SPANISH FOOTBALL CLUBS DOMINATE FINANCES

The prestigious financial consultancy "Deloitte" has released its annual study on the finances of the most powerful Football (Soccer) teams. For the first time since the study began, the giants of Football suffer a significant decrease in their income. Its estimated that the top  20 Clubs will lose over 2 billion euros in revenue at the end of the 2020-21 season, reports the consultancy.

The ranking is still dominated by Spanish Football Clubs, FC Barçelona, repeats at the top of the ranking ahead of Real Madrid. Interestingly, no Premier League team is in the Top 3 after Bayern Munich climbs to the third place. Said this, FC Barcelona is currently undergoing an economic crisis with a huge debt that has it "technically" almost bankrupt. One would expect Real Madrid to overtake Barça in the Financial Ranking shortly. The Madrid Club has over the years been "prudent" with sending as they have strengthen the income side with merchandising & TV Rights.

 

Complete Top 10 ranking (euros) 2020:

1.FC Barcelona 715.1 million
2.Real Madrid 714.9 million
3.Bayern Munich 634.1 million
4.Manchester United 580.4 million
5.Liverpool 558.6 million
6.Manchester City 549.2 million
7.Paris Saint-Germain 540.6 million
8.Chelsea 469.7 million
9.Tottenham Hotspur 445.7 million
10. Juventus 397.9 million

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TOP 10 BEST PAID FOOTBALL PLAYERS IN THE WORLD

French Football Magazine "L'Equipe" has published their list of the Top 10 Football Players in earnings. Here is the list:

The Top 10 Best Paid Football | Soccer Players in the World

1º - Lionel Messi 8,3M€ Gross/Month (FC Barcelona)
2º - Cristiano Ronaldo 4,7M€ Gross/ Month  (Juventus FC)
3º - Antoine Griezmann 3,3M€ (Atletico de Madrid)
4º - Neymar 3,06M€  (PSG)
5º - Luis Suarez 2,9M€ (FC Barcelona)
6º - Gareth Bale 2,5M€ (Real Madrid)
7º - Philippe Coutinho 2,3M€ (FC Barcelona)
8º - Alexis Sanchez 2,28M€ (Man Utd)
9º - Kylian Mbappe 1,73M€ (PSG)
10º - Mesut Özil 1,6M€ (Arsenal FC)

As you can see a high percentage with this Top 10 list work in the Spanish Football League - La Liga

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REAL MADRID Nº1 MONEY EARNER | FOOTBALL FINANCE

Thought I post this news piece from the last report on Football Club Earnings for 2017/2018, otherwise better known as the "Deloitte Football Money League" in which the Global Consultancy profiles the highest revenue generating Clubs in World Football (Soccer).
This 22nd edition of the Deloitte Football Money League shows the generating record revenue of €750.9M by Spanish Football Club REAL MADRID CF which returns to the 1ºst place after 3 years. The 2ºnd placed is another Spanish Football Club FC BARCELONA with generated revenue of €690.4M. English Football Club Manchester United, previously in the Nº1 spot with €676.3M drops to 3ºrd place with €666M.


Below is the Top 20 list (Revenues from Stadium tickets, competitions, TV rights, publicity, merchandising...etc)

Deloitte Football Money League: the top 20 in 2017/18
Ranking and income from the previous year in brackets.

1.[2] Real Madrid €750.9m [€674.6m]
2.[3] FC Barcelona €690.4m [€648.3m]
3.[1] Manchester United €666m [€676.3m]
4.[4] Bayern Munich €629.2m [€587.8m]
5.[5] Manchester City €568.4m [€527.7m]
6.[7] Paris Saint-Germain €541.7m [€486.2m]
7.[9] Liverpool €513.7m [€424.2m]
8.[8] Chelsea €505.7m [€428m]
9.[6] Arsenal €439.2m [€487.6m]
10.[11] Tottenham Hotspur €428.3m [€359.5m]
[10] Juventus €394.9m [€405.7m]
[12] Borussia Dortmund €317.2m [€332.6m]
[13] Atletico de Madrid €304.4m [€272.5m]
[15] FC Internazionale Milano €280.8m [€262.1m]
[new] AS Roma €250m
[16] Schalke 04 €243.8m [€230.2m]
[20] Everton €212.9m [€199.2m]
[new] AC Milan €207.7m
[new] Newcastle United €201.5m
[17] West Ham United €197.9m [€213.3m]

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LUKA MODRIC | FRANCE FOOTBALL GOLDEN BALL AWARD 2018 WINNER

Croatian International & Real Madrid midfielder LUKA MODRIC has been proclaimed "FRANCE FOOTBALL GOLDEN BALL WINNER 2018" in tonight's ceremony held in Paris, France. The Croatian breaks the Messi - Cristiano Ronaldo 10 year straight hegemony to win at the age of 33 years & after an extraordinary Football year for the Croatian Captain.

Luka Modric was prized ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo (2º), Antoine Griezmann (3º), Kylian Mbappe (4º) & Lionel Messi (5º).

The other winners tonight were:

ADA HEGERBERG player of Olympique de Lyon & Norway International won the first ever "FRANCE FOOTBALL FEMALE GOLDEN BALL AWARD 2018", &

KYLIAN MBAPPE player of Paris St Germain & French International won the "KOPA TROPHY" for the Best U21 Player in World Football.

