PRE- MATCH SPANISH CUP | POSSIBLE REAL MADRID - FC BARCELONA LINE-UPS

Its on again, the clash of the Football Titans, this time the 1º leg of the SPANISH CUP ( Copa del Rey ). At 22.00 hrs (10.00pm)  Spanish local time REAL MADRID plays FC BARCELONA at the "Santiago Bernabeu" Stadium.

Although the "atmosphere" is less tense than previous ocassion it is certainly the talk of the town & of the Football World. Most of the talks are centered on the opening line-ups & the tactical set ups, as many think Coach Guardiola of Barça knows all the "party tricks" that Real Madrid Coach Mourinho may put on tonight. This puts the pressure on "Mou" to surprise us & find the way to "break" the Barça winning streak, as Pep Guardiola is tied with what he has ( top material, of course ) but limited due to injuries.

Thus the Barça line-up is fairly "easy" to predict, but Real Madrid? Will Di Maria play? Callejon? Benzema or Higuain, or both? Lass on the right defensive flank? Ramos? Pepe as central midfielder? Albiol? Marcelo as midfielder? Coentrao? 4-3-3 or 3-1-3-1? No one knows as Mourinho is keeping his cards close to his chest & will reveal the starting line-up 1 hour before the match.

Meanwhile Spanish Sports paper "Marca" SPECULATES & gives us these two diagrams / possible of what they think could be the starting line-ups:

Real Madrid

Fc Barcelona

I am comfortable with the Barça prediction, although Guardiola may surprise. Where I am not at all comfortable is with the speculated Real Madrid line-up, I feel Mou has a couple of surprises installed.

The only way to get out of doubt is to watch your TV or internet channel & see for yourself. Spanish Football Sports will post a full round - up late ( game finishes close to midnight ) . Please surf in.

NOTE: The line-ups are speculations , they are NOT confirmed!

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LAST MONTHS OF KAKA AT REAL MADRID?

News coming out of Italy is that French Club PARIS ST GERMAIN & REAL MADRID player & midfielder KAKA may have come to an agreement for the latter to catch a plane from Madrid to Paris for next season. The news comes from the Italian paper "La Gazzetta dello Sports" & concludes that the final step needed is an agreement between Clubs. The paper goes on further to say that Real Madrid President Florentino Perez has already rejected an initial offer of around 25M€, which is far from the 65M€ initially invested by the Spanish Football Club. It is logical to expect that like every "asset" its value declines with the years, more in the Kaka case which has not lived up to expectations & will be 30 years old, but Madrid will attempt to recoup on their investment as much as posible.

Kaká

The main figures that backs & wishes Kaká in Paris is his ex-Coach at Milan, Carlo Ancelotti & ex team-mate Leonardo, the former now PSG Coach & the latter the Club Football Director both which know well Kaká & believe they can get the best out of the player as he enters his "twilight years". 


If asked for my opinion, I would think at this stage that if PSG can raise their offer to around the 35M€ that Real Madrid will sell & at least recover some of their initial investment. The player currently costs Real Madrid 10M€ / year & he is not playing which is not a good business situation.

Stay tuned!


LASTEST: Kaka dismisses the news out of Italy & denies he has any agreement with PSG. I do remember him saying the same thing while an AC Milan player - several times - & he ended up at Real Madrid

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SEVILLA FC SIGNS BABÁ

Papa Babacar Diawara (alias BABÁ ) has been signed in this "Transfer Winter Market" by Spanish Football Club SEVILLA FC from the Portugueses Football League. The player signs over from the "SuperLiga" & Club MARITIMO DE FUNCHAL & has scored 10 goals this season which has caught the eye of Sevilla FC.


Babá signs for the next 5 seasons at 3M€ & joins the two other Sevilla signings, José Antonio Reyes ( At.Madrid) & Javi Hervas (Cordoba, his incorporation next season).The Spanish Club has said that Babá is a "bargain" & a firm future bet for the Club.

Babá

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SPANISH CUP 1º LEG QUARTER FINAL RESULT | RCD ESPANYOL 3 - MIRANDES 2

The Quarter Final phase of the SPANISH CUP ( Copa del Rey ) kicked of tonight with the 1ºst leg match between LIGA Club RCD ESPANYOL & the "Cinderalla of the tournament" Club from the Spanish 2º B Division MIRANDES. 


The match was a "beauty" with Espanyol having to lift itself up & comeback to put in a marvellous last 15 mins to win 3 - 2. 

Penalty not called to Mirandes

The theoretical lesser team, Mirandes, gave Espanyol a bath right up till the 78th min. The visitors were 0 - 2 up after ALAIN scored first in the 27th min & PABLO INFANTE scored in the 78th min. A clear penalty to Mirandes was not called when Espanyol defender Amat fouled Infante ( see above ) in the area, this effected the final result.

But while Mirandes was "dreaming" of a possible semis birth they sinned in lack of "big time experience" & the "fat lady" was still singing, & how she kept singing. Espanyol scored three goals in 15 minutes to turn the match right around after playing like "crap" most of the game. The comeback began with WEISS & his 85th min goal, followed by team-mate FONTE & his 87th min goal & the winner by VERDU in the 89th min.

