Racing Santander look to push for Europe!

As Racing Santander continue their preparations for this seasons La Liga season, it has been officially confirmed that Hector Cuper is the man appointed to lead the squad as coach. Having previously coached in Spain with Valencia, Mallorca and Real Betis, Cuper comes from Greek side Aris Thessaloniki. He will be wishing for improved results on his one year contract following his departure from the Greek squad in January after inconsistent results.

The appointment of Cuper comes after Marcelino, the former Racing coach, was confirmed as Sevilla manager. Marcelino left the northern Spanish side after reported arguments with club chief Ahsan Ali Syed. Racing also had a strong end to the 2010/11 season and Marcelino was sure to be hired by a stronger team.

Giovanni dos Santos, the Mexican international on loan from Tottenham Hotspur, was loaned to Racing in the January transfer window and has seemed to have rediscovered the form that plagued his time at both Spurs and Barcelona. With a squad in a period of transition following the takeover of the team in the past year, this upcoming season will surely be crucial for the spanish side if they wish to maintain their credentials as a La Liga team.

By Alexander Novo

Video - Highlights from Valencia vs Real Madrid

Real Madrid have turned on the style to back up their 1-0 vicotry over Barcelona, comprehensively defeating Valencia 6-3 to highlight the gap between second and third in the La Liga.

Higuain has been playing for just a few games since returning from injury and the Argentinian marked his return by scoring three goals in the victory.

Kaka also added to the goal fest. Benzema also got in on the action scoring the first goal in the match. Valencia still sit third, six points ahead of Villarreal but a staggering 17 points behind second.

Check out the highlights below!

Video - Highlights from Real Madrid vs Barcelona - Copa del Rey 21/4/2011

Madrid prevail in the second of the four El Clasico's 1-0 after an extra time goal by Ronaldo. The header was Ronaldo's second goal against Barcelona in a week. Madrid will face Barcelona once again in the Champions League, where they will look to qualify for the final.

Check out the goal below!

Video - Highlights from Real Madrid vs Barcelona

A draw was probably the best way to start the first of four El Clasico's. Two penalties ultimately decided the fate of the two sides, from none other than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Arbeloa recieved a red card midway through the second half, however Madrid were able to scrape away with a point.

Both sides will once again face off in the Copa del Rey final.

Check out the highlights, with the full match review to follow

El Clásico - Video Preview

PTA have put together this promo to get you excited for the upcoming four games between Barcelona and Real Madrid enjoy!









Stay tuned to PTA for all the news and highlights!

Four El Clásico's in four weeks!

The rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid is probably one of the greatest in the history of the game. The Spanish giants have always been at the forefront of Spanish and European football and in the next few weeks we will get the chance to witness some spectacular matches.

First up is the El Clasico reverse fixure. Last time the teams met in the league Barcelona destroyed Madrid 5-0 in what was a spectacular display of quick, fluent and attacking football. The vicotry secured Barcelona's position at the top of the table and silenced the Madrid fans. This time around Barcelona will face an inform Madrid side and possibly with the absence of inspirational captain Carlos Puyol. With Ronaldo in spectacular scoring form and Higuain back from injury this match will surely be one that decides whether Barcelona go onto win the La Liga once again.

Following the league fixture both teams will face off in the Copa del Rey, which serves as the Cup competition for Spain. The sheer depth of the Premiera serves as a reason to why it is such an achievement to make it to the final. For Real Madrid and Barcelona it was made especially hard by the amount of matches that they played in such short periods of time, this is testament to each squads depth and young talent. Both teams will be aiming to complete the treble and this is just one part of such a feat. Silverware is directly up for grabs and both Mourinho and Guardiola will be out to ensure it is brought home.

