La Liga

[kevin_kyle]

Is anyone going to challenge the boys from Camp Nou this season?
Real Madrid lost this morning to Sevilla 1-0 and have dropped to 4th, 13 points adrift of Barcelona.
Valencia are 10 points behind, Espanyol and Sevilla are 12 points behind.
I can't see anyone getting Barca the way they are playing....
There of course still time though.
Any theories?

[kevin_kyle]

And I hope above anything else that Dinho and the boys can boot out Chelsea of the ECL on the way....
Those fixtures are going to be brilliant to watch.

[George]

being a man u supporter, i have to agree with that. The Chelsea scums will go down

[kevin_kyle]

Hell yes, but it will be great to watch because both teams are supremely talented, the two league leaders of 2 of the top 3 leagues in Europe, brazilliant.

[Braden]

Ahh it will be excellent to see if the two super 'D's (Plus Eto'o :)) can break down the Chelski backbone, my theory is, if Diego, Costinha and McCarthy can do it logically Barca are far more qualified to take it to Spartak London :p

[kevin_kyle]

Yeah, but i'm not sure Chavski even cared about getting beaten by Porto.
I'm sure that Stalin (Mourinho) had an agreement with his former club to get through....why else would they sign Ferreria for freakin 13.2 million pounds??
Probably not but I know that Barca are more then capable if they play well.

[kevin_kyle]

http://edition.cnn.com/2004/SPORT/football/12/31/spain.solari/
Solari to Barcelona at the end of the season. That will be interesting.
Madrid fans are going to want him dead.
When it said that it would give Ronaldinho MORE freedom.....well look out everyone as far as i am concerned.

[kevin_kyle]

Barcelona only gets a 1-1 draw at frozen Numancia.
Depor knocks over Madrid 2-0
Lead stretched out to 8 points after a mid season blip for Barca.
Still think they will go through to win Liga and possibly Champions League.
Any thoughts?

[semja]

Bloody awesome are them Barcelona FC

Interesting Depor beat Real Madrid, Depor have had a terrible sesaon

[kevin_kyle]

I was very suprised about both results.
Depor have been scumbag this year.
But many teams lift when they play big clubs.
You might find that Depor will go straight back into their shell.
Or they could be inspired and get back some respectability.

[kevin_kyle]

Yep....not many huge huge names in those sides.
Much like Everton i think.
Era of the underdog maybe.
Maybe that will mean Australia will win the World Cup....

[Rooneymad]

Maybe that will mean Australia will win the World Cup....Good points about it being the era of the underdog, but I can't see this happening in the next decade or two at least.

[semja]

We are a huge chance me thinks, our squad has gotten heaps better since 4 years ago IMO. And it will largely depend on our opponent too

[kevin_kyle]

Hopefully everything will just click and we win the tie 4-1 over the 2 legs.
How we would go in the actual cup could be a different story.
THe Confeds Cup this year could give us a good indication.

[kevin_kyle]

5 games to go and Barcelona hold a 6 point advantage over Madrid.
Madrid closed the gap to 3 points to put pressure on Barca's game against Malaga...
Then Barca smashed Malaga 4-0.
Eto'o has returned from injury and I can't see Madrid being consistent enough to pass the boys from the Camp Nou.
Any thoughts on this...or is it the chase for the other Europe spots that are about the only interesting thing going on in this league?

[Rob]

My uncle got me a Barca scarf when I was a younging from when he was in Spain.

The last half dozen years have been hard (ive learned to hate Madrid) but shyte Barca have a good side now.

:)

[kevin_kyle]

Yeah, i hate Madrid more then anything, watching them win nothing for the last two years has been sweeter then any sugary substance. Take that Ronaldo you fat bastard and Figo the ugly man.
The only person i can stand from that side is Gravesen.
By the way does anyone agree with me that Raul Bravo (with exception of maybe Cygan) is the crappest defender in world football?

[kevin_kyle]

Roque Junior stumbled across a Champions League Winners medal as well :(

[Kieran]

Is that a pun kevin_kyle? :p. If i remember rightly, in that particular CL final, Roque Junior spent the last 30 minutes of the game "stumbling" because he was injured and AC had used all of there subs. Or maybe your just that smart that you include puns without even knowing it....:eek:

[kevin_kyle]

My intelligence is overwhelming....

