La Liga Week #1 Kick-off times

And finally they are here.

The self-proclaimed "best league of the world" has announced the kick-offs for Week#1 of the season 11 days ahead of the games. Incredible. Irony aside, let us look at the kick-offs

Game	Date	East coast	West coast	local (CET)
Espanyol x Granada	20-Aug	Noon	0900	1800
Levante x Zaragoza	20-Aug	Noon	0900	1800
Villarreal x Sporting	20-Aug	1400	1100	2000
Osasuna x Valencia	20-Aug	1600	1300	2200
Rayo Vallecano x Mallorca	21-Aug	0600	0300	Noon
Racing x Getafe	21-Aug	1000	0700	1600
Real Madrid x Athletic	21-Aug	Noon	0900	1800
Málaga x Barcelona	21-Aug	1400	1100	2000
Betis x Sevilla	21-Aug	1600	1300	2200
Real Sociedad x Atlético	22-Aug	1500	Noon	2100

Major changes from last year.

1. No 5pm (local) kick-offs on sunday.
2. 9 different kick-off times
3. The noon kick-off is geared at the Asian markets, they tried a game last season at this hour, Mallorca x Villarreal. Probably the wrong game in the wrong town at the wrong time. Fans and players alike seemed to have played through that game, hung over.
4. The Andalucian derby is scheduled for the 10pm kick-off on Sunday. Sensible because the temperatures in Andalucia are close to 40s in the early evenings in August
5. The other two big games, Madrid x Athletic and Málaga x Barça are also on Sunday.
6. Villarreal play on the Saturday as they have the return leg of the CL playoff on Tuesday Aug 23rd.

It will be interesting to see how this spread-out kick-offs work. It will definitely screw up schecule of the radio programs like Carrusel, Marcador, Tiempo de juego etc.. because now they have to spend more hours and with less games going on simultaneously.
All in all, glad that the schedule is out, now let us see if they do kick-off with the players union threatening a strike.

¡¡¡Viva La Liga! Viva España!!!

Transfer Business aka Done Deal.com

We are nearly at the halfway mark and it is getting a little bit crazy in the transfer market. More rumors than actual transfers, due to the economy, to be fair. Let's go ahead and recap the official business in La Liga thus far.


ATHLETIC BILBAO:

IN: Ander Herrera (Zaragoza)

OUT: Mikel Balenziaga (Las Palmas), Ion Velez (Girona)

COMMENTS: Not much transfer business for Bilbo due to the elections, and a very strict policy. It will be interesting to see if there are any newcomers this summer. I predict Loco Bielsa will clean house a bit and promote a few more rough gems from Lezama and/or the reserves.


ATLETICO MADRID:

IN: Salvio (Benfica), Asenjo (Malaga), Miranda (Sao Paulo), Silvio (Braga), Adrian (Depor), Gabi (Zaragoza), Courtois (Genk)

OUT: Ufjalusi (Galatasaray), Keko (Catania), De Gea (Manchester United), Pacheco

COMMENTS: Once again, Atleti brings in a lot of South Americans on the cheap. De Gea will be a big miss in the goal department. That said, I really thought that AdM would bring in a goalie with experience to complement injury prone Asenjo and young Joel. It will be interesting to see if Kun even joins the team for the early Europa League qualifiers.


BARCELONA:

IN: Thiago (Cantera), Fontas (Cantera), Kiko (Hercules), Alexis Sanchez (Udinese)

OUT: Victor Sanchez (Neuchatel), Henrique (Palmeiras), Bojan (Roma)

COMMENTS: Barça is selling more cantera players (which is a bit disturbing) and slapping them with a buyback clause a la Real Madrid. They want to make sure that they don't caught short, as in the cases of Pique and Cesc. With such a strong B team and youth program, it will be interesting to see if many more will leave this summer.


REAL BETIS:

IN: Chica (Espanyol), Mario (Getafe), Matilla (Villarreal), J Montero (Villarreal), Fabricio (Valladolid), Amaya (Wigan)

OUT: Belenguer, Odonkor, Israel (Xerez)

COMMENTS: Betis looks to have done a good bit of business, especially considering that the club is in ley concursal. Chica was impressive as a full back at Espanyol last season. While both Matilla and Montero were able to gain a lot of good experience on the bench at Villarreal and Levante respectively. Mario was a constant for Geta, while Amaya helped Rayo get promoted. Not bad by los Pepinos.


ESPANYOL:

IN: Albin (Getafe), Luna (Montevideo), Didac (Milan), Coro (Osasuna), Zeegelaar (Ajax) Moreno (AZ Alkmaar)

OUT: De la Peña (retired), Callejón (Real Madrid), Chica (Betis), David García, Iván Alonso, Duscher, Molina (Huesca), Román Martínez (Tigre)

COMMENTS: I am not really all that impressed with the new signings for los Pericos. No one really impressives, other than Didac back on loan. I wonder if there will be a few more signings or perhaps a couple of cantera promotions to the first team? Right now it looks like a net loss in quality in the transfer department.


GETAFE:

IN: Lopo (Depor), J Rodriguez (Depor), Lacen (Racing), D. Castro (Sporting), Moya (Valencia), Albertazzi (Milan), Sarabia (Castilla)

OUT: Manu del Moral (Sevilla), Albín (Espanyol), Marcano (Villarreal), Víctor Sánchez (Barcelona), Mario (Betis), Parejo (Valencia), Boateng (Dnipro), Kas (Bursaspor)

COMMENTS: A lot of big losses, but I feel that Luis Garcia is bringing in a good blend of players with La Liga experience and potential. Feeling good for Geta this year.


GRANADA

IN: Siqueira (Udinese), J. Romero (Udinese), D. Cortes (Hercules), Pamarot (Hercules)

OUT: Collantes (Cartagena), Rubén, Juande (Betis), Óscar Pérez, Jonathan Granada, Carlos Calvo, Párraga, Mensah (Evian) ,Rubén Párraga (Murcia)

COMMENTS: I hope that sister club, Udinese loans more players to Granada, players of La Liga quality. If not, Granada can join the list of newly promoted teams most likely to go back down.


LEVANTE:

IN: Farinos (Hercules), K Navas (Albacete), Aranda (Osasuna), Pallardo (Getafe), W Silva (Arsenal), Barkero (Numancia), Pedro Lopez (Valladolid), Xavi Torres (Malaga)

OUT: Xisco Nadal, Del Horno (Valencia), Jefferson Montero (Betis), Cerra, Reina (Cartagena), Xisco Muñoz (Dinamo Tbilisi), Stuani (Reggina) and Caicedo (Lokomotiv Moscow)

COMMENTS: I am feeling kind of worried about Levante. This team really doesn't look like a Primera La Liga team. Add to that a new coach (Ignacio) who has never coached in the top flight. Very worrisome.


MALAGA:

IN: Buonanotte (River Plate), Van Nistelrooy (Hamburg), Mathijsen (Hamburg), Toulalan (Lyon), Monreal (Osasuna), Joaquin (Valencia), Sergio Sanchez (Sevilla), Isco (Valencia)

OUT: Arnau (Retired), Mtiliga, Asenjo (Atlético), Gaspar and Manu Torres (Cartagena), Quincy, Javi López (Jaén), Edu Ramos (Villarreal), Sergio Díaz (Hércules), Sandro Silva (Internacion al de Porto Alegre), Xavi Torres (Levante)

COMMENTS: Super Malaga taking the Spanish Football world by storm! Europa League anybody? And they still want Santi Cazorla!


