The football blog for fans of all clubs
Isco’s free-kick against his former side, Malaga, was everything you need to know about the Spaniard encapsulated in a moment. A 25-yard effort bent perfectly over the wall before nestling delicately in the corner. The flight of the ball calculated precisely by an exceptional football brain, and carried out with beautiful technique. But, it was […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Fifty Percent Spanish, One Hundred Percent French Some players go through their youth careers having never to taste the bitterness of disappointment. Antoine Griezmann was not one of those players, from the age of 8 to aged 11, Griezmann would trial at several French League clubs, only to be told the same thing, “You’re too […]
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 […]
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 […]
Zinedine Zidane is currently in the same category of manager as Sean Dyche. Already I can hear the reaction of the majority of people who just read that sentence: “Sorry, what?” Fear not, I haven’t lost my mind yet. In fact, by the end of this page I’m sure some people may actually agree with […]
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 […]
Last summer, Diego Costa was the world’s most-popular exile. After that famous text from Antonio Conte saying there was no place for him in this season’s squad, it’s fair to say the situation as Chelsea quickly became volatile. Costa could have graciously accepted the news and discussed the teams that wanted him. AC Milan, Everton […]
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 – […]
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 […]
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 […]
Scholar. Polyglot. Charismatic. Mental? Not many people would argue with the first three adjectives when describing Clarence Seedorf. One of the most intelligent footballers of his generation, the former Ajax, Real Madrid and AC Milan midfielder won almost every trophy there is at club level, and is still the only player to win a Champions […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
Spain, 1936: The Republicans waged war against the Nationalists, a Falangist, Carlist and aristocratic conservative group in Guerra Civil – The Civil War. The unrest began with a pronuniciamento, a declaration of military opposition, against the Republican Party from a group of Spanish Armed Forces generals. Needless to say, chaos ensued; Nationalists began an uprising […]
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 […]
One of the many beauties of football is the many weird and wonderful paths players take to make it to the top. It’s those journeys that provide us with the “Did you know he played for …” moments that win pub quizzes and evokes the typical emotional response from friends: “Did he?…Oh yeah, remember that.” […]
