No Hay Liga! All Things España 2024-25
- Thread starter rguilmar
- Start date
Put differently, they have the lowest salary allotment in both La Liga and La Liga 2. Amazing.
I agree about the importance of the club, but as a Betis fan and as one who enjoys boardroom drama, Sevilla getting relegated would be hilarious. Jose Maria del Nido, convicted white collar criminal and former resident of a local prison, would almost certainly rise back to the presidency and toss current President (and his current son) off the board. This time he won’t have Monchi to help him out. Given the finances of the club, they would be at risk of going full Depor or Malaga and getting sent to the 3rd tier.
I haven't watched any Real Oviedo, but the talk on Instagram suggests that the team looks terrible and is showing little semblance of solid strategy. So, I do wonder how long the team will ride with Calleja. If I were to guess, I think he has two more games to prove himself.
I saw the derby last weekend and they looked pretty bad. They moved on from some of their longtime soldiers, especially the two Borjas (Bastón and Sanchez), and sold Bretones to Osasuna. I don’t know too much about their new players except Hassan, who was very dangerous last season at Gijon of all places.
They tried to change their style last season and it took a while to adjust. The season is young, but conceding 3 goals in back to back games isn’t ideal.
Zaragoza is leading the league right now. Part of the stadium has been demolished as part of the renovations to get it up to World Cup standards. Would be cool if they could get back to La Liga beforehand. Levante and Éibar are strong teams ready to fight for promotion again.
They tried to change their style last season and it took a while to adjust. The season is young, but conceding 3 goals in back to back games isn’t ideal.
Zaragoza is leading the league right now. Part of the stadium has been demolished as part of the renovations to get it up to World Cup standards. Would be cool if they could get back to La Liga beforehand. Levante and Éibar are strong teams ready to fight for promotion again.
I’d like to personally thank both of the teams of @Zososoxfan for last nights Betis win. Lo Celso (from Spurs) and Vítor Roque (from Barca) made an impact in their debuts off the bench at the Benito Villamarin. Lo Celso provided the creativity and incisive passing that’s been missing without Fekir and Isco. Roque got the second goal, a poacher’s goal in a rebound. The Brazilian put in a shift too, working very hard in his time on the field.
Leganés are in real trouble. If Haller doesn’t come close to winning the Pichichi, they are going to be relegated (and they might go down even if he leads the league in scoring).
Leganés are in real trouble. If Haller doesn’t come close to winning the Pichichi, they are going to be relegated (and they might go down even if he leads the league in scoring).
Happy to oblige w/r/t Roque, as Barca are flying right now. Spurs, well let's not talk about Spurs.
Valencia's precipitous slide continues as they sit bottom of the table with the second worst GD. They're in real trouble.
Sociedad were very unlucky to not come away with points against Madrid. They hit the underside of the crossbar twice, and hit the posts another 2-3. All that before Madrid were awarded 2 pens. 1 was legit while the handball could've been an indirect FK, although I don't know if that rule really exists anymore.
Atletico Argentina de Madrid looked good with De Paul playing Gallagher in with a meg inside the box and Julian cleaning up a nice run down the left by Riquelme. Angel Correa and Giuliano Simeone also came on subs, but Molina did not (and Oblak started over Musso). So Simeone only gets a 4/6 from TYC Sports.
Atlético plays something like seven matches in 21 days, so I suspect Molina will get plenty of minutes over the next few weeks but it is clear that Llorente has passed him on the depth chart. Plus, with Llorente at RB and not in midfield, Simeone can play three of Koke, Barrios, Gallagher, De Paul, and Riquelme.
The best news for Atlético is that Le Normand seems to have stabilized the defense. My sense is that the team will go as far as Le Normand and Giménez will carry them.
They’ve been hyping this is the Month of La Liga. Starting last Friday, at least one La Liga team will be playing for the rest of the month. I’m sure schedule congestion will extend beyond Spain, but all La Liga teams will have their depth tested soon enough.
I’m getting the feeling that the top four clubs at the end of the season are the teams currently in the top 4. Villarreal don’t have Europe, finished last campaign really well, and are really stinking good. Alex Baena has taken that next step too.
Barcelona have been great so far, and super entertaining too, but Celta Vigo aren’t far behind in terms of being fun to watch. The schedule gets much tougher, but maybe Aspas won’t have to singlehandedly save them this season. The kids are looking good.
I’m getting the feeling that the top four clubs at the end of the season are the teams currently in the top 4. Villarreal don’t have Europe, finished last campaign really well, and are really stinking good. Alex Baena has taken that next step too.
Barcelona have been great so far, and super entertaining too, but Celta Vigo aren’t far behind in terms of being fun to watch. The schedule gets much tougher, but maybe Aspas won’t have to singlehandedly save them this season. The kids are looking good.