Probably the most anticipated of all these clashes is the Champions League Semi Final tie between the two teams. In the competition so far both teams have hardly been troubled, except for a few instances where Arsenal and Lyon had Barca and Madrid on the ropes. Behind both teams is a Champions League winning coach. Mourinho boasts 3 titles and Guardiola one as a manager and one as a player. Both sides boast experience. On one hand Madrid are looking to add to their history and Barcelona are looking to seek vengence for their 2010 campaign that ended at this stage. In the end it will be down to the players to decide who will be at Wembley come the matchday final.

As fans we have a lot of football coming our way, the ties between Madrid and Barcelona are just some of the many to look forward to. Whether it be Ronaldo trying to outdo Messi, Guardiola trying to match Mourinho or Barcelona trying to dominate Madrid we know we are in for something special!

Video - Highlights from Valencia vs Villarreal

In what was tipped to be one of the tightest affairs in the La Liga's reverse fixtures Villarreal travelled to Valencia. After losing David Villa and David Silva Valencia were tipped to not qualify for the Champions League, however Los Che have proved their critics wrong and now sit 3rd in La Liga behind Barcelona and Madrid.

They destroyed the Villarreal defence with smooth passing and well worked runs to win 5-0. A good showing from Mata ws instrumental in the win as well as some clinical finishing from front man Soldado. Villarreal have all but lost hope of finishing third and sit in fourth some six points behind Valencia with eight matches remaining.

Check out the highlights below!

Spanish Primera - Athletic Bilbao vs Real Madrid - Preview

Following a 4-0 thumping of Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League midweek, Real Madrid will face a feisty Athletic Bilbao side this weekend. The Spanish Primera title race may be all but over, with Los Blancos now 8 points adrift of Barcelona, but Jose Mourinho has urged his players to end the season strongly. Efforts in the Spanish capital are now surely concentrated on the Champions League, especially with a potential semi-final encounter with Barcelona looming. On the other hand, Athletic Bilbao will continue to target a Europa League finish as their realistic objective this season.

Real Madrid Team News: Karim Benzema, the in-form striker, picked up a thigh injury during international duty with France against Croatia nearly two weeks ago, and has thus far missed Madrid’s agonising 1-0 loss to Sporting Gijon last week, as well as their midweek victory over Tottenham Hotspur. While Benzema was expected to return to action against Athletic on Saturday, Mourinho has allowed him more time to recover. Also in the injury spotlight are midfielders Fernando Gago, Pedro Leon and Sami Khedira, while Los Blancos’ fans can revel in the fact that Kaka and Gonzalo Higuain have been included in the squad. Real Madrid are also involved in several transfer rumours, with highly-rated Internacional youngster Leandro Damiao a possible alternative to Emmanuel Adebayor, who is expected to return to Manchester City in the summer.

The probable Real Madrid starting lineup consists of:
Casillas; Ramos, Pepe, Carvalho, Arbeloa; Khedira, Alonso; Ronaldo, Oezil, Di Maria; Adebayor



Athletic Bilbao Team News: With a place in the Europa League nearly sealed, Atheltic Bilbao’s season thus far has been successful. While they are unlikely to catch fourth placed Villareal who are nine points clear of them, they will surely play an attacking game from the whistle in tonight’s encounter. Fernando Llorente, the fifth highest scorer in La Liga this season, is set to be a key player in Bilbao’s squad, with the striker a potential game-changer.

The probable Athletic Bilbao starting lineup consists of:
Iraizoz; Iraola, San Jose, Ekiza, Castillo; Lopez, Martinez, Orbaiz, Gabilondo; Llorente, Toquero

Previous Encounter: Real Madrid 5-1 Atheltic Bilbao (November 20, 2010)

By Alexander Novo

Spanish Premiera - Almeria vs Real Madrid - Review

Real Madrid has suffered a setback in their title ambitions with a 1-1 draw against Almeria, who are currently bottom of the La Liga table. A stubborn Almeria side prevented Los Blancos from securing all three points, despite the away side having an abundance of opportunities to grab the winning goal. Esteban Granero’s equalizer for Madrid cancelled out Jose Ulloa’s opener, but the result could nonetheless prove to be costly for Mourinho’s men in their pursuit to regain the La Liga title.

