Real Zaragoza Relegated

[kyan]

At this stage of the season it's a real possibility that Zaragoza will be relegated considering they're 3 points off safety and there are only 7 MDs left.

April 08
Getafe v Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza v Recreativo de Huelva
Espanyol v Real Zaragoza

May 08
Real Zaragoza v Deportivo La Coruna
Valencia v Real Zaragoza
Real Zaragoza v Real Madrid
Real Mallorca v Real Zaragoza

I was listening to a podcast last night that suggested Zaragoza could be the most talented team to ever be relegated and I'd be inclined to agree if they went down.

It's incredible for me, they were established in the league, made the UEFA Cup last year, and yet this year have struggled so much. What's gone wrong? The losses of Pique and Milito at the back? And why did D'Alessandro leave?

But up front they're so strong with Milito and Oliveira. Midfield is hardly weak with players like Aimar and Zapater.

So will they go down? And does this mean their players aren't actually as good as everyone perhaps thought and were just one season wonders?

[Pat Murphy]

Celta have been releagted twice in the last 5 years after seasons where they've finished 4th and 6th. It's a curse in La Liga where a team will finish well and maybe get European football which they can't handle along with other competitions.

Zaragoza expected top 6 this season and I predicted them there, their players like Milito, Oliveira, Aimar etc. should have guaranteed it. Looking at their home and away form it's the away form that fails them with only 1 win and 11 losses. Their goals against is the 2nd worst in the league so I don't think they predicted how much of a loss Gaby Milito would be and their front 6 is often too attacking anyway.

They lost 3-0 at home to Betis last weekend so any team can beat them so it looks like they might go down. If they stay up tho they'll need to thank Oliveira and Diego Milito who have got 28 league goals between them.

Also I think D'allesandro left because he got into a fight with Aimar and Fernandez and also because when playing Left Wing he wouldn't track back which left that whole side exposed.

[Mighty T.A.L.]

I don't think they will. They have some quality players I predict will save them in the end.

[LAF]

Reminds me of West Ham a few years back in the PL.

On paper they should be challenging for the UEFA cup spots but if you don't work hard as a team you get no rewards.

[Pat Murphy]

Why are Real Zaragoza so rubbish?

Four coaches in under two months, disenchanted fans and too many men at the top have left last season's entertainers flirting with relegation

It's one of the great footballing mysteries of our time, as baffling as Bryan Robson's ability to earn management jobs. It's right up there with: what was going through Chris Coleman's mind when he came up with a dodgy washing machine excuse (apart from the funereal drumming of the previous night's minis)? Which tosspot invented those air-horns that haunt Spanish stadiums? How did Ramón Calderón mistake this man for Nicholas Cage? And where does Paco Chaparro buy his hair? The question is this: why are Real Zaragoza so rubbish?

Last season, Zaragoza finished sixth, playing some of the best football in Spain. Their coach, Víctor Fernández, was widely liked and boasted nearly 20 years of experience. They had a goalkeeper who offered natty leggings, pink shorts and sharp saves, a qualified hair-dresser at left-back, and a nutter with a great right foot and a better right hook on the other side. They had Pablo Aimar, Sergio García and Andres D'Alessandro, three of La Liga's top eight assist providers, and Diego Milito up front.

This summer, they lost defensive leader Gabi Milito to Barcelona but replaced him with Roberto Fabián Ayala, an evil master with league winners medals in three countries - and they made 15.5m euro profit into the bargain. Better still, the only other significant departure was Arturo Sisó and he left to become a 50,000-euro-a-year stadium announcer at the Bernabéu. Besides, if Zaragoza had lost a hideous combination of Hi-de-Hi, rabid TV evangelist and Smashie & Nicey, criminally handed a microphone and a captive audience, they gained plenty in return: Ricardo Oliveira, Javier "The Warthog" Paredes, Gabi, Peter Luccin and Brazilian playmaker Francelino da Silva Matuzalém - the man with vision, touch, goals and his name tattooed across his neck (which kindly saves his loved ones a trip down the morgue to identify the body in the event of a terrible accident).

They were, in short, all set for a tilt at the Champions League, AS declaring them "ready for something great", owner Agapito Iglesias insisting they'd become a "European player" and Fernández declaring his side would improve on sixth place and "get the fans going".

