La Liga Season 2011/2012

[Gonzalo Higuain]

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/V_xi3cB8674?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>


Mallorca 1 - 1 Valencia
All Goals & Highlights 15.10.11


<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7n4-lF3ShbU?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>


Barcelona 3 - 0 Racing Santander
All Goals & Highlights 15.10.11


<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/PadKDrInm_A?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>


Real Madrid 4 - 1 Real Betis
All Goals & Highlights 15.10.11


<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/r6W86-Tvgfc?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>


Real Zaragoza 2 - 0 Real Sociedad
All Goals & Highlights 16.10.11

Hélder Postiga 11' 49' (Bicycle Kick Goal)


<iframe width="640" height="360" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/a_z0rdVxQYo?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>


Levante 3 - 0 Malaga
All Goals & Highlights 16.10.11


<iframe width="640" height="480" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RsacBcwRo1s?rel=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>


Sevilla 2 - 1 Sporting Gijón
All Goals & Highlights 16.10.11


​

 

[Gonzalo Higuain]

La Liga: Athletic Bilbao 3 Osasuna 1

18 October 2011

​

Athletic Bilbao recorded their first home win of the La Liga campaign after defeating Osasuna 3-1 on Monday.

Marcelo Bielsa's side did the damage in the first half at Sam Mames, with goals from Iker Muniain, Igor Gabilondo and Javi Martinez setting up a 3-0 lead at the interval.

Osasuna were reduced to 10 men midway through the second half when Roland Lamah was sent off for a second yellow card.

But the visitors found a late consolation when Martinez handled inside the penalty area, allowing Javad Nekounam to convert the spot kick.

Bilbao jump five places to 11th in the league standings, while Osasuna's second defeat of the season leaves them in 15th.

 

[Gonzalo Higuain]

Van Nistelrooy won´t celebrate against Real

19 October 2011

​

Malaga striker Ruud van Nistelrooy admits he will not celebrate if he scores against former club Real Madrid in Saturday's La Liga clash.

The 35-year-old Dutchman is preparing for battle and hopes to help his side rediscover winning ways following Sunday's 3-0 defeat at Levante.

Van Nistelrooy played for Madrid between 2006, when he joined them from Manchester United, and 2010, when he left for Hamburg.

But talk of any goal celebrations is out of the question if he finds the target against the Spanish giants.

"If I score against Madrid I will not celebrate," van Nistelrooy told Marca.

"I am not really thinking about this (scoring). We just want to prepare well for the game."

Playing against his former employers means a lot to the veteran forward, but it will also be special for other ex-Madrid stars.

Julio Baptista is also a former Madrid player, while coach Manuel Pellegrini was in charge at the Bernabeu between June 2009 and May 2010.

"It is a special match for us and more so for those who played for Madrid," van Nistelrooy said.

"Madrid are in great form and they have been scoring plenty in recent matches."

"However, we always have good motivation and we know where we want to go. I think that we will only get better by working hard."

Despite the loss to Levante, Malaga have enjoyed a decent season in the league so far and are currently sixth in the standings on 13 points - three behind Jose Mourinho's men, who beat Lyon 4-0 in their Champions League clash on Tuesday.

 

[Gonzalo Higuain]

Barca hamstrung by Pique injury
Barcelona defender Gerard Pique is expected to be missing for around a fortnight with a hamstring strained during their La Liga win over Racing Santander.

Abidal hopeful over new Barca deal
Barcelona defender Eric Abidal will open talks with the club over a new contract on Thursday.

 

[Gonzalo Higuain]

Tuesday 18th October 2011

Pele: I'll show Messi who I am

Pele says he will send Lionel Messi a video documentary of his career so that the Argentinean knows exactly who he is being compared with.

Messi is widely recognised as the best player in the world at the moment but there is some debate as to whether the Barca ace is better than legendary figures such as Pele or Diego Maradona.

Messi recently admitted he has never seen Pele play and as a result the former Santos star has vowed to send him a video of his 2004 documentary to enlighten the Argentinean on his own sparkling career.