The first half was undoubtedly a quiet affair, with Los Blancos controlling play but unable to break the deadlock. The best chance of the opening 45 minutes fell to Angel Di Maria; a brilliant low ball by Kaka found Ronaldo who nearly slotted the ball past Diego alves, only for the goalkeeper to make a stunning close-range save. When the ball fell to Di Maria, the Argentine failed to capitalize on this golden opportunity with a mis-kick. The somewhat dull first half included very few other chances, with Almeria attacking mainly on the counter-attack.

The second half began with Madrid far more enthusiastic and lively than Almeria, and a Xabi Alonso long range strike and Sergio Ramos’ header nearly gave the away side the lead. Not long after this Kaka made way for Karim Benzema, despite the Brazilian being much more effective on pitch than fellow midfielders Mesut Oezil and Angel Di Maria. However, it was not long before the hosts surprisingly grapped the opener, courtesy of a run from Pablo Piatti who stormed into the penalty box before the ball fell to Ulloa who calmly slotted home past Casillas.

A tactical substitution soon followed, with Ricardo Carvalho and Granero on for Raul Albiol and Marcelo respectively. Real Madrid’s attempts to find the equalizer began soon after, with Ronaldo looking to respond immediately with a low shot at Alves’ near post. The ball was then ultimately diverted wide of the post by the goalkeeper’s foot. However, Madrid were not the only attacking side and Almeria could have been two goals up when Vargas controlled a cross field ball well and turned past Carvalho, but the ball was trapped under his feet before he could find the chance to have a shot at Casillas.

While Madrid continued to venture forward, they never really tested the Almeria defence or Alves, with Benzema barely touching the ball.

Los Blancos then soon challenged for a penalty when Ronaldo was brought down by Juanma Ortiz from behind, but the referee ordered play to continue, much to the dismay of the Madrid supporters. The equaliser was coming though and when Benzema did well to hold off two defenders from outside the box, he flicked it to the onrushing Granero who hammered the ball into the back of the net above Alves’ head.

With both teams aiming to find the match winning goal, tensions were high in the Stadium de los Juegos Mediterráneos, but neither team seemed to be able to break the deadlock. It was not until the very end during injury time that Ronaldo had two free kicks in ideal positions, with the second attempt striking the cross bar. Xabi Alonso latched onto the rebound with an excellent strike, but when the ball was blocked it was all over. The conclusion of the game was a bitter affair, with Casillas and Fabian Vargas coming together and having a heated argument, only for their teammates to come to their defence in what was an unsavoury end to the match.

The result leaves Madrid trailing Barcelona by 4 points at the top of the Primera table. Jose Mourinho will undoubtedly hope that his side’s title ambitions have not been dented, although overhauling the points deficit will be no easy task for Los Blancos. Almeria, on the other hand, still remain rooted to the bottom of the table, two points from safety. This particular result will surely provide them with a much needed confidence boost ahead of this week’s Copa del Rey clash with Deportiva La Coruna.

Final Score: Almeria 1 - Real Madrid 1

MAN OF THE MATCH: Diego Alves

By Alexander Novo - Spanish Correspondant

Spanish Premiera Round 18 - Real Madrid vs Villarreal - Review

A Cristiano Ronaldo hat trick has helped Real Madrid reduce the gap once again to La Liga leaders Barcelona following an enthralling 4-2 victory against Villareal. Los Blancos came from behind on two separate occasions, with Portuguese playmaker Ronaldo scoring the equaliser each time. Kaka added to the Yellow Submarine’s misery with his first goal of the season after returning from injury last week.

Villareal had taken the lead early on courtesy of Cani, but a quick lapse in concentration allowed Mesut Oezil to slip the ball to Ronaldo who finished from close range. Marcos Ruben then put his side ahead, although Ronaldo equalised once more with a header shortly before half time. He added to his tally with a third goal, before Kaka scored on his return to the Santiago Bernabeu.