France Football also dedicated part of the ceremony to praise the FRANCE WORLD CUP TEAM for winning the FIFA World Cup, something to expect under the circumstances & who the organizers are, France Football.

To finish, just two notes:

1. Hours before the ceremony & the official announcement of the Golden Ball winner, the list of players, placing & points was filtered out to media. Perhaps its a custom to "prepare" everyone for the occasion. Who knows.

2. Once again CRISTIANO RONALDO pulled his party trick. Knowing beforehand that he would not win, the Juventus FC player decided not to attend tonight's ceremony. This went contrary to 3º placed Griezmann who also knew beforehand he would not win a prize he has desired & called for himself, but attended keeping a smile & commenting he was there due to respect to the other players.

Cristiano Ronaldo once again shows his egoistic personality, & disrespect for other players & in this case, Luka Modric ex-teammate who helped him win his Champions League titles which contributed to his own passed Golden Ball Award title.

Cristiano Ronaldo has lost respect & if it would be possible, I would remove his passed Golden Ball Awards as his behaviour & actions go against the values of the Sport: team spirit, competitive but respectful & acknowledgement to those who are better.

To conclude, absolutely shameful & disgusting the attitude shown by Cristiano Ronaldo for not attending. 

From here congratulations to Luka Modric, his family, friends & Croatia will be proud & happy for this well earned Football Award. 

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SPAIN U-17 TEAM FIFA WORLD CHAMPIONS

Spanish & Female Football made history after SPAIN defeated Mexico 2 - 1 in the Final of the FIFA U-17 World Cup Final. Spain finally win the World Championship after losing 2- 0 to Japan in the 2014 Final in Costa Rica.

Both goals came from Claudia Pina - 16th & 26th min - & she was also proclaimed player of the tournament.

Congratulations!

Details of the Final:

SPAIN 2: Catalina Coll; Jana Fernandez, Ana Tejada, Maria Mendez, Nerea Nevado; Eva Alonso, Irene Lopez (m. 76 Leire Pena), Paola Hernandez (m. 89 Paula Arana); Eva Navarro, Claudia Pina & Salma Paralluelo (m. 66 Aixa Salvador). Coach: Maria Antonia 'Toña' Is. 

Mexico 1: Jaidy Gutierrez; Reyna Reyes, Tanna Sánchez, Ximena Ríos, Nicole Soto; Nicole Pérez, Silvana Flores, Anette Vázquez (m. 46 Nayeli Díaz); Natalia Mauleón,  Denis Castro (m. 67 Aylin Avilez) y Alison González (m. 77 Fatima Arellano). Entrenadora: Mónica Vergara. 

Goals: 1-0, m. 16: Claudia Pino. 2-0, m. 26: Claudia Pino. 2-1, m. 29: Denise Castro.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM | LIST OF 24 PLAYERS FOR CROATIA & BOSNIA

Spanish National Football Team Selector & Coach Luis Enrique has handed in his list of 24 players for the upcoming UEFA Nations League match against Croatia & the International Friendly game against Bosnia Herzegovina.

Novelties are the call up of Celta midfielder Brais Mendez, Hermoso of Espayol & Formals of Villarreal. Isco. Iñigo Martinez, Diego Llorente & Sergi Roberto return after injury, while Jordi Alba also returns after gaining support from his exceptional return to form. 

Absent are Koke (injured), Thiago (injured) & Alonso.

List of 24 players:

Goalkeepers: David De Gea (Man United), Kepa (Chelsea FC) &  Pau Lopez (Betis).

Defenders: Jordi Alba (FC Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Iñigo Martinez (Athletic Bilbao), Diego Llorente (Real Sociedad), Mario Hermoso (Espanyol), Jonny (Wolverhampton), Gaya (Valencia CF), Azpilicueta (Chelsea FC).

Midfielders: Dani Ceballos (Real Madrid), Isco (Real Madrid), Saul (Atletico de Madrid), Rodrigo H. (Atletico de Madrid), Sergi Roberto (FC Barcelona), Busquets (Barcelona), Suso (AC Milan), Fornals (Villarreal) & Brais Mendez (Celta de Vigo).

Forwards: Marco Asensio (Real Madrid), Rodrigo Moreno (Valencia), Iago Aspas (Celta) & Alvaro Morata (Chelsea FC).

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FC BARCELONA 5 REAL MADRID 1 | FLORENTINO PEREZ SHOULD BE SACKED BUT THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN

Spanish Football celebrated its "showroom match", "El Clasico", for season 2018 - 2019 between FC BARCELONA & REAL MADRID CF. The final result is a crushing 5 - 1 victory to FC Barcelona which is likely to have serious repercussion within the lossing Club with the almost certain sacking of Real Madrid Coach Julen Lopetegui. 

Let's get out of the way the technical details of the game with the following info:

Starting lineups & goalscorers:

FC Barcelona: Ter Stegen; Sergi Roberto, Pique, Lenglet, Jordi Alba; Rakitic, Sergio Busquets, Arthur (Arturo Vidal, 83’); Rafinha (Semedo, 67’), Luis Suárez, Coutinho (Dembélé, 73’)

Real Madrid CF: Courtois; Nacho, Varane (Lucas Vázquez, 46’), Ramos, Marcelo (Mariano, 81’); Kroos, Casemiro, Modric; Bale (Marco Asensio, 77’), Benzema, Isco

Goals: 1-0, Coutinho (10’); 2-0, Luis Suárez, pen. (30’); 2-1, Marcelo (49’); 3-1, Luis Suarez (75’); 4-1, Suárez (80’), 5-1, Arturo Vidal (86’)


Man of the match Luis Suarez with a HAT-TRICK

Now to the tic tacs. Barça was supreme this afternoon which dominated the match except the 25 minutes of the 2º half where Real Madrid showed heroics & could have equalized had a shot from Modric not hit the post when the match was 2 - 1. However, that was all from Real Madrid & Barça regained control.