Valencia look just flat out awful. I thought Barajas was the most likely manager to be fired first last season, but they played decently well. This season though, the inexperience of the players and the manager are showing. I saw some stat that basically showed how lucky Valencia was last season and that we should all expect regression. They’ve regressed, that’s for sure.
I'll be in Valencia this weekend and may head to the Mestalla on Saturday. I'm actually curious to see just how bad they've gotten.
It's really too bad to see how both Valencia and Sevilla so poorly run, just to have a bit more pressure up top. I suppose it opens the door for other teams as well, but I see La Liga being even more top-heavy than normal this year, and that only adds fuel to the fire that national leagues could become a thing of the past (at least in terms of including the "big" teams).
I like going to Mestalla. My mom hasn’t forgiven me for getting tickets way up high. It’s so unbelievably steep. It was a Champions League game, so it was a while ago. It’s a sign of how far they’ve fallen. Sid Lowe has been pretty consistent that the failures are almost entirely on ownership and that the club should be in the fight for top 4.
I do kind of enjoy the rotating cast of clubs fighting for Europe. Villarreal has gone to two UCL semifinals and was relegated in between. Sevilla and Valencia are definitely down, but that opened things up for Girona and gives a shot to Athletic Club, La Real, and of course Betis.
Another match day done, another kicks off tomorrow. Barca were really impressive in crushing Villarreal at El Madrigal but lost MATS for the season. Absolutely brutal blow. Iñaki Pena, come on down. On the positive side, is anyone playing better in La Liga than Raphinha, besides his young teammate? Flick has done a great job utilizing the Brazilian. To think that some fool on this board called him “not Barcelona level” at some point.
Las Palmas are currently in last place and haven’t won a game in their last twenty fixtures. They are right there with Leganés in terms of being in serious trouble. I just realized today that Adnan Januzaj of Man U past is on their payroll as is Getafe legend Jaime Mata. The Las Palmas player that is actually fun to watch is Alberto Moleiro. He reminds me a bit of Pedri in how he plays. He just turned 20 and will be on the radar of bigger clubs for sure.
Betis lost in the last minute today which was a gut shot. They played well and had some truly exciting moments, but left gaps in the back and paid dearly. Oh well.
Las Palmas are currently in last place and haven’t won a game in their last twenty fixtures. They are right there with Leganés in terms of being in serious trouble. I just realized today that Adnan Januzaj of Man U past is on their payroll as is Getafe legend Jaime Mata. The Las Palmas player that is actually fun to watch is Alberto Moleiro. He reminds me a bit of Pedri in how he plays. He just turned 20 and will be on the radar of bigger clubs for sure.
Betis lost in the last minute today which was a gut shot. They played well and had some truly exciting moments, but left gaps in the back and paid dearly. Oh well.
I haven't watched every Barca game but it's amazing how an experienced coach is getting a song out of the same squad. Of course Yamal helps a lot, but some very good players are still out injured (Gavi, FDJ, Araujo) and he's given big opportunities to Casado, Bernal, and now LB Martin. I think many clubs around the world will look at the Xavi-Flick transition and think twice about the former legend to manager transition (read: Gerrard, Steven).
Sevilla currently lead at half over Valladolid who are lower than Sevilla in the table, while Osasuna and Valencia are tied at HT.
Sevilla currently lead at half over Valladolid who are lower than Sevilla in the table, while Osasuna and Valencia are tied at HT.
Lesson learned: do not praise a player before looking at Betis’s schedule. Alberto Moleiro was an absolute monster yesterday. It wasn’t just the goal, as I’m pretty sure any one of us on SoSH could’ve scored that. His dribbling and passing was devastating all game long, especially in the first half. You just need to watch the first minute or two of the game to see what he’s capable of.
Anyways, Las Palmas are up to 21 games in a row without a win.
Anyways, Las Palmas are up to 21 games in a row without a win.
I agree with you, and my feelings about Xavi as a manager are pretty well known by now, but there is some risk I think of us overdoing it. I have a buddy in Barcelona now, and he says the narrative has essentially become “Xavi is the reason we didn’t win La Liga” which I think is unfair. What Flick is doing is amazing, especially with Raphinha, but Xavi had his moments too, like his use of Gavi. I think one huge advantage for Flick is his cache as a manager giving him away over transfers and such. It always felt like Deco and Laporta were totally in charge of that, and Xavi had to piece it all together.
Barca (with Yamal and Raphina sitting) getting absolutely physically dominated by Osasuna right now.
The Osasuna stadium has really steep stands, looks like the fans are right on top of you, can't imagine it's a fun place for a visiting team to play.
The Osasuna stadium has really steep stands, looks like the fans are right on top of you, can't imagine it's a fun place for a visiting team to play.