Now, its all up for the 2º leg match at the home ground of Mirandes. The atmosphere will be electric no doubt, a magical Spanish Cup game.


Tomorrow two Spanish Cup Q/final 1º leg games scheduled:
- Real Madrid / FC Barcelona ( the big one)
- At Bilbao - Real Mallorca
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SPANISH HANDBALL | EURO OPENER : FRANCE 26 - SPAIN 29

The Sport of HANDBALL does not get the space that it deserves here, I am aware of this but as a "one man blogging band" I have to go with the more popular of Sports, being that Football (Soccer), its simple demand.  Said this I take the opportunity to give coverage tonight when something big happens & in this case a victory by SPAIN in the opener of the European Handball Championships.

Spain - France 2012

Apart from a good start in the tournament were the London Olympic Games classification is also up for grabs, the defeated Nation was none other than FRANCE, the Champions of everything in the Sport of Handball: the current Olympic, European & World Champions.

FRANCE lost 26 - 29 to SPAIN which is a fabulous indicator of the current form of Spanish side & a moral (psychological) booster for their aspirations for the Euro title & to secure an Olympic Games place. There is much more left to the tournament with some excellent & strong teams still to face ahead, but its great news for Spanish Handball & Spanish Sports.

Match details:

France - 26 : Omeyer; Abalo (6), Barachet (1), Karabatic (3), Fernandez (7), Guigou (3, 1p) & Bertrand Gille (3), Karaboue (ps), Dinart (-), Guillaume Gille (-), Narcisse (3), Joli (-), Accambray (-), Detrez (-) & Bingo (-)


Spain - 29 : Hombrados; Roberto García (1), Gurbindo (2), Guardiola (3), Morros (1), Alberto Entrerríos (3), Ugalde (4), Sierra (ps), Maqueda (3), Víctor Tomás (2), Raúl Entrerríos (1), Sarmiento (-), Aginagalde (1), Juanín García (2), Romero (2p) & Cañellas (4)


Score every 5 minutes: 3-3, 5-6, 7-9, 8-11, 10-13 y 13-15 (rest). 15-18, 17-21, 20-22, 21-25, 25-27 y 26-29 (Final)

May the good form continue for Spain, go guys!

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SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 19 RESULTS SUNDAY GAMES

SPANISH FOOTBALL today-tonight with the remaining five matches of Round 19 ( the season half-way mark) of the SPANISH LEAGUE. Here are all the final results & the scorers.

Falcao. Atletico de Madrid

ATLETICO DE MADRID finally managed to get back on the winning path with a 3 - 0 victory over VILLAREAL at home. New Atletico Coach Simeone has driving home the importance of pressure Football & dedication to the history of the Atletico shirt to his players.

Although Atletico deserved to win, there was some doubtful referee decisions with the two first Atletico goals that went against Villareal. Said this, Villareal played poorly & could not justify that they really deserved to win. The goals came via FALCAO with two ( 39th min & 50th min - penalty ) & DIEGO with a class goal in the 79th min. 

Fernando Llorente heads home

Convincing victory at home by ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO over LEVANTE with a 3 - 0 result. The Basque Club gets into European table positions with this well earned victory. The goals came via defender AMOREBIETA in the 10th min, FERNANDO LLORENTE in the 40th min & SAN JOSE in the 90th min

Stauni starred for Racing

If there is a Liga Club with "shit" up to its ears ( along with Real Zaragoza ), that is RACING DE SANTANDER which managed a valuable 0 - 2 away victory over OSASUNA. The star player was STAUNI who put in both goals, first in the 37th min via a penalty & the second in the 71st min via another penalty. Three important points that at least allows them to hope of possibly avoiding relegation.

Galvez for Sporting

Another Liga Club in "shit" is REAL SPORTING DE GIJON which managed a spirit lifting 1 - 0 victory at home over MALAGA. The only goal came in the 36th min via GALVEZ, that did not put aside the pressure that Malaga pilled on till the end. However the locals in desperate need of points managed to "hold the fort" until the end. Brave win for Sporting!

Messi

Hard work at the office for FC BARCELONA after halting a REAL BETIS comeback that could have given more possibilities of the Spanish League to Real Madrid ( 8 point gap). Barça rolled up the sleeves & managed the 4 - 2 victory.

Barça got ahead early via XAVI in the 10th min & MESSI later in the 12th min, but Betis reacted with good play & pride & pulled one back via CASTRO in the 32nd min. Betis continued with their good play & equalized via SANTA CRUZ in the 52nd min & made the Barça alarm bells ring. Guardiola put on Alves (for Cuenca )  & made some positional changes to see ALEXIS (great match tonight) score with his 75th min goal, & MESSI again with the fourth in the 86th min with a penalty to calm things down.  Said all this, a "controversial" game ( a penalty not called for Iniesta of Barça, then a questioned penalty given to Messi ) & a red card to Betis defender Mario mid-2 ºhalf that may have facilitated the Barça comeback. Anyhow, it was a close call folks!

