La Liga Season 2011/2012

[Falcao]

Thursday 24th November 2011

Barca refocus on La Liga charge

Coach Pep Guardiola has played down his contribution to Barcelona's run of success, despite the club winning three Spanish league titles during his tenure.

Barca are guaranteed to finish top of their Champions League group after Wednesday's 3-2 win over AC Milan at the San Siro and are currently second in La Liga behind Real Madrid. But Guardiola was modest about his impact at the club ahead of Saturday's trip to Getafe.

"It's the players the public come to watch, it's the players who win the games," he told reporters after the win in Milan. "I try to help them by getting to know the opponents and letting them know how we can do damage. Then I just make them go out and run. That is my job."

Speaking about his trophy haul, Guardiola added: "There is one absolute certainty, which is that I wouldn't have done that with another group of players. "Whether this group of players would have done that with a different coach, I don't know."

Barcelona will be expected to win comfortably at struggling Getafe in Saturday's late game, but will probably need to do so to avoid falling further behind leaders Real Madrid. Jose Mourinho's side are three points ahead of Barca and contest the Madrid derby with Atletico two hours earlier, with Saturday's early game seeing Rayo Vallecano take on Valencia.

Real have dominated the Madrid derby for years, winning all four meetings between the sides last season, twice in the league and twice in the Copa del Rey. Atletico's last win in the fixture was more than 12 years ago in October 1999, when they won 3-1 at the Santiago Bernabeu.

However, Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas is taking nothing for granted, telling Marca: "We are not the favourites, nor are we stupid. "The derby is more than a match for Atletico. We have gone a long time without losing and they will want to finally break that streak."

In Sunday's games, the three sides in the relegation places are all away from home with Real Sociedad travelling to Real Betis, Granada away to Athletic Bilbao and bottom side Racing Santander making the trip to Mallorca.

Levante take on Sporting Gijon at the Ciutat de Valencia, Espanyol face Osasuna at El Prat and Real Zaragoza are at home to Sevilla.

Monday's game sees Malaga at home to Villarreal.


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Match Fixtures

Saturday

Rayo Vallecano vs Valencia

Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid

Getafe vs Barcelona

Sunday

Real Betis vs Real Sociedad

Levante vs Sporting Gijon

Espanyol vs Osasuna

Mallorca vs Racing Santander

Athletic Bilbao vs Granada

Zaragoza vs Sevilla

Monday

Malaga vs Villarreal

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[Ricardo Kaka]

La Liga wrap: Barca shocked as Real march on

27 November 2011

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Real Madrid moved six points clear at the top of La Liga thanks to a 4-1 win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday, as Barcelona lost to Getafe.Jose Mourinho's Real had to come from behind after Adrian gave Atletico the lead in the 14th minute at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu.

Real were level nine minutes later.Atletico's on-loan goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois received his marching orders for bringing down Karim Benzema inside the box, and Cristiano Ronaldo dispatched the resulting penalty to make it 1-1.

The 10-man visitors remained on level terms going into the half-time break.But they fell behind just three minutes after the restart, with Angel di Maria allowed time and space inside the area to fire Real in front.Gonzalo Higuain made it 3-1 in the 65th minute, rounding Atletico's substitute goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo to guide the ball into an empty net.

Atletico were down to nine men with 10 minutes to go, as Diego Godin received a straight red for a foul on Higuain inside the box.Ronaldo netted his second penalty of the match, sealing a 4-1 win for Real.

The derby victory would become all the more sweet later in the day, as champions Barcelona went down 1-0 away to Getafe.Pep Guardiola's visitors struck the woodwork and had a late strike disallowed for a questionable offside decision at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez.

But they left empty-handed following fullback Juan Valera's headed goal in the 67th minute.Barca's first defeat of the season in all competitions leaves them second, six points back from leaders Real.

Also on Saturday, goals from Jonas and Alberto Costa helped Valencia win 2-1 away to Rayo Vallencano.Unai Emery's side are third, now just one point behind Barca.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

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Guardiola: We will bounce back
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola insists his side will bounce back from the 1-0 loss to Gertafe and played down Real Madrid's six-point gap at the top of La Liga.

