Casillas and Madrid one year on: Who are the winners and losers?

Icon departed for Porto last July after 25 years with the club

A tearful Casillas bids Real Madrid farewell

It was the 13th of July 2015 when one of the longest-lasting and successful relationships in modern football came to an end as Iker Casillas left Real Madrid to join Porto.

It had been a relationship marked by highs in the 25 years the man from Mostoles had spent attached to the club; assuming his spot in the first team at the tender age of 18 due to injuries, he went on to claim an unlikely Champions League success that first year in a season that had been shambolic until Vicente Del Bosque took the helm.

He went on to play 725 games for Los Blancos, claiming three Champions League titles in all as well as five domestic leagues; for Spain he captained La Roja to an unprecedented treble, the 2010 World Cup being bookended by the European Championships of 2008 and 2012.

That latter success coming off the back of dethroning Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona domestically can, albeit with hindsight, be seen as marking the peak and the starting point of the goalkeeper’s slow descent.

The details are well known, and hardly merit rehashing here now; but essentially Casillas ceased to be indispensable, first at club level and, finally, this summer for the national team.

It’s a curious quirk that the man who saw fit to replace him at the latter turned out to be that very same Del Bosque who had shown such faith in his during that crisis period of the 1999/2000 season at Madrid.

And ultimately, despite some missteps following Spain’s second round exit at this summer’s Euros, they went their separate ways on good terms, with Del Bosque rowing back from his previous criticism of the great keeper’s reaction to being dropped during on interview on Radio Onda Cero last week.

Indeed, the pair were to be pictured together smiling to show that no ill feeling persisted.

So, who has benefited from that departure almost a year ago to the day? It could be argued that it’s been good for all concerned.

For Madrid, the Casillas question had become political; Jose Mourinho’s decision to keep him out of the side in his final season once his fitness had returned was one of politics, not football, and it was one that his successor Carlo Ancelotti would be left to wrestle with without every appearing to fully resolve.

Once Adrian Adan had proven below below the required level, Mourinho recruited the more able Diego Lopez from Sevilla and in Ancelotti’s first season he persevered with the Galician in the league with Casillas getting the nod in cup games.

In his final season, Casillas returned to favour as Lopez departed for Milan but by now the footballing reasons to look elsewhere had become apparent.

When the time came last summer for Casillas to depart the club engaged in an ultimately fruitless attempt to sign the man who succeeded him this summer with the national team, David De Gea, but found within their ranks his replacement in the figure of Keylor Navas.

Navas has risen to the challenge, showing that the instincts that marked him out as arguably the league’s standout goalkeeper at Levante hadn’t been blunted by a season as back-up for Casillas.

As for Casillas himself, there have been ups and downs but he’s established himself as a popular figure at Porto.

There have been mistakes, chiefly when he misjudged a Willian free-kick during a victory against nemesis Mourinho’s Chelsea in September and during a defeat to Vitoria de Guimaraes in January, but his performance as his side claimed a first away win at Benfica in four years the following month is one that will live long in the memories of supporters.

Aside from being a big name arriving at a club where the big names are routinely movingly out, the Spaniard’s professionalism and dedication has made him a welcome addition in the dressing room. 

For Casillas, no longer being at the centre of a political storm has allowed to once again focus on the football.

Back at Madrid, whatever the club decides to do going forward between the sticks, it will no longer be picked apart by the sort of factionalism that overshadowed everything to do with Casillas during his final two and a half years at the club

Zidane makes his mark

My Column for Marca

Real MadridThe Frenchman came out on top in his personal duel with Luis Enrique

This was the biggest test of Zinedine Zidane's tenure as Real Madrid boss to date, and he passed with flying colours. 

Madrid were at a low ebb when he took charge and although initially there had been some concerns over the difference between their performances at home and away, on Saturday he silenced the doubters. 

Not only did they come from behind, but, in doing so with ten men, he tactically outwitted Barcelona's treble winning manager.

His side also managed to shackle the seemingly unstoppable MSN frontline of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar who put in subdued performances against an obdurate merengue backline. 

Rather than bring on another defender following Sergio Ramos' sending-off, he kept full faith in maintaining a complete complement of attackers and the gamble paid dividends.

Indeed it was those final 15 minutes, either side of the sending off, that Madrid really sprang to life. 

Cristiano Ronaldo netted the winner, but there was no question of sitting deep - Los Blancos might even have extended their advantage in the closing stages. 

This willingness to attack caught cold a Barcelona side that seemed to have run out of gas, and the strategy is to Zidane's credit. 

Questions were asked over his tactical nous when he came off second best to Diego Simeone in the Madrid derby, but this one was won on the chalkboard. 

What's more, Zizou lifted the curse that's burdened new Madrid coaches for almost a decade. 

Not since 2007, under Bernd Schuster, had a Real coach succeeded in winning his first clash against the Catalans.

It happened to Manuel Pellegrini, there was the infamous 5-0 under Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti suffered a narrow defeat and of course there was this season's drubbing at the Bernabeu under Rafa Benítez. 

Nine long years on, Zidane bucked that trend to emerge victorious.

And it couldn't have come at a better time. 

In the early part of his time in charge, there has been criticism over performances on the road but now Madrid have won each of their last three away games. 

Indeed, they are on their best run of the season now with six straight victories in all competitions. 

At the weekend they faced the most daunting of challenges, and prevailed.

Zidane himself recognised after the match that this victory could prove a real shot in the arm as far as morale goes.

The Champions League is entering its final stages and although three points here brings them closer to the summit in the league, it's the renewed confidence it brings that could prove the biggest filip.

