AT MADRID DEFENDER MIRANDA TO INTER MILAN

After months of speculation, Spanish Sports paper "Marca" confirms that Brazilian International & Atletico de Madrid Central Defender Miranda will be signed by Italian Club Inter Milan.

new Inter milan player 2015

Miranda is currently in the city of Milan under going the regulatory medical examination before signing his new contract with Inter. The Brazilian was being followed by other Clubs, including Chelsea FC, but Inter Coach Mancini made it a priority for next season.

The player leaves 15 M€ in the Atletico de Madrid bank account plus opens the way for young Uruguayan International defender Gimenez to be the regular Central Defender along side his fellow countryman Godin to secure the Atletico defence. 

Wish Miranda all the luck in the World at Inter. The Italian Club has signed a very fine defender.

REAL MADRID TRANSFER NEWS | BIGLIA - CASILLAS

News out from Italy, precisely from "La Gazzetta Dello Sport", publishes that Spanish Football Club Real Madrid has contacted (asked about) 29 year old Argentine & Lazio Central Defender Lucas Biglia. The player is sounding - along with others - as a possible substitute for Sergio Ramos in case the latter does not come to an agreement over his contract renewal with Real Madrid.

There is rumour that Real Madrid offered 22 M€ which Lazio rejected because they value Biglia around the 30M€ plus mark. A news piece that could be motivated by other interests as it appears that Manchester City & Paris St Germain could be competing to sign the Argentine.

Real Madrid interest 2015

Meanwhile staying with Real Madrid, other news is that goalkeeper Iker Casillas has an offer from AC Roma which is to his liking. The Italian Club knowing well the complicated situation of Casillas with Real Madrid & the latter desire to find an exit, has only offered a 3M€ per season salary (he now earns 8M€) & wants the player without a transfer fee. The solution would be that Real Madrid pay his salary difference of his remaining 2 year contract. 

Stay tuned on both fronts!

CARLOS BACCA GOES TO AC MILAN

Spanish Football & Sevilla FC will lose a fine forward. The representative of Colombian International Carlos Bacca has announced that Italian Club AC Milan has come to an agreement with Sevilla FC to transfer player for next season. The economic amount is said to be 30M€ with a 4 seasons contract for Bacca.

New AC Milan player

Interesting to find that Bacca has sacrificed playing in Champions League next season as Milan will not participate in said competition. This makes one think that the offer made to the player was hard to knock back. 

We wish Carlos Bacca all the luck in the World at Milan & in Italian Calcio.

ARDA TURAN | GET PAID MORE RUN LESS

Turkish International 28 year old midfielder Arda Turan has officially communicated to Atletico de Madrid Directives that he wishes to leave the Club. Reasons? Two:
  • Has offers that promises more money,
  • Runs too much at Atletico de Madrid.
At Madrid 2015

What !...you may say looking at the 2º  reason, but this is what Spanish Sports paper "Marca" publish. Apparently Atletico Coach Simeone makes the Turk run too much in his tactical set-up. If this is true, its something I haven´t heard before publicly from a Football Player for wanting to leave a Club. Alternatively it could be a "Club thing" to sway public & fan opinion away from the player to allow an easier exit. 

Either way, Turan has apparently a Paris St Germain offer & a possible FC Barcelona offer as well with one of the Club Presidential candidates - Bartolmeo. Also there is rumour that Manchester United may also be asking & talking with the player.

Atletico de Madrid has it clear; for any Spanish Club its 41M€ + VAT (contract release clause), if the offer comes from outside Spain the Club will negotiate the transfer price. 

Stay tuned as we all await to see an official offer from another Club. If no offer arrives, Arda Turan will continue, he has contract with At Madrid until 2017. In this last case, who knows Coach Simeone may make the Turk run a little bit more. 

REAL MADRID | SERGIO RAMOS ALTERNATIVES

If you were to ask me if I see defender Sergio Ramos elsewhere next season that is not Real Madrid my answer is NO. As written below there is a solid arm wrestle going on between the player & Real Madrid to better players contract & economic conditions. Each is using their cards to get the upper-hand with half stories & even non-truths. 

Sergio Ramos has played a wild card that may have taken things too far, that is bringing in the supposed Manchester United offer. Both parties met yesterday to calm things & apparently Ramos solicited Real Madrid to consider any extraordinary offer they could receive. Thus Ramos has opened the "exit door" forcing again the negotiations but Real Madrid President Perez - nor Coach Benitez - wish to have to push out the Central defender. Both would want Ramos to stay.

