Hay Liga! All Things España 2024-25
- Thread starter rguilmar
- Start date
I missed the match but caught the highlights and imagine Barca were pretty dominant. Osasuna have been pretty awful away from home, have been on a terrible run of form period, and didn't have Barcelona-killer Bryan Zaragoza available. They're quietly creeping down towards the relegation fight.
Let us know how it is. Haven't been there in maybe 10 or 15 years, it was brand new at the time. It felt a little sterile, but might have aged well. It's a decent sized stadium too, just a pain to get to from Barcelona (but easy if you're coming from the airport).
Osasuna are protesting the match against Barca.
Barcelona fielded players that declined international duty due to injury and weren't allowed to play. I'm interested to see how that plays out. I'm fairly certain that most teams flout these rules with "injured" players participating in matches within five days of the end of the international period.
And Carlo faces four years in prison. Standard tax evasion stuff from over ten years ago. Think he'll go? Yeah, me neither.
Barcelona fielded players that declined international duty due to injury and weren't allowed to play. I'm interested to see how that plays out. I'm fairly certain that most teams flout these rules with "injured" players participating in matches within five days of the end of the international period.
And Carlo faces four years in prison. Standard tax evasion stuff from over ten years ago. Think he'll go? Yeah, me neither.
I’m with you @SocrManiac, doubtful either come to fruition. The bulk of the Osasuna argument is that they followed the rules by not playing Bryan Zaragoza while Barca fielded Iñigo. Of course, Bryan wouldn’t have been able to play anyways because his injury is more severe or an actual injury.
Just another off field item that likely doesn’t amount to much, the Dani Olmo registration case will be heard in April. It’s entirely possible that the courts could rule him out for the rest of the season. He’s hurt now. Again. As always. Whatever drags Laporta and Deco’s transfer strategy through the mud is worth it my book. Barca’s team would be pretty likeable if they just put the checkbook away and let the kids cook.
Just another off field item that likely doesn’t amount to much, the Dani Olmo registration case will be heard in April. It’s entirely possible that the courts could rule him out for the rest of the season. He’s hurt now. Again. As always. Whatever drags Laporta and Deco’s transfer strategy through the mud is worth it my book. Barca’s team would be pretty likeable if they just put the checkbook away and let the kids cook.
Betis won their first Gran Derbi in seven years today 2-1. They were super aggressive in the first half, pressing Sevilla all over the field. Sevilla were more aggressive in body slamming Betis players. Of course, Sevilla caught Betis on a counter to take the lead. Johnny leveled with a banger. Cucho gave Betis the lead off of a sublime touch from Isco.
Betis pulled back a bit in the second half, and Sevilla couldn’t really create much. It was fiery from pregame, where staff members got in a fight beforehand, to well after the game with Betis players celebrating with their fans.
Johnny was awesome.
Betis pulled back a bit in the second half, and Sevilla couldn’t really create much. It was fiery from pregame, where staff members got in a fight beforehand, to well after the game with Betis players celebrating with their fans.
Johnny was awesome.
It was a good time. The stadium is nice enough but the area directly around it is rather, uh, stale. It's mostly concrete and then there's a giant mall where you can buy a nice pre-game fast fashion blouse or pair of jeans. Once inside, the stadium is very functional and with great views from anywhere. We had great seats and while the match was not terribly riveting, it was a very enjoyable afternoon.
They kept the kiddos well-guarded too, so that's always appreciated.
This was covered by the Spanish Football Podcast guys today. They are nowhere near Barca fans and often critical of the club. They said that there is no chance anything comes from this. In short, Barca consulted with the Federation beforehand and they gave the green light prior to the game. Their reasoning was twofold; first they didn’t consider him injured and ruled out but rather released from the call up prior to the games (similar to Johnny for the USMNT/Betis) and second that they would have given an exemption anyways due to the fact that this was a rescheduled game.
Spanish officials have shown themselves to be more than willing to come down on Barcelona pretty hard, so I’ll take this is a nothingburger.
That actually passes the smell test, but I still get why Osasuna filed a complaint.
