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La Liga Round 2 : Shocks and Surprises

by
Ana Garcia
28 августа, 2012

Hola a todos! (Hello everyone!) a huge thank you to everyone who read and commented on my La Liga updates so far, am so pleased that many of you are taking an interest in Spanish football it means a lot to me. :)

So welcome back to the second round of La Liga results as we take a look back on all the action from the Primera Liga and the news as its has happened. Plenty of transfers in and around as Barcelona concluded the signing of Arsenal midfielder Alex Song whilst Real Madrid loan duo of Nuri Sahin (Liverpool) and Ricardo Carvalho (QPR) left on season long loans to English clubs. Valencia have also continued spending with the signing of Aly Cissoko from Lyon for €7m a replacement it seems for the departed Jordi Alba.

Bilbao are still in negotiations over the sales of Fernando Llorente and Javi Martinez and Luka Modric has completed his move from Tottenham to Real Madrid the fee seems a bit unclear as three different sites I checked gave three different values! But its between €30-€40 million euro’s in a long drawn out saga the deal is finally concluded.

The first El Clasico of the season was won by Barcelona after a 3-2 victory in the Supercopa first leg they had trailed from a Ronaldo header until Pedro, Messi and Xavi put Barca into a strong lead, a Valdes error allowed Di Maria to profit and keep the game alive, the teams meet again on Wednesday to decide the trophy.

So lets have a look at the results as they happened in round 2 of La Liga :-

Real Sociedad 2 — 1 Celta Vigo

Real Sociedad (4-3-3) — Bravo, Ansotegi, Gonzalez, De la Bella, Bergara, Illarramendi, Estrada, Preieto, Vela, Griezmann, Agirrexte

Celta Vigo (4-5-1) — Varas, Mallo, Cabral, Tunez, Lago, Oubina, Alex Lopez, de Lucas, Fernandez, Krohn-Dehli, Aspas

So Sociedad bounced back from there humbling at the Nou Camp to register their first victory of the season as Celta suffered back to back defeats. Celta did lead on the stroke of 49 minutes as Enrique de Lucas scored Celta’a first goal since returning to the top division but they couldnt hold that lead for long as the excellent Griezmann wonderfully set up Agirrexte to equalise. Bad defending from Celta allowed former Arsenal player Carlos Vela to steal possession and square the ball to Agirrexte for his second as Celta struggled to cope.

Goals : Agirrexte 54′, 61′ — de Lucas 49′

Ana’s Man of the Match : Antoine Griezmann, another tremendous display from the young French man a real talent for the future.

———-

Real Betis 1 — 2 Rayo Vallecano

Real Betis (4-5-1) — Fabricio, Chica, Paulao, Dorado, Nacho, Benat, Canas, Agra, Pereira, Juan Carlos, Molina

Rayo Vallecano (4-5-1) — Ruben, Titio, Javi Fuego, Amat, Casado, Trashorras, Adrian, Leo, Piti, Jose Carlos, Billie Nielsen

Rayo Vallecano made it two wins from two after an impressive victory away at Real Betis, an early start as we saw two goals in the opening five minutes Leo crossing in for Piti to tap in with only three minutes gone. Molina equalised with his third goal for the season just two minutes later as Betis began to dominate the game. However once Rayo survived that pressure they began to dominate themselves in a very impressive passage of play when substitute Bangoura set-up Leo and he made no mistake as Rayo make it a 100% win rate so far.

Goals : Molina 5′ — Pita 3′, Leo 63′

Ana’s Man of the Match : Leo Baptistao, scored one and created one in a lively contribution from the Rayo forward.

———-

Espanyol 1 — 2 Real Zaragoza

Espanyol (4-5-1) — Alvarez, Rodgriguez, Moreno, Capdevilla, Sanchez, Verdu, Javi Lopez, Mubarak, Cristian Gomez, Alvaro Vasquez, Albin

Real Zaragoza (4-5-1) — Roberto, Paredes, Goni, Abraham, Pinter, Gonzalez, Apono, Montanes, Mari, Oriol, Postiga

Espanyol made it a second successive defeat and worrying signs ahead it looks like for the Catalan side in a feisty game which saw a host of yellow cards and one red. Things began well enough as Vasquez scored a brilliant effort just before half time however things collapsed in the second. Albin who was already booked handled in the area earning him a second yellow card as Apono stepped up to level the game, the hardworking Postiga then earned the away side a vital three points very late on to the dismay of the home crowd.

