Villarreal-Osasuna, time to cheer up the supporters!

 

Good evening, dear Osasunists! Villarreal and Osasuna give an end to this "weekend" games at El Madrigal stadium. Both teams have opposite goals from the very beginning of the season and tonight isn't different: Villarreal struggle to reach Champions positions and Osasuna suffer to escape from the relegation posts.

Even when the Mediterranean team is back in First Division this season, it is a powerful team with experienced players and the classification marks a gap of 15 points between Osasuna and Villarreal. But last weekend was an awful result for both teams as they lost their confrontations, but it was more painful for Osasuna as they lost against one of their hatred neighbours, Athletic Bilbao ( 1-5 ).

Osasuna must add points and recover from last defeat. It is a good opportunity as Gracia's team used to offer a better image away from El Sadar at least in the last month, which helped Osasuna leave the relegation post five points away, but now that red line is just three points away. Osasuna need to be stronger in their defence line and play with the ball as they used to do it previously.

The results are even better away from Pamplona than in our stadium. Osasuna won in Málaga (0-1), Valladolid (0-1) and Sevilla against Betis (1-2), got one point against Celta (1-1) and Granada (0-0).
Although Villarreal isn't a direct rival for relegation posts, but it is interesting to remember that the defeat in Pamplona against Villarreal ( 0-3 ) had the consequence of the destitution of Mendilibar, the former coach in Osasune and the club signed up a new contract with the actual coach, Javier Gracia. There has been a positive change in the team since then and players must show that last weekend defeat against Athletic was just a mistake or nightmare for us, thir supporters.

Finally, we have to remind that last 31st January the winter market closed with no news in our club. Just Ion Echaide left the club towards Hercules, from Alicante and Osasuna signed up Acuña. But neither Loe nor Silva have left the club, though the last one seems to be about to pack to China. All in all, what the team and the club need is calmness, unity and support from us, their supporters, to avoid relegation post tonight and all the games left from now to the end of the season.

Posible kickoff teams:
Villarreal: Asenjo, Mario, Musacchio, Dorado, Jaume Costa, Pina, Trigueros, Aquino, Moi Gómez, Uche; Gio dos Santos.
Osasuna: Fernández; Bertrán, Flaño, Loties, Damiá; Puñal, Lolo; Cejudo, De las Cuevas, Armenteros; Oriol Riera

GORA OSASUNA! AUPA ROJILLOS!

Thank you, Pep...and Villarreal-Osasuna

Good morning, dear Osasunists! Tonight Osasuna plays against Villarreal at El Madrigal with very different aims, overall if we remind at the beginning of the season the Mediterranean team was supposed to be on the top positions and Osasuna would have to struggle to avoid relegation to Second Division. Actually, the situation is the opposite. We, as Osasunists, have a calculator in our pockets with our home keys. After this week European matches and the European League final confrontation Atletico-Athletic, plus the Copa del Rey final Barça-Athletic, even the team on the seventh position in the final classification in the Spanish League might go to Europe next season. Main rivals for Osasuna are Sevilla, Getafe and Espanyol, as they should lose their confrotations or get the least points up to the end of the season. The match in Villarreal tonight is key for Osasuna as they confront a weak team now. A victory will lead Osasuna to European positions.Villarreal, on the other hand, will have an eye on Sporting and Zaragoza, which are playing against two European rivals for Osasuna: Getafe and Athletic. Osasuna will definitely get their final situation in the Mediterranean stadiums. In fact, they will stay in that area for the next six days as they are playing against Villarreal and Valencia in those days. Both teams could be good rivals to get points, as I said with Villarreal because of their actual position in La Liga, and because Valencia was out of the European League Final against Atletico last Thursday and I am sure that will affect the city, the coach Emery and the players in Valencia F.C. Mendilibar is meeting an old friend for Osasuna on Villarreal bench, Lotina. Good news for Osasuna is Raul Garcia and Ibrahima's back and there are only two injured players, Masoud and Echaide. There are 23 players in this concentration period for those two games in the region of Valencia. Kickoff teams: Villarreal: Diego López; Mario, Musacchio, Zapata, Jaume Costa, Bruno Soriano, Marcos Senna, Borja Valero, Cani, Hernán Pérez and Marco Ruben. Osasuna: Andrés Fernández; Marc Bertrán, Lolo, Roversio, Damià; Puñal, Nekounam; Cejudo, Raúl García, Nino; and Lekic. Finally, I want to talk about this week sport news, which the most important one is Guardiola's leave from Barça's bench. I have always admired the Catalonian's work as you can read from former articles and I have never hidden my support to his achievements and Barça's awards and prizes. Here it is my sincere tribute to Pep Guardiola

Osasuna-Villarreal, the last game of the year

Good morning, Osasunists!
This afternoon Osasuna and Villarreal are playing their last match of the year 2011, before Christmas.