Before the match tonight Puyol presented their newly won "World Clubs..." trophy to the fans, along with Lionel Messi & his third acquired "Golden Bal 2011". On the field Xavi Hernandez notched up his 400th Liga match with Barça & 22 year old Busquets notched up his 100th Liga game with Barcelona. Congratulations to both.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE ROUND 19 RESULTS SATURDAY NIGHT GAMES

SPANISH FOOTBALL action tonight with five games scheduled of Round 19 ( half-way through the LA LIGA season) with the following final results & scorers.

Rayo Vallecano 

GRANADA lost 1 - 2 to Madrid Club RAYO VALLECANO. The latter breathe easier with the three points but suffered towards the end as Granada attempted to salvage the situation.  Rayo was dominate the first 60 minutes with goals from MICHU ( 26th min) & PITI ( 52th min). But Granada attempted a late charge & scored in the 87th min via FRAN RICO, however "the charge" came late.

Sevilla FC : Negredo

SEVILLA FC is going through a dry & very frustrating rough patch after drawing with RCD ESPANYOL 0 - 0. The truth is that Sevilla let off the hook Espanyol after the former missed numerous occasions & opportunities to get ahead with goals. Sevilla Coach Marcelino is under the microscope & is quickly running out of credit, his job is now on the line. Stay tuned!

Real Zaragoza 2012

Although last placed REAL ZARAGOZA opened the scoring in the 38th min via LENZARO, the team slowly lost steam to see GETAFE equalize in the 78 th min when Zaragoza defender PAREDES did an own goal. Final result 1 - 1 , with Zaragoza still in deep troubles & without any luck at all.

Callejon scores the winner

MALLORCA lost 1 - 2 to REAL MADRID after the latter made another last moment comeback after suffering most of the match. It was not the best match for Real Madrid, & it was even less pretty, as Mallorca played better with their strong disciplined defence & counter-attack punch. It was Mallorca that scored first via a clever header from HEMED in the 39th min.

Things got more uphill for Real Madrid as they were seeing the "phantoms" of losing here 3 points & maybe in the long-term the possibility of the Spanish League. Real Madrid Coach Mourinho had to react & risked again putting on Coentrao (for Lass) , Kaka (Arbeloa) & Higuain (Marcelo) to put in a 3 - 3 - 4 system. Very risky for Madrid, but "La Liga" title was in real danger.


The reaction came in the 71st min when an Ozil & Benzema action opened up HIGUAIN to see the Argentine score. The match got tense as Mallorca increased the aggression levels, but CALLEJON was the saviour in the 84th min to score the second,  & latter, the winner for Real Madrid.

Real changed system & defended from then on & kept out Mallorca which fought to find the equalizer. There was maximum tension right till the end with fouls, penalty calls & rough stuff...but the "Winter Champions" keep the advantage & won.

A match not free of controversial referee calls ( or not called ),  that seen in reference to next weeks Spanish Cup "clasico" quater-final 1º leg clash with FC Barcelona, should worry Real Madrid as their level tonight was not at all to praise about. 

Valencia CF - Real Sociedad 

Surprise at VALENCIA CF after losing  0 - 1 to REAL SOCIEDAD. The locals were without their "main" forward Roberto Soldado & lacked the "last touch" to get the ball into the oppositions net. The visitors however gave a new image with some excellent Football after losing  6 - 1 against Mallorca in the Spanish Cup mid-week. The winner goal came via GRIEZMANN in the 55th min to give Real Sociedad three vital points. 

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SPANISH CUP 2ND LEG MATCHES RESULTS - THURSDAY NIGHT

The last two matches of the 2º leg of the SPANISH CUP ( Copa del Rey ) were played tonight with little surprises as the "big names" managed to finish off the job. 

At.Bilbao

ALBACETE went to the ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO "lions den" with a 1 - 0 goal 1º st leg advantage. That quickly ended after Bilbao won 4 - 0 the 2º leg game & in doing so the tie ( 4- 1 on agg ). The goals came from SUSAETA in the 24th min, ANDER HERRERA in the 64th min , TOQUERO with a back-heel in the 78th min & SAN JOSE in the 86th min.

Osasuna - FC Barcelona

Same story at OSASUNA which hosted FC BARCELONA after the latter won 4 - 0 in the 1º st leg. Barça put on a team that had more juniors than seniors, while Osasuna left out half a dozen regular names to concentrate on La Liga. Although the latter lost 1 - 2 ( 1 - 6 agg ) the "juniors" did a good job under the "circumstances" with a goal from LEKIC in the 40th min for Osasuna. FC Barcelona reacted via ALEXIS who scored in the 48th min & SERGI ROBERTO in the 71st min. 

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IFFHS NAMES FC BARCELONA BEST CLUB IN THE WORLD 2011

The FIFA backed "International Federation of Football History & Statistics" (IFFHS) has reconfirmed want everyone already knew, that SPANISH FOOTBALL Club FC BARCELONA is the "Best Football Team in the World" for 2011. It´s the third time ( 2007, 2009 & 2011) that Barça gets this outstanding recognition form the IFHHS.