MALLORCA:

IN: Hemed (Maccabi Haifa), Calatayud (Hercules), Pablo Caceres (Tigre), Zuiverloon (WBA), Chico (Genoa)

OUT: Trejo (Sporting), Rubén (Osasuna), Ayoze (Deportivo), Lux, Sergi Enrich (Recreativo), Corrales

COMMENTS: Once again Mallorca starts over on a shoe string budget and limited resources. They managed to keep Michael Laudrup, star striker Pierre Webo is not the happiest camper, Serra Ferrer is spending too much money, but somehow they make it work.


OSASUNA:

IN: Bertran (Tenerife), Ruben (Mallorca), Ibra (Numancia), Andres (Huesca), Nino (Tenerife), Echaide (Huesca)

OUT: Camuñas (Villareal), Pandiani, Josetxo, Coro (Espanyol), Monreal (Málaga), Nacho Zabal (Numancia), Aranda (Levante)

COMMENTS: Osasuna has sold two big ticket players (Camuñas & Monreal) as well as a few steady journeymen. Meanwhile the club has brought in second division players to replace them. Hmmm Let's hope there are three teams worse off.


RACING:

IN: Edu Bedia (Salamanca), Picon (Pontevedra), Brian Sarmiento (Salamanca)

OUT: Coltorti, Munitis, Pinillos, Iván Bolado, Giovani (Tottenham), Lacen (Getafe), Henrique (Barça), Rosenberg (Werder Bremen), Iván Bolado (Cartagena) and Tziolis (Siena)

COMMENTS: A mass exodus due to non payment of player wages, a MIA owner, and ley concursal. I see the Cantabrian team struggling from the first game.


RAYO VALLECANO:

IN: Sueliton (San Jose), Perea (Atletico)

OUT: Coke (Sevilla), Armenteros (Sevilla), Yuma, De la Vega, Bryan Angulo, Trejo (Mallorca), Amaya (Wigan), Susaeta, Rafa García, Salva and Borja García (Córdoba)

COMMENTS: Bad moon rising, most likely to go down. I am not sure if they will even be able to start the league.


REAL MADRID:

IN: Sahin (Dortmund), Altintop (B Munich), Callejon (Espanyol), Coentrao (Benfica), Varane (Lens)

OUT: Mateos (Zaragoza), Dudek and Adebayor, Ezequiel Garay (Benfica)

COMMENTS: Mou is looking for a striker, but the mass exodus of unwanted players like Gago, Lass, Drenthe, Pedro Leon, and Canales are sure to come.


REAL SOCIEDAD:

IN: Viguera (Nastic), Sarasola (Real Union)

OUT: Tamudo and Diego Rivas (Hércules)

COMMENTS: What are they waiting for?


SEVILLA:

IN: De Moral (Getafe), Trochowski (Hamburg), Coke (Rayo), Caceres (Barca), Spahic (Montpellier)

OUT: José Carlos and Cala (AEK), Renato (Botafogo), Zokora (Trabzonspor), Dragutinovic, Sergio Sánchez (Málaga), David Prieto (Córdoba) and Diego Capel (Sporting Lisbon)

COMMENTS: A fire sale with the arrival of Marcellino along with some interesting signings. Monchi of late has kind of lost his touch in the transfer market. However, the Marcellino factor needs to be considered. Is this enough for a return to Champions League? I don't know.


SPORTING:

IN: Oscar Trejo (Mallorca), D Suarez (Defensor), Ricardo (Tenerife)

OUT: Diego Castro (Getafe), José Ángel (Roma), André Castro (Porto) and Sastre

COMMENTS: A very modest team, with some pivotal exits. That said, in Preciado we trust. Sporting somehow finds a way.


VALENCIA:

IN: Rami (Lille), D Alves (Almeria), Piatti (Almeria), Feghouli (Almeria), Parejo (Getafe)

OUT: David Navarro (Neuchatel), Vicente, César (Villarreal), Míchel (Hércules), Isco (Málaga), Aarón Ñíguez (Almería), 'Chori' Domínguez (River Plate), Sunny (Numancia), Nacho González (Standard Liege)

COMMENTS: A slew of exits and a few key signings, if Los Che can keep their pearls (Mata, Pablo, etc), I think this will be another solid year.


VILLARREAL:

IN: Camuñas (Osasuna), Cesar (Valencia), Edu Ramos (Malaga), Zapata (Udinese)

OUT: Oliva, Cicinho (Roma), Juan Carlos (Levante), Marcano (Olympiacos), Juan Carlos (Elche), Capdevila (Benfica)

COMMENTS: More sales than purchases, the fact of the matter is that Villarreal is a selling club. This is very strange, as they have once again qualified for the Champions League. That said, financial times are tough. Thankfully Villarreal B was able to squeak by and continue in Segunda A. This will once again be a pipe line for the Yellow Submarine bench. Will they sell one of their big stars? Only time will tell.


ZARAGOZA:

IN; Goni (Castilla), Mateos (Real Madrid), Abraham (Barca B), Edu Oriol (Barca B), Juan Carlos (Castilla)

OUT: Ander (Athletic), Gabi (Atlético), Edmilson (Ceará), Sinama (Sporting Club), Jorge López, Maco Pérez, Diogo, Jarosik, Bertolo (Palermo), Boutahar AND Ndaw (Saint Etienne)

COMMENTS: What does it say when so many of the teams are populated by Real Madrid and Barcelona cantera? Add to that another fire sale, due to ley concursal and financial disarray. Zaragoza are holding on by the skin of their teeth and going very young. Is this enough to ensure permanence in the first division? It should be an interesting year.

Real Madrid 2011 pre-season opening day!

Today Real Madrid started their training at UCLA bright and early at 9:30am. Plenty of fans were lined up from LA and from all over the world!

This year, Jose Mourninho is being cautious and has not planned for any public training sessions yet. Today the media was limited to 15 minutes. The boys started off in two circles passing the ball and such. The two circles evolved into los rondos or piggy in the middle drills. Carvalho, Ozil and Khedira & the 6 canteranos were in one rondo, while los titulares Xabi Alonso, Cristiano, Sergio Ramos & company were in the 2nd rondo. Shorty thereafter the squad performed their stretching exercises and then ran sprints. The media was then asked to leave. Sigh.

The atmosphere outside the North Atlantic soccer field was terrific. French, German, Spanish fans, as well as plenty of locals were in attendance, eager to get a glimpse of the team, an autograph, or a smile. Hey! I even met Athletic Bilbao fans visiting from the Basque country.

Kudos to Sergio Ramos who signed plenty of autographs prior to the training session. I also got to meet the lovely Kay Murray from Real Madrid TV.

The main event was the World Football Challenge kickoff or press conference at CAA in Century City. Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas and Jose Mourinho represented Real Madrid, while Landon Donovan, David Beckham, and Bruce Arena represented the LA Galaxy. The tournament was explained by the MLS representative as a conference tournament (east and west?) based on a point system. (OK?) Zizou and Miguel Pedraza from RM, were acknowleged and introduced as well. But the main event ensued with both Mou and Bruce saying a few words on the tournament and importance of competitive games and/or friendlies which led to the question and answer session with the players and coaches.


