Did you know that Santa Claus was a VILLAREAL FC fan? The Father of Christmas also knows how to play a mean lounge Football.
This is a VIDEO whipped up by Villareal FC to wish everyone a Merry Christman with Rossi ( Pizzaman), Cazorla, Capdevila, Diego Lopez & Gonzalo.
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Showing posts with label 2009 - 2010. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2009 - 2010. Show all posts
SPANISH HANDBALL | CIUDAD REAL 34 FC BARCELONA 31 | ASOBAL CUP 2010 FINAL
I agree SPANISH HANDBALL doesn´t get the exposure it should, I am the first to criticise, but Football is so big & dominates so much the local scene that this happens. Plus the blog is a personal "hobby" with limited time in my hands & unfortunately for Handball fans I have to sway to what the majority wish to read. But Spanish has the strongest League & most of the Best Players in Europe assuring the quality & maximum level.
Having said this, CIUDAD REAL continue dominating the Sport at Club level after winning their sixth ASOBAL CUP against FC BARCELONA 31 - 34. A brilliant second half by Ciudad Real allowed the victory & equals FC Barcelona in titles.
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Having said this, CIUDAD REAL continue dominating the Sport at Club level after winning their sixth ASOBAL CUP against FC BARCELONA 31 - 34. A brilliant second half by Ciudad Real allowed the victory & equals FC Barcelona in titles.
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| Ciudad Real Asobal Cup Champions 2010 |
31. FC BARCELONA:Saric, Noddesbo (3), Juanín García (5, 2 de pen), Nagy (2), Jermenyr (-), Rocas (2) y Sarmiento (8) --siete inicial-- Sorhaindo (-), Ugalde (1), Romero, Rutenka (6), Oneto (2) e Igropulo (2). |
34. RENOVALIA CIUDAD REAL:Sterbik; Källman (4), Guardiola (5), Aguinagalde (5), Abalo (2), Rodríguez (5) y Jurkiewicz (3) --siete inicial-- Parrondo (2), Cañellas (3), Morros (1), Dinart y Lazarov (4, 1 de pen). |
THE REAL MADRID CHRISTMAS PRESENT | KAKÁ
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| Kaka running today with group at Real Madrid training. |
KAKÁ is the Christmas present that Santa Claus has brought to REAL MADRID CF. The Brazilian is back training with the team & running. The training is light & no risks will be taken as the Club & the Brazilian star wish to come back in 100% conditions. If things keep going as scheduled Kaká will be able to sit on the Real Madrid bench end of January 2011 & may then begin to get the much needed playing minutes to gradually go increasing & back to top form again. Nice to see you back Kaká! Tweet
REAL MADRID TENSIONS 2010 | THE QUANTUM PHYSICS OF WINNING - "THE IRON LAW" OF FOOTBALL
We mentioned here that the 5 – 0 defeat of REAL MADRID at the hands of FC BARCELONA would have lasting “after-shocks” & lingering effects. Not only was the loss a setback classification wise, but a heavy blow on the Clubs moral & psychological levels, along with the coming to the surface of some in-house tensions that have been the talk of the press the last few days.
The Club has some visible cracks on its wall on all levels: the players, Coaching & Directives that are being currently sorted out & that some hope that the “Christmas spirit & break” will help further to mend. But there is only one true effective way to put ghosts back in the can, which is, winning again & constantly. This is nothing new to write about or explain to you as the reader, it´s an “Iron Law” of Football.
The first of the “problems” is more psychological than anything else. The "mystical aura" of Coach Mourinho has been dimmed after what he describes as “the biggest defend in his career”. The “Special One”, or the “Messiah” for some at Real Madrid, now radiates out his mortality as he retired into a “shell” to recompose himself. The Team Spiritual leader, the Captain of the RM super-tanker & their ideologist has been absent these last weeks from the “World” which has lowered dressing room spirits & allowed the dreaded phantom of “Doubts” to enter the big picture. True to Coach Mourinho´s pedigree, experience & intelligence we are now slowly seeing the “Average One” gradually return to his more comfortable “Special One” category, something the Club & players are relieved to see, appreciating & desiring to happen as soon as possible.
The second problem is at the Directive level. Real Madrid General Director Jorge Valdano & Coach Jose Mourinho are not exactly the Best Friends in the World. They have pushed aside past differences in order to work together, & because they are excellent professionals. The 5 – 0 defeat at Barcelona & the injury of Higuain has accentuated the doubts that Mourinho has with the depth of his squad & with Karim Benzema in his capacity as substitute for Higuain. Coach Jose Mourinho wants the Club to sign a forward with guarantees in the upcoming “Winter Transfer Market”, but the Club – Valdano – believes that answers are already present in-house with the youngsters, the recovery of Kaka in January 2011 & that the Club should give Benzema their confidence after costing more the 30M€ to get him over. Both Cocah Mourinho & Jorge Valdano have turned this player solicitation into a mini “power struggle” over who has more influence & sway over President Florentino Perez. Although we have as yet to see the final result & if Mourinho finally gets his player, the turbulent waters will be calmed again if Real Madrid manage to keep winning again, that is, follow the already mentioned “Iron Law” of Football. Once back in the winning groove both personalities will focus on their responsibilities & not on each other.