Madrid were at an emotional low point when he took over, but this victory shows that he's managed to make a real impact in his three months at the helm.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE AT MARCA IN ENGLISH

Birthday boys Celta on top of the world in La Liga

My La Liga round-up for the Irish Examiner

Joseph Sexton

It’s been a trying decade for Celta Vigo who celebrated the 92nd anniversary of their founding yesterday. The club came up in the 1990s to enjoy the most successful spell in their history- the era of Euro-Celta where they knocked out such giants as Liverpool and reaching the Copa del Rey final in 2001. They lost that and still haven’t got a major trophy to their name, but they housed some great players in that epoch and were regularly battling it out at the top of the league.

Celta celebrate against Levante

Of course that spell also coincided with the their bitter rivals Deportivo La Coruña’s golden age too, their neighbours to the north overshadowing them. Celta like to think of themselves as the more established side and they’ve certainly completed more seasons in the top flight than Depor, but as runners-up in 1994 in heartbreaking circumstance the Coruña side claimed the region’s first and only league title in 2000 and ruined Real Madrid’s centenary celebrations by denying them the Copa del Rey in their own back yard. They went on to be big hitters in the Champions League over several years, including a run all the way to the semi-finals before being knocked out by José Mourinho’s FC Porto in 2004. That was before the slow decline set in.

Down the road in Vigo, the decline was much more rapid.

That same season, Celta competed in the Champions League for the first time having finished fourth the season before. They got through the group stages when they then found themselves up against Arsenal’s invincibles side in the last 16. It was a close run affair, before Thierry Henry and company prevailed.

It should have been the highlight of the club’s history, but it turned out to be the beginning of a nightmare.

Celta, quite frankly, weren’t equipped to compete on multiple fronts and, in a season where they also made the cup quarter-finals, their league form suffered. There was always the sense that they could pull themselves away but instead the final third of the season saw a spectacular collapse and they finished 19th, and just like that, their 12 year stay in the top flight was over.

They bounced straight back up, but it was never the same and within two seasons they were down again. This time there was to be no rapid return. They grubbed around the Segunda, brushing with relegation to the third tier during 5 long seasons, before coming back up as runners up to Deportivo - who had also gone into free-fall by now - in 2012.

Since then, they’ve slowly established themselves as a competitive La Liga side once more. They just about missed out on relegation in that first season back- Depor went down instead- but since then the trajectory has been upward.

It started with the appointment of current Barcelona manager Luis Enrique in 2013. A big name, but  the Asturian coach was coming off a nightmare spell in Serie A with Roma where his side underperformed badly despite heavy investment from its new American owners.

They started slow under Luis Enrique. In their second game of the season, they dominated against a dogged Granada side but couldn’t take their chances while leading as the Andalusian side nicked a point at Balaídos. Luis Enrique was upbeat after that game, however. In the press room, he told the assembled journalists he’d been happy with his side’s overall display and attitude. “If we keep playing this way we’ll win more than we lose”.

Their were some groans that day at his side’s patient, passing approach and they took time getting going. They didn’t win a home game until December but signs that his team were getting it right were there a month before when - despite going down 3-0 - they gave the champions Barcelona one hell of a game. After this it all began to click into place and a team tipped for relegation soared up the table to finish 9th.

Despite Luis Enrique taking Rafinha Alcantara with him when he moved to Barcelona, Celta enjoyed another fine season last time round under his Argentine successor Eduardo Berizzo. A Bielsista to the core, Berizzo was wise enough to preserve the best of his predecessor’s work while fine-tuning aspects. They went one better, finishing 8th, beating Real Madrid and Barcelona at the Camp Nou, and playing some of the most attractive football in the division.

This summer they lost two key players in the shape of Michael Krohn-Dehli and the extremely promising Santi Mina. But they also welcomed back a local hero in the shape of Iago Aspas, who endured frustrating times at Liverpool and Sevilla in the last two seasons.

In a weekend where goals were at a premium, they kicked off their late Sunday game against Levante in Valencia last night. Things certainly seemed to be going their way when the hosts’ Simao was sent-off after just five minutes. but despite dominating the match statistically they found it hard going against a Levante side who sat deep to deny them space in the final third.

Much ink has been expended about the contractual situation of the Chilean Fabián Orellana but the schemer was there to give his side the lead in the 41st minute with after an incisive move down the wing. That followed a controversial disallowed goal for the hosts, who drew level against their nervy visitors shortly after the interval when Verza hit a superb free-kick.

As Berizzo would later concede, they lacked a cutting edge to complement their control of the match and it looked as if the game was slipping away from in the final quarter. But then, 13 minutes from time, another rapid move down the right saw the ball land at the feet of - who else -  Aspas in the six yard box and the striker made no mistake. Seven minutes, though it felt like even longer, of injury ensued, before the visitors emerged victorious.

The result - again, coming on the club’s 92nd birthday - means they’re top of the table in La Liga for the first in their history. And while there’s room for improvement, there was more good news for the club today as Orellana - who also assisted the winner - finally committed his future to the club after a summer of humming and hawing. 

Around the grounds

It certainly wasn’t a vintage opening weekend in the league, with the first seven matches yielding a paltry three goals in total. Valencia began sluggishly in drawing 0-0 with Rayo Vallecano while Atlético Madrid, who had been tipped to hockey their newly-promoted opponents could only scrape a 1-0 home victory against UD Las Palmas.

