Raków Częstochowa 1 Sporting CP 1
The Warm Up
European away days return as Sporting travel to Poland in the early kick off against Raków Częstochowa. Currently 4th in the Polish top flight they boast an unbeaten home league record after six games, recording 5 wins and 1 draw, scoring an impressive 13 times and conceding a paltry 2. Sportinguista’s can be forgiven for maybe not having heard of them prior to kick off. They play in a ground which holds a mere 5,500 fans, similar in stature to that of the Estádio dos Arcos, home of Rio Ave, so they’re certainly not one of the countries largest clubs. With Halloween approaching expect possibly scary things from forward David Drachal-a (anybody? No? Bollocks to you all then). The 18 year old Pole Drachal recently recorded a hat trick away in a 5-3 win against – Ruch Chorzow (No me neither – Sounds like a lumber jacker from North America.) I’m going to be honest at this junction, I’ve heard of LKS Lodz who are bottom of the table, Lech Poznan (of Poznan celebration fame) and Legia Warszawa and that’s it. But I imagine anyone in Poland looking at the Liga table is going who the fuck are Casa Pia, Estrela, Arouca and Benfica? (Apologies to fans of Casa Pia, Estrela and Arouca.)
So the biggest question really at this junction is as follows;
If people from Poland are called Poles, why aren’t people from Holland called Holes? I know right? I’ve been asking that for thirty years or more now and the bemused looks I get back from people when I ask it don’t get any better with every year that passes. Maybe someone will one day present me with the answer. I live in hope.
The money markets
Raków are priced at 15/4 to Sporting’s 8/11. Not quite the 1/66 we started to Olivais but once again we start as favourites for the tie against a side who have so far lost 2-0 to Atalanta and 1-0 to Sturm Graz in qualifying. If as expected the Italians make it three wins from 3, a win for Sporting will give us some breathing space with the Austrians before the return game in round 4. However a loss will see Raków hopes of qualification rise. Continuing the Halloween theme coach Amorim will be keen to avoid the sort of Nightmare start most famously seen on Elm Street that Sporting suffered against Atalanta and lowly Olivais. One player definitely not involved will be the youngster Fresneda whose first two performances have been as edible as Liquorice Pizza. I think it’s important that any expectations based upon comparisons with a certain Spanish player now plying his trade at Tottenham are parked and he’s allowed to grow in his own time without that weight on his shoulders.
I asked my source at the club yesterday who was on the flight to Poland where Jubas sits on the plane and do the club ensure dietary needs are met. I don’t want to betray their confidence but they told me that Jubas isn’t real and that the costume head is put in a special box in the haul to which I replied – bull shit, total lies. The Chinese Government have confirmed the bear in the zoo is not a man in a bear costume so don’t try feed me your conspiracy nonsense that we don’t actually have a giant smiling lion as a mascot. Christ what next. Santa isn’t real? The tooth fairy is actually your parents?
Team News
Team news is in and a surprise start for Israel who keeps his place from the win over Olivais. Diomande returns from his suspension in for St Juste at the right of a back three. Reis will operate wide left and Esgaio wide right in possibly a more defensive shape from the off. Morita returns in the centre of midfield having overcome his injury whilst on international duty with Japan. He’ll be alongside Hjulmand. Edwards, Gyökeres and Gonçalves complete the forward three. Not starting with Coates against Atalanta proved to be hugely decisive so good to see him back in the starting line up for Round 3. I'm still not ent’rely convinced by Israel between the posts. He has the touch of the Max’s about him. Still as long as he’s given the right protection there’s no reason he can’t prove me wrong. Time will tell. I’m sure a week off for Gyökeres will have seemed like a month away and he’ll no doubt be chomping at the bit to add to his goal tally. Game on!
Greek officials will take charge tonight so for the players at least if they look perplexed at a decision they can say it’s all Greek to me. The usual look of disinterest from both teams prior to kick off as the Europa League theme blasts from all four corners of the stadium. Raków set to line up in a 4-3-3, captained by Arsenic. Sporting will be hoping for the smallest of doses of him then.
First Half
1 Sporting’s defence holding a tight line of five as the home side try push forward. Not something we often see but given the bad start against Atalanta I’m not complaining. Be interesting to see if that changes later in the game and we see Nuno Santos or Geny provide more attacking support to the front three.