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Casillas: We mustn't get carried away
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas has urged his side not to get carried away despite notching their 13th consecutive win with a 4-1 thumping of Atletico Madrid.

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Neymar: I'm far from Messi level
Santos and Brazil striker Neymar admits he has a long way to go before reaching the level of Lionel Messi.

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Cruyff: I know who should replace Pep

Barcelona guru Johan Cruyff has earmarked the perfect candidate to replace Pep Guardiola when the latter decides to depart the Nou Camp.

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Agent: Roma in Nilmar talks
Villarreal forward Nilmar’s agent has revealed that Roma are deep in discussions with the Spanish side over a potential January transfer.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

Cruyff: I know who should replace Pep

Barcelona guru Johan Cruyff has earmarked the perfect candidate to replace Pep Guardiola when the latter decides to depart the Nou Camp.

Unlike many of his coaching counterparts, Guardiola prefers commit to yearly contracts and although he has yet to sign on beyond this campaign, it is highly likely that the Barca chief will sign on for another season at least.

However, should Guardiola decide to eventually vacate his pot, Dutch footballing legend Cruyff revealed he has already identified the former's successor.

"Guardiola is renewing his contract yearly and that's normal," Cruyff was quoted as saying by Spanish news agency EFE. "But as long as he is happy he will stay at Barca."

"I'm clear about who should be Guardiola's successor and I have already told the people closest to me," he revealed.

"But it's not Mourinho," he joked.

Cruyff was part of a contingent that participated in an event on Friday which honoured former Barcelona and Spain great Jose Maria 'Chus' Pereda, who passed away in late September.

The former Ajax playmaker was an adviser to former Barcelona president Joan Laporta and played pivotal roles in appointing Frank Rijkaard and Guardiola as managers in 2003 and 2008 respectively.

While Laporta crowned Cruyff as president of honour in 2010, new Barca honcho Sandro Rosell stripped the latter of his title and Cryuff will now have virtually no power to influence the appointment of Barca's next tactician.
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[Gonzalo Higuain]

La Liga wrap: Levante win, Bilbao upset

28 November 2011

Levante returned to winning ways in La Liga with a 4-0 victory over Sporting Gijon on Sunday, while Granada upset Athletic Bilbao.Juan Ignacio Martinez's Levante team were the surprise front runners earlier this season thanks to a seven-match winning run.

That streak ended with a 2-0 loss away to Osasuna on October 31, followed by further defeats against Valencia and Atletico Madrid.But they stopped the rot in front of their own fans on Sunday, with a comprehensive victory at Estadi Ciutat de Valencia.

Jose Barkero opened the scoring 20 minutes into the match, before Juanlu made it 2-0 two minutes into the second half.Arouna Kone then netted a quick-fire brace to put the result beyond doubt with 28 minutes still remaining.

The win sees fourth-place Levante stay one point behind Valencia, and eight points back from league leaders Real Madrid.Also on Sunday, Athletic Bilbao suffered their third home defeat of the season, going down 1-0 to promoted team Granada.

Inigo Lopez struck the winning goal for the unheralded visitors 30 minutes into the match at Estadio San Mames.Elsewhere, Inigo Martinez sensationally scored from the half-way line in the 92nd minute as Real Sociedad snatched a 3-2 win away to Real Betis.

Goals from Roland Lamah and Javad Nekounam helped Osasuna defeat Espanyol 2-1 away from home, despite losing Eneko Satrustegui to a red card with 14 minutes remaining.

Mallorca beat their visitors Racing Santander by the same scoreline, thanks to Marc Torrejon's own-goal and Victor Casadesus' strike at the Iberostar Stadium.Like Osasuna, they also finished a man down after Pedro Bigas received his marching orders on 85 minutes.

Finally, Alvaro Negredo's first-half penalty was enough for Sevilla to record a 1-0 win away to Real Zaragoza in the late kick-off.Insult was added to injury for the losing hosts; they were the third team to have a man sent off on Sunday, with Juan Carlos the guilty party in the 89th minute.​

 

[Gonzalo Higuain]

Monday 28th November 2011

Villa: We can beat Madrid calmly

Barcelona sharpshooter David Villa is confident that his side will prevail against arch nemesis Real Madrid in the El Clasico on December 10.

