. It's whipped in, and Rai rises to fire a header just over the bar. he falls awkwardly, and it's clear straight away that he, too, will play no further part in the game. I expcet to see Soutto enter the field, but no, left sided Johnny comes on. We dominate possession for the rest of the half, and I see some real scoring opportunities wasted, notably by Marquinhos. It will only take one chance, on moment of lost concentration, to make us pay though, and it almost happens around the half hour when a corner is pulled back to Preto on the edge of the D. No-one moves out to close the striker down, and Marcos is forced into a full length save when the shot comes in. Down at the other end, Márcio Araújo hits the bar from long range. Ewerthon goes in for the rebound, but it's well defended by Tinga. Marquinhos' corner is delivered excellently, beyond the keeper where Léo and Maurício leap. The captain connects, and it's a bullet header which gives Andrey in the Portuguesa goal no chance. It's the last meaningful action of the half. Willian replaces a largely ineffective Marquinhos at half time. It's probably tempting fate to say we're comfortable, but, well, we are. Consider fate well and truly tempted when Portuguesa win a freekick virtually on the penalty box line just four minutes into the second half. Preto lines it up, and blasts it straight at the edge of the wall. It richochets off, and Marcos just manages to divert it onto the bar and away. Five minutes later, having not learned out lesson, we give away another free kick in a dangerous position. Preto, once again, lines up to take it. This time he rounds the wall, and slips the ball into the blind spot between Marcos and the near post. At the next opportunity, I remove Ewerthon in favour of Jael. The Portuguesa manager responds by introducing Soutto, knowing that will give me something else to think about. Their final change happens on 75 minutes, when Luís Carlos enters the field. We win a corner soon after, which Zárate curls in. Poor Luís Carlos tries to connect with his first touch of the game, but only manages to kick Sandro Silva up in the air. Zárate heads to take the penalty kick, but at the last minute turns away, and indicates Jael should step up. The substitute striker nods, and lines up to address the ball. He steps up and picks placement over power, putting it beyond the rech of the outstretched keeper. Andrey stays on the floor for a long time after the kick is taken, and amidst our celebrations, is administered by the physio. Four minutes of stoppage time, then, and they are very eventful. Jael's superior height sets Zárate away down the left. He cuts in and plays the ball into a group of fast advancing players in the box. Somehow, it trickles away from the group of legs and into the arms of the grateful keeper. At the other end, Léo gets his body in front of a Portuguesa attacker, and shepherds him professionally away from the danger area - a move which if Maurício had been involved would have left me having kittens. Willian, completely invisible for most of his time on the field, gets back and makes a great challenge ten yards outside his own area to break up another good Portuguesa challenge. Then Jael gallops away from the defence down the left after a superb long ball from Léo. Again, he cuts in, but no-one can get on the end of his final ball into the box. Portuguesa attack one last time, and a sweet pass from Soutto - his only notable contribution - puts their striker free. But there's that man Léo again, with another game-saving challenge. The referee blows his final whistle, and I'm left wondering just how long I'd been holding my breath for. 31st October 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 31 Palmeiras (19-9-2) 2 Portuguesa (6-8-16) 1 (Léo 38 [4th], Preto 54 [4th], Jael 81pen [11th]) Attendance: 42185 Man of the Match: Léo, Palmeiras League Position: 1st A huge cheer had gone up around the stadium about five minutes into the game. I'd initally put it down to a slightly delayed reaction to Léo's goal. I had been so engrossed in the preparations for the game that I'd actually forgotten the game between Grêmio and Cruzeiro was taking place, and was due to finish as we kicked off. News was waiting in the dressing room, and it was good. Thanks to a first half goal from Matías Caruzzo, Cruzeiro had done the unthinkable and won in Porto Alegre. It was the defender's first league goal of the season, and by all account he took it well. He didn't need to have, I would have kissed him had it gone in off his arse to be honest. Nine points in front, seven games to go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 23, 2011 Author Share Posted January 23, 2011 Chapter 165 - Arena da Baixada, revisitado Pick of the three Thursday night games is Treze, again, as they make their way back to Rio for a third game on the road in just over a week. They face 4th place Flamengo, and need to demonstrate bouncebackability to secure their top half position. Flamengo race into a 2-0 lead, with both goals coming from a player on my watchlist - Marquinhos. The eponimous Rafael Diógenes gets one back, but Treze concede again at the start of the second half. A goal in the last minute of normal time from Marcelinho puts my former employers in with a shout, but they can't