When a gaping 10-point chasm separated Real Madrid and Barcelona, Pep Guardiola was adamant: winning the league is impossible. As the difference closed to eight, six and then four points, he stuck to the party line, but ahead of what is set to be a defining couple of weeks in the race for La Liga and the Champions League, the FC Barcelona coach finally ceased his mantra at the weekend, admitting the domestic title “is a little less impossible now”. This Saturday, with five games remaining, Real Madrid travel to the Camp Nou attempting to get one hand on the league trophy that has eluded them for four years, but first-up is a Champions League semi-final first-leg game for Los Merengues … [Read more...] about La Liga: Momentous week for Barça and Madrid as El clásico looms
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La Liga: Levante’s old guard still in the mix
As the season began way back in sunny August, there was little doubt about which teams would be competing for the title. But as the usual suspects for the Champions League places were being rounded up, no one could have imagined that one surprise package, labelled “Ugly, poor and bad at football” by their own supporters, would be in contention for a top-four finish with seven matches remaining. Villarreal, Sevilla, Atlético Madrid, and even Málaga with all their Qatari millions, are being outdone by Levante Unión Deportiva, who currently sit in fifth place, just one point behind their city rivals Valencia in fourth. What is even more astounding for a club that is more accustomed to … [Read more...] about La Liga: Levante’s old guard still in the mix
La Liga: Spanish success
The all-night party in Bilbao capped a successful week for Spanish football which sees five la liga clubs competing for top honours in Europe with Barcelona and Real Madrid – the top two Champions League contenders – and Athletic Bilbao, Valencia and Atlético Madrid all through to the quarter finals in the Europa League. Despite being reigning World Cup and European Champions, it has been some time since la liga teams have proved so strong in European competition with the last few years dominated by Premier League sides. The early 2000s saw Spanish football leading the way, with Real Madrid’s seemingly unstoppable Galácticos at their peak winning the Champions League in 2000 and 2002 … [Read more...] about La Liga: Spanish success
La Liga: Tamudo writes another page in Espanyol’s history book
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
Pepe Reina’s “racist” blunder: a question of black and white?
Liverpool FC recently found themselves embroiled in a racism controversy for the second time in the last few months. Their goalie, Spanish national squad player Pepe Reina, came under fire from British anti-racism group Operation Black Vote for starring in a TV ad which they deemed to be racially offensive. The advert - for insurance company Groupama – depicts Reina meeting with the “king” of an African tribe who decides to take the goalie for his “queen”, a joke on his surname. Following complaints lodged by OBV, the campaign was pulled from Spanish television. Unfortunately for Reina and Liverpool, the ad in question came right on the tail of huge controversy caused by their … [Read more...] about Pepe Reina’s “racist” blunder: a question of black and white?
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