Quotables

"Looking around I never thought that I would be asked the first question at this press conference." (Landon Donovan)

"I want to thank everyone for the kind words on the birth of my daughter, Harper." (Beckham)

"LA Galaxy is the best team in Los Angeles." (Cristiano Ronaldo)

"The players are dead tired, after returning from vacation." (Jose Mourinho)

"The squad is complete, except I need on more striker." (Mou)

" I would have loved to had the chance to be coached by Jose." (Becks)

"I don't like to compare my team to Barça." (Mou)

"Neymar is a Santos player. Aguero is an Atletico player. Adebayor is a Manchester City player. Of all three, Adebayor is the closest to becoming a Real Madrid player." (Mou)

"The press, when there is no competition, when there is nothing to write about, they create half truths. Iker is the captain.." (Mou)

"LA is our home away from home." (Mou)

"When I come at coach in MLS, Landon Donovan will be my assistant coach." (Mou) (You heard it here first!)


The team trained again at 5pm. This session was closed to the media. I have heard reports that Xabi Alonso did not train. Thus far the club has not announced any training sessions open to the public. But hopefully this will change. Double training sessions are planned for the rest of the week at 9:30am and 5pm.


On a separate note, on the way out of CAA, I met Landon Donovan and took a photo with him. Top guy.


Go to our forza futbol facebook page for tons more photos from today!










"

Atletico Madrid Kit 2011-2012

This is what I wrote almost three weeks ago when pictures were leaked of the Atlético Madrid kits for 2011-2012.
What can I say that hasn´t already been said by people much more in tune and with a much higher emotional stake in Atléti than I? If you were cross-eyed, far-sighted and maybe even color blind you might possibly think this was this short of passable. For me though, it looks like they gave two sets of instructions to two separate seamstresses, one sewing from the top down and the other from the bottom up, and asked them to meet up somewhere in the middle.

It also looks like somebody put on their striped barbecue apron over their red shirt or like they´ve tucked a white bib on at a family dinner. Stripes can make you look fat, but these will make you right corpulent. Are they going to play in chef´s hats? How about some nice dark-blue MC Hammer style cargo pants? Only that would make this kit any worse.

It´s a travesty. My eyes are burning and my eyeballs are crossing. The collar is infantile; a far-cry from the classy white collar of last year´s kit or a similar red-collar from the year before. The sleeves are too red; no stripes. The vertical stripes are uneven, there is far too much white on the shirt as it is, and the red stripes are drowned out by that severe swath of white that is superimposed at an angle over the red sections. It creates an imbalance in the force.

Don´t minimize what´s happened here. Atléti´s mojo has been seriously damaged, but on the other hand, at least they´re keeping their best players and hiring atop-quality coach to replace Quique Sanchez-Flores, no? Dóh!

Now, I´m not saying that I had any hand in it. There are plenty supporter´s of Atléti who were outraged that the club would release that sort of design on us. Well, apparently they haven´t. The kit looks actually, surprisingly like last year´s kit. The secondary kit is all black, but I am happy to say that the colchonero image has been maintained. This is one of the classiest kits in La Liga. Simple, direct, stylish and filled with loads of nostalgia which is great because the club will be celebrating their centenario or 100 anniversary in red-and-white. Remember that the club first played with blue-and-white stripes.

Atletico Madrid Shirt 2011-2012

What can I say that hasn´t already been said by people much more in tune and with a much higher emotional stake in Atléti than I? If you were cross-eyed, far-sighted and maybe even color blind you might possibly think this was this short of passable. For me though, it looks like they gave two sets of instructions to two separate seamstresses, one sewing from the top down and the other from the bottom up, and asked them to meet up somewhere in the middle.



It also looks like somebody put on their striped barbecue apron over their red shirt or like they´ve tucked a white bib on at a family dinner. Stripes can make you look fat, but these will make you right corpulent. Are they going to play in chef´s hats? How about some nice dark-blue MC Hammer style cargo pants? Only that would make this kit any worse.

It´s a travesty. My eyes are burning and my eyeballs are crossing. The collar is infantile; a far-cry from the classy white collar of last year´s kit or a similar red-collar from the year before. The sleeves are too red; no stripes. The vertical stripes are uneven, there is far too much white on the shirt as it is, and the red stripes are drowned out by that severe swath of white that is superimposed at an angle over the red sections. It creates an imbalance in the force.

Don´t minimize what´s happened here. Atléti´s mojo has been seriously damaged, but on the other hand, at least they´re keeping their best players and hiring atop-quality coach to replace Quique Sanchez-Flores, no? Dóh!

***Addendum:  I don´t want people to think I´m ragging on Atléti or Atléti fans. I loved last year´s kit as you can see here. It´s a great design intrinsically. You don´t need to reinvent the wheel. Companies just need to stop mucking around with striped kits.

Damn lies and Statistics: La Liga Year End Stats!

It's that time of the year again. The end of the 2010-11 La Liga season and I love the numbers game. I wanted to share a few interesting stats, along with the usual suspects. So hear we go!


Stadium Attendance aka Where the atmosphere lives!: What were the top 5 stadiums that were filled to capacity and most well attended? Not the biggest or prettiest, but the most well attended (some may say the most loyal fans). Well, this may surprise you, but here is the top five.

1. San Mames, Athletic Bilbao's stadium - 40,000 seater, 19 games, 691,000 attended, 91% capacity.
2. Santiago Bernabeu, Real Madrid's arena - 80,000 seater, 19 games, 1.359.500 attended, 89% capacity.
3. El Molinón, Sporting Gijón's home - 25,885 seater, 18 games, 405,100 attended, 87% capacity.
4. El Madrigal, Villarreal's stadium - 22,000 seater, 19 games, 355,500 attended, 85% capacity.
5. Reyno de Navarra, Osasuna's arena - 19,800 seater, 19 games, 305,979 attended, 81% capacity.

Assists aka Goal Creators Who were the Top 5 players with the last passes that ended up in the back of the net?

1. Messi BAR - 17 assists in 33 games
2. Ozil RMA - 16 assists in 36 games
3. Mata VAL - 12 assists in 33 games
4. Dani Alves BAR - 12 assists in 36 games
5. Xabi Prieto RSO - 12 assists in 37 games


The Bad Boys of La Liga - Who were the top 5 players with the most Yellow Cards? Quite indicative of the most defensive and in your face teams.

1. Puñal Osasuna - 16 out of 33 games
2. Gurpegui Athletic Bilbao - 15 out of 31 games
3. Lopo Deportivo La Coruña - 15 out of 33 games
4. Ponzio Real Zaragoza - 14 out of 32 games
5. Diogo Real Zaragoza - 14 out of 33 games

The Villains of La Liga - Who were the top 5 players with the most Red Cards? More indicative of a rush of blood to the head, in my opinion.

1. Xisco Nadal Levante - 3 out of 25 games
2. Castillo Athletic - 2 out of 11 games
3. David Navarro Valencia - 2 out of 17 games
4. DeMichelis Malaga - 2 out of 18 games
5. Stankevicius Valencia - 2 out of 21 games


The Marathon Runners aka the Iron Men - Who were the players that played the most minutes on the pitch? (excluding Goalies). Impeccable athletes with very little injury problems. Quite impressive!

1. Iraola Athletic - 3,290 minutes played
2. Bruno Villarreal - 3,274 minutes played
3. Xabi Prieto Real Sociedad - 3,236 minutes played
4. Gabi Real Zaragoza - 3,229 minutes played
5. Jarosik Real Zaragoza - 3,197 minutes played


Mr. Penalty Kick - Who were the top 5 players that scored from the spot?

