Any seasoned FC Barcelona fan knows there comes a time in every season when coach Pep Guardiola’s contract renewal is talked about by the press and mulled over by the man himself, before he signs up for another year. Since taking the helm at the Catalan club in 2008, he has always insisted on signing on for one-year contract extensions at a time in order to keep up his own high standards as well as those of his players. But this year, something feels altogether different. There is a nervousness in the air, other offers are being discussed and his players, who usually go through these same motions annually, seem more unsure about his future than ever before. One look at his record in … [Read more...] about La Liga: Guardiola keeps Barcelona guessing
Barcelona and Real Madrid
La Liga: Valencia’s thrashing underlines Spain’s class divide
Valencia coach Unai Emery is under no illusions. Asked if it was impossible to compete for second place following defeat at the hands of a revitalised Barcelona side at the Camp Nou on Sunday, his answer was short and to the point: “Sí”. The 5-1 thrashing against their direct rivals for the runner-up spot illustrated, perhaps somewhat unfairly, the chasm that lies between the big two of Barça and Real Madrid and the rest of the league. The eagerly anticipated clash couldn’t have started better for Valencia, who took the lead after just nine minutes when Pablo Piatti struck, but Los Che were completely undone by Lionel Messi. The Argentinean netted four times – to stay hot on the heels … [Read more...] about La Liga: Valencia’s thrashing underlines Spain’s class divide
La Liga: Real Madrid’s lead leaves Barcelona fighting for honour
Barcelona must keep fighting, said Dani Alves on Monday, “it’s a question of honour, of prestige” - but most likely no longer a question of the Liga title. Mid-February is perhaps too early for the race for top spot to be over, and of course it isn’t yet, but the 10-point gap that separates Real Madrid from the reigning European and Spanish champions now seems too big for Barça to close. Following a defeat to city rivals Espanyol on their return to action after the winter break, Pep Guardiola repeatedly stated his side could no longer afford to slip up. Their margin of error was gone but still they dropped points, away against Villarreal, and this weekend in Pamplona. In freezing … [Read more...] about La Liga: Real Madrid’s lead leaves Barcelona fighting for honour
La Liga: Málaga find form
The second Andalusian derby in just over a week saw not only local bragging rights at stake but with one point separating them in the standings, Málaga and Sevilla were each looking to strike a psychological blow in the race for a European place. Both clubs have been struggling of late and with the race for Europe only set to intensify, it was a heated affair. Over the summer Málaga coach Manuel Pellegrini brought in former Real Madrid and Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy and he spoke enthusiastically of the team that the club are building. The high-profile signing brought much attention but for the 35-year-old, goals are a lot harder to come by than they used to be and he … [Read more...] about La Liga: Málaga find form
Real Madrid’s Barça jinx leaves Mourinho facing wrath of Bernabéu
José Mourinho has finally arrived. A year and half after he touched down in the Spanish capital, the only Real Madrid manager to have his name chanted at the Santiago Bernabéu was booed by his own supporters during Sunday’s league win against Athletic Bilbao. Boos and whistles aimed at their own team are nothing new for supporters at the Bernabéu. Many a manager and player has befallen the same fate, but it was a first for Mourinho - who has up until now enjoyed huge support from the Madridista faithful - and the huge fallout from last week’s Copa del Rey quarter final against Barcelona rumbles on. It was all smiles in training only a week ago, but as his reign at Madrid has shown, … [Read more...] about Real Madrid’s Barça jinx leaves Mourinho facing wrath of Bernabéu
La Liga: Sevilla and Betis bury the hatchet as the Andalusia derby returns
Long before Real Madrid’s Pepe stamped on Lionel Messi’s hand and José Mourinho poked his finger into the eye of Barça’s Tito Vilanova, a bottle was thrown from the stands of the Ruiz de Lopera stadium which would knock Juande Ramos – then Sevilla manager – unconscious. It was to mark the height of the rivalry between Sevilla and Betis in recent times, when weeks of growing tension between the two sides finally came to a head at the latter’s stadium during a Copa del Rey clash. El derbi sevillano has always divided the Andalusian city but never more so than in 2007. Less than a month before the Ramos incident, a Liga clash also took an unsavoury turn, but this time not on the pitch or … [Read more...] about La Liga: Sevilla and Betis bury the hatchet as the Andalusia derby returns
La Liga: At Valencia, Soldado finally feels at home
Coming through the ranks of the cantera, his 86th minute winner in his debut season against Olympiakos at the Santiago Bernabéu not only spared the blushes of the home side but also gave fans a glimpse of a potentially great Real Madrid striker. Labelled the “new Raúl” like so many before him, he did for a time adopt the famous number nine shirt at Madrid, but success for Roberto Soldado has come most recently at the Mestalla and the city of his birth, Valencia. Following a successful loan spell at Osasuna in 2006 while still a Madrid player – where he finished as the Navarra club’s top scorer – he returned to the Spanish capital still hoping to leave his mark on Los Merengues. … [Read more...] about La Liga: At Valencia, Soldado finally feels at home
La Liga: Barça slip spices up title race
The winners of the El Gordo lottery announced, turrón digested and the winter sales in full swing can only mean one thing: La Liga is back after the Christmas break. The weekend’s action failed to disappoint with a Barcelona slip-up that could prove pivotal in the title race. Following a 5-1 Real Madrid win on Saturday night against Liga new boys Granada, Barcelona travelled to Espanyol’s Cornellá-El Prat stadium for the Catalan derby on Sunday. The visitors started brightly, taking the lead in the 16th minute with a Cesc Fàbregas header, but their title hopes suffered a setback when Álvaro Vázquez scored for the home side four minutes from time with a low header. Pushing for a … [Read more...] about La Liga: Barça slip spices up title race
Barcelona still in charge, but they’re driving Madrid in the right direction
There remained only a few brave souls, hardcore Real Madrid fanatics who stayed not out of choice, but because they know no other way. Twisting the knife they may have been, but the wound was so familiar it barely stung anymore. As the last minutes of the Clásico wound down and Señor Borbalán blew the final whistle, the cheers of the Catalans sounded once more in the sanctum sanctorum of their sworn enemy. The dejection of the Madridistas was palpable; they had thought this would be their time, the catharsis of three years of humiliation. A 3-1 defeat it may have been, but in the grand scheme of things for Real Madrid it still represents progress, and the gap between the two sides continues … [Read more...] about Barcelona still in charge, but they’re driving Madrid in the right direction
Why Real Madrid vs. Barcelona will be crucial, for Germany
Set your mind at ease, this article is not an early preview for the December 10 el Clásico. It has no intention whatsoever of pointing out the fact that Leo Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are useful footballers, or that 142 percent of the world’s population will be tuning in, or indeed that the players involved have between them won every single sporting gong ever conceived. Undoubtedly, all that and much more looms inevitably on the horizon. But for the moment, hold off on decommissioning all your electronic devices and moving to Greenland. Let us instead ponder the upcoming European championships. We now know who will be there and who will not. We also have a vague idea of how they may be … [Read more...] about Why Real Madrid vs. Barcelona will be crucial, for Germany