Hay Liga! La Liga Season opening schedule

A week late, after a lot of handwringing, the players union AFE and LFP burning a lot of midnight oil, we have an agreement to play football. Week#2 is the new Week#1.
Here is the game slate for this weekend

Game	Day	Spain	Eastern	Pacific
Sporting x Real Sociedad	27-Aug Saturday	1800 CET	1200	0900
Valencia x Racing	27-Aug Saturday	2000 CET	1400	1100
Granada x Betis	27-Aug Saturday	2200 CET	1600	1300
Atlético x Osasuna	28-Aug Sunday	1200 CET	0600	0300
Athletic x Rayo	28-Aug Sunday	1600 CET	1000	0700
Mallorca x Espanyol	28-Aug Sunday	1800 CET	1200	0900
Getafe x Levante	28-Aug Sunday	1800 CET	1200	0900
Zaragoza x Real Madrid	28-Aug Sunday	2000 CET	1400	1100
Sevilla x Málaga	28-Aug Sunday	2200 CET	1600	1300
Barcelona x Villarreal	29-Aug Monday	2100 CET	1500	1200

The best games are back-loaded.

Sevilla - Málaga promises to be a cracker. Málaga might have lost out on the 5-star start of opening with champions Barcelona at home but an Andalucian derby at the Sanchez Pizjúan isnt a bad compromise

Barcelona - Villarreal has catapulted into one of the best fixtures of La Liga in the recent times. This fixture almost always guarantees delightful football with the level skill on display in both these sides. Barcelona will be on short rest after playing the European Super Cup against FC Porto on Friday.

Among others, Granada x Betis is another Andalucian derby. This was a Liga Adelante (2nda division) derby last year but both teams got promoted into Primera this year. Should be a good game.

Happy that La Liga is back! Now lets relax and enjoy. Forzafutbol will bring a lot of great content every day of the season, as usual.

Viva La Liga!!!

Spain, Are You Scotland in Disguise???

Craig Williams from Spanishfootball.info with a insightful article on the state of the competition in La Liga.

Whilst the SuperCup sweeps most Spanish football observers into a frenzy with its offering of what lies ahead for us in the new football season, the whispers of discontent amongst many rear their heads again, the all-important question, Are you Scotland in disguise????

Although the Spanish league is widely regarded as being the best league in the world, certainly in terms of the style of football being played and the talent that graces her immaculate pitches, many feel it has the added attraction of competing to be the worst (in terms of competition). Even the most ardent supporter of the Spanish cause has to give a platform to these concerns, as, after all, they love the game as much as the rest of us.

At first we have the allocation of TV rights, which, in itself, offers stark viewing. Real Madrid and Barcelona both gain more than £140 million pounds in television money, whilst the likes of Athletic Bilbao receive around £17 million. Compare Sevilla’s £24 million stake, a team more often than not one finishing in the top five places, against that of Stoke, those stalwarts of the Premier League, whom receive £41 million per year.

Barcelona and Madrid enjoy the biggest proportion of the cake, a proportion that is only growing year by year, whilst the crumbs are left to be fought out by the other teams. As Sevilla chairman Del Nido put it recently, in response to the subject of TV money, “La Liga isn’t the Scottish League, it’s the s@&t league of Europe”.

Regarding Madrid and Barcelona, they play amazing football, they have the best players, they have the best (current) managers, everyone knows that. British bookmakers have them down as joint favourites for the Champions League, of which there is no doubt. But have they helped to maintain a fiction that others won’t accept? Are they too good or are the rest too bad?

As we lament the relegation and failure of teams to mount a campaign against the dominance of the two giants the pain really starts to set in. Gone are the days of ‘SuperDepor’, of Atletico winning the double, of Sociedad’s brief flirtation with Nihat and Kovacevic, of Benitez’s Valencia standing toe to toe with the big two. The mid to late 1990’s seem a world away from the present day.

It doesn’t offer much in the way of fun when the likes of former Hercules coach Esteban Vigo, after seeing his side being comfortably brushed aside 2-0 at the Bernabeu, advised in his post-match press conference that he was content with the performance. “Other teams ship 5/6 goals here” was his reply. Perhaps he was joking.

If we play the numbers game we come in for some interesting images. Only in the Turkish league was the difference between third and first more noticeable. Indeed there was only one League in Europe where with Madrid’s points tally you wouldn’t have finished first…Scotland. Also, Barca and Real Madrid offered 6 defeats between them last season, to Rangers and Celtic’s 9.