I do take the words of Sid Lowe as pretty much gospel when it comes to La Liga clubs. He’s a devout Oviedo fan and is as neutral as they come, despite his book being about the big 2.
Speaking of Lowe, he had an admittedly biased great article this week in the Guardian about the Seville Derby. The money quotes:
“46,731 people came to see Betis and Sevilla but the derby wasn’t until the following night” (this was the attendance for the pregame practice, over 31k people at the Betis practice)
‘“This is incredible,” he (Antony) said, and it was. This was Antony’s first Seville derby and he’d not seen anything like it for years: never mind Ajax or Old Trafford’
He’s a wonderful writer. The rest:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/mar/31/betis-sevilla-derby-antony-isco-la-liga
Pretty incredible Copa del Rey semifinal match last night between La Real and Madrid. Hard to believe that 2 out of the 3 semifinal matches played so far have been 4-4. Atletico and Barcelona play tonight after a, you guessed it, 4-4 score in the first game.
The last ten minutes of regular time were insane. La Real were up 2-1 which would have sent the game to extra time. Oyarzabal scored in the 80th minute putting Real Sociedad ahead, only for Bellingham and Tchouameni to score four minutes apart to put Real Madrid ahead on aggregate. Oyarzabal leveled in injury time to send the game to extra time where Rudiger scored to put Real Madrid through to the final.
Absurd.
It is easy for me to say from my couch that Real Sociedad looked awful in the second extra time period -- but I really didn't like the tactics of playing so defensively. Maybe the team was gassed, and maybe the coach knew that the team lost a spark with Kubo and Oyarzabal subbed off. I've seen too many Atletico matches where sitting back and waiting for a counter backfires.
Atletico ran out of gas -- and ideas -- the last few weeks. Griezmann aged rather quickly in 2025, and the absence of Koke due to injured is noticed. Whatever was clicking stopped clicking, and the team looks a bit clunky and slow. I'm not sure if players like De Paul and Llorente lost a spark, or if others like Barrios and Lino were playing above their actual talent level for a long time. Either way, this dip in form came at the worst time as Atletico is about five minutes away from being knocked out of la Copa del Rey. Sigh.
Man, Atleti are in such a weird spot. They're a top 15 club for sure, and most years have a strong argument for top 10. They seem well-run, they have an identity, they have good scouting and recruitment. They just have the misfortune of competing against Barca and Real. I mean, where would this side finish in the EPL? I think they'd be challenging for top 5 no problem, and possibly higher.
That’s such a hard question because there are nuances to every league. When I see the Forest/City range of teams, Atleti are probably better but I admittedly haven’t seen a ton of Forest and the City games I saw were mostly against big clubs (and City looked awful in those games, like I’d pick Betis to beat them). There is something to be said for the talent level of Premier League clubs being better than La Liga, but I’d argue that the team building in La Liga is better. There tends to be more academy players on La Liga clubs who have played together, or in the same style, their entire soccer lives, and where players who are bought are given more time to assimilate.
I really like the top end talent at Atletico Madrid, on par with the big two, though they really lack depth. RM are just so deep with smart buys, and La Masia is churning out Barca players. Simeone’s all in style of play is so demanding too. I’m also wondering how much intentional breaks punish a team like Atleti who rely on so many South American internationals where they play in such difficult circumstances in terms of locations, obscene demands to leave nothing on the field, and very long flights.
Re the bolded, it's funny to me because I'd say it's the other way around. I like how they've recruited strong squad players like Barrios, Llorente, Molina, Sorloth, and Lino, along with aging vets that add a ton of value at low cost (Griezmann, Azpi, Oblak), so they shouldn't ever drop below any other La Liga club or most of their competition in UCL. But the only players I'd say are top end talent are Alvarez, RDP, Le Normand, and Gallagher. While most clubs would trade squads with Atleti in a heartbeat (circular logic, considering where we started the convo), that's not enough to get them over the hump. Compare the squads of the last few years or so with the peak Atleti of the mid teens or even 2020-21 and the difference is small, but real. That's just the game Atleti has to play to compete at this level, but to the club's credit, from my perspective they're almost always RIGHT THERE, and every so often they get there (La Liga titles, UCL finals). The only question I have is whether fans consider this enough.
