Liga Pundits articles

[Snyde]

Also his quality has gone down significantly since 442, he writes far too often.

[maz]

That was a pretty cool article. Thanks mate

[Beast]

A Lazy Weekend With La Liga...
Posted 20/04/09



Spain is already a fine, fine place to live. But it's especially so at the moment with strawberries a mere £1.50 a kilo and the weather still many weeks away from being hair-meltingly hot.

In fact, it was so grey and grizzly in Madrid that there wasn't a single moment of guilt to be suffered from enjoying what turned out to be a Steve Bruce-sized mash-up of football and television...soccer and the sofa.

The entertainingly childish but almost incomprehensible TV rights dispute currently being fought in la Liga meant that there was some 48 hours of Primera action on El Gogglebox over the weekend break.

It was a feast of footie that met the needs of even the laziest, most bone-idle, Billy no-mates, sad-arsed social life possessing pundit - a profile that fits your correspondent like a glove.

The complete breakdown in co-operation between the two media companies holding the rights to matches in la Liga had lead to terrestrial channel La Sexta nabbing six top-flight encounters that were supposed to be Pay-Per-View and broadcasting them to all and sundry, as well as their legally-entitled Saturday night game.

At 4pm on Saturday, the penthouse door was bolted and the English offering of Villa against West Ham was switched on as a warm-up for the Primera fun to come.

Of course, the match eventually popped up on a different channel to the one advertised and began a good ten minutes into the encounter. Same chaos, different league.

Four hours later, la Sexta began its sneaky transmission from the Coliseum where Getafe were taking on visiting Barcelona.

However, throughout the game, the ADD-suffering channel switched to two other encounters as Champions League-chasing Málaga faced mid-table Mallorca and relegation-threatened Athletic Bilbao entertained the desperately dull Deportivo.

But in the main game in Spain, Barça barely gave Getafe the merest sniff of the ball in an encounter where many sensed the Catalan club would come a cropper, based on recent poor past performances at that particular ground.

And those suspicions almost came true with Pep Guardiola's men holding a 1-0 lead after a first-half strike (from Messi), having had a clear penalty turned down after a foul (on Messi) and another effort (by Messi) incorrectly ruled out for offside.

It was exactly the kind of match where you expected the opposition to get an undeserved, jammy equaliser - an equaliser that would have given a huge advantage to the pursuing Real Madrid.

And that was why Pep Guardiola spent the final ten minutes of the match screaming and shouting in the torrential rain as if he were in a Linkin Park video.

Whilst these hi-jinks were taking place, occasional jaunts to la Sexta's second channel were undertaken to see snippets of Athletic, a team that had mustered just one victory in nine, against a Deportivo side that had completely given up the footballing ghost ever since breaking the 42 points barrier.

And it looked like being a goalless draw, despite much of the usual hoofing and huffing from Athletic, until Depor's Pablo Alvarez punted the ball towards the home team's goal in the closing minutes only for it to take a deflection to give his side a fairly undeserved win.

Back on the main channel, a rain-sodden Pep was in danger of turning from dashingly determined to drowned rat but saw his side avoid a potential prat fall and pick up a 1-0 win.

The fun and games moved swiftly on to Huelva and the clash between Recre and Real Madrid, the second-placed side who have mastered the art of grinding out unremarkable victories in their dogged, determined pursuit of Barcelona.

And Juande Ramos was not about to throw away the blueprint in yet another uninspiring affair where Madrid took a 1-0 win and clung on to it for dear life, Arjen Robben continued to run into blind alleys and not pass to frustrated teammates, Raúl did jack dandy and Iker Casillas saved their arses.

Fortunately, The Incredibles on a rival station kept up the channel-hopping Spanish Thing's flagging spirits and prevented it from jamming its hand into the toaster for kicks.

With five games gone and five to go, la Sexta continued its matchday marathon late on Sunday afternoon with Espanyol v Racing Santander and Almería v Osasuna - two matches that were bum-numbingly boring until the final stages.

Espanyol's position at the bottom of the table and endearing claims that survival was still a feasible prospect, meant that their match at the Montjuic had pride of place on the television for the first half an hour.

But 30 minutes of two teams blasting the ball into the stands - no mean feat in Espanyol's ground - forced a change of channel to try out Almería against Osasuna.

Both teams only needed to coast the final eight Primera matches to ensure survival and that clearly showed in an unfailingly polite encounter where tea and scones being served in the middle of the pitch wouldn't have looked out of place.

This, combined with a cringing commentator over-pronouncing his r's to such an irritating extent that the word 'corner' lasted 20 seconds forced the return of Espanyol to take pride of place once again.

Just in time, in fact, to see Espanyol president Daniel Sánchez Llibre yawning so ferociously in his VIP zone, it's a wonder he didn't inhale half the club's board into his lungs.

The opening minutes of the second half were no better with the announcer fooling no-one by shouting that "the clock of emotion was ticking away".

But then everything sparked into life with Iván Alonso putting Espanyol 1-0 up, a scoreline his side held onto, whilst Almería took the lead in their encounter against Osasuna, before losing it and then retaking it in the space of 15 minutes.

At seven, the weekend's tastiest titbit kicked off with the fourth against third encounter of Valencia against Sevilla. And it turned out to be fine affair. Good enough in fact to reduce to a minimum any flipping to catch a badly-dubbed version of Primeval just two taps of a button away.

Sevilla started the strongest, but the referee soon grew tired of the attention being paid to the players, sent off Adriano and issued 13 yellow cards, including another red to rage-filled Sevilla coach Manolo Jiménez.

The numerical superiority - and two penalties - were enough to give Valencia the 3-1 win in Mestalla and close the gap on the Southern side to five points.

At nine, the freebie fest had finished and it was time to open the shutters and check that the big wide world was still turning. A cacophony of car horns blaring out from the street below suggested that it was.

It will be a while before this particular pundit repeats such a marathon, which swung between the mediocre and marvellous.

However, a rare round of midweek matches kicking off on Tuesday means that it could be another essential session for Spain's more dedicated slobs.

------------------------------------------

[Beast]

La Liga’s Good Day, Bad Day - Round 31

Monday 20 April 2009 12:00
GOOD DAY


Ever Banega

For an hour or so, it looked like being the 13th consecutive season that poor old Atleti would fail to win on their special ‘Day of the Fans’.