Real Madrid was overrun in the 1º st half by Barcelona, exploiting a a non-specialist wing defender like Nacho, & the lack of fire power up front by Real Madrid. LUIS SUAREZ was inspired this afternoon with three goals accompanied by a grand Arthur, Coutinho, Alba & company.

Real Madrid has problems, serious problems, dragged from the last weeks:

• Sergio Ramos is out of form & slow. In any other team his position would be taken over by someone else, should not be playing, 
• Varane is just as bad as Ramos not in his greatest moment,
• Marcelo attacks & scores but does not defend, again slow & leaves spaces, 
• Defensively, bad, tactically worst,
• Modric is nothing like the World Cup Modric, 
• Kroos is out of form, does not recover to defend, 
• Isco is not as "good" as he thinks, dribbles too much & halts team progression,
• Vinicius cost 45 M€ & has not appeared all season, Lopetegui is to blame here, 
• Gareth Bale has not taken the responsibility for his level, should be sold, 
• Real Madrid HAS NO Center Forward, no natural goalscorer.

I could add more, but this is enough for now. 

Real Madrid will most likely now sack their Coach Lopetegui, but is he the blame? NO, the responsibility of this disastrous situation is Real Madrid President Florentino Perez, if anyone he should resign, but this will not happen.

Florentino Perez sold Cristiano Ronaldo - who guaranteed 50 goals per season - without finding a substitute. Added to this he refused to sign in the transfer market a true goal area killer, & signed a band-aid solution in Mariano from Lyon, who quite frankly should never have been signed. 

The main Real Madrid problem is that it has no goalscorer & if a team cannot score then you have a problem & cannot win. Coach Lopetegui has played his part not being able to manage optimally the dressing room egos & placing on the field those who are out of form, plus the pressure has overtaken the man. This is natural, not given the right instruments to work with leads to things get difficult, extremely difficult & nerves set in. 

So what next; the sacking of Lopetegui, perhaps Real Madrid B Coach Solari as caretaker Coach while Real Madrid secures Antonio Conte, or even Mourinho. In the upcoming Winter Transfer Market Real Madrid will go into the transfer market & attempt to find a goalscorer, a real goalscorer, which will cost a fortune. All thanks to the "brilliant" Club management skills of the Real Madrid President Florentino Perez & his directive team, the true person responsible for the current Club situation.

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LA LIGA DOMINATES THE FRANCE FOOTBALL GOLDEN BALL CANDIDATES

France Football made public today their initial 30 candidates for the upcoming FRANCE FOOTBALL GOLDEN BALL AWARD 2018. The winner will be announced the 3rd of December in Paris.

However, the news from our point of view is the domination of LALIGA with 14 candidates, that is, 14 names that play in the Spanish Football League:

Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, Courtois, Isco, Marcelo, Luka Modric, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Godin, Griezmann, Oblak, Ivan Rakitic, Luis Suárez & Messi.

The next League with most candidates are:

• English Premier (11), followed by
• Ligue 1 France (3)
• Serie A Italy (2),

surprisingly the Bundesliga has none.

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FIFA THE BEST AWARD 2018 | LUKA MODRIC WINNER

Spanish Football & Spanish Football Clubs were protagonists & well awarded in tonights FIFA THE BEST AWARDS held in London. The FIFA THE BEST winner (men) was Real Madrid & Croatian Captain LUKA MODRIC, winning over Messi & Cristiano Ronaldo.

Best Goalkeeper went to now Real Madrid & Belgium International player COURTOIS

THE BEST WORLD XI , voted by the players FIFAPRO (World Players Association) are :

David De Gea (Man Utd, SPAIN)
Dani Alves (PSG , BRAZIL)
Marcelo (Real Madrid, BRAZIL)
Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid,  SPAIN)
Raphael Varane (Real Madrid, FRANCE)
Eden Hazard (Chelsea FC, BELGIUM)
N’Golo Kante (Chelsea FC , FRANCE)
Luka Modric (Real Madrid , CROATIA)
Cristiano Ronaldo (Real MAdrid/Juventus , PORTUGAL)
Kylian Mbappe (PSG , FRANCE)
Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona, ARGENTINA)

Real Madrid had a heavy representation in most men´s Awards as their UEFA Champions League 3 titles in row feat influenced in voting. 

As for the rest Congratulations to SALAH (Best Goal - Puskas Award), DESCHAMPS (Best Coach), REYNALD PEDROS (Best Female Team Coach -O. Lyon), MARTA (THE BEST FEMALE).

Lastly, once again CRISTIANO RONALDO did not attend. He knew beforehand he would not win tonight, plus has in mind a possible "FIFA Conspiracy Plot" against his persona. What it shows once again is his egotistical side & a lack of respect for team-mates & the profession as a whole. The man has a history of bad choices & childish reactions which lowers his credibility as a real GREAT Football Player. A shame a real shame as he needs to be advised better & learn some humility.