4 Incredibly despite a capacity of just 5,500 the lure of Portugal’s league leaders isn’t enough for a sell out crowd. Plenty of spaces in the three stands you can see. Yellow card to Gyökeres for a foul on Arsenic close to the touchline. There’s an awful long wait and the player is off the pitch receiving treatment…
7 The referee has gone to the monitor. Oh no this never goes well does it… That yellow has been changed to a red. Sporting down to ten men. Slow motion didn’t do the Swede any favours there as he came down with his studs on the back of his calf. Replay does show he slipped prior to contact but they don’t focus on that, we’re just seeing that last contact and on that basis without context it doesn’t look great.
9 That’s the end of the night for Arsenic as he trudges off down the tunnel. This is going to be a long night after five minutes of stoppage with Sporting down to ten.
13 GOAL The home side finally get a numerical advantage as their substitute comes on for their skipper who limped off four minutes ago. Define irony – as soon as they get that extra man on the field they go 1-0 down. Corner to Sporting from Gonçalves found the head of Coates. This game I suspect will come down to a defensive masterclass if we’re to come away with three points. Be interesting to see if the referee noticed how much of Coates shirt the defender had as he jumped had it not gone in. Raków 0 Sporting CP 1
18 Berggeen sees yellow for a swipe on the calf of Reis.
20 Edwards fires in a shot from a narrow angle pushed out for a third corner.
21 Referee blows early for a high boot from Hjulmand. In the meantime Coates had swerved and hit a thunderous volley on the turn saved by the keeper. He wouldn’t have thanked the Dane had that found the top corner of the net. At present the skipper is providing the perfect foil for the departed Gyökeres. When I said he’d be hungry after a week without playing I wasn’t expecting him to be biting that much. If you were a lawyer and could challenge the decision immediately you would definitely raise the case that he slips before contact is made but whether that’s enough to mitigate a sending off I’m not sure. Still I do know it bollocksed up my Gyökeres anytime bet so the referee can fuck off.
29 Stands seem to have filled. Perhaps a few locals not allowed to knock off work early. I’m not going to stereotype the Polish and suggest they were all still in the pub at kick off.
31 First chance of the game for the home side falls to Rundic who turned on a six pence close to the penalty spot and fired his effort like Glenn Maxwell knocking a six into the stand for Australia against Holland in the cricket earlier this week. To be fair if the lineups are correct he’s the club’s left back so probably shouldn’t expect too much of him in that situation.
32 Yeboah with a flying volley from pretty much the same spot as the shot less than sixty seconds ago. Reis did enough to ensure he didn’t have the space to get the shot away properly.
36 Half chance for Gonçalves as he tried an ambitious lob from the edge of the 18 yard box. Keeper was too close and makes an easy stop. As we all know after the game away to Arsenal last season he’s far more adept at lobbing keepers from the half way line.
43 Kochergin shown a yellow card for a late challenge on Diomande. He took a huge swipe at him there and was very lucky he didn’t make contact. That booking was for the clear intent. Replays show the Ivorian made contact with the midfielder with his arm to the face in the previous play. Push his buttons second half and you could easily be looking at ten a piece. Not that I’d encourage such shit housery.
Plus four shown.
And the half time whistle blows with nothing of note in the additional time.
Half time
Raków 0 Sporting 1
Well having started Reis and Esgaio you could guess we were going to line up with a more defensive game plan in the first half. The two biggest talking points will be the sending off and Coates’ goal. Half time we’re being shown replays of the challenge in real time and then in slow motion. In real time there’s no malice it’s just a clumsy challenge. The referee I think called it right when he awarded a yellow. What’s done for the Swede is that slow motion replay which makes it look like he’s stamped on his calf. The look on the Swedes face as I predicted prior to kick off is one of – it’s all Greek to me. In truth the home side have offered nothing despite the numerical advantage. In the title winning season we famously defended against Braga with ten men like it was the battle of the Alamo to see out a 1-0 win. On the evidence of the first half we might come away with three points and add to our tally. The best form of defence is often attack after all. Sides ultimately get punished when they invite pressure on. In fact see the Atalanta game as a prime example.