It looked like going the same way of the ‘Day of the Children’ the fortnight before, an event that saw thousands of new Real Madrid supporters being formed after a 4-2 home defeat to Osasuna.

But then the on-loan-from-Valencia, 20 million euro man Ever Banega came quickly off the bench, had a frenzied five minutes, rose to the occasion and exploded into action with a strike on the hour mark to give the rojiblancos a 1-0 lead.

Opponents Numancia had a perfectly good equalising goal disallowed before Atlético wrapped up the tie with two more efforts and a famous victory.

“The Calderón had begun to think the worst, another fiesta and another fiasco,” commented AS, but it was alright on the night and a win to keep Atleti on track for another crushingly disappointing end of season run-in.

Barcelona

As one panicking, perspiring Barcelona fan noted on the blog over the weekend, it was a nervy second half against Getafe on Saturday night. But it really shouldn’t have been.

Having restricted the home side at the Coliseum to about two chances on goal during the entire encounter, Barça had penalties, goals, declarations of independence all turned down by the referee who, let’s not forget, has been instructed to hand the Catalan club the league title, according to Marca.

La Liga Loca had felt a draw in its waters in this tie, not because of the inferiority of Barcelona, but because of the notion that sod’s law would eventually catch up with Pep’s Dream Boys and some footballing punk like Getafe would get lucky one day.

Out of all Barcelona’s wins this season, the 1-0 drubbing of Getafe may well have given Pep Guardiola the most pleasure.

The downside is that a day-long strike by the workers of TV station, Telemadrid, meant that La Liga Loca was deprived of seeing what the most outrageously anti-Barcelona presenters of their Sunday night football show would have to say about the refereeing decisions.

El Pais were on hand to point out the good side to the blackout noting that the blank screen was “the best programming the channel has produced in years” and that viewers were spared “the systematic insults to our intelligence” that Telemadrid normally trots out.

Real Madrid

As ever, La Liga Loca has nothing original to say on Real Madrid’s result this week. Nothing different to what even the most barmy of Bernabeu fans are feeling.

Yes, 15 wins from 16 is incredible and yes, equalling the record of seven away victories on the trot is also a fantastic feat. But hells bells, does it have to be so dull to watch?

“The definition of minimalism,” complains Juanma Trueba in AS. “They’ve found a way of winning games and it doesn’t deviate a minute from the script,” notes Marca’s Santiago Segurola.

However, it is the paper’s editorial from Sunday that the blog has to agree with - something that makes it feel very uncomfortable indeed - and its opinion that “it’s a shame they’re not playing well... because they’re making history.”

Alvaro Negredo

While Madrid are set to blow a good 60 million or so on either Kaka or Cristiano Ronaldo this summer - players who are by no means guaranteed to reach the 25 goal mark in la Liga - the club already has access to player who can achieve that feat, but for considerably less money.

In fact, for 4.5 million euro Real Madrid can invoke a buy-back clause on Almería’s Alvaro Negredo, a player who scored 13 league goals for what was a newly promoted club last year and is currently on 19 for the southern side.

Indeed, 15 of those goals came from open play - the same tally as David Villa - and six were headers. That’s six more than Higuaín, Raúl, Huntelaar and Robben have managed all season.

However, such a deal would probably make far too much financial sense for those at Castle Greyskull to contemplate. Negredo grabbed two more strikes on Sunday in a 2-1 win over Osasuna that lifts Almería seven points clear of the drop-zone.

Espanyol

As Christmas is just around the corner, let’s be charitable and keep up the pretence that Espanyol will pick up the 13 points needed over the final seven games to stay up. Here’s Paul from Barcelona.

"Well, not a bad day's work but the omens were not good.

"Three-year-old match-day mascot David Edwards didn't want to go on the pitch with the team, probably scared by the Jolly Green Giant until someone pointed out that he wasn't the smallest person out there. So, after towering over Munitis and Pereira the match was able to get underway.

"Racing, from here on known as 'The Flying Elbows' had their five minutes of dominance and then it was one-way traffic. Espanyol took charge of the game and should have gone in ahead at half-time.

"Second half, Espanyol charged head-first into Racing and were met with yet more elbows. They went ahead after a Nene free-kick was headed in by Ivan Alonso.

"Espanyol could have scored more and only really looked like throwing it away in the last five minutes. More due to nerves than anything Racing tried. So, overall, a totally deserved three points against a 'not as poor as Depor but not far off it' Racing.

"Espanyol to stay up if they play like that again whereas Racing are doomed if they keep playing like that.

"Stray cats - 0. Inappropriately placed crash barriers - 37.”

Paul, Barcelona.

Pablo Hernández

To help silence the screams in La Liga Loca’s head at night and bring forth sleep, it likes to imagine Valencia’s line-up next season, once everything of any value has been flogged.

The forward line currently consists of Zigic and Mata up front, with Vicente on the left and plucky Pablo Hernández on the right. Joaquín’s replacement is still a relative newbie to la Liga but returned to the club he began at after a season with Getafe.

However, every time Pablo has played for the Mestalla men he has earned his corn - especially considering the corn has been fairly scarce of late.

The right midfielder joined the fight against Sevilla in the second half and was on hand to finish a breakaway move in injury-time as cool as a cucumber. Pablo could be playing a key role in next season’s EasyValencia - the world’s first low-cost club.

Betis

If his arthritis wasn’t so severe, the 217-year-old Paco Chaparro would have been kicking himself furiously on Sunday night. Along with most of his squad.

Betis have now picked up two wins from two in the matches since poor Paco was handed his papers. The second was down to two strikes from Emana, who has now grabbed four in two to ensure firstly that Betis are in the top flight next season and more importantly that he won’t be there with them.

Deportivo

Despite their best efforts, a lucky late strike from Pablo Alvarez gives Deportivo their first win in five.

BAD DAY

Raúl

AS plonked the Real Madrid captain in their own Bad Day section for his performance against Recreativo and gave him a spanking with no marks. Marca awarded him two out of three.

Racing Santander

As Paul from Barcelona pointed out, Racing were less than impressive on Sunday - but that’s been the case for a while now with the club managing just two wins from 11. But seeing as they were against Numancia and Sporting, they don’t really count.