[kevin_kyle]

Real Madrid comfortably belted Racing Santander 5-0 overnight.
Barcelona are 3 points ahead with a game in hand.
Them game in hand is against Valencia...who need to win to keep their campaign for a CL spot alive...potential danger game.
Still think Barca will go the whole way.
Thoughts?
Or is it, who cares?

[Rob]

Barca have a very strong squad with blokes like Lopez, Inestia, Larsson (when fit) and co. not getting a regular game.

[kevin_kyle]

Barca won 2-0 with goals to Ronaldinho 27' and Eto'o 29'.
Did anyone see Ronaldinho's goal????
He is awesome.
2 step run up, unbelievable power into the top right corner from 30 yards...
Then puts through the pass that Eto'o scores two minutes later...
Class...

[Kieran]

Real Madrid comfortably belted Racing Santander 5-0 overnight.
Barcelona are 3 points ahead with a game in hand.
Them game in hand is against Valencia...who need to win to keep their campaign for a CL spot alive...potential danger game.
Still think Barca will go the whole way.
Thoughts?
Or is it, who cares?
Thats my opinion on the matter. La Liga has never excited me. But then again im hugely biased to the EPL

[Rob]

Thats my opinion on the matter. La Liga has never excited me. But then again im hugely biased to the EPL

Barca are beuitful to watch.

[kevin_kyle]

They are.
There are lots of talented players and teams in that league.
Although it may not be as exciting to watch as the Premier League, the talent is probably on or close to a par with the EPL.

[Kieran]

Sorry but La Liga too soft for my liking. I love the tough, hard, in the clinches style of football. Keane vs Vieira is always beautiful to watch IMO. If i want to watch soft players throwing themselves on the ground, I'll just keep my eye on Cristiano, thank you ;)

[kevin_kyle]

http://203.15.102.146/media/1375barca.jpg
http://www1.sbs.com.au/home/index.php3?id=57969
La Liga glory for Barca
Reuters

Barcelona won their first league title in six years on Saturday after a second-half header from striker Samuel Eto'o earned them a 1-1 draw against relegation-threatened Levante.

With second-placed Real Madrid earlier held to a 2-2 draw in an action-packed match at Sevilla, Barcelona now have an unassailable six-point lead at the top of the table.

Even if the Catalans lose their remaining two matches they cannot be caught by their arch-rivals because of their better head-to-head record in meetings between the two sides this season.

But a nervous-looking Barca were made to fight every inch of the way for the point that clinched their 17th league title by their determined opponents who needed the win to keep themselves clear of the drop zone.

Former Real Madrid player Alberto Rivera gave the home side a deserved lead 10 minutes before the break as he guided past Barca keeper Victor Valdes after another Real old boy Edwin Congo headed the ball back into his path from the edge of the area.

Frank Rijkaard's side struggled to find their usual rhythm as they were hounded down in midfield and grew increasingly frustrated as they failed to make any inroads against the crowded Levante defence.

Tempers flared in the closing minutes of the half with players from both sides exchanging a series of reckless challenges in midfield and Ronaldinho was fortunate to stay on the pitch after appearing to headbutt a Levante defender in the area after a penalty appeal.

Levante almost extended their lead at the start of the second half when Congo raced clear on the break, but Valdes stood his ground and managed to block the Colombian's shot.

The Catalans were given yet another scare when Jofre hit the post with a long range effort after Valdes was left stranded when he threw the ball straight to the feet of the Levante midfielder.

But the Catalans managed to grab the all-important equaliser as Eto'o scored his 24th goal of the season when he nodded in at the far post after Rafael Marquez headed on a corner from Xavi on the hour.

Earlier on Saturday it had looked as though Barca might be crowned champions without having to kick a ball after Real Madrid fell behind when Sevilla fullback Sergio Ramos cracked a 30-metre piledriver past Iker Casillas in the 20th minute.

Real were thrown a lifeline before halftime when Sevilla centre-back Javi Navarro headed into his own net as he tried to cut out a Roberto Carlos cross under pressure from Michael Owen.

Buoyed by the goal, Real lifted their game in the second period and a stunning 20-metre strike from Zinedine Zidane put the visitors 2-1 up 16 minutes from time.

Third-placed Sevilla, fighting for a place in next season's Champions League, laid siege to the Real area and grabbed a deserved equaliser when striker Julio Baptista headed home with two minutes to go to end Real's seven-match winning run.