The match began with Villareal eager to net the first goal; Santi Carzola had a brilliant opportunity in the second minute, but his shot was deflected wide by Spanish defender Sergio Ramos. The Yellow Submarine were soon awarded for their aggressive tactics when quick passing between Carzola and Rossi picked out Cani, who flicked the ball past Iker Casillas to give his team the lead in just the 7th minute. However, Madrid was soon on level terms when Ronaldo converted his side’s first attacking opportunity of the match. Karim Benzema, who now looks likely to stay with Madrid following Higuian’s injury, slotted the ball through the Villareal defence to Mesut Oezil, who in turn provided a clinical cross to Ronaldo before the former Manchester United star finished from close range.





A quick succession of shots, first from Madrid’s Lassana Diarra, and then from Marco Ruben, could have added to a highly entertaining first half. However, it was not long before Marcos Ruben grabbed his team’s second goal of the game after executing a brilliant lob over Casillas. Both teams then soon had an opportunity each when Cazorla and then Ronaldo’s goal were deemed to be offside. Los Blancos soon began to dominate; an equaliser seemed possible before the half time break and when Angel Di Maria was fouled outside the box, Xabi Alonso delivered a perfect cross to the unmarked Cristiano Ronaldo who drew his team level with a clinical header.

The second half began with Real Madrid applying full pressure on the away team. Ronaldo had a golden opportunity in the 64th minute when he was one-on-one with goalkeeper Diego Lopez, but the Portuguese star procrastinated on the ball and was forced to pass to Sergio Ramos, whose shot was off-target. Rossi and Benzema then each had another opportunity to find the winner for their respective teams, but were both denied by solid goalkeeping.

Ronaldo completed his hat-trick in the 79th minute after smashing the ball past Diego Lopez. Benzema’s shot was blocked by the goalkeeper following Kaka’s cross and it fell to the Portuguese playmaker who made no mistake in grabbing his 22nd goal of the campaign with a clever shot. Villareal coach Garrido protested the goal with claims that Ronaldo had been in an offside position. However, the 50 year old was instead sent to the grandstands for his troubles, along with Cani who received a red card for his complaints and for threatening to throw a water bottle at Jose Mournho from the bench.

Following this controversial third goal, anger and frustration was high on the Villareal bench. Kaka added to his team’s lead with his first goal of the season in the 82nd minute after Ronaldo provided a magnificent cross from the left that the Brazilian converted at the near post. The controversy continued when Mourinho began to celebrate directly in front of the opposition’s bench.

Los Blancos managed to hold on to their lead until full time and grabbed a crucial three points which sees them reduce the gap once again to leaders Barcelona, while Villareal remains in third place. Madrid undoubtedly dominated the second half, although Mourinho would certainly have been worried that his 9 year unbeaten home record may have been overrun during the first period of play. With the news that Mourinho will not be given funding to purchase another striker, Madrid must now ensure that each player is contributing to the team and injuries are minimal.

 

Final Score: Real Madrid 4         Villarreal 2

                     Ronaldo  10              Cani 7

                     Ronaldo  45              Ruben 18

                     Ronaldo  80

                     Kaka       82

Man of the Match: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

By Alexander "Real Madrid" Novo (Twitter and Facebook Follower) - Spanish Correspondant

Spanish Premiera Round 17 - Getafe vs Real Madrid - Review

Real Madrid took honours in the Madrid derby after narrowly defeating Getafe 3-2 to cut back the gap between themselves and La Liga leaders Barcelona to just 2 points. A brace from Cristiano Ronaldo and a classy Mesut Oezil finish sealed the victory, although a Dani Parejo wonder goal for Getafe before half time put the game in doubt for the away side. Kaka’s return to action following 6 months on the sidelines with a knee injury was a major boost for Los Blancos, although Karim Benzema’s dismal form and a late red card for Arbeloa meant the away team had to work hard for the three points.

