Bleacher Report - La Liga

Lionel Messi Wins Ballon D'Or

Andrew Jordan — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:30:56 -0500

After a great season in European football, we finally have found out who is the European footballer of the year and in a surprise to almost nobody, FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi has captured for the first time in his career.

During the last year, Messi was a key member of FC Barcelona scoring over 40 goals and led the Spanish giants to an unprecedented Spanish treble of La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the UEFA Champions League, the final of which Messi scored in the final in Rome.

Messi has now become the first ever Argentine to win the award and the first member from FC Barcelona to win the award since Ronaldinho did back in 2005.

In the voting, Messi got 473 out 480 potential votes, making it nearly a unanimous decision over Messi becoming European footballer of the year.

In second place was Cristiano Ronaldo, who got 233 votes in a record 240 point difference between first and second in Ballon D'Or voting.

After Ronaldo were Messi's Barcelona teammates Xavi and Andres Iniesta with 170 and 149 points respectively, former teammate Samuel Eto'o with 75.

Kaka (58), Zlatan Ibrahimovic (50), Wayne Rooney, Didier Drogba and Steven Gerrard rounded out the rest of the top ten finalists for the Ballon D'Or, which is voted for by French magazine French Football.

Now, the next major individual award up for grabs will be FIFA World Footballer of the Year, which will be up for grabs on December 21.

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Barcelona Host Real Madrid in First Round of El Clasico

Andrew Jordan — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 10:14:19 -0500

After several great months in Spanish football and with some of the best players in the world joining La Liga, Barcelona will host Real Madrid in what will arguably be the biggest match of the year in La Liga today at the Camp Nou.

Last season, FC Barcelona had a dream season in which they became the first Spanish side to win the Spanish treble, consisting of La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the UEFA Champions League, and also dominated against Real Madrid by beating them by a 2-0 score at the Camp Nou, and a 6-2 thrashing at the Bernabeu.

However, Fiorentino Perez became the President of Real Madrid after resigning in 2006, and ushered in a new Galactico's era by signing some of the best players in the world such as Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, and promised that Real Madrid would once again become one of the best sides in the world.

Since then, much emphasis has been put on this match at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, as we will now get a better understanding of which side is not only the best in La Liga, but could be the best side in the world.

For Barcelona at the Camp Nou, the main question for them will be the fitness of players such as Lionel Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who are both fighting against the clock to be fit for El Clasico after picking up injuries over the last week, and both did not feature in their Champions League home match against Inter Milan during the week, even though both were available as substitutes.

Barcelona also find themselves just one point behind Real here and will be looking to preserve their perfect La Liga record at the Camp Nou here.

But, if there is one thing that Barcelona need to stop here more than anything else, it must be how are they going to stop the attack of Real Madrid here, which will be attacking the Barcelona defense as much as possible here.

Meanwhile for Real Madrid, they will be looking to continue to play strong football knowing that they will have Cristiano Ronaldo available after his 20 minute appearance during the Champions League this week against FC Zurich at the Bernabeu.

Also, Real will have the pressure of the Galactico era on their shoulders here, as the success of Barcelona was part of the reason why it was re-implemented by Perez this summer.

And of course, Real Madrid will continue to attack all game long and it will be interesting to see how well they will do against the Barcelona defense here.

Finally, this El Clasico match will be very intriguing to watch today, as these are two of the most entertaining sides to watch in the world and both of these sides need to win here to prove to the other that they are the best side in La Liga.

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Barcelona-Real Madrid, El Clasico: A Match Preview

Matthew Heffner — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:44:45 -0500

When Real Madrid came to Camp Nou last season, they were beaten by two late goals. Barca were on a successful roll, having great success in the league, Champions league, and the Spanish Cup.

Madrid were having their share of struggles.

This year, Madrid come in on a bit of a hot streak, having one of the most successful starts in recent club history. Barca are struggling, but remain only one point behind Real in the league, and have outlasted them in the Spanish Cup.

