Strike: Is it the right solution?

Rafa Acal Jimenez (@pspasfctweets) from the Sevilla NYC Peña (Peña Sevillista Puerta de America), with a different spin on the current player strike in La Liga.

This whole issue with the delay of La liga because the players felt their interests were not taking into account has made me wonder that the resolution of striking, and therefore leaving fans all over the world without futbol has perhaps, greater consequences.

There are many presidents that have expressed their opinion about the strike. Del Nido [Sevilla FC], although understanding the player’s concerns, was against the strike. The reason? Well, let’s focus on Sevilla FC, a team that has completely revamped it's starting eleven. They have invested a decent amount of money to tweak the team and improve on last year’s performance. Some of the money invested in players is thought or expected to be recovered with a spot in European Tournaments. The fear is that the number of members can decrease if this doesn’t occur. There is a lot at stake for the club and financially, strike is a poor choice.

With no league, players don’t get to execute what is taught during the training sessions and see that the coach is right. There is a lack of evaluation of methods. Players don’t get into a routine. The way I see it, Spanish teams participating in the Champions League or Europa League are in a weaker position compared to its rivals. This was obvious on Thursday during Hannover 96 – Sevilla FC [Europa League]. It was debated how well positioned were the Germans. They have already played five games so it was clear it took them way less time to get into the game. From a team’s development, strike is also a bad choice.

So, what are we going to do now? We need futbol!!!

La Lambretta Radio: La Liga Bilingual Podcast #7

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


Some of today's highlights:

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

Plus much, much more.


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


Listen below, on itunes, ivoox or here.


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The SemiFinals of all SemiFinals!

Guest Blog: Rapheal Harry

Gladiators Ready: The arenas have been prepared, seats cleaned, even the gods will be taking two days off this week to watch the gladiators from Barcelona, Gelsenkirchen, Madrid and Manchester take on each other in the first round of the Champions League semi-finals. The gods have asked for blood and they want plenty of it and the gladiators know that too and are ready to prove that only the BEST would be welcomed in Wembley, come the day of the final. As the crowds get ready to feast on not only wine and bread (how on earth did they get satisfied on such back then?) but on the eye catching moves, raw skills and fantastic team-work and the genius of coaches, we take one final look at the four teams.

Schalke FC vs Manchester United

Too many Man Utd fans are happy that they got this draw, Schalke on paper are the easiest team. They are the only team out of the final four that are not in the top two of their league, but are they one of Europe's best this season? I say yes. They have stopped teams such as Lyon, Benfica, Valencia and Inter in their tracks on their way to the semis. Unlike Spurs who have gotten more praise, they have taken down teams that were all in their peak when they came up roses against them. Schalke were the ones who, based on domestic form were struggling, but in Europe they saw everyone as equals and got their results. Schalke may not be nearly as easy as Man Utd. fans would have hoped for, and if we are to go by history, this is similar to when United came up against Dortmund and Leverkusen in the semis; everyone expected the Red Devils in the finals, but if there's one thing German teams are good at doing it is taking down opponents from every league down. Last season Bayern knocked Man Utd. out and in Schalke you have someone who knows what victory over United tastes like in the goal king of Europe: Raul Gonzalez Blanco. Schalke do not have any point to prove and that's why they are a bigger threat right now. They have a defense that can't stop leaking goals in the Bundesliga, but have been stronger in Europe although when comparing all four teams defense they have conceded the most. They do make up in attack and have scored in all their matches except for two away games. They have knowns and unknowns in their attack from Raul, Hunteelar, Charisteas (a European Cup winner), to the exciting Gavronovic, and a reborn Edu. Boy they do have a lot of goal scorers who can turn up for such occasions, but the main men will be Raul, Farfan and Jurado. Unless he goes back on his word, Raul is most likely playing his last season in Europe, but he will leave with a bang, whether or not Schalke goes through. He'll get at least 2 goals.

