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Post by Bismarck on Jul 23, 2008 19:56:28 GMT
Resigned to it then red?
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Post by Bismarck on Aug 12, 2008 14:50:51 GMT
Robinho's agent claims his client is unhappy at Real Madrid and would jump at the chance to move to Chelsea.
The London club on Thursday night made a formal offer for the 24-year-old Brazilian - believed to be in the region of £20million.
The bid is likely to be rejected with the Spanish champions thought to be holding out for a figure nearer £27m, but Robinho's agent, Wagner Ribeiro, is hoping some middle ground can be found to allow the player to quit the Bernabeu for Stamford Bridge.
Ribeiro told Spanish newspaper Marca from Bogota, where Madrid are currently on tour: 'Robinho is very angry with the way the Madrid bosses are dealing with him.
'He calls me every day to know whether anyone has spoken to me about his future and I always have to tell him that no-one has called.
'I have been trying to speak with someone from the club for three days. Robinho does not understand what is going on.
'His ambition is to become the best player in the world but he won't achieve that at Madrid because they treat him like a normal player.
'He didn't like at all the idea of being fourth choice in the plans Madrid have had this summer.
'First they wanted to sign Cristiano Ronaldo but couldn't. Their second option was (Rafael) Van der Vaart. Third is (Valencia striker David) Villa. Robinho is fourth.'
Ribeiro suggested Madrid's attitude is pushing Robinho towards the exit door.
'Robinho's plan was to play for Real Madrid for many years,' he added. 'Where can he find a better club than Madrid?
'But he no longer feels that way. He is getting affection from (Chelsea coach Luiz Felipe) Scolari. He knows Robinho well and calls him every day.'
If he ends up with Chelsea they will have a real selection problem, if they don't already have one!! In terms of clubs my top ten most prestigous are: 1. Man U 2. Real Madrid 3. AC Milan 4. Liverpool 5. Bayern Munich 6. Barcelona 7. Juventus 8. Inter 9. Chelsea 10. Ajax
What do you guys think?
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Post by Bismarck on Aug 17, 2008 11:50:28 GMT
Valencia coach Unai Emery has warned Real Madrid they will not find Los Che as accommodating as during their last visit to the Mestalla when the two sides clash in the first leg of the Spanish Supercopa on Sunday.
Valencia had many low points last season but there were few as bad as when they hosted Madrid last October, when Bernd Schuster's side raced into a 4-0 lead after 37 minutes en route to a 5-1 mauling.
That defeat came just days after Quique Sanchez Flores had been sacked as Valencia coach and just prior to the arrival of Ronald Koeman, and the turmoil off the pitch did little to help results on it.
However, Emery, who took over at Valencia this summer, is confident Madrid will face a much different animal this weekend as the Copa del Rey winners play host to the league champions in the traditional Primera Liga season curtain-raiser.
'Sunday's game will be a very different match to the last. Now the team has the desire and strength to do things well,' said the 36-year-old Emery, who masterminded a shock 2-0 home win over Madrid last season when in charge of Almeria.
'I hope to see Valencia continually getting closer to what we want - intense, solid, who defend together, are brave in attack, and who have control of the ball during the game.'
He added: 'I want to eradicate the word 'fear' from the changing room. We cannot have fear of playing, of our opponents, or of oneself.
'We have to have the utmost respect, but we have to have personality, confidence and a positive attitude. It will be not be different because it is Madrid, we have to have our identity and should not change that just because of who we are facing.'
Emery received a huge boost this week when midfielder David Silva committed himself to Valencia amid speculation of a move away, while the club are also hoping to tie down the services of star striker David Villa.
Villa has been an injury doubt for Sunday's game but Valencia are keeping their fingers crossed that both he and former Madrid youngster Juan Manuel Mata will be fit for the game, although centre-back Carlos Marchena is definitely out.
Madrid coach Schuster has named an 18-man squad for the match, although he has a number of players unavailable.
Aside from Julio Baptista, who was this week sold to Roma, Schuster is also without Fernando Gago, Royston Drenthe and Marcelo due to Olympic commitments, while Fabio Cannavaro and Wesley Sneijder are injured and Pepe is suspended.
Brazil winger Robinho has been included in the squad though despite reports he wants to leave the club and join Chelsea, while Guti has been passed fit to play.
Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, who alongside the likes of Villa, Silva and Marchena helped Spain win Euro 2008 this summer, scored his side's third goal in that 5-1 win over Valencia last season, and he hopes they can enjoy more success this time around.
'We seem to do quite well at the Mestalla and we hope to continue this good run of form so that afterwards, in the Bernabeu, we can win (the Supercopa) and start the season with a title,' he said.
Comment:We shall see............!