Before the defeat to Espanyol, Racing were on 36 points but a tempting 9/1 to go down, due to them quietly going about their business of being bad.

Those odds may be a little bit shorter today.

Sporting

La Liga Loca may have to change tack in its relegation predictions. A couple of weeks ago, it felt that Recre would be a dead-cert to go down. But the Huelvan side has shown some blood and guts in the recent matches against Sevilla, Barça and Real Madrid. Admittedly they lost them all.

But it’s a lot more than Sporting are currently serving up considering their recent record currently reads LLLLWWLLLL. The latest of these ‘L’s was Sunday’s 2-0 defeat to Betis in another flop of a performance and another failure to secure a draw.

“We’re going to stay up, I’m convinced,” claimed Manolo Preciado after the game. La Liga Loca is not so sure. But it hopes it is wrong and that la Primera’s finest fans will be back again next season.

Athletic Bilbao

La Liga Loca has a fine Athletic supporting friend that likes to routinely blame their constant defeats on unfair red cards, turned-down penalties and mind control machines controlled from Castle Greyskull.

But he may be lost for words on Monday after what was down-to-earth blind luck against Deportivo in a 1-0 home defeat. Athletic really shouldn’t be four points off the drop-zone, but they are.

Any Copa del Rey victory in May could be very sour indeed if their current awful run continues.

Giuseppe Rossi

A missed penalty for the Villarreal man means that he has not scored in la Liga since the middle of February - a crisis mirrored by his side who have not mustered a league strike for three rounds now.

England-based colleagues suspected that Villarreal were flimsy up front in the Big League from what they saw in the ties against Arsenal. The blog argued otherwise, but perhaps it was wrong to do so?

[Beast]

Survival, white cases and the Scottish Premier League
By Eduardo Alvarez

We're into the final stretch of the La Liga season and each team has played 31 matches, only seven more to go. Let's revise our mid-term review to see which teams have improved and which got worse, while predicting what could happen by the end of the season. From bottom to top, there are now four main groups.

Group 1: The Battle for Survival.
Eleven teams are still fighting to avoid relegation. The fixture list, home support and experience of this kind of pressure will be key factors. Taking a look at the numbers, 38 points should be enough to stay in the Primera División.

Despite the large number of teams involved, I stand by my original week 20 forecast: Numancia, Espanyol and Recreativo will go down. Numancia just don't have the players to make it, and on Sunday they were surpassed by Espanyol, who defeated Racing and left the foot of the table for the first time since we started speaking about Cristiano Ronaldo going to Real Madrid (ok, probably it wasn't that long ago, but it feels like it).

This coming Wednesday, the periquitos will play Sporting at Gijón, a do-or-die encounter in which the locals need to win to put distance between them and the bottom three. Sporting have lost four in a row, but they remain more resourceful than Espanyol, and their lively supporters can make the difference at home.

Recreativo have not won since March 1, and have a difficult run-in, finishing their season at Gijón. I believe they will already be down before that match. On the other side, Athletic and Getafe have more favourable schedules: the bilbaínos will host Numancia, Sporting and Espanyol, while Getafe will also have home advantage against Osasuna and Numancia; those home matches should be enough for both teams to stay up.

Mallorca and Osasuna were in relegation spots in our mid-term review. Since then, their gaffers (Gregorio Manzano and José Antonio Camacho respectively) have proved that they know how to get teams out of trouble, but both need to win as many points as possible in the next three matches, given that they will finish their season playing consecutively against the top three teams.

Racing, Almería and Betis have easier schedules, and possess scoring threats, which makes a huge difference at any level. Nicola Zigic has scored 10 times since his mid-season move to Racing, Álvaro Negredo's tally is up to 19 for Almería, and the combination of Ricardo Oliveira, the fantastic Emaná and the Brazilian Edú should be able to get the salvation job done for Betis.

Group 2: The King of the white cases
A single team (Valladolid) does not make a group, but I am sure others will join them in the final weeks of the season. The following applies to all those happy campers.

Valladolid have done their homework, and despite some ups and downs they now enter into the final seven matches with almost nothing to play for: they won't be relegated, and it's almost impossible for them to reach a European spot. What's left for them then? Your answer is white cases, as opposed to black cases.

Speaking plain English, and according to old Spanish footballing traditions, a black case situation happens when a team receives money from a rival team to lose a match on purpose. The case refers to the container of the cash changing hands during the transaction. If teams are found out, the punishment is brutal, so this type of story rarely goes public.

The white case situation occurs when a team gets money to win a match the result of which is almost meaningless for them, but terribly meaningful to other teams. White cases are looked upon with more tolerant eyes, and some of them have become famous stories in La Liga.

The most infamous one happened at the end of the 1993-94 season. With Deportivo leading going into the final match of the season they hosted Valencia, who were in a safe 11th position. It should be a sure win for Deportivo, given that they were playing for the title and Valencia were just taking a trip to La Coruña to eat delicious seafood and watch rain fall endlessly. But according to several reports, Barcelona, second in the table, added a bit of spice to the match in the form of a pretty nice white case for the chés and Valencia played like their lives were at stake.

You may remember the final outcome as after a hard-fought match, Valencia's goalie González saved Djukic's last minute penalty, handing Barcelona the title. The most striking moment of the night was not González' save, but the sight of Valencia players celebrating like they had just won La Liga themselves. A couple of years later González publically admitted they had been generously rewarded for their unexpected draw at Depor.

Rumours about white cases usually start to fly around in the last two or three matches, when some teams really have nothing to play for. However, the mighty Valladolid have managed to get seven matches to raise additional cash to spend during their holidays. Wives of Valladolid players must be making great plans for the summer...


Group 3: Europe or Failure.
Whatever their aims were at the beginning of the season, any of these teams will be disappointed to be left out of European competition.

Six teams (Deportivo, Málaga, Villarreal, Atlético, Valencia and Sevilla), play for four spots (two for the Champions League, two for the Europa League). First things first, and against my own mid-term review, Villarreal won't play European football next season. Their schedule is the toughest among all these teams, as they will face the top four in the remaining seven matches. Last season's Villarreal could pull this one off, this year they just don't have it.

A seemingly recovered Valencia and Sevilla also have tough fixture lists ahead, so Atlético could sneak into a Champions League position if they are able to maintain a certain degree of consistency. Their schedule looks easy on paper, but they know how to make things difficult for themselves. The rojiblancos play Valencia on matchday 36, an encounter that could dictate who gets the fourth Champions League spot.

