Preview: Stats, News and ones to watch - Jornada 17

A preview looking at team news, the most likely results and recommended picks if you're a fantasy football player.

Sevilla v Real Madrid

With Barcelona proving they’re the best team in the world by beating mystery teams in Japan this week, Real Madrid have an ideal opportunity to give the impression they're the best team in La Liga by reclaiming their 3 point cushion at the top before the winter break.

Egos in the Real dressing room will have been bruised and battered by last week’s humbling in El Clasico. Despite the feeling that the power balance may have been shifting at the top after years of Catalunian dominance, Barca’s 3-1 victory, and Cristiano Ronaldo’s ineffective display were an all too familiar return to the status quo. All Real can do in response is do what they have been doing all season before last week’s interruption: win.

Sevilla have been awkward opposition for Los Merengues over the past few years, having won four of their last six Liga meetings at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán stadium. Saying that, Jose Mourinho bucked the trend when his side registered a 6-2 thrashing in this fixture as recently as May this year with Ronaldo scoring four. This season, Los Blancos have been devestating away from home with 21 goals from 8 games. However they come up against a Sevilla defence that has looked far more organised this year and put in a magnificent display to earn a clean sheet at Camp Nou earlier this term.

Real have no new injury worries, with just Ricardo Carvalho out long-term. Sevilla’s Argentine winger Diego Perrotti is struggling with a knock.

Prediction: 3-1 for Real. Look for a vengeful display from Ronaldo.

Third placed Valencia also had a wobble last week when they stopped playing after 89 minutes, conspiring to lose at Real Betis. This week, it’s a case of “old money” (maybe that should be, “no money”) versus “new money” as they take on the nouveau riche Malaga. Los Che need to get back to winning ways with Levante rediscovering their form and just a point behind in fourth place. Unai Emery welcomed back the classy Ever Banega during the midweek Cop del Rey visit to Cadiz and the Argentinian schemer could be back in the starting line-up this weekend.

Prediction: Valencia win 2-1 with the ones to watch being Roberto Soldado and Tino Costa.

Levante have a tricky visit to Granada, who have been full of surprises, but should prevail against the promoted side who have one of the meanest defences in the Liga. This is likely to be a low-scoring affair.

Prediction: Granada 0-1 Levante

Osasuna have had an excellent start to the season in stark contrast to Villarreal who they host this weekend. The Pamplonans have been free scoring and great entertainment value. They welcome back born-again midfield maestro Raul Garcia this week, and in tandem with attacking dynamo Alvaro Cejudo, Los Rojillos are more than capable of heaping on the misery for the Yellow Submarine.

Prediction: 2-0: Ones to watch: Nino, Ibrahima.

Espanyol and Sporting Gijon go head to head after both sides recorded impressive wins last week, but it's hard to get too excited about either side.

Prediction: 1-1. Ones to watch: Romaric (Espanyol), Nacho Novo (Gijon)

Atletic Bilbao take on the struggling Real Zaragoza at San Mames. This is an ideal opportunity for Bilbao to get back to winning ways after a stuttering spell in La Liga and Europe. Stoke City star Jermaine Pennant suffered some kind of anterograde amnesia while he was playing for Zaragoza: he was always late; forgot where he parked his car and seemed to lose all footballing ability during his stint on the continent. A similar collective sickness appears to have gripped the side now rooted to the foot of the table. Bilbao are without suspended captain Andani Iraola and Fernando Llorente is a doubt.

Prediction: 3-1 home win. Ones to watch: Ander Herrera, Toquero, Muniain and Susaesta.

Atletico Madrid come galloping into their home tie with Real Betis off the back of their triumphant Europa Cup performance in midweek. Gregory’s Manzano’s boys love playing at home and with Falcao, Ada Turan and Diego all starting to purr, expect another home win. 3-1 Atletico.

On paper, Mallorca versus Getafe may look like the sort of game that any neutral would rather poke their own eyes out than endure. It excites me though, if only because Mallorca are starting to look like they can win and this could be one of the most one-sided games of the weekend as Getafe are being pretty useless away from home. Victor knows how to score. Prediction. Mallorca 2-0.

Racing Santander versus Sociedad is up there in the tedium rankings. Sociedad keep squeezing out the points and Carlos Vela is starting to fulfill his potential as the poor man’s Lionel Messi. Racing Santander can’t excite me unless Kennedy Bakircioglu is playing, and he’s still a doubt. A deathly 1-1. Snooze fest.

Read more at Fantasy Football Super

My Ten Day experience with Real Madrid...

Peggy van Huizen was deputized as an official representative of Forza Futbol for the Real Madrid LA Pre-Season Tour. Here's her amazing daily log. Enjoy!


I’m a Real Madrid fan… For me the following experience was something I would never ever dreamed of having. I’m happy to be able to share this. It was definitely something I will never forget. :D


The Beginning.

It happened in a matter of hours..Elisa from Forza Futbol offering to help get me a media credential with her for the upcoming Real Madrid tour back Los Angeles. Last year I had seen them, only twice though as I am not an autograph kinda person..I want to actually see them play etc. so I went once at a pay-for charity practice, the second time on a Sunday while the LA Open tennis final was on and of course went to the game at the Rose Bowl when they played the LA Galaxy. While that was exciting and all, I had no idea of what I was in for. Elisa sent off the paperwork and within hours it came back.. WE WERE APPROVED!!! Wow!..To say I was floored, excited, thrilled and just plain happy, probably wouldn’t sum it all up how I felt. Media credentials would not only get us in to see practices, we would get to go to press conferences each day, be on the pitch & in press room during the match if we chose to and in the mixed-zone after the matches. Basically we would get to see them up close and live each day..I thought I was in a dream.

They would be arriving on Monday, July 11th, 2011. That Sunday night we got word of the first press conference. It would be Tuesday, June 12th, at 12N at CAA with..gulp.. Cristiano Ronaldo, Iker Casillas, Jose Mourinho, Bruce Arena, Landon Donovan and David Beckham. Wow..They were starting off with a bang weren’t they!! I actually got nervous for a second..Why I don’t know. But again..WOW..This was going to be amazing. And yes, it was. I’ve been in presser’s before with work etc.. But never had I been in one where I was actually truly a fan of it all.