Real centre-back Ivan Helguera was sent off in injury time for a dangerous challenge from behind on striker Dario Silva and Sevilla defender Daniel Alves joined him when he picked up a second booking just before the final whistle.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barca won a deserved title.
See them doing it again next year depending on transfers for all clubs.
Interested to see in what direction Madrid sign this off season and whether Woodgate will ever be fit enough to play.

[Vinnie Lia]

ronaldihno is the best of the best, his goal against valencia last week just left the defenders confused

[Rob]

Sorry but La Liga too soft for my liking. I love the tough, hard, in the clinches style of football. Keane vs Vieira is always beautiful to watch IMO. If i want to watch soft players throwing themselves on the ground, I'll just keep my eye on Cristiano, thank you ;)

Puyol, Marquez, Edmilson...

[Kieran]

Puyol, Marquez, Edmilson...
Wow Rob :p You named 3 players out of a possible 220 that start every week :)

[a_mac]

I love David Villa :wub:

[delfino_1936]

I love Fernando Morientes :wub:

[Melburnian]

I love Danny Allsopp :wub:

[Looptroop]

yay for 3 am wake up and finding a stream that will cut out :(

[El Zilcho]

Bad starts for the big boys...

Numancia 1 - 0 Barcelona
Deportivo La Coruña 2 - 1 Real Madrid

Excellent wins for both Valencia and Athletico. Confidence must be sky high at the Mestalla at the moment with Villa and Silva commiting. Mata looks the goods, another one that Real have let go who could come back to bite them.

[El Zilcho]

Wow Rob :p You named 3 players out of a possible 220 that start every week :)

Probably about the only names you would know, given your clueless ideas expressed on the thread so far.

[Doidinha]

Bad starts for the big boys...

Numancia 1 - 0 Barcelona
Deportivo La Coruña 2 - 1 Real Madrid

A Corunha :clap::punk: Gallegos

Me gusta La Coruña
Me gustas tú

[El Zilcho]

A Corunha :clap::punk: Gallegos

Would be good to see Depor do well this season, i think they are on the way back up. Omar Bravo should be good to watch.

[Looptroop]

Two good things about this mornings loss, I love the new yellow strip and Real also lost. I thought we fired frank... So fucking frustrating

[El Zilcho]

Guardiola doesnt have the experience to be managing Barca.. i think they have made a big mistake. Sure he has the passion, but he should have worked somewhere else first. One season coaching the ressies just isnt enough for a club with the expectations of Barca.

[Looptroop]

Guardiola doesnt have the experience to be managing Barca.. i think they have made a big mistake. Sure he has the passion, but he should have worked somewhere else first. One season coaching the ressies just isnt enough for a club with the expectations of Barca.

+1

Laporta did it to save face imo. Wished we got a more experienced manager and let pep get more.

Im just worried if he does fuck up this season he might leave and more than likely will never have the opportunity to manage us again :sad:

Another thing is we signed 5 players(more but on loan and not counting the keeper) and only 1 started this morning. Hleb helped change the game once he came on, so he should start next round i hope. I cant even remember messis contribution in the 2nd half apart from the last 10ish mins, guess thats what happens when you play him in the center

[El Zilcho]

Watching Sevilla v Sporting Gijon at the moment.

Bilic has scored 2 for Sporting within 10 minutes, Sevilla just pulled one back. Awsome match.

[El Zilcho]

Goooooooooooooolllll Kanoute! Levels it up at 2-2.

[El Zilcho]

LOL, 3-2 to Sevilla, Maresca about 20 seconds later! The place is going crazy.

[Buckz]

what happened to hleb? is he ok?

[Niko]

what happened to hleb? is he ok?

Hleb can fuck off. Scum bag gets what he deserves, as do Barca. You would've thought by now they'd have learnt what happens when you buy Arsenal players they either spend most of the time injured or are just shite without Wenger. Overmars, Petit, Henry and now Hleb.

[Looptroop]

what happened to hleb? is he ok?

See u still love him, i woke up for the match and fell back asleep(poor form i know) but i have it taped.

According to the barca site he is out for 3-4 weeks :sad: For the short amount of time he was on the pitch, he was meant of of been good FFS :pinch:

[Buckz]

Hleb can fuck off. Scum bag gets what he deserves, as do Barca. You would've thought by now they'd have learnt what happens when you buy Arsenal players they either spend most of the time injured or are just shite without Wenger. Overmars, Petit, Henry and now Hleb.
lol agree
See u still love him, i woke up for the match and fell back asleep(poor form i know) but i have it taped.