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Post by Bismarck on Aug 23, 2008 14:40:38 GMT
The agent of Villarreal midfielder Marcos Senna has told the Spanish club to offer his client more money or risk losing him to Fenerbahce.
The 32-year-old Spain international is wanted by the Turkish club's new coach Luis Aragones, who was with Senna in the Spain set-up which won Euro 2008 in June.
Brazilian-born Senna has admitted he would be tempted by a move to join his former international coach, but also revealed that any move also depends on Villarreal.
Now his agent, Eli Coimbra, has revealed Senna will only stay in Spain if Villarreal can at least match the cash offered by Fener, a sum believed to be in the region of 2.5million euros a season.
'Marcos wants to stay, but he wants to feel valued,' Coimbra told Spanish newspaper Marca. 'He has two years left, but for him it would be an important step if Villarreal were to offer him a new deal.
'Fenerbahce's offer is worth a lot of money, many millions. They want to build a strong side, and Aragones knows what Marcos is capable of.
'We've spoken to Villarreal and I've made them understand that we're talking about a special case, because he's an important player who's being chased by a team with a lot of money.
'Renewing his contract to better it would make him calm.'
Villareal are a small club. I like them but they are a small club money wise. The difference in financial muscle between a club like Villareal a top 4 club in Spain and a top 4 club in England is massive. Real, Barca, and after that Valencia and Atletico Madrid is pretty good but after that English clubs have way more money. Arsenal should totally offer him whatever he wants. He would be the perfect DM. He was the best player at Euro 2008. He is old enough that he would only be around for 2 or 3 years perfect time for our Younger players like Ramsey, Denilson or Fran Merida to take over. He would be a better signing that Alonso or Barry.
I'm sure he will stay with Villareal though. This is probably just trying to cash in on his last playing years.........
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Post by Bismarck on Aug 23, 2008 14:43:12 GMT
Real Madrid's want-away winger Robinho has told the Spanish press that he wants to leave the club and join Chelsea. Robinho
Picture/AFP
Robinho: Points the way to the Premier League?
Robinho told EFE: 'Staying at Real Madrid is not my objective for the season. My wish is to play in the English League, Chelsea have a great squad, a great team, it will be a good deal for me and the club.'
'It's not for the money, it's simply that I want to play in the English League. I've completed a cycle, I've played three seasons at Real Madrid and I've given everything.
'I've scored goals and we've won two leagues, which isn't easy. I believe my time at Real Madrid is at an end. I hope that the directors come to an agreement with Chelsea to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.
'Every player is different. I have my own personality and character. I haven't spoken to the press before to avoid controversy, but now I'm telling the truth. I want to leave.'
Earlier, Spanish media reports claimed a fee of £32million had been quoted by Real Madrid. And the player's agent, Wagner Ribiero, has confirmed Real could be ready to sell.
It is believed Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon has now flown out to Spain to thrash out the final details of the transfer, pulling out of a trip to the Olympics.
Ribeiro said: 'The president said to Robinho that if a 40 million euros (£32million) offer appears, he would let him leave. So I have to say that until Aug 31 everything is possible. Until the transfer window is closed, I can't say where Robinho will play this season.
'Robinho never said that he wasn't comfortable at Real Madrid but the thing is that he has a financial offer that is very interesting, it's only that.'
Robinho is desperate for a move to London and it now seems likely the deal will beat the deadline, which for English clubs runs until September 1. He was upset by stories which claimed he would be sold to fund a move for Cristiano Ronaldo and also by the club's decision to block his participation at this month's Olympic Games.
It seems unlikely that Chelsea would continue their pursuit of AC Milan midfielder Kaka should the Robinho deal come to fruition - especially if, as now seems likely, Andrei Shevchenko's return to the San Siro falls through.
The addition of Robinho will come as a boost to a side which has few options up front with Didier Drogba thought to be on the treatment table for another month at least due to his knee injury.
Although Salomon Kalou is now back from the Olympics he has struggled to score consistently, so with Scolari reluctant to use Shevchenko he has only Nicolas Anelka to rely on up front.
What do you think....? If you believe that Chelsea will go on a 50 year run and have the success that Manchester United has, name the Russian billionaire that is going to step up when Abromovich says, "I'm bored with this." Chelsea have never had a span of success they are are experiencing right now, and it's completely due to Abromovich. When he decides to sell, you might well be the best team in the world, but don't believe for a second that it will continue when you have someone who doesn't feel like pumping 130,000 pounds a week to Shevchenko.
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Post by Bismarck on Aug 26, 2008 16:34:06 GMT
Espanyol winger Albert Riera has been told by his club he has 72 hours to finalise his move to Liverpool.
The club's official website appeared to confirm Rafael Benitez's side were in pole position to sign the Spaniard after revealing talks between Espanyol and Liverpool were 'going well'.