Tons of media from all over the world were there. Of course some Herbal Life people and CAA sports agent, Michael Levine has to talk first and get the rules out. Yes, there are rules to having a media credential. We could only ask questions pertaining to the RM/Galaxy game, the upcoming tour and such. (No, China, we can’t ask Cris if he changes his baby’s nappies because guess what..It doesn’t pertain to anything football/soccer relevant in the slightest ugh!). And Iker would only take and respond to questions in Spanish. Though I did find out he secretly can speak English better than any of us thinks he can, he just doesn’t want to. Ya know, that whole Spanish pride thing they have, but trust me, I was okay with it. :D

Then they all walked in..not gonna lie, I think I stopped breathing for a second or two.
Craziest thing happened next, after all the rules, schmooze talk etc., they announced that the floor was open to questions..and guess what?? No one had any! Maybe they were just all rendered a bit speechless like me, but have to say it was pretty humourous when you are in a room with that kind of star power and no one speaks for about 2 minutes..it really seems like 10.really.long.minutes. Whispers start..I just think no one really wanted to be the first person. But then the ice was broken with a question for…(drum roll) Landon Donovan!! And he broke the ice well with his opening answer of ..’With all the people up here I really didn’t expect to get the first question’..And with a room full of laughter, the conf. proceeded well. A few other highlight moments.. Cris teasing Iker for saying “soccer”, being his usual fidgety self. Iker just sitting there cute as anything while everyone spoke English. Beckham..Well just being the BAMF that is Beckham..No explanation needed on that one.


Day 2 (Wed, July 13th, 2011)

Wouldn’t you know it..Family obligations kept me out for this day…and what day is it..Oh just the day Sergio Ramos is in the presser! UGH! The sacrifices we make for family.


Day 3 (Thursday, July 14th, 2011)

I’m baaaack..::D Missed the morning practice but was there in time for the presser. Carvahlo and Coentrao are in todays. They will take questions in 3 languages, English, Spanish, and Portuguese as they have translators available for both and Fabio does not speak English or Spanish it seems.

By this time I have not only met the lovely Kay Murray from RMTV, but we are having some great times chatting at the practices etc.. She hints that later in the week she might possibly interview us! Very cool. The presser is mostly spent talking about the beginning stages of the practice sessions, how Fabio is adapting to the team, Cristiano helping him to adapt a lot.


Day 4 (Friday, July 15th, 2011)

So FINALLY I make the morning practice. Let me tell you..There is really nothing quite like the sight of these guys arriving to the field. UCLA is a great spot for all this. There is a long winding path leading to the field that the players get driven past with usually a pretty good amount of fans lined up along the drive to try to get autographs etc. But watching them walk on the field was a truly amazing moment for me. Never thought I would actually just be right there for this. They make this an open practice at the last minute I guess, on a 1st come 1st serve basis for the fans lined up outside, so we also get to watch the whole thing. Then move on to the Presser which today was the wonderful adorable Xabi & Granero, both whom can speak English quite well and answer a lot of questions to both Spanish & English press mostly about the game the next day.

We go back for the afternoon practice, which we only get to see 15 min of ☹ Still, to me, anytime I can see them, I will go and be there whether it’s for 15 min. or more. I also got to meet Stewart Wolfenson & Rafael Gomez, both of the Los Angeles Pena they have started and Elisa & I are part of, which was really great! Then Leora Conway, from the NYC Pena came into town and to celebrate an early birthday for her, we (Leora, Elisa & I) decide to go to the Polo Lounge for dinner that night. Not only was the food amazing, but getting to see Sergio, Arbeloa, Kaka, Granero, Albiol and Mourinho wandering around the hotel was pretty awesome also!


Day 5 (Saturday, July 16th, 2011

GAME DAY!!!! So excited for this match. It’s the first time I will ever be at a match with a press credential. It’s also Carmegeddon..Let me just tell you, I wish we had Carmegeddon every weekend!! As long as I have lived here I have never seen the frwy so wide open. It took us 12 min. to get to the Coliseum! Crazy! Went up to the press box to say hello to people, then went down on the pitch as we were allowed to go there. I was in such awe of it all I must say. I have never gotten to see the team walk out of the tunnel being RIGHT THERE..It took my breath away for a moment. Then to be on the pitch watching the game right behind the Galaxy goalie…WHAT!! How lucky could I possibly be..?I was actually dodging balls being kicked. It was possibly the most amazing thing for me ever! The action was literally happening right in front of my eyes. Then of course I get caught on TV tweeting..Oh yes, there I am in these really non-attractive vests that you have to wear, getting the camera full on me, tweeting. Hahaha I guess things could be worse because I loved every second of it. In the 73rd min. though they came and I had to clear off and go to my seat. That’s okay; I had a 6th row ticket so I was fine. REAL MADRID WINS
4-1!!

After the game, and much confusion as remember, this is our first time doing this I finally found the mixed zone area under the stadium where all the players come out of the locker room and do the press line. Mourinho holds a press conference in an area all on its own. I get to see all the RM players, plus Galaxy, whom I like a lot also and like quite a few of their players so this was great. They were VERY strict on the rules though. As a media person, if you do not have photographer credentials you are not allowed to take any picture, and also NO ONE with a press credential is allowed to ask for autographs etc. I saw quite a few people get their press privileges literally ripped off their necks. One girl went to ask Xabi to sign a shirt, and he actually had the pen in his hand starting to sign, and the PR girl ran over and ripped it out of his hand, grabbed the girl and her creds and threw her right out. Scary stuff, needless to say, I was not going to do anything to jeopardize this in anyway. After it was all over, I still couldn’t believe I had actually experienced a game this way. Wow..is all I can say.


Day 6 (Sunday, July 17th, 2011

After all the excitement of yesterday and such a great game, everyone has the morning off. Lounging around, went to Sunday brunch at BHH, and then went to see the afternoon practice which was only a quick 15 minutes they let us in, but still, better than nothing! The presser was going to be the Dynamic Duo!! Arbeloa & Albiol!!! Yay! So we just all hung out waiting for that to start. It was a really slow day there, not a huge fan turnout everyone was pretty laid back so Leora actually got to come into the presser with us..Yes, I think she was pretty happy! Ha! Good day to pick to be there right.. The Duo was just as charming as you would expect them to be. Arbeloa speaks English so answered quite a few questions about the game the day before as did Albiol, though only in Spanish. They were both very happy with the outcome as was the team.