My "gut" feeling is that when the burning pride of both player & President calms down they will find a middle ground to fix things. However, what if things escalate again with Ramos finally being sold to, say Man United? 

Transfer 2015 liga

Real Madrid is said to have these alternative players in mind:
  • Nicolas Otamendi (born 1988, Valencia CF): problem his 50M€ contract release clause with added VAT payment of 10.5M€. Plus he is not a EU citizen. Manchester United is also interested.
  • Leonardo Bonucci (1987 Juventus FC). Juventus has no intention of selling at this stage.
  • Laurent Koscielny (1985 Arsenal ). French International who has not found regularity at Arsenal.
  • Shkodran Mustafi (1992 Valencia CF). Valencia has not good relations with Real Madrid & the player has contract until 2019.
None, except perhaps in Otemendi are at the World class level of Ramos. But as I said - at this current moment - I don´t see Ramos leaving Real Madrid. 

Stay tuned!

SERGIO RAMOS | MAN UNITED | REAL MADRID TRIANGLE

Lots being said & written overseas (UK especially) & locally on the future of Real Madrid & Spanish International Sergio Ramos. The British press is saturated with news that the player is disgruntled with Madrid, that he has an offer on the table from Manchester United & that the defender may take it up. In fact, media sources indicate that Manchester United wishes to include Ramos in the David De Gea negotiations.

Real Madrid

Although Football is full of unexpected turns, the truth of the matter at this moment in time is that Sergio Ramos is not going anywhere. Sorry to disappoint Manchester United fans. Yes, it maybe possible that Sergio Ramos representative his brother Rene met in London earlier to discuss things with United & that there could be a 12M€ / season offer... It is however still unclear, but for this post lets suppose it does exit.

The current reality is that both Sergio Ramos & Real Madrid are locked in tough negotiations to renew his contract & with it a hefty salary rise. All means are being used by both sides to grab the upper hand, some methods are indeed sinister with false stories being filtered to media about things that are not true or half truths. The main battle now currently on is to win the public opinion.

Sergio Ramos still has 2 years of contract with Real Madrid. The defender wishes to renew but with a pay rise from 6M€ to 10M€ per season, while Real Madrid offers only 7M€. Sergio Ramos feels that his status, & that others defenders of "less" level are earning up to 12M€ elsewhere,  is  justification, & the Real Madrid offer is somewhat is a small "insult". 

With this scenario, Ramos & his advisers have began to tense the wire & the negotiations filtering stories (true or not) of multi-million offers with the added threat of leaving. Even FC Barcelona has been included with a supposed approach by the player to one of the Presidential candidates currently in campaign. 

Real Madrid is not a Club that likes these sort of games, even though they themselves resort to similar tactics to get the upper bargaining positioning. Many players have taken on Real Madrid President Florentino Perez & have lost; Higuain, Ozil, Di Maria etc (just to mention a few). Thus Sergio Ramos & his team are playing a dangerous card & things could back fire if the pulse is too strong, or they break the string. 

What seems logical is that both Ramos & Real Madrid will come to an agreement. Both will have to give a little but both wish a positive outcome & conclusion. However, if it is true that Manchester United has made a formal offer to Real Madrid & indeed offer Ramos 12M€ per season, Real Madrid could decide to let go Ramos & grab the money. Already names of alternative defenders are popping up like Otamendi (Valencia CF), Bonnuci (Juventus FC) & Hummels (Dortmund)... no one, & least in Real Madrid is any player so special, essential & important to force their way. Perhaps the exception is Cristiano Ronaldo, but he too is losing power with age. 

Stay tuned. Although locally many observers believe the power struggle will be positively solved between Ramos & Real Madrid, anything could happen. A wrong & badly interpreted message or gesture could see Ramos flying to Manchester - or elsewhere - against his true hearts desire  

ATLETICO DE MADRID TARGETS JACKSON MARTINEZ

Spanish Football Club Atletico de Madrid is very active these passed days with transfers & news breaks in local Sports media. With the departure of Croatian forward Mandzukic, news now appears that the Club has targeted Porto forward Jackson Martinez

Atletico de Madrid candidate

Apparently, the player has given his OK to the Spanish Club. Porto asks for around 35M€ as transfer price, but Atletico may put in one of their players in a possible operation to lower the price.The Atletico player rumoured is to be Mexican International Raul Jimenez.