The first deciding factor in this game will be the team play. Barca have, undoubtedly, the best youth system in Spain. Pedro is the standout this year with goals in every competition this season.

Barca's play as a team secures a win; not individual player displays.

This was evident on Tuesday when, without Messi and Ibra, Barca dominated Inter in a must-win game to help secure a path through the group stage of the UCL.

Real Madrid have had their struggles without Ronaldo this year. Other players, including Kaka, have struggled to combine with the veteran Madrid starters. This game will come down to possession and the creation of chances.

Barca seem to have an edge when it comes to creativity, but are struggling to put away their chances. Madrid, as always, seem to find a way to win against weaker opponents even when their football is not up to their standards.

The second factor will be the back lines of both teams.

Barca have had their struggles with set plays and occasionally being beaten by their own offside trap. Madrid have struggled as well being knocked out of the Spanish Cup by a 4-1 home and home series.

Discussing the starting line ups is always fun. Barca should be able to field a full squad , although a few players have some nagging injuries.

The big questions for Madrid remains with Ronaldo.

I believe that Ronaldo will not start, but will come in after halftime. Madrid still have concerns with the Champion's League and should not push Ronaldo since their struggles without him have already been severe.

The game tomorrow should be a real cracker.

Whenever these two giant clubs clash the sparks always fly. I feel that Barca will be at their best tomorrow and will have the advantage going into halftime and finish the match up 4-1 with Messi having a brace big, and Ibra knocking in another.

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Super Sunday With Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool & Everton

Yoosof Farah — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:26:35 -0500

For any football fan, Sunday 29th November will be one of the highlights of the season, as six of the world's biggest clubs do battle.

El Clásico

Over in Spain, there is the Battle of La Liga, as FC Barcelona host Real Madrid at the Nou Camp in yet another highly anticipated El Clásico match.

On the team news front, it doesn't look great for Barcelona. They could be without key players Lionel Messi (favourite for the 2009 FIFA World Player of the Year award) and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, the £42m striker who has seven league goals and three assists to his name so far this season.

They will probably have to call on their Spanish stars, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta, to do the business. This point was not lost on Real Madrid's Xabi Alonso, who said of his Spanish teammates: "Their performance level is truly impressive. I believe they are the best midfielders in the world."

As for Real Madrid, a massive boost for them comes in the form of £80million worth of Portuguese talent with current World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo returning from injury.

The world's most expensive player returned as a substitute during Madrid's Champions League success over FC Zurich, and will be hoping (or perhaps expecting) for a place in the starting line-up tomorrow evening.

Meanwhile, Real Madrid manager Manuel Pellegrini faces a dilemma on who to partner Raul up front. Gonzalo Higuain has staked his claim after scoring his seventh goal of the season midweek, while Karim Benzema will be hoping to feature in his first taste of El Clásico.

Battle of London

Having gained increased significance amongst both sets of supporters in recent years, capital rivalries will resume on Sunday as Arsenal take on league leaders Chelsea.

Chelsea may lead the way in the Premier League at present, but Arsenal have proven enough this season to show that they could well be there at the top, or near the top, come May.

History dictates that positive results against potential title challengers are the making of a successful side, meaning both teams will no doubt be desperate to come out on top on Sunday.

In terms of team news, Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka's chances of finding the target against his former club will be greatly helped by the defensive crisis currently giving Arsene Wenger a serious headache.

Arsenal are already set to be without Gael Clichy (back) and Kieran Gibbs (ankle) this weekend, while Swiss centre-half Johan Djourou (knee) is also sidelined.

The biggest worry for the Gunners though, concerns William Gallas. The Frenchman suffering eye and ankle knocks during their European encounter with Standard Liege in midweek.

Jack Wilshere (ankle) and Abou Diaby (calf) will be missing in midfield, while Robin van Persie (ankle) and Nicklas Bendtner (hernia) are notable absentees in the attacking department.