Day 7 (Monday, July 18th, 2011)

I feel like I am getting into a routine now. Get up in the morning, head to UCLA for practice, wait to see who will be in the presser, do the presser, go to lunch, come back in the afternoon for 2nd practice. I have to say, I am liking this routine..ALOT! :D Practice was interesting today as I walked in all 4 goalies were jogging right by me. Grabbed a few pics of that, and then watched as Mourinho puts the team through their stretches & drills. Presser was Benzema & Varane. So basically an all French presser. While I can understand most of the players who speak Spanish, I am completely clueless on French. I know maybe 10 words. But ya know what, it’s still really nice to be there and they have translators so I am good. (Girls—this comment is strictly for you..In person Benzema is just flat out sexy as all..well..you know..Might not be that great in photos..but in person. Uh..wow ☺) Varane is still so shy and so quiet you can barely hear him speak. You can tell he is not used to this kind of thing at all. As well as he has been playing, I think he will need to adapt very quickly! :D

Also, there was supposed to be a big Adidas event open to the public at Hollywood & Highland which they ended up cancelling.


Day 8 (Tuesday, July 19th, 2011

So I get to practice in the morning. It’s the last practice before the game the following day in San Diego against Chivas. Unfortunately Sergio Ramos is injured and is not there along with Sahin who we know injured himself in one of the 1st practices in LA. We also find out that Sergio will not be playing for sure in the match the following day. ☹ From this point we watch for our 15 min. time period and then move onto the presser. It’s our new 2nd goalie today, Antonio Adan, and our comeback from Espanyol canteranos, Jose Callejon. Elisa called it the ‘hair day’ ☺ which was actually appropriate. Jose’s questions/answers were mostly about his goal that he scored, how he likes being back at Real Madrid and that he is adapting well. Adan is of course mostly asked if he thinks he will play at all during the season and he replies how much more he can still learn from Iker.

Also, just a note..I got quoted on the Real Madrid website today. Was pretty cool to see that and give a good shout out for Forza Futbol!
http://www.realmadrid.com/cs/Satellite/en/1330062866460/noticia/Noticia/Praise_for_Real_Madrid_in_the_US.htm


Day 9 (Wednesday, July 20th, 2011

It’s the 2nd game of the friendlies. Drive to San Diego which for those of you that don’t live here, is about 2 – 2 ½ hrs away. A lot of the drive is quite scenic as it’s along the coast..But with traffic an always consistent factor here, it took almost 4 hrs to get there. Now that I have had some experience with the LA, I know how it works. Go on the field, watch the game from the pitch, take as many pics as possible and just be awed by this team and that I get to do this! Also, I am going to try and NOT get caught on camera tweeting! Ha! So set up our spot with Leo, Elisa’s husband, who is a fantastic photographer as I’m sure you all know by now as his pictures were great! Kay is next to us, and not only does she really know her football, but she is a hoot as well to hang out with. (Kay this is for you..gum is now and forever a ‘chewy’ ☺ )

So I had a feeling this match was going to be completely different than the Galaxy and I was right. Chivas style of play is completely different from that of the Galaxy and much more challenging to Real Madrid. The 1st half proved that theory. To be honest, I don’t know that much about Chivas and their players, but they definitely played well and even scored a goal, though called offside. It wasn’t till the 72nd minute of the 2nd half that Cristiano scored and then it was all Real Madrid from there on. A hat-trick for Cris just capped off an amazing game. Got to watch the whole thing from the pitch this time, and yes even got hit with a ball and let me tell you.. it hurts! Ha! Real Madrid wins again 3-0.

In the mixed-zone afterwards, I went to the Mourinho conference while Elisa did the press line and spoke with Iker and Raul Albiol. Of course there is always someone who has to ask one really dumb question and this one was if Mou thought he could compare himself to Phil Jackson, basketball coach. *Sigh* with a slight laugh, and look of complete puzzlement on his face, Mou answered with, ‘Basketball is Basketball, Football is Football, you can’t really compare the two. Good job Mou!


Day 10 (Thursday, July 21st, 2011

So there was supposed to be an afternoon practice followed by a presser with Khedira & Ozil. As we know Khedira got injured so I guess they just decided to call the whole thing off. Closed the practice and no presser.

Last day before they leave for Philadelphia is Friday, July 22nd, 2011. Again, supposed to be an open morning practice and presser with Kaka & Marcelo. Sadly, both were cancelled and I never got to ask my question I had ready for Kaka.

So I almost went to Philly, but then realized it would be a 24hr turn-around and just decided not to go. They left LA Friday afternoon and arrived in Philly that evening where then the next day they played and won another game!

My last observations on the whole experience. I met so many wonderful people during this experience and had such a great, amazing time. I will never ever forget it and hope that I can repeat it again next year, though they say your first time doing something like this can never be replicated, I feel it could only get better!

I can never express how grateful I am to Elisa Uranga (Forza Futbol) and her husband Leo, for taking me along on this wonderful ride with them. Thank you Thank you Thank you..I am forever in your debt.

Peggy van Huizen for Forza Futbol

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

Kaka & Cristiano Rolando pledged as collateral?

Some of you might have heard of this new item already on financial papers. Marca and As didnt seem to cover it in detail, as one would have expected. The story goes something like this.

About 2 years ago, Real Madrid took a loan of €76 million from Caja Madrid one of the Banks of Bankia group to finance the purchase of Cristiano Ronaldo and the Brazilan Ricardo Kaka together for about €160 million euros. The financial situation in Spain has only worsened since then leading to the bankruptcy of many Spanish banks. This past week, crisis has finally hit home with Bankia Group.

Bankia asked for help from European Central Bank (ECB) for an urgent injection of funds to keep the bank's Credit to reserve ration above the safe thresholds. As ECB is not a money printing machine that queues up orders and delivers freshly printed euro bills, they asked Bankia for a guarantee. Bankia submitted the loan of €76mil that they gave to Real Madrid as the collateral.

What does this mean? This means if Bankia fail to repay ECB and were to go bankrupt(unlikely), Real Madrid is liable to repay the loan. In the hypothetical case of Real Madrid not being able to repay the loan or meet the conditions of ECB, we end up with a weird situation on hand. Kaka & Cristiano Ronaldo could be 'seized' by the ECB just like a house or property. But obviously we are talking people, who probably have no idea of what this means or why this is happening.

Let us ignore the worst case scenario, because the chances of it happening are very slim. What really worries me about this is are the following:

1. How many other clubs are in similar situation with other banks?
2. What will happen if the economy in Spain continues to deteriorate and more banks get into precarious position vis-a-vis their CRR and need the support of ECB to survive?

For #1 I am sure there are more such cases, but may not be of the same magnitude but teams like Barcelona, Zaragoza, Valencia etc. have huge debts on their books and some if not most of it must be from banks. El Pais reports that Real Madrid took a similar loan from Banco Santander to make the two deals. This means Real Madrid signed the two players worth 160 million euros with almost zero money from their pocket. The report also goes on to add that Real Madrid is supposed to pay the principal in three installments in June 2012,2013 & 2014.