push on for the equaliser. They stay 10th, for now. Santos put what must be the final nail in América FC (MG)'s coffin on Saturday evening, beating them 2-0 and leaving them 17 points from safety with 6 games remaining. The media pundits seem pretty confident ahead of our trip to Curitiba to play Atlético Paranaense. They were pretty confident last time, if I remember correctly, and we came out of that with a 2-1 victory which was eventually useless. I'd take that result this time. The Furacão have only scored once in the last three (or three times in the last seven - pick your favourite statistic), but when they score at home, they generally win. Given the threat posed by Adaílton, I'm surprised by their barren record. They'll be without the suspended midfielder Douglas for our match, and it's not clear who is going to replace him. For us, things are simpler. Cleiton Xavier, Luís Felipe and Souza return to the side. Pretty much my strongest side. Curitiba is only a 5 hour ride down the panoramic BR-116 into the neighbouring state, so we do our bit for the environment by foregoing the internal flight. Arena da Baixada is never easy to get to, though, and despite staying overnight in a hotel in the centre of the city, we're still almost late getting to the stadium. A fair number of Palmeiras fans have made the trip south-west, and I make a big thing out of pointing this out during the brief warm-up. I build on the fact during the team talk. These fans have come to see us win, and I don't want us to send them home disappointed. Early on, we almost get on the way to our goal. Cleiton Xavier and Ewerthon exchange passes, with the striker playing an exquisite back-heel into the midfielder's path. Cleiton Xavier's shot is on target, but gets turned round the post. He grins, shakes his head, and trots over to take the corner. Just after the quarter hour mark, Cleiton Xavier plays Ewerthon in. The striker makes sure the keeper isn't saving this one, opening the scoring in front of our travelling support. He heads over to them and celebrates like it really, really matters. It's all us for a good period of time after taking the lead. Armero finds himself in an unusual advanced central position, and takes the opportunity to get a shot away, with the result of nearly taking someone in row Y's head off. Luís Felipe gets onto a flick on at the far post, but can't keep his header down. Then he plays an inch perfect pass into the feet of Ewerthon when the opposition were expecting an aerial cross. Ewerthon controls the ball, turns round his marker, and fires it into the corner. He's on spanking form tonight. Atlético come back - they have to this time really - Alan Patrick takes the ball down the right and is double marked by Souza and Pablo Armero. Souza makes an excellent challenge, sending the ball wide to Wires. With Pablo Armero behind Souza and out of the game, Wires can take time to pick out his cross perfectly. It lands directly on Adaílton's head, who crashes through Luís Felipe and heads the ball goalwards. Marcos gets the tip of his finger on it, and it crashes off the bar. Wires gets it back, and this time Pablo Armero is there to tackle strongly and prevent the second cross. Guilherme collects the first yellow card of the evening, giving away a free kick ten yards outside the box. Cleiton Xavier waits for the wall to line up, then plays it sideways to Sandro Silva. He winds up his right foot and unleashes a shot. It takes a deflection and loops towards the top corner. The keeper jumps, but it evades his attempts, only to bounce back off the bar. And so we go into the break just 2-0 up, rather than any more. I can't complain; in fact I'm ecstatic. Reviewing the half during the break, I let the players know that I'm happy. They deserve praise when it's due. But at the same time, I let them know one or two things we could do better in the second half; mainly retaining possession as we're letting Atlético have too much of the ball. Admittedly, we're stopping them doing anything dangerous with it on the whole, but given our recent performance we know what can happen. Keeping the ball keeps down the number of chances at either end, although we do hit the woodwork again when Cleiton Xavier sends a freekick over to the far post, and Maurício heads against the top of the post. Then, from out of nowhere, we let Atlético back into the game. The ball flies out wide left to Guilherme, and Luís Felipe is a little slow off the mark closing him down, allowing the fullback to comfortable send the cross into the area. Only Bruno Paulo moves to attack, but Léo and Marcos get into a real mix-up, and the forwards header trickles over the goal line practically in slow motion. What a horrible goal. In response, I throw on Willian in place of Zárate, operating in a slightly deeper role. Retaining possession has just become even more important, and I make it clear I want to see out the last 25 minutes without even a sniff of a chance for the home side. Sandro Silva wastes a great opportunity as we dispossess Atlético mid counter attack, turning them on their heels. With options either side of him, the midfielder elects to fire one from range, and the looping shot never looked like troubling the keeper. Luís Felipe's thirty yard freekick ten minutes later was a different