You’re right. I used the wrong phrase, shouldn’t have used “top end”. More of what I meant is along the lines of the players who you would expect to play in a final, the top 10-15 players, I rate really highly for Atleti. It’s that next tier where they struggle. Where Barca have Eric, Fermin, Pablo Torre, Gerard Martin etc and RM have Endrick, Fran Garcia, Ceballos (or is Camavinga or Modric in this tier???). The players who fill in during high match congestion or injuries.
Put another way, this Atleti are better built to win the Champions League than La Liga.
True, but it's only La Liga that we can seem to pull off every decade or so.
Atletico go into decline every year and it just so happened that this year it hit when there were some elimination games to play. The point about squad rotation is a good one. We struggle to stay relevant in parallel competitions up until the end, 2014 being the exception to that. The point about having to play Barcelona and/or Real Madrid almost every year in some sort of eliminatory fashion is also a good one. In 2016, Atleti's other major heartbreak in the UCL, they finished 15 points back in La Liga, and their Copa run ended in the quarterfinals in January, so being that far back for much of the season in La Liga and out of the Copa, Atleti could focus on the one remaining competition, but UCL dreams were ended again by Real Madrid in the finals. In 20-21 the last year Atleti won La Liga, they made it out of group play in the UCL with a -1 goal differential and then were knocked out in the octavos by the eventual winner, Chelsea 3-0. The Copa del Rey? Well, Atleti ran into the juggernaut of UE Cornella and rightfully had no more Copa games to worry about after the 6th of January (Feliz Reyes!). So that year, after the middle of March, there was just one competition in play.
That being said, competing in simultaneous competitions is difficult period. Unless you can field two high quality sides, you will need to rely on good fortune as well. Atleti do not have two sides, they have 1.5, and that's pretty damned good. Key players need to play across all important games though, and as such will be worn down by the end when having to face teams that can field two squads.
Thanks for this. Your post added a lot of great details to what I think most La Liga teams feel happens with Atleti.
Using your terminology, I really like Atleti’s 1.5 sides. It’s that extra half squad that is the difference. The extra two rounds of the Champions League (8 league games versus 6 group games) along with the potential knockout round adds to these difficulties. The Copa has its own pitfalls as later in the competition you’re going to run into any combination of Barca, RM, Athletic Club, and one or two of those very good but not great clubs who throw everything at you- La Real, Betis, even Osasuna.
Anecdotally the teams lower in the table have gotten better at taking points off the bigger clubs in recent years. Even Leganés seem to have gotten results against all of the big clubs. There are fewer easy wins. Tack on the Supercopa being in the middle of the season in the Middle East as well as the additional travel for Balearic and Canary Island away fixtures, it all just adds up to brutalizing a club like Atleti.
So, uh, Valencia beat Real Madrid at the Bernabéu. Didn’t watch it, didn’t see it coming. Barca can really put some distance between themselves and Real Madrid today when they host Betis without Isco and with Jesus Rodriguez on the bench.
In other news, young heir apparent Fer Lopez subbed on for Iago Aspas and scored the go ahead goal for Celta at Mallorca.
In other news, young heir apparent Fer Lopez subbed on for Iago Aspas and scored the go ahead goal for Celta at Mallorca.
Betis defender just collided with the ref, who wiped out the Barca ballcarrier and snuffed what could have been a very dangerous counterattack at 90'
I couldn’t tell if Llorente had a play on the ball that the referee impeded before being shoved into Gavi. Betis will take the point with a rotated squad at Montjuic.
I LOL'd when this happened. It was also Gil Marzano who I think is considered one of if not the best Spanish ref. If nothing else, he refs a lot of big UCL and WC games.
Wild facts:
No home team won in La Liga this week, and that includes home games for Barca (1-1 Betis) and Real Madrid (1-2 Valencia).
Since the new year, the second leading goal scoring club in La Liga is… Getafe
In the Segunda
Real Oviedo had a 1-0 lead until the last kick (or header) of the ball when Éibar’s goalkeeper scored
There are some HUGE clubs just barely surviving the drop down the well- Real Zaragoza, Sporting Gijón, and Malaga are three points or less away from relegation
No home team won in La Liga this week, and that includes home games for Barca (1-1 Betis) and Real Madrid (1-2 Valencia).