Goals : Alvaro Vasquez 43′, Albin S/O 51 — Apono 51′, Postiga 89

Ana’s Man of the Match : Apono, worked tirelessly in the midfield showing a good touch and good ability capped with his cool penalty conversion.

———-

Malaga 1 — 1 Real Mallorca

Malaga (4-5-1) — Caballero, Demichelis, Weligton, Sanchez, Monreal, Duda, Portillo, Camacho, Buonanotte, Isco, Fernandez

Real Mallorca (4-4-2) — Aouate, Lopez, Bigas, Nunes, Ximo Navarro, Pereira, Pina, Marquez, Nsue, Victor, Hemed

Malaga continued their spell of good form with a good point at home against Mallorca in a fairly un-eventful game. Mallorca again looked very good in spells as Tomer Hemed fresh from his two goals against Espanyol last week took his tally to three as a cross from Nsue found him perfectly to head in on 67 minutes. However Malaga were saved late again by a teenager last week 16 year old Olinga this time 19 year old Juanmi who scored with practically his first touch, a point each.

Goals : Juanmi 77′, Eliseu S/O 90′ — Hemed 67′

Ana’s Man of the Match — Emilio Nsue, great cross for the opening goal and was never shy of running at the Malaga defense.

———-

Osasuna 1 — 2 Barcelona

Osasuna (4-5-1) — Fernandez, Bertran, Arribas, Damia, Flano, Punal, Sisi, Cejudo, Lamah, Loe, Llorente

Barcelona (4-3-3) — Valdes, Alba, Pique, Puyol, Alves, Busquets, Fabregas, Iniesta, Tello, Messi, Alexis Sanchez

A far from assured display from the Catalan giants as Osasuna put in a determined display in Pamplona. Last season Osasuna managed to beat Barca 3-2 and the home side looked like they could repeat that again taking the lead on 17 minutes when a great cross from Lamah found Joseba Llorente to convert to the delight of the home crowd. Barca created a few half chances but should have been a second goal down when Busquets was caught in possession allowing substitute Nino to race clear, but he lacked composure as his finish hit the side netting a glorious chance wasted.

They were made to pay in harsh circumstance as the referee inadvertently blocked an Osasuna player and Barca attacked in numbers, Pedro bursting wide cut the ball back to Alexis Sanchez who in turn squared for what looked like an offside Lionel Messi who tapped the away side back into the game. Punal was red carded for his protest as Osasuna felt aggrieved, and worse was still to come when Jordi Alba crossed for Messi to pass in the winner for a hard earned three points.

Goals : Llorente 17′, Punal S/O 78 — Messi 75′, 80′

Ana’s Man of the Match — Lionel Messi, when needed he can win games on his own and even though he was quiet he still managed to score twice.

———-

Getafe 2 — 1 Real Madrid

Getafe (4-5-1) — Moya, Valera, Abraham, Alexis, Miguel Torres, Castro, Lafita, Barrada, Michel, Xavi Torres, Miku

Real Madrid (4-2-3-1) — Casillas, Arbeloa, Albiol, Ramos, Marcelo, Alonso, Diarra, di Maria, Ozil, Ronaldo, Higuain

Shock of the round came in the derby between Madrid and small town rivals Getafe who shocked there more illustrious neighbours. Usually a formality at Getafe turned into a nightmare as Madrid lost to continue there poor start despite Higuain scoring first just before the half hour mark.

However their Achilles heal struck again as a cross from Barrada was met by Valera and the game was all square but things were about to get even worse when substitute Colunga raced past Albiol to square for the impressive Barrada to score with the home crowd stunned! Worse still for Madrid as Fabio Coentrao was red carded despite being an unused sub to compound the misery for the defending champions.