The third problem is a dressing room situation. Apparently Captain Iker Casillas & Cristiano Ronaldo are not having a good time relationship wise. The situation came to notice when Ronaldo scored his last goal & only Marcelo, Pepe, Carvalho & Di Maria celebrated it with him. The apparent split is due to two main reasons (1) the comments made by Iker Casillas journalist girlfriend Sara Carbonero on Spanish TV that Ronaldo was egoistic & an individual on the field, something that Ronaldo reproached Casillas about; & (2) the call to attention by some heavy-weight players in the dressing room ( Casillas, Ramos, Xabi …etc) to Ronaldo to ease his on-field antics ( provocations, out of tone comments to team-mates & his “party pieces") to concentrate on his Football & be more co-operative. This last aspect isn’t the problem, Ronaldo assumed the “positive constructive criticism”, what is the problem is that the Portuguese star feels that his team-mates have not been supporting him 100% outside the Club with the media & that he feels left alone facing all the latest criticism. This has been apparently all solved in the last days if we are to believe the comments from Casillas & Xabi Alonso on radio saying that things have been solved in-house.
The other dressing room issue is Sergio Ramos. Coach Mourinho is very disappointed with the Spanish International who seems to have his head somewhere else. His terrible performance in the 5 – 0 defeat at FC Barcelona along with his “loss of control” which lead to his famous Red Card has taken the glitz out of the player. Last news is that Mourinho has had a meeting with Ramos to attempt to sort out his “wavering” performances.
Why are we posting all about this today? Because it is possible that most of these tensions already existed ( as with any other Club) before the Barcelona 5 – 0 defeat but that the pre-unbeaten winning streak was serving to put the lid over it all. The humiliating loss at the hand of the arch rivals, the first of the season under the new Mourinho proyect, & its dimension has shaken off the “gravitational force” holding in place the frictions & allowed a mini Big – Bang to occur that is shaking the Club within. This is not a new phenomenon or the last, look at English Football & Chelsea FC with their particular turn of events as they too are under the influence of the need to return to the “Iron Law” of Football.
While winning everything is kept under control, when you begin losing & constantly everything goes out of control. We could be talking today of an institutional crisis & team problems at FC Barcelona if Real Madrid had won 0 – 5 …its just Football & the whimsical day to day, week to week of the Sport that is fuelled by the results. Tweet
The Club has some visible cracks on its wall on all levels: the players, Coaching & Directives that are being currently sorted out & that some hope that the “Christmas spirit & break” will help further to mend. But there is only one true effective way to put ghosts back in the can, which is, winning again & constantly. This is nothing new to write about or explain to you as the reader, it´s an “Iron Law” of Football.
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| José Mourinho |
The first of the “problems” is more psychological than anything else. The "mystical aura" of Coach Mourinho has been dimmed after what he describes as “the biggest defend in his career”. The “Special One”, or the “Messiah” for some at Real Madrid, now radiates out his mortality as he retired into a “shell” to recompose himself. The Team Spiritual leader, the Captain of the RM super-tanker & their ideologist has been absent these last weeks from the “World” which has lowered dressing room spirits & allowed the dreaded phantom of “Doubts” to enter the big picture. True to Coach Mourinho´s pedigree, experience & intelligence we are now slowly seeing the “Average One” gradually return to his more comfortable “Special One” category, something the Club & players are relieved to see, appreciating & desiring to happen as soon as possible.
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| Mourinho - Valdano |
The second problem is at the Directive level. Real Madrid General Director Jorge Valdano & Coach Jose Mourinho are not exactly the Best Friends in the World. They have pushed aside past differences in order to work together, & because they are excellent professionals. The 5 – 0 defeat at Barcelona & the injury of Higuain has accentuated the doubts that Mourinho has with the depth of his squad & with Karim Benzema in his capacity as substitute for Higuain. Coach Jose Mourinho wants the Club to sign a forward with guarantees in the upcoming “Winter Transfer Market”, but the Club – Valdano – believes that answers are already present in-house with the youngsters, the recovery of Kaka in January 2011 & that the Club should give Benzema their confidence after costing more the 30M€ to get him over. Both Cocah Mourinho & Jorge Valdano have turned this player solicitation into a mini “power struggle” over who has more influence & sway over President Florentino Perez. Although we have as yet to see the final result & if Mourinho finally gets his player, the turbulent waters will be calmed again if Real Madrid manage to keep winning again, that is, follow the already mentioned “Iron Law” of Football. Once back in the winning groove both personalities will focus on their responsibilities & not on each other.
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| Casillas - Ronaldo |
The third problem is a dressing room situation. Apparently Captain Iker Casillas & Cristiano Ronaldo are not having a good time relationship wise. The situation came to notice when Ronaldo scored his last goal & only Marcelo, Pepe, Carvalho & Di Maria celebrated it with him. The apparent split is due to two main reasons (1) the comments made by Iker Casillas journalist girlfriend Sara Carbonero on Spanish TV that Ronaldo was egoistic & an individual on the field, something that Ronaldo reproached Casillas about; & (2) the call to attention by some heavy-weight players in the dressing room ( Casillas, Ramos, Xabi …etc) to Ronaldo to ease his on-field antics ( provocations, out of tone comments to team-mates & his “party pieces") to concentrate on his Football & be more co-operative. This last aspect isn’t the problem, Ronaldo assumed the “positive constructive criticism”, what is the problem is that the Portuguese star feels that his team-mates have not been supporting him 100% outside the Club with the media & that he feels left alone facing all the latest criticism. This has been apparently all solved in the last days if we are to believe the comments from Casillas & Xabi Alonso on radio saying that things have been solved in-house.
The other dressing room issue is Sergio Ramos. Coach Mourinho is very disappointed with the Spanish International who seems to have his head somewhere else. His terrible performance in the 5 – 0 defeat at FC Barcelona along with his “loss of control” which lead to his famous Red Card has taken the glitz out of the player. Last news is that Mourinho has had a meeting with Ramos to attempt to sort out his “wavering” performances.