Since the new year, the second leading goal scoring club in La Liga is… Getafe
In the Segunda
Real Oviedo had a 1-0 lead until the last kick (or header) of the ball when Éibar’s goalkeeper scored
There are some HUGE clubs just barely surviving the drop down the well- Real Zaragoza, Sporting Gijón, and Malaga are three points or less away from relegation
So last week Éibar stole a point in added time thanks to a goal scored by their GK. This week they lost two points when Zaragoza’s keeper scored a goal tying in injury time. La Segunda is endlessly entertaining.
Betis lost at home to Villarreal (sigh), which is making the table look less and less interesting. Barca have a decent enough lead over Real Madrid at this point in the season, Atleti are just playing things out, and the European spots are getting pretty clear except for that potential extra spot in Europe. Valladolid are done, and it looks like two of Leganés, Las Palmas, and Alaves will join them. There is a Clásico in a few weeks that could spice things up, but Real Madrid have looked so pedestrian for so long now that I’d be shocked if they got any result. After that game, Barca have a derby at Espanyol then games against Villarreal and Athletic Club to end the season, so it’s not totally over.
The chaos at Real Madrid bring my heart joy. They got absolutely man handled by Arsenal. Mbappe took an awful red card at Alaves. There are rumors that Ancelotti might be on his way out and that Saudi money is coming back for Vini Jr, and given the total package of close to €1 billion, that might actually be Florentino’s best way forward. I personally need Arsenal to humble them again and for Barcelona to win both upcoming Clásicos to finish the job. The Madrid press has already been talking up an upcoming Remontada (comeback) against Arsenal. It’s close to unbearable.
Betis lost at home to Villarreal (sigh), which is making the table look less and less interesting. Barca have a decent enough lead over Real Madrid at this point in the season, Atleti are just playing things out, and the European spots are getting pretty clear except for that potential extra spot in Europe. Valladolid are done, and it looks like two of Leganés, Las Palmas, and Alaves will join them. There is a Clásico in a few weeks that could spice things up, but Real Madrid have looked so pedestrian for so long now that I’d be shocked if they got any result. After that game, Barca have a derby at Espanyol then games against Villarreal and Athletic Club to end the season, so it’s not totally over.
The chaos at Real Madrid bring my heart joy. They got absolutely man handled by Arsenal. Mbappe took an awful red card at Alaves. There are rumors that Ancelotti might be on his way out and that Saudi money is coming back for Vini Jr, and given the total package of close to €1 billion, that might actually be Florentino’s best way forward. I personally need Arsenal to humble them again and for Barcelona to win both upcoming Clásicos to finish the job. The Madrid press has already been talking up an upcoming Remontada (comeback) against Arsenal. It’s close to unbearable.
The Mbappe challenge looks beyond horrific. No attempt to play the ball, all of the intent in the world to injure. It's one of those that crosses the border from a sporting challenge toward an assault charge.
I tend to think that we overreact to red card challenges because often they are poorly timed or clumsy, and they look worse when slowed down. I also have a hard time judging intent. I also think we judge players we don’t like on teams we don’t like more harshly. I’m not saying that’s what you are doing, but just my own biases when I saw the challenge. I don’t dislike Mbappe and often enjoy watching him play, but I hate Real Madrid with a burning passion so it could color my opinion of the challenge.
All of that said, this was such a nasty play and I’m glad you saw it the same way.
Oh, Mbappe only got a game suspension for it. Yet I’m sure Real Madrid fans are claiming that even that punishment is too harsh because La Liga/ the refs are so anti-Madridista.
It’s the double clutch that eliminates the benefit of the doubt. It would have been an awful challenge to begin with, but when he saw he was going to miss and realigned to make sure he would make full contact… That’s when it crossed the line from an incident to whatever thing is more than a bad sports play.
As a guy who generally supports Real Madrid in the realm of mega-rich super clubs - that was a challenge that could have ended a player's career and there was no doubt an intent to put a foot on the player.