Goals : Valera 53′, Barrada 75 — Higuain 27, Coentrao S/O

Ana’s Man of the Match — Abdel Barrada, created the first with a great cross then struck an unlikely winner in an impressive performance.

———-

Granada 1 — 1 Sevilla

Granada (4-2-3-1) — Tono, Gomez, Nyom, Siqeira, Lopez, Romero, Mikel Rico, Iriney, Orellana, El Arabi, Floro Flores

Sevilla (4-3-3) — Lopez, Cicinho, Fazio, Navarro, Spahic, Navas, Medel, Rakitic, Trochowski, Reyes, Negredo

The first Andalusian derby took place and the points were shared as Granada claimed there first point of the season, Sevilla had an uphill battle from the 34th minute as goal keeper Diego Lopez was shown a straight red card after fouling Floro Flores in the area, Siqeira stepped up against his replacement Palop but saw his effort saved only for Mikel Rico to pounce on the rebound to give the home side the advantage. Just before half time Alvaro Negredo headed in as the ten men fought back and held on quite comfortably until the end as Marchis wasted two great chances and Floro Flores struck the crossbar.

Goals : Mikel Rico 37′ — Negredo 45′, Lopez S/O 34

Ana’s Man of the Match — Fabian Orellana, another impressive performance causing Sevilla all kinds of problems.

———-

Valencia 3 — 3 Deportivo

Valencia (4-4-2) — Alves, Pereira, Costa, Ruiz, Mathieu, Feghouli, Tino Costa, Gago, Guardado, Jonas, Soldado

Deportivo (4-5-1) — Aranzubia, Pablo, Aythami, Marchena, Evaldo, Dominguez, Aguilar, Gama, Valeron, Pizzi, Riki

A six game thriller in Pellegrino’s first home game in charge of Valencia but it will will feel like a defeat after throwing away the lead, Jonas and Soldado were in inspired form as the former twice set up the Spaniard as Valencia took control being two up just before the half hour mark. Depor were not giving up though and Abdel Aguilar pulled one back but when Feghouli fired in the game seemed won for Valencia at least. Chances a plenty in the second half for both teams but again Aguilar on the score sheet reducing Valencia’s lead once again.

Then a penalty which looked harsh as Ricardo Costa was sent off for a little push on Riki inside the area, Pizzi stepped up to seal a fantastic away point for the newly promoted club.

Goals : Soldado 11′, 28′, Feghouli 43′, Costa S/O 76 — Aguilar 38′, 59′, Pizzi 77′

Ana’s Man of the Match : Jonas, two great assists and the forming of a good partnership with Roberto Soldado will see Valencia well all season.

———

Real Valladolid 2 — 0 Levante

Real Valladolid (4-2-3-1) — Jaime, Rukavina, Valiente, Balenziaga, Rubio, Rueda, Victor Perez, Ebert, Oscar, Omar, Guerra

Levante (4-5-1) — Munua, Lell, Ballesteros, Navarro, Lopez, Diop, Michel, Barkero, Juanlu, Iborra, Angel

So Valladolid make it two wins from two and are making fun of my pre-season prediction that they would get relegated! However it was another feisty affair which boiled over on the 37 minute when Levante defender Navarro was shown another red card lots of them in the round 2 fixtures! A penalty was awarded and Victor Perez converted to give the home team the lead, he would convert a second penalty ten minutes later to seal a perfect start for a team I fancied for relegation.

Goals : Victor Perez 28′, 48′ — Navarro S/O 37

Ana’s Man of the match — Victor Perez, showed great composure to convert both penalties to win Valladolid’s first home game since being promoted.

———-

Atletico Madrid 4 — 0 Athletic Bilbao

Atletico Madrid (4-5-1) — Courtais, Juan Fran, Miranda, Godin, Filipe, Suarez, Gabi, Koke, Turan, Rodriguez, Falcao

Athletic Bilbao (4-3-3) — Iraizoz, Iraola, Gurpegi, San Jose, Perez, Iturraspe, Ander, De Marcos, Susaeta, Lopez, Aduriz

Things are not going to well for Bielsa so far in La Liga, two games two defeats and nine conceded doesn’t make great reading as the losses of Javi Martinez and Llorente are already taking the toll and they are still at the club! Atletico a team I fancied to do very well this season were fantastic as their star man Falcao shone with an excellent hat-tick the first in La Liga this season. His first was an individual piece of magic, and his second a tap in from an excellent cross his third a penalty as Atletico send a message to Chelsea that this wont be a routine victory for them in the upcoming Super Cup.

