Heading into Saturday night’s Basque derby, Real Sociedad had failed to secure a victory over their regional neighbours for two and half years, with Athletic Bilbao having won both games last season. Not so long ago, Los Leones would have been clear favourites for the match having reached both the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Europa League final last year. This season, however, has seen Marcelo Bielsa’s men get off to a poor start, winning just one of their opening five Liga matches and it was to get no better at the Anoeta this weekend. Real Sociedad’s Antoine Griezmann had two dangerous efforts well saved by Gorka Iraizoz in the first-half but he finally broke the deadlock when his shot … [Read more...] about La Liga: Basque derby highlights Bielsa’s lack of ideas
El Rey
A life in song
Chavela Vargas, who attained legendary status through her renditions of Mexican ranchera music throughout much of the Spanish-speaking world in her final years, died on August 3, at the age of 93. Born Isabel Vargas Lizano in Costa Rica, before being abandoned by her parents as a child, she moved to Mexico aged 17, in 1936. Her arrival coincided with the rise of ranchera music, which like country music in the United States, was initially a celebration of rural values, but soon became a format to explore themes such as the hopelessness of love, the sorrows of which are best drowned in the bottle. Vargas soon became part of the circle of artists and hangers on associated with painters … [Read more...] about A life in song