Jackson Martinez has also been connected with Spanish Club Valencia CF & Italian Club AC Milan these past weeks as well, but Atletico seems to be well advanced in negotiations. It is not the first time that Atletico has shown interest for the Colombian there have been attempts in the past seasons.

Stay tuned!

JUVENTUS FC SIGNS MARIO MANDZUKIC

News hitting the "stands" is that Spanish Club Atletico de Madrid & Italian Champions Juventus FC have shut the transfer operation of Croatian forward Mario Mandzukic. The transfer is around 18M€ minus what Atletico still owns Bayern Munich.

Juventus signing 2015

Mandzukic has not really fit in with the style of play of Atletico de Madrid Coach Simeone, plus the imminent expected arrival of Villarreal forward Vietto has opened the doors for the Croatian. Juventus speed up the operation once it was clear the forward Carlos Tevez was out, thus Mandzukic now competes for a place along with the two Spaniards Morata & Fernando Llorente. The latter may think about moving elsewhere himself as Llorente & Mandzukic are of a similar profile. 

Thanking  Mandzukic for his services to At. Madrid & I wish him luck.

PSG THIAGO MOTTA TALKING TO AT MADRID ?

Another surprising "off season" news piece. Paris St Germain midfielder Thiago Motta is currently in the city of Madrid & local media sources say that the player is meeting up with Spanish Football Club Atletico de Madrid to discuss a possible transfer operation. Surprising because the PSG midfielder has 32 years of age & is in the "twilight" of his career. 

At Madrid candidate

Said this Coach Simeone puts a high value on senior & experimented (experienced) players for the midfield of Atletico de Madrid, & Motta has been in plenty of battles during his Football career. If this were to be true, & the transfer operation does occur, Motta will join veterans Captain Gabi & Portuguese Tiago. 

Thiago Motta is already familiar with Atletico de Madrid. He was part of the squad during the 2006-2007 season, after coming over from FC Barcelona. As you can read the midfielder has experience, knows the Club & knows Spanish Football. 

Stay tuned!

REAL MADRID THINKING ABOUT MAURO ICARDI ?

Every morning you´re slapped on the face by Spanish Sports media with a new Football player interest. Obviously a sign that the Spanish Liga has ended & media need to serve some news to keep their audiences happy.


Latest comes from Italy, concretely "Sport Mediaset", assert that new Real Madrid Coach Rafael Benitez has made a petition to the Club to sign 22 year old Argentine & Inter Milan player Mauro Icardi. The player has had a wonderful season scoring 27 goals & is being followed by the big European Clubs.

According to the said Italian source, Benitez wants Icardi to be the substitute forward for "Chicharito" Hernandez, who curiously has been linked to Inter Milan. The transfer price of the young Inter forward is around the 25M€ mark, a figure Inter will attempt to lift if all this is true.

For now, I take it for what it is, another Summer time paper selling story. Stay tuned!

SPANISH LIGA IDEAL XI TEAM SEASON 2014 - 2015

The writers - "Football Experts" - of "La Liga" website have handed in their list of players that make up the "Ideal XI Liga Team" - plus Coach - for season 2014-2015. No surprise to see that the majority of players that make up the list are from Liga Champions FC Barcelona (up to 6 players).

Best Coach was named Luis Enrique of FC Barcelona. 

Spanish Football best players 2015

The full list of the LIGA IDEAL 11 TEAM :

Goalkeeper: Claudio Bravo (CHI/FC Barcelona).

Defenders: Dani Alves (BRA/Barcelona), Nicolás Otamendi (ARG/Valencia), Gerard Pique (F C Barcelona), Jordi Alba (FC Barcelona).

Midfielders: Grzegorz Krychowiak (POL/Sevilla), Ivan Rakitic (CRO/FC Barcelona), James Rodríguez (COL/Real Madrid).

Forwards: Cristiano Ronaldo (POR/Real Madrid), Leo Messi (ARG/FC Barcelona) & Antoine Griezmann (FRA/Atletico de Madrid)

Coach: Luis Enrique Martínez (FC Barcelona).