matter, however, grazing the cross bar and leaving the home fans behind the goal sighing with collective relief. Souza gets booked for persistent fouling, which bring a natural break in the game for me to give Anselmo ten minutes or so run out. Two minutes later, Atlético bring it slowly down the left through Claiton. he sends a harmless looking ball into the box to the feet of substitute striker Guto, who is well marked and has his back to goal. A blink later, and he's spun round Léo and blasted it into the top corner on Marcos' near side. Two goals for Atlético, and Adaílton hasn't had a sniff. Another two goal lead blown. I'm livid, and I'm probably not thinking too clearly when I scream at my players to get forward and get us the lead back. Sandro Silva heads just wide at the near post, making the most of a poorly delivered corner. Then Guto gets another header on target, which Marcos does marginally better, plucking it out of the air just above his head. Then, as we enter stoppage time, Cleiton Xavier does well to rise above Renan in midfield, and break up an attacking play from the home side. He directs the header right, and Luís Felipe heads it back to him. Having found space, he looks up, and finds Willian just inside the opposition half. A sharper player would have played the ball through first time for Ewerthon, putting him through one on one from about fourty yards out, but it would be harsh to fault the substitute. Instead, he does the sensible thing: takes a touch, and spreads play to the left. It's down to Pablo Armero to spray the first time ball into Ewerthon, who is forced to run diagonally towards the corner to collect it. He takes it forwards, then hits it on the turn. Arriving late on the edge of the area is the man who started the move, Cleiton Xavier, and he rockets a first time volley. It was going in. Right until the moment that Douglas somehow got a touch on it and diverted it over the bar. The bench were up as one, and it truly was one of those rare hands on heads moment where everyone does it at the same time. We must have looked like target practice for a firing squad. As the bench recovered their dignity, the corner came across; short, to Sandro Silva, who's first time shot was blocked behind by the on the ball defence. The second corner came deeper, and someone cleared it to Adaílton, cutting a very lonely figure up front. He hammered it anywhere, as the referee blew the final whistle. How many more times were we going to throw points away like this? 4th November 2012, Arena da Baixada (Curitiba, PR), Série A, Round 32 Atlético Paranaense (14-6-10) 2 Palmeiras (20-9-2) 2 (Ewerthon 16 [28th], 33 [29th], Bruno Paulo 64 [9th], Guto 82 [10th]) Attendance: 25174 Man of the Match: Ewerthon, Palmeiras League Position: 1st As for Grêmio, well they scored one and kept another clean sheet, to see off Internacional in Porto Alegre. Flamengo's 2-0 win over still-sliding Vitória, combined with Cruzeiro's 0-0 draw with Botafogo, ensured that the side from Rio leapt into third place. Atlético Paranaense stay 5th, but now have Corinthians, São Paulo and Goiás hot on their tail. It looks to be a battle between those eight for the five Libertadores places. Treze, meanwhile, are suffering their own mini-slide, going down at home by a single goal to Atlético Mineiro. Finally, Coritiba's 1-0 win at Fluminense not only lifted them out of the bottom four, but also sealed América's return to Série B. Six games to go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 Chapter 166 - Slip-sliding away The last of our long-haul trips to the Northeast takes us back to the peninsula city of Salvador. Vitória are in turmoil, slipping from 3rd to 13th thanks to just one win in fifteen games. They now find themselves just three points clear of the bottom four. Still, they'll probably come from behind and beat us 2-1. During the week, we receive confirmation of our first close-season departure. Out of contract defender Thiago Gomes, who it has to be said has never been a fixture in the first team during his eleven years as a Palmeiras player, will make his European debut at the age of 30, having agreed a deal with AS Nancy of France. There's a chance he may get a taste of UEFA Cup football in the new year, as Nancy are well placed midway through the group stages of that particular competition. Once the paper work to complete the transfer is out of the way, I find I've got to vote in the Player of the Year award. The shortlist is massive; some thirty-three players to rank first, second and third. I'm pleased to note that we have nine candidates, whilst Grêmio have three and Cruzeiro just two. Rather than voting for my own players, I cast my votes in the direction of three players I'd like to sign in the summer. Who are they? That would be telling... We do our homework on Vitória before we set off, although it's probably not worth it. Their form is so bad at the moment that their manager could throw any eleven players out and it probably wouldn't make a difference. The bizzare thing is, goals haven't been a problem for most of the season. In Vandinho and Jorge Henrique they have quality attackers. Unfortunately, for them, Jorge Henrique has a hamstring injury, which forced want-away Robert into action for the first time this year. They also have