So how, if at all possible, can this dominance be frustrated. How can we win back those whom I have encountered by the barrel load, those who prefer to watch the Premier League or the Bundesliga, where the completion is more fruitful, the attendances are higher, the theatre and emotion are more in abundance. A fairer allocation of TV money would be a start, but by no means offers us the answers needed to try and redress the balance.

In an ideal world what we want is to change the new Scottish league back in to the Spanish league, as both teams continue to up the throttle and stretch further away from the rest. Before it’s too late, we need to try and stop this death by slow motion.

La Liga Preview: 2 giants and 18 dwarfs

<< Will the colours of the ribbons on the trophy change this year?

The Preamble

Seems like the 2010-11 it was yesterday when FC Barcelona drew 1-1 at Levante to seal a 3rd consecutive Spanish league title. Here we are just a few weeks away from the kick-off of a new season, the 81st edition of the Spanish Primera División aka 'La Liga'. This is a very important year for this league. There are a lot of clubs in financial distress. The players union is threatening to go on strike over unpaid wages. There is simmering discontent over the lopsided TV deal heavily loaded in favour of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. It promises to be another roller coaster season full of twists and turns along with some fabulous football.

For a league where only two teams are in the title race from match day 1 (as the title suggests), there is more drama and excitement around the title race than one would expect. It is provided by the encounters between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, the vicious and cynical media machines spewing bile from both sides and the petulant fans from both sides pouring gasoline on a burning stove. And if you thought you had enough of the 'Clasico's last season, the season starts with two more of them, the two legs of the Spanish Super Cup.

With that backdrop, let me set you up for the season with a quick preview.

The Offseason

This offseason has been dominated by three major themes.

1. Protracted transfer sagas of Alexis Sanchez, Kun Aguero, Neymar and Cesc Fabregas.
2. Project Málaga
3. Financial trouble at the majority of the clubs
   

Barcelona has signed Chilean forward/winger Alexis Sanchez from Udinese after almost two months of negotiations. It appeared like Real Madrid would land Kun Aguero after he forced his way out Atlético Madrid but he ended up at Manchester City. Real Madrid pursued Neymar with a lot of determination but the Brazilian phenom looks set to continue at Santos at least until the January transfer window. The Cesc Fabregas saga has been running for three summers now and it might finally be over this summer. Barcelona is using brinkmanship tactics to get the player for as less as possible and Arsenal hasn’t budged so far. But according to various media outlets, the deal might be close.

Málaga have been the most active La Liga team in the transfer market. They have made some intelligent signings in Toulalan, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Mathijsen, Nacho Monreal, Isco Alarcon, and Joaquin and topped their summer by signing Santi Cazorla from Villarreal. They pursued him all summer as their star-signing. They have strengthened their team by spending about 60million euros on 8 players. Coach Manuel Pellegrini has one of the deepest squads in La Liga heading into the season.

While Málaga has been on a spending spree thanks to the financial muscle of their new owner Sheikh Abdullah Al Thani, a lot of the other teams are in deep financial strife. Newly promoted Rayo Vallecano and Real Betis are in administration. So are Racing and Zaragoza. The rest aren’t much better off either. Teams like Villarreal and Atlético have had to sell one of their stars to raise money for new signings. The financial crisis has a debilitating on a lot of teams in La Liga as well as the Liga Adelante (2^nd division). Spain has by far the most clubs in administration (in the top two divisions) than any other league in Europe. However, I do expect teams to make a few more signings using some creative deals involving players, deferred payments etc.

The Season

Approximately two weeks away from the season kick-off on Aug 20/21, the season promises to be a very good one. The two-legged Super Cup between Barcelona and Real Madrid will raise the curtain on the season, rather fittingly. There is little doubt that one of these two giants will be the eventual league champion.

Real Madrid has added the talented midfielder Nuri Sahin and the Portuguese international left-back Fabio Coentrão to a strong squad. They are still in the market for a striker and despite the setbacks of not landing Kun Aguero or Neymar, have the depth to compete in all the three competitions. Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have been in mid-season form in the preseason. Barcelona have signed only Alexis Sanchez so far but with the Cesc deal looming, Pep Guardiola’s side looks set for the season with a very strong squad. They can afford the luxury of dipping into their talent-laden youth system if needed. Moreover, a team with Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa and Co doesn’t need a lot of changes to click.

Málaga is primed for success with a talented side. The expectations are high in the Andalucian city and some experts are even predicting them to finish in the Champions Leagues spots by the end of the season. I expect them to struggle early while they gel as a team. But by about November they could turn it on. They start the season with a bang hosting Barcelona in Week#1. That game promises to be a cracker.

Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal look very solid. Valencia has made some shrewd signings this season in Adil Ramis, Danny Parejo and looks like they might be close to securing a loan for Spanish U20 captain Sergio Canales. Sevilla has a new coach in Marcelino Garcia, the ex-Racing coach. They have been relatively quiet in the transfer market so far, but we are almost a month away from the transfer deadline. Villarreal have made some good signings like Cristian Zapata to shore-up their defence where they were vulnerable last season. They have lost Santi Cazorla to Málaga, a transaction that has angered and saddened the Madrigal faithful at Vila-real. But they managed to retain rest of their stars in Borja Valero, Beppe Rossi and Nilmar.

Athletic club of Bilbao have a new manager, the excellent ‘El Loco’(the crazy) Marcelo Bielsa. The summer saw him linked to Real Sociedad as well as Sevilla. The new president of Athletic, Jose Urrutia had an agreement with Bielsa to make him the coach in case he won the Athletic’s presidential elections. The Basques-only policy means they don’t have a huge talent pool to choose from. They have added the excellent creative midfielder Ander Herrera to a talented squad that includes, Fernando Llorente, Javi Martinez and Iker Munaín. Depth of squad could be an issue for them, especially if they go deep in all three competitions. Everyone that follows La Liga will watch Mr. Bielsa and his team very closely.

Atlético Madrid, where there is never a dull day at office looks weakened with the departure of Kun Aguero. At the moment they haven’t signed a replacement yet. They have signed striker and Golden ball winner at Euro U21 Adrian Lopez. New coach Gregorio Manzano has a huge task at hand to stabilize this inherently unstable team.

Teams like Getafe, Osasuna, Real Sociedad, Zaragoza, the newly promoted Granada, Mallorca, Racing Santander, Sporting Gijon, Espanyol and Levante haven’t done much in the transfer market. The loan deal for Real Madrid’s prospect Pablo Sarabia to Getafe is the most notable of them all.

Predictions

Champion: Real Madrid. The race between Barcelona and Real Madrid will be closer than ever but I think Mourinho’s team will have the last laugh and will edge out the Catalans.

Copa Del Rey: Barcelona

Champions League: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga. Yes, I am very
optimistic about the Málaga revolution and they will edge Villarreal for the 4^th spot.

Europa League: Villarreal, Sevilla, Athletic

Relegation: Rayo Vallecano, Racing Santander and Granada or Levante. Rayo is an absolute mess right now with players striking over unpaid wages. Racing has been left high and dry by Ali Sayeed and there is a vacuum of leadership there. Levante have lost their coach Luis Garcia (to Getafe) and sold their top-scorer Felipe Caicedo and haven’t replaced him.

PS: This article was written before the Super Cup was played.

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!!!

Monday Morning Papers 8.8

Sport.es: FC Barcelona: The Hour of Alexis and Messi: Two ¨signings¨ for the Supercopa that will start working out today. Alexis: ¨I can´t wait to start playing with Leo.¨ The Chilean arrived yesterday tired but hopeful to début on Sunday at the Bernabeu. Barca, Analysis of the Tour: Now everyone is at home. Lionel Messi: the Argentine wants to be decisive against Madrid. He has all week to put himself right. Cesc Fabregas: Cesc will not begin the Premier League, even Wenger confirms it. Real Madrid: Mourinho will have toconform with Adebayor. He will cost between 8 and 10 euros. Community Shield: City 2-3 Manchester United. De Gea won his first title and Kun did not play.

Marca.com: Real Madrid: 6...5...4...3..2...1... Supercopa!: At less than a week before the Clásico. euphoria at Real Madrid and doubts at Barca. The dressing room of the whites, unanimous: ¨We arrive stronger than they do.¨ Guardiola, preoccupied: ¨We are not at our maximum and we don´t have our tone.¨. The pre-season numbers don´t lie: Messi was missed and Benzema exploded. Without Messi, Real Madrid has scored 9 more goals than Barcelona.  Community Shield: City 2-3 Manchester United. De Gea won his first title and Kun did not premier.

