Jonathan dos Santos will link up with his brother Giovanni once again after he completed a €2m move to Villarreal from Barcelona. The Mexican pair came up through the Barca academy but will now represent the Yellow Submarines in La Liga next season. JDS has agreed a five-year-deal with Villarreal, ending 12 years at Barcelona where he found first-team football tough to come by. He made just 28 appearances for Barcelona in a period of his career blighted by serious injury. A cruciate knee injury in October last year left the 24-year-old on the sidelines for many months during the previous … [Read more...]
Arrasate hoping for instant retribution after Villarreal hammering
Real Sociedad boss Jagoba Arrasate has labelled the 5-1 defeat to Villarreal on Monday night as 'his worst day as coach of the club'. The good news for the recently appointed boss however is that his side have the chance to get revenge over Villarreal this Thursday in the Copa del Rey. Sociedad slumped to the uncharacteristic defeat after previously enjoying a series of games without defeat. … [Read more...]
Mourinho targeting Musacchio
Mateo Musacchio is being lined up for a surprise transfer to the Premier League as Chelsea look set to bolster their defence by signing the Villarreal centre-back. Musacchio, 23, has excelled as Villarreal have impressed since their re-introduction to La Liga this season and was on the scoresheet in the Yellow Submarine's narrow defeat to Barcelona on Saturday. … [Read more...]
La Liga’s final day relegation battle
Over the past few seasons the relegation battle between some of Spain's less fashionable clubs (and some esteemed teams too e.g. Villarreal, Racing & Deportivo) has been of greater interest than the fight for the title and this season the scenario is no different. No teams have yet been relegated from the Primera Division, with four sides in with a remarkable chance of staying up or going down with just one game to play. Just two points separate 20th and 17th place as three out of Deportivo, Celta, Zaragoza and Mallorca will ultimately have to endure at least one season of Segunda Division … [Read more...]
Cazorla set for Arsenal move thanks to some horrendous decision-making by Malaga owner Sheikh Al Thani
As a Los Boquerones aficionado it really does pain me to say it but Malaga FC are a complete and utter joke right now. After a momentus season in which they exceeded all expectations by securing Champions League football, it seemed like the sky was the limit for the Andalusian football club. With a formiddable roster of stars to boast about including, Martin Demichelis, Santi Cazorla, Joaquin, Jeremy Toulalan and many more, things were going so right for Malaga FC on the pitch yet clearly VERY wrong off of it. … [Read more...]
Rayo Vallecano Season Preview
As the scoreboard at the Campo de Futbol de Vallecas ticked beyond the ninety minute mark a wild cheer could be heard even amongst the celebratory Madridistas in the Spanish capital. Fans burst onto the pitch sporadically but soon continuously, screaming their emotions to the sky as the final game of the season effectively ended with the decisive final kick. Rayo Vallecano fans roared in triumph with their hero Raul Tamudo, yet it could all have been so different. Winning a game deep into injury time ranks highest in football fan euphoria … [Read more...]
Barca’s Lack of Depth Gives Madrid a 7 Point Lead in Title Race
SkySports bosses would have been licking their lips earlier this evening at the prospect of both Real Madrid and Barcelona facing off against two teams in the bottom four of La Liga, especially without BBC’s weekly Match of the Day stealing homesick viewers; though the night disappointed those in search of plenty of goals. Just 4 came in total, all of which from the Santiago Bernabeu, meaning that one of the top two had to settle with a deadlocked 0-0. That team was Barcelona who fell 7 points behind leaders Real Madrid as Villarreal outfought their fatigued, injury stricken opponents and … [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...]
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...]
Life after Aguero and De Gea for Atletico
Lighting up Manchester with a scintillating performance on Monday night reminded all at the Vicente Calderon what they have to be prepared not to witness this season. Kun Aguero and his new Manchester City teammates can bask in their cash spewed paradise (until United once again come to town and teach them a lesson) following a routine 4-0 demolition of newly promoted Swansea City while Los Rojiblancos stare into a rather different oblique subsequent to the sale of their star men as former keeper David De Gea also settles into life in the same city. … [Read more...]