It is evident that Spanish football clubs are deeply entwined with banks, while this is not a novelty by any means and it is the case in other countries with the top level football leagues, the level of leverage seems to be very high and that is never a good news even when the economy is healthy.

As for #2, this could get real ugly very quickly if the situation worsens. As more banks declare bankruptcy and/or seek the protection of ECB or Banco de España, more clubs and in turn players might end up on the books of these central banks as collateral, assets etc..

All this left me wondering: Why do banks lend huge sums of money to clubs for signing new players?
Agreed that Real Madrid and Barcelona generate a lot of revenue, but still financing deals like this where the club is not even putting 20-30% of the total worth of the deal? RM's revenues this year were ~ 450million(not profit, just revenue), so 2 years ago let us assume that is in the 300+ range. This means Caja Madrid and Banco Santander approved a total of about 160 million in loans which is almost 50% of the revenue generated by the loanee here. I wonder what will happen should Banco Santander need funds and they put their loan with RM as collateral. I am not a financial expert by any means but this seems like a recipe for disaster.

I just hope that this was a thing of the past and banks dont do it anymore.

Going on a tangent here, in the same week we saw the transfer of Santi Cazorla, an iconic player at Villarreal to Málaga for about 20 million euros in cash. There was a lot of disappointment and anger among the fans of the Yellow Submarine. The club president reasoned that this sale is to keep generate enough funds to keep the rest of the stars of the team and be on a good financial footing in the next few years when he expects the financial troubles in Spain and La Liga even worse.

If more presidents of football clubs in Spain think on the lines as Mr. Roig does, we might be able to avoid situations like this in the future.

To reiterate, none of big banks of Spain are in bankruptcy trouble, however they could struggle to keep the CRR above the thresholds if the economic situation deteriorates further.

Chivas v Real Madrid ~ San Diego time!!

This is my last post on RMA and their pre-season in LA. It has been one of the best 10 days of my life. Following your team is just one of the best experiences ever. I got a sense for the trials and tribulations of being associated with this great club and how down to earth the players really are. They are just normal people. I want to thank Peggy van Huizen and Leo Gutierrez for the great coverage and for being part of the Forza Futbol dream team. Hopefully we can do it again next year! Look out España for Forza Futbol La Liga Tour March 2012!




Match Report


Chivas is starting their new season this weekend and have a lot more games under their belt. The crowd was 60% Chivas fans and 40% Real Madrid.

Players missing from the game for Real Madrid: Sergio Ramos (back spasms), Khedira (toe), Sahin (knee), Alonso (back pains)

First half thoughts: Chivas playing a very defensive game. They defended in packs and gave RM very little space in the midfield. They produced continuous tactical fouls, which impeded Los Blancos from playing their game. Chivas stole a lot of balls, and provided several long balls over the top, catching RM unawares. RM was not able to capitalize on their chances. Carvalho looked a bit slow at the back. Kaka appeared to be out of sorts and rather tired. RM passing was a poor. Chivas began the first half at a frentic pace and then slowed the game down, and controlled the tempo of the game.

That said, Adan played done well in goal. Cristiano was his effervescent self and Varane impressed with his speed and ability to make key interventions in front of goal. The 18 year old defender read the game well, had a few close scoring opportunities from set pieces, and performed admirably overall. Still, Coach Jose Luis Real was very happy that his team kept the game at 0-0 at halftime.



Second half thoughts: Wholesale substitutions were made by Real Madrid after halftime. No problem, because they have a solid bench. Some key entries were Pepe, Callejon, Albiol and Casillas. As previously mentioned, Chivas starts the Mexican league this weekend against Atlante, so coach Real made two critical substitutions to preserve his backline from injury. Those two substitutions also allowed Real Madrid to win the game.

Gold cup winner Hector Reynoso was taken off at the 54’. Cristiano scored his first goal, assisted by Benzema, in the 72’. Miguel Ponce, another defender, was substituted in the 74’. A minute later, Pepe was taken down in the penalty box. The referee pointed to the spot and Cristiano converted it easily in the 75’. Steam roller Real Madrid carry on, in their devil may care way, in the 81’. This time Ozil provided an exquisite pass to Cristiano who closed the game with a beautiful finish. Hat trick. Full time RMA 3-0 Chivas.


Kudos to Cristiano: I have really been impressed with Cris’ performances and willingness to please the crowd and put on a stellar display. Some notables:

The versatility of Cristiano Ronaldo. The first goal was scored a la Llorente from Athletic Bilbao. Cris moved into a center forward (no 9) position, between two Chivas defenders and physically muscled his way through to score. His penalty was pure power and his last goal was a work of art.

For Cristiano, there are no friendlies. The Portuguese International put on his A game in San Diego and in LA. He picked up the team by the scruff of their necks in the second half and claimed a hat trick in the process. No surprise, Cristiano was voted hands down the man of the match.


Food for thought: Back to the game, the bottom line, is that Chivas came to play a complete game, not an open game on the counter like the LA Galaxy, but a full on tactical game, and if not for their defensive substitutions in the second half, the scoreline might have been different. Real Madrid without Xabi Alonso, Khedira, and Sergio Ramos is just not at the same caliber or world class level. This was only a friendly and a pre-season game. However, the first half performance is definitely something for Mourinho and staff to take note as food for thought.


Chivas Guadalajara: Luis Michel, Esparza, Reynoso (Magallón, 54 '), Medina (Gallardo, 67'), De Luna, Araujo, Mejia, Fabian (Jesus Sanchez, 78 '), Ponce (Ledesma, 74'), Medina ( Nava, 83 ') and Arellano (Antonio Salazar, 78').

Real Madrid: Adan (Casillas, 46 '), Arbeloa (Nacho, 46'), Varane (Albiol, 46'), Carvalho (Pepe, 46'), Marcelo (Casado 82'); Coentrao, Granero, Kaka (Callejon, 46'), Özil (Joselu, 82'), Benzema (Jese, 78) and Cristiano.

Goals: 0-1 (72') Cristiano. 0-2 (75'): Cristiano, penalty. 0-3 (81') Cristiano.

Referee: Ricardo Salazar. Booked Mejia (35 '), Arellano (42') and De Luna (55 ') for Chivas and Coentrao (40') and Cristiano (55 ') for Real Madrid.

Stadium: Qualcomm Stadium. 38,211 spectators.



