Chelsea left-back Filipe Luis has revealed the real difference between the Premier League and La Liga is the determination of the players, insisting that playing in England is far more difficult than it is in Spain, according to ESPN. … [Read more...]
Barcelona v Sevilla preview
Barcelona play host to Sevilla on Saturday following a league hiatus that saw ten of its regulars clad in national colours, rather than the blue and red of Barca. The Catalan club entered the international break off the back of a win, albeit over a lowly Almeria side. It was hardly a performance to instil confidence into fans and players alike. Though they began their league campaign impressively under new coach Luis Enrique, October's 3-1 defeat in El Clasico at the Bernabeu and the subsequent 1-0 home loss to Celta Vigo have led to questions being asked. … [Read more...]
Eibar holding their own
League minnows Eibar were hotly tipped for relegation this season. They have won back to back promotions from the Segunda Division B right up to La Liga within two seasons and they managed an average home attendance last season of 2,901 fans, which is smaller than 84 of the English football league’s clubs. It is therefore easy to see why many punters backed them to not be able to withstand the rigours of Spanish’s footballs top division, however their performance this season has been nothing but extraordinary. … [Read more...]
Gareth Bale stars in this week’s La Liga team of the week
Deportivo La Coruna goalkeeper Fabricio was the Man of the Match in the Galicians’ goalless draw against Cordoba on Friday. The 26-year-old Spanish goalkeeper made save after save, capping it all with a massive penalty save. Safe to say Deportivo would have returned home without any point if they had anyone else between the sticks. Diego Colotto scored a late equaliser right at the death to deny visiting Villareal all three points, and earn Espanyol a valuable point. But it wasn’t just that, the Argentine international proved key on the defensive end as he helped keep the rear secure for the … [Read more...]
La Liga losing out? How Di Maria and Fabregas have made their mark on the Premier League
It is always something of a pointless discussion trying to debate which league is the best. ‘Best’ is such a subjective term and it is impossible to come to a sensible conclusion that pleases everyone, with some arguing that La Liga’s big two of Real Madrid and Barcelona mean their league is clearly the best while others will suggest that the competition for places at the top of the table ensures the Premier League should be top of the pile. You’ll probably even find some people that will fight the Bundesliga’s corner. … [Read more...]
The mighty rise of little Eibar
It is not often in La Liga that you hear of a 'fairy tale story'. Clubs from top to bottom of Spain's top divisions are carrying huge burdens of debt, and many sides are subsequently not as strong as they used to be. However, in May 2014, the story of SD Eibar was reaching its fairy tale ending. A club who's ground holds less supporters than Dagenham & Redbridge, were promoted to the Primera Division for the first ever time in their 70 year history. But like all good stories, there was inevitably a dramatic twist on the way. Located in the Basque area of Spain, Eibar has a population of … [Read more...]
How Scotland can impact Spanish Football as we know it
Scotland’s upcoming independence referendum aka whether the Scottish people will opt towards a new beginning as an independent state or continue with the old order, has sparked century old Catalan nationalist aspirations. Where on Thursday 11th September, National day of Catalonia, a reported 1.8 — 2 million took to the streets of Barcelona in mass demonstration, bringing the city to a standstill, to encourage a Scotland inspired independence vote from Spain. … [Read more...]
All the goals from La Liga Matchday 2
A round-up of the weekend action as Real Madrid lost in spectacular fashion in Sociedad, and both Barca and Atletico struggled past stubborn opposition. There were also wins for Valencia, Sevilla and Getafe in the final week of La Liga before the international break. Friday 29th August Getafe 1 (Vazquez) Almeria 0 http://youtu.be/6mcOqbJISWQ?list=UUTv-XvfzLX3i4IGWAm4sbmA Valencia 3 (Alcacer, Piatti, Parejo) Malaga 0 http://youtu.be/CyG7uTqowEU?list=UUTv-XvfzLX3i4IGWAm4sbmA Saturday 30th August Athletic Bilbao 3 (Aduriz, Iturraspe, Muniain) Levante … [Read more...]
Rayo Vallecano v Atletico Madrid: Match Preview
This Monday night sees current champions Atlético de Madrid take on Los Franjirrojos of Rayo Vallecano in a Madrid Derby. Inspirational coach Diego Simeone has seen his outstanding side unsurprisingly picked apart by clubs with financial clout that Atléti simply cannot match. Ace striker Diego Costa recently joined up with defender Filipe Luis and the outstanding Thibaut Courtois at José Mourinho`s new-look Chelsea. Spanish legend, David Villa, also exited the Calderon for his farewell lap in New York City. … [Read more...]
The FC Barcelona query
It is really hard to remember the last time Barcelona were looking into the new season with so many question marks over their head, probably not since Pep Guadiola was first appointed coach. Since then, Barcelona had two mini cycles. First was defined by Pep's legacy, in which the late Tito Vilanova managed to win the title but subsequently failed to repeat that level of performance in the Champions league, whilst dealing with a life threatening disease. Last season Tata Martino made a huge leap away from the Barcelona that was lauded as the 'best Barca team in history', installing new ideas … [Read more...]