Luckily for Chelsea, they have no such concerns ahead of the game, having welcomed back their key men in midweek.

Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack both came through the Champions League trip to Porto unscathed, while Deco is also back to full fitness following a recent groin complaint.

Frank Lampard failed to make the game in Portugal with a thigh problem, but Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is confident the midfield ace will be ready to face the Gunners.

That means Jose Bosingwa (knee) remains the only long-term absentee for the Blues, with the full-back not expected to be back in action until after the New Year.

The Merseyside Derby

Goodison Park is the venue for the first Merseyside derby of the season, as Everton take on Liverpool FC in the city of Liverpool.

This season's encounter will make for an interesting match, as both teams are struggling for form and only five points separate the two sides.

Everton will be hoping to improve their recent home record against Liverpool, having lost seven of the last nine league meetings at Goodison Park.

Under-pressure Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is also in desperate need of a win, having not won in the league since last month's Anfield triumph over Manchester United.His side now faces a genuine struggle to finish in the top four and claim that lucrative fourth Champions League spot this season.

As for the team news, Everton remain without injured captain Phil Neville, whose knee injury sustained against Fulham may require surgery and will continue to keep him sidelined until at least next month.

Long-term absentee Mikel Arteta (knee) furthers his spell on the sidelines and an ankle injury keeps Leon Osman out, leaving manager David Moyes light in midfield.

A trio of knee injuries also keeps out Phil Jagielka, James Vaughan and Victor Anichebe, which could force Moyes to stick with a similar side which went down 3-2 to Hull City on Wednesday night.

On the bright side for the Toffees, Marouane Fellaini and Diniyar Bilyaletdinov return from suspension and could immediately return to the first team.

As for Liverpool, manager Rafa Benitez awaits news on the availability of star striker Fernando Torres, with Frenchman David Ngog on hand to deputise once more should the Spaniard fail to recover in time.

Out-of-favour full-back Andrea Dossena is struggling to make the bench with a groin injury while Philipp Degen serves the last of his three-match suspension.

It's a Super Sunday that doesn't come round very often, with three massive derbies in the world of football all taking place on the same day.

All matches are vitally important in terms of their respective leagues, and there is only one question on the lips of all football fans: who will win?

Barca? Real Madrid? Arsenal? Chelsea? Liverpool? Everton? By the end of Sunday, we will know all three parts of the answer to that much asked question.

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The Two Sides of "El Clasico": The Real Madrid Perspective

Rami J — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:32:14 -0500

The world's biggest football match...el Clasico .

Those who love football will not, under any circumstances, miss out on this spectacle. Most spectators who will watch the game have a definitive preference for either the hosts of this season's edition, FC Barcelona, or the visitors Real Madrid.

Two games sum up the 2008-2009 season for Real Madrid—March 10, Liverpool 4, Real Madrid 0 and May 2, Barcelona 6, Real Madrid 2. A season that ended with humiliation and shame, regardless of the fantastic run of 18 unbeaten games in La Liga. A season that started with injuries, a sacked coach, and a disgraceful president was doomed to end in that way.

And to make all this even worse, Barcelona put salt on their wounds by wining everything. It was a season be forgotten by every Madritista around the world and what a better way to fix things than to re-install Florentino Perez. With him the stars will come, and that is exactly what happened.

The stars came.

A new coach and a new era begun with a bang—nine wins, one draw, and only one loss. Real Madrid scored 27 goals, allowed nine, and won in their latest encounter against Racing Santander. Things are starting to get rosy for the men in white. After all, it is their best start in 18 years, not to forget they are leading there group in the CL which is a big boost prior to the Camp Nou adventure.

Some of the optimist Madritista’s put them in the front seat prior to the most important match in the world. But wait a minute, aren’t we forgetting something? There is a tiny little something called El Triplet champions. Pep Guardiola’s Dream Team. They are still the current champions of well, everything.