Second half
47 How has Carlos not equalised there? He’ll be seeing that in his sleep later on. Wonderful cross into the six yard box knocked agonisingly wide. Israel was flapping like a dancer during the US prohibition of the 1930s in a Chicago Speak Easy as he came for that and missed. He really is Maximiano Mark II.
48 Lunging late challenge on Reis from Carlos. It’s not been a good sixty seconds from him. He’s taken out the frustrations of his miss on the Brazilian there.
49 Close from Gonçalves. Bends a curling effort wide of the far right hand post from 18 yards.
57 Double bubble for Sporting as Edwards comes off for Paulinho and Gonçalves makes way for Geny. Gonçalves maybe a little unfortunate there. It’s probably been his best performance of the season in all competitions. Regular readers will know I’ve been heavily critical of him at various points to date so credit where it’s due.
63 Plavsic shoots from 20 yards. Replay shows it went inches over the top of the bar. Israel had it covered but the original angle had my heart in my mouth. Breathe …
66 Yellow card for Diomande. That been coming. In a one on one he puts a hand on the chest of his opponent and the blokes gone down like a sack of shit … harsh…but still it had been coming. So much so I did check to see if I could take him to be booked in play. I couldn’t. Don’t chase your losses kids when your star striker is sent off early doors.
70 Plavsic fires a shot in low on the move but it deflects on the way through and collected by a grateful Israel.
75 Tudor slips a note down his shorts having presumably been passed over by one of the two substitutes that recently came on for the home side. I wonder what it said? Please score? I love you? Don’t bother coming back in the dressing room if we lose this game?
78 GOAL #99 Piasecki the substitute taps in from a yard at the far post to make it 1-1 following a cut back from Kochergin. I think Coates big head was playing him on there. Goal given. I’ve kept the #99 reference in so I can say he can shove a flake up his arse. For those not born in England Google it. The flake and 99 bit. Don’t add the up the arse bit into your search engine. Raków 1 Sporting CP 1
81 Ball in the net again. Fuck me. No it’s OK. Tudor rightly called offside in the buildup. This is not good for the heart or my arsehole which is now going 20p / 50p. I just threw a bag of Haribo across the room before that was ruled as offside. I’m not a sore loser…honest…and I don’t have anger issues…promise
87 Fucking hell is Israel the new Mr Magoo? His positional play on crosses is woeful.
89 Bragança and Nuno Santos in for Reis and Hjulmand. Time wasting in full effect as Amorim tries to run the clock down.
90 Sporting have utterly capitulated at the back and are clinging on. Plus four shown. The defence has no confidence in Israel.
Full time
Raków Częstochowa 1 Sporting 1
The Final Word
Maybe I was being slightly ambitious at the end of the first half when I said I thought Sporting could add to their lead. In truth the home side had offered nothing up until that point. Bit like Paulinho when he came on. I couldn’t tell you a single telling contribution from him after he came on close on the hour mark. Israel is not going to make the grade for Sporting, there’s too many holes in his game and the chaos at the back in the last fifteen to twenty was largely owed to his poor positional play when dealing with shots and cros’es. Diomande looks like a man struggling with the pressure of the English me’Ia constantly linking him with a big money move to the Premier League. Inácio just reminds me of Keanu Reeves in John Wick. Not because he kicks arse just I get the impression if you asked him a question it would take him a week to get the words out in reply. Still a point is a point. You can’t legislate going down to ten men that early. Adán in goal we win that 1-0. Right – call between Coates and Gonçalves for my man of the match. Hmmm. Got to be the Uruguayan hasn’t it.
Final word goes to Amorim. I think he’s Emperor’s New clothes I really do. I think he’s tactically got that wrong again. Played a back three against an Atalanta side renowned for their attacking threat and got torn apart first half. Plays quintessentially a back five today when defending against a second rate Polish side who offered no real attacking threat other than that created by Israel’s lack of judgement. I don’t doubt he’s a good motivator but that’s good for a season or two at the most. I get the feeling he’d be better suited as a Drake impersonator long term. Mi fucking ow.
.svg%20(1).png){kind=logo}
Comments
Post a Comment