BELARUS 0 - SPAIN 1 | EURO 2016 GROUP MATCH RESULT

Spain visited Belarus in their Euro 2016 qualifier in a must win situation, as they needed to secure the 2º place of the Group & have a chance of grabbing the 1º spot off Slovakia in the all important September Group game between both. 

The objective was achieved with a worked 0 - 1 victory over Belarus that had its moments of "danger" for Spain especially in the 2º half. Spain suffers a long term chronic problem upfront, lack of goal & effective Football to shut their matches. Said differently, plenty of ball domination - up to 65-68% - plenty of goal chances but ineffective in terms of conversions. 

Spain Football Team 2015 Photo

Spain started with the following 11 players:

Casillas; Juanfran, Pique, Ramos, Jordi Alba; Busquets, Cazorla, Cesc; Silva, Pedro & Morata.

Belarus conscious of their resources adopted to defend & attempt the counter-attack if Spain made mistakes. The first half was all Spain with plenty of opportunities to score but could not finish things off. The opener finally came in the 45th min from a free kick that the Belarus goalie could not reach & found David Silva who controlled & fired home.

Belarus - Spain 2015

The second half saw Belarus lift their game & take more risks looking for the equalizer. The home side created more chances & Spanish keeper Iker Casillas had to make two-three important saves to avoid Belarus equalizing the game. Spain looked out of place up till the 70th min when Coach Del Bosque made chances (in Vitolo, Isco...) to give new ideas upfront & fresh legs. Spain regained control & again created chances, with Morata & Silva having notable clear opportunities, but again not able to finish things off. Right up till the end of the game there were more Spanish chances but the Belarus defence & goalie stopped everything.

In the end the 0 - 1 was enough to give Spain the win & the valuable 3 points, but with a sour taste that goalscoring is a ongoing problem.

REAL MADRID PLAYER INTERESTS 2015

The negotiations, as expected, are a bit tense between Real Madrid & Manchester United over the latter's Spanish International goalkeeper David De Gea. Apart from the transfer price that big concern at United is who will replace De Gea. The objective is now to find a replacement & shut a deal with the "candidate" & his Club before giving Real Madrid the OK.

Real Madrid CF 2015

There are very little real top class young goalies, the notables being De Gea himself (24), Ter Stegen (23) & Courtois (23), the last two with long term contracts. The missing name on the list is Atletico de Madrid goalie Oblak, & guess what, this is the candidate Manchester United has chosen.

Manchester United has supposedly contacted Atletico de Madrid & expressed their interest. The operation beforehand runs into a "dead end" because the Spanish Club sees Oblak as a vital piece in its future plans, but if Atletico was to agree the Real Madrid - Manchester United deal over De Gea negotiation would be solved overnight. However, talks (& solutions) continue.

Moving on with another Real Madrid player interest, new Coach Rafael Benitez likes Monaco midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia, ex Sevilla FC player & old Real Madrid favourite in past seasons. Here, as in most cases, Real Madrid has competition from Italian Club AC Milan.

SPAIN 2 COSTA RICA 1 | INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY GAME

Spain hosted Costa Rica tonight in an International Friendly match that served as a "warm-up" for the upcoming & important Euro 2016 Group match against Belarus. Final result a 2 - 1 win for the Spanish National Football Team that could have been more had Costa Rica & Real Madrid goalkeeper Keylor Navas not made 4-5 spectacular saves. The Costa Rican goalie seemed to be sending a message out that perhaps the "true" substitute goalie for Iker Casillas is already at Real Madrid, instead of buying & bringing in another, the speculated David De Gea who watched from the other end of the field.

Spain Football Team

Spain began with a mixed team, with more substitutes than regulars.  The Spain starting XI was : 

De Gea; Carvajal, Bartra, Ramos, Bernat; San Jose, Koke, Cesc; Aleix Vidal, Nolito & Alcacer

Costa Rica caught Spain sleeping early scoring via Venegas but Spain reacted quickly & equalized through Alcacer & later went ahead via Fabregas:

Goals:
5th min Venegas 0 - 1
7th min Alcacer 1 - 1 
30th min Cesc Fabregas 1 - 2

The second half Spain dominated play & Keylor Navas put on his particular show of saves that kept the scoreline as it was until the end. Spain relaxed towards the final minutes & Costa Rica could have equalized but Bryan Ruiz missed a clear opportunity. 