Coming into el Clasico, Barcelona is second in La Liga with eight wins and three draws. They have scored 29 goals, while only allowing eight. Barcelona is leading their CL group after bulldozing Inter Milan with so much ease that people might have thought it was a training game for them. The most amazing thing was that they played the match without their main striker Ibrahimovich and the dazzling magician Messi.

On paper they look very similar to each other, but on the field—well that's a whole different story. With all the new players in Real Madrid , it is clear they are not clicking so well as a team. They have an issue getting used to one another. A situation that needs more time that most people think. As for Barcelona, they are not on the same dangerous level as they were last year, but they are starting to get there.

Adjusting the team to accompany Ibrahimovich in attack instead of the great Samuel Eto'o is taking them sometime, and replacing the mighty Yaya Toure with the pint size Busquets is something no one knows the benefit of except Guardiola.

Other than these two issues, things are looking good for them. Barcelona got a really good back up for Abidal (as in Maxwill) when they promoted Pedro. Pedro is showing good promise and starting to cement himself in the starting 11 in every game he is playing. Messi and Ibrahimovich are starting to get more familiar with each other as well.

The key is Xavi and Iniesta.

Finally, Guardiola realized that experimenting with Iniesta is wrong, and that by putting him next to his partner in crime Xavi, they will dominate the game as they did last year. They simply showed Inter Milan on Thursday night what a creative midfield is all about— they were simply unstoppable.

If Real Madrid wants to have a chance in pulling a good fight in Camp Nou, they need to stop these two, and from what i saw it will be one hell of a task.

So what if Barcelona wins this match?

It all comes down to if the men in white produce a good match with glimpses of flowing football (which they are capable of). A lost to Barcelona by a small margin should be considered a good result. Barcelona should really be worried about what Real Madrid can do in the second part of La Liga. it will be a big boost to Real Madrid, especially on Pellegrini’s side.

But if Barcelona demolishes them like they did last year or like they humiliated Inter on Thursday, then it will take a big toll on the Madrid players, fans, and management, Everyone will loose faith in the team very early in the season which is going to be a very good outcome in the eyes of the Barcelona faithful.

*Disclaimer: This has been a collaborative effort from me & Jubei Kibagame who wrote from a FC Barcelona supporters perspective*

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The Two Sides Of "El Clasico": The FC Barcelona Perspective

Jubei Kibagame — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:24:35 -0500

The world's biggest football match: El Clasico .

Those who love football will not under any circumstances miss out on this spectacle. Most spectators who will watch that game have a definitive preference for either the hosts of this season's edition, FC Barcelona, or the visitors, Real Madrid.

Regardless of the outcome, a Clasico is never boring. Whether because of the goals in abundance or the sheer emotions displayed by the fans and players alike, a clash between those sides is always entertaining.

What Goes Up Must Come Down

After an unprecedented treble which saw FC Barcelona win La Liga, the Copa del Rey, and the Champions League, this season's edition of "El Clasico" could be the turning point in which all goes sour.

Although this year's title race is wide open, the Blaugrana have yet to replicate that mesmerizing form that has won them plaudits all over Europe and the world.

Last weekend, Barcelona surrendered the lead in La Liga to Real Madrid, which by all accounts isn't the end of the world.

What is frightening though is the fact that Florentino Perez Galaticos 2.0 have yet to form a cohesive unit but crank out results week in and week out.

At the start of the season, most pundits declared that FC Barcelona would hold the advantage over their bitter rivals, at least for the first couple of months. But as we approach "El Clasico" it is quite the contrary.

Apart from their early exit from the Copa del Rey against a Segunda B side, things look very comfortable for Manuel Pellegrini's men.

Going into "El Clasico" they lead La Liga and their Champions League Group.

Before winning (and dominating) 2-0 against Inter Milan in midweek, FC Barcelona were in serious danger of crashing out from Europe's most prestigious club competition.