In Sunday’s opening game Barcelona gained a measure of revenge for their Super Cup trashing by edging out Athletic Bilbao 1-0 at San Mamés thanks to a second half Luis Suárez strike in a tense encounter where they never quite convinced. Real faltered at the first hurdle against promoted Sporting Gijón at el Moliñon and while Rafa Benítez’s side were incensed when Cristiano Ronaldo was denied a penalty, they also rode their luck as ex-Barça youth teamer Antonio Sanabria’s header crashed off the woodwork and appeared to cross the line but without the benefit of goal-line technology no goal was given.

If Aspas was the man of the week, then it was also pleasing to see another English flop open his account at the first time of asking. Roberto Soldado endured a nightmare spell at Tottenham following his big money move two summers ago, but he scored for fun in his time and Valencia and gave his new club, Villarreal the lead against real Betis. There was to be no fairytale ending here and Betis - short of new signing Rafeal Van der Vaart - battled back to earn a draw through a Ruben Castro strike three minutes from time.

Results: Málaga 0-0 Sevilla, Deportivo 0-0 Real Sociedad, Espanyol 1-0 Getafe, Atlético Madrid 1-0 Las Palmas, Rayo Vallecano 0-0 Valencia, Athletic Club 0-1 Barcelona, Sporting Gijón 0-0 Real  Madrid, Levante 1-2 Celta Vigo, Real Betis 1-0 Villarreal

Monday: Granada v Eibar

Follow Joseph on Twitter @josephsbcn

Power Shift

Joseph Sexton

In the tightest title race that La Liga has seen in 21 seasons, week 25 stood as being a potential game breaker. Barcelona and Atlético had blazed the way since the first week, but recent dropped points and Real’s excellent form since their defeat at the Camp Nou saw them close in on the inside lane until finally we went in to this week with all three locked on 60 points,

It was unlikely that the record total of 100 points- set in each of the last two seasons by Barça and Madrid- would be equalled; the margin of error being a single draw before the end of the season. But never before have we seen three sides on this many points so late in the season.

Real Madrid did what Real Madrid have been doing for the last three months; winning. They did so without their strongest team and they did so professionally, overpowering Elche at the Bernabéu before taking Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema and Jesé off to give them some extra rest ahead of a gruelling week that sees them face Schalke in the Champions League before visiting Atlético for the derbí madrileño.

Barça tried to do something similar against a Real Sociedad who they coasted through against in the recent Copa Del Rey semis but came a cropper. 3-1 was the final score as the home side cut the Champions to pieces with that formidable counter-attack that served them so well last season. But more on that later.

The task was clear for Atlético ahead of their visit to El Sadar in Pamplona on Sunday night- win and they’d go out on their own at the top; anything else would leave them trailing their neighbours from the posh side of the capital.

But there was a rather large caveat, and that’s precisely why this weekend was singled out; Osasuna. The Navarre club have made something of a habit of raising their game for the big boys.

Real and Barcelona had both already dropped points on this ground this term. It took two moments of utter desperate luck to see Barcelona claw back to win 2-1 here in August last season, a thoroughly unjust result. The year before, they’d lost here 3-2 and the year before that Real again had been held.

El Sadar is one of those La Liga grounds with a lot of personality. It doesn’t quite hold 20,000 but it sure makes a lot of noise. The Indar Gorri, Osasuna’s ultras are a colourful and vocal bunch. Irish tricolours were seen in solidarity. Though over the border from the Basque Country proper there is a strong sense of Basque nationalism in this corner of Navarre.

By the time the match kicked off the ground felt like a boxing ring in a title fight. In almost no time at all, Atlético were on the ropes.

And though they stumbled on to the 12th round, they would never recover from those initial blows. The result was never in any doubt.

After just 6 minutes the shellshocked visitors conceded the first. A booming cross from the left saw Atleti flat-footed. Nobody picked up the run of Álvaro Cejudo who bombed in unmolested to the back post to plant a firm right-footed effort past a helpless Thibaut Courtois.

Before long things would get worse; much worse.

Intercepting a loose pass in front of the defence, Armenteros still had the full Atleti backline ahead of him. There didn’t look to be much danger at all. But having sidestepped a halfhearted challenge from the captain Mario Suárez he unleashed a homing missile from 25 yards. Once again, there was nothing Courtois could have done to prevent the goal.

Atlético were rattled, and badly rattled at that. Nothing was coming off for them, and they were being hustled out of their stride in the manner they’ve hustled so many this season. They simply had no answer for Osasuna’s intensity. 

Diego Costa dived to win a penalty, not for the last time on the night. He skirted a very fine line and was fortunate not to received the booking that would have seen him suspended for the derby. 

Before the break his side would concede again.

Again it came from a left wing cross. And again, the marking was abysmal. Roberto Torres hung back as the central defenders stood off and was left with effectively a free header to beat Courtois all ends up at the back the post.

After the break Atleti improved but rarely threatened. Indeed if any side looked likely to add to the goals it was Osasuna. It was as thorough a 3-0 beating as you’ll ever seen administered to a top side.

Javi Gracia, Osasuna’s coach couldn’t contain his joy after the final whistle. “This is a very special day”.

Diego Simeone accepted the defeat had been complete. “When an opponent is better, as Osasuna were today, I congratulate them”

Gracia continued. “The win had an added bonus. We scored three goals against the best defence in the division. So this victory is all the sweeter. It’s an important step in the fight against relegation”.

“We must continue to grow. This team, despite its limitations always tries to give their all. It’s a long time since I’ve seen the crowd at El Sadar do the [Mexican] wave. It was very nice.”

Simeone admitted his side had been caught cold. “They surprised us in the first 20 minutes with the two chances, we just couldn’t get into the match. Their tactics were spot on they stopped us from playing our game”.