El Sadar is supposedly the most difficult place to play. I haven’t been there for a game myself, but it has the highest registered crowd noise in Spain. Pamplona itself is known for being a loud atmosphere, even by Spanish standards. It’s steep, it’s loud, it’s usually cold, and the team is always aggressive. Unai Emery says it’s like Stoke City back in the day.
I’ve seen a video where a fan says playing there is like going to the dentist. You know it will be painful.
Bryan Zaragoza with a heckuva game based on the highlights and reviews I’ve read. He’s been a one man wrecking crew of Barca for the past couple of seasons. His goal was a jaw dropping bit of skill (as opposed to Barca’s first, which was comedic).
View: https://youtu.be/gL8P0ApL-c4?si=uyNl7zQ3C27lok3V
View: https://youtu.be/gL8P0ApL-c4?si=uyNl7zQ3C27lok3V
So happy that he is back in LA Liga but have 0 idea as how he only was given a total of 7 appearances at Munich before being shuttled off to Pamplona.
Now only if La Liga can get back Gabi Veiga and Asencio that would be great as one is inexplicably in Saudi Arabia and the other is rather embarrassingly just an expensive bench warmer in Paris.
Iniesta has officially retired. He was among the smoothest players to ever lace them up. He was one of my favorite players ever to watch. His croqueta move was just amazing, matched only by croquetas de jamón.
View: https://twitter.com/centregoals/status/1841022070198526094?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
View: https://twitter.com/centregoals/status/1841022070198526094?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
Sid Lowe with a timely piece on Bryan that maybe offers some insight into him. My concern when he went to Bayern was that he fee, while significant for Granada, was not nearly enough for Bayern to think that he has to start and do well for them to justify the expense. The club could look at him just as a cheap risk worth taking. But he is so fun to watch, and his background is pretty uncommon in today’s game, more of a street player than an academy product.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/sep/30/bryan-zaragoza-osasuna-barcelona-la-liga
No comment on Gabri, but I’d love to see him back. Marco Asensio feels like a player who we forget about then pops up at a smart club like Real Sociedad. I’ll add Carlos Soler to the list of players who should return to La Liga, and Lo Celso should never leave again.
Celso has been absolute fire for your Beticos this season.
I could definitely see Asensio having a Isco like comeback with a "second tier" club in Spain where everyone stops for a minute and finally sees and admits that the guy is pretty spectacular but was lost on a loaded Madrid squad.
I could definitely see Asensio having a Isco like comeback with a "second tier" club in Spain where everyone stops for a minute and finally sees and admits that the guy is pretty spectacular but was lost on a loaded Madrid squad.
Carvajal will be out for a long, long time.
View: https://twitter.com/sidlowe/status/1842855089209233415?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
This is a huge blow for Real Madrid. I’m not the only one who constantly underrated him and he’s consistently proven the doubters wrong. He’s also been a critic of the number of games players are being asked to play. Short term, Lucas can fill the void with Carlo probably doing something wild like Valverde there to give Vazquez a break. Long term, Madrid will have to do something they never do and be active in January. I wonder if Hakimi has signed his new deal…
View: https://twitter.com/sidlowe/status/1842855089209233415?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
This is a huge blow for Real Madrid. I’m not the only one who constantly underrated him and he’s consistently proven the doubters wrong. He’s also been a critic of the number of games players are being asked to play. Short term, Lucas can fill the void with Carlo probably doing something wild like Valverde there to give Vazquez a break. Long term, Madrid will have to do something they never do and be active in January. I wonder if Hakimi has signed his new deal…
It is a damn shame about Carvajal, guy had been abosolute nails for both Madrid and Spain the past 18 months. Certainly had taken his performance to the next level and was probably on a trajectory of being among Ramos and Puyol as being rated among Spanish defenders. The seriousness of the injury was abundantly obvious, his guttural screams were chilling as he fell.
Hoping that somehow he and Rodri can be 100% whole and back at their levels for 2026!
On a really cool note, the day after his injury; Real Madrid immediately announced his extension through 2026. I know everyone one likes to hate on Madrid but the club does reward its players in a way many clubs do not.
Hoping that somehow he and Rodri can be 100% whole and back at their levels for 2026!
On a really cool note, the day after his injury; Real Madrid immediately announced his extension through 2026. I know everyone one likes to hate on Madrid but the club does reward its players in a way many clubs do not.
It’s a reasonable extension, unlike what Barca did years ago by significantly overpaying their players as rewards. They still haven’t recovered. Real Madrid have a habit of signing extensions but not announcing them immediately. They usually wait for some event or for Florentino to be around to do so.
Luka Sucic had himself a goal this weekend. Yes, I’m posting this to avoid talking about what happened in Seville.
