Both Luka Modric and Gareth Bale came off injured during yesterday's 3-1 win over Malaga at the Bernabeu. Bale was the first to come off, lasting just five minutes before suffering a calf strain, whilst Modric hobbled off with knee ligament problems. It has emerged that the Croatian will miss the remainder of the season, though Bale should return after a few weeks. These injuries took the gloss off of another win that keeps Madrid hot on Barcelona's heels at the top of La Liga, and Cristiano Ronaldo's 50th goal of a stellar campaign. With Atletico Madrid coming up in the midweek Champions … [Read more...]
Under-fire Gareth Bale leads this week’s La Liga team of the week
El Clasico weekend is just by the corner, and league leaders Barcelona, as well as second place Real Madrid prepared for the potential decider next Sunday with good 2-0 victories. There were also wins for the likes of Champions League hopefuls Valencia – who toppled Atletico Madrid to finish the round in third – and Sevilla. Champions Atletico Madrid were disappointing though, and could only manage a point on their trip to Catalonia to play Espanyol. … [Read more...]
Gareth Bale double brings Madrid’s winless streak to an end
A Gareth Bale double helped Real Madrid end a run of four games without victory and close the gap on Barcelona at the top of La Liga. … [Read more...]
Is this a blip for Bale or the end?
The Welshman has endured a difficult second season in the Spanish capital to date, but is his poor form anything more than a tough spell? After a successful first year, the emphasis was very much on further improvement from Gareth Bale for this season. However injuries hampered the early sections of the current term for him and despite displaying some positive form on recovery originally, has been generally fairly poor. … [Read more...]
Cristiano Ronaldo is more likely to join Manchester United this summer than Gareth Bale
That is the opinion of The Sun’s Antony Kastrinakis, who on Sunday morning broke the story that Sir Alex Ferguson has been trying to convince Ronaldo to return to Old Trafford. … [Read more...]
Luis Suarez leads our La Liga team of the week
The title race in La liga got closer over the weekend with Barcelona squeezing out a result away at Granada, and Real Madrid having to settle for a draw at home against Europa League hopefuls Villareal. … [Read more...]
Isco the shining light in a gloomy Real camp
Everyone seems to be pointing fingers with Real Madrid at the moment after the humiliation to city rivals Atletico, and this weekend’s win against Deportivo was no exception. One that has evaded the limelight in recent months is Isco, who has put in some fantastic performances since being brought into the side after injuries to Modric and Kroos. … [Read more...]
Messi outshining CR7 as Barca surge continues
Barcelona and Lionel Messi are breaking records once again, rekindling the memories of the team that won multiple honours under Pep Guardiola. The club have won their last 11 games since defeat at Real Sociedad, equalling the run set under Guardiola in 2008/09. Manager Luis Enrique received plenty of criticism early on in the season, yet is quick to dismiss these records comparing him to Guardiola and Tito Vilanova. "I care about titles, not records," the former Barca man was quoted at the weekend. Enrique may receive his titles with the club firing in all three major competitions, and Real … [Read more...]
Is Bale’s criticism deserved?
Some say that there’s no bigger transfer in football than a move to Real Madrid. A club with such a rich history, and an even richer owner. Real have broken the transfer fee record five times, and when Gareth Bale joined the club in 2013, he became the most expensive footballer of all time. … [Read more...]
Kings of the Capital?
Felipe VI may occupy the throne in Madrid, but who are the sporting kings of Spain? Fittingly, it has been neighbours in Spain’s royal city offering arguments with the greater weight in recent times. Following a period of Catalan dominance, with Barcelona’s tiki-taka approach masterminded by Pep Guardiola and perfected by Lionel Messi et al, bragging rights have been dragged back to the capital. … [Read more...]