It may have been just a bad day at the office. No week is a bad week when you win away to AC Milan. But there’s a feeling that Atleti couldn’t be going into the derby in worse shape.

Or that Real couldn’t be better. Cristiano Ronaldo will be back, the team has found a sense of balance and as clear an identity as at any time in the last couple of years. They are now unbeaten in 26 in all. Only Leo Beenhakker’s Quinto del Buitre side of the 80s can better that record in Real’s long history.

And now they’re top for the first time since May 2012.

Around the grounds

Heartbreak for Granada at the Mestalla. They succumbed to a 90th minute Ruben Vezo strike having largely held their own against Valencia. For the hosts, the Pizzi project is beginning to take shape. They were industrious and they leapfrog their former manager Unai Emery’s Sevilla to sit in the final Europa League place, having been 10 points off the Andalusian club over the winter.

That defeat sees Granada slip in the relegation fight once more, but as with Osasuna, Celta Vigo are pulling away. There was no win this week- they had to make do with a 1-1 draw to Getafe- but there’s a growing sense that everything they weren’t getting but merited earlier in the season is going their way. 

Luís Enrique is enjoying a fine first season at the helm and already there’s talk of Rafinha coming back from his loan to the Camp Nou in the summer and being a big part of their first team next term.

How Barça could have done with him on Saturday. Tata Martino started with Alex Song- who Marca awarded a four out of ten- with Sergio Busquets ostensibly playing the Xavi role. It didn’t work, and neither did the weakened defence.

There was a lively radio debate on Onda Cero on Sunday night. It got heated at times, but the feeling was that Messi strolled through the game raising further worries about his physical capacity; and, once again, his mindset. As much as La Real deserved their win, there’s a feeling that Barcelona earned what they deserved.

Results: Valladolid 1 Levante 1, Real Madrid 3 Elche 0, Celta Vigo 1 Getafe 1, Real Sociedad 3 Barcelona 1, Almería 0 Málaga 0, Rayo Vallecano 0 Sevilla 1, Real Betis 0 Athletic Bilbao 2, Valencia 2 Granada 1, Osasuna 3 Atlético Madrid 0

Monday: Espanyol v Villarreal (21:00)

An Unequal League

My Column for the Irish Examiner

Joseph Sexton

The early signs were ominous, confirming all our worst fears. Coming against the backdrop of another summer’s exodus, with England- again- proving the most popular destination, it was hard to deny that La Liga is in a much weaker state this season. While both Madrid and Barcelona have strengthened, the rest have been depleted.

Gone is Falcao, Atletico Madrid’s best player. Diego Costa may soon be following him. Real Sociedad lost Asier Illaramendi, their most important player, to Real Madrid, and it’s rumoured their next most, Antoine Griezmann may be off to Everton.

Isco broke Betis' hearts with his late header

Valencia have lost Roberto Soldado, and more are forecast to exit. Betis lost Beñat, though at least he went to Bilbao; but the Basques have lost Fernando Llorente anyway. The 3rd, 4th, 5th and 8th top scorers from last term all made moves abroad. And even all of this together is far from the full story.

We needed something to believe in. But when Barcelona went ahead at home to Levante after just two and a half minutes, the nightmare scenario appeared to have arrived. By half-time, they were six to the good- the highest ever on an opening day before the break, and equalling Levante’s worst-ever defeat. It was first time any team had scored so many before the interval since 2001.

“Look, we’ve just left the dentists”, was their new manager Joaquín Caparrós’ verdict. “Next!”.

Perhaps then, it’s fair to say that final winning of seven seemed a minor reprieve.

But then Betis reminded us all of that, even in this unequal league, the little guy can stand as equal with the very best when we least expect it. Levante, a team known for their rugged defence, were naive in the extreme in attacking Barcelona. But attacking is what Betis generally do, and Real Madrid were rattled to their core.

Of Betis’ starting 11, only two had arrived at the club for a fee. One of those other nine was Cedric, a young Congolese who arrived from second division Numancia in the summer and put in a thrilling performance. On any other day, the man of the match gong would have been his hands’ down.

It was an all action opening, where Madrid lacked fluency. With 14 minutes played, Cedric wriggled free and teed up Jorge Molina to stun the Bernabéu.

It’s true that by then Real had already a goal- rightly- chalked off for offside. But just minutes later Cedric was at it again, laying it off for Joan Verdú the sort of chance you’d expect him to routinely score.

Now the home crowd had found their object of displeasure, as Karim Benzema was caught offside. Yet again, he’d failed abysmally to time his run to the great frustration of his colleagues.

And then, Real had a second goal ruled out. Again, it would have been an own goal for Perquís but to his great credit the linesman had spotted the offside. Zinedine Zidane and Carlo Ancelotti looked aghast as Benzema failed to connect with Marcelo’s cross. Ronaldo clipped the bar before Benzema produced a stunning miss.

Betis hadn’t gone quiet and looked to attack with pace and precision. But then Isco, the debutant, presented the opening for Benzema to level. In truth, it was the most difficult chance the Frenchman had had.

Nosa headed against the bar for the visitors, Ronaldo was pulled back for offside, Betis should have had a penalty... And Benzema struck the third offside goal of the night. It was fast, furious and utterly compelling. Half time came with the score tied.

After the break it was all Real. Just 20 seconds in Ronaldo hit the bar. Di María found no luck, and the substitutes Casemiro and Álvaro Morata almost combined to put them in front. By the time the latter had a fourth goal ruled out on 84 minutes, it looked like being another of those nights for the hosts. A new regime, a new formation, but plus ça change.