Heading into the match, Mourinho made several changes to his squad’s defensive line-up, due to the suspensions of Carvalho and Pepe; Ramos was pushed into the centre with Raul Albiol. Los Blancos began the game with confidence, and a penalty claim, a long range free kick and an attempted bicycle kick all from Ronaldo within the first 10 minutes ensured that the away team asserted their dominance over the hosts. However, Mourinho’s men were soon awarded a penalty after Angel Di Maria was pulled down controversially by Mane while making a run into the penalty box. While the referee pointed to the spot immediately, the Getafe players were outraged; however this was to no avail as Ronaldo calmly beat Codina.

Los Blancos were soon leading 2-0 when Di Maria made another dazzling run before sliding the ball to Oezil who ran around the goalkeeper and slotted his team’s second goal of the night at the near post. The hosts then began to apply the pressure on Madrid, with Rios and Parejo having numerous chances to pull one back for their team. Their efforts were soon awarded when poor defence by Arbeloa and Diarra allowed Parejo to try a long range effort which sailed past Casillas in the 29th minute.

Early in the second half, Ronaldo seemed to have ensured a Madrid victory with a clinical finish following Benzema’s interception of a poor clearance from Codina. Los Blancos could have put the match out of reach for the hosts when Benzema had two exceptional chances; his first effort was collected by Codina after failing to shoot early enough, while his second opportunity was side-netted. Moruinho was visibly frustrated by his striker’s inability to score on these occasions, and rumours that the Frenchman is leaving Madrid during this January transfer window now seem highly likely, despite the news that Gonzalo Higuian will be out for the rest of the season.

Kaka made his long-awaited return from injury in the 75th minute at the expense of Benzema, although his comeback was low-key with only one clear goal-scoring opportunity.

The home side kept on pressuring the Madrid defense, and when Arbeloa was sent off for a second yellow card, the possibility of a Getafe fightback became possible. The Spanish defender was deemed by the referee to have touched the ball with his hands, and his side was reduced to 10 men for the remaing 10 minutes. The hosts were awarded for their continous pressure on Madrid when substitute Albin netted Getafe’s second of the night after the ball bounced off Marcelo and landed directly in front of the Uruguayan. However Los Blancos managed to hold onto a solid victory in this Madrid derby and closed the gap to Barcelona to just 2 points.

With the Janurary transfer window now open, Mourinho must ensure that his side maintains full concentration on the pitch and does not let any unnecessary points slip past them. New signings, particularly in their attacking line-up, seem necessary now that it has been confirmed Higuian will be sidelined for the remainder of the season. Players such as Adebayor have been linked to the club within recent days, although results on the pitch remain the clear focus for now as Mourinho aims to close the gap to Barcelona.

Man of the Match: Angel Di Maria

By Alexander "Real Madrid" Novo (Twitter and Facebook Follower)

Spanish La Liga, has it become too uncompetitive?

During the Christmas break we take time to evaluate how each of the several leagues across Europe and the world have faired both competitively and financially. The first league we take a look at is Spain's premier league the La Liga. The La Liga is rated by FIFA as the second most successful league in the world after the English Premier League. However, in recent times the league has come under much pressure to offer something new both in terms of marketing and football.

One of the biggest problems in the La Liga is that the league has seemingly divided itself - overtime - into four different tiers.

One tier is played between Barcelona and Real Madrid to win the title.

Just under them is the second tier which consists of Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Valencia and Villarreal, fighting for places in the champions league and the Europa league.

The third tier varies, but usually consists of teams like Atletico Bilbao, Espanyol, Getafe and Deportivo la Coruna, who are quite happy to stay out of trouble, but still play to achieve that elusive Europa League spot.

The fourth tier, of course is that between the teams trying to avoid relegation. Although the quality of the teams do not match those in the "first tier" the competition between these teams is quite exhilarating especially towards the end of the season.