Why are we posting all about this today? Because it is possible that most of these tensions already existed ( as with any other Club) before the Barcelona 5 – 0 defeat but that the pre-unbeaten winning streak was serving to put the lid over it all. The humiliating loss at the hand of the arch rivals, the first of the season under the new Mourinho proyect, & its dimension has shaken off the “gravitational force” holding in place the frictions & allowed a mini Big – Bang to occur that is shaking the Club within. This is not a new phenomenon or the last, look at English Football & Chelsea FC with their particular turn of events as they too are under the influence of the need to return to the “Iron Law” of Football.
While winning everything is kept under control, when you begin losing & constantly everything goes out of control. We could be talking today of an institutional crisis & team problems at FC Barcelona if Real Madrid had won 0 – 5 …its just Football & the whimsical day to day, week to week of the Sport that is fuelled by the results. Tweet
VIDEO | ZINEDINE ZIDANE SKILLS | OLYMPIAKOS 2 ALL STARS 2
REAL MADRID CF Presidential Advisor, Ambassador & First Team "Consultant" ZINEDINE ZIDANE was in action last night alongside with ex Real Madrid team-mate RONALDO (side-lined) to play a fund-raiser against Greek team OLYMPIAKOS. The "All Star" Team raised funds against Hunger & finished 2 - 2 against the local side.
Here is a video piece of Zidane & his super skills. He did say he retired too soon from Football. After watching this I agree. Comeback Zidane to Real Madrid & Spanish Football, please :O)
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Here is a video piece of Zidane & his super skills. He did say he retired too soon from Football. After watching this I agree. Comeback Zidane to Real Madrid & Spanish Football, please :O)
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FIFA RANKING 2010 | SPAIN "TEAM OF THE YEAR" | 3RD YEAR IN A ROW
FIFA has handed in its final World Team Rankings for 2010 with SPAIN still Nº1 & finishing 2010 with the “National Football Team of the Year” title. That´s not the news, the highlight is that this honour goes to Spain for the third year running.
Here are the Top 20 National Teams for 2010 according to FIFA:
1. Spain 1887 Pts
2. Holland 1723
3. Germany 1485
4. Brazil 1446
5. Argentina 1338
6. England 1195
7. Uruguay 1152
8. Portugal 1090
9. Eygpt 1078
10. Croatia 1075
11. Greece 1016
12. Norway 995
13. Russia 982
14. Italy 965
15. Chile 950
16. Ghana 908
17. Slovenia 897
18. Estados Unidos 867
18. France 867
20. Eslovaquia 854
FIFA took into account 111 “A” International matches, 14 classification games for the Euro, Caribbean & African Championships, plus 97 “Friendly” encounters. With this & all the other games celebrated in 2010, the sum total comes to 785 matches . Tweet
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| Spanish National Football Team 2010 |
1. Spain 1887 Pts
2. Holland 1723
3. Germany 1485
4. Brazil 1446
5. Argentina 1338
6. England 1195
7. Uruguay 1152
8. Portugal 1090
9. Eygpt 1078
10. Croatia 1075
11. Greece 1016
12. Norway 995
13. Russia 982
14. Italy 965
15. Chile 950
16. Ghana 908
17. Slovenia 897
18. Estados Unidos 867
18. France 867
20. Eslovaquia 854
FIFA took into account 111 “A” International matches, 14 classification games for the Euro, Caribbean & African Championships, plus 97 “Friendly” encounters. With this & all the other games celebrated in 2010, the sum total comes to 785 matches . Tweet
ITALIAN PRESS GIVES FC BARCELONA PLAYER ANDRES INIESTA THE FIFA GOLDEN BALL 2010
Last Friday I posted ( see below ) news from Barcelona Sports paper "Mundo Deportivo" that mentioned that FC Barcelona midfielder XAVI HERNANDEZ would be the winner of the 2010 FIFA Golden Ball Award according to a survey done to 75 Football personalities. The second place was for team-mates Andres Iniesta & third place for Lionel Messi. The interesting news was that Inter Milan player Wesley Sneijder was not mentioned as being in the Top 3.
This time we get news from Italy via "La Gazzette Sportiva" which assures that they have inside information that gives ANDRES INIESTA as the winner of the FIFA Golden Ball 2010, with team-mates Xavi Hernandez second & Lionel Messi third. The Italian press also places Inter Milan player Wesley Sneijder out of the Top 3.
This is pure speculation until tomorrow when FIFA announces the three candidates that will be considered when FIFA makes public the Golden Ball Winner the 8th of January 2011. Only thing certain tomorrow will be if Messi or Sneijder male the Top 3 cut, & the winner will still be an unknown until 2011. Tweet
This time we get news from Italy via "La Gazzette Sportiva" which assures that they have inside information that gives ANDRES INIESTA as the winner of the FIFA Golden Ball 2010, with team-mates Xavi Hernandez second & Lionel Messi third. The Italian press also places Inter Milan player Wesley Sneijder out of the Top 3.
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| Iniesta scores Spains winning goal in the World Cup Final 2010 |
This is pure speculation until tomorrow when FIFA announces the three candidates that will be considered when FIFA makes public the Golden Ball Winner the 8th of January 2011. Only thing certain tomorrow will be if Messi or Sneijder male the Top 3 cut, & the winner will still be an unknown until 2011. Tweet
REAL MADRID | KAKA RUNNING & ON TRACK FOR 2011 RECOVERY
Good news & a great image below for Real Madrid fans & all World Football followers. Brazilian midfielder KAKA began running today at the Real Madrid training session as he takes his recovery onto the "next" level. Kaka had his knee operated last August & has been following very closely & with care his special therapy programme to which the specialist have given the "green light" to begin running.
If things go according to plan Kaka could be playing Football at match level around mid - late January 2011.
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If things go according to plan Kaka could be playing Football at match level around mid - late January 2011.