1. Ronaldo RMA - 8 out of 8
2. Gabi ZAR - 6 out of 6
3. Nekounam OSA - 5 out of 5
4. Diego Castro SPO - 5 out of 5
5. Tied with 4 out of 4 - Xabi Prieto RSO, Rossi VIL, Messi BAR, Luis Garcia ESP


Pichichi - Top Goal Scorers

1. Ronaldo RMA - 40
2. Messi BAR - 31
3. Aguero AMD and Negredo SEV both at 20
5. Tied at 18: Villa BAR, Rossi VIL, Soldado VAL, LLorente ATH

Ronaldo with a historic goal tally in the League.
Lots of goals scored this season in the Spanish League, for the most part.


Zamora - Least amount of Goals Allowed

1. Victor Valdes BAR 16/32 games
2. Iker Casillas RMA 32/35
3. Dani Aranzubia DEP 32/36
4. Diego Lopez VIL 38/44
5. Ricardo OSA 38/46

Valdes the clear leader, head and shoulders above the rest.


(SOURCE: DON BALON)

Transfer Targets: Manchester United

Now we enter the time where speculation starts, the betting houses take odds or on the destination of some crafty winger from Russia, a stern defender from Germany or a precocious young striker from France, usually, but because of a perfect storm of events, an economy in freefall and the available slots effectively closed at the two clubs who could possibly afford them, talented young Spanish players might be forced to leave their hometown clubs to seek a fair wage abroad. At one time England might have seemed too much of a transition for Spanish players, but not anymore. The biggest clubs in England are setting their sights on the breadth of talent that the Spanish national set-up is offering and for the next few weeks we will be previewing some possible matchups for the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea FC, Arsenal, Liverpool and the like.

Let´s start with Manchester United. They may be staring at a fifth European finals appearance and a record 19th domestic title, but is it me or does this club seem to be entering a transitional phase? Gary Neville has already retired. Edwin Van Der Sar and Paul Scholes look to join him at the end of the season. Do we really think that Ryan Giggs has that much left at 37 to continue on? They´ll need to retool if not replace them wholeheartedly. Here´s a set of decidedly Spanish solutions to help that along.

Goalkeeper: the club are keen on David de Gea from Atlético Madrid. There have been reports that a deal has been struck, but his asking price (in upwards of 20 million euros) is a bit high for what United are willing to pay. To keep Atéti honest in negotiations, the Red Devils have involved themselves in the Manuel Neuer negotiations that were at one time a lock to see the German international trade Schalke 04 for Bayern Munich. I think that´s a done deal which is why United have started talks with Sporting Lisbon keeper Rui Patricio. Frankly, neither player has more upside than de Gea and I think United know it. They are still looking for a replacement to the legendary Peter Schmeichel and they have him close. Is he the only possibility? Some say Valencia´s youngster Vicente Guaita is more talented, further along in his development and has better upside.

Fullback: Sir Alex Ferguson has said in the past that the most difficult player of his to replace was going to be Gary Neville. I realize that he was probably referring to Neville´s legendary competitiveness and leadership skills, but if he were to think of talent alone, he should probably take a chance on former Osauna youth product César Azpilicueta who transferred to Marseilles before suffering a serious knee injury that impaired his season in France. He was onn the outskirts of Vicente del Bosque´s squad for the last World Cup and he is one of the shining lights of Spain´s U-21´s. Another fall-back option is Hugo Mallo who plays for second division side Celta de Vigo. The pacy wingback has been on Chelsea Fc´s radar for awhile now. He would do well under Sir Alex´s tutelage.

Midfield: Paul Scholes is one of the few English internationals over the last generation to be considered one of the chosen few: a footballer´s footballer. He scored choice goals, opportunistic in nature and brilliant technically, but with his decline United have had to search for creativity elsewhere; from the wings or from their strikers, but it is time enough for searching. Manchester United need a replacement for the ginger ninja and quickly. I know the names of Wesley Schneider and Rafa Van Der Vaart have been mentioned but that´s too lazy of an answer. Do you trust either to stay healthy enough over a long season? Sergio Canales has fallen out of favor at Real Madrid, I know no one mentions it at all but can anyone explain his meteoric downturn from second-coming to seasoned bench-warmer? He is still one of the top attacking mid-fielders/support strikers to put on a Spanish U-21 kit and he would benefit from the sort of help that Chicharito Hernandez receives at Old Trafford. With Getafe in a heated relegation battle, former Real Madrid youth-teamer Dani Parejo might be a more effective option at his price. Actually, United are thin along the midfield and might be better served to invest in an Ever Banega of Valencia or Fernando Gago of Real Madrid rather than resorting to the much-traveled Lassana Diarra as a replacement to the oft-injured Owen Hargreaves.

Winger: I know that United are set at the wings, Valencia is back and Nani is a growing asset, but with the eventuality of Ryan Gigg´s career coming to a close, the club have got to consider a player with the ability to play on the wing but with the versatility to move his game centrally. If there is a player with those qualifications, it´s Diego Perotti of Sevilla. He comes from the long-line of Sevilla wingers that includes José Antonio Reyes, Diego Capel and Jesús Navas, but Perotti might be more talented than any of them.

Next stop in the Premier League gravy train: Chelsea FC

Transfer Targets: Chelsea FC

After years of relatively tepid summer buying, unless you consider the talent binge that Manchester City have been on, this looks to be a slightly better than average transfer market, especially for the big clubs in England. While any other year the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool might look to find a hidden gem coming out of the relatively inexpensive French or German markets, maybe a darting winger or a stern defender playing in the Russian League, they might be for the first time looking at Spain for the same sort of deals. Spanish Primera clubs have never been more productive at developing young talent, the first-teams on down are brimming with domestic signings, but due to a perfect storm of circumstances, an ever-worsening economy and a highly unequal profit sharing scheme, the best players in Spain will leave sooner rather than later and England is looking more and more to be a financially stable destination, even if the weather leaves much to be desired.

Chelsea FC: you win a domestic double one year, league champions and repeating as FA Cup winners, you would think that Carlo Ancelotti would have been give a respite from the speculation that has effected Chelsea managers since well since the day that Roma Abramovich bought a debt riddled club and pulled them up into the upper echelons of European football clubs. With Carlo Ancelotti set to leave, more than likely to AS Roma where he captained the side in his playing days, the first order of business is set. Find a manager.

Manager: André Vilas-Boas is the hot choice. Jose Mourinho´s former assistant has done well winning the Europa League wit FC Porto and was seen as a perfect fit for the departing Ancelotti, but he has back-tracked and has stated his intention in staying and giving the Champions League a whirl. With a 15 million pound buy-out apparently, it would be prohibitive to release Vilas-Boas from his contract, if this were any team but Chelsea. Guus Hiddink would be an obvious choice, either as a temporary solution for a year or so, as a hand-picked successor became available (like Marco Van Basten or Frank Rijkaard), or in a longer-term deal. He has the pedigree and he´s worked for Abramovich, but is he ready at his age to return to the pressure cooker of top-flight club coaching? Floating the idea of Gianfranco Zola for a Chelsea return is laughable. He needs to prove himself before he can be handed the reigns of a big club. I think Hiddink takes his turn.

Striker: I know there is a huge impetus to sign Sergio Kun Agüero to bolster an attack that has been sputtering under Ancelotti but I think that would be a mistake. Agüero is young and a dangerous finisher but his skills duplicate those of a player they already have under contract: Fernando Torres. I know there is some bias with Torres, the Liverpool association and his lack of scoring over the last part of the season, but Chelsea supporters have not seen the best of Torres. This summer will include his first restful break since after the 2007-2008 season. Can he play alongside Kun? They did that already at Atlético Madrid, it didn´t work, plus Agüero has pledged to stay and win trophies at the Vicente Calderon. Just because his agents are putting his name in the papers does not mean that the player wants to leave.