Now the Red Devils have had a nightmare of a season when it comes to injuries, but the good news is that the nightmare is over and not only do they have players returning back from injury, they have them returning back to form and boosting their overall confidence and morale. In Chicharito Hernandez (one of my favorites and breakout star of the season), they possess one of Europe's deadliest young goal poachers. Small but fast, as soon as he smells the goal he develops a lighting speed to deliver; he'll be very much a key to the Red Devils cause. Another big factor is the availability of Rio Ferdinand. While Vidic has featured in every game for United, that said they are two of Europe's best defenders. There seems to be a certain calmness he brings to United this season which has been absent when he has been injured. Barring any injuries, if Ferdinand and Vidic suit up against Schalke, the Germans will have to be at their very best to get a result. Antonio Valencia and the in form Nani along with Rooney may be too much for Schalke to handle if they bring their A game to the table. Where United may have a problem is with old man Scholes. He still has class, but craziness he has plenty of; that rash tackle is always a factor and a red card is waiting to be flashed.

There's one player that many United fans would be very interested in seeing: Manuel Neuer. They'll be hoping that he replaces Van der Saar, although he's most likely to sign for Bayern Munich as it stands. He is the best goalkeeper of this season´s Champions League and I see him in the same class as Casillas, Buffon, and Van der Sar. He will be a great acquisition for whichever team he joins.

Real Madrid vs Fc Barcelona

I can taste the blood already as I write. I can see the fire in the eyes of the players, fans and coaches. Luckily for us the gods arranged an appetizer before the kickoff: the clashes last weekend, midweek in La Liga and the Copa del Rey Final. Based on current results, the advantage is in Real Madrid´s corner. Madrid has Barca exactly where she wants them to be. Madrid has not gone on an advertising campaign like Barca did on their trip to the Bernabeu for the league showdown, pasting commercials with talk of 'la manita' and pictures of her players showing five fingers and referring to the 5-0 victory in November. The Barcelona President said Barcelona would thrash Madrid 5-0 in the Bernabeu. Madrid did not respond. What did that tell the world whose journalists weren't paying the right attention? Madrid was mad and felt the insults, so the powers hat be must have made it known to Mou to go ahead and stop Barca. Mr. Mourinho looked at the comments and talks from Nou Camp as the setting for a perfect stage for him to cement his status as the Number 1 coach in the game. So he did what he usually does best. Last year when Inter faced Barca in the group stage, many complained of their performance in La Liga after the 1-1 draw. Everyone from chief Noisemaker Cruyff to Madrid´s Living Legend Di Stefano blasted Mourinho´s tactics, but after the Copa del Rey final where Barcelona played 80 minutes without a shot on goal the criticisms all of a sudden disappeared. People started recognizing that beautiful football is not just about having 70% possession, but smash and grab tactics can also be a sight to behold with the right discipline. The Copa del Rey showed Barca´s and Pep Guardiola´s number 1 weakness: only one style to offer. Mourinho could switch Pepe to the midfield, CR7 upfront, later to the wings, all tactical versatility. Barcelona kept playing the same way for 110 minutes until all of a sudden they started loading the balls upfront (so much for being beautiful football ambassadors - I'm pretty sure Cruyff didn't see that). Now Pep has another chance to prove Mou wrong. Let's see if he can.

Real Madrid has three deadly strikers, each one different from the other and easily can fit into whatever game plan Mou intends to use. Pepe could once again be deployed in the midfield where he has been so successful for Madrid; it's not a new position for him, he been playing there for Portugal. What will be interesting to see is if Mou should move Sergio Ramos into the center of defense and play Arbeloa at right back or throw in Garay? I'm going with Ramos for the suspended Carvalho. While I expect to see Lass in the starting XI if Khedira does not recover. Get ready to see Madrid take advantage of the depleted left back position of Barcelona.