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| Kaka back running. |
SPANISH FOOTBALL | EL CLASICO 2010 | FC BARCELONA - REAL MADRID CF | PRE MATCH OBSERVATIONS
The Spanish League - La Liga moves into Round 13 tomorrow & there is one game that is eclipsing all the rest, the long awaited FC BARCELONA vs REAL MADRID match commonly known in Spanish Soccer as "El Clasico". Barça has won the last 4 clashes & has dominated Spanish Football the last couple of years. Real Madrid has invested huge sums of money on adquiring the best players on the market along with a Coach that is a proven winner on the field & off the field in order to win back protagonism & attempt to knock Barça from its Nº1 spot.
This time around REAL MADRID appears to be closer than recent years in its plans as they go into Monday nights match as undefeated & leaders of the Spanish League. FC Barcelona has shown "signs" that the "Machine" has had some minor hiccups, but this could be an illusion as they have managed to resolved things with powerful winning results.
What is clear is that we have before us two teams with two clear playing styles. FC Barcelona has made school of their aesthetically pleasing & artful manner of interpreting Football, with touch ball dominance that sweeps the game from side to side to dance their opponents before jumping in for the "kill". This is a natural tendency thanks to the Clubs vision of the game & a string of "in-house" players like Valdes, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Pique, Puyol, Pedro... who have this "vision" implanted in their DNA & live on the field exclusively from the ball. Some have gone as far to suggest that the "key" to defeat Barça is to take the ball away from them, which is fine if only you can figure how to take the ball. A strategic dilemma that has not been solved by almost all of the World Clubs that have faced Barça.
Real Madrid has been swayed by the circumstances to be much more practical in their approach & have signed a Coach in the name of Jose Mourinho who is a pragmatist & has one single objective: to win at all costs. This ideal is at the extreme of the today "Romanticist" ideals held firm at FC Barcelona where winning is synonymous with artful play & established unwritten standards. Coach Mourinho rationalist pragmatism seems to have found an equilibrium at Real Madrid between their over-powering & ambitious players assembling alongside "hands in the dirt" team workers & building a tight unit were a strong defence is the KEY. This organically has lead Real to promote & effectively practice a deadly counter-attack style Football that is rapid & "mortal". This "new" Real Madrid has solved its past weakness ( the defence) & better exploited its advantage ( speed) into a more vertical playing style that goes straight to the point : the goal square, leaving aside aesthetic & fanciful overindulgence.
This season that vertical punch has been strengthen with Ozil who touches , glides the ball with incredible vision & quickness of mind, Khedira who has given freedom to Xabi Alonso to wave the orchestra baton, Di Maria who gives pace upfront plus defends & a "re-found" Marcelo who as defender quickly converts himself into another attacker. All this added to the already known & written about other elements have built a side that goes on to meet Barça at Camp Nou this Monday on equal terms.
LASS DIARRA has unwilling come into the picture for two reasons. Firstly, he may have to play from the start if Khedira doesn´t recover in time from a slight muscle pull. Secondly, even if Khedira recovers, there is heavy speculation that Coach Mourinho may decide to "sacrifice" an attacking player - Ozil - for a midfielder (Lass) to strengthen further the midfield to halt the Barça play makers & put forward a more "deadly" counter-attack version to expose the "slower" Barça defence.
Today Mourinho has said he still hasn´t made up his mind to what team will start. I say that there is an element of "mind games" at play here with the aim of keeping Barça Coach Guardiola guessing.
Barcelona based Sporting paper "Mundo Deportivo" have put this cartoon today which seems to act as bait for Coach Mourinho. The cartoon translated says:
GUARDIOLA: " In front of Real Madrid we´ll do what we do best: play Football"
MOURINHO: "In front of Barcelona I´ll do the only thing we can do: put a Bus"
Barcelona thinks (or wishes) that Real Madrid will put in Lass Diarra (sacrifice Ozil) from the start to play more defensively & at the counter-attack, that is, with a 4-3-3 system. However we all will have to wait & see, although Madrid based Sports daily "Marca" has put on the cover of today's edition that Real Madrid will play with its star 11 line-up with Ozil & as up till now : the 4-2-3-1 system.
Either way the promise is that Monday nights "Clasico" will be huge, transcendent & super important. The winner will have the Spanish League Title more than 50% in the bag, the winner of the Messi vs Ronaldo clash will have the loser definitely put in his place for months, the Coaches battle - Guardiola vs Mourinho - will give the winner the Nº1 spot & the Team winner an incredible moral boost that could put the loser into a "spiral downturn" for months with very negative effects.
There can only be one victor unfortunately & may the better team win. But there is already an assure winner: the World Football Fan. Tweet
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| FC Barcelona 2010-2011 |
This time around REAL MADRID appears to be closer than recent years in its plans as they go into Monday nights match as undefeated & leaders of the Spanish League. FC Barcelona has shown "signs" that the "Machine" has had some minor hiccups, but this could be an illusion as they have managed to resolved things with powerful winning results.
What is clear is that we have before us two teams with two clear playing styles. FC Barcelona has made school of their aesthetically pleasing & artful manner of interpreting Football, with touch ball dominance that sweeps the game from side to side to dance their opponents before jumping in for the "kill". This is a natural tendency thanks to the Clubs vision of the game & a string of "in-house" players like Valdes, Xavi, Iniesta, Messi, Pique, Puyol, Pedro... who have this "vision" implanted in their DNA & live on the field exclusively from the ball. Some have gone as far to suggest that the "key" to defeat Barça is to take the ball away from them, which is fine if only you can figure how to take the ball. A strategic dilemma that has not been solved by almost all of the World Clubs that have faced Barça.