I personally find this current Madrid squad minus Valverde, Courtois, the injured Carvajal, Brahim Díaz, Endrick and the man who is old enough to be Endrick's father to be so incredibly unlikable, over rated or just glorified squad players (looking at you Fran García).
I personally find this current Madrid squad minus Valverde, Courtois, the injured Carvajal, Brahim Díaz, Endrick and the man who is old enough to be Endrick's father to be so incredibly unlikable, over rated or just glorified squad players (looking at you Fran García).
Fran Garcia catching strays here. He’s not a Real Madrid level player, but he’s fantastic in the right system. He was devastating for Rayo with Alvaro Garcia when Iraola had them high flying. I wonder how he would do at a club like Atleti who could better use his strengths. He just isn’t a fit for a club the caliber of Real Madrid. He isn’t good enough to play against a team that can play with Madrid and his skills are wasted against weaker opponents.
I have no real dislike for Carvajal. He’s chippy and is an A+ shithouser, but I don’t think he crosses lines. I know I’m in the minority here for tolerance of the dark arts. I can see why Real Madrid fans like him, he’s one of those guys you love if he’s on your team and hate when he’s not. If anything, I feel he’s been underrated as a player recently.
For me, Valverde is a player I love to watch, even though I always root against him. His work rate is unreal, he does the work so his teammates can shine, and he has a cannon for a shot. His shot that landed in an apartment in Vallecas is an alltime favorite. Beyond him and Modric, the players are meh. There aren’t guys like Pepe, Sergio Ramos, or CR7 on this squad. Most of my dislike for RM comes from my dislike of all big clubs. They all have outsized opinions of their own importance, both as club and from large portions of their fan bases. Idc if it’s RM, Juventus, Bayern, or Liverpool, I’m probably rooting against them. Real Madrid media just take it to an annoyingly higher level. My family is mostly, though not entirely, Catalan nationalists. Even though I’ve given up my Barcelona fandom (for the reasons I mentioned regarding all big clubs) I maintain my anti Real Madrid biases.
I have no real dislike for Carvajal. He’s chippy and is an A+ shithouser, but I don’t think he crosses lines. I know I’m in the minority here for tolerance of the dark arts. I can see why Real Madrid fans like him, he’s one of those guys you love if he’s on your team and hate when he’s not. If anything, I feel he’s been underrated as a player recently.
For me, Valverde is a player I love to watch, even though I always root against him. His work rate is unreal, he does the work so his teammates can shine, and he has a cannon for a shot. His shot that landed in an apartment in Vallecas is an alltime favorite. Beyond him and Modric, the players are meh. There aren’t guys like Pepe, Sergio Ramos, or CR7 on this squad. Most of my dislike for RM comes from my dislike of all big clubs. They all have outsized opinions of their own importance, both as club and from large portions of their fan bases. Idc if it’s RM, Juventus, Bayern, or Liverpool, I’m probably rooting against them. Real Madrid media just take it to an annoyingly higher level. My family is mostly, though not entirely, Catalan nationalists. Even though I’ve given up my Barcelona fandom (for the reasons I mentioned regarding all big clubs) I maintain my anti Real Madrid biases.
Yeah, it is hard to name a great defender whose strength was/is actually defensive work rate who never participated in the shithousery mentioned by Rguilmar. Carvajal does it with such relish while also being a heck of an offensive contributor.
Probably fair point on Fran.. I think he would actually be quite fun to watch playing up the flank in Donostia with Take Kubo - of course none of the opportunities would end up in the net but that is another matter.
Probably fair point on Fran.. I think he would actually be quite fun to watch playing up the flank in Donostia with Take Kubo - of course none of the opportunities would end up in the net but that is another matter.
There are bunch of interesting looking games this weekend:
Girona-Betis (battle of the #alwayswatch teams)
Villarreal-Real Sociedad
Real Madrid-Athletic Club
In the last one, Real Madrid need this much more than Athletic Club. I fully expect the home team to get whistled pretty thoroughly and Vini Jr in particular. Athletic might very well rest a bunch of players ahead of a midweek home tilt with Las Palmas, followed by their make-or-break two week stretch of Man U- Real Sociedad- Man U- Alaves.