Cruzeiro's 22 year old Ecuadorian Fidel Martínez to call on up front. Wingbacks Leumir and Wellington will both need careful attention; both have provided significant ammunition for the strikers this season. In defence, 16 year old Rui has featured recently, having signed from Paulista in September. He's been having a hard time of it, and should be a target for us if he plays. Flying up on Saturday night, we miss the coverage of the weekend's first three games. Treze hold Corinthians 1-1 at home with a Ricardo Goulart equaliser in the second half, and one of our few remaining opponents Vasco da Gama are held 0-0 at relegated América. But the big news to greet us as we disembark the plane is that Grêmio have been held 0-0 by Fluminense in Rio. I'm so overjoyed that I immediately cable former Palmeiras manager Muricy Ramalho, to congratulate him on the result. It's only afterwards that I realise it probably doesn't mean that much to him, as all it does is keep them three points above the drop zone. Toying with the fans who had been vocal after we threw away the lead in Curitiba, I bring in Maicon and Deola for Zárate and Marcos. It's what they want to see, apparently. The scouts have done their work reasonably well, scoring points for the prediction of Robert alongside Vandinho, but losing them due to the absence of Rui in defence - he doesn't even make the bench. Barradão is an unusual Brazilian stadium. It's set into the side of a hill, which means that the actual paying attendance is often quite misleading, due to the number of fans watching the game for free from the hillside behind two of the stands. You don't even get the benefit of a roof if you pay, meaning that everyone is equally drenched in the rainy northeast conditions. The pitch is ripe for a sliding challenge or two, and that's the excuse we use to hit Vandinho early. He shakes off the knock and seeks retribution at the first opportunity on Pablo Armero. This could get tasty! Wellington is the subject of yet another heavy challenge, but appears to shake it off. Maybe not, as the referee signals for a substitution to be made. Amazingly, it's Robert leaving the field, and Fidel Martínez coming on. Where did that come from? Our first chance comes shortly after the change, with Cleiton Xavier receiving the ball from Luís Felipe after the right back had made a good twisting run on the wet surface. Cleverly, Cleiton Xavier goes for the hard shot along the ground, forcing Viáfara to sprawl on the floor. He does well to hold on to the greasy ball. Wellington again finds himself on the ground after an altercation with Márcio Araújo, but the referee decides enough is enough when Léo drags down Vandinho. No booking, just a freekick, but it's a line in the sand. As time progresses, Vitória are dropping deeper, and by the half hour mark they've got eight men practically on the edge of their own area. This makes creating chances that bit more difficult, and Sandro Silva finds himself restricted to just a long shot in our latest foray forward. Fortunately, long shots take deflections, which lead to corners, and when Cleiton Xavier delivers one to the far post, Maurício steams in and heads it down into the bottom of the net for a 1-0 lead. That's bound to force Vitória to come forwards. It's Leumir's turn to feel a stiff challenge as the half draws towards a close. The referee finally goes for his cards after Márcio Araújo decks Wellington for what must be the fourth time, so maybe we'll have to calm it down in the second half. Léo's card for a second foul on Vandinho during stoppage time confirms this theory. Our toned-down tackling, and Sandro Silva's continued wasteful long shots, means that the first twenty minutes of the second half passes without much to get excited by. Ramirez and Reina get yellow cards for the home side, but they stay pegged back in their final third. Notably, though, we're not looking like getting the second goal, and that worries me. I look to change our attacking options, bringing on Diego Souza for Sandro Silva, in the hope that our top league scorer can worm his way through the back line. Having found his cards, the referee now seems happy to flash them all over the place, giving Souza a look at the yellow for a pretty innocuous foul. With quarter of an hour remaining, my opposite number moves to make his last two subs, bringing on two Rafaels and moving to a slightly more adventurous formation. It's a much more comfortable end to the game than I had anticipated. Even when the last-chance-saloon hump downfield in the final minute of stoppage time, the flick on runs too far ahead of Vandinho and is easily collected by Deola. Supporters 1-0 Manager? 