These "tiers" or leagues are divided greatly by the level of football acustomed to each of the clubs. One big example of this was the recent match between Real Madrid and Levante - a team just sitting above relegation-  in the Spanish Cup , the 8-0 victory to Madrid including two hattricks to both Benzema and Ronaldo shows the difference in footballing ability between the two clubs. 

The fact that Madrid and Barcelona are always increasing the gap between all the tiers below them - mainly for money. Shows that the La Liga is bound to become more uncompetitive unless the influence of lesser known clubs becomes greater. Through both transfers and media publicity. Although everything is possible with newly promoted club Hercules putting up stiff challenges against Barcelona (1-0 Victory) and Real Madrid.



By Isidoro Munoz Mendoza our Spanish Correspondant
(Born in the Bernabeu) - Facebook follower

Player of the First Half of the Season - Nominees

This season a few suprise names have thrust themselves onto the world stage. Each of the Five major leagues around the world (England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France) have been influenced by the skill and consistency of one or another player. It's time to vote for your player of the half season. The nominees are (three from each league):

English Premier League:

Samir Nasri (Arsenal) - The Arsenal attacking midfielder has been prolific infront of goal. This season he has knotched up 17 goals this season in all competitions. The Frenchman has certainly proved his worth at the Emirates.


Gareth Bale (Tottenham) - Tottenham have certainly established themselves towards the top of the league, winger Gareth Bale has been instrumental in leading his team to victory on a number of occasions, his pace and shooting ability has made him one of the most feared wingers in Europe.

Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United) - United sit pretty at the top of the table with two matches in hand. They remain one of the hardest teams in the EPL to beat with no losses in the league this year. Their defence has been second to none and rock solid centre back Vidic has been instrumental in securing cleansheets and sometimes scoring goals.


Spanish Premiera Division

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) - What more can be said about the Portugese hitman. CR9 has been key in many of Real's victories, scoring his way to the top of the goal scorers list in La Liga. Ronaldo will be looking to lead Mourinho's men to a title.

Lionel Messi (Barcelona) - The Barcelona man has been in phenomenal form of recent orchestrating their 5-0 win against Madrid as well as scoring a total of 17 goals in the league equalling Ronaldo's total at the top. Barcelona sit in first place in La Liga.

Giuseppe Rossi (Villarreal) - The Italian striker goes largely unnoticed amongst the big strikers at Barcelona and Real Madrid, but Rossi has been prolific for Villarreal scoring 9 goals domestically and five in the Europa League. With Villarreal pushing for a Champions League spot Rossi will have to continue to show his good form.

Italian Serie A

Milos Krasic (Juventus) - With Juventus looking for a revival in 2010 they spent up big in the transfer season, bringing Serbian winger Milos Krasic to Juventus. The Serbian delivered scoring a number of goals and providing a number of assists to put Juventus into second place just behind Ac Milan. His hattrick against.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Ac Milan) - The big money load deal was labelled as a "waste" at the start of the year. However Ibra's season has been far from that, guiding Milan to the top of the League, whilst also scoring nine goals in the process.

Edison Cavani (Napoli) - What a year it's been for the young Uruguayan. Coming to Napoli on load the striker has certainly made an impact, reaching a tally of ten for the year to put him equal top scorer in the Italian Serie A. He has also been effective in the Europa League scoring seven times in eight appearances.

German Bundesliga

Nuri Sahin (Borussia Dortmund) - Sahin has been crucial in Dortmunds German campaign thus far. He distributes the football precisely. He wins back possession as well as moves forward in attack always ensuring he is open for a pass. Sahin has been the playmaker behind six goals as well as scoring four himself. He has proved that he will be a key player in the Turkish national team.

Manuel Neuer (Schalke) - The Schalke shot stopper has been the shining light in a Schalke team that has played far beyond their expectations this year. The German number one has certainly caught the eye of bigger clubs this year through his excellent saves.