That leaves one Europa League position open, which should go to Málaga. They are consistent and their run-in looks good, so they should beat Villarreal and Deportivo (who play Sevilla and Barcelona in their last two matches of the season) for that European spot.

Group 4: Celtic vs Rangers.
After a few years in which Deportivo, Valencia or Villarreal were able to contend for the title, the La Liga fight has become a parody of the Scottish Premier League.

Barcelona and Real Madrid are in place to become the best champions and runners-up ever, respectively. We have witnessed the odd surprise, like Espanyol defeating Barcelona at the Nou Camp, or every match at the end of Bernd Schuster's reign in Madrid. However, since Juande Ramos took over (except the Barcelona match, his first) and Pinto saved that penalty in Mallorca, both teams have won almost every single match.

Barcelona clearly have the upper hand. Victor Muñoz said it best after his Getafe team was defeated on Saturday: "Their players seem to float, it felt like there were 14 of them on the pitch."

Two questions are relevant to resolve the title race: first, can Barcelona keep that rhythm despite their crazy schedule (Champions League semi-final against Chelsea, Copa del Rey final against Bilbao)? Second, even though Real Madrid only have the league to play for, can the madridistas maintain their winning streak?

My answer is "no" for both. Barcelona will drop a few points, but so will Real Madrid, and they need a perfect record to pip Barca. Both teams will face their toughest opposition in the next four matches, including one another in matchday 34. The Spanish version of the Old Firm derby should be decisive, and while for Barcelona a draw should be enough, Real Madrid need a three-goal victory to go in front on the head-to-head tie-breaker at the end of the season. Too much to ask, even for Real Madrid.

Relegation: Recreativo, Espanyol, Numancia
Europa League: Málaga, Valencia
Champions League: Sevilla, Atlético, Real Madrid
Champion: Barcelona

============
pretty good analysis

[VivaBarca]

I like how he compares the Old Firm with Barca and Real. Only 2 or 3 teams at most in every top league in Europe can win the title this season/ past seasons

Spain : Barca or Real
Scotland : Celtic or Rangers
Turkey : Galatasary or Fenerbahce
Ukraine : Dynamo Kiev or Shakthar
France : Lyon or Marseille
England : Man U or Liverpool/Chelsea
Italy : Inter and Juve
Holland : Ajax or PSV or maybe AZ
Germany : Bayern and 2 others ( inconsistent are most German teams )
Portugal : Porto or Benfica.

[VivaBarca]

Spanish and Italian journalists are quick to forget recent history. English sides have won 3 CL titles since 1990. Spain have had 5 in that time and Italy have had 4. I put a lot of it down to the fact Sky have put £1.3 billion into the Premier League and all of it goes to the clubs. That kind of lucrative TV deal wouldn't be struck in Italy or Spain. English teams are overall richer but the top teams are all roughly the same. It's when you get to the middle the differences are striking.
4th place : Arsenal Valencia Genoa Who's richer there ? Obviously Arsenal.
9th place : Tottenham Valladolid Lazio Who's richer there ? Spurs.
19th place : Newcastle Espanyol Lecce Ok Newcastle are richer

English football has the money and as the saying goes, money talks.

[Beast]

Divine intervention means that Espanyol may keep their seat in La Liga

Espanyol looked set the begin life in their new home in the second tier of Spanish football until an unlikely pilgrimage changed their fortune

Five colossal cranes still tower over it, glinting as the sun sets behind the hills, but work is virtually finished, contracts exchanged and keys handed over. After a decade as a tenant rattling round someone else's neglected gaff, RCD Espanyol finally have a home of their own. It's time to bid goodbye and good riddance to a cold, grey athletics arena where you need binoculars to see the subs bench let alone their team-mates on the pitch. A cold grey athletics arena that, despite its beautiful, almost mystical location on top of Montjuic, never felt quite right, that has a pitch that's cut to bits and a dressing room where the paint peels off the walls.


Time to say a big hello to Cornellà-El Prat: a proper football stadium, steep stands up against the pitch, decked in blue and white. At Montjuic Espanyol have an average attendance of just over 20,000 (in a stadium with over 55,000 seats), huge tarpaulins covering their blushes and thousands of seats at each end. At Cornellà, things will be different. A €53.4m arena, Espanyol's new home occupies 81,163 square metres, has 40,500 seats breathing down the players' necks, solar panels on the roof, and even a cemetery for pericos that have passed away. Dead parrots, in other words.


With an "Elite" rating from UEFA, it is the kind of ground they proudly insist will be worth 10-15 extra points a season, once it's been inaugurated against Liverpool on 2 August. No wonder it's been building to that moment pretty much ever since they departed the Sarriá in 1997. No wonder it's been at the centre of everyone's thoughts, even to the detriment of the team, the director general describing this season as "a journey across the desert", the end in sight; the director of marketing insisting: "I was essentially brought to oversee the move." A new home that brings new hope.


There is just one big problem. Cornellà will be the newest and best stadium in the division but that division might well be the Second. They wait eleven years for a fresh start, the opportunity to take a step up, build on a fifth place, two Copa del Reys and a Uefa Cup final, becoming a real force with a clearer identity than ever before. And instead, they face a first relegation in fifteen years. As the Barça fans' joke goes, Espanyol's new ground will be called the SEAT stadium because, never mind Madrid, Barcelona or Sevilla, it's more likely to host Córdoba, Ibiza or Toledo..


The collapse has been dramatic. Half way through last season, Espanyol were third, Uefa Cup runners-up, unbeaten in fourteen games and with three players in the Spain squad. Then suddenly, the wheels came off and the divisions between players, coach and club surfaced; the uneasy truce was broken. Raúl Tamudo, Dani Jarque and Iván de la Peña suffered injuries and Carlos Kameni went to the African Nations Cup. Espanyol lost three on the trot. The worst implosion in La Liga history was about to happen. In March they were still hanging on to a European place; by the end of the season, they were twelfth, closer to the drop. They didn't win one of their last ten matches and only scored three goals – two of them penalties, the other a deflected fluke.