Last season Betis didn’t surrender a single point in the final ten minutes, and that run looked set to continue. Then, we got one of those moments that remind us what we love about this imperfect league, and this imperfect sport that is football.

Marcelo was one of the main culprits of Madrid’s annus horribilus, but after his impressive Confederations Cup he was right on note here. A lung-busting run, a wonderfully struck cross, and an absolute gem of a header from Isco. And broken hearts for Betis fans. All their good work had come to naught.

Betis’ spokesman- the former Real legend Rafael Gordillo- was sanguine after the game. “We’ve made some mistakes, we’ve been unlucky, and we have to congratulate them”.

Emilio Butragueño was the first figure to be wheeled out by Real Madrid. “A very hard match. Betis were fantastic. Isco’s input was superb, both the assist and header. Man of the match,” he continued. “But it’s too soon to evaluate the team.” When asked about a certain Welsh winger, he laughed. “Bale? We only speak of our own players”.

----------------

“A fine dance to begin with” read Marca’s headline following Barcelona’s victory. Indeed it had been, as they waltzed through Levante. Neymar, only a 60th minute substitute, failed to score. But both Pedro and Alexis Sánchez did. And under Tata Martino, that old incessant pressing returned, leading directly to Lionel Messi’s first goal.

Martino noted “We’ve done things that were, let’s say, put on hold. Like the high line. Those are good signs.” Xavi also struck a similar note. “Last season when Tito [Vilanova] wasn’t there we didn’t train tactics as much, how to pressurise the opponent and we lost our way”.

One man who certainly doing things his way was Diego Costa. His way in that he continued his comic book villain act, resuming his running battle with half the Sevilla side from last season.

But also in his decisive contribution. The Brazil striker fired Atlético ahead on 35 minutes. Diego Perotti then equalised two minutes later with a staggering long range effort.

On 78 minutes, Mario Suárez robbed the ball before playing an incisive pass. Diego Costa produced a fine first touch and a finish to match. 30 seconds into added time, Cebolla Rodriguez scored a sublime individual effort, cutting in from the right and beating several Sevilla players to end the contest.

Results:
Real Sociedad 2 Getafe 0
Valladolid 1 Athletic Bilbao 2
Valencia 1 Málaga 0
Barcelona 7 Levante 0
Real Madrid 2 Betis 1
Sevilla 1 Atlético Madrid 3

Monday:
Rayo Vallecano v Elche
Almería v Villarreal
Celta Vigo v Espanyol

Follow Joseph on Twitter @josephsbcn

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE AT EXAMINER SPORT

Spanish Inquest: Cup runneth over

My column for Eircom SportsHub

Manol de dios- Agirretxe condemns Barça to their first league defeat of the season

In the end, it was almost an after-thought. Attention was firmly trained on the Bernabéu before a ball was kicked in anger on week 21 of the season, just as it remained on Wednesday. Last week's mini-crisis at Real Madrid hogged the headlines as the recriminations grew.

In many ways, the cup was a welcome distraction for Real Madrid who nevertheless went into the game off the back of their best form of the season. The Spanish league calendar restarts with the return on week 20, when the order of games from the first half of the season is repeated.

It's too late to make good on a woeful opening half of this term for Real, but they appear to have taken those early setbacks personally. It all started to go wrong when Iker Casillas and Pepe clashed heads on the opening day at home to Valencia. Real might have been out of sight but instead were fortunate to get away with a 1-1 draw as Roberto Soldado's goal was incorrectly flagged offside.

If the feeling was that this had been aberration, then by week two it was already a full-blown crisis. Expected to dismiss little Getafe without fuss, a second-half showing of staggering stupidity at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez saw them go down 2-1 to the club from the south of the city.

The revenge has been brutal. Either side of being dumped out of the cup by Real, Valencia were ripped apart at the Mestalla last week, conceding five without reply. This week, Getafe's moment of reckoning arrived. Having held out in tense opening period, a ten-minute Cristiano Ronaldo hat-trick left them licking their wounds on the short trip home.

Barcelona began their return run by showing a rare glimpse of their own mortality. Having walloped Real Sociedad on the first day, their encounter at the Anoeta was already a far cagier affair even before Gerard Pique's sending-off. They looked to have weathered the storm after a heavy deflection beat Victor Valdés for Chory Castro's equaliser. But 30 seconds into injury time, Manol Agirretxe slid through to deliver their first defeat of the campaign.

That defeat might have come as early as week two. On a balmy Sunday evening in Pamplona, Barca looked uncharacteristically leggy and off-key against Osasuna. With their pressing all over the place, each stray pass brought the home crowd to their feet and, leading since the 17th minute there, really looked no way back for the Catalans/

There was, but it came off the back of a moment of monumental misfortune. The build up to Lionel Messi's equaliser contained the non-award of an offside and then an expert — if entirely unintentional — pass off the heel of referee César Muniz Fernández at its closing stages. In the protests that followed, several cards were flashed; including a red for Francisco Punal. Minutes after all died down, the Argentine popped up again to net the winner.

This time round, luck had nothing to do with it. Despite Robert Loé equalising Messi's opener, the home side were 3-1 up by the break. After it, the world footballer of the year added his third and fourth, taking him to 16 goals from his last nine starts.

The jokers in this king's cup pack are Atlético Madrid. Back in week two a Falcao hat-trick had given a glimpse of things to come as they vanquished last year's Europa League finalists Bilbao 4-0 at the Vicente Calderon. Here, there was no Falcao and instead a 3-0 victory for the struggling Basques.

