Fast, physical and ruthless; second-placed Atlético have left the scars of their past behind and may be hard for Real to catch. The gap? Hang on a minute, which gap? The gap between Real Madrid and Barcelona might be 15 points, but the gap at the top is eight points. While most naturally focus on […]
Tag Archives: Barcelona
Guardiola to Munich – Pep decides Bayern is the place to be
So, after confirming a few weeks ago that he would return to coaching in the summer, and then seemingly implying that he would pick an English Premier League club, Pep’s future has been revealed. As confirmed by the club themselves, Guardiola will join German giants Bayern Munich this summer on a deal that will keep […]
Guardiola wants to manage a Premier League club
Pep Guardiola has set out why he wants to manage in the Premier League after returning from his sabbatical next season, with Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United all monitoring his position and the former Barcelona coach speaking publicly for the first time about what attracts him to English football. “I’ve always found English football […]
Runaway Train – Unbeaten Barcelona on course to obliterate record point haul
It was an astounding achievement. Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid lost only twice in La Liga last season and claimed an unprecedented 32 victories on their way to winning the Primera Division with a historical high of 100 points. No team had ever reached three figures before in Spain’s domestic competition, but just eight months on, Barcelona seem set not only […]
Pep Confirms his return
The ex-Blaugrana boss has confirmed that he will return to the game next term, but is yet to decide on his destination Former Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola has revealed his intention to return to coaching next season. The tactician has been absent from the game since his […]
Five Spanish stories for 2013
New year, new challenges. The football will be exquisite, and there’s a good chance that more European trophies will reside in Spain come May. But what will be the key storylines in 2013? Here are five. Not necessarily the top five, but a handful that not everyone is talking about when perhaps they should be. […]
A Long Wait for Another Cruyff – the End of a Saga
It is often noted that players with extraordinary technical ability do not go on to become good coaches. The game comes so naturally to these type of footballers that they struggle to convey their message when they make the transition from pitch to bench. But there is an exception to every rule and, in this […]
The £205m Messi bid
An unidentified Russian club triggered the Argentinian wizard’s automatic release clause and would pay him £24m a year after tax, according to a Spanish report. The astronomical offer, which would have more than doubled the current world record transfer fee, triggered Messi’s automatic release clause – meaning Barca were contractually obliged to accept it. However, […]
Málaga teach Real Madrid a lesson but cannot fathom Uefa’s punishment
There is disbelief at the decision to ban the club from Europe next season because of ‘significant overdue budget balances’ Manuel Pellegrini told his players he would see them back in work on 2 January, wished them a Happy Christmas and left the Rosaleda carrying a suit and wheeling his case behind him. It wasn’t […]
Christmas Crackers – the View from Spain
So the apocalypse failed to show on cue. It has a habit of doing that. It was also supposed to take place on December 12 (12.12.12 and all that), but it finally made an appearance on the evening of December 22, when the backside of Saint Iker Casillas was announced by Chendo, an ex-player and […]
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