Another Spanish Football Club needs to be mentioned as it was second placed, that is, the fierce rival REAL MADRID CF

FC Barcelona 2011

Here is the full list by the IFFHS:

1. FC Barcelona (SP) 367,0
2. Real Madrid (SP) 312,0
3. Velez Sarsfield (ARG) 271,0
4. Manchester United (ENG) 270,0
5. Manchester City (ENG) 239,0
6. Santos (BRA) 238,0
7. Universidad de Chile (CHI) 235,5
8. Benfica (POR) 235,0
9. Oporto (POR) 231,0
10. Universidad Católica (CHI) 230,0
11. Schalke 04 (GER) 229,0
12. Bayern Munich (GER) 229,0
13. Libertad Asuncion (PAR) 220,5
14. París Saint-Germain (FRA) 220,0
15. LDUQ (ECU) 218,5

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SPANISH CUP RESULTS | 2ND LEG MATCHES WEDNESDAY NIGHT

Heroics & comebacks tonight with 2º leg SPANISH CUP ( Copa del Rey ) action. Exciting Spanish Football with plenty of emotion & goals to keep the fans biting their nails. Here is a summary of events & the final results, along with the scorers

Levente

LEVENTE had lost to Madrid 2º Division team ALCORCON in the first leg 1-2. Tonight the home team managed to put forward their LIGA authority & status on the field & won 4 - 0 the visitors to qualify for the Spanish Cup quarter-final phase. 

The goals came from BAKERO in the 22 nd min, ROGER in the 44th min , IBORRA in the 52th min & SUAREZ in the 66th min from a free-kick.

Alvaro for Espanyol

CORDOBA had won 2 -1 in the 1ºst leg RCD ESPANYOL & was looking at extending their "fairy-tail" run. However, that dream ended with a fantastic Espanyol comeback with 4 - 2 ( 5-4 agg) & thus qualifying for the next stage of the Spanish Cup themselves.

Espanyol started on fire with ALVARO scored two goals ( 9th min & 20th min) & DIDAC in the 35th min to take the initiative. But Cordoba fought back admirably answering with goals from ALBERTO in the 40th min & PEPE DIAZ in the 49th min. This last goal from Cordoba had Espanyol out of the Cup until ALVARO got the "qualifier"  in the 88th min & his HAT-TRICK to bring the stadium down. 

Spanish Cup 2012

VALENCIA CF visited SEVILLA with a 1 - 0 result from the 1º st leg. The 2º leg match was a hard fought affair that had both goalies ( Varas for Sevilla Fc & Alves for Valencia CF) working overtime in the first half. However the crucial break came in the 66th min when Valencia forward ROBERTO SOLDADO ( under the glance of Spanish National Team Coach Del Bosque present) scored in the 66th min. With Sevilla virtually out of the Spanish Cup they bravely reacted quickly scoring the equalizer via RAKITIC in the 70th min. This wasn´t enough & they needed  more goals to force the extra-time & another came with a 91st min own goal by VICTOR RUIZ.

Sevilla FC won 2 - 1 but were knocked out by the away goal rule , the away goal scored tonight by Soldado. Valencia into the quarter-finals of the Spanish Cup!


Tomorrow the last two matches of the Spanish Cup scheduled.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL THE BEST BY THE IFFHS

The FIFA backed "International Federation of Football Statistics & History" (IFFHS) has endorsed SPANISH FOOTBALL as having the "Best League in the World". The organization has released its yearly Top 10 list with Spanish Football holding the top spot.

Surprising to see Brazil so high, while traditionally strong Leagues like the Italian & German are relatively low placed.

La Liga 

Here is the Top 10 World Football Leagues as give by the IFHSS:
1. Spain 1.194,0 pts
2. England 1.103,0
3. Brazil 889,0
4. Portugal 886,0
5. France 883,0
6. Germany 880,0
7. Italy 873,0
8. Argentina 840,0
9. Holland 791,5
10. Chile 741,5

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SPANISH CUP 2ND LEG MATCHES RESULTS - TUESDAY NIGHT

Three top matches played tonight of the SPANISH CUP ( Copa del Rey ) with the 2º leg return clashes. Here is a summary of the events, the final results & all the scorers

Castro free kick goal

This was a top match - & unexplained - between REAL MALLORCA & REAL SOCIEDAD. The latter travelled to Mallorca with a 2- 0 goal 1º leg advantage & saw this game end for them with a 6 - 1 final score victory to Mallorca, that is,  6 - 3 agg win.

Real Sociedad opened the scoring with a IFRAN 16th min goal & was looking good, but things would change, & how. In a space of 7 minutes Mallorca had replied with four goals: a free kick from CHORI CASTRO in 34th min, HEMED in the 35 min, NUNES in the 37th min & again CASTRO in the 40th min after coming from behind the Real Sociedad goalie & stealing the ball from him for a goal. What a mistake!