Theofanis Gekas (Frankfurt) - The Bundesliga top scorer has established himself as a top class striker with 14 goals in the campaign thus far. The greek international has been the reason behind Frankfurt's good performances this season.

Ligue 1


Yohan Gourcuff (Lyon) - The Frenchman's move to Lyon was much publicised for the reason he left from rivals Borduex. Although Gourcuff has replicated the form that made him one of the most feared playmakers in Europe helping Lyon to move within one point of leaders Lille.

Nene (PSG) - The PSG man boasts the title of top scorer in Ligue one. He has been the difference for his team in many of the big matches during the season including bagging the winners against Valenciennes. He also gained an assist in the winning goal to help his team overcome Marseille.


Benoit Tremoulinas (Bordeaux) - The defender made his name in Europe this year. The left back who is still yet to apply his trade for the national team. He is crucial in going forward providing an added threat with every attack.

Comment with your choice of player, the winning player will be revealed soon along with an indepth article on his impact on his team throughout the first half of the year.

Spanish Premiera Round 16 - Real Madrid vs Sevilla - Review

Real Madrid has unconvincingly pulled off a narrow 1-0 victory at home to Sevilla. A crucial 77th minute strike from Angel Di Maria, the man Los Blancos signed from Benfica for $25 million, proved to be all that separated the two sides in what can only be described as an ill-tempered encounter that saw two red cards being handed out.


In recent times, this fixture has been characterised by high-scoring games, however this particular meeting proved to present very few goal scoring opportunities for either squad, particularly in the first half. Karim Benzema, a player under pressure to impress his employers, had a fruitless match which resulted in nothing more than a near miss in the first half which truly highlighted his now apparent lack of confidence. Los Blancos’ best chances came from two near identical free kicks from Cristiano Ronaldo, who showed his skill to nearly slot home past Andres Palop.

Sevilla also had their fair share of opportunities in the first half, however like Madrid, they did not seem adventurous or willing to break the deadlock. The visiting team continued to threaten the Madrid defence down the wings and an Escude header from a Capel cross drifted just wide of the Casillas goalpost in the 23th minute. Madrid defender Carvalho was lucky not to be given his marching orders when he pulled down Negredo towards the end of the first half. The resultant free kick was drilled at Casillas by Romaric, but was then ultimately cleared by Pepe. A fruitless first half ended with what appeared to be a dispute between Mourinho and the Sevilla bench.

The best chance of the game so far fell to Sevilla forward Negredo in the 57th minute. Luis Fabiano had planted a through ball past the Madrid defence but the final ball was drilled over the cross bar after being one-on-one with Casillas. The pressure continued to pile on the home team when Carvalho was given a second yellow card after he leant in with an elbow on Negredo.

At this stage, a continuation of Mourinho’s 8 year home match-undefeated streak seemed to be in doubt. Both Benzema and Khedira were substituted for Pedro Leon and Esteban Granero respectively and this seemed to spur the home side on to create more goal scoring opportunities. Los Blancos continued to dominate, however it wasn’t until the 77th minute that Di Maria’s strike from a tight angle gave Madrid the slender lead that they had been chasing down all game. Mourinho’s aggressive strategy of using a three-man defensive formation following Carvalho’s sending-off had finally paid off. Mouhamadou Dabo was also given his marching orders for kicking out at Di Maria during injury time, which reduced the numerical advantage the away side had over Madrid.

While the result may not have been convincing, Mourinho’s Real Madrid had managed to carve out a 1-0 home victory that ensured they would go into the Christmas break trailing Barcelona by only 2 points. It may not have been a classic performance from the match-winning squad, but it was a prime example of Mourinho managing to grab a victory despite an injury-stricken and partially suspended first eleven squad.