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| Real Madrid 2010-2011 |
Real Madrid has been swayed by the circumstances to be much more practical in their approach & have signed a Coach in the name of Jose Mourinho who is a pragmatist & has one single objective: to win at all costs. This ideal is at the extreme of the today "Romanticist" ideals held firm at FC Barcelona where winning is synonymous with artful play & established unwritten standards. Coach Mourinho rationalist pragmatism seems to have found an equilibrium at Real Madrid between their over-powering & ambitious players assembling alongside "hands in the dirt" team workers & building a tight unit were a strong defence is the KEY. This organically has lead Real to promote & effectively practice a deadly counter-attack style Football that is rapid & "mortal". This "new" Real Madrid has solved its past weakness ( the defence) & better exploited its advantage ( speed) into a more vertical playing style that goes straight to the point : the goal square, leaving aside aesthetic & fanciful overindulgence.
This season that vertical punch has been strengthen with Ozil who touches , glides the ball with incredible vision & quickness of mind, Khedira who has given freedom to Xabi Alonso to wave the orchestra baton, Di Maria who gives pace upfront plus defends & a "re-found" Marcelo who as defender quickly converts himself into another attacker. All this added to the already known & written about other elements have built a side that goes on to meet Barça at Camp Nou this Monday on equal terms.
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| Lass Diarra |
LASS DIARRA has unwilling come into the picture for two reasons. Firstly, he may have to play from the start if Khedira doesn´t recover in time from a slight muscle pull. Secondly, even if Khedira recovers, there is heavy speculation that Coach Mourinho may decide to "sacrifice" an attacking player - Ozil - for a midfielder (Lass) to strengthen further the midfield to halt the Barça play makers & put forward a more "deadly" counter-attack version to expose the "slower" Barça defence.
Today Mourinho has said he still hasn´t made up his mind to what team will start. I say that there is an element of "mind games" at play here with the aim of keeping Barça Coach Guardiola guessing.
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| Mundo Deportivo cartoon |
Barcelona based Sporting paper "Mundo Deportivo" have put this cartoon today which seems to act as bait for Coach Mourinho. The cartoon translated says:
GUARDIOLA: " In front of Real Madrid we´ll do what we do best: play Football"
MOURINHO: "In front of Barcelona I´ll do the only thing we can do: put a Bus"
Barcelona thinks (or wishes) that Real Madrid will put in Lass Diarra (sacrifice Ozil) from the start to play more defensively & at the counter-attack, that is, with a 4-3-3 system. However we all will have to wait & see, although Madrid based Sports daily "Marca" has put on the cover of today's edition that Real Madrid will play with its star 11 line-up with Ozil & as up till now : the 4-2-3-1 system.
Either way the promise is that Monday nights "Clasico" will be huge, transcendent & super important. The winner will have the Spanish League Title more than 50% in the bag, the winner of the Messi vs Ronaldo clash will have the loser definitely put in his place for months, the Coaches battle - Guardiola vs Mourinho - will give the winner the Nº1 spot & the Team winner an incredible moral boost that could put the loser into a "spiral downturn" for months with very negative effects.
There can only be one victor unfortunately & may the better team win. But there is already an assure winner: the World Football Fan. Tweet
RED CARDS XABI ALONSO - SERGIO RAMOS VIDEO | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE AJAX REAL MADRID 2010
By the massive email request , here is a Video of both Red Cards given to Xabi Alonso & Sergio Ramos yesterday in the Real Madrid - Ajax Champions League match:
Latest is that UEFA will investigate if they were looked for on purpose.
What do you think? Mourinho , Sergio Ramos & Xabi Alonso say that they were unnecessary from the referee. Iker Casillas says he just gave some orders.
As written in the below post on the Spanish Football Sports Blog with the game summary, I knew this would be a grand "Wordwide" talking point.
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What do you think? Mourinho , Sergio Ramos & Xabi Alonso say that they were unnecessary from the referee. Iker Casillas says he just gave some orders.
As written in the below post on the Spanish Football Sports Blog with the game summary, I knew this would be a grand "Wordwide" talking point.
SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM 2010 | PRESENT NEW LOOK SHIRT / UNIFORM
So you just spent 90€ on the latest SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM shirt with the little star? Guess what, there is now a NEW version of the uniform that the SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM will debut with against Portugal next Wednesday.
Today Spanish Football Players did a Press Conference to show media the new uniform with a new design, "World Champions" badge & neck stitching. So you can now race off to your nearest store in the coming weeks & invest anaother 90€ to be the hipster of the neighbourhood.
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Today Spanish Football Players did a Press Conference to show media the new uniform with a new design, "World Champions" badge & neck stitching. So you can now race off to your nearest store in the coming weeks & invest anaother 90€ to be the hipster of the neighbourhood.
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| New Spanish Football Team Shirts 2010 |
F1 2010 | FERNANDO ALONSO FINISHES SUB - WORLD CHAMPION
Firstly, congratulations to SEBASTIAN VETTEL for winning the Abu Dhabi F1 Gran Prix & in doing so becoming the F1 2010 WORLD CHAMPION. The German becomes the youngest driver in F1 History to do so. Secondly, congratultions to Spanish two time World Champion FERNANDO ALONSO who finished sub - Champion just 4 points behind Vettel. The work & the season done with Ferrari has been extraordinary & above all expectations as Alonso managed to get to where he finished via his talent & not by his car that has been below the levels that we are accustomed from Ferrari.
In fact the better driver "overall" lost to the better car "overall". This & a bad strategic decision allowed Vettel to grab the World title when he did not even expect it before the start of todays race. The rival for Alonso was Webber & all of Ferrari´s plans were focused on staying ahead of the Australian , holding out & finishing 4th, but no one took into account an accident by Schumacher that allowed in a "safety car" onto the track that changed things dramatically & opened doors closed beforehand.