Spain suffered some injuries with Vidal - debut match - suffering a back knock & Pique a muscle itch after coming on in the mid 2º half.

IKER CASILLAS TO LEAVE REAL MADRID

News has "exploded" out from Spanish state TV - TVE - that Real Madrid & Spanish International goalkeeper Iker Casillas has decided to look elsewhere next season, that is, he will leave the Club after 16 years in the elite & 25 years from starting in the youth sides. The player himself has not confirmed or denied yet the story but it has been picked up by all local papers & media as a main Sporting "flash".



Iker Casillas had expressed weeks back that his intentions were to continue in Real Madrid until the end of his contract. However, fanbase rejection all season, the arrival of new Coach Rafael Benitez & the possible arrival of David De Gea from Manchester United has made Casillas rethink this future. It seems that his options are very clear, if he stays he will be a substitute goalie & his "ticket" for the upcoming Euro 2016 in doubt, while if he leaves he can continue playing in the frontline of European Football & breathe new air in one of the many offers his representatives say they have received. 

The "veteran" observers add that Iker Casillas had made up his mind weeks back & has simply maintained a "tug-of-war" negotiation position with Real Madrid accepting an exit if he receives the money owed from his remaining two years at the Club or a transfer without a any fee. 

In any case, the news from TVE will needed to be verified & if possible affirmed from iker Casillas himself. The news source adds that both Club & player are ironing out the details for a grand exit with full honours, they need to settle the details, the economic issues & the dates.

Stay tuned for further news. 

PS: Spanish Sports paper "Marca" cites the player as saying "he hasn't received a call from the Club". Thus has no intention of moving" ?????

UEFA IDEAL TEAM CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 2014-2015

A group of UEFA experts have handed in their list of players that make up the "Ideal Team" for Champions League 2014 - 2015. This time around the "expert's" name 18 players instead of the habitual 11 players. The list is dominated by FC Barcelona players & there are 5 Spanish born players in the list including young Alvaro Morata who "exploded" in the semis & the final with decisive goals. There is however something curious in that no Bayern Munich player has been included even though they did make the semi-finals.

Champions League Idea Team - Forwards 2015

UEFA Ideal Team Champions League 2014/15 full list of 18 players:

Goalkeepers: Ter Stegen (Barcelona) & Buffon (Juventus).

Defenders: Ivanovic (Chelsea), Chiellini (Juventus), Mascherano, Pique & Alba (Barcelona).

Midfielders: Rakitic, Busquets, Iniesta (Barcelona), Pirlo, Marchisio (Juventus) & Kroos (Real Madrid).

Forwards: Neymar, Messi, Suárez (Barcelona), Morata (Juventus) & Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid).

THE MOST VALUABLE FOOTBALL PLAYER IS ...

Who is currently the most valuable Football player in World Football (Soccer)? Big question as calculating economic values is not an exact science & always leads to debate. However the "The Observatory of Football" located in Neuchâtel (Switzerland) has elaborated their list after taking into account factors like titles won, age, contract duration, career trajectory, position, individual awards etc. 

FC Barcelona player Messi is Nº1 with an estimated market value of between 225 - 281M€, followed by Chelsea FC forward Hazard with 135 - 149 M€, while Real Madrid CF star Cristiano Ronaldo is third with 113 - 125 M€ value figure.

Messi FC Barcelona La Liga

Here is the list of the current most valuable players:

1. Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona / 27 yrs / End of contract: 2018). Value 255,3-280,8 M€
2. Eden Hazard (Chelsea / 24 / 2020). 135,4-148,9 M€
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / 30 / 2018). 113,3-124,7 M€
4. Neymar Junior (FC Barcelona / 23 / 2018). 89,6-98,5 M€
5. Sergio Agüero (Manchester City / 27 / 2019). 78,2-86,0 M€
6. Raheem Sterling (Liverpool / 20 / 2019). 73,7-81,0 M€
7. Paul Pogba (Juventus / 22 / 2019). 70,3-77,3 M€
8. Diego Costa (Chelsea / 26 / 2019). 69,9-76,9 M€
9. Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal / 26 / 2018). 67,8-74,6 M€
10. James Rodríguez (Real Madrid / 23 / 2020). 62,5-68,8 M€
11. Luis Suárez (FC Barcelona / 28  / 2019). 60,0-66,0 M€
12. Antoine Griezmann (Atletico de Madrid / 24 / 2020). 59,0-64,9 M€
13. Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea / 28 / 2019). 58,7-64,5 M€
14. Isco Alarcon (Real Madrid / 23 / 2018). 57,2-62,9 M€
15. Harry Kane (Tottenham / 21 / 2020). 53,5-58,9 M€
16. Gareth Bale (Real Madrid / 25 / 2019). 51,3-56,4 M€
20. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid / 27 / 2019). 44,6-49,1 M€