Albert Riera left for Liverpool, Pablo Zabaleta for Manchester City and coach Ernesto Valverde went to Greece, his frustration with the club eating at him. Although they won their first two games – Steve Finnan joined them as league leaders – poor results followed. Under coach Tintín Márquez they collected twelve points in thirteen games, under his replacement Mané just three in six. Former player Mauricio Pochettino became the club's third coach, taking president Dani Sánchez Llibre's total to five director generals, six technical secretaries and thirteen coaches in eleven years.


Pochettino got three draws but his side was then beaten by Sevilla. Espanyol still couldn't score. Luis García hasn't scored in six months. Raúl Tamudo started the season nine goals off the all-time La Liga record for a Catalan and is still six away. The absence of injured playmaker Iván de la Peña was particularly felt. With him starting, they lost once in seven, winning three; without him they were winless in seventeen. De la Peña returned and unbelievably Espanyol beat Barcelona. Two goals made him the side's top scorer with four goals. "We've been liberated," Pochettino declared.


They hadn't. Three defeats and a dramatic draw with Mallorca followed. With ten weeks left, Espanyol were bottom on just twenty-two points, eight from safety. Even four wins in ten games – as many as they'd managed in 28 – might not be enough, leaving them two short of the 40-point mark. It was, cruel culés</italics> cackled, going to take a miracle for Espanyol to survive.


But if that was what it was going to take, that was what Pochettino was bloody well going to get. He packed his bag, rounded up his wife and his No2 and hiked 12km to Montserrat, a religious mountain and shrine with restaurants, gift shops and the Morenata – the black virgin, patron saint of Catalonia, supposedly found in the ninth century. A shrine rescued from anarchist looting during the civil war, where Catalan intellectuals barricaded themselves away from Franco's police and Jordi Pujol's political party Convergència was founded. Where FC Barcelona celebrate their successes and where a puffing Pochettino, continuing a long tradition of footballing superstition, pleaded with the virgin to save the region's other, often forgotten club.


And so she did. Last night, Iván Alonzo's header gave Espanyol a 1-0 win over Racing and carried them off the bottom for the first time in over a month. Since his pilgrimage, Pochettino's side are unbeaten, have clinched seven points and back-to-back home victories. They have and climbed to four points from safety and Sporting de Gijón, who've won just two in ten and who Espanyol face on Thursday. Survival remains difficult but their run-in isn't bad as it could be – Betis, Valencia, Athletic and Málaga at home, Sporting, Atlético and Almería away. Like Frankenstein's Wife, Espanyol are, incredibly, alive. "The Miracle," cheered AS, "is possible."


When Pochettino hiked to Montserrat, Sánchez Llibre's eyes darted about shiftily. "I can't join him because I've got two hernias," he claimed, fumbling for an excuse. "If someone gives me a lift I'll do half of it. Or maybe I'll walk from Montjuic to Cornellà instead." Yeah, maybe. And thanks to a puffing Argentinian and an obliging virgin maybe, just maybe, he'll do it as a First Division president after all.



Results and week 31 talking points:


Another week on and nothing changes at the top. Real Madrid and Barcelona both won 1-0. Does anyone really need telling how they did it? Nice to see that anti-Madrid refereeing conspiracy in full flow.


Atletico Madrid's club shop was broken into on Thursday night. Someone threw a manhole cover through the window and stole hundreds of shirts. It's a good job they didn't break into the trophy room. They might have nicked off with a carpet.


Tough choice for goal of the week, with Emaná, Arango and Apoño scoring absolutely belters for Betis, Mallorca and Málaga respectively.


La Sexta have come up with the bright idea of putting the yellow cards on the screen in graphics underneath the team's names, as if they were goalscorers. Which is fine normally but on a night like last night when Sevilla face Valencia, you end up not being able to see a thing. There were fifteen yellows (or at least there were when this column lost count) in a game that was a cheat-fest, packed with scything challenges, dreadful dives, utter lunacy, appalling refereeing, and some shameful play-acting. It was fantastically entertainingly in a comically dirty sort of way, but also pretty awful. Cor, who'd have thought it with Carlos Marchena, David Albelda, Diego Capel and Fernando Navarro playing?


All should become much clearer over the next few days with midweek fixtures as well as weekend ones. And thanks to those geniuses at the league, the big – really big – run of games is about to crank up for the second time this season, starting with Barcelona v Sevilla on Wednesday night.


Results:


Getafe 0 – 1 Barcelona, Atletico 3 – 0 Numancia, Athletic 0 – 1 Deportivo, Málaga 1 – 1 Mallorca, Recreativo 0 – 1 Real Madrid, Valladolid 0 – 0 Villarreal, Almería 2 – 1 Osasuna [Now that's a header], Espanyol 1 – 0 Racing, Valencia 3 – 1 Sevilla, Betis 2 – 0 Sporting

[Quash]

Thanks for posting these man, as well as the Flannery ones. I enjoy reading them

[Snyde]

and even a cemetery for pericos that have passed away. Dead parrots, in other words.

As the Barça fans' joke goes, Espanyol's new ground will be called the SEAT stadium because, never mind Madrid, Barcelona or Sevilla, it's more likely to host Córdoba, Ibiza or Toledo..

Atletico Madrid's club shop was broken into on Thursday night. Someone threw a manhole cover through the window and stole hundreds of shirts. It's a good job they didn't break into the trophy room. They might have nicked off with a carpet.


It was fantastically entertainingly in a comically dirty sort of way, but also pretty awful. Cor, who'd have thought it with Carlos Marchena, David Albelda, Diego Capel and Fernando Navarro playing?

Ever more becoming my fav. Liga pundit.

[Beast]

Lazy Liga wakes up for midweek mayhem

Tuesday 21 April 2009 10:00
Those go-getting fast-trackers running the Spanish league gave a good four days notice to the plebs and players of when they would be in footballing action this week, so everyone had better be ready.

Incidentally, La Liga Loca would love to know how mild-mannered Sir Alex Ferguson would react to having to wait until Thursday morning to find out whether he would be playing a match the following Tuesday or Wednesday.

The blog imagines that a taxi to the league’s HQ and a chainsaw would form part of the measured response.
For just the second time this season, la Liga is in midweek action with yet more dodgy refereeing decisions, rubbish red cards, god-awful 1-0 wins for Real Madrid and family friendly 10pm kick-off times on a Thursday night.