Final Score - Real Madrid 1        Sevilla 0
                      Di Maria 77

Man of the Match : Angel Di Maria (Real Madrid)

Article by Alexander "Real Madrid"  Novo (Facebook and Twitter follower)

Spanish Premiera Round 16 - Real Madrid vs Sevilla

It's a match pitting the over achievers in the Premiera this year (Real Madrid) against the dismal underachievers (Sevilla) in round 16 of the Spanish Premiera. It is fair to say that Sevilla has been one of the major disappointments this year, especially domestically. Although they will have some confidence going into the game knowing that they qualified to the second round of the Europa League at the expense of  German league leaders Borussia Dortmund.
Still trying to push their title claims after their loss to Barcelona a few rounds back, Real Madrid will be fielding a squad with many bench players as they have a list of injuries and suspensions which may make the task of beating Sevilla that bit more difficult than will initially be expected.

After Barcelona's 5-1 demolition of Espanyol, Madrid will be under a great deal of pressure to keep up with the league leaders. Whilst Sevilla will look to stay in some kind of contact with the elusive top four clubs in the Premiera.



Real Madrid Team News: A string of injuries affects the Real camp this week. The suspensions don't help either, with both Xabi Alonso and Marcelo suspended, mourinho will have to find replacements defensively. Ramos is also out, while Madrids attack will be at a loss with Higuain out again with Kaka still injured. Although the Brazillian playmaker returned to training this week which is surely a good sign for Madrid fans out there.

Sevilla Team News: Kanoute is out injured, while Pedretti is definitely out for at least two games. Also in doubt it star winge Jesus Navas, who will be key to Sevilla's build up play, he will be given until kick off to prove his fitness. Alexis has been suspended, and it was against Madrid of all teams Sevilla would've needed him as he is their key man when it comes to suring up the defence.

Match Prediction - Real Madrid 3  -  Sevilla 1

What do you think? Comment with your prediction, those with correct predictions will have their chance to feature in the Spanish blog next week.

Spanish Premiera Round 14 Real Madrid vs Valencia - Review

Real Madrid have unconvincingly defeated Valencia 2 - 0 at the Santiago Bernabau. In a game that involved a sending off for Abelda and a brace for Ronaldo. The first half was a game played in the midfield with the two teams evenly holding possession. The second half opened up as Mourinho brought on Benzema allowing Ronaldo to drift onto the right. With the extra man to their advantage Madrid continued attacking down Ronaldo's wing. However the breakthrough was to occur on the left as a beautifully weighted ball from Ozil to Ronaldo saw the Portugese attacker score on his left foot. Valencia continued to push forward but couldnt break the Madrid defence. A dispossession from Diarra in the 87th minute resulted in a pass to Ronaldo, and from there CR7 dribbled half the field completing a couple of stepovers to mesmorise Miguel and slot the ball home to score certainly one of the best goals of the La Liga for 2010/2011.

Madrid hold on to second place as Barcelona secured a 3-0 victory overnight. One thing is for certain though. Without Ronaldo, Real Madrid would be a no show tonight.

Final Score - Real Madrid 2 - Valencia 0
                   Ronaldo 73
                   Ronaldo 87

Man of the Match : Cristiano Ronlado (Real Madrid)

Spanish Premiera Round 14 - Real Madrid vs Valencia

After recieving an absolute hammering from Barcelona last week in the El Classico Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho will look to bounce back with a victory against Valencia. The game looks to be the tie of the round, with both teams sitting towards the top of the table Real Madrid in second and Valencia in fifth, they will both look to move ever closer to Barcelona who have once again regained top spot.

Real Madrid Team News: Real Madrid will play without Kaka who has just recently returned to training after his injury spell and also without their hitman Higuain. Both Carvalho and Ramos are out through suspension. Garay will return to sure up the defence. He will be especially important especially after the horrid performance at the back last week

Valencia Team News: Valencia will nervously have to pick their third choice keeper as both Cesar and Moya are out. Injuries to Topal, Fernandes and Mathieu will mix up the lineup for Valencia.

Pediction Real Madrid 1 - Valencia 1

What do you think? Comment with your prediction, those with correct predictions will have their chance to feature in Spanish blog next week.