Tiago added a fourth late on as Bilbao looked a shadow of the team that beat the likes of Manchester United last season in the Europa League, Bielsa has a big job on now as Bilbao must improve and very quickly.

Goals : Falcao 20′, 42′, 59′, Tiago 84′

Ana’s Man of the Match : Radamel Falcao, who else! Splendid hat-trick of goals and increasing his value with every passing game a top striker and an ideal replacement for the departed Sergio Aguero.

———-

That concludes the second round of results so far in La Liga! Some big shocks with Real Madrid losing, Barcelona struggling away at Osasuna and Atletico putting four past a pretty hopeless Bilbao.

The early table looks like this, and makes good reading for Barcelona’s fans maybe they should end it now! Valladolid and Vallecano lie in second and third whilst Mallorca in fourth at the bottom lies Bilbao then Osasuna two teams I felt would have good campaigns but still very early so am expecting lots to change.

Thank you all for commenting on my previous La Liga post! As always any thoughts and opinions are welcomed on layout, style, content etc, this is still a work in progress idea so anything you want to add then please feel free to let me know in the comments below.

Also interesting to hear your thoughts on the big two in Spain, Real Madrid struggling and Barcelona well of the pace in Pamplona also Bilbao! Every one’s second favourite team struggling at the bottom already with the worst defense in the league usually where they are so strong and where will Llorente and Javi Martinez end up?

Please post you reactions below and I look forward to reading them. :)

21 комментарий

21 Comments

pedro roriz

28 августа, 2012 at 20:10

so glad you decided to take my suggestion and add the line ups and the tactics used! i think it added even more to the review, which was already great. what do you think?

i know that atletico madrid is developing well for the past seasons, but what just happened there against bilbao? were they so much better?

and ana, tell me something as a blaugrana’s fan: why do you still keep valdes as your main portieri? i know he is a symbol for you and he was young when first started playing for the team, but that doesn’t justify his horrible blunders, which are not few.

great work with the review! keep them coming!
cheers

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- Ana Garcia
  
  28 августа, 2012 at 20:50
  
  Hi Pedro. :)
  
  I liked the idea of the formations and tactics, when I read your suggestion its one of those why didn’t I think of that moments!
  
  I will answer both your questions, Atletico were fantastic the score should have been even more in truth and Diego Simeone has developed a really great squad I predicted they would finish third this season and I can see them doing that.
  
  Falcao is amazing, the best striker in the league in my opinion and Atletico will do well to keep him. After losing the likes of Aguero, Forlan etc it looked like they would crumble (and did to be fair until Simeone took over) now they are a very good side who will cause Chelsea some problems in the Super Cup final.
  
  Bilbao are struggling without there two star players, Llorente has been more than a player at the club more like an icon losing him will take a some time to get over Aduriz will score goals though if he is given the time.
  
  Just at the back they look terrible, strange for a side that usually defends so well.
  
  Well its hard for me to answer without being a bit biased, Valdes is a very good keeper however he is more than a keeper to Barcelona he is also expected to take the ball under pressure and play from the back.
  
  No other keeper can do that, and just as if a midfielder can give a bad pass so can Valdes the problem is that it usually leads to a goal as he is the last line of defense. He probably wins more games than he loses and he does make a few mistakes but I expect him to remain the number one for many more years to come.
  
  He is also expected to play as a sweeper role behind the two defenders, which again can cause him to lose concentration and cost a few goals but like you said he is a passionate Catalonian he graduated from the academy to the main side, so the fans adore him and allow him a few more mistakes than other players.
  