Midfielder: Chelsea would be better served in getting a complementary player, one who could work in the space behind Torres and was an effective passer, like Gerrard or Xabi Alonso was for him at Liverpool. Kaká from Real Madrid? Too much of an investment for a part-time player. Same thing for Snejder. I like Javi Martinez out of Athletic Bilbao or Borja Valero from Villarreal.

Winger: Bringing Neymar out of Santos directly to England this early in the Brazilian player´s career and you risk stunting his growth. It´s another Robinho to Real Madrid situation writ all over again. It doesn´t make sense economically. I´d actually like to see what real, old-fashioned wingers like Diego Capel or Jesús Navas do in the Premier League again. I know they are both either too slight (in Navas´s case) or small (in Capel´s case) to be effective centrally or tracking back, but on an island up front on the wings they would make loads of space for Chelsea strikers, they are great in one-on-one situations and are pin-point crossers. I know, that´s a bit of a reach.


Again, this isn´t a collection of transfer rumors, nor is it real speculation about players who might end-up at Chelsea, just my own opinion about the sorts of players who I think would thrive at Stamford Bridge. Let us know what yours is.

Next up: Liverpool

Forza Futbol 145: This is Atleti

On this week´s episode of the Forza Futbol Virtual Spanish Pub, we have Gary from Madrid Atleticos, Derrick from Atletico Fans, and Ricky from This is Atléti and its spanish equivalent Esto es Atéti. We talk Atlético Madrid of course but we also talk sports journalism in Spain and getting to ask the tough, hard-hitting questions that few will dare ask.

Listen Now:

Alcorcón: A Division Below But Leagues Ahead

Today we have a very special guest writer from MadridAtleticos, Gary Madrid, on assignment at the Alcorcón match, from this past weekend. With the playoffs looming it's time for some Liga Adelante aka Segunda A action. Enjoy!

Just outside Madrid, on one of the main motorways that leads to the south of Spain there is a turnoff. A special turn off it is not and where it leads to is nothing special. Alcorcón became headline news last year when they knocked out Real Madrid in the Copa Del Rey. They became most Anti Madridista’s 2nd club and the clubs yellow scarves were sold outside stadiums including Real’s city rivals Atlético de Madrid. But, for all their success in the Copa Del Rey the team were determined to climb up the leagues using Getafe as an example. Last year they came up to the 2nd Division and some wondered would they be able to hack it. On Sunday they secured enough points to remain the 2nd Division for another year but the club haven’t stopped there and now are looking upwards to the playoffs where they are only 4 points off the last spot.

Alcorcón have a stadium of only 3000 but quiet it is not. It is very easy to park around the ground. The press officers of the club are friendly and accommodating and journalists and fans interact like old friends. The team play at Municipal Santo Domingo and have the full support of the town council because after all this is a community club. The club reached out to the locals and although Madrid has clubs like Real, Atleti etc. Alcorcón feel there is room for more. This season they have surprised quite a few people and a playoff place would be a just reward for all the hard work done by everyone at the club. Should they get promoted and Getafe stay up there would be 5 teams from the province of Madrid in the 1st Division.

On Sunday I attended the game and was surprised by the organisation of the club. Stewards and staff were surprised that any foreign writer would be interested in their club and at 1st they thought I was there to cover Granada. After assuring them that I was there to cover Alcorcón they showed me to the press area. It was perfect. The crowd came early to cheer the team on as they warmed up and Granada brought a decent away support. Fans knew that a point would guarantee their place in the division next year but they were there to enjoy their day in the sun. As the team sheets came hot off the printer, and I mean that literally, there was a shock as lead scorer Quini had been dropped. Journalists and fans conversed over the reasons for this and there was a good atmosphere all round. The game kicked off and all the fans were in full voice and then something amazing happened.

A player was lying on the floor after being tackled. A section of fans started to chant a famous chant that is sung across Spain: Pisalo (Stamp on him). A chant that is so common that nobody really notices it anymore. Within in 15 seconds an announcement was made asking fans to refrain from making any chants of a racist or violent nature. The whole ground applauded the announcement. I was taken by surprise by the level of disgust from the fans. ‘It’s a family club, why do these idiots come’ was what one fan told me at half time. ‘This type of thing is embarrassing to the club’ said another. I asked one employee of the club was it mandatory to make such announcements and he told me no but that Alcorcón wanted to set an example. The example was one that all Spanish clubs should follow because in this respect they are years ahead of most teams in Spain.

The game was played at a high tempo and the ref allowed the game to flow. Although Granada had little chance of automatic promotion they were not giving up without a fight. A defeat would lead to promotion for Betis. As the game went on the lack of goals did not take away from the enjoyment of the game. Just before half time Alcorcón got a penalty and slotted it home. At half time fans and journalists mixed again and exchanged views on the match. The 2nd half saw Granada really come out of the boxes and raring to go. Alcorcón rode their luck in the 2nd half but some good defending and luck saw them maintain their lead. As the game entered injury time they broke away on the counter attack and scored to make it 2-0. The whole ground broke in song. Nobody leaves here early as there is no point, there is no traffic. I had attended a few games in La Segunda and have always enjoyed them. The lack of press coverage they receive is a disgrace. Leaving the ground I made a promise to myself to return. Hopefully it will be in 2 weeks.

SPOTLIGHT ON YOUTH: Futbol Draft & U21S

Fútbol Draft 2011 announced the Gold, Silver and Bronze finalists. The best canteranos of the year who will be honored in a year end gala and all star game. As you can see from the 33 finalists, the majority play in the first division in Spain, 9 Primera clubs are represented in the Gold best eleven, of which three are from Barça.

The finalists are:


GOAL KEEPERS

David De Gea Quintana 1990 At. Madrid GOLD
Diego Mariño Villar 1990 Villarreal SILVER
Joel Robles Blázquez 1990 At. Madrid BRONZE


RIGHT BACK

Mario Gaspar Pérez 1990 Villarreal GOLD
Martín Montoya Torralbo 1991 Barcelona SILVER
Hugo Mallo Novegil 1991 Celta Vigo BRONZE


LEFT BACK

Antonio Manuel Luna 1991 Almería GOLD
Jon Aurtenetxe Borde 1992 Ath. Bilbao SILVER
Víctor Álvarez Delgado 1993 Espanyol BRONZE


RIGHT SIDED CENTRAL DEFENDER

Marc Bartra Aregall 1991 Barcelona GOLD
José Ignacio Fernández "Nacho" 1990 Real Madrid SILVER
Sergio Gómez Solá 1992 Barcelona BRONZE


LEFT SIDED CENTRAL DEFENDER

Jordi Amat Maas 1992 Espanyol GOLD
Marc Muniesa Martínez 1992 Barcelona SILVER
Ignasi Miquel Pons 1992 Arsenal BRONZE


RIGHT SIDED MIDFIELDER

Thiago Alcantara do Nascimento 1991 Barcelona GOLD
Sergio Roberto Carnicer 1992 Barcelona SILVER
Rubén Pardo Gutiérrez 1992 Real Sociedad BRONZE


LEFT SIDED MIDFIELDER

José García del Pozo "Recio" 1991 Málaga GOLD
Jorge Resurección "Koke" 1992 At. Madrid SILVER
Alejandro Fernández Iglesias "Alex" 1992 Real Madrid BRONZE


RIGHT WINGER

Francisco Femenía "Kiko" 1991 Hércules GOLD
Ezequiel Calvente Criado 1991 Real Betis SILVER
Gerard Deulofeu Lázaro 1994 Barcelona BRONZE


LEFT WINGER

Iker Muniain Goñi 1992 Ath. Bilbao GOLD
Juan Carlos Pérez López 1990 Real Madrid SILVER
Jesé Rodríguez Ruíz 1993 Real Madrid BRONZE


MEDIA PUNTA/SECOND STRIKER

Sergio Canales Madrazo 1991 Real Madrid GOLD
Francisco Román Alarcón "Isco" 1992 Valencia SILVER
Pablo Sarabia García 1992 Real Madrid BRONZE


CENTRAL FORWARD

Bojan Krkic Pérez 1990 Barcelona GOLD
Álvaro Vázquez García 1991 Espanyol SILVER
Álvaro Morata Martín 1992 Real Madrid BRONZE



U-21 CHAMPIONSHIPS AND OLYMPIC QUALIFICATIONS LOOMING

Luis Milla has named his provisional list of 40 players, which will be narrowed down to 23 later this month. Included in the list are World Cup winners: Sergio Busquets, Juan Mata and Javi Martinez. Several of the call ups have been selected as part of the Futbol Draft above. The European Championships will take place June 12th through 25th.

