Few would have expected Barcelona’s unbeaten league run to end against a team that was in a relegation battle not too long ago. However, the 5-4 loss against Levante does not tell the whole story, as Levante had a four-goal lead just a few minutes into the second-half. Barcelona probably came in with their worst defensive performance in recent memory. The result gives rise to several questions for manager Ernesto Valverde, who should have been basking in the limelight after leading the club to a La Liga title. Defender Yerry Mina has had to face a barrage of criticism for the last few days. … [Read more...]
Girona – How realistic could European progress be?
In recent years, the league has been all about the ‘big three’ of Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. This year, it was no different, although Valencia now appear to be a viable ‘fourth way’ in the short term. Christian Stuani has been on fire this season for Girona. Regardless of whether or not Valencia can continue to perform with such strength, the gap between the top four has been sizeable this season. The distance between the haves and have-nots is further illustrated by William Hill's Champions League odds, which spent a significant time this April declaring Real Madrid … [Read more...]
The Special History of Football in Spain
In Spain, football, as it is commonly known, or in the United States as soccer, is the most popular sport above all others. With the weather more on the fairer side most of the time, the Spanish national football team triumphed in both training and ended up winning the FIFA World Cup in 2010 and went on to be successful in the UEFA European championship and multiple Olympic tournaments. The traditional Spanish word for football is actually "futbol." 19th Century “Futbol” Football initially came to the shores of Spain in the late 1900s as an imported game from the British Isles where it … [Read more...]
Barcelona Look to Take Advantage of Chelsea Plight
Real Madrid did their bit for Spanish football breezing past a despondent looking PSG and now it is the turn of Barcelona to continue flying La Liga’s flag on the grandest of European Stages. Chelsea are the visitors to the Camp Nou with the last sixteen match-up finely poised after a tight 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. After hammering Girona 6-1 immediately after that strong score-draw against Chelsea in the first leg, Barce have also managed to pick up a point away at Las Palmas but more impressively, three points over rivals Atletico Madrid However, since that night in West London, … [Read more...]
Can Valencia take a Champions League spot this season?
Having been the first Spanish team this century to offer serious resistance to the dominance of Real Madrid and Barcelona, winning La Liga twice and reaching back-to-back Champions League finals, Valencia’s decline has been gradual but palpable. The last time they finished third in La Liga was 2012, and they haven’t reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League since 2007. Consecutive 12th-placed finishes in their last two seasons were their worst league results since 1988, and only once in the last five seasons have they earned a top-four spot and qualification for the Champions … [Read more...]
Mauricio Pochettino proving his worth as future Real Madrid boss
Taking on the mantle as manager of a club as gigantic as Real Madrid takes Europe’s absolute elite, proven by past alumni Vicente del Bosque, Fabio Capello, Jupp Heynckes, Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Rafa Benitez, but it’s hard to know which direction to take next after getting through all of world football’s highest rated coaches. Former club legend Zinedine Zidane stands as current manager, enjoying records of conducting a side with the fifth most amount of goals scored in club history, and achieving the third ever lowest amount of goals conceded by a Real Madrid manager in charge … [Read more...]
Can Ronaldo Hit the Limelight Once Again and Save Real Madrid?
Few can argue that Real Madrid are slightly off the boil at present despite putting three past PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday night. League form has been a significant cause for concern for the Real hierarchy with head coach Zinedine Zidane’s job hanging in the balance. So much so in fact, that unless an unprecedented third straight Champions League title is secured, a P45 will no doubt be finding its way onto the world cup winners doormat. However, it is not all doom and gloom for the Madrid side, as mentioned, Los Blancos have one foot in Europe’s elite club competition … [Read more...]
How do you solve a problem like Malaga?
It was not that long ago that Malaga were supposed to be the next super club set to take over European football with a wealth of investment and promise of future glories. In 2010, then club president Fernando Sanz took to Qatar to seek investment in a club that had spent its entire existence yo-yoing between divisions. Determined to establish Malaga as a force in Spanish football, Sanz struck a deal with sheikh Abdullah ben Nasser Al Thani in which Al Thani ended up taking over the club and being appoint club president a month after the take-over was completed. Suddenly talk of Malaga … [Read more...]
La Liga Mid-Season Betting Tips
We are just around the half way point in La Liga season and it is fair to say that Barcelona are outstanding candidates to win their 25th La Liga title. As it stands, they are nine points ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid and, perhaps more crucially, 11 points ahead of bitter-rivals Real Madrid after winning the most recent el clássico. The leading UK bookmakers have installed Barcelona at a price of 1/20 to be champions, and it is hard to argue with their logic. However, there are some other odds-on bets for the La Liga season that really should be treated with caution. We will … [Read more...]
Will 2018 be the World Cup year for Lionel Messi at last?
The unthinkable almost became a reality on October 10, 2017, when just 40 seconds into the World Cup qualifier between Ecuador and Argentina in Quito, Romario Ibarra fired the home side into the lead. For the first time since 1970, the Argentine national team was facing the genuine prospect of failing to qualify for the World Cup finals. The footballing pride of an entire nation was at stake, and the pressure was on. The 2018 World Cup was looking like it might not feature arguably the best player on the planet, but of course, Lionel Messi had other ideas about that. Captaining his side and … [Read more...]