If the Blaugrana had lost it would've been the end of their dreams of retaining the Champions League title. Not to mention a humiliation of gigantic proportions on Europe's grandest stage.

If that had happened and FC Barcelona were to lose "El Clasico" it could've completely derailed their season. Real Madrid's lead on top of the table would increase to four points.

Roles Reversed

It is safe to assume that Madrid can only improve on their current form which means that the Blaugrana could be chasing them all season long like los Blancos did in 2008-2009.

Therefore this year's "Clasico" could be the definitive turning point for FC Barcelona. For Real Madrid, a defeat in the Camp Nou would mean they slip back to second place in the table just one point off FC Barcelona.

And even if they lose they would still have the return fixture in the Santiago Bernabeu, so it imperative that the Blaugrana win.

*Disclaimer: This has been a collaborative effort from me and Rami J who wrote "The Two Sides Of "El Clasico": The Real Madrid Perspective ."

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Real Madrid Cantera Update: 26 November 2009

Deepak Israni — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 06:00:06 -0500

I know the Google Translate can be frustrating at times and the news about Real Madrid Cantera isn't that easily available on the Internet in English, so I have come up with the "Real Madrid Cantera Update," for those non-Spanish speaking Madridistas interested in knowing what all is happening in our academy. I hope to continue this series if I get positive response from the readers.

Real Madrid Interested In Racing Santander's Midfielder Sergio Canales

The 18 year old Sergio Canales—product of the Racing academy, who played brilliantly and even scored against Real Madrid at the weekend (but had his goal disallowed), is an object of desire for Real Madrid.

Canales made six substitute appearances for the first team of Racing last season, and 3 this season. It is believed that Real Madrid will most likely sign him in the summer and then loan him out to Racing Santander like they did with Ezequiel Garay last season and this summer with Celta Vigo's Joselu or they might even consider him to strengthen the Castilla.

It is also believed that FC Barcelona and Sevilla are also interested in signing the pearl of the Racing academy.

Pablo Sarabia Is Still In The Eyes Of Monsieur Wenger

The player instrumental in Spain U-17's road to the bronze medal in the U-17 World Cup and the most exciting prospect of the Real Madrid academy—Pablo Sarabia is still being monitored by the scouts of Arsenal. Pablo has already declined two offers from Arsene Wenger to join Arsenal, this is the third time in two years that Arsenal have come back for Pablo Sarabia.

Although I find it as a compliment that Arsene Wenger is tracking Pablo Sarabia, but this has to stop, don't know how long can we resist the advances of Arsenal, we want to keep Pablo Sarabia!

And in other Pablo Sarabia related news, the left sided winger is suffering with a sprained ankle and will miss a few games for the Juvenil A.

Robert Martinez Wants To Sign Filipe Ramos

The 21-year-old goalkeeper of the Real Madrid Castilla is a winter target for the Wigan's manager Robert Martinez. Filipe Ramos is the reserve goalkeeper for the Castilla, Filipe used to play before, when Antonio Adan was injured, but since Antonio's return Filipe has seen his chances limited. There is a high possibility that Filipe Ramos might leave in the winter.

Feyenoord Looking For A Collaboration With Real Madrid

The former Real Madrid coach and the current technical director of Feyenoord—Leo Beenhakker has revealed in an interview to Algemeen Dagblad that he contacted with Jorge Valdano to form a collaboration with Real Madrid.

If the collaboration is completed both the teams can exchange players from their academies. Real Madrid also have a similar collaboration with Standard Liege of Belgium.

Hoping that Real Madrid Castilla will soon climb way above the relegation zone (currently 16) and that Alejandro Menendez (coach of Real Madrid Castilla) instead of giving excuses like "our problem is lack of scoring!" will call up Pablo Sarabia, Alipio Duarte or Samuel Alonso Saiz or anyone else from our lower teams. Till next time then, Hala Madrid!

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