Gareth Bale scored yesterday in Real Madrid's 4-2 victory over plucky Villareal. It capped a great week Los Blancos. They beat Atletico 3-0 in the Copa Del rey semi-final and have now overtaken their local rivals, to go top of La Liga. Bale returned from injury to replace the suspended Cristiano Ronaldo. It took just seven minutes for him to open the scoring, a delicate chip over Asenjo. Karim Benzema scored Madrid's second after 25 minutes, before Villareal full back Mario pulled a goal back before half time. It could have been so much more, Real Madrid are full of confidence. It's now 23 … [Read more...]
Espanyol 1-0 Granada
Espanyol were reduced to ten men, but still managed a 1-0 victory over Granada at the Cornella-El Prat stadium last night. Espanyol are an enigmatic team this season. Their defence is solid, but they just don't score enough goals. In an unusually tight Primera Division, they must have been looking over their shoulders. Friday's three points lifts them up to 8th place. Javier Aguirre will be sleeping sounder at night from now on. Things didn't start well for the Barcelona side. Defender Victor Alvarez was dismissed after half an hour for a reckless challenge on Granada striker El-Arabi. … [Read more...]
Ronaldo Loses His Appeal
Cristiano Ronaldo will miss Real Madrid's vital game against Villareal on Saturday, after losing his appeal against the red card he received last weekend against Athletic Bilbao. Real Madrid sit just three points behind Atletico, but in a tight three way race they can't afford to drop any more points. Ronaldo will be a big miss, but Gareth Bale may well be back after the latest in a string of injuries. Ancelotti insists that Bale will play tomorrow, but Los Blancos fans have heard that all too often. The red card was a farcical one. Ronaldo brushed Iturraspe's forehead, and he promptly went … [Read more...]
Real And Barcelona Take Commanding Leads
Real Madrid and Barcelona both took commanding leads last night, in the first leg of the Copa Del Rey semi-finals. Real Madrid won 3-0 at home to cross city rivals Atletico. This wasn't the flowing match that I'd expected. Ancelotti's side took a much more pragmatic approach. They marked Atletico's danger men closely. It was a rough and tumble match, with the home side in particular testing the referee's patience. Diego Costa was kicked at every opportunity. Finally losing his temper, he kicked back, and received a yellow card that will keep him out of the return. An injustice at every … [Read more...]
Pochettino Interesting Real Madrid
Surprising news is coming from the Bernabeu today. Reliable sources say that Real Madrid are considering replacing Carlo Ancelotti with Mauricio Pochettino. Managing Real Madrid is never the most stable of jobs. The manager receives huge financial support, and inherits a world class squad, but in return he has to deliver. The prize that the Real Madrid want, year after year, is not the La Liga title, but the Champions League. Ancelotti is likely to win some silverware this year. They are three points behind Atletico in the league, but in better current form despite a weekend defeat. They also … [Read more...]