Post Game Press Conference: Jose Mourinho



Asked about Coentrao: “ We brought him here because he can play a lot of positions and not just to be competition for Marcelo. Coentrao had never played as a holding midfielder, that position is different for him. Alonso, Khedira and Granero are midfield players, positional, fixed pivots, whereas Coentrao, is accustomed to playing in more lateral positions, deeper, dynamic, something different from what I have in the team. I did not want to play 90 minutes, but 45, because he had already played the whole game against the Galaxy, but the problem of Xabi Alonso has pains in back. The third game against Philadelphia, Fabio will be rested as he has already played too many minutes. "

With the midfield injuries of Sahin, Khedira, and Alonso, do you need another midfield or will you call back up Lass or Gago? "What Sahin has is an injury. We hope that he can play in China or at the start of the season. But Xabi is not an injury, he has back pain, and Khedira is a small thing. The majority are not real injuries. Today we were missing all of them and were able to play with Coentrao and Granero. If necessary, we can play Pepe in the midfield. Varane also told me he has played enough games player in midfield and is available. We have the players we need. There is time until August 31, to obtain one more striker. I don’t want to even think about asking for anyone else, because the club has made great strides in this area. " (So Pepe, Coentrao, Varane and of course Granero are options in midfield to play a holding role.

On Pedro Leon and other players that Mou does not counted on this year. “I do not like to call them "dropped." "That's not a good name, just the coach has a way of working with a small squad, each day I work 10 v 10 drills. I like to have a squad of 21, open to the youth team, when an injury, I want to have a Castilla player step in to play. " He continues: "These footballers have to decided if they want to play at a team, where they will not have a lot of chances to play, I don’t like to call them “dropped” or say they are not good.... The first thing is to be professional, they themselves must be smart and think that if they will not play and do not like this situation, Real Madrid is working to find solutions. Garay understands that playing alongside Pepe, Carvalho, Albiol and Nino, we have enough in that role. If he gets an opportunity to go to another great club or country (Benfica), where there are more options to play, then he will look for a new life or career. For me this is good for him. Because staying in Madrid, to train every week and when you don’t play and go home, this is not good for a professional. The players have until the end of August, to accept one of the many options to go to a great club. But calling them “dropped”, no that is not the right word, the correct word is players who will not get playing time. " (So Mou is encouraging the “lost boys” to accept one of the transfer or loan options to go abroad or to another team in La Liga. Very interesting indeed and well said by Mou.)

Asked about his thoughts on the Chivas game and performances: “It was a great game, fabulous fitness training. For many years I have come to the US with Chelsea, Inter, and RM, every year we play against MLS and Mexican teams, against both Chivas and Club America. These teams play well and with a lot of fouls and this is what we need. We don’t need easy games or boring games. We need to play against teams that give us a difficult time and Chivas was very successful in giving us a difficult time.”

About Kaka: "He had six years without a proper preseason between World Cups, Copa America, injuries, his move to Madrid ... Now he is with us from day one, without missing a beat. He participated in all 12 training sessions completely. He played 45 minutes against Galaxy and 45 against Chivas and I hope he will play 45 against Philadelphia. He has a proper preseason and that is what he needs. His body needs that."

About CR7: "Cristiano is Cristiano, always with ambition, with motivation, with a joy of playing, and pride of playing well, whether in China, Japan or the United States. He always wants to play well and score. He knows how to win and get three goals to score as many points, as the rules of the tournament with 3 points for every goal. He has played with this mission. It's great to have. "

On comparisons to Phil Jackson, coach of the LA Lakers and the fact that Mou has coached many years with big teams and personalities. Should we call him the European zen master? “Noooooo. Basketball is Basketball. Soccer is Soccer. NBA has special rules in the basketball world. Impossible to compare. Of course I have read a few things and I know that he is such a big coach. Basketball coach is a basketball coach…”




For more youtube videos of Mourninho’s press conference, go to Forza Futbol’s youtube page.

As always you can find numerous more photos from the San Diego game day at Forza Futbol’s facebook page.

By the way the mixed zone, where the players come out was great with easy access to the players. I was able to ask both Iker and Chori about Xabi's injury. It made my day.


ADDED BONUS: FORZA FUTBOL ON REALMADRID.COM

Forza Futbol gets quoted in English and Spanish on realmadrid.com. Check this out! Our very own Peggy is a reference for the club!! Incredible!

Real Madrid v LA Galaxy ~LA Colisseum - match report

Last year, the LA Galaxy took the game to Real Madrid at the Rose Bowl and the end result was LAG 2-3 RM. But this preseason was a different matter. Game fitness against an in form LA Galaxy was the primary goal for RM. Galaxy aimed to attack and play on the counter with a very open game. Winning was not of the utmost importance, but to put on a show for the fans.

It was an exciting dynamic game for the neutral. This didn’t feel like a pre-season friendly. RM completely controlled the midfield. I thought Granero combined well with Khedria. The RM midfield were able to control the tempo, steal balls, and make decisive tackles. The first half backline was solid, which gave Marcelo the freedom to go up frequently.

I was extremely impressed with the way both Fabio Coentrao and Jose Callejon played and combined with the other players. Both were interchangeable, both consistently went forward and were pushing the game forward in attack. Kaka looked like the old Kaka of AC Milan. He was able to fly between the lines and read the game so well. His speed and movement was sublime.

The Galaxy were simply outclassed. LD was very aggressive defensively but clean. I did enjoy the little scuffles Landon had going on with both Marcelo and Kaka. Kaka of course tried to make a meal out of it. Marcelo tried to get a little payback. Nothing nasty though, all good fun. Beckham had several opportunities for glory with several set pieces but was unable to connect.


The first goal was a beautiful sidewinder by Callejon, who received a pinpoint perfect pass from Kaka. Love the "piña" celebration by the team. Pepe lifted Callejon up and the others joined in the celebration. Jose Callejon has returned to RM after 3 solid years at Espanyol. He came through the RM youth system.



The second goal was a cheeky beauty from young canterano Joselu. Beckham passed the ball to Marcelo, who found Joselu on the left. The young striker hit the ball through Becks legs and it ricocheted into the goal. So is that counted as an assist for Becks or Marcelo?

The second half brought on a lot of changes. Raul Albiol wore the captian’s arm band this time and he was surrounded by young canterano Nacho, new signing Varane and Arbeloa in the backline. Adan replaced Casillas in goal. Ozil, Alonso, Ronaldo and Benzema came in for the attack. It took a little while with all the changes, for the team to gel, but Ronaldo soon got his groove on with a brilliant bit of skill. Two step overs led to a goal from an impossible angle! Cris followed up with his "I’m the man" celebration, but that’s Cris.




Benzema played extremely well. He looks fit, light and fresh this preseason. During the game he was quicksilver and looked a bit like Kaka starting his attack through the middle, behind the wing play. After several shots, he connected on a exquisite cross by Fabio Coentrao with a lovely header.