“Without Falcao, Atleti are a mid-table side” ran the Marca headline on Monday. Perhaps a harsh assessment as undoubtedly this had been the most complete performance seen this time round for Marcelo Bielsa's side by some distance. But there's a grain of truth in it too. Without their attacking fulcrum, they've won just two of their seven league games, and the bad news is that barring a miracle they'll have to make do without him for their midweek cup game.

Which brings us to last team making up the quartet, Sevilla. If you've heard reports of their saleable assets being linked to all and sundry this transfer window, then it's not without foundation. Sevilla's financial issues are the sort that most of the league's sides would warmly welcome. Rather then being mired in debt or in administration, the need to sell has been precipitated by their first annual loss in the last seven.

A fortnight ago they dispensed with their manager, the former Real Madrid midfielder Michel. In truth, probably a better pundit than a football coach, the telegenic Michel was replaced by the former Valencia boss Unai Emery.

It's far too early to offer any objective assessment of his work to date. But given his previous record at Valencia, the club's president José María del Nido will be hoping Emery can elicit a better response from what still remains one of the division's more talented squads and that the momentum gained from their Monday win over Granada will offset the effects of having a day less to prepare for Thursday's semi-final.

Original article here on Eircom SportsHub 

Spanish Inquest: Season to date

My column on Eircom SportsHub

Obafemi Martins' goals have been key to Levante's continued success

We’re almost at the turn of the season in Spain, as as La Liga’s footballers tuck in their festiveturrones during the Christmas break, another exciting year in Spanish football draws to a close.

After 17 games, matters are taking shape. Barcelona have obliterated the previous best start to a season and their coronation seems inevitable. While they speed away into the horizon, at the bottom last season’s Segunda champions Deportivo appear to be headed into oblivion.

Levante continue to defy the odds, and despite all the off the field upheaval and downsizing of their playing budget, Málaga are flying. Their attack is more fluid and mobile while at the back, only Juventus and Bayern have conceded fewer in the four major European leagues.

Mallorca’s excellent start is a distant memory, with their weekend win over Real Betis being their first in over three months. Betis themselves have arguably been the surprise package of the season, but last season’s double cup finalists Athletic Bilbao have struggled to get out of second gear.

Perhaps more so than Betis, the lack of managerial casualties has been this season’s most striking fact. With almost everyone struggling financially, there has been an outbreak of common sense and realism among club hierarchies

Only two coaches have departed their posts; the league’s longest serving incumbent, Mauricio Pochettino left strugglers Espanyol in November, with his compatriot and namesake Pellegrino getting the sack at Valencia, who have paid the price for failing to renew Unai Emery’s contract.

Despite the incredible numbers they’ve posted, it hasn’t been all plain sailing for Barcelona. With April’s clásico ending their title challenge last term, the Super Cup seemed to confirm that Real finally had their number. It’s hard recall a chasing of the order of that they endured in the second leg, where Real’s two goal lead after 20 minutes ought to have been four.

They got out of jail in week two against an Osasuna side who’ve been mired in the relegation spots. Unable to call upon several stalwarts at the back, they leaked goals from set pieces and open play in the Autumn. But if they’ve been strangely vulnerable, going forward they’ve been relentless and it’s made for a thrilling spectacle.

Guilty of tactical tinkering and over-elaboration at times last year, there’s been a subtle change in emphasis. We’ve seen the return of more orthodox wing play, and an urgency meaning they’ve been more direct than at any time since Guardiola’s first season.

They titilated us in nearly letting big leads slip, and produced a stunning comeback from two behind to Sevilla in October Real. That Jordi Alba has slotted in perfectly isn’t a huge surprise, but on the other flank Dani Alves has faced stiff competition from Marc Bartra and Adriano. Cesc Fábregas has been the greatest beneficiary of their stylistic shift, offering an element of verticality and unpredictability to their hypnotic passing rhythms.

And of course, there’s Lionel Messi, for whom there are no superlatives left.

Real by contrast have looked a shadow of themselves, labouring as those long-suspected divisions in the camp have been confirmed. Down in points, down in terms of position, down even in goals from Ronaldo; they’ve lost that manic intensity and teams have learned how to frustrate an increasingly blunt and predictable attack.

At this stage of the season gone by, Ángel Di Maria topped the assist charts with 13. This year, he’s only got one, with Karim Benzema leading the way on five.

It seems fitting that Málaga became the latest to put the hurt on them at the weekend. Not just because Pellegrini was torn to pieces as José Mourinho’s predecessor, but also because of his intelligent adjustment to new financial realities. Incredibly, they’ve looked a far better side this time round and coasted undefeated through their Champions League group- the first debutants to do so.

Whether they’ll be back next season is unclear, but they will contest Friday’s UEFA verdict in the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Levante have also taken like a duck to water in their maiden Europa League campaign, and yet they’re still right up there domestically. Once again, they sold their top scorer- and again, they’ve found a replacement, this time Obafemi Martins. All of this with the division’s oldest squad and second smallest budget- at what point does this cease to be an aberration?

History counsels against making such statements, but Atlético look to be the real deal. With a weaker squad on paper, they’ve gotten better and better; much like Radamel Falcao, now indisputably the world’s best number 9.

They might have lost their manager, not to mention Michu, but Rayo Vallecano are far removed from the foot of the table with their swashbuckling style. Newly promoted Valladolid have brought a similar fearlessness to the party.

The other promoted pair, fierce rivals Celta and Depor have fared less well. The latter, the latest Jorge Mendes colony in the league, remain rooted to foot of the table and €98m in debt. Celta are three points better off and look better equipped to survive, though the potential move of their top scorer Iago Aspas to Swansea could hurt them far more than the mooted €12m fee would boost them financially.

