Real Madrid fought back from a goal down to level their UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg with Manchester United on Wednesday thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's header against his former club. Ronaldo cancelled out Danny Welbeck's earlier strike and ensured Madrid go into the game at Old Trafford in three weeks time on level terms. It could have been very different for Mourinho's men however as they created the majority of chances and but for some sensational stops from United's David De Gea, the home team could have ended the tie on the night. The Spanish stopper expertly denied Fabio … [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...]
Pellegrino given timely boost but Los Che are losing patience
Since Unai Emery's messy resignation last season, Mauricio Pellegrino has had trouble in succeeding the unpopular manager at Valencia. Having led the team to a hat-trick of Champions League qualifications in La Liga, Emery's time at Los Che came to a sad ending and was ultimately forced out amid constant financial constraints and a perceived lack of improvement. Despite a Europa League semi-final last year, it was deemed that another coach would have to continue from where Emery left off. Of Argentine nationality, Pellegrino hails from the same country as Athletic Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa, … [Read more...]
Valencia Season Preview
Can Valencia win La Liga? I was always told it was best to begin with a joke. Maybe humour isn't my strong point... The fact that the question above is usually followed by an instant dismissal of Valencia's title dreams, almost as quick as Messi changes direction, makes glum reading for Valencia supporters. … [Read more...]
Disappointing European week for Spanish sides
Barcelona, Real Madrid, Athletic Bilbao and Valencia all lost in European competitions this week in a shocking few days for the Spanish league. On the plus side however, Atletico Madrid recorded a positive 4-2 victory but only at the expense of their La Liga rivals, Valencia. Beginning on Tuesday, Real Madrid slumped to defeat in Munich as Bayern scored a late winner to give them the advantage going into the second leg next Wednesday. Franck Ribery fired the hosts ahead in the first half but Mesut Ozil leveled the score just after half-time. Real seemed … [Read more...]
La Liga – The race for Europe
9 games remain in this seasons' Primera Liga and while the title will surely head to one of the two Spanish giants, the race for European football next season could provide more excitement. Just 6 spots are made available for teams looking to challenge the continent next season but as Real Madrid and Barcelona sprint towards the title, teams below have a huge few games ahead of them to ensure they manage to finish in the top dozen. Here I survey the contenders; … [Read more...]
The magic of the Copa alive and kicking in Spain
With the recent trend of top sides putting out weakened teams for their domestic cup competition, an act claimed to be devaluing the prize and taking away that cup magic. It couldn't be more different in Spain where last year’s Copa del Rey final was fiercely fought in Valencia's Mestalla stadium by the giants of Spanish football Barcelona and Real Madrid. Fuelled by Jose Mourinho’s desire to wrestle some trophies away from Pep Guardiola’s Barca, who it seems just want to win every prize put in front of them, a new found competitiveness had revitalised the Copa del Rey. … [Read more...]
How to level the financial playing field in La Liga
The first thing you usually hear when someone mentions La Liga to you is the response: "oh, well, it's just Barcelona and Real Madrid competing every year for the title". And while those two teams are undoubtedly the best in the planet, most football fans would agree that La Liga is not the deepest league. Serie A and the English Premier league have more teams capable of doing well in Europe and going after world class players. Outside of Malaga and the Big Two, we don't see great players going into other teams. Instead we see players like Juan Mata, David Villa, David Silva, Sergio Aguero and … [Read more...]
Valencia v Stoke: The key battles
After seeing Lionel Messi rip apart yet another Champions League defence with tantalising ease a couple of years ago,the wise, old pundit Andy Gray once remarked that he'd love to see how the Argentine would fair on a dark, damp, dreary night under the floodlights of Britannia Stadium. This question has almost been turned into cliche it has been bounded about that much recently by the media and whilst Barcelona being demoted to the Europa League was never really a possibility, we will get to feast our eyes on arguably the next best thing as Aver Banega, Jordi Alba, Roberto Soldado and Adil … [Read more...]
What the Champions League Draw Served Up For the Spanish Sides
Valencia, Villarreal, Real Madrid and Barcelona all awaited the Champions League Group Stage draw eagerly today as the coverage unfolded as smoothly as ever in Monaco. As ever, a predictable pause ensued as last year's tournament was articulately recapped in a montage of highlights and commentary. It proved a mouthwatering supplement to this year's competition as much as it wasted time for equally keen viewers. … [Read more...]