Reports today claimed Liverpool had reached a deal with the Barcelona-based side to sign Riera in an £8million deal, but Espanyol sporting director Paco Herrera insisted there were still some issues to be cleared up before a move could be completed.
'This is a sensitive time, and we need to make sure we reach a solution one way or another,' he said.
'Everything is going well and a deal can be reached. The differences we have are ones we can solve and in the next two or three days there has to be a solution because there is no more time.'
On Monday, club president Daniel Sanchez Llibre revealed two unnamed English clubs had bid for the player, with one side offering more money than the other.
The club offering the higher bid is believed to be Everton, but Herrera confirmed on Monday that Riera was more interested in joining the side offering the lower bid.
Benitez revealed Liverpool were in negotiations to buy Riera but that no agreement on fee and contract has yet been reached.
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Post by stealth1039 on Sept 1, 2008 10:30:41 GMT
Barcelona off to a bad start by losing to the newly promoted Numancia but Real no better as beaten by Deportivo.
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 3, 2008 21:39:26 GMT
Spanish Primera División 2008/2009 DATE Home SCORE OPPONENT 08/30 Espanyol 1 - 0 Valladolid 08/30 Valencia 3 - 0 Mallorca 08/31 Athletic Bilbao 1 - 3 Almeria 08/31 Numancia 1 - 0 Barcelona 08/31 Osasuna 1 - 1 Villarreal 08/31 Real Betis 0 - 1 Recreativo Huelva 08/31 Racing Santander 1 - 1 Sevilla FC 08/31 Sporting Gijon 1 - 2 Getafe 08/31 Atlético Madrid 4 - 0 Málaga 08/31 Deportivo La Coruña 2 - 1 Real Madrid
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 11, 2008 13:02:45 GMT
Promoted Numancia have set their sights on another massive Primera Liga upset when they travel to the Bernabeu on Sunday to take on champions Real Madrid.
Numancia humbled Barcelona 1-0 at home in the opening round of league matches and coach Sergio Kresic believes his side have every reason to believe they can pull off another shock result.
"What the theory says and what happens in reality can be different for any number of reasons," Croatian Kresic said.
"The fans can have an effect, the pitch and of course the players, but just like the other day when we had chances (against Barca), we'll also have them on Sunday and we have to make the most of them."
Bernd Schuster's Real Madrid started the defence of their back-to-back league titles with a 2-1 defeat away to Deportivo Coruna.
Real's new signing Rafael van der Vaart will make his league debut after missing the Depor game through suspension, while Italy defender Fabio Cannavaro could return after injury.
Barca return to home turf looking for their first points and face a tough task against Racing Santander on Saturday.
The defeat for Pep Guardiola's side at Numancia did little to convince Barca fans he will able to improve on Frank Rijkaard's disappointing season.
Early pace-setters Atletico Madrid visit Valladolid on Saturday and are trying to keep their feet on the ground.
Qualification for the Champions League group stage with a 4-0 demolition of Schalke 04 was swiftly followed by a 4-0 hammering of Malaga at the Calderon on the opening day of the season.
"It's understandable the fans have high hopes but it is still early days," cautioned Atletico defender Pablo Ibanez.
Villarreal host Deportivo on Sunday after drawing 1-1 in their opening game at Osasuna, and will be without suspended defender Diego Godin.
New Valencia coach Unai Emery will hope to build on his side's impressive 3-0 victory over Real Mallorca when he returns to his former club Almeria, also on Sunday.
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 17, 2008 3:08:18 GMT
September 14, 2008 Almeria 2-2 Valencia
Real Madrid 4-3 Numancia
Villarreal 1-0 Deportivo La Coruña
Getafe 0-0 Real Betis
Málaga 0-0 Athletic Bilbao
Mallorca 1-1 Osasuna
Recreativo Huelva 0-1 Espanyol
September 13, 2008 Sevilla FC 4-3 Sporting Gijon
Valladolid 2-1 Atlético Madrid
Barcelona 1-1 Racing Santander
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 17, 2008 3:09:48 GMT
Promoted Numancia twice took the lead before falling 4-3 to champions Real Madrid at the Bernabeu in the Primera Liga on Sunday.
The newcomers from Soria, who beat Barcelona 1-0 on the opening day of the season, took an early lead through Juan Carlos Moreno. Jose Barkero restored their advantage just after Guti had levelled for Real.
Gonzalo Higuain, Rafael van der Vaart on his league debut, and an own-goal from Domingo Cisma gave the home side what appeared to be a comfortable 4-2 halftime lead.
But Bernd Schuster's side were the ones hanging on at the end after Moreno's superb second-half free-kick had the visitors chasing an unlikely point in the closing stages.
"It was to be expected. These games after international weeks are always the hardest," Schuster said.