Shame they've mostly been going for the exits. Zaragoza reached week 27 out of the Cup, out of the Uefa Cup, and fourth-bottom, only goal difference separating them from relegation. Worse still, they'd gone through coaches like Pedja Mijatovic gets through Brylcreem. Four in 51 days. They played Racing Santander three times in three weeks with three different coaches. Fernández was sacked in January after nine successive defeats, Ander Garitano lasted nine days and Javier Irureta hung on for just six games, picking up four points and leaving Manolo Villanova in charge.

When Fernández left he complained about feeling "unsupported" by the club; when Garitano walked, he said he wasn't "mentally right"; and when Irureta departed last week he shrugged: "My message isn't getting through." All of which hints at the reasons for Zaragoza's collapse. Matuzalém and Aimar's injuries have been important, but their problems go deeper. An unstable club without a coherent strategy, Zaragoza lack direction with president Eduardo Bandrés, owner Iglesias, sporting director Miguel Pardeza and technical secretary Pedro Herrera whistling and looking the other way, leaving the coach with little support and still less authority.

All the more so when the coach is Fernández, a man whose response to tough decisions is to run away screaming and hide under the bed, eyes shut, hands clamped over his ears. His lack of leadership left a vacuum that's been all too evident on the pitch. Milito has 15 goals and Oliveira has 10 but, at the other end, where you need organisation, César has conceded more goals than any other keeper in La Liga.

"A dressing room is like a classroom," says one insider. "As soon as there's a lack of leadership, as soon as the teacher steps outside, the kids riot." In Zaragoza's classroom there have been fights and arguments, a free-for-all. And with Víctor gone, nervously huddling under a cloud of cigarette smoke in the staff room, the poor supply teachers have walked into a war zone with Bunsen burners hissing and punches flying, powerless to turn things round. Which is why Garitano and Irureta took one look and quickly admitted defeat, and why Javier Clemente refused to take the job, going to Murcia instead.

This is also why Zaragoza turned to their very own Mr Bronson to solve the crisis. Manolo Villanova first coached them 30 years ago and last coached them 20 years ago. He's been player, assistant coach, coach, youth team coach, scout and technical secretary and was under contract to the club despite working at Huesca. He is Zaragoza through and through. In fact, if you sliced him open it would bloody hurt. Even though he's hard as nails. "Sweet mother of God is he hard!" says one former colleague. "He makes Franco look soft." "I am very straight with the players: I tell them 'do this, this and this'," admitted Villanova when he took over last week. "Anyone who doesn't follow orders knows what awaits."

Villanova didn't just bark at his players, though. He also changed the formation on and off the pitch, adding an extra man to midfield at the cost of Oliveira and swapping the left dugout for the right - from where he could get at the linesman more easily.

It worked a treat too. On Saturday night, Zaragoza secured an aggressive 2-1 win against Atlético Madrid, coming from behind for the first time this season to climb into 14th. "There is life!", screamed Equipo, AS declared it a "great victory", and El Heraldo de Aragón ignored the musical evidence to announce: "Zaragoza moved harmoniously - like an accordion." Not that the maños should get carried away. After all, they remain just three points off the relegation zone, winning at the Romareda is not unusual - it's away that they have problems - and they rode their luck, winning thanks to their rotation policy (taking it in turns to boot Sergio Aguero), two great saves from César, a penalty from Diego Milito and an own goal from Pablo Ibáñez, who'd put his legs on the wrong way round again. At last there's hope and a little order at the Romareda but, although they should survive, Zaragoza have work to do before school's out for summer.

Sid Lowe - Guardian

Why are Real Zaragoza so rubbish? | Sport | Guardian Unlimited

[kyan]

Sid Lowe is awesome, incidentally it was the Guardian podcast (and him) which I was listening to when I realised about Zaragoza...

That does go some way to explaining it but it's still a weird situation, it would be a shame to see their team torn apart by relegation though since they do have talent but it looks like they might not go down after all.

[Pat Murphy]

Oliveira Double Fires Zaragoza Out Of The Drop Zone

Real Zaragoza 3-0 Recreativo

Two goals from Ricardo Oliveira, along with another from Sergio Garcia took Zaragoza to a comfortable 3-0 victory over Recreativo at La Romareda on Saturday in a match that ended with nine men versus ten, but the result of which moves Zaragoza out of the bottom three at the expense of their opponents.

Zaragoza were clearly fired up to go for all three points and made an excellent start with goals from Sergio Garcia and Ricardo Oliveira giving them a two goal advantage by the mid-way point of the first half.