Provisional Squad of 40:

Goalkeepers: De Gea (Atlético), Joel (Atlético), Tomás Mejías (Castilla), Rubén Miño (Barcelona), Diego Mariño (Villarreal)

Defenders: Mario (Villarreal), Fontás (Barcelona), San Jose (Athletic), Botía (Sporting), Marc Bartra (Barcelona), José Angel (Sporting), Dídac Vilà (Milan), Azpilicueta (Marseille), Domínguez (Atlético), Victor Ruiz (Napoli), Montoya (Barcelona)

Midfielders: Koke (Atlético) Canales (R. Madrid), Pacheco (Norwich), Thiago (Barcelona), Rubén Pérez (Deportivo), Baena (Espanyol), Diego Capel (Sevilla), Javi Martínez (Athletic), Illarramendi (R. Sociedad), Parejo (Getafe), Jonathan Viera (Las Palmas), Ander Herrera (Zaragoza), Matilla (Villarreal), Jordi Alba (Valencia), Busquets (Barcelona), Mata (Valencia)

Strikers: Muniain (Athletic), Adrián (Deportivo), Rodrigo (Bolton), Álvaro Vázquez (Espanyol), Juan Carlos (Castilla), Jeffren (Barcelona), Emilio Nsue (Mallorca), Bojan (Barcelona)

La Lambretta Radio: La Liga Bilingual Podcast #8

La Tertulia guests today: Mix Master Emcee, Edu aka @lalambretta, Writer extraordinaire from elblaugrana.com, Inma aka @inmazv, Ravi aka @aupasubmarino from Seattle via India, el Colchonero y cantador from @thisisatleti and @estoesatleti podcasts, Ricky, and yours truly, Forza Futbol's very own, Elisa, debate and discuss Spanish football!!


Some of today's highlights:

o Does Quique v Forlan remind us of Pellegrini v Riquelme?
o Is Málaga the Manchester City of Primera La Liga?
o Is Valencia's Vicente the misunderstood genio or a rebel without a cause?
o Is Bojan due for a transfer to a club with less pressure?

Plus much, much more.


A great way to learn Spanish or English on the topics we know and love!


Listen below, on itunes, ivoox or here

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La Lambretta Radio: La Liga Bilingual Podcast #7

Roundtable guests today: The man at the controls, Miami Sound Machine aka Edu, Real Valladolid fan boy aka Eugenio, and La Jefa aka resident Malagueña, Inma, from La Lambretta Radio de España. La Lambrettinos are joined by Villarreal groguet Ravi aka @aupasubmarino now sleepless in Seattle, el Juez Jose aka Sportinguista Judge Joe, living in Madrid, and yours truly, Forza Futbol's very own, Elisa, to debate and discuss Spanish football.


Some of today's highlights:

o Saturday's relegation battles: where Malaga rocked Atletico, Racing striked back, Getafe showed they are not dead, and Sporting brought Depor to tears.
o We said adios to Almeria and Hercules.
o We pondered whether Xabi Prieto is a one club man?
o And we consoled Ravi as he recalled the Europa League match.

Plus much, much more.


A great way to learn Spanish or English on the topics we know and love!


Listen below, on itunes, ivoox or here.


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La Lambretta Radio: La Liga Bilingual Podcast #6

Today, la tertulia or gathering grows when el conductor Edu, el Real Malaga Jeque (aka Sheik) Antonio and el Pucelano Eugenio from La Lambretta Radio, join Villarreal fanatico Ravi aka @aupasubmarino from Seattle, and yours truly Elisa to talk about the following topics:

o Saturday's games and the shock losses of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, por que? (To quote Mou)
o Is it coincidence that el Kun always turns it up at the end of the season?
o Is 43 points the golden number for salvation?
o Will we see an exodus of Spanish players abroad this summer?

and much more.

A great way to learn Spanish or English on the topics we love!

Listen below, on itunes, ivoox or here.

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Spanish Football TV Audience Share

As a follow up to my recent post on TV Revenues and the recent strike threat, I wanted to take a look at Football TV audiences, as reported by the LFP. The most recent report is of last season - 2009/2010 and includes the one open or free game per week as mandated by the Spanish government.


Here is the ranking of the 2009/2010 TV Audiences:

1) Real Madrid 17.5%
2) FC Barcelona 16.1%
3) Sevilla FC 11.7%
4) Valencia CF 9.7%
5) Atletico Madrid 9.4%
6) Athletic Club de Bilbao 6.4%
7) Deportivo La Coruña 6.2%
8) Villarreal CF 5.3%
9) Real Zaragoza 3.5%
10) RCD Espanyol 3.4%
11) Malaga CF 2.7%
12) UD Almeria 1.5%
13) CD Tenerife 1.2%
14) Getafe CF .9%
15) CA Osasuna, Racing Santander, Sporting Gijon, Real Valladolid, Xerez .1%


Talking Points:

-Real Madrid and FC Barcelona together do not reach 35 - 40%, which are being demanded by the new TV deal on the table. (Only 33.6%)

-Sevilla FC ranks higher than Atletico Madrid and Valencia who have been promised more revenues as part of the 2nd tier of the proposed TV revenues deal.

-The middle class renegades IE Sevilla, Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao, Espanyol etc. held 28% of market share last season, a sizable amount.

-Deportivo La Coruña still garners a decent amount of audience share in Spain.

-Sadly five teams did not even crack over .1%.

The LFP has much to do to market all clubs in Spain as well as abroad.

Agüero to leave for Chelsea?

Every year, there are always reports that Sergio Agüero may be on his way to Chelsea. Most people may feel reading the topic that this is just another year where eventually el Kun ends up staying at Atletico. This summer though, may be different. As Chelsea look to splash the cash to develop a team around Fernando Torres, there has been talk of a strike partner for el Niño.

Atletico has continued to say that he will not leave the Vincente Calderon and that his contract runs till 2014. CEO Angel Gil Marin revealed that they'd receive offers from arch rivals Real Madrid over the sale of both Kun and Diego Forlan. He also revealed that Kun has a buy out clause of €45 million.

However as we saw with Torres, Roman Abramovich could splash the cash for Kun and a decent offer can see the Atletico striker move on to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea may look to offload their ageing stars such as Drogba, Anelka, Essien and Malouda. Some have already began to speculate that Carlo Ancelotti may go to Roma (a club he has wished to manage for some time) where their is another rebuilding project in progress and may take Drogba with him. On Chelsea's list are said to be the likes of Neymar, Sneidjer Ganso and the Atletico duo of David de Gea and Sergio Aguero.

