Classico

Should Real Madrid sack Lopetegui before El Clasico?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 20:05:00 +0100

After losing to Levante, after five matches without a win and just one week to go until visiting Barcelona at the Camp Nou , Should Real Madrid sack Lopetegui before El Clasico?

Comment below for Yes or No.

Marcelo: Real Madrid players are with Lopetegui to the death

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 20:00:00 +0100

Just as Dani Ceballos did, Marcelo has thrown his support behind under-fire Real Madrid boss Julen Lopetegui after the European champions suffered yet another defeat on Saturday afternoon.Marcelo himself got on the scoresheet to end Madrid's goalless run but it was not enough to stop them from falling 2-1 at home to Levante."We are with him [Julen Lopetegui] to the death," Marcelo told beIN LaLiga after the game."He speaks to us clearly and there is a good relationship between us and him, we have to let him work."I feel the colours of this club and I feel bad when we don't win, you cannot compare Lopetegui with [Rafa] Benitez."Levante left the Santiago Bernabeu with an unlikely win, but Marcelo is unconvinced that they were deserving of their three points."Levante didn't do much," he said."They took advantage of our mistakes at the start and we tried to get back level."We were dead at the end of the match because we left our skins out on the pitch."Marcelo also admitted that the squad were slightly worried, but denied they were in fear."We are worried," he continued."The pressure at Madrid is tremendous and we have to face the cameras. We are not afraid, we are worried."

Levante leave Lopetegui on the edge

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 19:57:00 +0100

Real Madrid manager Julen Lopetegui's troubles picked up where they left off following the international break with a 2-1 defeat to Levante on Saturday afternoon at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.A club-record eight hours and one minute later, Los Blancos managed to break their goal-less drought through a Marcelo goal in the 72nd minute, but it came with Real on the wrong side of a 2-0 scoreline after a seventh minute goal from the excellent Jose Luis Morales and a penalty conversion from Roger in the 13th minute.The defeat extends Real's losing streak to three matches and their winless skid to five, surely making for an insufferable week for Lopetegui ahead of El Clasico against Barcelona next Sunday. Real could also call themselves dreadfully unlucky on the day, as they hit the woodwork three times. But full credit is also due to Levante, who played bravely by showing inventiveness in attack and full sacrifice in defence.There were certainly some surprises in Lopetegui's starting XI, beginning up top. Stalwarts Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale were nowhere to be found; instead it was a trio of Lucas Vazquez, Marco Asensio and Mariano. Isco also made a return to the starting line-up, while Dani Carvajal's injury resulted in another start for Adrian Odriozola at right-back.

Levante made their intentions known early and often. Anytime the Frogs got ahold of the ball, they broke quickly on the counter-attack and inside the first 10 minutes they stunned the Bernabeu with a Morales goal to take a 0-1 lead. Sergio Postigo played an inch-perfect long ball over the top and Morales out-raced centre-back Raphael Varane and rounded hesitant goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois before hitting a strong finish to hand Levante a 0-1 lead.Whistles dripping in disgust rained down on the white shirts from the home supporters, but things would only get worse minutes later. Varane's early nightmare continued, as he was caught with a handball right on the outer edge of the area. Initially it was ruled a free kick, but VAR changed it correctly to a penalty and Roger converted the spot kick to make it a 0-2 Levante advantage.VAR was back in the spotlight minutes, this time taking a Real goal off the crossbar. An Isco corner kick was met by the driving forehead of Casemiro, who thumped a header off the crossbar. The ball spun up in the air and fell for Asensio, who nodded in from a metre out, but amid the celebration VAR ruled that Asensio was offside and the Real scoreless streak continued.It's not like Real were playing poorly; Los Blancos were creating a good chunk of chances, it's that just Lady Luck was on the side of the visitors. The crossbar came into play yet again on a corner kick, this time Mariano egging a header that slammed off the woodwork. The follow up header from Casemiro also flirted with the goal, but Levante goalkeeper Oier was there to shepherd it wide.Real's best chances were coming off corner kick and Lucas Vazquez had it all there to snag a goal before half-time when he found himself all alone at the back post with Oier just three metres in front, but incredibly the Levante No.1 made the stop. Levante remained a threat on the counter and thought they had a third through Ruben Rochina, but VAR confirmed that Tono offside by just a hair when receiving a pass on the build-up.