RM went into game over mode at 4 nil. More canteranos came in: Jese upfront and Casado in the back. While asleep, the Galaxy were able to steal a goal off a rebound shot, by Cristman. Adan’s positioning was a little questionable, but he was left out cold by his backline as well.

The final score was RM 4-1 LAG. Fabio Coentrao was voted man of the match. My choice as well. Coentrão started left midfield, then moved over to the right and ended up a defensive midfielder alongside Alonso! A complete performance by the versatile Portuguese International.


Real Madrid: Casillas (Adan, 46 '), Ramos (Arbeloa, 46'), Pepe (Albiol, 46 '), Carvalho (Varane, 46'), Marcelo (Nacho, 46 '); Granero (Xabi, 46') , Khedira (Cristiano, 46 '), Coentrao (Casado, 74'), Kaká (Özil, 46 '), Callejon (Jese, 64') and Joselu (Benzema, 46 ').


LA Galaxy: Saunders (Perk, 46') Franklin (Jordan, 46'), DeLaGarza, Berhalter (Thomas, 77'), Dunivant (Davies 61'), Birchall, Beckham (Kirovski, 61 '), Juninho (Keats, 70'), Donovan (Hector Jimenez, 46'), Juan Pablo Angel (Cristman, 46'; Barrett, 77') and Lopez (Cardozo 70').


Goals: 0-1 (30'): Callejon. 0-2 (39'): Joselu. 0-3 (52’): Cristiano Ronaldo. 0-4 (57'), Benzema. 1-4 (66'): Cristman.


Referee: Jorge Fernandez. Yellow caution to Miguel López (37').


Stadium: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. 56,211 spectators



PRESS CONFERENCE – MOURINHO

Mou was asked about his thoughts of the game and why he likes to come out to the US and face MLS teams, why LA and why the LA Galaxy, to comment on Coentrao's game and his versatility and he gave the same answers on Forza Futbol readers have seen on previous reports. He basically thought it was good open game, which is why he likes to play against the Galaxy and MLS teams. They attack, they don't park the bus, and they play fair with little fouls. He talked again about the sense of privacy and freedom to be normal here. He also stated that Coentrao had a good game and he wanted to try various tactics with him as he is new to the team. All in all, Jose was happy with the team and their performance.

The most important questions were when they asked about Zidane's role and the cantera. Regarding Zidane, he said that it was important to have someone who is an insider, who played at RM, who knows the system and structure. Who understands the ups and downs of the players, their problems, characteristics, personalities, and daily life. Someone also who can handle the press, security, along with the dressing room.

As mentioned Jose was asked about the cantera, especially since the first two goals scored were by canteranos. What do they offer to the team?

"Our objective this season is to be promoted. Castilla must be promoted from Second division B to Second division A. This would help them and make it easier for the canteranos to be promoted to the first team. We are adopting conditions for them to succeed and meet this goal. Nacho, Alex, Morata and other players that came last year, but were not here, worked with the first team well and are much more prepared to advance Castilla to Segunda A. At the same time, players like Juanfran, Mateos, Juan Carlos and Sarabia are players that people think RM gave up on, which is not true. RM controls them in a way. We let them go and play in La Liga. Give them a chance to play a lot. RM has them under our control. In that way, they can come back to us."

In other words, some youth players are not prepared to play at the Segunda A level, but are given the opportunity to return, should they improve their skills at other clubs. (Interesting that Jose used the words control, when referring to the buyback clause.)

Bruce Arena also talk to the press and said that the better team won on the day. Nothing further to add really. (Typical Bruce)

The mixed zone was a frenzy. Joselu, Cristiano, Beckham and Dunivant came out to talk to the press. Beckham talked an awful long time to yours truly, Kay Murray. He got an awful lot of face time with the Spanish press.

The attendance was a bit disappointing at the Colisseum. I blame this on the choice of facility, along with Carmeggedon (closure of the the 405 freeway) which was overhyped and scared last minute game goers. There were no problems at all, by the way.

San Diego is going to be a sell out.

Training continues this week, Sunday through Tuesday. Game on Wednesday, more training on Thursday and then the team flies out to Philadelphia on Friday.

As usual plenty more photos at our forza futbol facebook page, including sequence by sequence fotos of each goal!

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!










"

Cristiano Ronaldo to AC Milan

I think it's gone on long enough. There is transfer nonsense and then there is transfer nonsense. Every window opening brings on true whoppers of invention, but have we heard anything like the sort of ridiculous rumor coming out of Italy that Silvio Berlusconi (done with fixing elections or dating pre-teens I guess) has now drawn his attention back to fixing his squad and bringing in another high-profile player, in this case Cristiano Ronaldo?

Ridiculous. Why would Florentino Perez give up on the only sound investment he has made since recycling his galactico project two years ago? Don't get me wrong, there have been many football-wise investments over that time, buying Xabi Aonso or bringing in Angel Di Maria and Mesut Ozil, but paying for Cristiano Ronaldo changed the perception of Real Madrid and of the Spanish League in general. I'm talking in business terms. The Kaka buy, a bookend deal that announced to the world that Real Madrid were working on an entirely different level financially, has bottomed out, dragged down by injury and lack of form, so then why then sell Cristiano who more than makes up for that mistake?

Well, I can see why Milan would want to buy him. The club have always had star players. Ronaldinho is done and gone to Brasil and now with Alexandre Pato dating his daughter, the club are keen I guess to move the only marketable player they have: Zlatan to get a real marquee player: CR7. Yes, Ibrahimovic is just a tantrum away from being shipped to Manchester City or in this case as part of a package deal to Madrid to get Cristiano, but is even he enough?

In terms of value for value, I don't think Zlatan makes up the difference. Not in a footballing sense, this trade of sorts would weaken Real Madrid considerably on the pitch and certainly not in a financial sense where the loss of Cristiano would be devastating. According to the University of Navarra School of Economics and Business Administration in a link here, Cristiano Ronaldo is the 7th highest player in regards to media value or worth and Zlatan Ibrahimovic isn't even in the top 20. Only Iker Casillas is in the top 10 and Mesut Ozil and Xabi Alonso are 16th and 17th respectively. Madridistas would turn on Florentino, and if he was afraid of losing Mourinho at the end of the season, then that would finalize the deal.

The only chance for AC Milan is if the player puts in a personal transfer request (and he seems to be happy in Spain) or if the financial problems that lurk behind the scenes are greater than reported. The buy-out clause alone would be out of this world. Does Milan have that sort of money?