Pep Guardiola's charges fell to a shock 1-0 reverse to unheralded Getafe on Saturday and Real Madrid's 4-1 thumping of derby rivals Atletico Madrid meant that the former now trail Jose Mourinho's side by an intimidating six points.

While Barca custodian Victor Valdes conceded that the Nou Camp outfit were now 'considerable' distance behind the pace setters, Villa believed that the gap will be shortened after their visit to the Santiago Bernabeu.

"This is not over, soon we will have a match against them [Madrid] and we can beat them calmly and that is what we have to think about," the striker told Barca TV.

"It is a shame that we are now this far from the leader."

"Getafe closed down very well, just like every team has been doing, we had good chances but their keeper played very well," Villa noted.

"They scored a goal from a corner and things became much harder then. I am not one to make excuses, but we could not score and the whole Getafe team was at the back.

"We have to go match by match, win against Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday and go step by step."

Barcelona have registered a disappointing 28 points from 13 matches thus far in the La Liga campaign.
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[jw5]

Barcelona guru Johan Cruyff has earmarked the perfect candidate to replace Pep Guardiola when the latter decides to depart the Nou Camp.

My top 2 suspects are Luis Enrique, former Barca player and B team coach and current coach of Roma, and Roberto Martinez, current coach of Wigan and buddy of son Jordi.

 

[talkincock]

My top 2 suspects are Luis Enrique, former Barca player and B team coach and current coach of Roma, and Roberto Martinez, current coach of Wigan and buddy of son Jordi.

Do you know how much is AOS for Barca vs Rayo Vallecano match in pools website? All time low @6.00. Like sure hit like that.

 

[jw5]

Do you know how much is AOS for Barca vs Rayo Vallecano match in pools website? All time low @6.00. Like sure hit like that.

Yeah, I saw that too hehehe.
Of course there will be some ah peks who think that 7-0 is likely because the odds are low.
I prefer to take what sg pools gives me and pass on such bets, even if the final score is indeed 7-0.

 

[talkincock]

Yeah, I saw that too hehehe.
Of course there will be some ah peks who think that 7-0 is likely because the odds are low.
I prefer to take what sg pools gives me and pass on such bets, even if the final score is indeed 7-0.

1-0 and 2-1 is higher than high scores. In football the ball is round and there is no such thing as impossible.

 

[Gonzalo Higuain]

Del Bosque: La Liga title race not over

28 November 2011

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Spain coach Vicente del Bosque says the race for the La Liga title is far from decided.

Real Madrid came from behind to beat city rivals Atletico 4-1 on Saturday and move six points clear of Barcelona, who were in action straight afterwards at nearby Getafe.

And they kept their advantage as Pep Guardiola's side suffered a shock setback in the capital, losing out to Juan Valera's second-half header.

But Del Bosque, who coached Madrid to two championships in 2001 and 2003, claims the title race will run and run.

"There is a lot of league left to play and we are still in the first third of the competition," he told Spanish news agency EFE.

"The lead is considerable," he added. "But it's hard to predict how the league will end up, despite the authority shown by Real Madrid and Barcelona."

Del Bosque was also asked about in-form striker Roberto Soldado, who has yet to receive a Spain call-up but continues to impress for Valencia.

"We are watching him closely," the coach said.

 

[Gonzalo Higuain]

La Liga: Malaga climb to fifth

29 November 2011

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Malaga climbed to fifth place in La Liga on Monday with a 2-1 home victory over Villarreal.

French midfielder Jeremy Toulalan put the hosts ahead at La Rosaleda after just five minutes with a header, but Villarreal hit back on 16 minutes thanks to a strike from Marco Ruben past Wilfredo Caballero in the Malaga goal.

Both sides showed plenty of endeavour in the first half, and Malaga hit the front again five minutes before half-time.

Jose Salomon Rondon's left-footed shot was well stopped by Villarreal goalkeeper Diego Lopez, but he could do nothing about Isco's follow-up effort as the home side headed to half-time in the lead.

The visitors received a boost with 15 minutes to play when Toulalan was dismissed for a second caution, but Borja Valero's resulting free-kick came off the crossbar.

Villarreal could not make their numerical advantage count as they saw their three-game unbeaten streak in the league come to an end.