The next test is the FIFA GOLDEN BALL AWARD soon. Will he turn up here?

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FIFA 2018 THE BEST 10 CANDIDATES LIST

FIFA has announced today their 10 Candidates for THE BEST AWARD 2018. There are no Spanish born players but as expected many who currently play professionally in the Spanish Liga competition. The full list of 10 names are:

• De Bruyne (Manchester City - Belgium)
• Rafael Varane ( Real Madrid - France)
• Mbappé (PSG - France)
• Griezmann (At Madrid - France)
• Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid/Juventus FC - Portugal)
• Lionel Messi (FC Barcelona - Argentina)
• Harry kane (Tottenham Hotspurs - England)
• Luka Modric (Real Madrid - Croatia)
• Salah (Liverpool FC - Egypt)
• Eden Hazard (Chelsea FC - Belgium)

The 2018 Russia World Cup will have a heavy weight in the voting, along with the Champions League & Europa League; the favourites are Antoine Griezmann & Luka Modric.

The note to observe is NO Neymar JR is present. This player is missing his "trains" of opportunities" it seems. 

From the 24th of July until the 10th of August a panel of experts elected by FIFA will reduce the list to 3 players. The winner will be announced in London on the 24th of Septembre during the FIFA THE BEST AWARD ceremony. 

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GOODBYE CRISTIANO RONALDO

Its official, CRISTIANO RONALDO gets transferred to Italian Club JUVENTUS FC for 105M€ (or 112M€ with commissions & extras). So its GOODBYE Cristiano Ronaldo & thanks for your 9 years in Spanish Football. Said this, its a relief, now we can move on to bigger & better things. 

The fact is, that there was no fan manifestations hailing Real Madrid President Perez to stop the transfer. Most ( not all ) have become tired of the Ronaldo antics & yearly ego-trips & demands (demands always given by the Club). Yes, everyone is grateful & thanks the opportunity to have witnessed such Football talent. Real Madrid fans will have to recognise that the last few UEFA Champions League titles are thanks to CR7 in great part. The Portuguese star has craved a place in Real Madrid History as one of the Clubs greatest players.

Said this Cristiano Ronaldo says farewell with only a letter... a solitary letter. Coward.

What was really needed was to face the press & show your face to explain to everyone why you have decided to leave the Club. The fans & supporters deserve at least an explanation. However, many are not surprised, again the character of Ronaldo shines through brightly me , only me & me again. 

The "Goodbye Letter" transmits emotions & the desire to find new goals. Ronaldo admits he asked the Club to let him go & says thank you to everyone. This is the official line, the truth is that:

• his legal tax problems locally - 15M€ due to the tax office - weight heavily,
• the salary of Messi (40M€), Neymar (36M€) & Grizmann (23M€) outweight his of 21M€
  This lead to a "mini revolt" that lead later to alleged promises that were broken by Club etc & etc. The lastest is that Real Madrid equalled the Juventus FC offer of 30M€... you make up your own opinion.
• The possible coming of Neymar JR "hurt the ego". Ronaldo felt that his time was up as the most brightest star & that the possible coming of younger stars was not making him comfortable.

The truth, the real truth is that there is no single individual bigger than the Club. Real Madrid has members (paying members) as the true owners. This institution has survived more than 100 years & seen hundreds of Footballers , huge Stars, come & go. Cristiano Ronaldo will probably be surprised to see how Real Madrid continues operating the same or better after his exit.

So thanks & goodbye. Good luck with your next Club. Lets move onto newer & exiting developments in Spanish Football in coming days & weeks

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CRISTIANO RONALDO TO LEAVE REAL MADRID

Spanish TV via "La Sexta" channel & its afternoon "Sports News" has confirmed that CRISTIANO RONALDO will be leaving REAL MADRID CF. This news complements Italian news sources that JUVENTUS has made an offer that it seems has been accepted by Real Madrid & thus opens the door for Ronaldo to play in "Serie A" next season.

The details of the operation are the following; Juventus will pay Real Madrid 100M€ in concept of a transfer fee, while Juventus offers Cristiano Ronaldo 30M€ per season for a 4 year contract. The Portuguese star has commented to close sources that he will accept their offer & now awaits Real Madrid keeps their part of the deal. 

The 33 year old forward adds that it has nothing to do with money leaving Real Madrid, in fact the Spanish Club has equalled the Italian offer as the player too solicited an improvement. It has to do with the need to find a new stimulus & Ronaldo feels his "cycle" at Real Madrid has come to an end.

Months back Ronaldo voiced his "feelings" of leaving Real Madrid to President Perez & the Club responded that if they received an acceptable offer the Club would not put any impediments or barriers for an exit. The player is recognized as the most important & greatest Player to pass through the Club in the "modern era", Ronaldo for many has eclipsed Alfredo Di Stefano, thus the Club is empathic to the Ronaldo respuests.

The Juventus offer was already on the tables before the Champions League Final in Kiev & Cristiano Ronaldo looked favourably thanks to the Italians Club fans who rose & applauded his performance at Turin that included his now famous "overhead" goal in Champions League Q/Final. 

Real Madrid will now be looking to shut the deal & organize a huge goodbye event with all the fanfare that their Champion & Star deserves after 9 years ( & 4 Champions League plus 4 FiFA Golden Ball Awards) of brilliant service.