11th November 2012, Barradão (Salvador, BA), Série A, Round 33 Vitória (10-9-13) 0 Palmeiras (20-10-2) 1 (Maurício 30 [2nd]) Attendance: 14820 + the freeloaders Man of the Match: Maurício, Palmeiras League Position: 1st A win is a win is a win. Especially when it's an away win. Flamengo also get an away win, but it's a slightly more convincing 4-0 at Internacional. A hattrick for Marquinhos this time. Cruzeiro secure 3 points with a 3-0 win against Atlético Mineiro. Five games to go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 28, 2011 Author Share Posted January 28, 2011 Chapter 167 - Vasco agogo There'll be selection dilemmas for the trip to Rio. Souza, Léo, Luís Felipe and Maurício are all suspended. That likely means recalls for Filipi, Murilo Gomes, Anselmo and Valmir Lucas, whilst the bench will be very attacking minded. We head to Rio on Saturday, allowing the squad some time to focus. Some of us head to watch Flamengo play Portuguesa. A foregone conclusion? Not so, two goals in the first five minutes for the visitors set the tone, and they added a third in first half stoppage time. That most definitely stops the rise of the Flemish up the table. Vasco da Gama are in trouble. Six points adrift, they've been caught taking their eye of the league whilst concentrating on the Copa Sudamericana. Whilst they're still in that competition at the semi final stage, relegation from the top flight looks more and more likely with each passing game. Our scout report tells us, incredibly, that they only have one player with more than two goals in the league campaign, Rafael Coelho, who has been injured since the end of October. They've only scored once since then. With Atlético Mineiro loanee Bruno Mineiro out with a long term hip injury, Rubens ineligible and Makanaki out of favour, for the last league game they pulled 32 year old Kim out of the reserves to partner Élton. There's an outside chance that Rafael Coelho could return, but he won't be at anything like full fitness. Needs must, though, at this time of the season. Their injury worries don't stop there, either, as highly rated midfielder Souza is also unavailable with a newly acquired ankle injury. Apparently, even if he wasn't injured, he'd be suspended! So this is going to be a game where twelve first choice players between the sides are not going to be taking part. It's a real test of both sides' depth of squad. I'm looking forward to it. I'm also looking forward to coming off the park to watch Treze hopefully do us a favour against Grêmio. A favour that could have very positive repercussions. I keep my selection cards close to my chest until the last possible moment, as I don't want to reveal that I'm pushing Diego Souza into the attacking role alongside Ewerthon. He has played there, with some success, earlier in the season, but not for a good while - and I'm hoping it will confuse the opposition. It's his 300th career league appearance, and he'll wear the captain's armband in recognition of this achievement. Again, full marks to my scouts, as Kim is once more yanked out of the reserves to line up against us. Vasco have solved their midfield problem by playing an extra defender, in a similar backs-to-the-wall lineup that Vitória started the game with. Looks like they're relying on the counter attack. As indeed they are, as early as the fifth minute. Filipi, with a chance to shoot, dawdles on the ball and is robbed. A long ball up field finds Kim, and we leave the inferior attacker alone to charge down the left channel. He has pace, I'll say that much about him, and we realise it just a little too late. He also puts in a decent ball for Élton, but Deola is equal to the shot. There's a big blow for Vasco midway through the half, when Élton goes down in a heap. He shakes his head and hobbles to the touchline, clearly in pain and unable to continue, and we all look over to try to work out how his manager is going to solve this conundrum. On comes Paulinho, and I'm left flicking through my sheaf of notes to find out who he is - apparently a makeshift striker on loan from Santa Caterina side Metropolitano, who can play on either foot. It looks like things are going from bad to worse for the home side, when defender Jumar, who was booked in the seventh minute for trying to show Cleiton Xavier who was boss, slides into Diego Souza. The referee blows for the foul, and calls Jumar over. It's the closest I've seen anyone come to a booking without getting one. I honestly think the referee only realised as he was about to take his card out that he'd already booked the player, and changed his mind. Cleiton Xavier swings the freekick round the wall, but it only reaches the side netting. Sandro Silva is obviously smarting from his recent lack of shooting ability, and when he gets into a position to shoot he takes the ball to the byline, before cutting it back to Valmir Lucas. Not used to the midfield position, he doesn't react quickly enough; he's closed down, but still gets the shot off. It deflects to Cleiton Xavier, who steps over the ball, allowing it to roll to Diego Souza. Hugo and Guillermo Burdisso somehow combine to block his shot at point blank range, and the ball loops into the air. Diego Souza chases it down himself and gets another close range shot in, but the keeper saves well, and Vasco eventually clear. Valmir Lucas takes a knock before half time, but it's not serious, and he's able to continue. We're going to have to do something different to break Vasco down in the second half, though. A minute into the second half, Diego Souza comes deep, breaks down a promising Vasco move, and starts our own counter attack. It's left to Sandro Silva to run it down the channel before standing a ball up towards the penalty spot. Diego Souza does well to make up the ground, and jumps for the ball, being challenged by Burdisso. The ref points to the spot, handing us the opportunity we need to breakthrough. Ewerthon