Real Madrid are a mess right now. They haven’t played well for months and got pretty routinely run off the pitch by Arsenal in a contrast of a well built team (Gunners) against a collection of talented players. I fully expect Ancelotti to be gone, and it looks like Brazil might still want him. It was such a poorly built squad that it will need some turnover. Most people, myself included, thought if anyone could put it together, it was Carlo. To be fair, there was a stretch where it looked like he had. I pretty much expect Vini to be off to Saudi for an ungodly figure. I wonder if players like Fran, Rodrygo, and even Camavinga could be sold. TAA is coming in and they’ll go after Dean Huijsen (rumors out of Liverpool is that the youngster is confirmed to be headed there which I assume means the exact opposite). A player who they might take a look at is Alex Baena assuming he’s willing to take a Pedri like move to a deeper role and that he’s open to playing on the same team as Fede Valverde (I know he says it’s water under the bridge but you never know).
Anyways, cue the Xabi Alonso music.
Girona-Betis (battle of the #alwayswatch teams)
Villarreal-Real Sociedad
Real Madrid-Athletic Club
In the last one, Real Madrid need this much more than Athletic Club. I fully expect the home team to get whistled pretty thoroughly and Vini Jr in particular. Athletic might very well rest a bunch of players ahead of a midweek home tilt with Las Palmas, followed by their make-or-break two week stretch of Man U- Real Sociedad- Man U- Alaves.
Real Madrid are a mess right now. They haven’t played well for months and got pretty routinely run off the pitch by Arsenal in a contrast of a well built team (Gunners) against a collection of talented players. I fully expect Ancelotti to be gone, and it looks like Brazil might still want him. It was such a poorly built squad that it will need some turnover. Most people, myself included, thought if anyone could put it together, it was Carlo. To be fair, there was a stretch where it looked like he had. I pretty much expect Vini to be off to Saudi for an ungodly figure. I wonder if players like Fran, Rodrygo, and even Camavinga could be sold. TAA is coming in and they’ll go after Dean Huijsen (rumors out of Liverpool is that the youngster is confirmed to be headed there which I assume means the exact opposite). A player who they might take a look at is Alex Baena assuming he’s willing to take a Pedri like move to a deeper role and that he’s open to playing on the same team as Fede Valverde (I know he says it’s water under the bridge but you never know).
Anyways, cue the Xabi Alonso music.
Barca squeak by Vigo in a 4-3 thriller. This was a shooting/finishing clinic for the most part, with 1 goal coming from a pen, and another off a terrific cross, but everything else was basically a hard low hit strike to the corner and a sly 1v1 finish between both teams.
Ferran got the scoring started, and then Borja finished his hattrick on the hour mark, leaving Barca 3-1 down with half an hour to play. Olmo got one back right away, and then Yamal crossed for a nice Raph header to draw level. And then in extra time, Olmo (?) drew a pen in the box and Raph slammed home the pen to take 3 points.
With a Clasico still to play, the La Liga race is not over, but Barca maintain their 4 point lead.
Ferran got the scoring started, and then Borja finished his hattrick on the hour mark, leaving Barca 3-1 down with half an hour to play. Olmo got one back right away, and then Yamal crossed for a nice Raph header to draw level. And then in extra time, Olmo (?) drew a pen in the box and Raph slammed home the pen to take 3 points.
With a Clasico still to play, the La Liga race is not over, but Barca maintain their 4 point lead.
That Barca win will be the one that people look back on to say “this is when Barca won the league”, assuming that they hold off RM. Real Madrid snuck by Athletic Club with a stoppage time banger by Valverde.
View: https://twitter.com/totalcristiano/status/1914069894984765740?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
Athletic Club heavily rotated their squad for this one. Not one field player who started this weekend is a full strength starter. They’ll do enough on the league to finish top 5, but they’re all in on the Europa League.