But again, the league remains incredibly tight. Nobody is adrift, most side still harbour valid European hopes. Few remain safe either; only 11 points separate 6th from 16th, with 14th placed Sevilla a point ahead of Espanyol in 18th. This is nothing new, and if we’ve learned anything from recent years, it’s that the picture may look dramatically different come the season’s end.

ORIGINAL ARTICLE HERE ON EIRCOM SportsHub

Spanish Inquest: No Mour' to give

My Eircom SportsHub column

Joseph Sexton

It's hard to imagine that José Mourinho has faced a tougher week during his 12 years in the management game. Speculation about his position over the last fortnight had simmered away. Having delegated press conference duty to his deputy, Aitor Karanka, it fell to Florentino Pérez to bat away questions, insisting that the full term of his extension to 2016 would be served.

“We have the best manager in the world, yet he's had to endure unjust attacks and insults, even ones that cross the line and strike at his personal dignity. He's led us to the league and already this year the Super Cup, and has my gratitude”.

But there is no smoke without fire when the Madrid press openly question any Real manager's future, and the cup defeat away to Celta saw matters come to a head between Mourinho and his bete noire.

On Saturday, he was back on duty for the pre-match press conference. Not a particularly memorable one, but what was to follow was pure dynamite.

Antón Meana is a journalist with Radio Marca, and once the conference came to a close he was asked to step into the club's press office by one of their press chiefs to meet with the goalkeeping coach, Silvino Louro. After the Celta game, he intimated on air that his sources in the dressing room had told him that Louro was widely seen as Mourinho's 'spy' by the players.

When Meana entered, there was Mourinho alongside Louro. Meana offered his hand to Mourinho who refused it and instead began to berate him, 'shouting in thick Portuguese, which I couldn't understand properly', as he recounted in print on Sunday.

Meana tried to bat back, but Mourinho continued to rage. “Don't you dare question my honour... In the footballing world my people are top people but in the world of journalism, you're a piece of shit”.

Meana defended his sources, with Mourinho going through Louro's resume 'point by point'. Challenged to name his sources, he refused stating that although 'it's a matter of opinion rather than fact, I don't need to run it by them again because I trust them completely.'

“They tell me you're a real son of a bitch” continued Mourinho “and a bad person, but rather than take that as given I think something else. You're anti-Real, anti-Mourinho, and your 'questions' are all about stirring shit. As long as I'm manager here I'll continue to respect you, but once I'm gone you'll be just another Joe on the street”

The conversation went on over half an hour, with Mourinho continuing to impugn the sources. Perhaps most striking was his admission that that three of his own players were disposed to leaking negative news.

“Let's assume what you're saying is true - for me it isn't - but let's anyway; is this news? You take it as gospel? We've got 21 players who get on great with Silvino, me, all the staff, but then there's three black sheep trying to fuck the group. It's easy for you, you only have to go on the radio and toss out a few phrases to stir up all of this”

Meana initially agreed to keep the conversation private but many other journalists had overheard the ruckus. On Radio Onda Cero, he said that once he met those waiting outside the story had already entered the public domain for him, and one of the other panellists on the show confirmed he'd witnessed it all.

This strain with the press isn't new. While he may have had the English media eating out of his hand, his relationship in Italy swiftly grew confrontational, where he likened their criticisms to 'intellectual prostitution' at Inter.

That sense of him against them has only heightened in the Spanish capital, where those he's faced have proved similarly immune to his charms. There was last season's vow of silence during the run in, and one well-known Madrid based writer was only half kidding when he described the experience of dealing with the Special One as being 'terrifying' at times.

There's been the well-documented splits in the camp, where a bust up with Sergio Ramos and Iker Casillas made the headlines in January. It's also long been reported that rival cliques have formed, leaving the Spanish & Portuguese speaking players at odds.

How much this has affected matters on the field is open to debate, but they've already dropped more points than in the whole of last season. They've also failed to maintain the staggering intensity and unity of purpose that marked their pursuit of the title last season.

That said, the challenge of maintaining such impossibly high standards also proved beyond Barcelona last term.

Then there's been their comic book inability to defend set pieces, which is impossible to square with our conceptions of Mourinho teams. Take your pick of any number, but Manucho netted two for Valladolid a couple of weeks back off the back of this defect and Espanyol's late equaliser on Sunday was Keystone Kops stuff.

Everywhere he's been, Mourinho has tried to pick fights and Madrid's been no different. Internally, he had Pérez's long-time lieutenant Jorge Valdano booted out, a man with a lot of friends among the press corps. Little wonder that they're going to town on him now, right down to sensationalising pictures of the players' seating arrangements at the club's Christmas do this week.

None of this is unusual. Plenty of pages need filling, and many copies sold. On Saturday they travel to Málaga, whose manager Manuel Pellegrini knows a thing or two about the brutal side of capital's press. Ever the gentleman, he's refused to twist the knife, even though Mourinho was more than happy to stick the boot into him when these sides met in April 2011.

“It's not for me to judge Mourinho. We're not taking the game like this, we're not preoccupied about what happens at Real. I'm very grateful to all the players I had when I was boss there because even though they knew I was on borrowed time by December we still had a great season”

Perhaps by now Mourinho is also a dead man walking. With the league gone and attention already on the Champions League and the obsession of claiming la décima, only a 10th European crown would give him the satisfaction of having the last laugh as he rides off to his next adventure.

