"FC Barcelona Pitch" (CC BY 2.0) by dersportmanager Real Madrid emerged from last weekend with a wry smile on their face. Not only did they beat their noisy neighbours Atletico 3-0 at the Vicente Calderón Stadium on Saturday, but also great rivals Barcelona failed to capitalise on a golden chance to put pressure on Real as they were held to a goalless draw at home against Malaga. Real’s lead at the top of La Liga now stands at four points and as we head into this weekend’s fixtures, there is firmly an advantage for Real in the title chase. However, things can change quickly in football and … [Read more...]

Since 2010 the Pichichi award that went to the highest scorer in a Spanish La Liga season was dominated by just two names - Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi. But the 2015-16 season saw a new entrant. Luis Suarez who had joined Barcelona in the 2014-15 season from Liverpool, took some time to find his feet at the Catalan club. His 27 matches in that debut season fetched him 16 goals, which wasn't bad by any means. But the following season was even better. From just 35 appearances, the Uruguayan striker scored an astonishing 40 goals and won the Pichichi hands down. In the current season, … [Read more...]

Chairing the UEFA Elite Coaches forum this week in Nyon, Sir Alex Ferguson offered the view that the Spanish clubs dominance of European football is set to continue. He has a point. Since 2014, the FIFA World Club Cup and Champions League has resided in either the Bernabeu or Camp Nou. The Europa League has been the sole preserve of Sevilla at the same time. Pep Guardiola swapped Catalunya for Bavaria and a shift in fortunes was expected. Bayern Munich, dominant at home, were going to usurp Barcelona abroad. La Liga didn’t care. Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona went to Munich; … [Read more...]