Though Chelsea are looking at Neymar from Santos, they may elect to go for Aguero which would bring back the strike partnership of Torres and Aguero from the Atletico days which ended when Torres moved to Liverpool. Whatever happens in the summer, we already know that Atletico has got a tough time ahead in trying to keep their two stars : de Gea and Aguero

TV REVENUES - A Comparative View

There were threats of a strike in Spain by the club owners, but it never happened. The Spanish clubs are still pursuing laws that will ensure that the clubs get a piece of the internet gambling pie. In addition, the clubs will revisit the weekly free to air game in the summer.

But lurking in the background were the G6 or 7, depending who you ask, who stood up against the strike. The middle class clubs (Villarreal, Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad, Real Zaragoza, Espanyol and Malaga) making a stand against the current individual TV revenue distribution and the proposed collective deal, that maintains the status quo.

Mando has quite eloquently covered the this whole situation, but I thought it was time to take a look at the big European markets and compare and contrast the various TV deals. (Source: Futebol Finance) These figures are only for Domestic markets.


PREMIER LEAGUE
Domestic TV Licensor: Sky Sports
Television contract: from 2009-10 through 2012-13
Total Value: 3.538 million euros
Annual breakdown: 1,179 million euros
Teams: 20

SERIE A
Domestic TV Licensor: Sky-Italia and Mediaset
TV Contract: 2010-11 through 2011-12
Total value: 1,822 million euros
Annual breakdown: 911 million.
Teams: 20

LIGUE 1
Domestic TV Licensor:Canal Plus and Orange
TV Contract: 2008-09 through 2011-12
Total value: 2,672 million euros
Annual breakdown: 668 mill.
Teams: 20

BUNDESLIGA
Domestic TV Licensor: Premiere AG
TV Contract: 2009-10 through 2012-13
Total value: 1,648 million euros
Annual breakdown: 412 mill.
Teams: 18

LA LIGA
Domestic TV Licensor: Mediapro
TV Contract: 2009-10 to 2011-12
Total value: 1,500 million euros
Annual breakdown: 500 mill. (280 To Real Madrid and Barcelona)
Teams: 20

EREDIVISIE
Domestic TV Licensor: RTL-Nederland
TV Contract: 2008-09 through 2010-11
Total value: 300 million euros
Annual breakdown: 100 mill.
Teams: 18

What is wrong with this picture? The Spanish League earns less in Domestic TV Revenues than Serie A and Ligue 1, and the Bundesliga is not far behind. This doesn't even take into account that the lion's share of the revenues from Mediapro goes to the big two giants. It seems that La Liga is selling their product short.

The disparity between the top and bottom of the league is enormous in Spain. 140M Euros of Domestic TV revenues goes to Real Madrid and Barcelona, where as bottom dwellers, Sporting and Malaga received 12M in 2010. Look at the competition during this same time period. In England, Manchester United received 58.2M Euros, where as Middlesborough received 34.9M. In Germany, Bayern received 28.1M compared to Hoffenheim at 13.3M. In France, Marseille received 49.9M versus relegation battlers Le Havre at 13.9M.

Redistribution of tv rights needs to be a priority. A competitive league makes a strong, financially stable, league.


Another factor that needs to be taken into account is the debt of the Spanish clubs. As reported by Punto Radio, La Liga clubs as of June 2010 were 3.526 million Euros in debt. This includes unpaid transfers, player salaries, social security, and back taxes.

Here are the top ten clubs:

-Real Madrid: 683 millon €

-Valencia: 550

-At. Madrid: 511

-F.C. Barcelona: 489

-Villarreal: 240

-Espanyol: 165

-Racing: 137

-Sevilla: 122

-Deportivo: 120

-Mallorca: 85


Catch 22? I am not anti-debt, it is a part of life, but Spanish teams need to start living within their means. A league wide austerity plan is way over due.

Improvements are needed in the earnings and spending arenas. Where is the Federation and League wide leadership when you need it?

FORZA FUTBOL on La Lambretta Radio - Spanish Football Bilingual Podcast no 4

Today, Edu and La Jefa Inma Zaragoza from La Lambretta Radio, Villarreal fan Ravi from Seattle, and yours truly Mando AND Elisa talk about the following topics:

o El Clásico: Mou's and Pep's tactics
o Malaga's recent win and the return of Julio Baptista
o Why players like Baptista and Reyes need a little TLC?
o Our relegation picks revisited

and much more.

A great way to learn Spanish or English on the topics we love!

Listen below, on itunes, ivoox or here.

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Friends of Forza Futbol 4.12

A new feature here at Forza Futbol, FFF or Friends of Forza Futbol, will be a weekly article that publicizes the best blogs in English about the Spanish game.

First of all, we hope everything is alright for the guys at LaCelesteBlog.com, they are taking some time off and we wish them well. We also want to point your clickers to LaLambrettaradio.com, it is a bit self-serving, but Edu continues to have us on his bilingual show and we are very grateful. Any pericos out there? Mando has ramped up his side-project, Espanyolusa.info, and he is looking for people to sign up for the Los Angeles penya. At LaLigatheMidlands, they have an article called the Subbuteo pitch that tracks one player in a match, ex-Real Madrid player Javi Garcia (brother of Luis Garcia) and his time at Benfica. As usual too, the guys at Spanishfootball.info bring together some great pieces. Match reports hot off the presses, Shakhtar Donetsk v FC Barcelona in the Champions League today, plus a great piece on what Wayne Rooney could learn from Athletic Bilbao. Then again, Striker is always an option at Spanish Football & Sports. Try his piece on Cristiano Ronaldo being targeted by AC Milan. A fluff-piece in the news, slow news week and all, but well-covered by one of our oldest Friends of Forza Futbol.

On the Team front: Madridatleticos are covering the David De Gea transfer to Manchester United from the ground floor. Ooh Betis is flying the flag for the cucumbers and for Jonathan Pereira, who feels like Johnny Rotten, and Villarreal USA covers the debacle that was Valencia destroying the Yellow Submarine 5-0 at Mestalla.

SPOTLIGHT ON YOUTH: International Callups and more

U-21 Friendlies vs France and Belarus

Spain U-21 coach Luis Milla has the luxury of calling up two different squads to each game. What can I say but the Spanish clubs are doing an amazing job at producing the next generation of footballers. The game against France will be played March 24th away and will not be the usual suspects. The game on March 28th will be a home fixture in Madrid and will be comprised of the best eleven.

Below are the team selections for each game:

France Fixture; Lots of Yellow Submarines and Merengues

Goalkeeper: Diego Mariño (Villarreal), Joel Robles (Atletico),

Defenders: Carles Planas (Barca), Daniel Sánchez Ayala (Derby County), Kiko Femenia (Hercules), Nacho (RealMadrid), Marc Bartra (Barca), Mario Gaspar (Villarreal)

Midfielders: Francisco Mérida (Atletico), Álvaro Vázquez (Espanyol), Recio (Malaga), Sergio Canales (R. Madrid), Asier Illarramendi (R. Sociedad), Iago Falqué (Villarreal), Nacho Camacho (Malaga)

Strikers: Daniel Pacheco (Liverpool) , Juan Carlos (R. Madrid), Rodri (Sevilla).