I wouldn't be surprised if Pep tries to add extra protection in his midfield, he did the same when facing Pelligrini´s Real Madrid, playing Maxwell and Abidal on the left, or when Puyol played right back and Alves in the midfield in another encounter. Guardiola is in a situation where many are beginning to see his weaknesses. He'll never have it as good as he did with this Barca squad anyways, so it's up to him to make it happen. He has the personnel, but his personnel rely on certain factors to be able to deliver, such as Xavi dictating the play, Iniesta driving the passes forward and Alves camping in the opponents' half of the field, or Villa and Pedro making well timed runs. But when such factors do not happen, you have Messi coming into the Barcelona half to take the ball and take matters into his hand, then there's trouble. Messi is fast and is strong but not faster than Cristiano Ronaldo and defensively CR7 beats him. Cristiano can lay deep and burst out on the counters. Messi prefers the possession and control style. The last two Classicos have showed one thing: Ronaldo has more adaptability than Messi does. Messi thrives in the Barca style of play which is why he plays different for Argentina, but Cristiano can play in the possession style, counter attack style and thrive in all.

One very important thing Barcelona will have to avoid if they are not to get defeated again is to address the issue of set pieces. Madrid has bigger players and they are very deadly in the air, from CR7, Higuain, Adebayor, Benzema, Alonso, Ramos, Albiol, Arbeloa and Pepe. They all possess a threat from every set piece. Barcelona has lacked the discipline defensively to prevent such and if they continue as they have in the last two clasicos, then they'll definitely lose.

Europa League

In the spirit of the La Liga campaign and my dream of having two champions from La Liga in Europe this season, Villareal are the only team that can prevent an all Portuguese final from happening in the Europa league, but they´ll have to stop Portuguese Champions elect FC Porto and one of the hottest coaches in the game in Andrés Villas-Boas. This is a fixture that's worthy of being the final just as we have the clasico semifinal in the UCL. The yellow subs are more than capable of stopping FC Porto but should be prepared to burn a lot of energy in getting the results they need against a team that's unbeaten domestically. The good news is that the only defeat Porto has tasted in Europe came at the hands of Spanish side Sevilla. Villareal are fantastic at keeping the ball but they have to convert their chances whenever they show up. They have so far failed when up against Barcelona and Madrid this season. They started well, which means they can start strong against Porto, but how they end will decide if they can make it.

With all been said the stage is set for the gladiators to deliver and spill some BLOOD.

La Liga vs Europe: FIRST BLOOD

We are back from the break. Nice as it may have been, most of us couldn't wait for battle to resume amongst the Gladiators on the Big Arena of Europe. La Liga's Gladiators return to the big stage in their quest for the ultimate prize for club football's quintessential trophy. So we begin our analysis / predictions for the 1st leg of battle, starting with the Europa League...


Napoli vs Villareal: For neutral lovers of La Liga and Serie A, these two teams have a huge followings. I believe this game has the ability to turn into one of the best games of the year. Both teams move the ball in a sweet manner and play very attractive football. Villareal holds a slight edge over Napoli in the fact that they possess a more complete squad and did very good not to lose any key performers despite the huge offers that came their way in January. It remains to be seen if Nilmar will be fully fit to join his strike partner Rossi in the first leg, but the rest of the squad has comfortably delivered without the Brasilian striker. This game should boil down to little details like first goal, the ability to maintain discipline etc, I'll stick my neck out for a draw in this one.



Sevilla vs FC Porto: How the mighty have truly fallen! Sevilla honestly look like Getafe right now. They can't deliver back to back victories and they do not seem to have an established goal that they want to achieve. I doubt they would be able to stop Porto. That said, they did add some key players to their squad during the winter market. I'm not sure on Rakitic ( whose price was a huge steal), If he is eligible to play, then Porto would be looking at a much different Sevilla. He clearly would be one to deliver the services that Sevilla strikers have been praying for. That said, Porto are in good form, got a bigger squad and have the Portuguese factor working for them (Braga already dealt with Sevilla). It would be hard for Sevilla to knick a draw in this one, which is the best result scenario I see Sevilla achieving.



To the Champions League, where the Gladiators are ready to spill blood, 3 games against teams from the big 5 leagues of Europe. It should be fun!


Arsenal vs Barçelona: Let's visit one of Europe's most popular cities London. As the Gunners try to prove that they are Men who can stop the Blaugrana assassins from blowing them to pieces. Can Arsenal in all fairness achieve such a feat? Well in football they say "Never say Never" until the final whistle is blown..... but I say a big NO, not this Arsenal side which is still no different from the past Arsenal teams. They have the same problem of not knowing what to do with possession and they do not play like a team that has the capacity to withstand Barsa's pressure. Their defense is not at par with teams such as Valencia, Villareal or Madrid and these are defenses that Barsa has bursted through. But maybe this might just be their lucky day and their defense could stand strong and Barcelona would just forget that it's a champions league game...... Barcelona wins 3-1.



