Del Bosque, Donato and the bogeyman under spotlight in Spain
After a week off due to World Cup qualifying matches, the Spanish first division starts up again Saturday with nearly every club coach nerviously wondering what state his players will be in when they return from international duty.
After a week off due to World Cup qualifying matches, the Spanish first division starts up again Saturday with nearly every club coach nerviously wondering what state his players will be in when they return from international duty.
None will be more concerned than Real Madrid's Vicente Del Bosque, who has had nearly every member of his squad involved in at least one international game over the last seven days.
Del Bosque has made no secret of the fact he is looking for a convincing victory at home against Malaga on Saturday in order to silence the critics who have blasted him for two long weeks after the Spanish champions' opening day 1-0 defeat at Valencia.
A win is also vital to boost morale ahead of Tuesday's difficult Champions League match at Roma.
However, the lugubrious Real Madrid coach will have to do without his inspirational winger Luis Figo against the Costa Del Sol club, as the Portuguese international is suspended after being sent off in his last match.
Figo's absence opens the door for Steve McManaman to come back into the starting line up on his favoured right side.
There are also concerns about whether Brazilian defender Roberto Carlos will be fit to play after the bruising encounter against Argentina in Buenos Aires on Wednesday night and the subsequent long haul trip back to the Spanish capital.
By contrast, Malaga have nothing to lose.
Having never won in 22 trips to the Santiago Bernabeu expectations are minimal and Malaga coach Joaquin Peiro was quite happy to play the role of the underdog this week, with a view to perhaps causing an upset.
"It helps that Figo will not be playing on Saturday but we are conscious of the fact that Madrid is not just him. They've got plenty of good players and we are worried about all of them," Peiro joked.
Behind the scenes though Piero has been deadly serious, even banning mobile phones from training sessions this week.
"I want the players concentrating one hundred per cent, especially when we are doing fast, reaction-based, work," he added, hinting that they will try to catch Real Madrid out on the counter-attack.
Valencia visit Valladolid on Sunday with their coach Rafa Benitez well aware of the irony going back to the club for the first time since they dismissed him after a 5-2 defeat by Valencia five years ago.
Benitez is expected to start with the same line up that took to the field against Real Madrid, although many pundits expect him to replace John Carew with Salva Ballesta, after another lacklustre performance from the Norwegian international.
He may also opt for Carlos Marchena in the midfield if Uruguayan international Gonzalo De Los Santos shows signs of jet lag after his mid-week trip to Peru.
Valladolid, who are nominally bottom after their 4-0 thrashing at Deportivo La Coruna in the first game of the season, will give a late fitness test to their Colombian midfielder Harold Lozano, who injured his right knee in training on Wednesday.
Deportivo La Coruna travel to Las Palmas and their coach Javier Irureta is expected to recall the Brazilian-born former Spanish international defender Donato who, just a few months short of his 39th birthday, is the oldest player in the Spanish frist division.
"Everyone is talking about my age but I finished last season in the starting eleven, played throughout the pre-season, so it's logical I should be back at some point," Donato said.
Goran Djorovic is expected to be rested, to keep him fresh for Deportivo's Champions League match against Lille on Wednesday.
Las Palmas, after their surprising 3-0 win at Real Mallorca, have no injury worries and are expected to start with the same team, but coach Fernando Vazquez has been trying to confuse his opposite number by using four different line ups in training during the week.
Barcelona's new arrival Francesco Coco is expected to replace Sergi Barjuan in the team that will face Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, after Sergi's migrane problems which ruled him out of playing for Spain last weekend.
Coco was formally presented to the fans and media on Thursday, and the Italian revealed that he has signed a six year contract with the Catalan club rather than come on a one year loan from Milan, as was originally announced by the two clubs.
At Milan he was allowed to wear the number 77 on his jersey, which got him into trouble because of the number's use by Italian neo-nazi groups, but at Barcelona he has been given the less controversial 23.
"I didn't realise what the number meant to some people. I just chose 77 to be different, " Coco said.
However, Coco is already grabbing the headlines even before he has kicked a ball in anger at the Nou Camp.
His surname is Spanish slang for the bogeyman, and there have already been plenty of comments in the Barcelona-based media about how he is going to frighten the opposition, starting with Rayo.