According to the barca site he is out for 3-4 weeks :sad: For the short amount of time he was on the pitch, he was meant of of been good FFS :pinch:

head it was pretty bad.

[Looptroop]

head it was pretty bad.

Hleb out for 3 or 4 weeks

www.fcbarcelona.cat

Alexander Hleb has suffered a 2-3 grade sprain in his left ankle and will be out for between 3 and 4 weeks, according the Club Medical Services.

The Barça player will not have fond memories of his first league game at the Camp Nou, the 1-1 draw with Racing. In the 37th minute, Alexander Hleb was on the receiving end of a fierce tackle by Pinillos in midfield, and was carried off.

Iniesta came on in his place, as two medics helped the Belarusian off the field, who could hardly bear to put his foot on the ground.

More tests

The former Arsenal man has a 2-3 grade sprain in his left ankle and the middle third of the same foot. The Medical Services have not detected any damage to the players’ bones.

In the time he was on the pitch, the striker played a decisive role and added depth to Barça’s play down the wings.

:sad: Im going to watch it when i get home from work tomorrow.

Racing should not of won from what i understand, they parked the bus for 99.99% of the match and got a free kick that was not there. :pinch: 18(8) shots to 2(2) :pinch:.

The goals will be rolling in soon

[andrew1116]

La Liga = worst fans.

[El Zilcho]

Nene just sent off for Espanyol, they are currently leading Barca 1-0 and looking the better side.

[El Zilcho]

La Liga = worst fans.

in what way?

[Looptroop]

Nene just sent off for Espanyol, they are currently leading Barca 1-0 and looking the better side.

Was it on tv? :pinch: I checked and did not see(and im capped so i could not watch on the interwebs) Serie A is getting more air time than La Liga, fucking bs imo.

[a_mac]

How is Valencia going?

[Pepinovic]

Hleb can fuck off. Scum bag gets what he deserves, as do Barca.

Probably exactly what the Stuttgart fans were thinking a few years ago. If your team is built out of mercenaries, you can only expect them to act like mercenaries.

You would've thought by now they'd have learnt what happens when you buy Arsenal players they either spend most of the time injured or are just shite without Wenger. Overmars, Petit, Henry and now Hleb.

Henry's just not good enough when he hasn't got space to run into. It's unbelievable how the club has tried to get rid of Eto'o for 2 months and now Eto'o gets picked ahead of Henry every single time.

Other than that, he scored last night and his header nearly put Barcelona in the CL final last season. He's not a bad player to have on the bench, but this should be his last season.

La Liga = worst fans.

Are you talking about the Sevilla, Betis, Atletico, Gijon, Athletic... fans now?

Rich comment coming from a City fan.

How is Valencia going?

Better than expected, although their squad might turn out a bit thin. Competition for top 4 looks like it'll be very tough - usually there's always a few sides that knock themselves out early on (read: Atletico) but everyone seems to have made a good start. If Villa gets injured, I would expect them to seriously struggle.

Real, Barcelona and Atletico might be out of touch, leaves Valencia, Villareal and Sevilla as the main candidates for 4th at first sight. Villareal looks to have bought well and will know how to deal with injuries, as they kept winning games without Nihat and Rossi recently.

[El Zilcho]

Was it on tv? :pinch: I checked and did not see(and im capped so i could not watch on the interwebs) Serie A is getting more air time than La Liga, fucking bs imo.

Dont know if it was on TV, i watch La Liga through IraqGoals.

Another good result for Valencia overnight, 4-2 over Depor with a double for Villa again.

[a_mac]

David Villa :wub:

[Looptroop]

6-1 Baby, did not get to see it. I was at my mates and forgot to check if it was on foxtel(hopefully my bro tapped it). La liga is ours :D

1-0, Márquez (min 3)
2-0, Eto'o (pen, min 5)
3-0, Messi (min 8)
3-1, Maxi Rodríguez (min 13)
4-1, Eto'o (min 17)
5-1, Gudjohnsen (min 18)
6-1, Henry (min 73)

[El Zilcho]

La liga is ours :D)

:lol:

Numancia 1 - 0 Barcelona

Incredible result though, i was expecting to see that Athletico had a man sent off or something.

[Looptroop]

:lol:

Numancia 1 - 0 Barcelona

Incredible result though, i was expecting to see that Athletico had a man sent off or something.

We had a new project starting, was not expected to win every match from the get go. Its taking off very nicely now :cowboy:. Only thing i can ask for is do something about our back line in the next transfer.