Tuesday sees two of the 10 games kicking off with Real Madrid at home to Getafe in yet another enthralling encounter that should see 80,000 people quickly regretting not having stayed at home to watch Liverpool take on Arsenal.

One player who completely forgot that there was a midweek encounter was Julien Faubert, who chose to stay in bed on Sunday and missed the morning’s training session. La Liga Loca is still unsure of how anyone noticed his absence.

The Frenchman is set to be fined with Juande Ramos commenting that his waste-of-money winger “thought it was a free day as normal.”

The speculation in the Madridista press is on whether Raúl’s booty will be parked on the bench for the game. But only because he is such a key player in the final run-in and needs his rest. And not because he has been really rubbish of late. Oh no.

AS come nearest to heresy in the Spanish capital with editor Alfredo Relaño noting that the Madrid captain has yet to score against Getafe and that he may not have the chance to do so again after tonight.

“A new era is coming with new players and it’s difficult to guarantee that he will keep his status (as sporting director)” writes the number one AS, who is probably angling for an interview with the Madrid number seven, rather than expressing an actual, valid opinion.

Marca are in two minds about Raúl’s role in the Getafe game. The official review has him starting the encounter but the accompanying caption has him sitting firmly on the bench. Nothing quite like covering all the bases.

The paper’s craziest columnist, Roberto Gómez, is still suffering his punishment for having raided the office cookie jar one time too many.

It’s a punishment that sees his witterings cut down in size and poked away in a dusty corner of the paper. In response, Gómez has spent the past fortnight calling for the renewal of Juande Ramos’ contract and that the spirit in the Madrid camp has never been better.

“The little faces of Salgado, Guti, Codina, Faubert, Javi Garcia and Parejo were a poem,” sniffled Gómez on the moment when Ramos announced his squad for the away match to Recre last weekend. “They all wanted to go.”

The midweek round of matches gives another excuse for both lazy players and press alike to ramble on about there being eight/seven/six finals left until the end of the season.

Except in the footballers’ case when the ‘final’ is lost. Then it is the next game that is the real final. Unless that is lost, and so on.

Speaking of losing, Athletic Bilbao play “their final in Soria” according to Marca by travelling to play little old Numancia on Tuesday night.

The bottom of the table side are also facing a final where “the league is at stake,” according to manager Pacheta.

However, after just one win in 10, Athletic cannot get any worse and should more or less condemn Numancia to la Segunda with a cheeky away win.

---------------------------------------------

First time someone from the Pro-Madrid spanish press suggest that.. god i hope it's true

[Beast]

The Fairly Angry Weekend Predictions - Round 33

Friday 24 April 2009 10:00
Saturday

Málaga (6th) vs Deportivo (8th)

Now La Liga Loca must start Friday’s ramblings by apologising to Málaga and Deportivo - well, Málaga, anyway - for hijacking their section which should be a joyous dedication to two plucky teams chasing Europa League dreams, etc.

But it must draw attention to Marca’s story on Friday concerning the profile of its typical reader who turns out to be male, between 25 and 44-years-old and from a middle / upper-middle class background.

However, it does not give a profile of the paper’s editor, Eduardo Inda. But La Liga Loca’s own survey can help there - loathsome, cowardly, cheap, nasty and seemingly happy to do anyone’s bidding if the price is right.

On Thursday, a one page editorial from the man himself attacked Ramón Calderón - who was portrayed in a cartoon with red eyes and hands dripping in oil - for choosing TV channel Al Jazeera to air the latest edition of his ‘vendetta’ against Inda’s precious club.

The paper’s editor wrote that it was a disgrace that the ex-president chose a forum that “systematically transmits the nauseating videos of (Osama Bin Laden) the most wanted terrorist of all time,” and attacked those who suggested the station was ‘integrationist’ for offering an alternative viewpoint to the likes of CNN.

Mr Inda. You sir, are an idiot. A really big one.

This particular terrorist mouthpiece also airs the international version of Real Madrid’s television station and was recently given exclusive interviews with Raúl and Iker Casillas.

Is there really nothing you won’t say or do to get Florentino Pérez elected? No depths you won’t sink to? La Liga Loca cannot wait to find out.

LLL Prediction - Home win

Almería (14th) vs Numancia (20th)

Now that they are stuck at the bottom of the table and destined for a swift return to la Segunda, Numancia are tired of being the referee's butt-monkeys and are speaking out against what they perceive to be a season-long campaign against them, a campaign that contributed to the team’s 20 defeats.

“Whenever referees take our games, they laugh in our faces,” complained midfielder Txomin Nagore.

And that’s a fine fantasy if you ignore the fact that Numancia got to play the 10 men of Athletic Bilbao for much of Tuesday night’s encounter, but still ended up losing.

LLL Prediction - Home win

Valencia (4th) vs Barcelona (1st)

Andrés Iniesta’s second minute opener against a truly sorry Sevilla may have kicked whatever stuffing was left in Real Madrid’s title-chasing cushions.

Or so says professional substitute Christoph Metzelder, the one Whites player who was delighted to watch Pepe going postal.

“I sat down in front of my TV to watch the game and two minutes later I wanted to turn it off,” said the German defender looking back at the Getafe clash. Sorry, the Barcelona vs Sevilla match.

Joan ‘Joan’ Laporta, for one, is someone who is living every kick of the title chase at the moment.

Well, that’s the reason he gives for last weekend’s giant huff when he stormed from the Getafe presidential balcony at the end of the game as only Laporta can when he has a big old bee in his bonnet about something.

“This kind of football makes it hard to keep a lid on the excitement,” explained the Barcelona president. What odds on his trousers coming off, once again, between now and the end of the season?

LLL Prediction - Draw

Sunday

Getafe (16th) vs Villarreal (5th)

Despite doing their level best to sulk their way through Thursday night’s encounter against Recreativo, Villarreal scraped a 2-1 win thanks to what AS are describing as a ‘zombie goal’ from Cani.

Apparently, that’s the term that kids today are using for a ‘goal’ that may or may not have crossed the line.

Thankfully, this is unlikely to launch a time-consuming argument over the use of video technology in the game in Spain, considering those running the sport have yet to get round to fixing the time of next weekend’s Real Madrid vs Barcelona clash - a match that La Liga Loca hears is of some interest to people around the world.