The news is not 100% official but the source is viable & traditionally spot on. However, one cannot help think that the above is the "official goodbye story" & that there is more to the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo than meets the eye. 

One unofficial said factor that could be crucial is the "obsessive" interest by Real Madrid for Brazilian NEYMAR. Real Madrid refuted a news piece yesterday that stated a massive 310M€ offer to Paris St Germain & a 45M€ / season contract for Neymar...a record breaker. It is obvious to all that Real Madrid sees in Neymar the "new Star", their "new Marketing & Income generator" & their key to future titles success.

Added to the above MBAPPE has also again entered the Real Madrid orbit & there are rumours that the French International & PSG youngster can be a target as he was last year.

In both cases, it is not strange to think, that both Neymar &/or Mbappe would look more favourably in accepting a Real Madrid offer if Cristiano Ronaldo was no longer at the Club to soak up all the spotlights. Both will demand to be starters in all matches & too many roosters in the hens den always leads to trouble.

Stay tuned the following days & weeks! Tweet

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SPAIN FOOTBALL TEAM | SOME REASONS THAT EXPLAIN THEIR ELIMINATION

Nearly 24 horas after SPAIN was eliminated by RUSSIA in the FIFA WORLD CUP 2018 the process of closer scrutiny, deeper evaluation & severe criticism has began doing the rounds locally with Sports Media at the helm. The main labour is to explain the reasons behind the Spanish Football Team extraordinary failure & vulnerability against "lesser" National Teams. Plus, added to this, the frustration of letting go of a unique opportunity given the path towards a Final seeing Spain was in a more hypothetically accesible line of match-ups. All the "bigger" names were on the other "wing" knocking themselves out. 

So what happened? What are the reasons for the Spanish National Teams debacle? Here are a few ideas that may help explain their elimination from the 2018 World Cup. 

• Sacking of Selector & Coach Julen Lopetegui:  Spanish Football Federation President Luis Rubiales made the drastic decision to fire (sack) Julen Lopetegui 2 days before the start of the World Cup competition. The announcement by Real Madrid that Lopetegui would be their new Coach apparently surprised President Rubiales who claims he was not informed. There has been a lot written since of the whys, the "rush of blood to the head" of Rubiales, the need to enforce order or other mysterious motives. The truth is that the decision of Rubiales left without head (the thinking head) the Spanish National Team. A terrible initial decision.
  
  
• Current Coach Fernando Hierro: The man practically had no real choice, the up till then Football Director (a administrative role) was directly handed the "hot potato". Fernando Hierro had no experience, his only real Coach employment was with Second Division B Spanish Team Oviedo where he was sacked. He was also asistente to Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid for a year, but little more.
  
  Said this, Hierro did not choose the Spanish Squad nor have sufficient time to train them properly, fix & practice tactics or elaborate alternative game plays. He was "technically dead" from the start. Hierro was not able to lift the moral of the players or truly win over the "more loyal" to Lopetegui players. Its curious that Saul who voiced support for Lopetegui did not get minutes at all during the World Cup.
  
  
• Lack of ideas, alternative plans & slow to react by Fernando Hierro: As a consequence of the above reason, Hierro was more a "statue" than a real Coach. Slow to react (with substitutions) to the circumstances, no alternative ideas when things got difficult & conservative in his thinking. This last point maybe explained as not being brave enough to risk, attack more when the only objetive for survival was to score. This point was brought to "life" when Hierro decides to bring on forward Rodrigo mid extra-time against Russia when this should have been done earlier around the 65th min mark.
  
  
•  No goal: Spain has difficulty scoring goals & Diego Costa is not the answer. Spain broke a record during Russia with more than a 1000 passes, but what worth has this & ball domination if you cannot score goals.
  
  
• Goalkeeper De Gea: Unfortunately for the Manchester United goalie he was not at his best. His mistakes & lack of confidence made contagious his "fear" to the rest of the Spanish defence. A note, De Gea received 12 goal opportunities of which 11 were goals. During the penalty shoot-out with Russia not one single attempt was stopped.
  
  
• Too many defensive mistakes: The apparent two best central defenders in World Football Ramos & Pique were not at the level of the statement. Ramos was slow, Pique not fully concentrated as he made 2 penalties with childish mistakes that cost Spain the victories. Carvajal had come out of an injury & was not able to break defences with incursions & he was not 100%, & Busquets was left too alone in his defensive role. The solution was midfielder KOKE for equilibrium but here Coach Hierro inexperience made him put forward other options. Costly decision.
  
  
• Low form of the "sacred cows": If De Gea & defenders Ramos, Pique & Carvajal were out of form, others like David Silva & Andres Iniesta were not firing on all cylinders. All were slow & mentally not fresh. Perhaps others more "hungry" with less name could have shown more grit.
   
• Marco Asensio: the golden boy of Spanish Football received a "reality check". Perhaps the stage was "too big" , perhaps the pressure was overwhelming or simply the inexperience made a dent. Whatever he was disappointing.
  
  
• Lack of alternative plans: Spain has a very visible & formed way of playing Football: touch & domination of the ball Football. However, the other teams have found the anecdote; allow Spain the ball & defend with 5 - 6 defenders & await mistakes to counter-attack Spain. With this habitual scenario Spain has not a "Plan B" or a "Plan C". The options of long balls to a central forward is another option, long shots from outside the box another response, less touch & more direct Football could be the answer.
  