goes for placement over power, and finds the bottom corner without too much difficulty. A record thirty goals in the season for the poacher. Vasco are down, but are they out? It's not long before Deola is forced to push away Kim's shot from a short corner, indicating that not all fight has left the Vasco players. They're getting more possession, and putting more balls into our box as well, but we hopefully kill the game off when Sandro Silva's near post header from Cleiton Xavier's corner finds the keeper dozing and beaten at his short side. Pandemonium in the visiting stand, and a sense of resigned defeat around the remainder of the ground. With half an hour left I want to finish this game on a high, though, so I relieve Valmir Lucas of his duties and send on Willian. It takes twenty minutes to create another decent chance. Sandro Silva brings the ball out of midfield, and feeds it through for Ewerthon. The pass is a little wide, causing the striker to twist as he shoots from the awkward angle. He only hits the post, but the rebound ricochets away for a corner. Willian heads over and plays it short to Sandro Silva, who sets off like a man on a mission to walk the ball into the net. Jumar tackles him on the edge of the six yard box, and the ball bounces to Burdisso. Trying to get the ball under control, he heads towards his own goal, back into the path of Sandro Silva, who pinches it and sidefoots into the back of the net with a single touch. Three-nil, game over. Even we can't lose from here. Ewerthon leaves the pitch, to the adoring applause of the Palmeiras fans, and Jael takes over for the last ten minutes. The final whistle can't come soon enough for the home fans, who are already deserting the ground in numbers. When it eventually blows, there are probably more Palmeiras fans than Vasco fans remaining. They stay around long enough to cheer us off the pitch, before filing out to find the nearest establishment with TV, radio or internet. We might have thumped Vasco here today, but everyones thoughts are firmly in Porto Alegre. 18th November 2012, São Januário (Rio de Janeiro, RJ), Série A, Round 34 Vasco da Gama (6-13-13) 0 Palmeiras (21-10-2) 3 (Ewerthon 48pen [30th], Sandro Silva 61 [14th], 81 [15th]) Attendance: 13526 Man of the Match: Sandro Silva, Palmeiras League Position: 1st Over at Olímpico Monumental, Treze line up 4-2-2-2 without an injured Luís. Not for them the defence minded formations we've seen recently from Vitória and Vasco. It's edge of the seat stuff from the word go for Treze fans and our fans alike; doubly so for me. In just the first minute, Piá fires a shot across goal, forcing Rafael Dida to tip around the post. Mithyuê misses a grand opportunity when a real zinger of a shot from outside the area goes the wrong side of the post, and Rafael Dida is called into action again to deny Choco with a couple of class saves. The striker responds by misplacing a one-on-one effort just the wrong side of the post whilst under pressure from the defence, and the two sides go in 0-0. The second half is more controlled from Treze, smothering the majority of Grêmio attacks, and getting assorted body parts in to block any shots which got through to the last line of defence. They need to keep their wits about them right into stoppage time, and fortunately Rafael Dida does just that, when Choco hits one from outside the are in the 96th minute, forcing him to dive full length to push it away. It ends in a draw. A massive, massive draw. Grêmio end the day 11 points behind us. Four games to go. Two points to go. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 Chapter 168 - Double Jeopardy, part one There are two chances to sort the league title out this week. We could do it on our own on Wednesday night, by beating Corinthians in the Clássico Derby Paulista, or failing that, Grêmio could fail to win in their long distance away trip at Vitória on Thursday night. It should be obvious what I'd prefer. Corinthians have battled their way up to fifth, their highest placing so far of the season. In getting there, they've lost just one of their last eleven games. They run a tight ship, and rely on one goal in a game far too often for my liking. Get a goal, and we'll get something from the game. In Dentinho and Índio, they have a pair of strikers who have proven they can score at this level - the pair have eight of the team's twenty Série A goals between them. They also, unsurprisingly given their form, have one of the best keepers in the country, Felipe, who somehow remains uncapped behind his European based rivals. Two games in the space of four days at this stage of the season is a lot to ask of either side, so I can't take an awful lot from the eleven Corinthians fielded in their 1-0 victory over Atlético Paranaense at the weekend. Similarly, they can't take much from my last selection, who are also leg weary. At least we have the majority of our suspended players back, although we are missing Pablo Armero and (for the first time) Léo through international callups. There's more milestones, as Cleiton Xavier registers his 300th career league appearance. Souza, Márcio Araújo, Maúricio and Luís Felipe return to the side, whilst Gabriel deputises for Pablo Armero. The Corinthians team sheet includes Dentinho, but not Índio, who is