Recreativo were reduced to ten men when Marco Ruben was dismissed for two yellow cards on the stroke of half time, effectively killing their hopes of a second half comeback, and so it proved as Oliveira added his second of the match to secure a crucial victory for Zaragoza, despite the late dismissals of Vicente Pascual and Roberto Ayala.

Manolo Villanova's side burst out of the blocks and took the lead in the second minute of play when Oliveira crossed for Garcia to finish past Stefano Sorrentino from close-range.

They continued to attack with intensity and dominated the opening twenty minutes, with Sergio Fernandez and Oliveira both going close, while the returning Aimar continually caused problems for the Recreativo back-line.

Recre finally got a decent effort on goal through Florent Sinama-Pongolle, but went two down less than half a minute later when Oliveira broke free of Iago Bouzon and finished calmly into the bottom corner of the net.

Ruben and Sinama-Pongolle both had attempts at goal that failed to trouble Cesar in the Zaragoza goal, while at the other end Oliveira's touch deserted him after a neat interchange with Aimar had put him through on goal

It had been a terrible first half for Recre and it got even worse inside the final five minutes when Ruben was sent off for two bookable offences after fouls on Aimar and Javier Paredes in the space of a couple of minutes.

Zaragoza began the second half in nervous fashion, perhaps sensing that a vital victory was just forty-five minutes away, and struggled to keep hold of the ball or build any meaningful attacks in the opening exchanges.

Aimar was substituted to a standing ovation ten minutes into the half – Villanova presumably wishing to keep him wrapped in cotton wool for next weekend – while Recre threatened as Carlos Martins fired just off-target from the edge of the area.

The visitors man disadvantage started to show as the half worn on as they ran out of steam, although Zaragoza were lacking a creative edge in Aimar's absence and were unable to ease the pressure by taking control of the ball.

Oliveira missed a great opportunity to truly kill off the game when he shot wide when through one-on-one with Sorrentino, but made amends three minutes later, heading home a cross from the right to give Zaragoza an unassailable advantage.

It was not all good news for the home team, however, as young midfielder Pascual and experienced defender Ayala were both dismissed in the closing minutes after picking up their second yellow cards, but in the end the result was the most important thing and that went squarely in Zaragoza's favour.

Nick Dorrington - Goal.com

Goal.com - La Liga - Oliveira Double Fires Zaragoza Out Of The Drop Zone


Big win for Zara. Which pulls them up to 17th, equal on points with Recre and 2 points behind Valencia.

[kyan]

Valencia only 2 points ahead, with Zaragoza climbing, maybe Valencia will become the best team to be relegated...

[Pat Murphy]

15. Valladolid - 44
16. Recreativo Huelva - 43
17. Osasuna - 43
18. Real Zaragoza - 42

Deep trouble for Zara with one game left.

Zara are away to Mallorca.

Osasuna are away to Racing.

Recre are home to Valladolid.

[Trim]

They're practically relegated. Only a miracle will keep them in the elite.

[Pat Murphy]

Miracle indeed.

Mallorca want that UEFA Cup spot and are going to go all out at home, it's going to be a real battle, hopefully they'll televise it.

[Pat Murphy]

Zaragoza relegated after losing 3-2 to Mallorca.

The most talented team in a while to be relegated.

Diego Milito, Oliveira, Aimar, D'allesandro, Sergio Garcia, Ayala, Diogo, Mauzalem, Gabi, Celades, Pavon will all be leaving in the summer.

[Sven]

D'allesandro is on loan atm to brazil club isin't he?

Oliveria is on loan from Milan.

Diogo great right, love to see in EPL, Aimar back to Argentina? Milito I think this is the likly forward Spurs will sign, though alot of clubs be after him.

Garcia I can see Atheletic madraid buying.

Ayala to just retire?

[Pennywise]

Saragossa went down....many had predicted them in the top (included myself) but they went down to Seguenda...

Many had also predicted Barca as the only superpower this season, but we got Real Madrid in that position, who many had predicted a bad season after Capello exit.

Valencia also totally failed and had a horrible time before Christmas. Sevilla did not a great season either and Villarreal surprised all with their second spot.

Btw, Deporitvo and Mallorca almost the best teams in 2008 in La Liga and Guiza scored 27 goals or something...?

Many surprises this season.