Betis are in an interesting spot. They have two winnable games before facing Fiorentina. They’ll focus on the Conference League because as a club, they have to go for trophies only having four in the cabinet. Wins in La Liga would keep them within touching distance of the final Champions League spot with Villarreal having to go to Balaidos midweek then host high-flying Espanyol in the makeup match. Betis kick off against Girona in about an hour, and Girona are in serious trouble if they don’t win. Their game at Leganés midweek could be a relegation six pointer.
There is a midweek round and the weekend off for the Clásico Copa del Rey final with the exception of that Villarreal-Espanyol makeup match. Betis (Fiorentina), Athletic Club (Man U), and Barca (Inter) represent Spain in European semifinals. La Liga has won a fifth Champions League spot already.
View: https://twitter.com/totalcristiano/status/1914069894984765740?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
Athletic Club heavily rotated their squad for this one. Not one field player who started this weekend is a full strength starter. They’ll do enough on the league to finish top 5, but they’re all in on the Europa League.
Betis are in an interesting spot. They have two winnable games before facing Fiorentina. They’ll focus on the Conference League because as a club, they have to go for trophies only having four in the cabinet. Wins in La Liga would keep them within touching distance of the final Champions League spot with Villarreal having to go to Balaidos midweek then host high-flying Espanyol in the makeup match. Betis kick off against Girona in about an hour, and Girona are in serious trouble if they don’t win. Their game at Leganés midweek could be a relegation six pointer.
There is a midweek round and the weekend off for the Clásico Copa del Rey final with the exception of that Villarreal-Espanyol makeup match. Betis (Fiorentina), Athletic Club (Man U), and Barca (Inter) represent Spain in European semifinals. La Liga has won a fifth Champions League spot already.
The opening for Camp Nou has been pushed back once again. It was originally scheduled to open late last year. Then April. Now September 16. It will likely open with no roof and with 60,000 person capacity. Construction will continue throughout next season and a roof added in May 2026. Hopefully the club correctly budgeted for the obvious delays.
They almost have to open it by mid September as that is when Champions League kicks off. Barca cannot change stadiums in the middle of the competition. The club will ask to start La Liga on the road to allow for as much construction time as possible.
They almost have to open it by mid September as that is when Champions League kicks off. Barca cannot change stadiums in the middle of the competition. The club will ask to start La Liga on the road to allow for as much construction time as possible.
A huge match coming up between a club from Madrid and a club from Cataluña which could have season defining implications...
Of course, I mean tomorrow's match Leganes v Girona in Madrid. This could be a relegation 6 pointer. If Leganes win, they would sit level with Las Palmas at 32 points, only 2 points from safety- a spot held in this scenario by Girona.
Shocking that Girona have been this bad. Everyone knew it would be a rough campaign but to be this late in the season and be so close to the drop is an utter disaster.
Of course, I mean tomorrow's match Leganes v Girona in Madrid. This could be a relegation 6 pointer. If Leganes win, they would sit level with Las Palmas at 32 points, only 2 points from safety- a spot held in this scenario by Girona.
Shocking that Girona have been this bad. Everyone knew it would be a rough campaign but to be this late in the season and be so close to the drop is an utter disaster.
I was pretty shocked at how bad they looked against Betis. I know that they lost a lot of talent, but they’re much better than what we’ve seen lately.
On a more positive note- Celta. They currently sit seventh and are a good bet to qualify for the Conference League. They’ve spent the last several seasons barely surviving with Iago Aspas almost single handedly saving them from relegation. A few smart transfers and the promotion of lots of local young talent, and they’re a club transformed. I noticed that renovations on the final stand at Balaidos is under way too. Things are looking up in Vigo. It would be so fun for there to be European nights at Balaidos once again.
Celta just put a whooping on Villarreal, which has opened the door for Betis to get back into the race for the last Champions League spot. Betis trail Villarreal by just one point and play an awful Valladolid team today. If somehow both Betis and Athletic Club qualify for next season’s Champions League, I’ll be over the moon. This is in part due to the casual tidbit my dad dropped on Easter that we have Basque heritage.