Pele scored 1281 goals in 1363 games, although this tally has been disputed.

"It is a normal thing when a player is compared [to a player from another time period], sometimes he is not interested in the comparison," Pele told Globoesporte.

"If he really did not see me, I'll do what I once did with [Diego] Maradona: I'll send him the video 'Pele Eterno' and then he will."

​

Pele is the all-time leading scorer of the Brazil national football team with 77 goals and the only footballer to be a part of three World Cup-winning squads.

He dismissed suggestions that Brazil no longer have the talent in depth to dominate World Cups like they used to.

"Brazil have great players, it just takes time to bring the team together because we can make five world class teams," he said.

Mano Menezes' Brazil recently beat Mexico 2-1 in a friendly match with Ronaldinho and Marcelo scoring the goals.

It was also the first defeat for Mexico boss Jose Manuel De la Torre at the helm after 14 games without a loss.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

Barca academy to hone new superstars
While Europe's elite are still figuring out how to stop the Barcelona machine from winning, the Catalans already have a plan in place to stay on top for years to come.

Sevilla undaunted by Barca trip
Sevilla midfielder Emiliano Armenteros insists three points will be their aim when they go to the Nou Camp this weekend to take on Barcelona.

Zidane pleased with Benzema response
Despite an embarassment of riches in Real Madrid's attack, Karim Benzema is proving he is worthy of a starting berth, according to Zinedine Zidane.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

La Liga preview: Mourinho´s Malaga test, Barca host Sevilla

21 October 2011

​

Jose Mourinho will be forced to choose between an embarrassment of striking riches on Saturday when his team travel to Malaga. Real have been in sizzling form of late, winning four matches on the trot, scoring 21 goals and conceding only three.

Much of the reason for that prolific output comes in the shape of Argentine striker Gonzalo Higuain, who has scored eight goals from five appearances this term. His form has led Real to third place in La Liga, just a point behind Barcelona and Levante. But Mourinho has plenty of goal-scoring talent to accompany Higuain, with Cristiano Ronaldo already scoring seven times this season.

Karim Benzema - preferred to Higuain in Tuesday's 4-0 thrashing of Lyon in the Champions League - has three league goals to his name this campaign. As well as his forward blessings, Mourinho also has pleasant selection headaches in the middle of the park, with both Kaka and Mesut Oezil in great form.

Barca will look to keep their push for a fourth-successive La Liga title going when they welcome Sevilla to the Nou Camp, with Pep Guardiola's men bolstered by the news midfielder Cesc Fabregas is fit again after missing three weeks with a thigh strain.

Other Saturday matches see struggling Racing Santander looking for their first win of the season at home against 10th-placed Espanyol, while bottom side Sporting Gijon host Granada, who are in 18th spot.

Villarreal will try and kick-start their floundering season when they host east-coast rivals Levante on Sunday. Normally pushing for European places, Villarreal are in 14th place, while Levante are level on 17 points with leaders Barcelona. Juan Carlos Garrido's team will be keen to bounce back from the disappointment of their heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Manchester City on Tuesday in the Champions League.

Also on Sunday, Valencia will hope to improve on their fifth place when they welcome Athletic Bilbao to the Mestalla, while Real Betis meet Rayo Vallecano in a battle of La Liga newcomers and Getafe visit Real Sociedad.

Atletico Madrid host Mallorca and Real Zaragoza are at Osasuna.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

Mourinho: Ronaldo is not selfish

22 October 2011

​

Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho says Cristiano Ronaldo is not selfish as the Blancos prepare for their Liga clash against Malaga on Saturday.

Ronaldo has not scored for Madrid in the league since bagging a hat-trick against Rayo Vallecano last month. The Portuguese forward's last goal came against Ajax in the Champions League on September 27.

Ronaldo failed to find the net against Espanyol, Real Betis and Lyon, but the 26-year-old has five assists in the games he has not scored in - proof for Mourinho that his star man is a team player.