 

[Gonzalo Higuain]

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Ronaldo: La Liga not won yet
Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo has stressed that no one at the Santiago Bernebeu thinks that the La Liga has been won.

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Report: Barca enter Gaitan race
Barcelona have joined the race to sign Benfica's highly rated winger Nicolas Gaitan, according to reports.

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Kone: Real more lethal than Barca
Levante striker Arouna Kone believes that Real Madrid's lethal strikeforce gives them an advantage over Barcelona as the most dangerous side in Spain.

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Benzema: Bring on Barca
Karim Benzema has claimed that the Real Madrid machine will be well oiled ahead of their scintillating El-Clasico encounter with Barcelona on December 10.

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Khedira unfazed by Real competition
Real Madrid anchorman Sami Khedira has insisted he relishing the intense competition for a place in Jose Mourinho’s starting eleven.

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Guardiola: Barca will keep on trying
Barcelona tactician Pep Guardiola has urged his charges to continue grafting and display a sense of calmness ahead of their clash with Rayo Vallecano.

 

[Gonzalo Higuain]

Barca coach Vilanova leaves hospital

Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova has been discharged from hospital following an operation last week.

Vilanova underwent surgery for a problem with his parotid gland last Tuesday at the Hospital de la Vall d'Hebron in the Catalan capital before beginning his post-operation recovery at the same clinic.

Pep Guardiola's right-hand man has now been discharged and is expected to regain full health within three to four weeks.
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[Gonzalo Higuain]

Rosell: Messi not leaving Barca on my watch

29 November 2011

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Barcelona president Sandro Rosell insists Lionel Messi will not leave the Champions League holders as long as he is in charge of the club.

The 24-year-old attacker has developed into a double Ballon d'Or winner since making his official first-team debut at Barca in October 2004 and Rosell has made it clear that Messi is indispensable to the club.

"At Barcelona, there are many things that are not for sale at any price, and Messi is a person who is just that for us," Rosell was quoted as saying by Sport.

"As long as I'm the president at Barcelona, and he does not want to leave, Leo will continue to be a Barca player. If it were up to me, he would never leave the club."

Messi has already stated more than once that he is keen to stay with Barcelona for many more years, and a transfer seems very unlikely.

The Argentine international has a contract with the Camp Nou side until the summer of 2016.

 

[Gonzalo Higuain]

Ronaldo blow for Real

30 November 2011

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Real Madrid have revealed Cristiano Ronaldo picked up an ankle injury in Saturday's 4-1 La Liga win over Atletico Madrid.

The 26-year-old was on the receiving end of a lunge from Luis Perea during the match, and - despite completing the 90 minutes - the club's medical team confirmed the Real captain suffered a grade one sprain and contusion on his left ankle.

Real's official website said Ronaldo did not participate in training on Tuesday, but instead worked with physios in order to try and shake off the knock.

But there was better news for Kaka and Alvaro Arbeloa, who were both present in training after fully recovering from the muscular injuries which forced them to miss the Madrid derby.

Real - who lead the La Liga standings by six points from bitter rivals Barcelona - travel to Sporting Gijon on Saturday.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

La Liga: Barcelona 4 Rayo Vallecano 0

30 November 2011

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Barcelona have outclassed Rayo Vallecano on their way to a 4-0 win in La Liga, closing Real Madrid's lead at the top to three points.

An impressive double from Alexis Sanchez gave Pep Guardiola's side the lead before David Villa found the back of the net just before half-time at Camp Nou on Tuesday.Lionel Messi added a fourth to secure the win as Real's lead was cut to three points, although Jose Mourinho's men have a game in hand.

The victory also ensured it was the 11th league game in a row at Camp Nou in which the Catalans have kept a clean sheet, a new record in Spain.The match was brought forward because of Barca's participation in the Club World Cup in December, and they took the lead thanks to a moment of magic from Sanchez.

Having received a pass from Xavi on the left-hand side of the box, the Chilean curled a delightful effort into the far top corner for his second league goal of the season.On 41 minutes, the hosts doubled their lead and it was again Sanchez who struck.

Messi's clever pass found Xavi, who flicked the ball with his heel into the path of Sanchez to net from 12 yards.Two minutes later the champions added a third to put the result beyond doubt before the break. After a barnstorming Gerard Pique run, Dani Alves squared a pass for Villa to place in from close range.