The match starts at 18.00 and the situation of both teams are completely different if we have a back look to the beginning of November. At that time, Osasuna's way of playing was full of doubts and their supporters were very angry with Mendilibar after some comments about some grateful for a hatred team like Athletic de Bilbao.

But now, Osasuna have leaded four consecutive games without losing and they are in UEFA positions. On the other hand, Villarreal could finish this year 2011 in Second Division positions if they lose at EL SADAR.

After the victory in Almeria in the Copa del Rey competition, Mendilibar can't use Sola, Rubén, Marc Bertrán, Jon Echaide or Masoud. But Sergio, Damià, Nekounam and Satrustegui are back to the team.

Garrido, Villarreal coach, could be on the bench for his last time if they do not get any point from Osasuna stadium. There is a saying: "Comer el turrón en Navidad en el banquillo", and that could be his case.

How strange for both teams!
MERRY CHRISTMAS! GORA OSASUNA! AUPA ROJILLOS!

The end is here!

Last Saturday, on 22nd May, Osasuna and the Spanish League was about to come to an end, but I couldn't send my last article on time.
For those who I did not meet yet and you follow my blog, I really apologize.
To me, it was really important to follow our team, but my private life did not let me fulfill my hobby up to the start of the last game at 22.00 hours on Saturday itself.
I want to review my job this whole year and I must say that it has had brights and shadows for each article though you, and just you the reader have to give a final veredict.
As I have said before, private life and family is my real issue during the year and 2010-11 may be defined as a nightmare for me and some life projects have not reached to a happy end, what have influenced, overall, in the last two weekends, important for Osasuna, but even more important for me!
Anyway, I hope next season will be more successful for both Osasuna and myself and we both get our goals of the beginning of the year1
Have a nice break of football ( tough I may write an article about the Final of the Champions on Saturday )

Gora Osasuna!Aupa Rojillos!

Villareal-Osasuna, a game after the sales

Hello dear Osasunists! First of all I have to apologize as last weekend I couldn't send my weekly article because my Internet connection was disabled.
Osasuna played against Getafe in the Reyno de Navarra and we should say that we got a point, as I watched the game and I have to agree Getafe's coach, Michel, that they deserved the victory and Ricardo, like many other games, was the best player of the match.
So, as we see, Osasuna starts the New Year 2011 with a lot of problems, but it seems that Izco and his men are not interested in the results of the team and how the coach leads his players, and theonly interesting issue in their duties is to destroy the team. Now they've decided to sell one of the most important players in the team,Juanfran. I'm not going to extend this topic too much, but here it is my only comment about it: was Juanfran sold for the money he cost?and another question my dear friend used in his drawing: where is the famous "cantera" players of Osasuna?

Today Osasuna is playing against one of the best, if not the best, of the Spanish League after Barça and "the white team of the capital of Spain". Villareal F.C. is a modest team on the top of the leaders.
The "yellow submarine" ( as this Mediterranean team is known ) have played against Mou's team and Sevilla F.C. this week for the League and Copa del Rey competitions. They were defeat in Madrid after some referee's mistakes and a draw at home which makes them difficult to reach the next leg in Copa del Rey.

Villareal supporters expect to get the three points they need to keep their team in a comfortable situation in the classification. They also need to go back on the road of the victories and they think Osasuna is a good rival or victim.
But they also have problems in their team. There are many injured players and Villareal bought two players in the winter market: Cicinho, is the most important one;but they also lost three good players: Ángel, Cazorla y Marcos Senna.
Therefore, I think Osasuna must take a profit of it and get either a draw or the three points in the Madrigal stadium to avoid that heading of "the team which have not won away since 2010".
It was four years ago when Osasuna left Villareal defeated, and in the last visits Osasuna two victories and two draws. Osasuna is in a comfortable situation in "their League" and they must play their best to increase the difference with the teams below.
Probable Kickoff teams
Villarreal CF: Diego López; Mario or Cicinho, Gonzalo Rodríguez, Musacchio, Capdevila; Cani, Bruno Soriano, Matilla, Borja Valero; Marco Ruben and Rossi.

CA Osasuna: Ricardo; Nelson, Sergio, Flaño, Oier; Lolo, Vadócz; Damià, Soriano, Camuñas; and Aranda.


Stadium: El Madrigal. Time: 18.00. Referee: Rubinos Pérez.