"I have always said that Cristiano is not a selfish player. He has his own DNA that can't be changed and I won't change it," Mourinho is quoted as saying by Marca.

"He has certain characteristics. The team is playing well, looking good and those up front are scoring their goals. It is not surprising that Cristiano feels good."

Malaga are up next for Mourinho and Co and the coach is eager to pick up another three points.

"The team has been scoring good goals and we have seen excellent movement as a whole," he added.

"But we cannot score four goals every game, although I would like it if we bagged four against Malaga."

"However, they are a good team and we face a complicated game."

Madrid are third in La Liga with 16 points ahead of Saturday's encounter at la Rosaleda.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

Rossi staying at Villarreal

22 October 2011

​

Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi will not be leaving the Spanish side for Serie A, insists the club's vice-president Jose Manuel Llaneza.

Rossi, whose agent said he was upset following the 2-1 Champions League defeat to Manchester City in midweek, has long been linked with a return to Italy.

Juventus were reportedly keen on signing him during the summer but talks collapsed over a 30 million euro transfer fee.

Napoli were then linked with the 24-year-old after coach Walter Mazzarri and president Aurelio De Laurentiis said they were interested in signing him.

Recent reports claimed Juventus have reignited their interest in Rossi and view him as a replacement for Alessandro Del Piero whose contract in Turin expires at the end of the season.
Llaneza made it clear that Rossi is staying at Villarreal.

"We are very happy with the way Rossi has been playing this season, but his excellent performances are nothing new to us," Llaneza told Tuttomercatoweb.com.

"Will we sell him? This is not our intention at all. We are happy with what he is doing for us and we have no reason to sell."

"There is nothing regarding Juventus. Giuseppe is staying with Villarreal."

Villarreal are set to welcome Levante to El Madrigal on Sunday in La Liga.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

Key pair ruled out for Malaga

22 October 2011

​

Malaga have been dealt a blow ahead of their hosting of Real Madrid, with Julio Baptista and Duda ruled out of the La Liga clash.

The attacking duo will not be fit for the match after failing to recover from minor knocks, forcing manager Manuel Pellegrini to leave them out of his squad.

Malaga were already without goalkeeper Willy Caballero, who is suspended after seeing red against Levante on Sunday.

The absences have led Pellegrini to include midfielder Apono after a long absence from first-team football, while youth goalkeeper Pol has also won a place in the squad.

Malaga lie sixth in the La Liga standings with 13 points from seven games, three points adrift of their opponents in third.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

Falcao doubt for Atletico

22 October 2011

​

Atletico Madrid could be without striker Radamel Falcao for Sunday's home match against Mallorca.

The Colombia international suffered a cervical strain in the club's 2-0 Europa League defeat at Udinese on Thursday, and his inclusion in the squad for the La Liga meeting will depend upon a late fitness test.

Falcao's absence would come as a major blow to Atletico, with the ex-Porto striker having scoring six goals in all competitions this season.

Juanfran is also in doubt with a hamstring problem, but more positive news for manager Gregorio Manzano is that Arda Turan, Eduardo Salvio, Silvio and Antonio Lopez have all been passed fit to play.

Atletico, who come into the fixture off the back of three games without scoring, lie in eighth position in La Liga on nine points, while Mallorca have eight points and sit 12th.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

La Liga wrap: Barca held as Real go top

23 October 2011

​

Real Madrid moved top of La Liga following a 4-0 win away to Malaga on Saturday, as Barcelona were held to a dramatic 0-0 draw by Sevilla.

Argentina international Gonzalo Higuain opened the scoring for Real 11 minutes into the match at La Rosaleda.

Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo then notched a hat-trick in the space of 16 minutes, making it 4-0 to the visitors and sealing victory before the half-time break.

The win lifts Real into first place, one point ahead of Barca, who failed to score for first time this season thanks to the heroics of Sevilla goalkeeper Javi Varas.