Olympique Lyonais vs Real Madrid; This is a match a lot of Madridistas been waiting for. This game has become one of the most regular fixtures in the Champions League. It has been a matchup for 5 straight seasons. It makes one wonder if the gods of the game were trying to correct an anomaly. Lyon has had it good for the past 4 seasons and funny thing is that their performances have continued to dwindle every season after wins against Madrid. Right now Lyon has lost it's fear factor in Ligue 1 and it seems to be rubbing off on them in Europe. But they still are a formidable opponent, come rain or shine. Meanwhile Real has this jinx that they need to put to rest, and with Barcelona currently blowing away at the top of La Liga, Real might just put more attention and focus on the Champions League. The Loss of Higuain is still being felt, but the still got huge assets in the attack with Benzema and Adebayor. They both have experienced the Lyon firepower and know how Lyon plays. Lyon have also lost Makoun to the EPL. He was quite a handfull in their midfield. This game has been following a strange trend over the last four seasons...... 3-0,2-0,1-0 this might be a sign that Lyon dominance of Madrid has come to an end and Mourinho's men could finally break the Lyon cycle and round of 16 jinx at the same time. I predict the first leg will end in a draw or Real Madrid victory.



Valencia vs Schalke: Lastly we look at the toughest game of the knockout stage (Yes i said it and stand by it), Two teams currently in the shadows of the bigger boys in their various leagues and not having the best of seasons. Valencia has had a better league campaign so far when compared to her German counterparts, Valencia had a strong performance in the group stage and could have easily topped their group, if their coach was willing to show more guts. Now they are in the knockout stage and it's a do or die affair, now, no time to play safe, Los Che need that result at home before going to Deustchland which is no friendly place for any team to visit and earn an easy result. Los Che didn't lose any key starter in the transfer market, which is another good sign for them. Schalke lost Rakitic and Jones. Right now the momentum should be with Valencia but Schalke do bring to the table some players who do know La Liga inside out and have tasted victory in the Mestalla. Raul, Mertzelder, Jurado and even Huntelaar do know what the Mestalla has to offer and Raul has poached a few goals in same staduim. But still Valencia should be able to worsen things for Felix Magath's side and get that victory. 2-0 or 3-1 to Los Che is my prediction.



Final round up: In summary, I believe after the first leg matches, 4 of La Liga's Gladiators will have one foot in the next round of the knockout phase.

Article by Rapheal Harry for Forza Futbol.

LA LIGA vs EUROPA: Mid Season Review

We have come to the end of the first half of the European season. It’s been two different tales in the different competitions. It’s been a huge success in the Champions League, all 3 teams that got into the group stage made it into the knockout stage in comfortable styles. But the Europa league is where performances were kind of disappointing. But there’s still hope for 2 La Liga teams lifting up both trophies come May.


Europa League

We begin in the Europa League, it has been a disappointing campaign of La Liga's representatives, defending champion Atletico Madrid were by far the most disappointing performance, they woke up too late and got knocked out. It’s easy to blame same old problem that has always bugged the Madrid team - inconsistency, but this time I won’t. Going into a season right after a World Cup can be funny and I think Atletico Madrid is one of those teams that suffered a World cup burnout. Forlan looks completely lost and seriously needs a Holiday (he is now hurt), el Kun has been rushed from injury and is simply not back to his best and Simao well he is already moving on to new adventures. But still it’s no excuse for been knocked out in the first round and losing to Aris Salonika. They simply decided that La Liga was going to be the major focus and stuck to it. As for Getafe, they simply were better off getting out of Europa and focusing on La Liga.