LLL Prediction - Home win

Recreativo (19th) vs Mallorca (10th)

La Liga Loca must admit that it gave up half-way through Mallorca’s televised encounter with Valladolid. There’s only so much fun a blog can take watching what was an awful, goalless draw between two mid-table sides.

But La Liga Loca was punished by its impatience by missing out on two strikes from Mallorca striker Alhassane Keita.

The Guinean, who came to the club last summer promising 20 goals, has now racked up three which should leave the Balearic side as very much the one to watch over the last six rounds of action.

LLL Prediction - Home win

Valladolid (9th) vs Osasuna (15th)

It seems that Osasuna may be in a spot of bother after their Wednesday night mash-up with Málaga.

The three red cards for the home side as well as the dismissal of manager José Antonio Camacho sparked the notoriously volatile crowd into life with a barrage of objects being thrown onto the pitch.

The referee’s report advises that Málaga’s Albert Luque was struck by an object and that the linesman was hit by a coin as he left the field at the end of the game.

LLL Prediction - Draw

Athletic (13th) vs Racing (11th)

After giving their fans - and the blog - a relegation scare for a while after a period of poor performances, Racing took advantage of the visit of the softest touches in la Liga, Atlético Madrid, to issue a 5-1 spanking to their opponents and move the club to within one or two points of safety.

And it’s all thanks to little Pedro Munitis, who wafted in two free-kicks that caused chaos in the Atleti box and plopped in Racing’s fourth - a truly exquisite chip.

“It was a magical night,” sighed the former Real Madrid front man, wiping away a tiny tear.

LLL Prediction - Home win

Espanyol (18th) vs Betis (12th)

Surely, Espanyol cannot lift themselves out of their mess, like a powerlifting patient in an English care home?

They may have grabbed three goals on Thursday night to ease past Sporting in Gíjon. But it is set to be a very different matter on Sunday with the visit of Betis, a tough team with everything still to play for and.... and... the blog’s not fooling anyone is it?

LLL Prediction - Big home win

Sevilla (3rd) vs Real Madrid (2nd)

While Pepe goes off to think long and hard about what he has done and perhaps considers rugby as a future career - after all, it’s a sport where stud-raking and trying to boot people’s heads into the stands is fair game - Madrid must take the trip down south to take on Sevilla, a side who may or may not fancy trying to win this game.

After the scenes of violence at the Bernabeu on Tuesday night - especially the sadly overlooked dustup between Cata Díaz and Marcelo, the most unfortunate mismatch since Maniche sat on a picnic stool - there could well be more fireworks on Sunday night according to Christoph Metzelder in an interview with AS.

“Sevilla are going to be going out with a knife in their bags, no doubt,” predicted the defender.

La Liga Loca is unsure if it is the accessories on a field of play or the lethal weapon that the Spanish authorities are going to be most troubled by.

Could go either way. A bit like the game.

LLL Prediction - Home win

Atlético Madrid (7th) vs Sporting (17th)

Now La Liga Loca doesn’t like snorting ‘told you so’ in response to Atlético’s 5-1 thrashing by Racing Santander on Thursday night, but it is going to anyway.

Told you so.

In the most predictable, explosive climax seen since Ever Banega got his right hand back after three months in plaster, the Atlético Madrid players promised ‘seven finals left, Champions League, all in it together, giving our all, etc’ and came up ever so slightly short in el Sardinero.

“They approached the game as if it was a friendly,” wrote Marca, giving the team an underhand compliment.

“We know that everything looks dark now but perhaps it won’t be on Sunday,” said rojiblanco boss Abel Resino, who is already looking forward to Sunday night’s home tie in front of some happy home fans.

LLL Prediction - Home win

[Snyde]

Critics hail 'a team called miracle' as Real evoke memories of 2007

Somehow Real Madrid's title hopes remain alive after two late goals brought them victory over Getafe


Right, sunshine, let's get this straight. You say your name is Francisco Javier Casquero Paredes. Date of birth: 11 March 1976. You're from Talavera de la Reina, Toledo province. Your DNI number is: X3460761L. You're a professional footballer and you play for Getafe in the Spanish First Division, but maybe not for much longer. You're one of the more intelligent men in the game. At 10.45pm on Tuesday, 22 April, 2009, you were standing by the penalty spot at the north end of the Santiago Bernabéu stadium, Paseo de la Castellana, Madrid, and you say you've got 78,000 witnesses who saw everything. Oh, and a football manager who, somehow, didn't.

You say you even have written statements verifying your story. El País calls it "delirious, absurd and nonsensical" but true. AS calls it "impossible", claiming that "no one knows how it happened" but it did. And Marca calls it an "apotheosis".

It is week 32 of La Liga , a match between Getafe and the league champions Real Madrid. You've just run into the Madrid penalty area, been pushed over by a Mr Képer Laveran Lima Ferreira, aka Pepe. While you're on the floor, he kicks you, stamps on you and punches your friend, Juan Ángel Albín Leites, in the face. He gets sent from the field by the referee, Mr Delgado Ferreiro, and wrestled from it by Iker Casillas. As he departs, he tells the fourth official: "You're all sons of bitches." His boss says he didn't mean to kick you; he meant to "kick the air". But he later sings like a canary. He makes a tearful confession and begs forgiveness. Your boss wants him banned for 10 games.

The referee gives you a penalty. Mr Estéban Granero Molina, aka The Pirate, says he'll take it but you grab the ball. Your team has missed 50% of their penalties already and Mr Granero is one of three guilty men, along with Mr Albín and a Mr Roberto Soldado Rillo. You also suspect that there might be some previous between The Pirate, Soldado and Real Madrid; given the chances Mr Soldado has wasted, you suspect he might even be a double agent. On top of that, the last time Albín missed one, at the Vicente Calderón stadium, Paseo de los Melancólicos, Madrid, you ranted about seriousness. You would take them. No more wasted opportunities.

You distinctly remember looking at the scoreboard and seeing 88 minutes and 2-2. You say you remember thinking this was the perfect moment.