The visitors from Andalucia became the first team not to lose a league match at the Camp Nou in five matches this season.

Barca dominated possession throughout the match but failed to create their usual abundance of clear-cut chances.

And when a sight of goal did arrive for the Catalan giants, they found Varas in inspired form.

It looked like Sevilla's efforts would be in vain when Barca were awarded an injury-time penalty for a questionable foul on Andres Iniesta.

Frederic Kanoute did his best to put off penalty-taker Lionel Messi; first blocking the Argentine's view of goal and then starting a melee between both sets of players as he grappled with Cesc Fabregas.

The incidents earned Kanoute two yellow cards and his marching orders, but the theatrical delaying tactics appeared justified, as Messi's tame spot kick was saved by man-of-the-match Varas.

Defender Fernando Navarro followed Kanoute in collecting a second yellow when he fouled Dani Alves just outside the box seven minutes into injury time.

But nine-man Sevilla survived to record the draw, which takes the fourth-placed team to within three points of leaders Real.

In the other matches on Saturday, first-half goals from David Barral and Castro helped Sporting Gijon record their first victory of the campaign, a 2-0 win at home to promoted Granada.

And Espanyol are up to eighth after they beat Racing Santander 1-0 away from home, with Sergio Garcia claiming the only goal of the match two minutes before the hour mark.

Sporting's victory sees winless Racing slide to the foot of the table, while Granada are third-last, one point ahead of the bottom two.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

Barca draw ´impossible´ without Varas, says Garcia Toral

23 October 2011

Sevilla coach Marcelino Garcia Toral has hailed 'extraordinary' goalkeeper Javi Varas for helping his side hold Barcelona to a 0-0 draw on Saturday.
​

The 46-year-old highlighted the performance of his Varas, who made a host of outstanding saves during the course of the 90 minutes in the La Liga clash at the Camp Nou, including stopping a Lionel Messi penalty kick deep into injury time after they went down to nine men.

"In the second half we were dominated, but our goalkeeper was extraordinary on several occasions," Marcelino said.

"It seems impossible to play against this club (Barcelona) without conceding a goal, if the goalkeeper is not the best."

"We came to play against a team that had scored 21 goals (at home) in the league and we kept a clean sheet."

"I congratulate all players for their tremendous effort. If we had not given the image of solidarity and commitment to the whole game, it would have been impossible to leave here with even one point."

On the controversial penalty decision and the subsequent red card to Sevilla striker Frederic Kanoute in injury time, Marcelino said: "These decisions are very complicated and would be a shame that we lost to a penalty at the last minute."

"I have enough information to explain what happened to Kanoute. I'm not surprised to see that response given the provocation. But it has happened in the past."

Sevilla are provisionally placed in fourth position on the table with 16 points from eight matches, with Barcelona second on 18, a point behind current leaders Real Madrid.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

Guardiola applauds resolute Sevilla

23 October 2011

​

Pep Guardiola offered his congratulations to a determined Sevilla team after they held Barcelona to a 0-0 draw in La Liga on Saturday.

Reigning champions Barca dominated possession and enjoyed more chances than their opponents, but proved unable to break down the visitors at the Camp Nou.

Lionel Messi missed a stoppage-time penalty for Barca following a lengthy delay, as Sevilla striker Frederic Kanoute earned two yellow cards for time-wasting antics.

A second Sevilla player, defender Fernando Navarro, also saw red after he brought down Dani Alves just outside the box in the seventh minute of injury time.

Despite the spiteful finale to the contest, Guardiola acknowledged the efforts of the away team, and singled out Javi Varas for special praise following an inspired performance from the visitors' goalkeeper.

"We must congratulate the Sevilla defence and tonight's big-game player Javi Varas," Guardiola told AS.

"I think we played well, but we must congratulate the performance of Sevilla, and get back up and kick back on Tuesday," he said, referring to Barca's mid-week match at promoted side Granada.

Barca under Guardiola have become adept at overcoming teams content to sit behind the ball and defend.