Most started with soft rubbers with the idea of changing to hard in the 10th-15th lap. Webber was 5th behind Alonso (who Button overtook in the start & the Englishman decided not to stop at all) & with the safety car on the track Red Bull decided to pull in Webber & change to hard rubbers. Obviously Ferrari thought that they could not allow Webber to fly away & decided to follow the same idea. What happened is that Alonso found drivers -"obstacles" (others had decided too change as well) when he got back & a stubborn Petrov that did not allow him to pass & get back to the 4th position. In fact, Alonso was "trapped" until the end of the race behind Petrov.
The Red Bull team had sacrificed Webber, knowing Ferrari was thinking in him & not Vettel & played their cards that Vettel would escape & Alonso would be blocked below the 5th place that he needed to become World Champion. Ferrari should have not followed Webber, gone on further to secure places while others did rubber changes & then gone in to get back without "traffic" problems. Ferrari had fallen into the Red Bull trap - line, hook & sinker - as Ferrari had configurated Alonso´s car for a "defensive" strategy" & did not have the horse -power to overtake Petrov & win back places. The rest is now history.
The final F1 World Championship Table looks like this:
Having written all of the above, merit cannot be taken away from the Red Bull whom were the far better team & deserved to win. Congratulations! Tweet
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| Sebastian Vettel celebrates becoming 2010 F1 World Champion |
In fact the better driver "overall" lost to the better car "overall". This & a bad strategic decision allowed Vettel to grab the World title when he did not even expect it before the start of todays race. The rival for Alonso was Webber & all of Ferrari´s plans were focused on staying ahead of the Australian , holding out & finishing 4th, but no one took into account an accident by Schumacher that allowed in a "safety car" onto the track that changed things dramatically & opened doors closed beforehand.
Most started with soft rubbers with the idea of changing to hard in the 10th-15th lap. Webber was 5th behind Alonso (who Button overtook in the start & the Englishman decided not to stop at all) & with the safety car on the track Red Bull decided to pull in Webber & change to hard rubbers. Obviously Ferrari thought that they could not allow Webber to fly away & decided to follow the same idea. What happened is that Alonso found drivers -"obstacles" (others had decided too change as well) when he got back & a stubborn Petrov that did not allow him to pass & get back to the 4th position. In fact, Alonso was "trapped" until the end of the race behind Petrov.
The Red Bull team had sacrificed Webber, knowing Ferrari was thinking in him & not Vettel & played their cards that Vettel would escape & Alonso would be blocked below the 5th place that he needed to become World Champion. Ferrari should have not followed Webber, gone on further to secure places while others did rubber changes & then gone in to get back without "traffic" problems. Ferrari had fallen into the Red Bull trap - line, hook & sinker - as Ferrari had configurated Alonso´s car for a "defensive" strategy" & did not have the horse -power to overtake Petrov & win back places. The rest is now history.
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| Fernando Alonso - sub Champion F1 2010 |
The final F1 World Championship Table looks like this:
1. Sebastian Vettel (GER) – 256 pts
2. Fernando Alonso (ESP) – 252 pts
3. Mark Webber (AUS) – 242 pts
4. Lewis Hamilton (ENG) – 240 pts
5. Jenson Button (ENG) – 214 pts
Having written all of the above, merit cannot be taken away from the Red Bull whom were the far better team & deserved to win. Congratulations! Tweet
SPAIN - PORTUGAL 17th NOVEMBER FRIENDLY INTERNATIONAL | LIST OF 23 SPANISH PLAYERS
SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM Selector & Coach Vicente del Bosque has given this morning his list of Spanish Football Players that make up the squad that will play Portugal
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| Spain Football Team - 2010 World Champions |
Coach Del Bosque calls up all the South African World Cup Champions except Sevilla FC player Jesus Navas who is injuried & whose place has been taken by Villareal midfielder Santi Cazorla.
The mentioned game serves as a promotional instrument to attract votes from the FIFA members who will meet up in December to make the final decision. Below is the full list of Spanish players:
The mentioned game serves as a promotional instrument to attract votes from the FIFA members who will meet up in December to make the final decision. Below is the full list of Spanish players:
Goalkeepers:
Iker Casillas (Real Madrid)
Pepe Reina (Liverpool FC)
Víctor Valdés (FC Barcelona)
Defenders:
Álvaro Arbeloa (Real Madrid)
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid)
Raúl Albiol (Real Madrid)
Gerard Piqué (FC Barcelona)
Carles Puyol (FC Barcelona)
Joan Capdevilla (Villarreal CF)
Carlos Marchena (Villarreal CF)
Midfielders:
Xavi Hernández (FC Barcelona)
Andrés Iniesta (FC Barcelona)
Sergio Busquets (FC Barcelona)
Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid)
Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)
Juan Manuel Mata (Valencia CF)
Javi Martínez (Athletic Club)
Santi Cazorla (Villarreal CF)
Forwards:
David Villa (FC Barcelona)
Pedro Rodríguez (FC Barcelona)
Fernando Llorente (Athletic Club)
Fernando Torres (Liverpool FC)
David Silva (Manchester City)
MOTO GP 2010 | SPANISH WORLD CHAMPIONS IN ALL THREE CATAGORIES
Dream day for Spanish Sports & Motobikes as young 17 year old Spanish rider MARC MARQUEZ proclaimed himself 125 cc World Champion 2010. Marquez finished 4th in todays Valencia (Spain) race & securing the points necessary as he needed to finish in the top 8 places.