Barcelona made it four on 49 minutes with Messi grabbing his 16th league goal of the season.The Argentine controlled Alves' pass on the right wing before going past Javi Fuego and sliding the ball past David Cobeno from a narrow angle.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

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Iniesta: Nou Camp is significant
Barcelona midfielder Andres Iniesta has been buoyed by the club's fantastic record at home as they look to overhaul Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

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Pep silent over Pique suspension
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola refused to comment on the yellow card Gerard Pique picked up in Tuesday evening's 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano.

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Agent: Kaka not looking to leave
Kaka's agent insisted that the Real Madrid midfielder is not looking to leave the club despite Paris Saint-Germain's interest in him.

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Arbeloa: Real are a better team now
Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa believes his team are significantly stronger than the side they were last season when they lost to Barcelona in the La Liga title race.

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Cruyff: Xavi, not Messi for Ballon d'Or
Johan Cruyff belives that Barcelona star midfielder Xavi Hernandez is more deserving of this year's Ballon d'Or than even Lionel Messi.

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Racing Santander and Cuper part ways

La Liga basement boys Racing Santander this evening parted company with coach Hector Cuper.​

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

Racing Santander sack Cuper

30 November 2011

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Racing Santander have sacked Argentine manager Hector Cuper after their poor start to the La Liga season.

Cuper, 56, parted ways with the club after five months in charge, having led his side to just one win in 13 league outings to sit bottom of the table.

He signed a one-year contract at the end of June, but agreed it was best for him to depart after a meeting with sporting director Juanjo Gonzalez before training on Tuesday.

In a statement on the club's website, the former Valencia and Inter Milan boss said he agreed to depart so the players could focus on Saturday's La Liga meeting with Villarreal.

The Spanish outfit are also struggling with financial problems, and have been in relegation battles in most seasons since their return to the top flight in 2002/03.

Cuper, who led Valencia to runner-up finishes in the Champions League in 1999/00 and 2000/01, struggled at Racing after arriving from Greek side Aris Thessaloniki.

Dane Michael Laudrup, who resigned from his position as manager of Mallorca in September, is an early favourite to take the up the vacant role at Racing.

Cuper was thankful for the support of the club, and said his departure was in their best interest.

"I would like to thank the club for the confidence they placed in me at the beginning of the season," he said.

"I regret the current situation and the fact that we could not gain more victories that would have brought a sense of calm. "

"The results weren't forthcoming and the best thing now is that we part company.

From the bottom of my heart I wish Racing the best and would like to say to the supporters that they will always have another fan in me."

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

Pique could miss Clasico

30 November 2011

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Barcelona's Gerard Pique is in danger of missing the clash with Real Madrid on December 10 after picking up a fifth yellow card in La Liga.

Having received the booking during the 4-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano on Tuesday, the Spain international will automatically miss Barca's next fixture, against Levante this Saturday, and return for the showdown against Real Madrid in the following game with his yellow card limit wiped clean.

However, Pique could now face a two-game ban if it is deemed that the booking he earned against Rayo was deliberate.Modifications had been made to the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) Disciplinary Code in 2011, which states that any deliberate intent to receive a fifth yellow card can lead to an additional match suspension.

Article 112 of the Disciplinary Code reads: "Any player, who during the course of a game, provokes a fifth booking may be sanctioned with, in addition to the penalty provided for in the first paragraph of this article [a standard one-game ban], an extra one-game suspension and fined the amount of 600 euros.

In determining the intent of the player, circumstances will be taken into account such as the nature of the breaching of the game rules and the attitude of the player during the match."Evidence that will be taken into account include minutes taken by referee Perez Lasa during the Barcelona match against Rayo.

According to AS, Lasa noted in his referee match report: "On 83 minutes the player (3) Gerard Pique was booked for the following reason: Delaying the restart of play for his team with the intention of wasting time."Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola was non-committal about the incident after the match.

"The images show what they show and everyone saw them," Guardiola said."I do not comment on the referee's decisions. I did not do it with the penalties against Valencia, or the offside against Getafe."Barcelona are currently three points behind Real Madrid on the La Liga table, but have played one game more.