View: https://twitter.com/espnfc/status/1843030380363862480?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
Did any of you catch the Real Sociedad-Atletico match? I was only able to watch a little bit, but what little I saw was just disappointing. While I like Cholo and fully support him, I have no idea why he decided to park the bus and showed zero interest in attacking. With the talent Atletico has, I find it confusing and frustrating to see Simeone revert back to this defensive mindset -- they don't have the defensive stability of the team with Godin/Filipe Luis/Miranda/Young Gimenez, Le Normand was out (who is the best defender), and the team has so many great attacking options. I don't get it and I don't like it.
Real Madrid have a remarkably thin defense for such a massive club. Its genuinely wild that after their starting back four their defensive sub options are Tchouameni (a midfielder), Fran Garcia (a 5'6 guy who is really only an attacking LB specialist), Lucas Vazquez (a 5'8 natural winger), and Jesus Vallejo (a guy who couldn't win a starting place at Grenada). I realize Alaba is coming back at some point but he is 32 and essentially a part time player at this point in his career.
I agree to an extent. I think probably the only transfer mistake in recent history for Real Madrid was selling Rafa Marin, a legit La Liga CB, to Napoli before having the Leny Yoro deal locked up. Now they have neither. Most big clubs want to go two deep at every position (2 quality LBs, 4 CBs etc) and Real Madrid had that except at CB. Given their positional flexibility, if they just kept Marin they would be ok. Now they probably need to favor either La Liga or Europe (hint: it’s the Champions League) and hope to keep pace on the other competition.
I would add Camavinga to your LB depth chart. He deputized very well in that position last season. I also think you sell Fran Garcia short. He’s a monster going forward, and when he was with Rayo he formed probably the most devastating left sided attack with Alvaro Garcia (they combined to more or less end Sergino Dest’s time at Barca). They were must see TV in those years. He could defend then counter, but was asked to sit back more than a Real Madrid player ever would. If he were right footed, he’d be very useful to this team. The problem, of course, is that Real Madrid already have too many players wanting to go left. He’s a very talented player, maybe on the wrong team. He’s a major player at any other club in Spain. I’d sign him for Betis in a heartbeat. Carlo will figure something out though, like putting Valverde on the right and giving him responsibility for the entire side of the field. These are the times when he proves he’s the right manager for the club.
Admittedly I did not watch the game. But looking at the stats, holy hell must Real Sociedad be upset for dropping points again.
Possession: 67%-33%
Passes: 648-333
Shots: 16-4
Shots on Target: 7-1
xG is probably the only statistic that isn’t heavily in favor of La Real (1 to .53), and probably the least unreliable, but this looks like a Cholo special but without the usual teeth.
Also, I really like what I’ve seen from Luka Sucic. Maybe the boys from San Sebastián have found another gem.
Several major Swedish newspapers are claiming that Mbappe is a suspect in a rape investigation into an incident that occurred a few days ago. He is denying any involvement and claiming that PSG (!) are somehow involved due to their ongoing dispute over unpaid wages.
La Liga kicks back off today (Athletic Club are taking Espanyol to the woodshed right now). This coming on the heals of the Spanish national team fielding a starting 11 for the first time without a single player from Barcelona, Real Madrid, or Atletico Madrid.
Alex Baena had a good showing for La Roja and might be the best player in La Liga right now, or at least the best player who can legally drink. He’s been awesome, and unfortunately likely will not be in La Liga for long. I don’t think he fills much of a need for the big clubs, so he’s probably off to the Premier League.
On the other end of that infamous punch, Fede Valverde has been Real Madrid’s most important player so far imo. He doesn’t play entirely like Kroos, but he’s the one finding the pass or the goal that Madrid needs in almost every game.
It feels like Real Madrid don’t have the depth to go after La Liga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey, so I imagine that they will focus on the tournament they consider their own. This could open the door for Barcelona to make a serious run at La Liga. They’ve looked very good so far, and minus the GK position they are getting healthier right now. Lamine Yamal is getting closer to entering the best player in the world conversation at the age of 17. Knock on wood, assuming health, and all that. I personally didn’t appreciate the early Messi years because I refused to accept that a player so young could be so good, and I’ll not make that mistake again. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy watching the kid play.
Celta have spent the last few seasons barely surviving the relegation fight, but they look like a team that will comfortably finish mid-table, which would be a nice change. Betis are looking like a mid table team too, but all I ask for is just a solid string of games with both a healthy Lo Celso and a healthy Isco featuring for the verdiblancos. Probably too much to ask for.
Alex Baena had a good showing for La Roja and might be the best player in La Liga right now, or at least the best player who can legally drink. He’s been awesome, and unfortunately likely will not be in La Liga for long. I don’t think he fills much of a need for the big clubs, so he’s probably off to the Premier League.