A total collapse by Sociedad , with more goals in the 2º half for Mallorca by ALFARO in the 53rd min & HEMED in the 59th min.  It was an "increidible" comeback by Mallorca with Real Sociedad (nor observers) having no words to explain their disintegration. 

Mirandes makes history

Second Division B side MIRANDES had a 2 - 0 goal 1º st leg advantage over Liga Club RACING DE SANTANDER. The visitors finally managed a 1 - 1 draw result away & in the process made Club History in reaching the quarter-final phase of the Spanish Cup. 


Racing got ahead first via MUNITIS in the 35th min but went down to 10 men when Bernando was sent off in the 56th min. Mirandes took advantage of the spaces & won a penalty in the 72 nd min that INFANTE transformed. Historical!

Benzema again

REAL MADRID travelled to MALAGA with a 3 - 2 goal 1ºst leg result & suffered to scrap through into the quater - finals of the Spanish Cup with a 0 - 1 final result win.

An ineffective first half by Real Madrid as Malaga could have gotten the goal they wanted to eliminate Madrid. Real Madrid Coach Mourinho reacted in the second half by taking off KAKA for Marcelo. This move could have signalled the "end" of Kaka at Real Madrid as the Paris Saint Germain calling could be the best option for him & Real Madrid. Its only a "heated moment" speculation & it maybe a totally false call, but Kaka could interpret his substitute as the "end of the road" in Spain. Stay tuned!

Things were still looking stiff in the 2º half until Mourinho made another substitute, BENZEMA for Higuain & in the 71st min the former scored the winner when the Malaga goalie Caballero saw how the ball went right under his legs. It was a match lossing - & tie - big mistake, a huge error!

Madrid suffered till the end, with a red card to Arbeloa in the 88th min that did not make Mourinho too happy at all.

Said all this, Spanish Football - & World Football - will have a double dose of Real Madrid vs Fc Barcelona matches as they will meet in the quarter-finals,  if Barça wins on Thursday ( which they look like doing).

More Spanish Cup action tomorrow.

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FIFA 2011 "IDEAL 11 TEAM"

SPANISH FOOTBALL was recognized by FIFA yesterday in more ways than one for 2011. Here is the official list of the "IDEAL 11 TEAM" for 2011.

FIFA World XI

FC BARCELONA has 5 players ( Alves, Pique, Xavi, Iniesta & Messi) with REAL MADRID having 4 players chosen ( Casillas, Ramos, Xabi Alonso & Cristiano Ronaldo). The other two players are from Manchester United ( Vidic & Rooney).


Attempt putting a value on these 11 guys?

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FIFA GOLDEN BALL 2011 WINNER LIONEL MESSI | GUARDIOLA BEST COACH

FIFA handed tonight the 2011 GOLDEN BALL ( BALON D´OR) AWARD - the Best Player in World Football - to FC BARCELONA player LIONEL MESSI. Its his third straight Golden Ball & puts the 24 year old Argentine in the elite class of 3 x winners like Platini, Van Basten & Cruyff. 


The second place was given to REAL MADRID player CRISTIANO RONALDO & third to FC BARCELONA player XAVI HERNANDEZ.

FIFA also made public the "IDEAL 11 WORLD TEAM" with 5 FC BARCELONA & 4 REAL MADRID PLAYERS...as listed below:

Iker Casillas; Dani Alves, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Ramos, Vidic; Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Xavi Hernández; Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo & Rooney.

Here is the full list of the "GB" voting:
Messi 47,88%
Cristiano 21,60
Xavi 9,23
Iniesta 6,01
Rooney 2,31
Luis Suárez 1,48
Forlan 1,43
Etoo 1,34
Casillas 1,29
Neymar 1,12
Özil 0,76
Sneijder 0,72
Müller 0,64
Villa 0,53
Schweinsteiger 0,50
Xabi Alonso 0,48
Agüero 0,48
Abidal 0,36
Benzema 0,34
Alves 0,34
Fábregas 0,29
Nani 0,26
Piqué 0,22

Lionel Messi

In the "BEST COACH" for 2011 catagory, FC BARCELONA Coach JOSEP GUARDIOLA was voted as the winner, ahead of Manchester United Manager Sir Alex Ferguson & with third place going to Real Madrid Coach José Mourinho.

Pep Guardiola

Full list of votes for the "Best Coach":
Guardiola 41,92%
Ferguson 15,61
Mourinho 12,43
Del Bosque 9,12
Tabárez 7,47
Lw 4,40
Villas-Boas 4,16
Wenger 1,91
Klopp 1,54
Rudi García 0,89


There was an element of pure Marketing - there had to be - as Brazilian NEYMAR was Awarded the "Best Goal of the Season" (Puskas Award). One can debate the true merits as the Wayne Rooney overhead "screamer" could be considered as better. Anyway, some multinational sportswear had to get their value from all this as well. 

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SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA ROUND 18 SUNDAY MATCH RESULTS

LA LIGA continued tonight with Round 18 SPANISH FOOTBALL action scheduled. Here is a brief summary of match events, scorers & the final results.

