Uh oh. Lucas Althof has the flu. We treat him here to maximize the chance he can play vs Barca.
Away vs Barcelona – Maybe we can get an equal result today! We’ll start Althof, but I dress GK Roberto just in case. We start slow, and build up. A little early pressure is handled, and then we move forward hard. After pushing aside two thrusts, they foul Mance in the box and we get a PK. Up steps El Ghazi and…he sinks it, we score in the 34th. We push some more and then half. Don’t Get Complacent! We are winning shots and more. I send in Garcia, and then Oliver. In the 76th, Mance finds Oliver for a score. And its’ 2-0 right now. I head to my tactics and…holy crap! Did you know I was controlling the whole match? I thought I had swapped to counter. 80 minutes gone, and we have 15 shots, 5 on target to their 6 and 1, and 57% possession, 5 to 21 fouls, 6&% more passes completed ,and 5 more tackles and 18 % more headers. We’ve won every stat, with 10 minutes left in the game. Well I move to counter now, and watch that all change
I send in Kadodia for DH. And that’s it. WOW. We win 2-0. Well done
We just went into freakin’ Barcelona and played control and dominated them. That is el crazy!
We have done well with the gauntlet of RS/RM/RS/Valencia/Napoli/Barca
Valenzuela in Team of Week
Away vs Sevilla – ST Jorge Mesa is back from injury. I want o give him some recuperation time. Sevilla are 6th. Oliver starts. Pick up where you all left off!!! Today is a special day – Jae-Hwans 125th cap. I ease to standard from control this time
- I have five goals by the half by Dong-HYuk 3x, 1 by El Ghazi and Jae Hwan and assists by Valenzuelx2, Jae-Hwan, Oliver. Card to Mance. Keep it going! Kadodia for Mance, Garcia heads in, Jae-Hwan to Dong-Hyuk in the 68th, They score in the 80th. We in 61 and MOM is Dong-Hyuk
This is a good game to unpack, because it reveals just how dominant we are
We have 23 shots, on the road, and 10 on target . They have 17 and 7 – not an unusual breakdown of goals. We won possession 53% which is good. We have 7 corners to their 5, not that different. 4 fouls to their 18. 78 to 71 % passes completed for us ,and 75 to 70 tackles won and 70 to 65 % for headers won. 2 yellows each, no reds. Nothing there suggests a final scoreline of 6-1. That this is not an unusual byline these days. Our numbers are becoming downright gaudy at times.
Dong-Hyuk sets a Melilla Record for most goals in a game.
Yet another mentee of DC Medhi Benatia is happy with the results.
Valencia is in free fall at 15th and they fired their manager
End of February –
Training – Adelson, Kadodia, Perez