On the other end of that infamous punch, Fede Valverde has been Real Madrid’s most important player so far imo. He doesn’t play entirely like Kroos, but he’s the one finding the pass or the goal that Madrid needs in almost every game.
It feels like Real Madrid don’t have the depth to go after La Liga, the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey, so I imagine that they will focus on the tournament they consider their own. This could open the door for Barcelona to make a serious run at La Liga. They’ve looked very good so far, and minus the GK position they are getting healthier right now. Lamine Yamal is getting closer to entering the best player in the world conversation at the age of 17. Knock on wood, assuming health, and all that. I personally didn’t appreciate the early Messi years because I refused to accept that a player so young could be so good, and I’ll not make that mistake again. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy watching the kid play.
Celta have spent the last few seasons barely surviving the relegation fight, but they look like a team that will comfortably finish mid-table, which would be a nice change. Betis are looking like a mid table team too, but all I ask for is just a solid string of games with both a healthy Lo Celso and a healthy Isco featuring for the verdiblancos. Probably too much to ask for.
Valencia, oh dear. Last place in La Liga and just lost at home to Las Palmas, who before today hadn’t won in La Liga in something like 23 games. These two, along with Leganés, look like the three worst teams in La Liga at the moment.
Alberto Moleiro got the winner, and no matter what happens to Las Palmas, I imagine he will be staying in La Liga or some other top league. He’s a heck of a player.
Alberto Moleiro got the winner, and no matter what happens to Las Palmas, I imagine he will be staying in La Liga or some other top league. He’s a heck of a player.
I am very impressed with Barcelona under Flick. It feels to me like he’s repurposed the strengths and characteristics of players at the club. They’ve always been great at quick passing, and even the CBs have been great distributors. The attacking players have always been nifty dribblers. They’re very good in tight spaces. Under Pep, especially early, they really pressured high as well. I think the announcers got it wrong on the Munich telecast when they talked about how they hadn’t seen a team press as high as Barcelona does, Pep’s teams did the same with a similar result of all twenty field players being squeezed into a 20-30 yard strip of grass. The Flick twists seem to be in the midfield and what they do when they win possession. He’s letting the midfielders press higher (man will Gavi be a beast when he gets to play) and they are a bit less tethered to a position. Part of that is lacking an anchor 6- Busi, Toure etc. The “other” Marc has been great, but he’s not a true DM. The other major difference to me is how quickly they turn defense into attack. Pep’s teams were great at turning the other team over, but they usually looked to cycle the ball, play tiki taka, and end up with 70-80% possession. Flick’s team goes right for goal. They can still possess the ball, but their initial response to winning possession is going for the jugular. They’re incredibly dynamic. Tomorrow is El Clásico in Madrid and I’ll be fascinated to see how they play. Barca leave themselves very exposed at the back, and Real Madrid are built to capitalize on that. Rodrygo is out, but they still have Mbappe and Vini. Neither team has their #1 GK so this game could end up 4-3 (having said that, it’ll be 0-0).
It’s nice to have a fun Barca team in La Liga. They’ve been decidedly unfun for a while now. There is still a stink at the club, but that is at the president and board level who has spent the last decade ruining the club, not the players on the field. They’re young and fun to watch, and imo Lamine Yamal should go right to the list of favorites to win the Balón d’Or (for next year as Vini will win it this year). I’ll just enjoy watching them play. Unless it’s against Betis or Athletic or La Real or Osasuna or a handful of other teams I like.
It’s nice to have a fun Barca team in La Liga. They’ve been decidedly unfun for a while now. There is still a stink at the club, but that is at the president and board level who has spent the last decade ruining the club, not the players on the field. They’re young and fun to watch, and imo Lamine Yamal should go right to the list of favorites to win the Balón d’Or (for next year as Vini will win it this year). I’ll just enjoy watching them play. Unless it’s against Betis or Athletic or La Real or Osasuna or a handful of other teams I like.
Barca rolls out an unchanged lineup from the one that was impressive against Bayern.
View: https://twitter.com/fcbarcelona/status/1850230844318798049?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
Madrid make plenty of changes from the Dortmund lineup. Their midfield will be more dynamic to counter the young Barcelona midfield.
View: https://twitter.com/realmadrid/status/1850222510647763261?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
If Barca can press Madrid into turnovers, they will be in good shape. If Madrid can break Barca’s press, it could become a track meet.
View: https://twitter.com/fcbarcelona/status/1850230844318798049?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
Madrid make plenty of changes from the Dortmund lineup. Their midfield will be more dynamic to counter the young Barcelona midfield.
View: https://twitter.com/realmadrid/status/1850222510647763261?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
If Barca can press Madrid into turnovers, they will be in good shape. If Madrid can break Barca’s press, it could become a track meet.