Reaction: Ah, I love the whiff of football. Even with all the craziness in my life, all I have to read is crazy drivel from either dish-rag to get me pumped up. First of all for Sport: it will take more than a week for the best of both Alexis and Leo to take hold for FC Barcelona, so if Real Madrid have a hope to take any title from Barca this year it´s the equivalent of the Spanish Community Shield; a meaningless friendly in a certain sense. As for ¨El Caso Cesc¨, the clubs are posturing. Arsenal don´t really hope to retain the player do they? They had better not. I am sick of this story. Wenger, move on. Alright, on to Marca: Real Madrid do look to have been more impressive in their pre-season approach than Barcelona. They have scored more goals and their attack is sparkling, but don´t make the mistake of assuming that pre-season form necessarily translates into early season form once the whistle blows for the start of the new season. Real Madrid are still behind Barcelona even without Alexis Sanchez and if Cesc leaves Arsenal as expected? It will be a long season for Jose Mourinho´s charges. 

Real Madrid – Barcelona: The Clasicos are back...

...and there is no place to hide.

It was the 3^rd of May; Real Madrid just got eliminated from the Champions League in the semifinals by Barcelona. That game also brought an end to a tumultuous 18 days for the fans of Madrid and Barcelona in particular and the fans of football worldwide in general. A series of four clasicos in a span of just 18 days. It has never happened before. Judging by the tension, unsportsmanlike behavior from players on each side, coaches sniping at each other with verbal volleys and so forth, many a fan wished it never happen again. It was gripping drama that took so much out of the players and fans. It was the theater that showcased some of the best and the worst faces of all those involved. Despite all the negativity (that bordered on nasty at times) that permeated the days in the buildup to the games and the immediate aftermath of them, there was no doubt that the world was watching. It felt like one of those reality shows where you knew what was coming but still wanted to watch it anyway for the evil pleasure.

If you thought you had seen it all, fast forward 3 months to August and we are less than a week away from another Clasico. Madrid and Barcelona will resume their rivalry over two legs for the Spanish Super Cup on August 14^th at the Bernabeu and August 17^th at the Camp Nou. That’s two more clasicos in a span of 4 days. These games can’t come soon enough for hardcore fans. The neutrals are probably grumbling that they have to endure the blanket coverage and all the negativity that is associated with them. Yet, everyone will watch them because Real Madrid and Barcelona are arguably the two best football teams on the planet.

New signings

Both Real Madrid and Barcelona were involved in protracted transfer sagas this summer. Depending on who you talk to, Real Madrid have either missed out on Kun Aguero or it is a smart non-signing. The case of Neymar is a bit more complicated as the player and his current club have been sending mixed signals about when and if the player would move to Real Madrid. The latest on this is that Neymar will join Real Madrid in December after playing the Club World Cup with Santos. Apart from Neymar, Real Madrid have strengthened their side with Portuguese winger/left-back Fabio Coentrão from Benfica, Turkish midfielder Nuri Sahin from Borussia Dortmund and the young French defender Varane from RC Lens. They have also got Hamit Altinop for ‘free’ in the Nuri Sahin deal, who came in injured and after a undergoing a fairly complex back surgery will be about for at least 3-4 months of the season. Bizarre story, but anything is possible in the parallel world of football player market controlled by a few powerful and unscrupulous agents. Making way for them are Sergio Canales (loaned to Valencia), Ezequiel Garay (sold 50% to Benfica) and the impending departures Royston Drenthe, Pedro Leon and Lass. There is also a big question mark on the role of Kaka in this new Madrid but that topic deserves an article of its own. There is also the talk of Mourinho wanting to re-sign Emanuel Adebayor before the end of the transfer deadline.
All in all Real Madrid have strengthened their squad. There are more players that Mourinho can ‘count on’ than last year when he still had to do with mostly signings from a previous regime.

If Real Madrid’s transfer season has been protracted, Barcelona’s is worse. The new regime of austerity ushered in by president Sandro Rosell meant the negotiations for even the smallest of the pickups like signing a player for Barcelona B have taken forever. They signed Chilean winger/forward Alexis Sanchez from Udinese after more than a month of negotiations in a very complex deal laden with incentives. And then there is the soap opera of Cesc Fabregas. It feels like this has been running longer than Baywatch or Santa Barbara.

This issue can be explained in 3 simple sentences.

• The player wants to go to Barcelona.
• Barcelona wants to get him but not at any price.
• Arsenal are willing to sell but not at any price.

There hasn’t been a significant change in the positions of any of them for the past 3 years. A poster child of how and why negotiations fail. The United Nations must be proud of how they are trying to not find a solution here. Of all three, the player probably is the least to blame and Barcelona the most. But sadly, the worst affected by the impasse are the player and Arsenal respectively.

Jeffren (sold to Sporting Lisbon), Bojan (loaned to AS Roma), Gaby Milito (let go on a free to Independiente, Argentina) are the players who have departed the team.