Lopetegui had no other choice but to turn to his bench to spark the attack, so Bale was summoned at the break to start the second stanza in place of Odriozola. But the Welshman had little impact, and so Benzema and Dani Ceballos were called on at the hour mark to replace Isco and Asensio, respectively.For the final half-hour it was one-way traffic, with Levante pegged back in their own area. Oier was called on to make a diving save of a Bale free-kick, but minutes later the Levante stopper could do nothing to stop an absolute bullet from Marcelo, who took a pass from Benzema and hammered home to snap Real's goalless streak at 481 minutes and made it 1-2.The momentum was all with Real, and for a third time the woodwork had to come to Levante's rescue when the post denied a curling right-footer from Benzema. It all made for a nervy final 10 minutes for fans on both sides: Real launching attack after attack against a Levante defence clinging to a one-goal advantage that few would have predicted. Mariano thought he had the equaliser after an Oier save on a Benzema header, but the Dominican was ruled offside. In the end, Levante held strong, leaving Real in a much deeper crisis than 90 minutes prior.

Premier League: Mourinho clashes with Chelsea coaching staff in heated finale to clash at Stamford Bridge

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 19:53:00 +0100

When Chelsea grabbed a late equaliser at home to Manchester United, a member of their coaching staff celebrated in front of the visitors' bench and it sparked ugly scenes with Jose Mourinho at the centre. The Portuguese coach jumped up and had to be restrained as he tried to find the culprit. It took several minutes for the situation to calm down and after the game Chelsea coach Maurizio Sarri was quick to apologise.

Allegri: Cristiano Ronaldo has brought a greater sense of professionalism to Juventus

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 14:47:00 +0100

Having captured the attention of the world when he arrived at Juventus last summer, Cristiano Ronaldo has brought a greater sense of professionalism, according to coach Massimiliano Allegri Allegri meanwhile would not go into the rape allegations made against the Portuguese during a press conference."Cristiano is very relaxed, working well and about his personal problems, they are nothing to do with me. I can't talk about this," he said."Cristiano in a very down to earth way is adapting well to the system. He has helped the team and brought a big sense of responsibility, something that the team had before. "He is scoring goals which is what he knows best as well as providing assists."Juventus have won all eight Serie A games this season and face Genoa next.

Barcelona vs Sevilla: Like a Clasico

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 14:45:00 +0100

Setting aside Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid, if there is one team that Barcelona have repeatedly come across in the fight for titles in recent years, it is Sevilla. Five of the last ten encounters between the Catalans and Andalusians have been in finals, which speaks volumes of how competitive Sevilla are even though they inevitably tend to be defeated by Los Cules.
Saturday night's clash is not a final, however it is an important battle in the race for the title, despite coming so early in the season.Sevilla headed into the international break at the top of the league after another Barcelona slip up and three more points in Catalonia could see them become outright leaders.The Blaugrana will look to end an unprecedented run of poor results under Ernesto Valverde and they have everything in their favour: home advantage, their crowd and in Lionel Messi, a player who loves playing and scoring against Sevilla.
After an unusual international break which saw them keep most of their players at home, Barcelona will want to rediscover their form and play with the consistency and confidence that has served them so well in Europe this season.As Valverde himself pointed out in a press conference, the Catalan club have only won the Champions League when they have won LaLiga Santander. Therefore, getting back to their best domestically is vitally important for Barcelona.The best news for Los Cules and the worst news for Los Nervionenses is that Messi is well rested and more determined than ever. The main doubt is whether Valverde will play his Brazilians, Arthur and Philippe Coutinho - who have just returned from disputing two matches in Saudi Arabia - or if he will rotate his line-up in order to keep fresh legs Wednesday's clash with Inter and El Clasico next weekend.Barcelona face a Sevilla side who are bursting with confidence thanks to four consecutive league wins, which has seen them rise to the top of the table, as the usual heavyweights suffer setback after setback.Pablo Machin has put together a team that works, playing ultra-attacking football which is based around good passing in the middle and decisive play up front.He will stick to his principles at the Camp Nou in a bid to make a statement to the league.Sevilla will need Ever Banega, Franco Vazquez and Pablo Sarabia to maintain their form no matter how risky it is to play all three. Barcelona will dominate the ball and so the Andalusian artists will have to run more than normal, although that is something they have proved to be capable of in the past. Sevilla will stick to their 3-5-2 formation and their approach will either end in glory or despair at the Camp Nou.It is sure to be another classic battle, which will determine how serious Sevilla's title credentials are, ahead of El Clasico next weekend.

Zidane's 10 biggest impacts that led Real Madrid to LaLiga title

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 May 2017 20:01:00 +0100

Every Real Madrid title winning side can be defined by their coach, from the resolute tension of the 32nd trophy claimed by Jose Mourinho to the style and smile of Zinedine Zidane as Real Madrid hold aloft LaLiga title No. 33.