Barcelona dismantled Real Madrid at the Bernabéu today.
Six of the Barcelona starters were 21 or younger
Eight La Masia products featured for Barcelona (the same as against Bayern)
Lamine Yamal became the youngest scorer in a Clásico, and he celebrated by pointing to his new braces
Barcelona have caught their opponent offside more than any other club in the top five leagues, and the figure is more than double second place’s (Brighton iirc)
The Barca Anthem could easily be heard several times
Real Madrid should have scored, but Barca missed a few easy ones too. @Zososoxfan might need to call his doctor in a couple of hours.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/oct/26/real-madrid-barcelona-la-liga-clasico-match-report
Six of the Barcelona starters were 21 or younger
Eight La Masia products featured for Barcelona (the same as against Bayern)
Lamine Yamal became the youngest scorer in a Clásico, and he celebrated by pointing to his new braces
Barcelona have caught their opponent offside more than any other club in the top five leagues, and the figure is more than double second place’s (Brighton iirc)
The Barca Anthem could easily be heard several times
Real Madrid should have scored, but Barca missed a few easy ones too. @Zososoxfan might need to call his doctor in a couple of hours.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2024/oct/26/real-madrid-barcelona-la-liga-clasico-match-report
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I watched the first half, and if anything, Madrid were dominating, so I was surprised to see the final result. Los Blancos missed many opportunities to score, primarily as you note due to offside calls. Of course, that is football, and Real had it coming. Congrats to Barca.
I think if you only watch the first half, the result is surprising. If you only watch the second half, you’d expect a 6-0 or 7-0 for Barcelona. There might be an assumption of bringing on FDJ for Fermin at the half was game changing. I’m not sure that’s the case. I do think Real Madrid was overrun by Barca’s MF though, and questions can be asked about that Camavinga/Tchulouameni/Valverde trio. And Mbappe of course. 0 goals, 0 assists, 8 offsides.
Betis got a deserved win at a rocking Benito Villamarin against Atletico Madrid. It was their best game of the campaign, and without Isco and Lo Celso. Abde and Chimy were immense, Vitor Roque was great, and Johnny was an absolute beast for Betis. The only goal was an OG, but they deserved many more.
Atleti were not good. I can’t put it any better than that.
Atleti were not good. I can’t put it any better than that.
I think the degree to which Madrid controlled the first half is exaggerated by all the offside scoring chances. It felt like Madrid were dominating because they kept getting runners through on goal, but they were all offside; Madrid had only one shot in the first half that actually counted.
Fortunately, I could not watch the game. Why was Atleti bad? Players just were poor? Tactics were bad? Players like Koke are a step too slow these days?
They just look completely out of sorts. They started in a 4-4-2, which wasn’t working, so they switched to a 3 ATB, which also didn’t work. Reinildo was terrible and subbed at the half. Lino, who I like a lot, was equally as bad. The entire midfield was nonexistent. As a Betis fan, I never felt like Atleti were going to threaten and that Betis could create chances at will. Of course, when they couldn’t get a second and Correa came on, I feared the worst.
Atleti have no identity and it look like Cholo is having trouble figuring out what he wants the team to be. Le Normand coming back will help with some of the defensive fragility, and a bit with the build up, but it’s a team that has no sense of what they are.
To answer your question, kinda everything. It was the worst Atleti game I’ve seen since that Valencia game last season.
Johnny, on the other hand, knew exactly what he was doing and got a standing ovation when he was subbed off.
View: https://twitter.com/twofeetelite/status/1850712313776521516?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
I finally got to watch the Clasico and I agree with the posters above that Barca were flattered a bit by the scoreline. Yes, Mbappe had a horror show day and suffered an acute case of Inzaghi-itis, but Real could've been in the lead at half. Nevertheless, Barca get credit for punishing Real with a sublime second half performance. Casado continues to impress and he played the ball thru to Lewa for the first goal. I've said it before and I'll say it again--Militao is just not a very good player. Pairing him and Lucas V on the right side of defense is what ultimately undid Real. I don't think FDJ was a huge game changer himself, but his positioning allowed Pedri to get farther forward and help establish possession and MF dominance. He also played the ball wide to Balde that eventually led to the textbook Lewa header for the second goal. Yamal was a bit fortunate on the third goal as Lunin appears to have been quite surprised by Yamal taking the goal on his right foot. I believe FDJ also played the ball over the top that led to Raphinha's coupe de grace for the 4th.
Cubarsi and Martinez deserve a ton of credit for their performances. Cubarsi in particular was ready to help on Vini. Martinez is solid but can't play much out of the back. Kounde was also under the spotlight and passed this big test. Great to see Gavi get 5 minutes and waste no time giving Vini the business and picking up a yellow card.