Original Article here on Eircom SportsHub

Spanish Inquest: Derby daze

A preview of the Madrid derby for Eircom Sports Hub

Diego Simeone plotting Real's downfall

It's a scenario few would have envisaged at the start of the season. The Madrid derby has always been a massive fixture. A win will see Atlético move 11 points clear of Real. But in the thirteen years since they last beat their uptown neighbours, it's had a certain air of inevitability about it too; and its this trend they'll be looking to buck.

 

Thirteen years seems like an eternity to the colchoneros' long-frustrated supporters, and a glance at the principal actors that day only emphasises this. With both clubs struggling, John Toshack stood in the home dug-out at the Bernabéu with Claudio Ranieri his opposite number. Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink was the hero, netting twice in a 3-1 win. But despite the Dutchman hitting 23 league goals that season, Atlético suffered the humiliation of relegation. Real went on to win the Champions League.

 

That underlines the gulf between the galaxies which these great rivals inhabit. The inherent instability and chronic mismanagement that is synonymous with the red and whites can be also be illustrated by the fact that, while, Manchester United have had one manager in the last 26 years Atlético have had over 50 — including those returning only to be booted out again.

 

That might seem a harsh standard to measure against in a week where, following Mauricio Pochettino's departure from Espanyol, José Mourinho became the league's longest serving incumbent. But it's a fair picture of the situation under two successive generations of the Gil family.

 

The current Gil at the club, Ángel Miguel Gil-Marin, son of the infamous Jésus, isn't even on speaking terms with the president Enrique Cerezo. When it became clear 11 months ago that then coach Gregorio Manzano had to go, the indecision in giving him the marching order typified this institutional dysfuction. Neither could agree on a successor, so a compromise candidate was chosen. By accident rather than design, in came Diego Simeone.

 

In some ways it was an obvious choice for that craven pair. A club legend, having won the league and cup double in his playing days at the Vicente Calderon, his appointment muted supporter discontent. But many questioned his coaching credentials.

 

These doubts were amplified by the fact that he'd never stuck around long enough in any post. He won the title with Estudiantes and River Plate in his native Argentina. But he also left the latter bottom of the table, essentially initiating the run that led to their first-ever relegation.

 

He flopped at San Lorenzo, but managed to keep Catania up in Serie A. He quit that post citing a desire to return to Buenos Aires, where he was installed at Racing Club. A back to basics approach led the Avellaneda side to within a whisker of the title, founded upon a miserly defence which broke the previous record for fewest goals conceded. They were only denied by a grim Boca side who conceded even fewer — just six to Racing's eight over the 19 game tournament.

 

But this safety-first style split critical opinion, with many doubting whether there was more to Simeone's repertoire. He relied heavily on the creative genius of Giovani Moreno and the maverick Téo Gutiérrez to make good upon an ultra-defensive approach. This minimalist manour of instilling discipline was the mark of his initial days in his current post.

 

But there's been more, much more. Over the course of his tenure, the style has evolved. If Atlético defend as a team, they also attack as a team in a manner that brings to mind Helenio Herrera's Inter sides. In the transition, they always seem to have options moving forward while invariably having cover against quick breaks. This stylistic shift could be seen last spring when only a moment of genius from Lionel Messi condemned them against Barcelona.

 

Then there are the records. When Atlético won the Europa League in 2010, they only won three games. In the course of winning that trophy last season under Simeone through to this season's progression to the knockout phase, they've set a new record for consecutive games won in European competition. And in that time, they've enjoyed their best ever start to a La Liga season. Barcelona, three points ahead, would break the all-time record with a win over Bilbao this weekend.

 

By any numerical measures, el Cholo has been an outstanding success. But whereas the numbers didn't add up for some — and indeed were used as a stick to beat him with — at Racing, it's in those unquantifiable areas where Simeone has really excelled. The summer transfer window left Atlético with a weaker squad than last season given that the club couldn't retain playmaker Diego nor Eduardo Salvio. They've taken that blow in their stride, moving the excellent Arda Turan into a more central role where the Turk has prospered.

 

All of this is good and well. Real have failed to match the incredible intensity they showed last season when they broke all records in halting Pep Guardiola's Barcelona from equalling the original dream team's run of four straight titles under Johan Cruyff. The criticism of their struggles this season, typified in a Marca polemic this week entitled 'The 11 excuses of José Mourinho', illustrates the level of expectation placed upon the meringues. But the fact that they remain odds on favourites for this derby offers a reminder that an Atlético win would be a serious upset.

 

This is fair. Despite their travails at home, Real have progressed from a fiendishly difficult Champions League group with reasonable comfort. On paper, there is a huge discrepancy in talent available. Whereas Mourinho is amongst the most exalted coaches in the game, Simeone professed his admiration of the Portuguese in Friday's press conference. What on the surface could be construed as mind-games is also a simple admission of fact.

 

It's said that form goes out the window on derby day. This is often tosh, demonstrably so too, but a certain mental edge, borne of history, bears down upon this clash. Regardless of form or fitness Atleti have repeatedly frozen on this occasion. Even when they haven't, they've come unstuck. Last season a super-human Cristiano Ronaldo display distorted the reality of Real's 4-1 win, just as in February 2005 a display of sheer fecklesness in front of goal eerily presaged the hollowed-out shell that Fernando Torres would one day become.

 

But there's a difference this time too. Should the inevitable occur, Atleti will still be five points ahead of Real, far ahead of where they expected to be and with few rebukes. For Real, the stakes remain impossibly high — anything less than a victory will deliver a knockout blow to their title hopes — and see the sharpening of critics' pens all over the city.

Original article here on EIRCOM SportsHub