Montilivi, Girona – There was a “European meeting” on Friday evening according to AS, and given the result on the night, there could well be many more to come for Real Betis. To have suggested at the start of the season that Real Betis would be in a Europa League place – above Villarreal and […]
Author : Oliver Miller
European Football Writer - currently specialising in La Liga
@oliver_miller
Revista de La Liga: A definitive weekend at the bottom settles the relegation question once and for all
Ciutat de Valencia, Valencia – It was derby weekend in Madrid but there was much more at stake in La Coruna and Valencia. It had been labelled the ‘Grand Weekend’ in terms of the relegation battle with the bottom four all playing each other. The gap between Levante in 17th and Las Palmas in 18th […]
“How could we lose that game?” Questions Pep Guardiola as Jose Mourinho & Manchester United’s comeback spoils Manchester City’s party
It appeared for a long while that it was done. Manchester City had sewn it up, or, at least, they thought they had. So had everyone else. Manchester United fans, slumped on their seats, looked aimlessly in the distance. Others were down on the concourse thinking but not talking. Whilst in the home sections of […]
Revista de La Liga: Barcelona show character in Sevilla to fight for a dramatic comeback
Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Sevilla – There were two minutes left to play. Real Madrid had tried, so had Atletico, Valencia and Juventus too. Eibar had been a struggle whilst they left it late at Espanyol and Stamford Bridge. Perhaps the most surprising was at home to Alaves when they were behind for almost an hour […]
State of the Nations: A look at how the major nations are shaping up prior to this summer’s FIFA World Cup
With the 2018 FIFA World Cup kicking off in just over two months, Oliver Miller casts his eye over the European and South American nations likely to have a say in Russia. The Favourites The current favourites to win the World Cup in Russia – and retain the trophy – are Germany. Coach Joachim Low […]
Revista de La Liga: Neither Deportivo nor Las Palmas are able to ease the growing concern of relegation
Riazor, La Coruna – There were 30 minutes left to play. The match was tied. A goal apiece. Both sides were currently separated by one place in the La Liga table; in fact – as had been the case before the match – it was only one point. But the gap between Deportivo La Coruna […]
Revista de La Liga: A royal meeting sees Espanyol continue their unbeaten run by coming from behind
RCDE Stadium, Barcelona – Receiving royal patronage is an honour. An honour that both Espanyol and Real Sociedad have had the privilege of. In 1910 and 1912 respectively, they were permitted to use the term Real in their names and the royal crown in their badges. Both clubs are proud of their history and the […]
Who is Maurizio Sarri?
In the summer of 2015, Maurizio Sarri received a phone call from Napoli owner Aurelio De Laurentis, at first he thought he was the victim of a practical joke. By his own admission, it took Sarri a while before he realised that it really was the cinema tycoon on the other end of the line, […]
Revista de La Liga: A moment of Messi magic takes Barcelona one step closer to the La Liga title
Camp Nou, Barcelona – ‘El Atleti decide si aun hay liga,’ was AS’s headline on Sunday morning – it was down to Atletico Madrid to decide whether there was still a league in Spain this season. There were 90-odd thousand in the Camp Nou to also see if, with 11 matches left to play, there […]
Revista de La Liga: A Barcelona romp doesn’t dampen Girona’s spirits
Camp Nou, Barcelona – For two minutes, there was pure ecstasy. A shock no doubt, against the run of play of course but nevertheless there were a handful of Girona fans positioned high up in the gods who had believed their team could do it. This is a team that are in unchartered territory – […]
Kompany leads Manchester City to Carabao Cup triumph as they cruise past Arsenal
An embrace with his staff, a handshake with the losing manager, and then a celebration with his players – Pep Guardiola carried the air of a man who was perfectly accustomed to these kind of occasions at the final whistle. His first trophy as Manchester City manager may not be the biggest but as Pep […]
Revista de La Liga: Size doesn’t always matter… just ask Eibar
Ipurua, Eibar – A fine selection of food adorned the table. Beers and wine too. But at five minutes to four o’clock, the spread on the table was abandoned as everyone headed onto the balcony. It was the one day of the year that all of the balconies attached to both apartment blocks situated on […]
Revista de La Liga: Malaga are now a shadow of their money-rich former selves
La Rosaleda, Malaga – There was once a feeling of togetherness in Malaga. The fans connected with the players, they were both participants; they each played their part. “Connecting with the supporters is where true satisfaction comes from,” said Javi Gracia – the current Watford manager – when he was in charge of Malaga. That […]
Copa del Rey Recap: Barcelona make history whilst Leganes’ Copa journey comes to an end
Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, Sevilla – “Without fear, with courage,” was Vincenzo Montella’s response as to how his Sevilla side were going to address this second-leg tie against Leganes. Having scored an away goal last week, Sevilla were the favourites but then Leganes have long defied expectations; rising from Segunda B to la Primera in a […]
Revista de La Liga: The Sevillan sun shines on the debutant as Real Betis take on overachieving Villarreal
Benito Villamarin, Sevilla – “Moron! Moron!” shouted the Betis fans. It was not aimed at the Villarreal players, nor the referee. But it was aimed at one of their own. Loren Moron has worn the green and white of Real Betis since his youth – last season he made 23 appearances for Betis’ second team, […]
Copa del Rey Recap: A pair of close matches means that both ties are still in the balance
Camp Nou, Barcelona – The goalscorer, the match-winner, the player who has now scored 16 goals in 16 consecutive games in all competitions, admitted that his side’s advantage going into the second-leg is minimal. “There are 90 minutes left,” Luis Suarez said, “and Valencia at home are always stronger.” One thing is for sure; there’ll […]
Revista de La Liga: Real Madrid bounce back from Copa elimination by achieving a rare victory in Valencia
Mestalla, Valencia – “We deserved the victory. We deserved a game like that.” Zinedine Zidane – as cool and calm as he has been throughout his tenure as Real Madrid – sat at the long white table in the press room and admitted that he’ll “never change.” The afternoon had seen his side win a […]
Copa del Rey Recap: Leganes make history and progress at the expense of a stuttering Real Madrid
Bernabeu, Madrid – “Yes we can!” was the rather hopeful and optimistic chant sung by the relatively small contingent of Leganes fans pre-match. “Yes we have!” was what they sang unexpectedly at the final whistle. The small side from southern Madrid had come to the home of the mighty Real Madrid and overturned a first-leg […]
Revista de La Liga: Victory against Valencia brings hope to Gran Canaria
Estadio Gran Canaria, Las Palmas – Las Palmas’ time in La Liga is comparable to that of it’s home. The redevelopment of Gran Canaria’s biggest stadium has often epitomised the team that plays within it. Promotion to La Liga in the summer of 2015 brought about a period of renovation to get it into shape […]
Copa del Rey Recap: Espanyol make history with derby win in the first-leg of the cup
RCDE, Barcelona – ‘Thank You Valverde’ was written large on the stadium scoreboard before the match and by the end, the sentiment towards their former manager had been enhanced. Not only had Espanyol managed to beat Barcelona but they brought an end to their Catalan rival’s 29 match unbeaten run stretching back to the Super […]