All that said, and I think this game says more about Madrid than Barca. Jude was playing an old school RMF role and it really wasted his amazing awareness and playmaking. Mbappe and Vini play the same position and it was painfully obvious on Saturday. Lunin and Carvajal's absences were keenly felt.
Cubarsi and Martinez deserve a ton of credit for their performances. Cubarsi in particular was ready to help on Vini. Martinez is solid but can't play much out of the back. Kounde was also under the spotlight and passed this big test. Great to see Gavi get 5 minutes and waste no time giving Vini the business and picking up a yellow card.
All that said, and I think this game says more about Madrid than Barca. Jude was playing an old school RMF role and it really wasted his amazing awareness and playmaking. Mbappe and Vini play the same position and it was painfully obvious on Saturday. Lunin and Carvajal's absences were keenly felt.
Looks like the Valencia-Real Madrid and Villarreal-Rayo games will be postponed following the deadly flash floods that did serious damage to the Valencia area.
It also looks like Andrea Berta is on his way out as sporting director at Atleti. Rumors are that there was a power struggle with Cholo about the direction of the club, and as always Simeone is coming out on top.
The Madrid Meltdown has been a joy to watch. First they were played off the pitch by a young Barcelona team. Folks can argue about the degree, but there aren’t too many people that think that Barca weren’t the better team. It’s also that this Real Madrid team are considered more of a “finished product”, while their rivals only look to improve as the kids get older. Then the entire club boycotts the Balón d’Or ceremony because Vini didn’t win the award. This despite the fact that Carlo won manager of the year, the club won team of the year, and Real Madrid players finished 2, 3, 4, and 6 in the voting. For people that really hate Real Madrid, not going to Paris for such a petty reason provides more reason to dislike the club. The insane conspiracy theories about the award only add to the dislike. All of this took attention away from the fact that a Spaniard won the award for the first time in over 60 years and was booed by Real Madrid (and presumably Spanish) fans. Rodri recognized the players who came before him who could have won the award, Xavi and Iniesta among them, as well as the young Spaniards who may very well win it in the future, like Lamine Yamal. Worst of all imo is that several Barcelona players were subjected to racist abuses at the Bernabéu (to be fair, they came out pretty strongly against the perpetrators and Vini Jr himself slammed those Madrid fans).
View: https://twitter.com/espnfc/status/1851662850462220361?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
It also looks like Andrea Berta is on his way out as sporting director at Atleti. Rumors are that there was a power struggle with Cholo about the direction of the club, and as always Simeone is coming out on top.
The Madrid Meltdown has been a joy to watch. First they were played off the pitch by a young Barcelona team. Folks can argue about the degree, but there aren’t too many people that think that Barca weren’t the better team. It’s also that this Real Madrid team are considered more of a “finished product”, while their rivals only look to improve as the kids get older. Then the entire club boycotts the Balón d’Or ceremony because Vini didn’t win the award. This despite the fact that Carlo won manager of the year, the club won team of the year, and Real Madrid players finished 2, 3, 4, and 6 in the voting. For people that really hate Real Madrid, not going to Paris for such a petty reason provides more reason to dislike the club. The insane conspiracy theories about the award only add to the dislike. All of this took attention away from the fact that a Spaniard won the award for the first time in over 60 years and was booed by Real Madrid (and presumably Spanish) fans. Rodri recognized the players who came before him who could have won the award, Xavi and Iniesta among them, as well as the young Spaniards who may very well win it in the future, like Lamine Yamal. Worst of all imo is that several Barcelona players were subjected to racist abuses at the Bernabéu (to be fair, they came out pretty strongly against the perpetrators and Vini Jr himself slammed those Madrid fans).
View: https://twitter.com/espnfc/status/1851662850462220361?s=46&t=XvGOrrWIyL-5CHVVL_0JYQ
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It seems pretty problematic that Tebas, the President of La Liga, explicitly says he's a Madrid fan, doesn't it? Or is there context missing?
Also, I hope all of SoSHers in Spain are doing alright with the flooding.
Yeah, some Barca fans brought it up pretty consistently when the team was really struggling to get financially compliant. Finding a president with no affiliation with either Barca or Real Madrid severally limits the search for any La Liga official. Most Spanish fans root for their local teams plus one of the 2.5 huge clubs (Basque fans excluded). There has been on ongoing public feud between Tebas and Florentino Perez for a while.
I think down the road history will be more unkind to his support of ultra right wing Vox than Real Madrid given the many incidents of racism confronting the Spanish game during his tenure as President of La Liga. Tebas never really addressed racist chants until the world saw what happened at the Mestalla (I’ve always felt that the incidents at the Metropolitano were even worse but for some reason never got a lot of attention), and his responses to players like Vini Jr and Diakhaby were callous at best.