In Moto 2 , World Champion Toni Elias fell & in GP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo won in his catagory. As you may well have already figured all Three World Champions in each catagory are in fact Spanish riders. This puts Spain in the maximum level of the Sport with sub- Champions also Spanish riders in the mentioned catagories. Bright future & spectacular moment for the country . Congratulations to all Spanish riders & thanks for the wonderfull 2010 season.
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| 2010 World Champion 125cc - Marc Marquez |
In Moto 2 , World Champion Toni Elias fell & in GP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo won in his catagory. As you may well have already figured all Three World Champions in each catagory are in fact Spanish riders. This puts Spain in the maximum level of the Sport with sub- Champions also Spanish riders in the mentioned catagories. Bright future & spectacular moment for the country . Congratulations to all Spanish riders & thanks for the wonderfull 2010 season.
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| Three World Champions 2010 - all Spanish - Elias (Moto2), Lorenzo (GP) & Marquez (125cc) |
SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM RECEIVES THE 2010 PRINCIPE DE ASTURIAS PRIZE FOR SPORT
The SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM was yesterday awarded the prestigious "Principe de Asturias Prize" for Sporting acievement 2010, for their outstanding effort in winning the FIFA 2010 World Cup. But more than this the prize was given for the teams demonstration of creating a unique playing style admired by the Football World & above all , human values like honour, dedication, lead by example, team spirit & endevour.
The Principe de Asturias prize is the equivalent of the "Nobel Prize" for the "Spanish speaking World", but not exclusively given to Spanish speaking persons. It is one of the highest distinctions that prizes science, culture, social & universal values achievements.
Coach Del Boaque was accompanied by 10 Spanish Football members & received personally the certificate from the hands of the Prince of Spain Felipe. In an act that broke protocol, Del Bosque looked to find Euro 2008 winning Coach Luis Aragones, who was critical with Del Bosque during the initial World Cup stages, to bring him on stage to receive the acknowledgement that he to was an important piece of this award. Tweet
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| Spanish Football Team members applauded for their prize |
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| Spanish Football Team Coach Del Bosque receives the Prize |
Coach Del Boaque was accompanied by 10 Spanish Football members & received personally the certificate from the hands of the Prince of Spain Felipe. In an act that broke protocol, Del Bosque looked to find Euro 2008 winning Coach Luis Aragones, who was critical with Del Bosque during the initial World Cup stages, to bring him on stage to receive the acknowledgement that he to was an important piece of this award. Tweet
SPECTACULAR WINNING GOAL BY DAVID SILVA FOR MANCHESTER CITY AGAINST BLACKPOOL | 2010 VIDEO
Great to see Spanish International & MANCHESTER CITY midfielder DAVID SILVA be protagonist in the 2 - 3 victory over Blackpool in the English Premier League. In fact, Silva came on as substitute in the 65 th min & ended up scoring the winner in World Class fashion & with a must see to believe goal.
Here is the video of the spectacular goal. This is a calling card that his time on the bench could be coming to an end & that his difficult intial adaptation to England could be bettering so he can finally begin to give all his undoubted Football talent.
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| David Silva scores against Blackpool |
SPANISH SPORTS | JORGE LORENZO MOTO GP TONI ELIAS MOTO 2 WORLD CHAMPIONS 2010 | RAFAEL NADAL WINS TOKYO TENNIS TITLE
I am currently out of town in the countryside & have at my disposal a primative "Wi-fi" which is very slow; thus it limits my availabilty to stay connected too long. Said this please excuse the shortness of the posts until I get back to the "big smoke".
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Woke up this morning to find that SPANISH SPORTS has two new WORLD CHAMPIONS & that RAFAEL NADAL had won the Tokyo Tennis Trophy.
Spanish MOTO GP rider JORGE LORENZO proclaimed himself mathematically MOTO GP WORLD CHAMPION 2010 after coming in third in todays MALAYSIAN GP race. The winner was Valentino Rossi followed by Italian Dovisioso, but Lorenzo only needed to come in the first 9 places to secure the title. He adds this grand title to his other two 250cc WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Congratulations Lorenzo!
Spaniard TONI ELIAS proclaimed himself mathematically MOTO 2 2010 WORLD CHAMPION after coming in second in todays race in the MALAYSIAN GP. Congratulations to Toni as well!
Finally, although the 125cc World Title is still up for grabs, another young Spaniard MARQUEZ won his race in Malaysia to get top spot on the classification ladder & open up excellent options to gain the title.Wish him luck.
Spanish World Nº1 ranked Tennis player RAFAEL NADAL won the 2010 TOKYO Tournament defeating Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-1 7-5.
Wish we - all Spaniards - wake up every Sunday with this great news for Spanish Sports always :O)
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Woke up this morning to find that SPANISH SPORTS has two new WORLD CHAMPIONS & that RAFAEL NADAL had won the Tokyo Tennis Trophy.
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| MOTO GP 2010 World Champion JORGE LORENZO |
Spanish MOTO GP rider JORGE LORENZO proclaimed himself mathematically MOTO GP WORLD CHAMPION 2010 after coming in third in todays MALAYSIAN GP race. The winner was Valentino Rossi followed by Italian Dovisioso, but Lorenzo only needed to come in the first 9 places to secure the title. He adds this grand title to his other two 250cc WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
Congratulations Lorenzo!
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| MOTO 2 2010 World Champion TONI ELIAS |
Spaniard TONI ELIAS proclaimed himself mathematically MOTO 2 2010 WORLD CHAMPION after coming in second in todays race in the MALAYSIAN GP. Congratulations to Toni as well!
Finally, although the 125cc World Title is still up for grabs, another young Spaniard MARQUEZ won his race in Malaysia to get top spot on the classification ladder & open up excellent options to gain the title.Wish him luck.