While Barça have upgraded their forward line with the addition of Alexis Sanchez, they have done precious little to shore up their defence. But since they tend to dip into their ‘cantera’ (youth system), they might be ok but there is no doubt they have a thinner squad and lesser margin for injury compared to Real Madrid.

Preseason

Real Madrid have taken their preseason very seriously. They have won all the 7 preseason games and scored 27 goals in all. Benzema and Ronaldo are in mid-season form along with Mesut Özil. Fabio Coentrão seems to have gelled with the team quickly and could force either Marcelo or Di Maria out of the starting lineup very soon. One of the few sour notes are the injuries to Sahin, who injured one of his knee on the first day of training and when he was finally ready to play a preseason game last week in China, he injured his other knee. The lackluster displays from Kaka are a cause for concern too. Since he doesn’t have a starting spot anymore, Madrid would probably like to loan/sell him but suitors balk at his high wages.

In contrast, Barcelona’s preseason hasn’t been as smooth. They started the training camp one week later than Real Madrid, probably due to the fact that they played in the final of the Champions League. To make matters more complicated some of their main players like Messi, Alves and Alexis were involved in the Copa America and haven’t taken part in any of the preseason games. They have lost a couple of preseason games and drawn a couple more. All this makes it even harder to gauge their level at this point. Thiago Alcantara was by far their best player in the preseason. But it is evident that they are not at the same level of fitness or rhythm as Real Madrid are. The part about rhythm is very important because if any team needs to have their timing and rhythm going for playing well, it is Barcelona. Their short and triangular passing to move the ball up the field is predicated on timing.

The Games

While Real Madrid seems to have their starting lineup almost decided barring injury, it will be interesting to see if Guardiola will start the likes of Messi or Alves who haven’t played a minute in preseason. The key to the first leg will be the approach of Real Madrid and the tactics of Mourinho. If he chooses to play cautiously as he did in the first leg of Champions League last year, he will play right into the hands of Barça. I believe Mourinho should go for the throat in the 1^st leg as Barcelona will come in rusty and might need a game or two to warm up, especially someone like Messi. I would like to see the Real Madrid of Copa del Rey final. Barcelona would be happy with draw in this game.
Lineup highlights: Neither Messi nor Alves will start; Thiago will start in place of Messi. Coentrão will start in midfield in place of Di Maria.
1^st leg Prediction: 2-0 Real Madrid.

The 2^nd leg will be conditioned by the result of the 1^st leg. If Real Madrid comes in with an advantage, they might lineup very defensively and try to nick a goal on the counter. Since I predicted a Madrid win in the 1^st leg, I expect Barcelona to be much closer to their 100% but I doubt they will be able to overturn a margin greater than 1 goal.

Lineup highlights: Messi and Alves will start. Alexis will get his first minutes. Coentrão will start again ahead of Di Maria for Real Madrid.
2^nd leg Prediction: 2-1 Barcelona.

Conclusion

Real Madrid will lift the Super Cup

Who ever wins, will claim it as a moral victory and emphasize the positive impact it will have on the upcoming season. The loser will try to brush it aside as little more than a glorified preseason tourney. The truth probably lies somewhere in between.

Drama and excitement are assured. Hopefully the teams will tone down the negativity and the nastiness a few notches.

For more content about the transfers and the Spanish summer, check this out.

First Leg @ Bernabeu 4pm Eastern 1pm Pacific ESPN3.com & ESPNDeportes

Second Leg @ Camp Nou 5pm Eastern 2pm Pacific ESPN3.com & ESPNDeportes

ForzaFutbol Podcast 159 : Elisa & Ravi ~ Spanish football returns!

Hello Forzafutbol followers and listeners!

Feels so good to be back. We hope you all are enjoying your summer. La Liga kicks-off in two weeks and we are kicking-off our weekly podcasts, covering the Spanish League in English like nobody else does.
In this podcast Elisa and I go discuss in depth the major headlines of the summer.

Segment-1
1. The revolution in southern Spain at Málaga
2. The arrival of Marcelo "El Loco" Bielsa to Athletic
Segment#2
3. Spain's domination of the U19 & U21 Euros and the ongoing U20 World cup
Segment#3
4. The transfer news that dominated this summer - Neymar, Kun, Cesc, Alexis and Santi Cazorla
5. How the departure of Santi Cazorla will impact Villarreal and little letter of good luck to Santi from a Villarreal fan
So relax and enjoy this pod interspersed with some nice music and leave a comment or suggestion if you have any.

Football is back, and so is the Forzafutbol podcast.

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