Guardiola questions the price that Real Madrid have paid for Vinicius Jr.

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 May 2017 20:00:00 +0100

Real Madrid have paid 46 million euros for Flamengo's 16-year-old sensation Vinicius Junior, a price which Pep Guardiola believes has inflated the transfer market making it difficult for Manchester City, and others, to complete any deals this summer.

LaLiga win puts Cristiano Ronaldo on track for fifth Ballon d'Or

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 May 2017 19:58:00 +0100

Two minutes were enough for Real Madrid to wrap up the work of the past nine months and secure LaLiga title No. 33 with a comfortable defeat of Malaga at Estadio La Rosaleda.

Real Madrid make Vinicius Jr deal official

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Tue, 23 May 2017 19:55:00 +0100

Flamengo and Real Madrid have made their agreement pertaining to Vinicius Jr official on Tuesday, with the player joining Los Blancos' ranks in June of 2019 at the very latest.

Bale back in stride for league leaders

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 19 Feb 2017 02:14:00 +0100

Gareth Bale made a triumphant return from injury with a goal as Real Madrid downed a stubborn Espanyol 2-0 on Saturday afternoon at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu in Madrid.

After Alvaro Morata's first-half opener, the Welshman came off the bench for the final 20 minutes in what his first bit of action in 88 days and sealed the three points for Los Blancos. With the victory Real are now four points ahead of Barcelona in the league table and with two games in hand.

Real were in control throughout and it will be a big boost for manager Zinedine Zidane that such a heavily rotated side was still able to emerge with a rather comfortable victory.

Following Wednesday's Champions League win over Napoli, Zidane elected to field a number of reserve players, including goalkeeper Kiko Casilla, defenders Pepe and Nacho, midfielders Mateo Kovacic and Isco and forward Morata. Also of note was the return of Bale to the matchday 18 after almost three months sidelined by injury.

Real enjoyed the lion's share of possession to start, but the chances created were simply not translating into goals and to Espanyol's credit, their deep-lying defence held firm preventing Real from registering a shot on goal through the first 25 minutes.

That is not to say there was no entertainment though. Cristiano Ronaldo drew an "oooh" from the Bernabeu with a nutmeg on Espanyol defender David Lopez. Still, there was no change to the scoreboard.

Real were getting closer to goal and they should have struck at the half-hour mark when a Pablo Piatti giveaway gifted a break that ended with a Ronaldo shot across goal that Morata was unable to meet at the far post.

Minutes later two players who have spent more time on the bench than on the pitch this season hooked up to open the scoring for Real. Isco was given too much time and space outside the area and picked out Morata, who thumped a header past Espanyol goalkeeper Diego Lopez to make it 1-0.

Morata then nearly notched his second goal of the half after fine work from Nacho down the left, but fired just wide of the near post.

Despite Real's dominance, Espanyol were still just a goal away from drawing level, but Los Pericos offered very little going forward. Quique Sanchez Flores had his team set up to counter-attack but rarely did they even venture into the Real half, turning Casilla into another spectator.

By the final 30 minutes Real were well-positioned to put the match away and pocket the three points with a second goal. Ronaldo was set to do just that but instead popped a header over the crossbar off a Morata cross. The Portuguese cut a frustrated figure on the afternoon, lamenting his missed chances while also gesturing to teammates to move more.

Looking to seal things, Zidane took off Morata and brought on Bale. Marcelo then came on for Nacho, but the one-goal margin stayed intact and any time Espanyol had the ball at their feet in the final 15 minutes, a sense of discomfort grew within the Bernabeu.

Ironically it was on a rare foray forward for Espanyol which resulted in the prized second goal for Real. Ronaldo led a break by swinging a pass out wide left to Isco, who then found the streaking Bale in stride and the former Tottenham showed no rust sweeping a left-footer past Lopez that banged off the far post and in to extend the lead to 2-0 and finish off Espanyol.

Real return to action on Wednesday with a rare midweek league fixture away to Valencia.

Cristiano Ronaldo embarrassed by Diego Lopez hair joke

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 19 Feb 2017 02:08:00 +0100

Before Real Madrid took on Espanyol on Saturday afternoon, and as the players lined up in the tunnel, Cristiano Ronaldo shared a joke with Diego Lopez about his hair that was picked up by a camera, leaving the Portuguese embarrassed.

It was a new look for the visiting keeper and one that didn't go unnoticed.

"You've put up 3,600 hairs, huh?" he said, mocking his opponent until teammate Alvaro Morata alerted Ronaldo to the camera.