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| RAFAEL NADAL wins 2010 Tokyo Tournament |
Spanish World Nº1 ranked Tennis player RAFAEL NADAL won the 2010 TOKYO Tournament defeating Frenchman Gael Monfils 6-1 7-5.
Wish we - all Spaniards - wake up every Sunday with this great news for Spanish Sports always :O)
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FIFA WORLD RANKING | SEPT 2010 | SPAIN Nº1
FIFA has released the September 2010 Football Nations World Ranking with the SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM repeating the Nº1 spot. The defeat of Spain against Argentina earlier in the month at Buenos Aires has taken points away from Spain, 1883 to 1824 pts, but there is still has a sufficient lead over second placed Holland. The notable changes are Slovakia & Norway with big gains in the ranking table…Here is the Top 20 FIFA Ranking table:
.1. Spain 1824 pts
.2. Holland 1663
.3. Germany 1490
.4. Brazil 1480
.5. Argentina 1351
.6. England 1191
.7. Uruguay 1182
.8. Portugal 1049
.9. Eygpt 1034
10. Chile 1004
11. Croatia 998
12. Greece 973
13. Italy 965
14. Norway 958
15. Serbia 945
16. Slovakia 919
17. Paraguay 904
18. USA 899
19. Slovenia 897
20. Ghana 889 Tweet
TENNIS : RAFAEL NADAL DEFEATS DJOKOVIC IN 4 SETS TO WIN THE 2010 US OPEN
Many of us here in Spain have woken up this morning to read the best news to open a new day. That Spanish Tennis player RAFAEL NADAL finally managed to finish his rain interrupted match against Novak Djokovic in the Final of the 2010 US OPEN with a 6-4 5-7 6-4 6-2 victory.
The 24 year old World Nº1 Tennis Player becames a Tennis Legend to join the select group of Tennis players - seven - who have won all four Grand Slam titles. The US Open was the last & resisting competition that Rafael Nadal needed & he won it this morning (Sp time) in a convincing fashion.
The US Open Final was cancelled last Sunday by rain & was interrupted again yesterday by rain when Nadal was firing & ahead 6- 4 , 4-4. After the break Djokovic came out aggressive & took the 2º set 5-7, but Nadal regained his concentration & manage to win back the intiative the 3ºset & then won the 4ºset for victory. The match was not easy & was solidly fought out by Novak with more than three & a half hours of Tennis.
The US Open Final was cancelled last Sunday by rain & was interrupted again yesterday by rain when Nadal was firing & ahead 6- 4 , 4-4. After the break Djokovic came out aggressive & took the 2º set 5-7, but Nadal regained his concentration & manage to win back the intiative the 3ºset & then won the 4ºset for victory. The match was not easy & was solidly fought out by Novak with more than three & a half hours of Tennis.
Historical victory for Spanish Tennis & for Spanish Sports as Rafael Nadal, in my opinion, continues demostarting that he is the "Greatest Spanish Sportman in HIstory". Said this, with 24 years of age there is still a big margen for more titles & more fabulous days of Tennis joy.
The US Open victory is his 9th Glam Slam Title & curiously becomes the first player ever to win 3 Grand Slam titles in a row ( French Open , Wimbeldon & US Open) on 3 different surfaces.
The US Open victory is his 9th Glam Slam Title & curiously becomes the first player ever to win 3 Grand Slam titles in a row ( French Open , Wimbeldon & US Open) on 3 different surfaces.
Rafael Nadal is currently 7th in the Historical Grand Slam rankings & no doubt will be climbing the table in the coming years:1. Roger Federer (SWI): 16 (4 AUS, 1 RG, 6 WIM, 5 US)
2. Pete Sampras (USA): 14 (2 AUS, 7 WIM, 5 US)
3. Roy Emerson (AUS): 12 (6 AUS, 2 RG, 2 WIM, 2 US)
4. Rod Laver (AUS): 11 (3 AUS, 2 RG, 4 WIM, 2 US)
+. Bjorn Borg (SWE): 11 (6 RG, 5 WIM)
6. Bill Tilden (USA): 10 (3 WIM, 7 US)
7. Rafael Nadal (SP): 9 (1 AUS, 5 RG, 2 WIM, 1 US)
8. Andre Agassi (EEUU): 8 (4 AUS, 1 RG, 1 WIM, 2 US)
+. Fred Perry (UK): 8 (1 AUS, 1 RG, 3 WIM, 3 US)
+. Jimmy Connors (USA): 8 (1 AUS, 2 WIM, 5 US)
+. Ken Rosewall (AUS): 8 (4 AUS, 2 RG, 2 US)
+. Ivan Lendl (CH REP): 8 (2 AUS, 3 RG, 3 US) Tweet
FORMULA 1 | FERNANDO ALONSO WINS 2010 ITALIAN GP AT MONZA
Good news from Monza (Italy) the home of Ferrari & for Spanish Sports with the victory of Spanish Formula 1 driver FERNANDO ALONSO in the Italian GP. The Ferrari driver won his third F1 race this season putting in a fantastic performance after Button overtook him early in the start & then retook the lead after a dramatic & perfect pit stop that put Alonso back ahead & onto the victory. Part of the victory must go to the Ferrari team who put in a perfect job with the car, the strategy & the perfect pit stop.Fernando Alonso also was favoured when Lewis Hamilton abandoned the race, did not finish thus did not gain any points for this race.
Fernando Alonso now gets back into World Championship Title contention with this victory as he is now third placed in the Classifications table & there are still 5 races left to battle for the points.
Today’s results:
1. Alonso (Sp) ; 2. J Button (
Current World Championships Table:
1. M Webber (Aus) -187 pts
2. L. Hamilton (
3. F . Alonso (Sp) – 166 pts
Next race - Singapur
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