  Spain has no longer players like Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso, Marcos Senna, David Villa, Carles Puyol etc to play & allow for effective results from the famous "Tiqui Taka".
  
  
• The bench was limited: here the only person responsable was Lopetegui who made the final list. But it was later shown that Spain had a "weak" bench of substitutes. Said this many cannot understand why Saúl did not get a chance to play at all. Perhaps his comments in favour of Lopetegui is a reason.

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WORLD CUP 2018 | SPAIN ELIMINATED BY RUSSIA ON PENALTY SHOOT OUT

SPAIN was eliminated this afternoon by RUSSIA losing 3 - 4 on penalties after extra-time & with a 1 - 1 draw at the end. Spanish players Koke & Aspas missed their penalties while goalkeeper De Gea did not stop any penalties from the Russians. Sad moment for Spanish Football as an "inferior" team managed to knock Spain out of the World Cup, but Russia played well their limited cards looking to take the game onto penalties where things get even & remain wide open. Congratulations to Russia.

Spain dominated the entire match controlling the ball with all moments of pure "boredom" as the objective - to score goals - was never clear. Spain only had a hand full of shots at the Russian goal during 130 mins & this is practically "anti Football" with no effectiveness, no goal. This is precisely the problem of Spain during this tournament & past years, the team has difficulties scoring goals. Most of the scored occasions for Spain during their World Cup participation have been rebounds or lucky spill overs with forwards out of the count. 

Even today´s only goal for Spain was an own goal by Ignashevich (11th min) after a tussle with defender Sergio Ramos. The Russian equalizer was a penalty scored by Dzyuba (41st min) after defender Pique hand balled.The rest of the summary was all Spain, all Spanish ball domination & null goal opportunities & without goals you cannot win. Below is the technical card summary:

Spain will now fly home tomorrow & rethink the future. Current selector Fernando Hierro will certainly not continue as he too showed signs of inexperience although he was brave to take on the position after the "erroneous" sacking of Julen Lopetegui. Inietsa & Pique leave the Spanish team & veterans like Ramos & Silva are close to calling it a day in coming years. Spain will have to rejuvenate & look forward to the Euro Championships 2020.

So goodbye, Spain will not be missed from the World Cup because they never really played well in all of their 4 matches, with perhaps Portugal being their best moments. But the team started badly, key players not at their best moments, poor decisions by Coach Hierro & the lack of goal or effectiveness upfront to win matches. In the end looked at things rationally Spain was "lucky" to get as far as they did.  

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SPAIN 2 MOROCCO 2 | SPAIN GROUP B LEADER IN HORRIBLE MATCH

SPAIN drew 2 - 2 with MOROCCO in their last match of Group B to qualify for the next phase of the FIFA World Cup Championship. Spain was sitting in 2º position which would have matched them up against Uruguay, but a last minute penalty to Iran in the other Group game was scored to give a 1 - 1 result to Portugal which then relegated them to the 2º position. All this dramatic events, including a last moment goal to Spain given by the "VAR", altered things in such a way that Spain will face Russia next Sunday being Group B top spot holder. 

While most observers are still digesting the last minute changes, what is unanimous is that Spain played their worst match of the World Cup. The team has serious defensive problems & their is a lack of goal power upfront. Added to this some "scared cows" are looking slow along with goalkeeper De Gea which is lacking confidence. Spain is vulnerable to counter-attacks & in goal square headers which is putting in doubt what was previously considered the best pair of Central Defenders in World Football: Pique & Ramos. 

In fact the Moroccan first goal came early in the 4th min when Boutaïb took advantage of a disastrous misunderstanding between Iniesta & Ramos. There was more defensive mistakes to come, like a near goal from a throw in that Pique shallowed, passing mistakes from midfielders give the ball to Moroccan attackers, Amrabat hitting  the bar & the header second goal from Morocco in the 80th min from En-Nesyri.

Spain was losing most of the second half & was desperate with their Football, something not habitual & certainly not confidence building at all for the team. Luckly, ISCO was on fire as he has been all three matches to create opportunities & score. His was the 18th min equalizer to calm things & redeem earlier mistakes. 

The other piece of lucky was the 90th min goal by substitute ASPAS who scored but was initially disallowed. While Spain faced defeat, the VAR intervened to give the Aspas goal & allow Spain to draw the encounter in the very last moment. 

Another area of hot debut is the reaction or lack of reaction by Spanish Coach Fernando Hierro to move the bench when things are going badly. The changes need to be made sooner, however Hierro seems to be "frozen" without ideas on how to redirect the situations. Here again luck has played it part & has diluted the negative impact of the lack of decision making by the Spanish Coach.

The future does not look bright at all for Spain in this tournament. The odds are more stacked at being eliminated sooner ( against Russia next Sunday) tan later. Play like they are with a horrendous defence will not get them into the World Cup Final. I hope I am totally wrong, but Spain gave more reasons for everyone to be pessimistic than optimistic at this moment. Horrible match by Spain , lucky result.

As for Morocco, great performance & grit. They played their Football optimizing efficiently their "weapons", it nearly paid off for them in a historical near victory!