This looks like more drama, more bread and circus material from a consummate showman, and a politician looking to divert attention from scandals that are finally starting to crack the teflon exterior of the most powerful person in Italy. In the mean-time, this is a dead rumor before it even hits the ground.

The Torres Saga: Who's the real winner ?

Having allowed the dust to settle or my emotions to be more appropriate, I thought now would be a better time to write my views on all things Fernando Torres. I could have spent the last 2 weeks commenting on various articles some good and some not so good. But I thought that a response this way would help people understand the situation much better. Unfortunately a lot that I have read could have been separated into people who follow and write about Liverpool daily and people who write about them every-now and then.

I was as surprised as anyone when Fernando Torres made it clear he wanted to talk to Chelsea. The fans were upset and rightly so, the Spaniard had been brought into the family at Anfield and his wish to join an arch rival was unforgivable to the Kop faithful. Outsiders have criticised Liverpool fans after all he was born in Madrid and has never made a secret of his love of his first club Atletico. You only ever support and love one club ! If he can leave them he can leave anyone. Whilst this is true he didn't have to spend his three and a half years on Merseyside talking as if he did love Liverpool just as much. Frequent comments and interviews talked about the similarities he found between the two teams, talk of only ever playing for one English club came up. If as fans we are stupid for believing a player that has been deemed a nice and genuine bloke by many that have interviewed him then I'm as guilty as the next man. Once bitten twice as shy.

Could you really blame him though, the evil that was George Gillett and Tom Hicks had lied to Fernando. This wasn't the club he had signed for, promises had been broken. But they had also been telling lies to the fans and they weren't receiving £100,000+ a week for their troubles they were still having to pay out there hard-earned money to watch the club. From the summer of 2008 just a year after he had signed till the end of the last summer transfer window the cowboys had a net spend of minus £10.35 million that's the proper spending not the fantasy talk that Andy Gray and Martin Keown would have you believe. Having also acquired regular large sums of money from qualifying for the Champions League in the previous 5 years and they went on to do so again that season finishing 2nd. Throughout 5 transfer windows over 2 years they had made a profit but were still expected to close the gap on more established rivals and others with more financial backing in order to compete for the league and Champions League positions. With the sales of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, El Niño felt that the club was going backwards. Of course it was, selling players of a high-class calibre and having to bring in replacements for a fraction of the price. The number one aim was to cover the debt repayments and not win trophies. Rafa Benitez has received a lot of criticism in the press, injuries in his last 12 months at the club the worst in his 6 years, left Liverpool 7th. The players that were brought in weren't bad players and were very good value as many are showing now but the English media had there scapegoat and they were sticking with him. Top 4 finishes were expected on bottom 4 budgets.

Having spoken to a journalist as this was unfolding he said to me that Torres had asked Man City in the summer of 2009 to come back in for him the following summer. That summer Liverpool had finished 2nd but it was obvious to him inside the club that things were on the slide. Many have said that his body language and lack of form in the last 6 months indicated he has wanted out for a while. Since when the likes of Jamie Redknapp found time to study body language remains unknown, I thought body language was a very difficult subject to master but all of a sudden everyone's an expert. Players body language changes regularly through out a game depending on whether the play falls for them or not, that's just human emotion. Some only break into a wry smile when they score. The only times you would see a happy Torres was when he was scoring goals, the fact that Fernando is a quiet lad would emphasise this all the more. How often did Eric Cantona or now Dimitar Berbatov operate on the pitch with a Cheshire grin. That is not to say he didn't look disheartened at times but so would you forced to chase endless long balls like a headless chicken. Having been injured at the end of last season and played through the World Cup not fully fit it was always going to take time for Liverpool's number 9 to get up and running, the lack of a proper pre-season for the third season was bound to take its toll.

Then came Roy Hodgson, a lack of effort was blamed by many on the striker, but tactics so poorly suited to him and the team more than showed. Long ball after long ball was pumped either into the air for the lone front man to try to win or regular punts down the line to run after. When two were played upfront the lack of one to drop off and link up the play happened all to often. With Liverpool sitting back and not keeping possession the lack of support for Torres was very apparent. It was all very Sunday League. In 21 games Torres scored 6 goals that's 0.28 goals per game (gpg). Enter King Kenny and a return to the high pressing and passing game of the Rafa years. Balls played on the floor past the defence to run on to and passes to feet. The forward scored 3 goals in 5 games (0.6 gpg) and hit the woodwork twice.

The timing of his move to Chelsea has been the one that has upset the Liverpool fans the most. He was not allowed to leave last summer whilst the sale process of the club was taking place. But many felt with new owners and a new manager that understands the club, things were on the up. But clearly Torres feels he hasn't got the time to wait. The timing has a lot to do with Chelsea after all it was them that made the late bid ensuring that Man City had already made their striker move in the transfer window bringing in Edin Dzeko. But could things have not waited till the summer ? Not in Abramovich's eyes or Torres's who see this as a chance to win the Champions League this season. The leaving of Fernando Torres was more about the player as a symbol of the club than the actual player himself, everyone has a price. For a player that turns 27 next month with a history of muscle problems, £50 million is a massive gamble. History shows players that rely on their pace but played heavily when younger rarely have much impact entering there 30's. Michael Owen was 25 in 2005 when Newcastle paid £16 million for him 4 years later he left for nothing having only played 71 times. Ronaldo was 30 when he left Real Madrid in 2007 he played just 20 times for AC Milan in 18 months.


Was Chelsea a good move ? Well only time will tell but joining a club that will need heavy investment in the near future due to an ageing squad is perhaps not the wisest. Financial Fair Play rules will ensure that this isn't the start of another mass spending spree for the London side. Tactically it doesn't make much sense either Torres has always performed better as a lone striker, trying to fit him and Didier Drogba into the same side won't be an easy task. To get the best out of Torres the team needs to be built round him as it was at Liverpool and Atletico Madrid. Are Torres best years behind him anyway ? Will he ever hit the heights that he did under Rafa Benitez ? 72 goals in 116 games (0.62 gpg) under Rafa was due to a number of reasons, a player at his peak, tactics suited to his style of play and a manager that provided in-depth analysis on opposing defenders. One of Rafa's strongest points is his ability to get the best out of pacy striker just ask Samuel Eto. Rafa's time at Inter might not have been his finest moment but the Cameroon striker returned to the goalscoring form that we had previously seen at Barcelona. Could Rafa be the next Chelsea manager as some have suggested. Well if he is that won't be because of Fernando Torres who was reported to have been one of the senior players happy to see the back of him at Liverpool.