FC BARCELONA SIGNS SEVILLA FC DEFENDER ALEIX VIDAL

FC Barcelona made official today its new signing for next season. Barça gets on-board Aleix Vidal previously the Sevilla FC right-back & also recently called up Spanish International. Very good addition to the Catalan squad who is destined to replace Dani Alves who looks like possibly leaving Barça & perhaps going off to AC Milan. 

FC Barcelona 2015

The 25 year old defender, Catalan by birth, signs for the next 5 seasons with the operation hovering around 22M€ mark broken down in fixed, variables & extras. The player accepts the fact that he cannot play with Barça until the 1ºst of January 2016, due to the FIFA imposed sanction on FC Barcelona for signing underaged players. Obviously the player realizes that this is a one off golden opportunity for his Football career. Lots of luck!

REAL BETIS & SPORTING DE GIJON PROMOTE DIRECTLY TO THE SPANISH LIGA

Last Round (42) played today of the Spanish 2º Division with two Clubs that go straight into Liga after today's final results (check widget on the side).  Real Betis & Real Sporting de Gijon (curiously both playing today with Betis losing 0 - 3 ) have been promoted directly into Liga. Great news personally, as the two teams I follow are Atletico de Madrid & Sporting de Gijon, the latter being a member of a "Social Club" in Gijon. 

Gijon celebrations Liga 2015

Real Betis had nothing to lose today while their opponents Sporting de Gijon had to win & Girona draw or lose. The "miracle" happened for Sporting when in the other decisive match Girona was equalized by Lugo in the last minute (1-1 final result), thus allowing Sporting to promote directly into Liga next season. Girona was not happy & have insinuated that perhaps Lugo (which was not playing for any promotion or relegation) was given an "incentive" to win, something Lugo categorically dismissed as outrageous. 

Girona is still in there with a chance to promote & will now meet Real Zaragoza, while Las Palmas meets Valladolid to play-off between themselves for the last place (team) to join Betis & Sporting in Liga.

The other news is more sad as we know the 4 Clubs that get relegated to the Spanish 2º B Division, they are Barcelona B, Sabadell, Recreativo de Huelva & Racing de Santander. 

FC BARCELONA WINS 1 - 3 JUVENTUS | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL 2015

FC Barcelona wins its 5th European Cup (4th Champions League) after defeating 1 - 3 Italian Club Juventus FC in tonight's Champions League Final 2015 in Berlin. Barça again makes History winning 3 titles in one season something that was last repeated with Coach Guardiola in 2009.

Below is a team photo of the starting 11 side that latter claimed the CL title:

Champions League Final 2015

FC Barcelona stamped their authority very early with a 3rd min goal from Ratikic after a magnificent build up that caught the Italians by surprise. It looked at this stage that it would be a Barça whitewash but the Italians showed progressively why they made the final. Grinding away & perhaps catching out an "over confident" Barça, Juventus managed to put its Football together & create danger, especially Morata who was active.

Champions League Final 2015

The second half saw Juventus FC continue with its good Football & began complicating things for Barcelona. The equalizer came in the 54th min when Morata got hold of a Tevez shot deflected which put the Italians on a roll. The next 8 minutes would be the worst period for Barça as Juventus created chances but failed to convert. There was a controversial & decisive moment when Pogba was fouled by Alves in the goal square that the referee did not call penalty. It was a clear penalty , & the Italians may well be upset, but the referee also did not call a hand-ball penalty in the 1ºst half by Lichsteiner & he may well have decided to even things.

Champions League Final 2015

Barça then got things back under control when things were worst with a deadly counter-attack that caught Juventus bad footed. It was Luis Suarez who scored the second in the 67th min & this was a moral blow for the Italians. Juventus never really recovered from this goal as they saw how their "Golden moment" slipped by without taking full advantage of the occasion.