But on this occasion they proved unable to find a breakthrough, drawing a blank and failing to win at home for the first time in the league this season.

"It's never easy to play against a team that plays too defensively, with nine players at the back, as there is no room," Guardiola said.

"Sevilla had only one attack at our goal, but we also saw that we could score a goal on the counter."

"We had 77 percent possession but we failed to find that first goal, even if we did have many occasions to attack their defence."

"I want to thank the team and the fans - all 80-odd thousand people who attended."

Barca are second in La Liga, one point behind Real Madrid and one ahead of third-place Levante, who play Villarreal on Sunday.

 

[Falcao]

La Liga wrap: Surprise-packets Levante win again

24 October 2011

​

Levante's dynamic start to the season continued on Sunday, as they defeated Villarreal 3-0 to replace Real Madrid at the top of La Liga.

One of only three teams yet to lose in 2011/12, Levante recorded their fifth victory in succession at El Madrigal.

A first-half brace from Juanlu and Arouna Kone's 57th-minute strike sealed all three points for the high-flying visitors.

The contrast with Villarreal's form could not be sharper; Juan Carlos Garrido's side are now without a victory from their last five outings in all competitions, and sit 16th in the La Liga table, two points outside the relegation zone.

In other matches, Valencia needed an 89th-minute equaliser from Roberto Soldado to salvage a 1-1 draw at home to Athletic Bilbao, who had led through Muniain's second-half strike.

Raul Garcia, Juan Francisco Martinez and Javad Nekounam all netted in the first 30 minutes as Osasuna cruised to a 3-0 win over Real Zaragoza.

Mallorca led from the second minute of their match away to Atletico Madrid courtesy of Tomer Hemed's penalty.

But Atletico ensured the match would finish 1-1 after Colombia striker Radamel Falcao Garcia levelled, also with a spot-kick, two minutes before half-time.

Rayo Vallecano left it late away to fellow promoted club Real Betis, with a goal from Lass and Sergio Koke's penalty coming in the last 10 minutes to seal a 2-0 win.

Finally, Getafe earned a point with a 0-0 draw away to fellow strugglers Real Sociedad.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

​

​

Valencia rocked by Canales injury
Valencia midfielder Sergio Canales could be out of action for between three and six months with a knee ligament injury, the La Liga side have confirmed.

​

Bilbao confirm Gurpegi injury blow
Athletic Bilbao midfielder Carlos Gurpegi looks set for a lengthy spell in the treatment room after the club confirmed he has torn his anterior cruciate ligament.




Zaragoza reveal bus stoning incident
Real Zaragoza have revealed their team bus was stoned following Sunday's match away to Osasuna.

​

Emery: Valencia deserved to win
Valencia coach Unai Emery insists his side deserved all three points in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao at the Mestalla.

​

Mascherano surprised by role
Barcelona midfielder Javier Mascherano admits he never imagined he would be playing as a centre back a year after his move to the club from Liverpool.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

Kanoute sorry for Fabregas fracas

24 October 2011

​

Sevilla's Frederic Kanoute has apologised for his part in the fracas which marred the end of his side's 0-0 draw with Barcelona on Saturday.

The Mali international was sent off deep into stoppage time for grabbing Barca midfielder Cesc Fabregas by the face.

Allegations that the Spain international racially abused Kanoute surfaced, but the former Tottenham striker has moved to end the feud on his official twitter page.

"I'm sorry for what happened yesterday. There was provocation and insult, you know. His behaviour was as bad as mine, but we continue with football," said Kanoute.

Later, the striker tweeted: "@cesc4official (Fabregas) and I have spoken on the phone. The matter is explained and we're two adults and aware that we were at fault yesterday.

That's that."

Fabregas categorically denied uttering racist slurs towards the 34-year-old.

 

[Ricardo Kaka]

La Liga preview: Barca can atone at Granada

24 October 2011

​

Barcelona are aiming to return to winning ways in La Liga on Tuesday, while Real Madrid are also in hot pursuit of league leaders Levante.

