A brace against Zaragoza took Lionel Messi to within just 7 goals of Gerd Muller's world record of 85 strikes in a calendar year. Messi scored the opener with a lovely left footed finish after a 1-2 with Jordi Alba and then curled in a lovely shot to make the scoreline 3-1. He also had a hand in the other goal, Alex Song's winner, as Messi laid the ball back for the Cameroonian midfielder to score. Now on 78 goals in 2012, Messi has roughly 7 or 8 games left to break Muller's record and stake another claim to being perhaps the greatest striker ever to have graced the game. … [Read more...]
James Rodriguez a.k.a ‘The New Cristiano Ronaldo’ unlikely to move to Manchester United or Barca
Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo first came into prominence when he arrived in Manchester as a fresh-faced teenager in 2003 and subsequently set the Premier League alight for his club, helping them achieve domestic and European silverware galore scoring a whopping 84 goals in the process. Since his high-profile move to Real Madrid in 2009 however, United have never quite been the same which is why it has recently come to light that Sir Alex Ferguson's side are on the hunt for a new winger by the name of James Rodriquez, a Colombian starlet who has been dubbed as the 'South American' … [Read more...]
Poor start continues for Sanchez
Quite how Alexis Sanchez merited a starting role against Celtic last night astounded those who have kept an eye on the Chilean winger's recent form as his woeful run continued. He lasted 59 minutes, wasting two wonderful chances, before Vilanova hauled him off in place of David Villa. In truth Villa contributed little to the dismal defeat in Glasgow last night but with six goals already this season, compared to just the single strike from Sanchez, he was surely discontent at facing another spell on … [Read more...]
Can Atletico really challenge for the title this season?
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a piece documenting the recent rise of Atletico Madrid and their desire to qualify for the Champions League next season. However since then, Atleti's form has been nothing short of scintillating, featuring 8 successive league wins and in Europe the club have been similarly dominant with Radamel Falcao at the helm. Currently level on points with Barcelona at the top of La Liga, Atleti's blistering start has given them reasons to be cheerful amidst rivals Real Madrid's patchy form but can they sustain it throughout the season? … [Read more...]
Barca win late but Real slip up – European round up
Seven La Liga sides were in European action this week with five of them picking up valuable wins in both the Champions League and Europa League. There were no draws between the teams from Spain and anyone else, sadly for Real Madrid who lost to Borussia Dortmund, but one game almost shocked the football world which had remained level up until the dying seconds. Barcelona's narrow victory over Celtic very nearly had the Nou Camp raging but a 94th minute goal from Jordi Alba ensured … [Read more...]
Copa del Rey draw could see El Clasico semi-final
The draw for the latter rounds of the Copa del Rey was made today, setting up a potential semi-final between Barcelona and Real Madrid. Last year the two clubs met at the same stage with Barcelona progressing 4-3 on aggregate and the year before that the two met in the final. To find a season where the top two Spanish clubs didn't meet in the domestic cup you have to go back to the season before (09/10) when neither team made the final and Madrid were wiped away 4-1 on aggregate by third-tier Alcorcon. … [Read more...]
Sevilla performance will keep Barca on their toes
David Villa popped up to score late on against 10 man Sevilla on Saturday and maintain Barcelona's 100% record in La Liga and the Champions League this season but only after coming from 2-0 down. Below par for much of the first half and the start of the second, the Catalan club were somewhat lucky to avoid a similar fate as rivals Real Madrid. Amid the poor start from Madrid, who they face next week, Barca had been running away with La Liga and seemed intent on punishing the capital side. Instead Villa's late goal ensured Barcelona exited the game which they could so easily have lost with … [Read more...]
Can Barcelona reclaim their title this season?
Last season was a tough one for Barcelona and their supporters, with the loss of their La Liga title to deadly rivals Real Madrid and the Champions League one to Chelsea, coupled with the departure of massively successful manager Pep Guardiola at the end of the season. Now the club is starting again with their new manager – Guardiola’s former assistant Tito Vilanova – and the question on the lips of football pundits and die-hard Barca fans alike who line the Nou Camp terraces every week is, can they regain the title they lost last year? … [Read more...]
Real Madrid Season Preview
Before we begin lets make one thing clear. Whether or not Real Madrid retain the title depends greatly on how well Barcelona will perform. It is as simple as that. Barcelona can only take back their La Liga crown based on how well Madrid play. The bafflingly simple logic of the situation mocks the overwhelming importance of the La Liga title yet it proves stunningly elementary. However strong the challenge is from one, the other must match and surpass it. … [Read more...]
Opening La Liga weekend in threat of strike action for second year in a row
A dispute between 13 La Liga clubs and their broadcasting partners is putting the first round of matches at risk. Should an agreement not be reached then strike action could postpone the opening round of fixtures for the second season in succession. Clubs are unhappy with a number of factors with 11pm kick-off times causing the greatest amount of fuss. Athletic Bilbao, Atletico Madrid, Betis, Celta Vigo, Espanyol, Getafe, Granada, Mallorca, Osasuna, Vallecano, Soceidad, Sevilla and Zaragoza all attended a meeting in Madrid today demanding changes to agreements between themselves and two media … [Read more...]