Getafe-At.Bilbao

GETAFE drew 0 - 0 with ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO. The latter have gone to Getafe now eight times & have gone back home without a victory. This particular match was a bit boring although both sides hit the post respectively in the 2º half. Said this, Getafe would be more pleased than the visitors due to differing table classification positions.

Rayo Vallecano

Madrid Club RAYO VALLECANO managed a valued 2 - 1 victory over SEVILLA FC with ex Atletico REYES starting with his new Club. It was a "gutsy" local effort which fough hard for their three points, they obviously had more hunger & MICHU scored in the 46th min & TAMUDO in the 57th min.

Sevilla reacted & ESCUDE pulled one back in the 62nd min, & Negredo hit the bar late that could have given Sevilla the draw. However, 3 points stayed in Madrid

Gonzalo for Villareal

Ex Atletico goalie & now new VILLAREAL Coach José Molina nearly had a dream start, but VALENCIA CF made an admirable comeback to draw the match 2 - 2. The first 40 mins was all Villareal with goals from MARCOS RUBEN in the 14th min & GONZALO in the 18th min. Valencia reacted & started their comeback with a goal from FEGHOULI in the 40th min &then a 86th min equalizer by ADURIZ after a defensive error from Villareal defender Zapata. 

Betis - Sporting

REAL BETIS won 2 - 0 & put REAL SPORTING DE GIJON further under pressure as they get "comfortable" in the relegation zone of the Spanish League classification table. The goals for Betis came via SANTA CRUZ in the 23rd min & a last moment goal by JORGE MOLINA in the + 92nd min.

Cesc scores for Barcelona

Pressure match for FC BARCELONA away to city rival RCD ESPANYOL with Andres Iniesta back from injury. Hot game with a hostile atmosphere where Barça needed to win to keep up with Real Madrid on the ladder. The final result,  a 1 - 1 draw. 


This gives Real Madrid a 5 point lead gap over Barça,  & thanks that it was not 6 points due to a 15th min header from CESC FABREGAS that put Barça initially ahead.


Although Messi hit the "wood-works" late second half, Espanyol created plenty of dangerous occasions to which they were rewarded with a very late equalizing goal by ALVARO VAZQUEZ in the 91st min that lifted the roof off the stadium. The last minutes were pure chaos & Barça could have won the game had Pique not hit the bar in the 92nd min. There was also a clear hand-ball & penalty by an Espanyol defender not called that will give plenty to talk about next week. Big result for Espanyol.

As I said at the beginning, a real pressure match in all the sense of the word.

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SPANISH FOOTBALL - LIGA ROUND 18 SATURDAY NIGHT RESULTS

Sorry for this very late round-up ( summary ) of yesterdays SPANISH FOOTBALL LIGA Round 18 Saturday games. I was out of town & was not able to post anything until now. Said this, here is a very quick summary of the results & scorers.


REAL SOCIEDAD 0 - OSASUNA 0


LEVANTE 0 - REAL MALLORCA 0

MALAGA 0 - ATLETICO DE MADRID 0 . Atletico with new Coach Simeone at least avoided a loss with defensive Football. Malaga could have gone ahead in the first half if it was not for the young Atletico goalie Courtois with two brilliant saves.

Important victory for RACING DE SANTANDER 1 - 0 over REAL ZARAGOZA that puts the latter at the bottom of La Liga Table. The winner came via BERNARDO in the 44th min.

Benzema : Real Madrid

REAL MADRID played a very ordinary game against GRANADA but their "class" upfront "fixed" things in the second half to win 5 - 1. The first half was even & Granada scored in the 22nd min via RICO to equalize a BENZEMA opener in the 19th min.

But SERGIO RAMOS calmed things for Real Madrid with a 47th min with header that "opened the goal flood-gates". HIGUAIN scored in the 47th min, BENZEMA in the 50th min & CRISTIANO RONALDO in the 88th min.

Benzema went off limping but today the medical team informed there is nothing to worry. Cristiano Ronaldo & the Real Madrid fans have experienced a "fall-out" of love as the Portuguese was whistled last night & that "hurt" the feelings of CR7 who did not celebrate his goal. I´m sure it is just a small fight between "lovers". 

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IFFHS NAMES GUARDIOLA BEST COACH 2011

SPANISH & FC BARCELONA Coach JOSEP GUARDIOLA has been named by the FIFA backed "International Football Federation of History & Statistics" (IFFHS) as the "Best Coach in World Football". Its the second straight year that the Catalan gets this prestigious recognition & with a healthy margin over second placed José Mourinho of Real Madrid.