In any event, Lopez took it with humour and laughed along.

Barcelona choke in big games

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Sun, 19 Feb 2017 01:58:00 +0100

One of the problems that has come back to haunt Barcelona time and again this season is their lack of form and reliability in the big games.

Although the campaign began in a remarkable manner with a couple of important victories against Sevilla in the Spanish Super Cup, the Catalans haven't raised the bar at all across the last few months.

Atletico Madrid, Athletic Club, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Manchester City and Athletic again in the cup...these are the matches where Barcelona have underperformed.

Not only that, there have also been some unexpected stumbling blocks against smaller rivals such as Alaves, Betis or Malaga.

Something is clearly wrong so Luis Enrique and his team need to put an immediate end to it.

Dani Carvajal set for month on the sidelines

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 02:12:00 +0100

Real Madrid full-back Dani Carvajal is facing a race against time to be fit for his side’s Champions League last 16 first leg clash with Napoli.

Algeria on the brink after 2-1 defeat to Tunisia

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 02:06:00 +0100

Two defensive howlers left Algeria on the brink of elimination from the African Nations Cup as they lost 2-1 to neighbours Tunisia on Thursday in their second Group B match in Gabon.

Where's James Rodriguez?

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 02:03:00 +0100

With Real Madrid failing to win in three games, those searching for a solution to Zinedine Zidane's problems couldn't be blamed for asking exactly what has happened to James Rodriguez.

Messi doesn't care about penalties

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 02:01:00 +0100

Neymar opened the scoring for Barcelona in their Copa del Rey first leg against Real Sociedad from the penalty spot, despite Lionel Messi being present on the field of play.After scoring a penalty against Athletic Club last Wednesday, Neymar struck again to make it two, with Geronimo Rulli being sent the wrong way as Gorka Iraizoz had eight days earlier.Despite Messi being the top goalscorer in the world in 2016, the Argentine has shared his opportunities, and in this case is happy to help a teammate who is struggling with a poor season in terms of goals.Although it is becoming more common lately, this tendency from Messi is nothing new. In the last two seasons, he has chosen to leave 15 penalties to other players, with Neymar and Suarez being the main beneficiaries of his 'generosity'.

Neymar wakes Barcelona from Anoeta nightmare

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Fri, 20 Jan 2017 01:57:00 +0100

Neymar penalty conversion helped Barcelona earn a long-awaited 1-0 win over Real Sociedad in their Copa del Rey quarterfinal first leg on Thursday night at Anoeta in San Sebastian.

For Barcelona, it was their first victory on Real Sociedad's home turf in nearly 10 years and halted a wretched winless streak in San Sebastian of eight matches. The Brazilian was the hero on the night for Barcelona, as he both drew and scored the penalty that hands the reigning Copa del Rey champions an edge going into next week's return leg at the Camp Nou.

It was far from Barcelona's best, but all the ghosts that seem to appear any time they take the field in San Sebastian never surfaced. The Catalonians delivered a strong performance in defence while doing enough in attack to limit the hosts' chances.

Manager Luis Enrique made a few changes from the weekend team that downed Las Palmas, with the most notable insertion being the out of favour Ivan Rakitic back in the starting XI. Also returning to the line-up were goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen and left-back Lucas Digne.

Download PES.16.PATCH.SuperStar.V.3

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 05:31:00 +0100

http://goo.gl/cwdXEV

Download here

LIVE: Argentina vs. Bolivia

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 05:03:00 +0100

LIVE

LIVE Ecuador - Peru - COPA AMÉRICA

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 9 Jun 2016 03:06:00 +0100

Messi zeros in on the 'Clásico'

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 20:03:00 +0100

He had just played the game against Bolivia, but it barely took him five minutes to change gears and start thinking about La Liga again, and more than anything, about the 'Clásico'. "I've avoided any physical issues and now it's time to return to Barcelona and think about the 'Clásico', which will be a very big test", said Leo Messi.

He did not give much importance to having scored his 50th goal for Argentina. He is only interested in bagging the 500th of his career and he plans to do it this very Saturday against Real Madrid. If there's one match the Argentine loves, it is the Spanish 'Clásico'. And he also has a great record in the fixture.

Messi's figures against 'Los Blancos' are top of the line. The Barcelona star is the currently active player who has scored the most goals in the clash between the two rivals. He is level with Alfredo Di Stefano, who also scored 14 goals against Barcelona. The striker does not mind whether he is playing at the Camp Nou or the Bernabéu either, having netted 'only' six of those goals at his home ground.