The European champions were held to a 0-0 draw at home to Sevilla on Saturday after Argentine forward Lionel Messi had a stoppage time penalty saved.

With Real Madrid winning convincingly at Malaga, Pep Guardiola's side dropped to third.

They are both trailing surprise leaders Levante, who have collected 20 points from eight games and are undefeated.

Barcelona will travel to struggling Granada, where Messi will be looking to add to his 10 league goals.

Real Madrid will welcome Villarreal to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday, as they look to build on their seven-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

Jose Mourinho will again be forced to decide which of his in-form strikers starts, with Gonzalo Higuain and Karim Benzema both scoring goals at will.

Higuain netted in the 4-0 romp against Malaga, while Benzema has also been finding the net when given his chance.

Portuguese star Cristiano Ronaldo hit a hat-trick to take his tally in the league to 10 goals.

The two giants will be forced to wait before they can top the table if Levante can continue their form run.

Midfielder Juanlu has found the net on five occasions this campaign and Juan Ignacio Martinez's side have won six games on the trot.

Fourth-placed Sevilla will welcome lowly Racing Santander, who are the only winless team in the league, to Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Tuesday.

Valencia will visit Real Zaragoza on Wednesday, while Malaga take on Rayo Vallecano.

Getafe need a win against Osasuna to avoid slipping into the relegation zone, while Mallorca play host to Sporting Gijon.

On Thursday, Espanyol host Real Betis in a mid-table clash and Atletico Madrid will be out to break a six-game winless run in all competitions when they travel to Athletic Bilbao.

 

[Helder Postiga]

Tuesday 25th October 2011

Falcao not worried by goal drought

Atletico Madrid striker Radamel Falcao believes that the goals will start flowing despite the club scoring only two goals in their last six games.

Los Rojiblancos have been struggling to find the back of the net in La Liga after 4-0 victories over Racing Santander and Sporting Gijon.

They are currently ninth in the table, with only 10 points from eight games so far, and critics are pointing to the loss of Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan as the main reasons for Atletico's poor form so far.

Falcao was brought in from Porto as a replacement for €40 million and has shouldered the goalscoring responsibilities, scoring six of the club's nine league goals so far.

The Colombian frontman insists that there is no use worrying over the past few games, and will be looking for more scoring opportunities instead.

Falcao told ESPN: "We know that the goals will come. We cannot despair. If we do, then we will not be ready when the chances do start to come.

"We have to stay calm and play at our very best. Spaces will open up on their own, and we will begin to generate opportunities near the opposition's goal."

Falcao put away Atletico's first league goal in a month on Sunday, scoring from the penalty spot in the 1-1 draw with Real Mallorca.

The result meant that the Vicente Calderon side are on a six-game winless streak. The 25-year-old dismissed claims of disunity in the squad from the string of poor results.

He concluded: "[The match] was tough because we could not win, but the team is still together. They did everything possible. Even losing after 30 seconds we recovered and always tried to win. Unfortunately we could not find that vital goal,"

 

[Helder Postiga]

Barcelona build for the future

25 October 2011

​

Barcelona have underlined their commitment to investing in youth by unveiling new facilities at their famed La Masia football academy.

The state-of-the-art Oriol Tort Training Centre, an eight-million-euro investment, takes the name of the man credited with nurturing the talents of some of Barcelona's most renowned players, including Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

Tort, who passed away in 1999, managed the La Masia project after the academy was opened in 1979, and quickly developed the training centre into one of the best in the world.

The new facilities, which can house up to 82 students, will replace La Masia de Can Planes, the 18th century farmhouse that had been home to the club's youngsters since for over 30 years.

La Masia is the only academy to have trained all three finalists for the Ballon d'Or in one same year, with Xavi, Iniesta and Lionel Messi all learning their trade there.

Under coach Pep Guardiola's tenure at the club, 18 players from La Masia have made their first-team debuts at the Catalan club.