Josep Guardiola

Here is the list of "Best Coach 2011" as given by the IFFHS:

.1. Pep Guardiola (SP) FC Barcelona 201 pts

.2. José Mourinho (POR) Real Madrid 112

.3. Sir Alex Ferguson (ESC) Manchester United 107

.4. André Villas-Boas (POR) Chelsea 78

.5. Roberto Mancini (ITA) Manchester City 45

.6. Muricy Ramalho (BRA) Santos 20

.7. Ivan Jovanovi (SER) APOEL Lefkosia 11

.+. Jorge Luis Sampaoli (ARG) Universidad de Chile 11

.9. Domingos Paciencia (POR) Sporting Club 10

.+. Jorge Daniel Fossati (URU) Al-Sadd Doha 10

.+. Jupp Heynckes (ALE) Bayern Múnich 10

.12. Arsene Wenger (FRA) Arsenal 9

.13. Ricardo A. Gareca (ARG) Vélez Sarsfield 8

.16. Diego V. Aguirre (URU) Peñarol Montevideo 6

.18. Víctor M. Vucetich (MEX) Monterrey 5

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SPANISH CUP RESULTS 2012 | 1º LEG WEDNESDAY NIGHT RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL action tonight with two matches of the SPANISH CUP - "Copa del Rey" - 1º st leg last 16 team stage. Here are the final results & the scorers.

Real Sociedad score against Mallorca

REAL SOCIEDAD defeated REAL MALLORCA 2 - 0 & have the tie well in hand. A deserved victory with goals from ARANBURU in the 17th min & AGIRRETXE in the 55th min. Not much to add as it was all very clear for the home Club.

Cesc Fabregas

FC BARCELONA defeated OSASUNA 4 - 0 in comfortable fashion that could have been more had Barça been more on the mark. This & that Osasuna defended relatively well in order to attempt to stop being totally "over runned" , limit the damage & have a "miracle" chance ( although almost impossible) at their home ground in the 2º leg. The first half was all Barça with two goals from CESC FABREGAS ( 13th & 18th min) with Xavi Hernandez orchestrating the side.

The second half saw Barça lift the foot off the accelerator somewhat & Osasuna looked better & had occasions. But Barça Coach Guardiola put on Lionel Messi , who made a miracle recovery from the flu, & that seemed to lift Barça again. In fact, so much so, that MESSI scored the third & fourth in the 72nd min & the 45th min to practically seal the tie. 

Tomorrow Spanish Cup action continues with the last two games scheduled.

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IFFHS NAMES IKER CASILLAS BEST GOALKEEPER

The FIFA back "International Football Federation of History & Statistics" ( IFFHS ) has released its calculations & list for the "Best Goalkeeper in World Football". REAL MADRID CF & Spanish International IKER CASILLAS has been chosen & thus gains his 4th recognition from the IFHHS. On the list FC BARCELONA goalie VICTOR VALDES comes in 3rd placed.


Earlier in the week, the same Football Authority named another Spanish Football player, Xavi Hernandez, as "Best Midfield Creative Player" in World Football.

Here is the Top 10 list for 2011 according to the IFFHS
1. IKER CASILLAS (REAL MADRID) 248 pts
2. Manuel Neuer (Bayern Múnich) 130.
3. VÍCTOR VALDÉS (FC BARCELONA) 114.
4. Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) 63.
5. Petr Cech (Chelsea) 41.
6. Fernando Néstor Muslera (Galatasaray) 34.
7. Charles J. John Hart (Manchester City) 26.
8. Julio César (Inter de Milán) 23.
9. Justo W. Villar (Estudiantes de La Plata)17.
10. Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United) 16.

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SPANISH CUP RESULTS 2012 | 1º LEG TUESDAY NIGHT RESULTS

SPANISH FOOTBALL back in serious action for 2012 with four SPANISH CUP 1º st leg matches played tonight. Seems the Xmas break has not been good for some Clubs as they were lacking spark & concentration, perhaps due to the extra calories, & some paid for it. Here is a quick summary of events, final results & scorers.

Iraola for Bilbao

ALBACETE kept ATHLETIC CLUB BILBAO 0 - 0 , with Bilbao hitting the post early in the 20th min via Iraola. Albacete played on the some level as Bilbao which looked less sharp than usual, while Albacete were brave & may have deserved more for their efforts.

Infante for Mirandes

Spanish 2º Division B Club MIRANDES surprised Liga Club RACING DE SANTANDER to win 2 - 0 with goals from PABLO INFANTE in the 33rd min & MARTINI in the 46+ min. Racing are a real mess as a Club internally & externally.

Alcorcon - Levante 

Another surprise as 2º Division Madrid Club ALCORCON defeated Liga Club LEVANTE 2 - 1.
BORJA put the home side in front in the 13th min, to see PALLARDO equalize for Levante in the 24th min. However Alcorcon was not taken back & went ahead in the 53rd min via NAGORE  & stayed in front till the end.

Demichelis scores for Malaga

Second half - time heroics from REAL MADRID which came from behind to win MALAGA 3 - 2 in a difficult & awkward match. The visitors were up 0 - 2 in the first half with two set piece headers, first from SERGIO SANCHEZ in the 10th min & DEMICHELIS in the 28th min. 

Khedira scores for Real Madrid

Real Coach Mourinho reacted half time & made three changes: Benzema ( for Callejon), Ozil ( Kaka) & Khedira ( for Arbeloa) & signalled that Real would go all out to attempt to pull back the match. The task was not easy & nerves grew as time went on, until KHEDIRA burst through the defence & scored in the 68th min. Then a Malaga defender made a "terrible" back pass to his goalie which HIGUAIN "picked up" & equalized in the 69th min. The winner came via BENZEMA with a crossed shoot in the 77th min.