  Am really glad you are enjoying the posts, more are on the way once the games have been played! :)
  
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Darren Smith

28 августа, 2012 at 21:10

Excellent round-up Ana, very informative and some transfers in there I’d overlooked also. I truly hope you and Johnny keep these updates coming they are a very welcome addition to the community in my opinion…continue your crusade to make us all La Liga fanatics Ana, your passion will get us there I’m sure ;)

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- Ana Garcia
  
  29 августа, 2012 at 22:46
  
  Ha! Thanks Darren. :)
  
  Yeah I plan to write all the way up until the end of the season my passion for football manager might be over but my passion for Spain and Spanish football will never leave me!
  
  It feels like a crusade to get the premiership fans to watch La Liga! but I am making a little progress which is nice, people can watch both and then come here and ask me questions or talk about the results and still be die hard premier league fans if they want, they are both good leagues. :)
  
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Ryan Daly

28 августа, 2012 at 21:47

What a good weekend this was, I am disappointed with Madrid though :(

Firstly Sociedad. This young man Antoine Griezman is such a talent. I am shocked that a bigger club hasn’t came in for him, I thought PSG might have tried being French an all that, or maybe Liverpool but nothing. He does go quiet in games sometimes but in the vast majority, he is outstanding.

Zaragoza — I would have put my house on this team getting relegated last season but there is one thing that they did and it turned everything round — Purchase Apono. I first noticed him at Malaga and I never thought anything of him, but since his move to Zaragoza he has been sensational ! He is the sole reason they are still in the division and he looks like helping them to progress further this season — very under rated player.

Malaga — Nice to see them giving young players first team football, very refreshing. They may have financial problems but they have kept the base of their squad from last season and with Pelligrini still in charge (a great manager imo), I think they will be solid this season. But I do think they may have their hand forced in the transfer market again, Isco will surely leave, what a player this young man is and i bet Valencia regret letting him go. Toulalan may be the base of the team but his huge wages are a problem so he might go. Monreal could follow, he is a very solid left back and would be a good addition to most teams.

Barca — This kid Messi looks a decent player :L

Madrid — very poor display, and im shocked but with Mourinho in charge, you can bet that there won’t be a repeat. Personally i feel that Albiol isn’t good enough and his lack of playing time shows.

Granada — i’m excited about this teams possibilities this season. They have 2 great strikers up front. El Arabi is a fantastic young Moroccan striker who was at Caen 2 years ago but made a shock big money move to the U.A.E and i was so disappointed because i wanted him to move to a bigger european club, will be good to see what he does this season. Floro Flores is a superb finisher. One of europe’s deadliest on his day and he can finish anything. A player I rate highly.

Valencia — What a game. Soldado is a goal machine ! Jonas is under rated too. A return to his former club for Guardado aswell.

A Madrid — I cant speak highly enough of this man, Falcao is on another planet ! I will be surprised if Man City don’t return to A Madrid for more striker shopping ! Last season I thought we had seen Falcao at his immense best but this seaon could blow last season out of the water and this man can carry this team to 3rd spot on his own. Diego was outstanding last season and im surprised he won’t be donning the shirt of A Madrid this season. I hope, and expect this to be the break out season for Turan. He has so much quality and I think with no Diego this season he will have more creative freedom and will excel !

Bilbao — I think this is a case of unsettled players here. Martinez looked so close to Munich but with it falling through he couldn’t have been ready for the start of the season in Spain and so wasn’t there. Llorente is rumored to have rejected a new contract and with it running out next season I would imagine him leaving before Saturday. Basically they fielded a weak team

Ответить
- Ryan Daly
  
  28 августа, 2012 at 21:50
  
  Sorry for the long post, but i think its great that you have provided us with a place to share.
  
  Ответить
- Ana Garcia
  
  29 августа, 2012 at 23:14
  
  Wow big post!!
  
  But I really like that it shows you have a lot to say which is exactly what I want from these posts so thank you. :)
  
  Agreed about Griezmann I guess he is still under the radar of most clubs but he has bags of talent and is a star in the making and at 21 has a massive future.
  
  Apono is another under rated player and he will help Zaragoza just fine this season, they did perform miracles last season but I feel they will able to survive this time a little easier.
  