Congratulations to Villarreal and Sevilla who made to it to the next round and will be lifting La Ligas Flag high and proud. Villarreal did a good job in qualifying for the next round, but Sevilla kinda makes me think they might be the next ones out of the competition, based on group stage performance. Good thing there is plenty of time until February for the next matches, both teams should be refreshed and good to go. They both have tough draws, last time Sevilla faced a Portuguese team they failed miserably. Now they up against a bigger and stronger squad in FC Porto. I hope they don’t get thrashed by Barcelona anytime before facing Porto. Villarreal take on the last remaining Italian team, Napoli. It's not gonna be easy, but Villarreal has the extra quality to go through and should.

Final note the best La Liga player of the round, I’ll give to Rossi, with 5 goals he is 2 behind Falcao of FC Porto (they’ll be facing Sevilla). Rossi gets my vote cause he is having an awesome season. He has been on fire in La Liga and maintains the and same form in Europe. Consistency deserves recognition. After all the Messi's, Xavi's, CR7's have been getting all the kudos, so I see nothing wrong in recognizing an often underrated player, who gets the job done. To Giuseppe Rossi I say “Bravo”!


Champions League

Now to the Champions League, it's been a great adventure this season, only one defeat (which was a result of scare tactics), La Liga simply blew away most of it's opponents (though I got to hand it to Copenhagen). Los Blanco’s are looking much better and gradually restoring their confidence. The rest of Europe should and will fear them. Barcelona don’t need any more praises and they finally got a win against Rubin Kazan.


My focus would be on Los Che, They are my La Liga team of the UCL. They earned some amazing results and showed that not only Real and Barsa know how to score goals. If Unai Emery had been more adventurous, I believe they could have beaten Manchester United home and away. They scored twice the number of goals than Manchester United and finished second to scored, scored same amount of goals as did Losblanco and one higher Barcelona and conceded only 4. For a team that lost two of its major weapons and going through a financial crisis, I must say they told Europa that they still mean business. Also another reason I declared Los Che as the best team from La liga in Europa is the beauty of the goals scored. That dude Topal scored some blazing, smoking goals. I’m already a fan.

It’s not just all roses for Valencia, of the 3 La liga teams going into the knockout battle, they still have most of the work to be carried out. Their biggest problem is their coach. Emery is a good coach no doubt, but he sometimes plays too conservative. When you can’t venture out and take those risks, well you don’t win trophies or go far doing so. Against Man Utd, he had a great opportunity to make a huge statement but yet he choose safety. He has done an amazing job delivering such a performance with a team many didn’t give a chance, but he needs to step out of that comfort zone every now and then, especially in the big games. Finally Los Che may need an extra central defender. Maybe it’s just me, but I think the combination of Navarro and Costa is not enough.

Los Blanco and Blaugrana Fans, what else do you want me to say about you guys? You're both awesome and doing great. Yes, before I forget the draws for the knockout stages have been made and we have two matches from last season again, I believe both La Liga teams should win and go through against Lyon and Arsenal. Valencia against Schalke should be a special game as the La Liga and Los Blanco modern hero, el Capitan himself Raul Gonzalez Blanco returns to Spain for the first time after leaving Real. Unfortunately I’ll be cheering against him and Schalke.

Feliz Navidad Amigos, see you all in 2011.

Article by: Raphael Harry for Forza Futbol.com

Home Grown Is All Right With Me

I wanted to take a deeper look at the UEFA home grown rule and the effect on La Liga, now that it has been implemented for a couple of years. On the surface, it does not appear that there have been any drastic changes in squads, especially in Spain. Youth development has always been a big part of Spanish football, especially considering the current economic down turn.

The whole premise of the UEFA's home grown rule is to protect young players and youth development, in light of the Bosman rule. The Bosman rule removed any form of restriction on the number of non-national players able to sign for a club. As a result, clubs could recruit far and wide, all over the world, for the next Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo. UEFA did not want to see clubs giving up on the canteras and reserve teams. They did not want to see less and less locally trained players without a chance to break into the first team.

UEFA felt a locally trained player rule aka home grown rule would promote training and the competitiveness of each league. It would help prevent player "hoarding" by the big clubs, and preserve local culture and identity. In addition, UEFA wanted to address the movement of minors. They did not want to encourage clubs to sign even younger players from outside of Europe or their particular country. In a nutshell the message is clear. European players should be trained to play, not bought and sold like commodities.