Some have said that spending £50 million on a world-class striker is no more short-term than spending £35 million on an unproven striker on the last day of the transfer window. But this is ignoring obvious factors. I had heard from a journalist that Newcastle had agreed a fee on the Friday for £25 million in principle. Mike Ashley difficult to deal with ? Who would have thought. However as this can't be proved here are the other factors. Andy Carroll is a 22-year-old English striker with potential that has not been seen in an English forward for a while, well since Manchester United paid £27 million for an unproven Wayne Rooney in 2004. Taking into consideration inflation I don't remember to many criticising that deal. With rules changing for more homegrown players to be included into squads, English players will continue to be more expensive than there foreign counterparts. The sell on factor is a big influence for John Henry and his gang. In 3 years time both Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez will still be able to command fees for in the region of which they were brought. Will Torres at 30 years old ?


Why couldn't Liverpool not just save the money until the summer where better value could have been found ? Well from this summer Financial Fair Play rules will start to be taken into consideration. Teams will only be able to spend what they have earned in revenue or what they have earned from player sales. Having been in communication with the excellent Swiss Ramble, I am now aware that both Chelsea and Liverpool like all clubs will have there transfer fees amortised meaning that the transfer fee and wages will be added up and divided by the length of there contracts. This will show up on there accounts for the length of Torres, Carroll and Suarez's stay at there respective clubs which if contracts are seen out is the next 5 and a half years. It would have perhaps been better from a financial aspect for Liverpool to have waited, however the criticism the new owners would have taken from the media and the fans meant that immediate action was required. Both in selling a player that could potentially disrupt the dressing room and in buying a replacement. Had they not brought Andy Carroll they would have been labelled the same as the previous owners, selling one of the best players without adequate replacements.

The deal was best for all parties in the end but would he have been better at Man City ?

Well as a side that is still tactically evolving with younger players, then it might have suited him better. The 4-3-3 system that Roberto Mancini operates would have suited him as the lone striker, perhaps with Tevez and Silva playing off him. In 18 months time it's debatable what the difference between Liverpool and Chelsea will be. The gap is a lot more likely to be bigger between them and Man City than it is between the two of them, as City have invested heavily in the last 3 years to put there future on a stronger plane. Both on and off the pitch David Silva would have made things easier for Fernando. But Chelsea are in the Champions League now !
The short-term thinking suggests that Torres himself knows he may not be at his highest level in 3 years time it was now or never. A certain other fast striker left Liverpool in 2004 at the end of a transfer window. Stating he wanted to win the Champions League and Premiership. That season Liverpool won the European Cup for a 5th time. Since then he has had continued injury problems and only has a Carling cup to his name. He will probably secure a Premiership trophy this season but at 31 years old and only a bit part player will he really feel he has a) deserved it or b) even have played enough games to qualify for a medal. One thing that did stand out as the world-class Spanish striker arrived at Chelsea 15 or so fans were their to greet him. Meanwhile at Melwood in the region of a hundred supporters, mobbed and chanted songs at their new unproven number 9.

Would a trophy for Fernando Torres at Chelsea or even Liverpool mean as much as one for Atletico Madrid who last season won the Europa League ?

Best of Jornada 22 in La Liga

Time to pay homage to those players that really impressed this past week.


GOAL:

Just for that awesome save that was just out of this world, My hat goes off to Vicente Guaita from Valencia. Incredible piece of skill and timing against Hercules in the derby Valenciano. What vision! What reflexes! What a stretch! Mystifying.


DEFENSE:

Kudos go to a player out of position (Eliseu), an over the hill veteran (Ballasteros) and one who stepped up to the captaincy (Fernando Navarro).

Normally a left winger, Eliseu was asked to play at Left Back for Pellegrini in the Andaluz derby against Sevilla. That said, he was solid and handled his defensive and offensive duties with ease. Shame the finishing by the anchovies was lacking.

Big, thick, over the hill, these are some of the names often heard by Sergio Ballasteros, but this week the central defender had a massive game (no pun intended). He was part of the five man defensive wall, that coach Luis Garcia played at the back against the red hot Villarreal in El Madrigal. The Granotes surprised the Yellow Submarines and Ballasteros did the same. Quality display.

Fernando Navarro was one of the few shining stars for Sevilla in the Andaluz derby. He came through with some critical tackles to halt the Malaga attack and the Euro champion let his actions speak, as he allowed very little goal penetration by the opposing side.


MIDFIELD:

Brasilian superstar, Rikki Kaka had one of his best games with Los Merengues this season. He played with calmness, stealth and velocity. He opened the flood gates, with the opening goal against Real Sociedad at the Bernabeu. The best man on the pitch without a doubt.

After a poor run of form and a consecutive string of losses, Getafe came back to life and trounced Deportivo La Coruña. The one man who was involved in nearly every single play was Jaime Gavilan. Incredible game.

Solid in the center and even bagging a goal, Hernan Bernardello has been a key player for Almería over the past few games. The ex-Newell's hard man has really made the difference for the little Andalusian club. He was instrumental in holding the win against a very difficult Espanyol.

The trickster, el travieso Iker Muniain has been playing out of his skin. The 17 year old enganche received his first call up tothe Spain U-21s and was eager to show Coach Milla that this was not a fluke. Against Sporting Gijon, he started on the wings, but moved into the middle and became the sublime playmaker. I love watching this kid grow and fulfill his potential at Athletic, in front of our very eyes. He is the real deal. It was fantastic to see him play with Ander and Javi Mar in the U-21s this week, as well.


UPFRONT


Messi, Messi, Messi - hat trick king extraordinaire now tied with Cristiano Ronaldo for the pichichi. He ran rampage over Atletico de Madrid with ease. Doesn't he link up so well with Alves, El Guaje Villa and Pedro?

Cristiano Ronaldo was fit to be tied. He is obsessed over that pichichi trophy, so he netted two against Real Sociedad. Incredible drive and skills.

Finally Getafe's coach Michel plays two strikers upfront and brings back Adrian Colunga into the starting eleven. Well, the ex-Recreativo striker proved his worth by scoring a brace and spurring the team on to win in the process. Colunga started off the season slow and nervy, but it looks like the mighty mite has finally found his groove. Stupendous game.


GUAITA (VALENCIA); ELISEU (MALAGA), BALLASTEROS (LEVANTE), FERNANDO NAVARRO (SEVILLA); KAKA (REAL MADRID), GAVILAN (GETAFE), BERNARDELLO (ALMERIA), MUNIAIN (ATHLETIC); MESSI (BARCELONA), RONALDO (REAL MADRID), COLUNGA (GETAFE)