  Malaga have no choice but to pick young players! But agreed they have kept a huge chunk of there better players Isco is the next big thing and Monreal is knocking on the door of the national side as well.
  
  Albiol is such a curious player, at Valencia he was the next star but it just hasn’t worked out for him. I think the pressure is too much for him at Madrid a move back to Valencia would be better in my opinion as I don’t think he is good enough for Real Madrid.
  
  Hmm I fancy Granada to struggle, so many unknown players have signed and how quickly will they all settle, I dont know much about Floro Flores but I have been impressed with what I have saw thus far so will be interesting to see where they end up.
  
  Valencia again is a huge question mark, Soldado is a top forward Jonas very good, excellent midfield look good at the back but they need to settle on a style of play. Pellegrino has a big job and am worried he wont cope with the high expectations of the fans.
  
  I read a rumour that the rich club in Russia where making a bid for Falcao for around €45 million so he will be sold for that money (rumour though). Agreed! I think it will be Turan’s season to shine he has started well enough but dont forget their defense with the likes of Filipe, Diaz and Godin, and Koke a hugely talented player so plenty of optimism ahead I think.
  
  Barca wanted Javi Martinez but with the fee of about €40 million plus the 40% tax on top the deal was impossible, the deal with Bayern Munich is done or so I have read for €40 million (about £32 million pounds I guess) but that will fuel the next batch of Bilbao players, sad he has left though a fantastic player to lose.
  
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TheZiggy

28 августа, 2012 at 22:28

I’m sure you’ve delighted that Barcelona got away with a less than convincing performance, and sounds like they were extremely lucky to bag all 3 points.

I’m shocked about Real Madrid, but it certainly makes me laugh to see that result. Getting sent-off as an unused substitute is a new one on me. I’ve seen a manager sent-off, but never one of the subs on the bench before.

I was reading something recently about the Malaga situation, and it’s disgraceful how someone can finance a club, and then just lose interest in it, such that they’ve ended up in financial meltdown. Given everything though, they’ve made a decent start

Ответить
- Ana Garcia
  
  29 августа, 2012 at 23:21
  
  Osasuna are a tough side to play away from home, but Barca looked a little flat. The turning point was Nino had he scored to make it two zero the game would have been lost in my opinion.
  
  Then Messi, who can win games on his own so lucky is the word!
  
  Contrao apparently said something to the referee or linesman so was red carded for that, Getafe played well though and probably deserved the three points.
  
  The Malaga situation is weird, I dont think its because he has lost interest its that he will put no more money back into the club until they start to turn a profit and he see’s a return on the money he has spent.
  
  That’s why the likes of Rondon and Cazorla have left, to balance the books if you will. They have a chance to qualify for the group stage of the champions league but with only 19 players I fancy they will struggle as the season gets going.
  
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CsAtlantis

28 августа, 2012 at 23:44

Wow Messi just went and won the game with his brace in the closing stages, Real Madrid are already 5 points behind :P, where’s Ronaldo when you need him?

I must say Malaga are relying on their youngsters to get them out of jail in the league at the moment, at least despite their sales they seem to have a good core of young strikers! :)

Real Sociedad have done well to keep Griezmann, always rated him in real life and FM, and Falcao is just getting better and better!

Bilbao seem to be affected by Llorente wanting to leave, they will have a hard time trying to find anyone to replace him with their transfer policy

Nice write-up Ana, I don’t have to go through the full news on La Liga now ;)

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- Ana Garcia
  
  29 августа, 2012 at 23:26
  
  Ha! Ronaldo or Messi I know who I would take. :)
  
  That’s what he can do though, even when he is quite he can still score two goals and win you the match, however the reliance on him is getting scary now someone needs to step up and take the pressure of him.
  
  Agreed about Griezmenn and Falcao two star’s of La Liga, Bilbao seem a little weary not sure why. I guess these deals are taking a long time to conclude Javi Martinez is gone now so am sure once Llorente leaves they can start to re-asses the squad.
  
