First Zinedine Zidane went, now Cristiano Ronaldo has gone, on the face of it, this looks like worrying times for the 33-times La Liga champions Real Madrid. But are we right to be concerned, or are the Real hierarchy pulling off masterstroke for future footballing dominance? Club president made it quite clear that finishing 17-points behind rivals Barcelona is utterly unacceptable and that even winning three Champions League’s in a row is not good enough. That resulted in Zinedine Zidane departing the hot-seat after two and a half years at the club to be replaced by sacked Spain … [Read more...]
Promoted Three out to Prove Lightning Does Strike Twice
Last season was quite unique for La Liga as all three promoted teams from the prior season stayed up with relative ease. Girona’s likeness to new boys Huesca cannot be ignored, after finishing runners-up to Levante in the Segunda season during the 2016/17 season, Girona made their first steps into the top flight and blew the competition away ending the campaign in 10th. Huesca are now in the same situation after earning promotion to the top-flight for the first time ever. Spanish yo-yo club Levante had a solid if unspectacular season finishing 15th after earning promotion whilst … [Read more...]
Zidane Walks, So What Next for Madrid?
When Real Madrid announced a press conference would take place just hours after Zinedine Zidane was due to sit down with club president Florentino Perez, social media went into overdrive and just a few hours later, it was confirmed, the man who guided Los Blancos to three Champions League titles in a row would be vacating the hot seat. When Frank Lampard and Marco Silva were making headlines in England for joining new clubs Derby County and Everton respectively, Zidane was making headlines for the opposite. As expected, much like landing a Bitcoin Bitzstars bonus, the rumour mill and … [Read more...]
Barca Lookalikes Huesca Earn Promotion to La Liga For First Time
Spanish minnows Huesca are celebrating after achieving promotion to the top table of Spanish football for the first time in the club’s history after a 2-0 victory over Lugo in Spain’s second tier Segunda division was enough to see the side claim enough points to guarantee promotion. With two games still to go, Huesca will now aim to win the Segunda title ahead of Rayo Vallecano who they have a two-point advantage over. A Long Road to the Top The club is notable for their similarity in kits to the mighty Barcelona who they will be mixing it with next season and can trace their heritage … [Read more...]
La Liga Final Weekend Breakdown: Whats Left to Play for in the Top 10?
The English Premier League came to an undramatic close last weekend and this weekend it is the turn of Spain’s top flight to close its doors on what has been a season that has seen giants fall, minnows rise, and Barcelona come agonisingly close to an unbeaten season. With just one round of fixtures left, we take a look at what is left to play for between the clubs currently in the top ten. Barcelona – 90 pts Absolutely nothing, especially after suffering that shock 5-4 defeat to Levante last time out, it means the chance to go through the season unbeaten is no more. However, with … [Read more...]
Manager of the Season: Our Contenders
The 2017/18 La Liga season has just four games left for a majority of the sides and for some, the campaign has been an overwhelming success no matter what happens in the remaining games whilst for others, it has been a disaster. However, as we like to focus on the positive side of the game, we thought what better time than now to check out who deserves a shot at the manager of the season accolade after nine months of hard work. Ernesto Valverde – Barcelona We may as well start at the top and you simply cannot exclude the man who wins the league title. Granted, the league title is … [Read more...]
Fireworks Set for 219th Madrid Derby
Forget the Mersyside derby or the Manchester Derby this weekend, the City of Madrid steals the limelight as the showpiece match of Europe as Atletico Madrid make the short trip across Spain’s capital to the Santiago Bernabéu to face the old enemy Real Madrid. Across all competitions, the pair have met a whopping 218 times and unsurprisingly, it is Los Blancos who hold a significant statistical edge over their neighbours. Real have won exactly half of all the encounters with 109 victories between the two whilst Atletico have claimed a poultry 55 by comparison and a total of 54 … [Read more...]
What Happened to Cristian Tello? The Man Expected to Carry Barcelona
When Cristian Tello broke into the Barcelona first team during the 2011/12 season it looked like the man who was part of Spain’s under-21 squad that won the 2013 European Championships would carry the Blaugrana forward line for the next decade. Everything certainly started well after scoring a brace in the 9-0 hammering of CE L'Hospitalet in the Copa Del Rey and then later scoring in his first league start against Real Sociedad in early February 2012. This begs the question, why (with so much positivity surrounding the Spaniard's early career) are we not raving about Tello’s achievements … [Read more...]
PSG v Real Madrid – All Still to Play for in the French Capital
Eighty minutes in and it looked like PSG were going to come away from the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium with the perfect score draw and thus putting the balance power in the hands of Paris. However, Ronaldo and Marcelo had other ideas and late strikes by the pair gives the defending European title holders a heavy advantage as they head to the Parc des Princes for a critical last sixteen-second leg tie. But do not think for a second that it is game over. If Real have proved anything this season, it is that they have the capability to implode as witnessed once again at the weekend when they … [Read more...]
Copa del Rey Special: Pique Out as Valencia Eye the Title
The 2017/18 Copa Del Rey semi-finals second legs complete this week with a place in the final just 90 minutes away (barring extra time of course). Across the two semi-finals it is all to play for with Leganes and Sevilla entering their second leg finely poised at 1-1 with Barcelona holding a slender 1-0 lead over a resurgent Valencia. However, with Barcelona soon set to resume their Champions League campaign, the Valencianistes are eyeing a chance to take the crown away from the three-time defending champions with chinks in the seemingly unbreakable Barcelona armour starting to … [Read more...]