Belarus Fixture: the Usual Suspects and very Blaugrana

Goalkeepers: David De Gea (Atletico) , Ruben Miño (Barca)

Defenders: Mikel San José (At. Bilbao), Alberto Botía (Sporting), Álvaro Domínguez (At. Madrid), Andreu Fontás (Barca), Dídac Vilà (Milan)

Midfielders: Thiago Alcántara (Barca), Martín Montoya (Barca), Rubén Pérez (Depor), Dani Parejo (Getafe), Jonathan Viera Ramos (Las Palmas), Jordi Alba (Valencia), Ander Herrera (R. Zaragoza).

Attackers: Iker Muniain (At. Bilbao), Bojan Krkic (Barca), Adrián (Depor), Emilio Nsue (Mallorca), Diego Capel (Sevilla).


The One that Got Away

Many of you may have noticed that there were three Spaniards on the pitch playing for Schalke 04 when they beat Valencia in the round of 16 game in Germany. We all know Raúl and Jurado, but the new shining star at left back was young 21 year old Sergio Escudero. Escudero was a canterano at Real Murcia, who Schalke purchased for $2.5M Euros this past summer. Real Murcia, now in the third division, is experiencing deep financial troubles and this transfer was manna from heaven. But what concerns me is why didn't any of the Spanish leagues' Sporting Directors identify this diamond in the rough? Why wasn't their an offer on the table from a Spanish club? What happened to the great scouting networks? Why did the youngster have to leave Spainfor Germany to find fame and fortune? This is very worrisome indeed. On the positive side, at least he is being mentored by Raúl and Jurado.


U-17 European Championships Mini Tournament

Youth Football at the National level is an extremely important part of development of future generations. Even though one could say that U-17s are still very rough and immature, the RFEF and coaches take it very seriously. The U-17s will need to play three consecutive games this week to qualify for the U-17 European Championships. Spain's under 17 side have been drawn together with Belgium, England and Northern Ireland in Elite round group 5. Matches will take place in Belgium from 26 to 31 March, with the winners going through to the finals in Serbia.

Coach Gines Melendez' roster is as follows:

Goalkeepers: David Gómez Vázquez (Deportivo La Coruña), Alfonso Herrero Peinador (Real Madrid).

Defenders: Carlos Garrido Serrano (Sevilla), Diego Caballo Alonso (Real Madrid), Antonio Luque Quintero (Sevilla), Sergio Menéndez Fernández (Sporting Gijón), Óscar Arroyo Font (Espanyol).

Midfielders: Denis Suárez Fernández (Celta Vigo) Iker Undabarrena Martínez (Athletic Club) Pol Calvet Planellas (Barcelona), Federico Vico Villegas (Córdoba), Pablo Iñiguez de Heredia (Villarreal).

Strikers: Gerard Deulofeu (Barcelona) Iker Hernández Ezquerro (Real Sociedad) Raúl de Tomás Gómez (Real Madrid) Saúl Ñíguez (Atlético Madrid) Iván Sáez Jiménez (Real Madrid) Moisés Gómez Bordonado (Villarreal).

Interesting four players from Los Blancos.



Futbol Draft 2011 ~ The Second Cut

Futbol Draft 2011 came out with their next "cut" honoring the best youth players in Spain. They took down the list from 132 to 77. The best in each position will be honored at the end of the season at a gala event. Take notice of the players already playing in the first team of their respective clubs, players called up to the U-21s and U-17s as noted above. De Gea, Thiago, Canales, Isco, Morata, Bojan and Juan Domínguez are some of the talents selected. The future Spanish National Team of 2020? Perhaps. Youth development aka la cantera is truly on the rise in Spain.

DRAFT 77

GOALKEEPER: David De Gea Quintana- At.Madrid, Aitor Fernández Abarisqueta -At.Bilbao, Alex Sanchez Benítez- Zaragoza,
Joel Blazquez Robles- At.Madrid, Edgar Badia-Espanyol, Adrian Orton Vaño -Villarreal, Diego Mariño Villar-Villarreal

RIGHT BACK: Hugo Mallo-Celta Vigo, Joel Johnson-Valencia, Albert Blázquez Robles-Espanyol, Daniel Carvajal Ramos-R. Madrid, Martin Montoya Torralbo-Barcelona, Mario Gaspar Pérez-Villarreal, Moises Jimenez Nieto-Sevilla

LEFT BACK: ,Jon Aurtenetxe-At.Bilbao, Eric Saborit-At.Bilbao, Carles Planas Antolínez-Barcelona, Diego Alonso Caballo-R. Madrid, Antonio Manuel Luna-Sevilla, Antonio Luque Quintero-Sevilla, Victor Alvarez Delgado-Espanyol

CENTRAL DEFENDER RIGHT FOOTED: Marc Bartra Argal-Barcelona, Jonas Gimeno Ramalho-At.Bilbao, David Rochela Calvo-Dep. Coruña, Iqnasi Miquel Pons-Arsenal, Sergio Gómez Sola-Barcelona, Bernardo Victor Cruz-Córdoba, Jose Ignacio Fernandez 'Nacho' -Real Madrid

CENTRAL DEFENDER LEFT FOOTED: Marc Muniesa Martínez-Barcelona, Israel Puerto Pineda-Sevilla, Jorge Pulido Mayoral-At.Madrid, Ekhi Senar Rekondo-Osasuna, Jon Aranda Goenaga-R. Sociedad, Jordi Amat Maas-Espanyol, Iñigo Martínez Berridi-R. Sociedad

RIGHT SIDED MIDFIELDER: Jorge Resurrection (Koke)-At.Madrid, Sergio Roberto Carnicer-Barcelona, Oriol Romeu Vidal-Barcelona, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta Etxeberria-At. Bilbao, Ruben Pardo Gutierrez-R. Sociedad, Iker Undabarrena Martinez -At.Bilbao, Jon Miquel Toral-Arsenal


LEFT SIDED MIDFIELDER: Fran Merida Perez-At. Madrid, Rafael Alcantara Do Nacismento-Barcelona, Ignacio Camacho Bartola -Malaga, Asier Illarramendi Andonegui-R. Sociedad, Alejandro Fernandez Iglesias -R. Madrid, Sergio Alvarez Diaz-Sporting Gijon, Jose García del Pozo "Recio"-Malaga


RIGHT WINGER: Sergio Gonten Gallardo-(Keko)-Girona, Kevin Lacroix Coscolina-Zaragoza, Fran Pastor Bautista-R. Madrid,
Francisco Femenía (Kiko)-Hercules, Juan Miguel Jimenez-Juanmi-Malaga, Ezequiel Calvente Criado -Betis, Julián Luque Conde -R. Santander

LEFT WINGER: Iker Muniain Goñi-At.Bilbao, Iago Falque Silva-Juventus, Pablo Sarabia Garcia-R. Madrid, Daniel Pacheco Lobato -Liverpool, Gerard Lazarus Deulofeu-Barcelona, Juan Carlos Pérez López-R. Madrid, Jesse Rodriguez-R. Madrid


SECOND STRIKER: Sergio Canales Madrazo-R. Madrid, Thiago Alcantara Do Nascimento-Barcelona, Francisco Román Alarcón (Isco)-Valencia, Alejandro Serrano (Mino) -Sp. Gijon, Juan Dominguez Lamas-Dep. Coruña, Denis Suarez Fernandez-Celta, Luis Alberto Romero Alconchel -Sevilla


CENTER FORWARD: Bojan Krkic Pérez-Barcelona, Guillermo Fernández Hierro-At. Bilbao, Borja González Tomas (Baston)-At.Madrid, Alvaro Vazquez Garcia-Espanyol, Álvaro Morata Martin-R. Madrid, Francisco Alcacer García -Valencia, Jairo Morilla Rivero-Sevilla