Tomorrow more Spanish Cup matches scheduled.

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IFFHS NAMES XAVI HERNANDEZ BEST MIDFIELDER 2011

The FIFA backed IFFHS ( International Football Federation of History & Statistics) has handed in their list of the "Best Midfielder in World Football" for 2011 ( game creator + assistances) . The FC BARCELONA & Spanish Football International XAVI HERNANDEZ tops the list over second placed team-mate Lionel Messi. Its the 4th consecutive time that Xavi gets this prestigious recognition, & maybe, just maybe, the Golden Ball organizers can put aside their "marketing variable" & prize Xavi for at least his long & consistent trajectory. However, don't think this will happen.

But there is another great observation, there are another 4 more Spanish Football players in the Top 10 of World Football: Iniesta, Silva, Xabi Alonso & Cesc Febragas

Here is the IFFHS list :

.1. Xavier Hernández Creus 'Xavi' (SP/Barcelona) 232 points
.2. Lionel Messi (ARG/Barcelona) 147
.3. Andrés Iniesta (SP/Barcelona) 110
.4. Mesut Özil (GER/Real Madrid) 59
.5. Cristiano Ronaldo (POR/Real Madrid) 47
.6. David Silva (SP/Manchester City) 31
.7. Wesley Sneijder (HOL/Inter Milan) 22
.8. Xabier Alonso 'Xabi' (ESP/Real Madrid) 19
.9. Diego Forlán (URU/Inter Milan) 17
.10. Cesc Fábregas (SP/Barcelona) 15
.11. Andrea Pirlo (ITA/Juventus) 15
.12. Franck Ribery (FRA/Bayern Munich) 10
.13. Bastian Schweinsteiger (GER/Bayern Munich) 9
.14. Luka Modric (CRO/Tottenham Hotspur) 8
.15. Frank Lampard (ENG/Chelsea) 5
.16. Javier Matías Pastore (ARG/Paris Saint-Germain) 5

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SPANISH FOOTBALL TRANSFER "BARGAINS" 2012

Happy New Year 2012 to you - & all - SPANISH FOOTBALL SPORTS readers around the World. Hope you had a great night of celebration. However, Football does not stop, & less SPANISH FOOTBALL, which kicks off this Tuesday with Spanish Cup 1º leg ties.


Many well known & Top LIGA players end contract with their Clubs the 30th of June 2012. Said this, as of today ( 1ºst of January) they are "free agents" to negotiate their future with any Club they please, & in doing so, their current Clubs do not get a transfer fee. This makes them all "bargain basement" players. Names like Kanoute ( Sevilla), Toquero ( Bilbao) , Abidal  & surprising young Cuenca ( Barça) are tasty options for European Clubs.

Some may renew with their current Clubs - as in the case of Cuenca - but many will be working to fix their future for next season either here or overseas.

Here is a full list of players ( free agents) :

Athletic Club Bilbao: Raúl Fernández, Koikili, Aitor Ocio, Igor Gabilondo, Gaizka Toquero, Ibai Gómez.


Atlético de Madrid: Antonio López, Luis Perea, Diego Costa.


FC Barcelona: Abidal, Pinto, Cuenca.


Betis: Nacho, Isidoro, Juanma, Iriney, Miki Roqué.


Espanyol: Kiko Casilla, Galán, Pandiani, Thievy.


Getafe: Gavilán, Pedro Ríos.


Granada: Juan José, Íñigo López, Abel Gómez, Boateng.


Levante: Ballesteros, Nano, Del Horno, Farinós, Carlos Aranda, Javi Venta, Juanfran, Juanlu, Valdo, Rubén Suárez, Rafa Jordá y Koné.


Málaga: Malagueño, Weligton, Hélder Rosario, Maresca, Van Nistelrooy.


Mallorca: Nunes, Martí Crespí, Pau Cendrós, Pep Lluís Martí, 'Chori' Castro.


Osasuna: Ricardo, Roversio, Sergio, Puñal, Calleja.


Racing: Mario Fernández, Gonzalo Colsa, Munitis, Kennedy, Edu Bedia, Tziolis, Osmar Barba.


Rayo Vallecano: Daniel Giménez, Cobeño, Arribas, Movilla, Casado, Koke, Javi Fuego, Raúl Bravo, Rafa García, Susaeta, Míchel, Tamudo.


Real Madrid: Drenthe.


Real Sociedad: Toño Ramírez, Aranburu.


Real Sporting de Gijón: Nacho Novo, Rivera.


Sevilla: Palop, Tom de Mul, Kanouté.


Valencia: Bruno, Maduro, Dealbert, Miguel, Albelda.


Villarreal: César, Mariño, Ángel López, Mario Gaspar, Marcos Senna, Gerard Bordas.


Zaragoza: Antonio Tomás, Ponzio, Paredes, Lafita.

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