From the 2008/09 season, clubs who participate in the Champions League and Europa League, have been required to maintain a minimum of eight home grown players in a squad limited to 25. These clubs are not required to field a certain number of locally trained players, as this would be in violation of European law. Match day selection is up to the coach or manager.

UEFA defines "home grown" players as those "trained by their club or another club in the same national association for at least three years, between the age of 15 and 21, regardless of nationality. Up to half have to be from the club itself, with the others from clubs in the same league."

Let's take a look on the rule's effect on Spanish football. Villarreal has put more of an emphasis on youth development, as opposed to the early Pellegrini days when the focus was more on buying young South Americans directly for the first team. Sevilla and Atlético Madrid have also started developing more players from within. Sevilla has refocused on their cantera aka Sevilla Atlético. Last season the youngsters played in Second division after 40 years. Unfortunately, they were relegated again, but it is a testament to the clubs focus on youth training and education, that made this happen.

Atléti, which used to be comprised of mostly foreign stars, has now developed De Gea, Dominguez, Mario Suarez among others. Definitely a move with Europe in mind. Valencia and Barçelona have not needed to change as they have always fielded several Spanish players. Valencia buys their home grown players more so than Barça, with the most successful cantera, who nurtures from within. Real Madrid needed to move fast to purchase a few young Spanish nationals to replace the departures of Guti and Raúl, as they were nearly in jeopardy of violating the home grown rule.

So all in all, no drastic changes, but a natural progression for some of the Spanish clubs. A move in the right direction to adhere to the UEFA regulations. Fortunately, the cantera has always been critical to the survival of La Liga teams. Add to that, the competition of playing in Segunda B and Segunda A (Barça B and Villarreal B this year), it is essential to the development of local talent at the highest level in Spain.

UPDATE ON TV REVENUES AND WINTER TRANSFERS

The more you get into Spanish Football, the more you realize that it is a reflection of Spanish culture, society, economics, and that in itself makes it truly unique and an odd bird at times.

The Spanish clubs historically negotiated their respective TV rights, further adhering to the provincial nature of Spain. This has led to a huge disparity of the haves (Real Madrid and Barçelona) and the have nots (everyone else besides the aforementioned big two) along with a tenuous middle class (Valencia, Sevilla, Atlético, Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao).

At last, the Spanish federation, club owners, etc have realized that they are falling further and further behind the English Premership, Bundesliga, etc, who sell TV revenues collectively. In addition, the current system is not sustainable considering the Spanish economy and debt laden clubs. Thus, there have been a series of meetings to change the Spanish model, when the majority of the Spanish clubs' current deals end. The actual details of how to distribute the 600 - 900 million dollar pot is the bone of contention.

Last week, the big two (RM and Bar), made a joint proposal to the 20-team representatives as follows: 34% to the big two, 11% to Valencia and Atlético Madrid and the remaining 55% to the rest of the league. Sevilla, Villarreal and a few other teams made a counterproposal to divide 40% evenly among the 20 clubs and the balance or 60% spread based on each team's annual performance. No agreement or consensus has been made except to meet again Oct 22nd.

The biggest proponents of change are the aforementioned middle class. Currently Athletic Bilbao is the 5th most watched team in Spain, but ranks 8th on the list in TV Revenues. Getafe's current deal is larger than Athletic's.

Parachute payments for relegation, docking points when teams file for administration, an investment cap and spending cap to curb debt, are all under consideration as well.


GOOD NEWS WINTER TRANSFER MARKET CHANGES

The current rule that restricts a Spanish club from signing a player from another Spanish team who has played five games in the league is now history. This restriction has been appealed because it is viewed as going against the employment rights of football players.

The rule originally was enacted in the spirit of trying to stop the stronger teams from pillaging the smaller ones. But in the end it hurt the smaller teams as well, in that they could not strengthen their squads. All in all, the rule was archaic and a bit silly, so this is good news.

Of course there are still Champions League and Europa league restrictions in regards to Winter transfers.