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silva

29 августа, 2012 at 21:53

Great round up Ana, Falcao is like you said the best striker in the league and up in the top3 in the world!! Ana tell me what is wrong with Athletic Bilbao and how long do you think bielsa (who i adore) will stay at bilbao due to Bilbao not listening to his ideas (new training ground and youth facilities) and do you think madrid need a new centre back and goalkeeper since 08-09 -09-10 season valdes has not been good enough to challenge casilas for the no1 in spanish national team

Ответить
- Ana Garcia
  
  29 августа, 2012 at 23:38
  
  Hi Silva and thanks. :)
  
  Bilbao first, the problem with Bielsa is he can be a little well crazy! His ideas have to fit around a club who are not massively wealthy however am sure with the money received for Javi Martinez he will get some of the things he has asked for.
  
  How long will he stay? I guess it all depends on how he handles the losses of Martinez and Llorente I still feel Bilbao will recover and be better, if any team can handle adversity its Bilbao a really resilient team.
  
  Madrid do need another centre back in my opinion as Pepe and Albiol are not the best in my opinion, I also feel Barca need another but am expecting Mascherano, Busquets and Alex Song to play there this season.
  
  But watch out for Marc Bartra this season, an academy player and one with a very bright future for Barcelona.
  
  Valdes is a good keeper, but Casillas has been there forever! Ten years or something so I think Spain will only have a new keeper once he decides to retire and Valdes is the same age so I dont expect him to replace Casillas in the end.
  
  Casillas is one of the best so I don’t think Real Madrid will be buying a new goal keeper, for many years still in my opinion! :)
  
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silva

29 августа, 2012 at 21:55

Also Ana what do you think about malaga’s new wonderkid fabrice and do you think isco will be leaving malaga before the transfer deadline

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- Ana Garcia
  
  29 августа, 2012 at 23:46
  
  Well Fabrice Olinga looks like a talent but at only 16 and with one appearance its a little to early to make any predictions.
  
  Isco is a terrific player, so am expecting plenty of teams to be interested but Malaga wont let him go cheap. I heard some teams in England are interested in him with Arsenal and Tottenham so with two rivals wanting him his price will increase, I think a fee of about €16-20 million is a fair price and Malaga would have to sell for that money.
  
  I hope he stays though, but with Santi Cazorla already at Arsenal I think he will end up there.
  
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Gaurav Chaddah

30 августа, 2012 at 10:12

After watching Getafe beat Madrid and the watching Madrid overturn Barcelona I feel like he spanish game is growing by the minute, Good post Ana, really liking these, keep up the good work!

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- Ana Garcia
  
  30 августа, 2012 at 18:55
  
  Am glad Gaurav. :)
  
  I am pleased you are enjoying the posts as I am still trying to work out how best to present them.
  
  I am expecting a lot more shocks this season and I do feel the gap between the big two will be a lot narrower this season.
  
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Heresy

30 августа, 2012 at 11:01

Fantastic job, Ana!

Really enjoying what you have going on here! And I really like the detail level of it. Not just information about the scores but also a round up of the match! I’m not able to watch any of these matches… or any matches period. So a summary at least let’s me know what was going on in the 90 minutes! Thumbs up for that. Oh, and I don’t need to search for the summaries on different sites on my own, it’s all in one place!

On the personal side, I find La Liga a little boring. 2 main contenders with the rest being a long way behind. It’s not like I only support the winners but what do the other clubs have to fight for? CL spots? Yes, it’s a great goal but that only has an affect the season after and by that time the club may be completely changed.

This is why I enjoy EPL and The French League 1 so much. So many teams can be up there in the end and although there are favourites for the title chase, there are always surprises come the end of the season.

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- Ana Garcia
  
  30 августа, 2012 at 19:05
  
  Thanks a lot Heresy. :)
  
  Thanks for the positive feedback! Am still trying to work out how best to present them my first time doing something like this so am pleased you like the content and the length, I do my best to keep it as brief and informative as possible.
  
  The problem in Spain is money, teams dont have any barring the big two so its hard to keep a competitive side when you have to sell your best players to survive the next one.
  