Champions League Final 2015

Juventus attempted to find the equalizer putting Fernando Llorente upfront for the long balls, but again a deadly counter-attack caught off their position the Italians & Pedro found Neymar who sealed it with the third in the 96th min. Referee then blew the end.

Xavi Hernandez later received the Champions League Cup - his 25th title - a record for Barcelona & Historical to finish his career at Barça at the highest level. 

POSSIBLE STARTING 11 LINE UPS JUVENTUS - FC BARCELONA

The big day is finally here, Saturday 6th of June,  the Champions League Final between Spanish Football Club FC Barcelona & Italian Football Club Juventus FC. While the majority of Football experts & observers see Barça as the favourites, the other talk around town is the speculated starting 11 team line-ups. Spanish Sports paper "Sport" puts forward their predictions with the following infographic. 

Champions League Final between Spanish Football Club FC Barcelona & Italian Football Club Juventus FC

Possible starting 11 team line-up for FC Barcelona against Juventus:

Ter Stegen, Alves, Pique, Mascherano, Alba, Busquets, Rakitic, Iniesta, Messi, Suarez & Neymar

Possible starting 11 team line-up for Juventus against FC Barcelona:

Buffon, Lichsteiner, Bonucci, Barzagli, Evra, Pirlo, Vidal , Marchisio , Pogba, Morata & Tevez.

Game kicks off 20:45 local time & will be must not miss encounter. 
Many the better team win!


REAL MADRID | BENZEMA TESTING THE MAN UNITED WATERS

As written in the last post, the arrival of new Coach Rafael Benitez to Real Madrid complicates the upcoming season for French striker Karim Benzema. Benitez obviously believes in the talent & class of the player, but beforehand does not fit into his "tactical" set-up which is usually just one pure Striker up-front or two in a 4-4-2 system. In either variation it is Cristiano Ronaldo (the solitary arrow situation) or Bale accompanying in 2 forwards situation.

Karim Benzema

From England comes the news that the representative of Benzema has met up with Manchester United, to perhaps test the waters. The Frenchman has always been to the liking of United & his Football fits in well with the philosophy of Coach Van Gaal & the Premier. Let me remind you that Colombian Falcao leaves Manchester United after a season loaned out from Monaco & Van Persie may also be looking for an exit. It is speculated that United may be willing to put forward a 55-60M€ offer if things evolve.

A normal maneuver by Benzema who is just covering his back. The Frenchman is happy at Real Madrid & wishes to stay, but is also weary that things could get complicated in the coming months under Benitez. It may be the case of more "bench warming" as Benitez equilibrates the efforts of Ronaldo & Bale during the season.

Stay tuned!

PS. A Benzema transfer to Man United clears things for De Gea.

RAFA BENITEZ & THE REAL MADRID FORWARD LINE

Real Madrid new Coach Rafael Benitez is one day into his new job & he already has a problem that needs to be solved & with certain diplomacy, a personal facet that ex-players under his orders say is not one of his stronger points.

The issue is the Real Madrid forward line, concretely its setup tactically on the field. Under ex-Coach Ancelotti his preferred 4 - 3 - 3 system allowed him to field Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema & Bale in that order. However, new Coach Benitez preferred system is 4 - 2 - 3 - 1, or alternatively 4-4-2, thus someone in the above mentioned list of three players will have to go. Frenchman Karim Benzema is the one in a least favourable situation at this moment.

Many Football observers believe that Real Madrid is not reaping in the full potential of Gareth Bale on the right side, that his natural position is the left wing. However, that "field territory" is reserved for Cristiano Ronaldo, thus the first Rafa Benitez headache.

The Portuguese star has lost his speed with age, natural it happens to everyone, & with his natural evolution has demonstrated that he is more effective in the goal area. Thus the Football experts suggest that Cristiano Ronaldo should be the team's true Nº9 - Centre Forward" - allowing Bale the left wing & both fitting into the two preferred tactical schemes of Benitez.

Real Madrid 2015

So what is the problem? Cristiano Ronaldo, who does not desire to be the N º 9 of the team, Bale on the other hand would see a personal wish come true if moved to the left, a petition that he has expressed privately many times. So, what next? New Coach Rafa Benitez has his first "mini fire" that will need to be put out with plenty of diplomacy & perhaps hard hand.