relegated to the bench. Leonardo Pisculichi is favoured, even though he's not scored a goal so far this season. There's a warning sign. We go out to hit them early and hard. We almost do the former when Sandro Silva drags a shot wide in the third minute, and we definitely do the latter, with Souza booked for a challenge on Elias a minute later. Seems that referees may have cottoned on to our firm challenging approach. It's disappointing, though, when we watch targetted striker Dentinho drift to the near post for a corner before quarter of an hour has gone, and redirect the ball goalwards with a single touch. It gives our neighbours the lead, and puts us on the back foot. Corinthians then make the mistake of giving Cleiton Xavier the ball 25 yards out, and standing back. Felipe, though, lives up to his reputation and keeps the shot out. The game then turns on an horrific refereeing decision. Souza goes up for a fifty-fifty challenge in midfield and the referee not only blows for the foul, but calls the midfielder over and gives him a second yellow. Outrageous! The rest of the half passes with the red mist down, and I remember very little about it. I do remember Felipe plucking a Diego Souza freekick magically out of the air, and Corinthians making an enforced substitution, but the details are a mystery. I hadn't calmed down much by the time we got into the dressing room. I took it out on Souza, calling him an idiot for getting the first booking (although even that was a little harsh), I took it out on the defence - especially Maúricio - who let Dentinho loose to score the goal, and I took it out on Ewerthon, who had clearly decided not to bother playing in the first half, or so it seemed to me. Corinthians' game plan adapts well in the second half. When they have the ball, they spray it around using the spare man, and make us chase our tails. Deola has to come to our rescue when Dentinho gets free in the box, and threatens to put the game beyond reach. When they lose the ball, they hurry to get back and sit deep, restricting us again to long range efforts. You know it's not going to be your day in that department when Cleiton Xavier's smartly hit shot just refuses to bend, and flies well wide. Márcio Araújo gets one slightly closer, but Felipe isn't looking like being flapped by anything that comes near him. We push up, which is all we can do under the circumstances to try and chase the game. Ewerthon manages to breach the first and second lines of defence, but even a deflection on his shot doesn't fool Felipe, who looks distraught at having to concede the corner rather than catch the ball. With the hour mark ticking by, Cleiton Xavier gets a little closer with one that does bend, but it's still the wrong side of the post as far as we're concerned. The game gets tetchy. Yellow cards fly about. It's only a matter of time before someone else gets sent. I go gung-ho for ten minutes, with Zárate up front to win the aerial ball. Gabriel starts a move down the left, but Sandro Silva is indecisive in possession and robbed. Corinthians flood forward, looking to finish the game. Maúricio Araújo looks to stop them, but he's one of the players booked. So it's the referee who finishes the game, sending a second Palmeiras player for an early bath. I have to sacrifice a defender - three at the back is the only way we're going to get enough men forward to challenge for an equaliser. Of course, the risk of conceding more is massive, and increases when Corinthians introduce Índio. One misplaced pass is all it needs, and it's Luís Felipe who is guilty in stoppage time. His ball aimed for Zárate is cut out by González, and launched upfield into the path of Dentinho. The striker has Pisculichi alongside him. Deola has to make the save, and does, and Diego Souza takes it off the toe of the approaching Douglas. Ewerthon picks up the clearance and makes excellent progress down the left, putting in a low cross which is hacked away by the Corinthians defence. There's frenetic action, and even more frenetic squeals from the crowd, as the clock ticks over to complete the last minute of stoppage time, and Gabriel heads over to take the throw in. The ball moves across the midfield, but no-one can find space for the shot, and the ref puts us out of our misery. 21st November 2012, Arena Palestra Itália (São Paulo, SP), Série A, Round 35 Palmeiras (22-10-2) 0 Corinthians (13-13-8) 1 (Dentinho 14 [10th], Palmeiras' Souza sent off 21, Palmeiras' Márcio Araújo sent off 83) Attendance: 40199 Man of the Match: Maranhão (DC), Corinthians League Position: 1st So, it goes down to Salvador. Grêmio need a win at Vitória. It would be a hollow victory, but a victory nonetheless. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gricehead Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 Chapter 169 - Double Jeopardy, part two I can't get a flight up to Salvador at short notice, and I would be running away from my media duties if I did. The fans are after my blood after the Derby Paulista defeat, and who can blame them? My record against Corinthians is far worse than it should be. The second best thing to being there is the closed TV link that one of the prominent media outlets have arranged in our club lounge. The game isn't being shown live, so there's no commentary, but it's better than sitting refreshing the internet browser. The price? We had to agree to their cameras being present in case we win the title whilst sat on our behinds. Let's be clear. Grêmio fail to win and the title is ours. Grêmio win, and it goes down to Sunday night. The game kicks off in fine evening conditions. There's light banter amongst those present at Palestra Itália, and a smattering of jovial jeers when our very own Lenny pops onto the screen. I note with some dismay that 16 year old Rui is at the heart of the Vitória defence again. Neither side seem to want to take the game to the opposition, with both packing seven or eight men behind the ball when defending. Vitória, when they have the ball, don't even look like they want to cross into the final third. To their credit, Grêmio do apply a little pressure as the game gets going, but it's not enough to force a save from the keeper. Both sides make unenforced changes halfway through the first period, as they continue to play the tactical game. Then, out of nowhere Jorge Henrique hits the post for the home side. That's bound to wake Grêmio up. Vitória make their second substitution before half time, after Gil takes a knock and is replaced by Esdras. The tie is still 0-0 at the break, with Grêmio perhaps edging it. With no half time summary, and just a still picture of an empty pitch to look at during the break, various discussions (and not a few arguments) break out around the room. Some are saying that if Lenny scores, then he should never be allowed into the club again. The coaching staff - at least the ones not involved in the discussions - calm things down, and soon enough the players are back on the pitch. Grêmio have made a double change, introducing the dangerous Choco and Martín González, and Vitória have made their last substition, bringing on Nino. It's down to the twenty-two on the pitch now. Vitória start the half in more expansive mood, with Wellington and Nino causing problems for the Grêmio defence down the wings. The pressure is almost their undoing, when a corner goes wrong, and Lenny is sent free on the counter attack, but uncharacteristic mistakes from the Grêmio midfield allow the home side to bring things under control. Lenny picks up a knock on the hour, to a muted mix of cheers and boos, and that seems to be the signal for Vitória to try and push out for the win. Mentally, I'm screaming "get back", but I suppose they need the points as well. Grêmio start winding up the shots from distance, but Vitória seem to want it more, and are closing down and blocking as though their lives depended on it. This is more like the side that rose to the top quarter of the table. Time ticks into the last five minutes, and Grêmio seem caught between panic and resignation. Inside the 89th minute, they win a corner, which Tinga fires deep. Thiego is on the back post, and he connects with a header across goal. The travelling Grêmio support are on their feet cheering, whilst the Palmeiras players are also stood, but with their hands on their heads. The ball fizzes past the post and out for a goalkick. I feel like a cat with one less life remaining. Vitória certainly know how to keep the ball, and they do so for a solid ninety seconds as the game enters the three minutes of stoppage time. Each pass makes me smile a little bit more, and some of the Palmeiras players are giving it the "olé" with each succesful pass. It takes a foul from Tinga to break up the sequence, giving Vitória a shooting chance, albeit thirty yards out. Rafael Granja can't help himself but take it on, and there's no surprise when it goes wide; miles wide. There's just over a minute left when Victor restarts with the goal kick. A struggling Lenny is outjumped, though, and the ball pings backwards and forwards across the midfield until Grêmio finally get it under control. They play it calmly across the defence, out to the left wing and González. He plays it right across field to Suárez on the opposite wing. He controls it, but is closed down and tackled excellently by Wellington. William Magrão chases down the loose ball, and spreads it back to González. The winger tries the quick, straight ball down the line, but Vitória push up well, and Lenny is caught lingering in an offside position. The game ticks into the 94th minute, as Vanaílson takes his time with the freekick. Eventually he plays it no more than five yards to Nino, who takes a touch and a look, before embarking on a lung-bursting 50 yard run down the line, ending with a simple pass forward to Vandinho. The striker, pratically invisible so far in the game, turns and starts to cut infield with the ball, but the referee blows his whistle, signalling not only full time in the game, but the end of Grêmio's title challenge. Palmeiras are champions of the top flight of Brazilian football, for the first time since 1994. The previously tense lounge goes beserk. Shirts are taken off and thrown around the room. Someone unfurls a banner with "Palmeiras - Campeões" in white and green letters. Drinks appear, as if from nowhere. And, of course, the television cameras are rolling. The chairman makes an appearance, and embraces me as only a latin american can. We've done it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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