The forward enters the 'Clásico' displaying some of his finest form of the season, after starting the campaign at half throttle as a result of a ligament injury in his left knee which sidelined him for almost two months.

The 14 of Cruyff

On a different note, with the 'Clásico' set to pay tribute to Johan Cruyff, it is worth remembering that Messi wore the Dutchman's famous number 14 shirt on the day of his debut for the Barcelona first team. That was back on 16th November 2003 when the team coached by Frank Rijkaard were playing a friendly against Porto. He was 16 years old at the time, and although he subsequently played with the number 30 when he was promoted to the first-team squad, the connection between two legends like Messi and Cruyff remains noteworthy.

Barça left in need

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 20:02:00 +0100

Luis Enrique has quite a headache to deal with running in to the last games of the season.

Jeremy Mathieu, the Barça manager's go-to sub both in the centre of defence and out on the left flank, will soon have his left knee operated on following a knock that he picked up during the France-Russia game. Although he may lose the plot once in a while out on the playing field, he is in fact the twelfth most active player in the team.

The first game that the Frenchman will miss is the all-important 'Clásico'. Bearing in mind the niggles that Jordi Alba can't seem to shake off in his ankle and the thousands of miles that Mascherano has recently travelled in order to play for his country, under normal circumstances, Mathieu would have a very good chance of being picked for the game.

He would be the logical choice, especially if we consider that his performances in the fixture as of late have been outstanding: he scored with a blinding header in his team's 2-1 home victory last season and put in a good show in the 4-0 away drubbing that they gave Real last November. Alas, he is to go under the knife to get his meniscus bone sorted and will not be match fit for some time to come.

Neither will Luis Enrique be able to count on the services of Adriano, out with muscle strain. Alba is therefore the only left-back available for the job - but don't be too surprised if we see him rested in readiness for Champions League commitments. If he is, 'jack of all trades' Sergi Roberto could be tasked with taking up defending duties out on the left wing. With Mathieu unavailable, other options are Bartra and Vermaelen.

Real Madrid target Marquinhos

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 20:00:00 +0100

Real Madrid already looked into signing Marquinhos last season in the event that Sergio Ramos moved to Manchester United. His age and talents made him the club's priority transfer target, but prising a player away from a financial powerhouse like PSG is nigh on mission impossible unless the club wants to sell.

Los Blancos are not only interested in Marquinhos. They are also keen on José María Giménez, who has made incredible progress over the past two seasons. With Pepe heading towards his mid-30s, Raphael Varane not looking his best and Sergio Ramos currently enduring an injury-plagued season at the club, Real Madrid are in dire need of a world-class centre-back. The Bernabéu club is desperate to strengthen in central defence, no matter the cost and effort involved.

Marquinhos could force PSG's hand

Prising Marquinhos away from PSG will not be easy... unless Marquinhos wants to leave. The 21-year-old Brazilian is in his third season, playing in the shadow of David Luiz and Thiago Silva, at the Parisian club and is beginning to tire of a lack of first-team football that often seems to come at right-back. The PSG president does not want to hear of letting him go, but the club's head coach, Laurent Blanc, did recently admit there was a problem: "We cannot continue in a situation in which Marquinhos is not playing week in and week out. We'll have to make a decision at the end of the season and we will".

Aleix Vidal: "It's a dream to experience a 'Clásico' from the inside"

noreply@blogger.com (Anonymous) — Thu, 31 Mar 2016 19:58:00 +0100

Aleix Vidal spoke to the press ahead of what will be his first 'Clásico' as a fully fledged member of the Barça squad.

On the tributes to Johan Cruyff: "We hope to play the best we can in his honour and win the game"

Living the 'Clásico': "It's a dream to experience a 'Clásico' from the inside and I hope I get to play. Of course it's just another game, but there's still something special about it".

Real Madrid: "Both teams are that bit more fired up for these games. In the last league game against them we were the superior side and now we'll be playing at home, in front of our fans, and we hope that the weapons we have at our disposal can help us claim the three points".

On whether there's a risk of Barcelona getting complacent: "These games, whether there's a big gap in the table or not, are something different. They bring the two best sides up against each other. Anything can happen, but I hope we can keep the three points at the Camp Nou".

On challenging for the right-back berth: "It's not easy to adapt to a team that has the very best. There's a high level of competition in the dressing room and that means that every player that goes out there has to give it their very best every time they play".

On his back-up role: "The gaffer makes the decisions. I've missed some games, and have got a run-out in some others. I know where I am and what I can contribute. I will always respect Luis Enrique's decisions. I'm not concerned because in the end I'll adapt. Alves has been, and is still, the best right-back in the world".