[Pepinovic]

I think we're allright at the back for now, apart from still having Valdes in goal. I guess we need to leave the other teams a bit of hope at least ;). It's not that our defenders are not good enough, it's usually our style of play that brings us into trouble. Caceres looks an amazing prospect. We've also still got Milito but I doubt he'll ever be a regular starter again. Pique so far I think is a bit meh but he'll be useful, no doubt.

I've got mixed feeling about Daniel Alves. His final balls haven't been great, but the guy works his flank like a maniac and is a constant threat to our opponents, which has to take a lot of Messi's shoulders.

I hope we finally start using Henry (great goal this morning) as a lone striker. He is such a waste down the flank.

I'm very happy with the squad right now. The quality's there, the depth is there and the team has shown in the last few matches they're willing to fight like crazy for each other - the atmosphere in the squad must be great.

This start makes me think of the 05-06 one. We started off poorly as well (1 win in 4 or something), before things started rolling. We're undoubtedly far better than we have been the last 2 seasons and I think it's all down the players' mentality.

[Looptroop]

The CB spots are alright, but what about the left? Needs to be looked at by the club.

Alves will get better with time, he is playing a different role to what he used to play at Sevilla.

110% Agree with Henry, needs to play in the center. So deadly when playing there. But i dont like Iniesta playing on the left. Wished we got silva :(

Hleb should be getting back to training by now i think, cant wait for him to play.

I dont see how perdo has been given more game time than bojan, few matches ago subbed etoo off for pedro and put him on the right and then messi went to play as the striker :wacko:

[Looptroop]

downloaded the game, but its in Spanish. Goin to watch it on the weekend

[El Zilcho]

Hah, Van Nist just sent off in the madrid derby, fuck you horse face.

[El Zilcho]

David Villa >>>>>>> Every other striker in the known universe.

[Ball Magnet]

Villa just keeps scoring for Valencia and Spain, his in top form.

Madrid derby this weekend was a cracker!

[Pepinovic]

Guardiola doesnt have the experience to be managing Barca.. i think they have made a big mistake. Sure he has the passion, but he should have worked somewhere else first. One season coaching the ressies just isnt enough for a club with the expectations of Barca.

Time to swollow your words mate ;)

It is something interesting though... Selling Ronaldinho and Deco and all of a sudden there's a team out there working like mad for each other. I had major doubts as well on Guardiola, but this is the 2nd inexperienced coach (Rijkaard had done 1 tournament with Holland and a lousy spell with Sparta) who gets it right. It seems his job is to get all the noses in the same direction and try to keep players like Henry and Yaya Toure when they don't play - the tactics don't seem to have changed too much.

[a_mac]

David Villa >>>>>>> Every other striker in the known universe.

+1

Totally agree.

[Looptroop]

David Villa >>>>>>> Every other striker in the known universe.

Eto'o

Time to swollow your words mate ;)

It is something interesting though... Selling Ronaldinho and Deco and all of a sudden there's a team out there working like mad for each other. I had major doubts as well on Guardiola, but this is the 2nd inexperienced coach (Rijkaard had done 1 tournament with Holland and a lousy spell with Sparta) who gets it right. It seems his job is to get all the noses in the same direction and try to keep players like Henry and Yaya Toure when they don't play - the tactics don't seem to have changed too much.

+1 Th seems to be finding his feet, hope yaya stays. Great to see some B team players step up. Alves first goal of many to be scored for us.

2nd on the ladder.

[Looptroop]

http://i33.tinypic.com/2vdjnky.png

Thank you Almería

[Bababooey]

Gonzalo Higuain scores 4, and so does Eto'o. Geez

[The Technician]

Eto'o's back :wub:

[Looptroop]

Eto'o's back :wub:

Lol and to think we wanted to sell him

[Looptroop]

Pep has so far exceeded my expectations. Keeping the squad united and feet on the ground after some amazing high scoring games.

[Pepinovic]

I doubt it can get better than this really - we can only hope they keep their form throughout the whole season.

The atmosphere is just fantastic. Even after the 6th goal the players were all on top of each other hugging as if they'd just won the CL - what a difference with last season.

[Looptroop]

LOL Madrid lost. Wont be getting handed their 3rd title on a silver platter this year. Should we win tomorrow i think we are 5 points clear of them.

[a_mac]

Rumors circulating that Bernd Schuster will be sacked within days.