Your team have been 1-0 and 2-1 up and should already have put the game out of sight. Mr Soldado scored the first. Some hideous defending on a basic long punt in first-half stoppage time gifted a Mr Gonzalo Higuaín the equaliser after 45 minutes in which even AS says Madrid have been "pathetic". The fans have been whistling since the 20th minute. Arjen Robben has come on as a sub and gone off again injured. Fernando Gago is playing at centre-back, Marcelo Veira da Silva Junior is playing in central midfield and Royston Drenthe is playing. Raúl's not. Although he is on the pitch. Albín and Soldado missed absolute sitters but Albín made it 2-1 after 84 minutes with a wonderful goal. There were just six minutes left. You thought it was all over. And so did everyone else.

But, you say, it wasn't. Madrid got a free-kick – you're not sure what for – and your team-mates built a wall that leaves such an obvious passage through to goal it might as well be lit up with neon arrows and signs saying "Cooee, over here!" You still don't expect Guti to crash such a brilliant shot through the gap, though. Luckily, the penalty gives you the perfect chance to make up for it.

It's important. Very important. Your really need to win to preserve Getafe's proud record of never having been relegated, a record they share with just three other clubs: Real Madrid, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao. Score and Getafe climb to 12th, one victory from safety. Lose and you will be just two places and four points from the relegation zone, with the guarantee of that gap being cut by at least one point within 48 hours. You can hit a ball like Hotshot Hamish, racking up your very own collection of Johnny Metgod belters. And I can check YouTube if I want.

This time it really is game over. There's no time left. You're going to rip the net out. You're going to rescue your team. You're going to defeat Madrid for the first time in 17 matches. You're going to make it 2-3. A famous victory for Getafe. You're going to hand the league title to Barcelona: they're going to be six points clear with a game in hand and six weeks remaining. But you don't. You have no excuse, no alibi, no reason. You just don't. You don't know what came over you. Instead of tearing the net out, you run up and dink the ball straight into the arms of Casillas. It is so slow, so pathetic, so utterly ridiculous, that he has time to go one way, reach the floor, get back up and catch it. While having a nice cup of tea. You start to cry. Instead of Madrid being dead and buried your penalty has, you say, become a bugle call for them.

You launch another attack trying desperately to salvage the win you have just thrown away. You have a corner. Your goalkeeper goes up. Marcelo sticks his tongue out at Daniel Alberto "Cata" Díaz. All that's missing is the thumb on the nose and a na-na-na-na-na. There is a fight. You remember your team trying to attack some more. But yet again you fail to finish the move – even booting it into the crowd, by now baying for blood, would be better but everyone seems to have lost their heads – and Madrid break. You remember seeing Higuaín batter a shot, the net bulge, the place explode. Madrid's players pile in. Pepe runs back on the pitch. It is 3-2. To Madrid.

You remember it was the 93rd minute. You feel sick. The referee blows his whistle. You collapse to your knees. Another fight breaks out. Everyone piles in. Marcelo looks at Cata Díaz and grabs his crotch (his own crotch, not Cata Díaz's). A steward – whose job is to prevent crowd trouble and keep people safe – starts performing a string of up yours gestures to Getafe's fans, bewildered and angry barely metres from him. He then starts doing going down gestures.

Everyone else is chanting about being champions. Madrid are just three points behind Barcelona, who face a tough task against Sevilla tonight. You say Madrid really might win the league from a seemingly impossible position. And if I don't believe you, I should look back at the records. It's happened before, in 2007. Somehow, God knows how, Madrid could actually take the title. Again. If you don't believe me, ask AS, you say. They say Madrid are "a team called miracle"; Tomás Roncero is gushing about "what goolies they have". You swear it's true.

Yeah, right. A likely tale. I wasn't born yesterday, sonny. And it's no use turning on the waterworks, either. Ain't no one stupid enough to believe that. And as for those statements, do you really think Marca and AS are going to hold up in court? Christ, this is almost as preposterous as that 18 seconds nonsense you pedalled last time. Go on, get out of here and stop wasting our time. There's no way anyone could be that dumb. That lucky. That brilliant. Or that mental. And there's no way that Real Madrid can win the league.

Is there?

Week 32 Results and Talking points.

• When it comes to bigging up the psychological stress, maybe we're looking at the wrong team: just when we thought the pressure was on Barça after Real had got a huge advantage with that ludicrous win over Getafe, Barcelona win again and win easily, completely tearing Sevilla apart. Andrés Iniesta in particular was spectacular; he scored one and made the rest, for Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o and Xavi.
Sevilla hardly saw the ball. All the talk of Barcelona feeling the pressure of Real breathing down their shoulders but they just don't give way. Barcelona, says Sport, will happily defeat Real Madrid wherever they want; if they don't want to give up yet, then so be it. "If you want us to fight you on the streets, we'll fight you on the streets," says Santi Giménez, turning all Churchillian. Sevilla, whinges AS's Tomás Guasch, didn't even try. They left out Fredi Kanouté and Aldo Duscher to keep them fit for Sunday's meeting with Real.

• Valencia win again. Four on the trot now and two goals for a familiar face but not as familiar as he might be if he played elsewhere. Just how good is David Villa? If he played for Madrid or Barcelona the media – their media – would surely have declared him the world's best striker ages ago. Two more goals take him to 25 for the season so far.

• Pepe is gutted and has been punished enough! Say two papers.
Pepe is a savage who should never play again! Say two other papers.
Guess which two are from Madrid and which two from Catalonia?

• Drum roll … tonight it's Sporting versus Espanyol. Huge. Elswhere Mallorca host Valladolid, while Atlético Madrid travel to Racing Santander.

Four teams played on Tuesday. None of them knew they were playing yesterday, none of their fans knew they were playing yesterday and no one in the media knew they were playing yesterday, until last Thursday. And they wonder why away fans don't go to games, teams can't prepare properly and the Spanish league is starting to lag behind. And yet Marca still triumphs LFP president José Luis Astiazarán as the perfect president who must be re-elected because he's been so good for Spanish football. (By which of course they really mean bad for media rivals Prisa.)

And, yes, that DNI number is made up.

Week 32 results: Barcelona 4-0 Sevilla, Betis 1-2 Valencia, Deportivo 2-0 Almeria, Numancia 1-2 Athletic, Real Madrid 3-2 Getafe.

[Beast]

Haha brilliant piece

[AnfieldEd]

And so fucking true to I wouldn't put it past madrid to get at a few getafe players to do that. Those players are worse than scum in my eyes. And a reason why madrid and manure are the 2 most hated clubs in the world.