As a Catalan, I found his treatment of Barcelona during the height of the most recent independence push shocking. The city was in complete chaos with riots in the streets and state police taking batons to protesters heads, and he made Barca play in front of an empty stadium. He doubled down by saying he would boot all Catalan clubs out of La Liga if Catalunya gained independence despite just letting FC Andorra- shockingly not from Spain- join La Liga 2 as an emergency replacement for Catalan club Reus (who were relegated for not paying their players, including USMNT binkie Shaq Moore).
I despise Real Madrid and I despise Tebas, but not because he is a Real Madrid fan. He’s gone after 2027, and I can’t wait.
Match day 13 has come to an end and Racing sit atop La Segunda and both Asturian clubs are in a virtual 3 way tie for second. Even Depor won and look to be progressing towards a mid table finish.
Almost enough to make me forget that Barca look like they may run away with the league.
Almost enough to make me forget that Barca look like they may run away with the league.
I agree that I wish La Liga was closer, but it's early days and Real Madrid are really good. That being said, I do like how Barca are building around the kids, perhaps in spite of the best efforts of Deco/Laporta to bring in high priced players. There are other things to like about the season so far, in no particular order:
Osasuna currently sit in fifth place in the table
I have no particular affinity for Mallorca, but I do like Arrasate a lot, and there are several players on their squad that are easy to root for, and they currently sit in a comfortable eighth place
The relegation battle involves teams that aren't hugely important to La Liga, except Valencia of course
The Segunda is normally wild and it's rare for a team to pull ahead quite like Racing. They have had a pretty turbulent recent history, I think at one point taking a forfeit after players refused to play due to not being paid. It's been more than a decade since they've been in the top flight. I still remember a young Sergio Canales tearing it up for them before being sold to Real Madrid. I've never been to Santander but I've heard good things and it's really close to Bilbao. It's about time for them to come back to La Liga.
My pub league teammate's brother is on Cadiz' youth squad, so I'm rooting for them. That's about all I got.
Well, that and Barca fookin' rolling right now is quite the pleasant surprise. At the top levels of the game, the manager is hugely important to the performance of players. Most of these guys are insanely skilled and dedicated, and often times it's just finding the right fit with managers--sometimes requiring more specific instructions and in other cases more freedom--to get the player(s) in question performing as well as you think. I'm looking at Chelsea for example in addition to Barca when I say this.
Eder Militao tore his ACL today. Real Madrid won, but this will be a Pyrrhic victory with Militao being done for the season. Carvajal is done as well, and it’s entirely possible given the age of the two defenders and the severity of the injuries that their Real Madrid careers might be over. Alaba and Courtois are still out injured too, so this season could be a bust for the defending champions.
Militao is only 26, I don't think his Madrid days are done.
Carvajal is 32 but he's a Madrid lifer who came through the youth ranks. His days as a first XI player are probably over, but he'll probably stick around as a veteran squad presence for a whie.
Don't look now, but La Real lead Barca 1-0 in the second half at Anoeta, and probably deserve more. If this result holds, Hay Liga for sure.
You might very well be right. Perhaps it's better to say that their time having essential roles at Real Madrid are quite possibly done. Carvajal might be given one of those year to year type of contracts like Modric, but it won't be for big dollars. Real Madrid were already in need of a long term solution, and this only speeds things up. He undoubtedly will work hard to get back and do all he can for the crest, but barring an injury to his replacement, his days playing meaningful minutes at the Bernabeu are probably done. Militao is different because he just got locked up to a long-term contract. Many Madridistas have been critical of him this year, thinking he's coasting after cashing in. I think that's probably harsh, that it just takes longer to fully recover from an ACL injury than most realize. That's the issue though, this is his second ACL, this one with a meniscus. It's a rough injury. The club already need reinforcements, so by the time Militao is fully back and healthy he might very well be pretty far down the depth chart. For now, Raul Ascencio will likely get some run, and lot's of Madrid fans are high on the Fabrica product. He had a very nice assist, though he comes with some nasty baggage better left to the Ugly Side thread. I wouldn't be surprised if Real Madrid dip into the January transfer window for a CB, something they seem to have a policy against.
Despite the fact that the ESPNFC match report uses the term shock defeat, there is no such thing as an easy trip to Donostia.
Any away match against either Sociedad or Athletic is one you are typically looking for a point from if you have title aspirations. No big deal for Barca for not winning. But Hay Liga until los Galaticos dos crap on themselves again.
Any away match against either Sociedad or Athletic is one you are typically looking for a point from if you have title aspirations. No big deal for Barca for not winning. But Hay Liga until los Galaticos dos crap on themselves again.