What is the other problem? Karim Benzema, where does the Frenchman fit into the tactical scheme? The forward has a juicy offer from Manchester United which could be an option if things get heated up local. But, Karim is a "favoured son" of President Florentino Perez & an exit looks unlikely at this stage.

Therefore, stay tuned, as things will get interesting when the players return from their summer break & begin the pre-season. It will be interesting to see the solutions Rafa Benitez comes up with tactically speaking with the forward line & the rest of the team. Added, it will be interesting to see how Ronaldo handles things & if Benzema has a place or not.

REAL MADRID OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCE BENITEZ AS NEW COACH

It´s official, Rafael Benitez was presented by Spanish Football Club Real Madrid as their new Coach to media. The Spaniard signs for 3 seasons with a salary of 7M€/year, raising the question, will he last the full 3 years?

Rafael Benitez was clearly emotional as he has achieved his all time dream, to return "home" to Real Madrid as the Clubs Coach. Let me remind you that Benitez is 100 % Real Madrid, starting off as a promising youth player before a terrible knee injury ended his career at Madrid. The man then "transformed" himself into Coach taking on duties at the Club & training the junior teams before flying the nest. 

Starting at Valladolid, Osasuna, taking Spanish Club Levante into 1º Division & later taking Valencia CF to Liga title & onto the Champions League Final where they lost to Real Madrid. The rest is history, Liverpool FC, Inter Milan, Chelsea FC, Napoli & now...

Real Madrid CF 2015

The Coach will have to fill a hole left by Ancelotti, especially with the players who have taken the departure of the Italian badly. Benitez has experience, is disciplined & firm, the last a quality that Real Madrid Directives believed lacked from Ancelotti.

Early days & we will all need to wait to see results. Not all of the Real Madrid fan base see the signing of Benitez as positive, some fear the defensive tactical predisposition of their new Coach while others see possible head to head clash with some star players, as Benitez attempts to impose his style & field set-up which could ruffle feathers. His first duties is to settle the ongoing "bleeding issue" of Iker Casillas & perhaps show the door to some other "sacred cow".

Welcome to Spanish Football Rafa!

FALCAO RETURNS TO SPANISH FOOTBALL | VALENCIA CF ?

English Premier League Club Manchester United & Colombian International forward Radamel Falcao interests Spanish Football Club Valencia CF. His current Club Manchester United (where he is on loan from Monaco) will not make effective the buying option, therefore Falcao has to return to his club of origin.

Falcao

There are several clubs that are following Falcao, but the desire of the Colombian striker would be either continue in the Premier League or to return to Spanish Football, he keeps very good memories of his time at Atletico de Madrid. And it is here where Valencia could have options; in addition, the representative of Falcao, Jorge Mendes, has a very good relationship with Valencia owner Peter Lim. The main handicap is the high salary Falcao receives, although the player might be willing to lower it to smooth any possible transfer operation. Jorge Mendes will move in the next few days to see if he can put forward a plan & a transfer operation that suits Monaco, Falcao & the best placed & interested Club.

Stay tuned!

ATLETICO DE MADRID HUNTS FOR FORWARDS

As posted weeks back Villarreal 21 year old Argentinian Forward Luciano Vietto is a main target of Atletico de Madrid. Villarreal has set the price at 20M€ which is exactly is contract release clause & there is no negotiation. 

AT MADRID target

At. Madrid however has stiff competition, concretely from English Premier League Clubs Liverpool FC & Arsenal. Both are willing to pay the 20M€, thus the final decision will be the players. Villarreal is attempting to renegotiate with Vietto his current contract but everything indicates that the young Argentine International wishes to move elsewhere. 

However, Football is full of sudden turns & Atletico de Madrid has alternative options in case Vietto falls. The latest is that two other names are in mind just in case: Icardi (Inter Milan) & Jonathas (Elche). Plus a third name has suddenly appeared in that last hours that may surprise some, Carlos Tevez of Juventus FC.

Lastly, Chelsea FC & ex-Atletico forward Diego Costa has offered himself to return, even with a wage cut. The Spanish international is not at all happy in London & desires a return. This may be current, but one seriously doubts that Chelsea will allow the player to return.

The current Atletico de Madrid forward Mandzukic is said to not continue next season, with Clubs like AC Milan & Wolfsburg knocking on the Atletico door to get the services of the Croatian forward. 

Stay tuned!

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