Celta just put a whooping on Villarreal, which has opened the door for Betis to get back into the race for the last Champions League spot. Betis trail Villarreal by just one point and play an awful Valladolid team today. If somehow both Betis and Athletic Club qualify for next season’s Champions League, I’ll be over the moon. This is in part due to the casual tidbit my dad dropped on Easter that we have Basque heritage.
It had looked like no one other that Girona's captain fantastic, Stuani had given Girona a desperate needed 3 points before an almost at the death equalizer from Leganes.
I really like Stuani but disdain every element of the City Football Group. They remain 3 points from the drop. Super Pepino and friends are now in real danger, this match was their chance to really close the gap. 1 point does them little. They are still now 19th and need to make up 4 points in 5 matches to catch Alaves.
Personally as someone who adores dumb mascots and every team from Euskal Herria - this was a sad outcome.
I really like Stuani but disdain every element of the City Football Group. They remain 3 points from the drop. Super Pepino and friends are now in real danger, this match was their chance to really close the gap. 1 point does them little. They are still now 19th and need to make up 4 points in 5 matches to catch Alaves.
Personally as someone who adores dumb mascots and every team from Euskal Herria - this was a sad outcome.
Real Madrid have cancelled all pre match media appointments leading up to the Clásico Copa del Rey final, and are threatening to boycott the game unless the referees are changed.
It all stems from comments made by match officials about videos put out by RealMadrid TV pointing out every bad call made by the referee, especially involving Real Madrid. I'm not alone in being hyper critical of RM. It fires their fans up to the point where they actively try intimidate the refs and their families. It's a pretty despicable practice and is beneath any club that holds itself to a "higher standard" that RM claim to do. Of course the club say they are defending freedom of speech for a media outlet, but its obviously just deflecting blame for a failed
campaign.
It all stems from comments made by match officials about videos put out by RealMadrid TV pointing out every bad call made by the referee, especially involving Real Madrid. I'm not alone in being hyper critical of RM. It fires their fans up to the point where they actively try intimidate the refs and their families. It's a pretty despicable practice and is beneath any club that holds itself to a "higher standard" that RM claim to do. Of course the club say they are defending freedom of speech for a media outlet, but its obviously just deflecting blame for a failed
campaign.
Caveat of being an American who only occasionaly reads the Spanish press.
One of my biggest reasons for supporting Real Madrid over Barcelona was that it used to always seem like Barcelona were the ones who would cry foul about referees and dumb conspiracy theories while Madrid rarely did.
This past year however.... Yikes. Real Madrid TV Foremost and the club have been absolutely embarrassing the past year.
One of my biggest reasons for supporting Real Madrid over Barcelona was that it used to always seem like Barcelona were the ones who would cry foul about referees and dumb conspiracy theories while Madrid rarely did.
This past year however.... Yikes. Real Madrid TV Foremost and the club have been absolutely embarrassing the past year.
To be fair, Barcelona as a club have been at least as bad over the years. Barca’s claims that they’ve been treated differently when it comes to financial regulations are laughable. One of their palancas involved selling assets to a culé who had no intention of completing the transaction. It was blatant lying to balance the books, then the club calls foul when Tebas required proof of funds for other financial maneuvers. You lied and now are being forced to prove you’re not lying. Boo fricking who. Both clubs claim to be victims when the field is entirely tilted in the favor of them both. It’s tiring.
Despite putting in solid shifts for my over 40 mens Sunday beer league, both during and after the game, I doubt I had the technical quality to make it there, even with the great coaching. I would’ve enjoyed the food though. On the other hand, my younger brother was a very gifted player, had a youth spell in Holland, played D1 soccer, and perhaps he could have benefitted. We wouldn’t qualify though, as neither of our parents were born in the Basque Country.
I am annoyed that he just told me though. I probably have mentioned this before, but my family is mostly Catalan and I grew up a Barca fan. I grew disillusioned with big clubs in general (see above for why, but I really dislike any top club in any league, feel they are all getting too big of a cut and only want more) and was looking for a new club of my own. During this journey, I repeatedly said to my father that “This would be so much easier if I was Basque,
I’d become a socio at Athletic Club in a heartbeat”. I ended up at Betis, with Athletic as my second club.
It works out though. I travel north and south when I go to Spain now.