Posts Tagged ‘la liga’

How Joan Laporta Made Barça Great Again

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

FC Barcelona is presently one of the best teams in the world, with a prize cupboard that's bursting with the silverware won over the course of the previous couple of years. While Bara might be very popular at this time, they have been through kind of a metamorphosis of the previous couple of years.

In fact it would be fair to say they've experienced a renaissance ever since Joan Laporta became president in 2003, and after him his previous mate and now bitter enemy, Sandro Rossell.

When Laporta arrived at the club they had not won a major title since 1999 and the self-esteem of the squad had plummeted. He brought on board Frank Rijkaard as team coach, who after a slow start started winning matches; and his right hand man (at the time, till they slipped out and he resigned from the Barça board) Sandro Rossell used his contacts to sign Ronaldinho.

While the Brazilian player definitely had talent [*COMMA] he had not always done much with it. Nonetheless he probably did show plenty of flare with FC Barcelona even if they were never making the turnabout required.

That turnabout happened when Barça signed Edgar Davids for the second half of the season. Whether it was his arrival at the club, or whether his arrival coincided with everything coming together is most unlikely to point out. What's certain though is that the club started winning game after game. And at last the downtrodden Barcelona rose up again and started to become the team it is today.

The club went from strength to strength after that, although Davids decided to come back to his old club after the half season loan. While he could have been missed, the fortunes of the club continued to enhance and Barcelona won the second season under Laporta. After the team has continued to go ever upwards and unde Pep Guardiola were the 1st tea, to win the treble – la liga, Champions League and Copa del Rey.

To buy Barcelona tickets for forthcoming matches check out Simply Barcelona Tickets, or check out availability of FC Barcelona tickets for La Liga matches at the Nou Camp.

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Real Madrid – what chances for the current season?

Monday, October 3rd, 2011

Jose Mourinho is widely known for his mental posturing against opponents in press meetings and often comes across as hardly in charge of himself. Having won a major battle at Real Madrid in the dismissal of General manager Jorge Valdano, his toughest internal critic, and thus securing more power for himself as Madrid’s coach this is the season he must deliver the goods.

However , while Madrid started well and we're simply a few matches in, his dream appears to have begun to unravel. He has famously said that his 2nd season in any club is when he delivers, but with his whole focus appearing to be on arch-rival FC Barcelona he has just had 2 gigantic setbacks that he can barely afford.

First Real Madrid was beaten by Levante, a team that's the polar opposite to Real Madrid, with lowly paid players and a hardly functional team that's lucky to be in top flight Spanish soccer. And then they drew with Racing Santander, losing some crucial points which they may need in the long run.

A poll by Sporting paper AS which backs Madrid revealed that a lot of its readers laid the blame totally at the feet of Mourinho; while intending to shift the blame to referees and opposition players he has not managed to take responsibility himself for what many consider a gloomy start. And we are starting to hear talk about another crisis year at Real Madrid.

But what proportion of an emergency is it truly, when a team such as Real Madrid comes second in the league after a much superior teams like Bara? While fans could be disappointed their side is still largely delivering the goods.

Mourinho’s big problem will be the patience of Florentino Perez, Madrid’s president. While he has backed “the special one” so far in his career at Madrid there will be a time when he will be able to snap. Mourinho is Real Madrid’s eleventh coach in 7 years, so that the club does not flinch in making such changes. Can Real Madrid’s fortunes change before that happens?

For Real Madrid tickets and other sporting events see Euro Sports Events website.

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Why focusing on Barça may lose Real Madrid the league

Monday, September 26th, 2011

It is a funny old game is soccer, or “soccer” as it is more usually known in North America. You simply need to take a look at some of the recent results in the Spanish League, where sour rivals FC Barcelona and real Madrid are slugging it out, notwithstanding not actually facing each other for the first time till December.

While both teams began well, FC Barcelona slipped when what should have been a reasonably comfortable win against Real Sociedad turned into a draw. And just when they wanted something to show they had not lost that special something they once again drew, this time against AC Milan in the Champs League, thanks to an injury time goal before the final whistle.

Critics immediately laid into FC Barcelona, saying they’d lost their touch; two lackluster results is all it requires to call a crisis. Nonetheless they answered with an 8-0 win against Osasuna, their best result since the 90s, instantly silencing their critics again.

While it looked rosy for Barcelona, things suddenly went very bad for Real Madrid. While they'd won their first 2 matches and sat at the head of the classifications they then lost 1-0 against Levante, a team that should hardly be in the first division such is its poor state.

This is meant to be Real Madrid’s year, the second season under Jose Mourinho. However , you cannot stop thinking that his total focus on what Barcelona are doing is his greatest weakness. Fielding an under-strength squad against Levante showed large audacity, that’s for sure.

But what will lose Real Madrid the league again this season isn’t what FC Barcelona does or doesn't do. It is down to how many points Real Madrid can gain, making sure that they beat teams like Levante and all the rest of the clubs at the bottom of La Liga. If Mourinho is to bring the success that Real Madrid desires he has to shift his focus, fast.

You can order FC Barcelona tickets for la liga and get the latest FC Barcelona news from Simply Barcelona Tickets.

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Spanish Soccer : Who Are The Best Players?

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

There are lots of of soccer superstars plying their trade in Spain’s top division, and it is with good reason that it is regarded as the number one domestic league in the whole world. Listed below are the players who are currently regarded as the best of the best…

Messi : Spearheading Barcelona’s treble winning team of 2008-09, Argentinean Lionel Messi dazzled Europe with his creativity and flair. Still only 22, he is the current “World Player of the Year” and, if he remains injury free, he is likely to chalk up awards, goals and assists for many years to come.

Cristiano Ronaldo : Explosive power and blistering pace are what led to Ronaldo initially being signed by Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.Now playing for the mighty Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo is hoping to make as big an impact for el Madrid as he did in the famous red shirt of Man Utd.

David Villa : Playing for one of La Liga’s less glamorous teams, Valencia, David Villa Sanchez (to give him his full name) boasts an absolutely outstanding goals to games ratio. He was the winner of the “Golden Boot” for Spain at Euro 2008 and is expected in the near future to become Spain’s all time highest goal scorer. Equally dangerous with either foot, Villa consistently attracts attention from Europe’s top clubs, who are all eager to sign-up the prolific striker.

Kaka : Brazilian midfield maestro Kaka, is a playmaker of the highest calibre. Able to thread a pass through the eye of a needle, or dribble past several players in a row, Kaka was the darling of AC Milan and helped drive them to “Champions League” success in 2007. Now one of the jewels in Real Madrid’s crown, he aims to bring the La Liga title back to the Bernabau (where Real Madrid play their home games) after a few years absence.

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This article is brought to you by http://www.carhiremalaga.org.uk, a spanish car hire site with Malaga airport and tourist information.

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