RCD Espanyol idol Raúl Tamudo fought with two defenders for a long ball forward before firing a low shot into the back of the net at the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat. The home fans warmly applauded their hero, who was his side’s best player on the day, but there was no celebration from the man himself. The striker, who had provided so many goals in 14 years of service to his beloved Periquitos, had instead struck for Rayo Vallecano, who were on the receiving end of a 5-1 drubbing on Sunday. Captain of Espanyol for almost a decade and playing in more than 400 games for his boyhood club, Tamudo left there as its all-time top goalscorer. Rising through the youth ranks, he also helped the … [Read more...] about La Liga: Tamudo writes another page in Espanyol’s history book
Champions League
Athletic Bilbao returns to big-time with Manchester United tie
Considering the global appetite for European and particularly English football, it is often difficult and potentially even dangerous to try and determine whether the behaviour of the fanatical supporter seated next to you at your local watering hole is driven by a genuine affection for the game or a lifestyle choice born out of social compulsion. However, occasionally there are games that by their very nature facilitate the making of that distinction. Games which are rendered significant not by the hyperbolic pre-match bluster of television or the immediate consequence of the result but by historical context, and a certain nostalgia-tinged sense of occasion. For Athletic Bilbao, the tie … [Read more...] about Athletic Bilbao returns to big-time with Manchester United tie
La Liga: Higuaín proves his worth once again
The scrawny 19-year-old with the big hair salvaged the ball from the sidelines when 85,000 others in the stadium thought it had gone out of play, played a nice one-two with José Antonio Reyes and slotted the ball into the back of the net to send the fans wild. It was a last minute winner against RCD Espanyol which kept his side in the running for the Liga title, which they would go on to win a few weeks later. The ecstatic Argentine threw his shirt in the air, Iker Casillas ran the length of the pitch to join in the celebrations, Fabio Cannavaro waved the corner flag aloft and Ruud Van Nistelrooy held the discarded shirt up to the crowd as if to announce it: Gonzalo Higuaín had … [Read more...] about La Liga: Higuaín proves his worth once again
La Liga: Guardiola keeps Barcelona guessing
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
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