  Classic example is Valencia, imagine if they could have afforded to have kept David Villa, David Silva and Juan Mata for example then been given money to build on that they could have had one of the best sides in Europe instead crippling debts and a financial crisis in Spain means they are forced like every team in Spain to sell and re-build every season.
  
  I think its hard to stay competitive when that happens personally, I would love La Liga to be given £60 million each season like the Premiership just for playing in it but sadly that will never happen so I dont expect that competition anytime soon.
  
  However expect lots of shocks this season! I have this funny feeling that the gap wont be as big as years gone by and watching Getafe and Osasuna they are now trying to beat the big two rather than defending for a draw if more teams in La Liga do that I expect more points dropped from Barca and Madrid.
  
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  - Heresy
    
    31 августа, 2012 at 23:43
    
    Haha! The length and form is good. I’d personally like to have even more information but that’s just me :P It’s fine as it is and for those who’d like to know more.. well, just watch the game next time! ;)
    
    About Spain and the money… A lot of clubs made money on youngsters. They buy them cheap, develop them and then quadruple the investment upon selling them. It’s a big risk though. Although the youngster may seem promising, he may not develop well. And of course he needs match experience so you need to give him time on the pitch to grow. And when you want to get results, you can’t just field a squad of teenagers….
    
    I’m really surprised that there’s such a small tv rights income for the Spanish clubs. Not sure how much Barca and Real get from it but for the other clubs it’s like a drop in the ocean! But this is why I’m a real fan of the French Ligue 1. Not much money there either, with only one or two clubs having rich owners but there’s still not much difference between them. Yes, PSG seems to be on the way to becoming a powerhouse but they’re restricted by their league and club reputation. Not every player wants to sign up for them because of it,
    
    On the other hand, look at the Russian League. So much money put into the clubs and while they’re competitive in EL and CL, they rarely go far (apart from Zenit winning EL a couple of years back..) So money isn’t everything, You need to be smart both on the market and on the pitch. And with a little luck and one or two good signings, with players being in form for the bigger part of the season, you can be right up there giving the big boys a run for their money! (OM’s meltdown was a pain to watch.. and look at the quality of the players they have at their disposal!)
    
    Bottom line, you can’t blame only the finances for this huge disproportion between clubs in Spain. But I hope your prediction comes true and the gap between the 2 big clubs and the rest goes down signifficantly. Maybe not just this season but in a few years time.. who knows!
    
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    - Ana Garcia
      
      1 сентября, 2012 at 19:03
      
      Thanks!! :)
      
      Agreed about youth but at times in Spain there isn’t any other way, and its not unusual to see six or seven academy players in the squads which isn’t ideal in the short term but over a period of years they can turn into stars the biggest reason why the Spanish national team is a as strong as it is.
      
      Spain admittedly is not the fairest in terms of TV deals, I presume that the deal that Barca and Real have is way over €100 million which the rest cant compete with.
      
      The problem is each team in Spain has to negotiate its own TV deal, so its easy for Barca and Madrid but for Getafe and Osasuna so much harder and that reflects I dont have any specific values but I would say around €15-20 million which is a massive disadvantage.
      
      True but Russia is a special case, its a trickier country to get into than Spain or England so most players wont move and the fact that its a massive culture shock as well. England to Spain and vise-versa isn’t that massive compared to England Russia for example.
      
      PSG have massive financial backing and sure the league may not be considered a big league as such, money always talks. I think players like Ibrahimovic, and Tiago Silva and some other big stars have gone would they have signed say five years ago? I dont think so its just a matter of time before it happens in my opinion.
      
      Its not blame as such just the past few years the gap has widened, I mean La Liga has had more winners than the Premiership over the past 20 or so years so I am trying myself to work out why.
      
      They have a nice saying in England that ‘you can show to much respect to a team’ I think that applies to Real and Barca teams are happy to get away with a 2-0 or 3-0 defeat and move on however this year teams are saying lets try and win the game.
      
      That’s why Getafe beat Madrid and why Osasuna battled for what should have been more than nothing but all three points they have nothing to lose which makes them very dangerous now, that fear seems to be going which makes La Liga hopefully more competitive.
      
      Fingers crossed of course. :)
      
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