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SPAIN 1 - IRAN 0 | GROUP B RESULT FIFA WORLD CUP 2018

SPAIN has defeated 1  - 0 IRAN in their Group B match tonight in Kazan (Russia). A very difficult encounter for the Spanish Team against a rocky, sticky & ultra defensive Iran that gave Spain troubles the whole match. Iran knew their game plan on how to neutralize the Spanish ball possession & their higher quality players: defend with all 11 men. A draw for Spain was useless & Iran had the upper hand with 3 points after defeating Morocco in their Group opener.

In fact, Spain will give thanks to the introduction of the "VAR Technology" which disallowed an offside goal in the second half to Iran which would have been a disaster for Spain if allowed. This event helps explain how difficult & awkward this match was for Spain as they walked on the "knife edge" on various occasions throughout the 2º half.

Spain anticipated that Iran would defeat & attempt the counter-attack & thus started with Carvajal & Lucas Vazquez to try to open up Iran on their left flank. However, the Iranians were solid everywhere defensively allowing Spain the control of the ball and smashing continuously into their defensive wall ( or Trap ) to increase the frustration levels for the Spaniards. Added to all this Iran complemented their game with "time wasting" tactics from apparent non-fouls, shoe laces, ball going astray, goalkeeper taking his time etc etc, the whole array of time consuming ideas was witnessed.

It took 55 mins to open the Iranian can & with luck for Spain to score a goal ( the winning goal) after the ball rebound of an Iranian defender onto the knee off DIEGO COSTA. Witnessing how the game was developing this is as valid as a clear open shot for Spain was clearly not seeing the light in the tunnel up until this "small miracle".

Miraculously, Iran changed "game plan" for this point & for the first time went forward looking for the equalizer that would give them a secure opportunity of advancing in the World Cup, while almost certainly eliminating Spain. The Iranians nearly found their "goal" on various occasions putting the heart up the throats for most Spaniards watching TV back home.

In the 73rd min Iranian midfielder Saeid Ezatolahi put the ball into the Spanish net after a free-kick & multiple defensive fumbles. However Saeid was off-side & while Iran was celebrating the referee had consulted the "VAR" & disallowed the goal. Spain saved by the technology, those who did not like it will now have to love the technology.

Both Coaches made their changes with Spain securing further the midfield with Koke (Iniesta), giving legs with Asensio (off Vazquez) & winning time with Rodrigo (off Costa), while Iran looked for the equalizer putting on offensive players.

In the end, Spain managed to control the situation, the Iranian attacks & their nerves by controlling the ball which is precisely what they do best. The final whistle blew & all of Spain sighed relief as this was a "close one". Iran played well tonight they knew their limitations & put forward their strategy, a plan that nearly paid off for them. They too came close to their objective. 

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SPAIN 3 PORTUGAL 3 | WORLD CUP 2018 GROUP B

SPAIN kicked off tonight its WORLD CUP 2018 participation against PORTUGAL in Group B. The final result a 3 - 3 draw that could have gone either way. Spain after the turmoil of losing their Coach Lopetegui after being fired coinciding with his Real Madrid Coaching announcement 48 hours previously, started with nerves as expected but ended much better, with 3 goals & a good overall performance. PORTUGAL has CRISTIANO RONALDO & while he may not be as illustrative as others his efficiency & optimization when he receives or faces goal is absolutely deadly. The Real Madrid player & Portugal Captain got himself a HAT-TRICK & was the driver & the protagonist of his team tonight. 

The Spain & Portugal starting line-ups are above & Spain basically kept the habitual formula & set up coming into this World Cup . Spain puts their Football in ball possession, with long build ups looking for the gaps & Diego Costa upfront, while Portugal functions on the counter-attack & long balls to Cristiano Ronaldo. Both formulas worked as Ronaldo got three goals while Diego Costa scored 2 goals.

Portugal got off to a great start when Ronaldo was fouled in the square by Nacho & was awarded a penalty in the 4th min. The goal brought doubts to the Spanish Team but they managed to get back their concentration to find their game. DIEGO COSTA draw in the 23rd min & things looked good for Spain. They had Portugal on the back foot creating opportunities until Ronaldo in the 44th min shot at goal a weak ball that Spanish goalie DAVID DE GEA fumbled to find the net. A shocker just before half time that hurt psychologically Spain. 

Spain started the 2º half again with doubts & nerves but managed to find their touch Football & regained their confidence. From a set piece free kick Busquets headed into the square where DIEGO COSTA knocked in the equalizer.  This lifted Spain & gave them a moral boost to find their BEST moments of the match. They were rewarded when defender NACHO hooked onto a loose ball outside the box in the 58th min that flew into goal. Spain was clearly dominating & could have scored a 4th but Costa could get in on time.

With Spain dominating proceedings a Pique foul on Ronaldo just outside the area allowed the Real Madrid player to convert a free kick in a unstoppable goal & equalizer in the 88th min. The free kick was spectacular & Spain watched how a "simple" foul poured cold water over their very good performance overall. 

In resume, given the circumstances both teams will be satisfied with the result, while Spain will be extra satisfied given the context, the crisis & turmoil experienced 48 hours before this match. Outstanding match from Isco, Koke & Diego Costa for Spain.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL FEDERATION SACKS SELECTOR & COACH JULEN LOPEREGUI

Its the news BOMB of Spanish Sports & World Football, the Spanish Football Federation under President Luis Rubiales has sacked their current Spanish Football Team Selector & Coach JULEN LOPETEGUI with just 2 days from their debut in the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Definitely not the best way to begin your World Cup campaign considering that Spain has high expectations & is considered a clear favourite. Spain begins it first match next Friday against Portugal & this event has to have serious consequences on the Spanish Team players.

Everything got triggered & ignited after REAL MADRID CF announced officially yesterday afternoon that Julen Lopetegui would substitute resigned Coach Zidane after the World Cup. This did not go down at all well with the Spanish Football Federation as they claim they were marginalised from negotiations, were not previously informed of the Real Madrid communication (5 minutes before claimed President Rubiales he was informed) & that the timing was not in the best interests of the Spanish National Team.

President of the Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales cited that the methods & forms adapted was contrary to the values promoted where the National interest outweighs the individual. He added that the decision was painful & extremely difficult but there was not option given under the circumstances. 

Hours before the announcement Spanish Team Players lead by Captain Sergio Ramos voiced their opposition against the sacking as the "remedy" was worse than the "cure". The players wanted Coach Julen Lopetegui to continue & at least maintain a clear direction & course during the soon to start World Cup.

Now the unknown is who will take over the direction of the Spanish National Team. Federation President Rubiales announced that the intention is to make the most smoothest transition possible. This leads many to postulate that 2º Coach ( & U/21 Selector) Albert Celades could take the ruins, along with Spanish Team Director Fernando Hierro. It is being discussed & debated while I write this post. 

The correct decision? Perhaps, the forms & the timing of the Real Madrid announcement was not the most appropriate. However, with just 2 days away from Spain commencing their World Cup campaign & against current European Champions, perhaps the "greater picture" was over looked along with the opinions of the players.

What is certain is that this is a strong & heavy blow to the Spanish National Team which has their concentration & heads on external issues & not on the "job at hand". Not to mention the elimination of the "leader" who took them to Russia in the first place.
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REAL MADRID | JULEN LOPETEGUI NEW COACH

REAL MADRID has made official with an announcement on their website that current Spanish Football Selector & Coach JULEN LOPETEGUI will be their new Coach of the current Champions League Champions after the World Cup. 

Julen Lopetegui fills the "huge gap" left open after Zinedine Zidane announced weeks back that he was stepping down as Coach, leaving everyone at Real Madrid in "shock". The Spanish Football Club quickly put themselves to work to probe potential candidates, which for a Club at this level are only a hand full.

The first choice was Mauricio Pochettino of Tottenham Hotspurs, but the Tottenham Coach had recently signed his renewal with the London Club & Real Madrid preferred not to enter into a negotiating "war" with owner Levy. Thus this choice was discarded. 

The other names were Liverpool Coach Kloop also with contract, Allegri of Juventus who said no due to personal reasons, German National Team Selector Low & Chelsea FC coach Conte. There was even a rumour that perhaps ex Real Madrid players Laudrup, Michel or even Guti would be given the position. In the end Real Madrid has surprised most with the Lopetegui announcement. 

Julen Lopetegui started his professional Football career as Goalkeeper at Real Madrid with 19 years of age, thus he is very familiar with the Club (apart later training as Coach of Real Madrid B) . He wasn´t able to consolidate his position due to the heavy competition from the then Real Madrid goalie Francisco Buyo. He was loaned out & later moved to other Clubs ( Logroñes, FC Barcelona & Rayo Vallecano) were he gained his prestige as one of Spanish Football finest goalkeepers reaching the Spanish National Team. 

He has Coaching experience, apart from the Spain National Team, with the U/19 & U/21 Spanish National Teams (winning European Championships) & Oporto. 

Although the news of the Lopetegui announcement has caught most "offside" their was talk that the Real Madrid players of the Spanish National Team ( Ramos, Carvajal, Isco, Vazquez, Nacho & Asensio) have recommended to Real Madrid Directives that Lopetegui was their man. If this is true, this may have weight heavily in favour of the naming. Julen Lopetegui had recently extended his contract with the Spanish National Team until 2020 but a release clause of 2M€ was included which Real Madrid have executed.

We wish the best of luck to Lopetegui on his new position, a job full of pressure & with the added shadow of the 3 straight Champions League wins under Zidane looming. 

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INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY | SPAIN 1 SWITZERLAND 1

SPAIN played SWITZERLAND in a Friendly International tonight which ended in a 1 - 1 draw result. Both teams will be present in the upcoming World Cup Finals in Russia & this encounter severed as a good sparring occasion. 

Spain began with the following starting line-up:

De Gea, Odriozola, Pique, Azpilicueta, Jordi Alba, Thiago, Koke, Silva, Iniesta, Aspas & Diego Costa.

which later changed as Coach Lopetegui gave other squad members (Nacho, Asensio, Saul, Monreal, Rodrigo...) a run later in the game.

As one would expect the game had a "practice" feel about it for both teams as they worked on fine tuning their line-ups & getting players into the groove. The goals were scored by defender Alvaro Odriozola in the 29th min & Ricardo Rodríguez for Switzerland in the 62nd min. The Swiss goal came through a De Gea clearing mistake that will need to be looked at internally to sharpen reflexes.

Spain will incorporate tomorrow the Real Madrid players Sergio Ramos & Isco to complete the squad & will play their last Friendly International next week against Tunisia. There World Cup Group opening match is scheduled for the 15th of June against current European Champions Portugal. 

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