"When we were 4-2 up we didn't manage the game very well. We deserved to win by more but eased off too much in the second half."
Valencia and Almeria are second and third respectively with four points each after drawing 2-2 in Almeria thanks to Spain striker David Villa's second-half equaliser.
Earlier, Spain striker Luis Garcia snatched a late winner to give Espanyol a 1-0 away win over Recreativo Huelva and top place in the Primera Liga.
Espanyol have six points from two games, after beating Valladolid 1-0 at home in their season opener, and are two ahead of the pack with one match still to play this weekend.
Villarreal edged Deportivo Coruna 1-0 at home with a fine turn and shot from outside the area by Spain winger Santi Cazorla, in the first half.
Getafe joined Villarreal on four points after drawing 0-0 at home with Real Betis, missing out on the chance to join Espanyol at the top when Juan Albin crashed a late penalty against the crossbar.
Sevilla are second in the standings with four points on goals scored, after surviving a seven-goal thriller to beat promoted Sporting Gijon 4-3 at the Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday.
SWIFT REPLY
Real, who lost 2-1 at Deportivo Coruna in their season-opener, were behind after only seven minutes when Moreno was gifted a free header at a corner.
Guti's long-range effort deflected off a Numancia defender to level the scores at 1-1 in the 19th, Real's 5000th goal in league competition.
But Numancia's Barkero thumped a 20-metre drive into the top corner three minutes later, prompting another swift reply from the home side when Ruud Van Nistelrooy fed Higuain to level again at 2-2.
Van der Vaart's snap shot beat Juan Pablo Colinas at his near post in the 34th and Cisma headed into his own net at a corner just before the break.
Numancia continued to press forward. Moreno curled a superb freekick in over the wall in the 57th and Real were against the ropes when Gorka Brit just failed to get a touch on a cross at the back post, in injury time.
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 17, 2008 3:11:07 GMT
Come on Real, 2 league games, 5 goals conceded and 3 of them were from corner kicks. Watched the game. Pepe and Diarra were hardly man marking at all and the scorer from Numancia ran in without being man marked whilst Salgado got out muscled. More training drills needed from defensive set piece.
Attacking looked restored with dangerous runs from Robben and VDV continually threatening and Van Nistelrooy turned provider in 2 occassions. Good on him!
This week against Bate in CL, we can afford defensive slip ups. We have good natural finishers upfront hence we won't be that wasteful. Wonder why Cannavaro didn't play that game. He certainly played for Italy in the WCQ. We should go back to last year's defense partnership.
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 23, 2008 16:41:36 GMT
Real Madrid midfielder Wesley Sneijder believes city rivals Atletico could mount a genuine title challenge to his side and Barcelona this season.
Atletico have not claimed any major silverware since winning the Primera Liga and Copa del Rey double in 1996, but they have shown gradual improvement in the last four years with league finishes of 11th, 10th, seventh and then fourth last season.
Despite that, the Rojiblancos have still provided little competition to Real Madrid in recent times, finishing a combined total of 37 points adrift over the last two campaigns as their rivals recorded back-to-back titles.
Sneijder believes it could be a different story this season though, with Atletico starting the campaign in impressive form after strengthening well over the summer.
When asked if he thought Barca would be their biggest rivals for the title, Sneijder told AS: "Yes, but we also need to be careful about Atletico Madrid. They have a very strong team.
"I saw them in the game against PSV Eindhoven, they won 3-0 (in Holland) and it's not easy to do that there. It seems as though it was easy, but it's not.
"Atletico have a very strong team to win the league."
As for their rivals from the Nou Camp, Sneijder added: "Barcelona have many quality players, but they are still not a team. I've seen two of their games.
"Although it's true that at the end Barcelona and Madrid will be fighting for the title."
Sneijder has missed the start of the season due to injury and when he returns to action, which is set to be the October 5 match against Espanyol, he will rejoin a Madrid team without the mercurial skills of Robinho.
The Brazilian left the Spanish giants in ignominious fashion earlier this month to join Premier League club Manchester City.
Sneijder believes it is right that an unsettled player should be able to move on, but feels Robinho was wrong to say he would rather be a travelling salesman than continue playing with Madrid.
"When a player has decided to leave it's best that he is allowed to leave. It's good for the club, for us and for him. Robinho is a very good player," said Sneijder.
"He wanted to go, although in my opinion he should never have talked about Madrid like that. I don't like it that he talks about the best club in the world this way."
My money's on Villareal being more likely to challenge for the title. They have a deeper squad than Atletico which will help with the CL as well.
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 25, 2008 2:19:04 GMT
September 24, 2008 Sevilla FC 2-0 Espanyol
Real Madrid 7-1 Sporting Gijon
Getafe 1-2 Atlético Madrid
Villarreal 2-0 Racing Santander
Barcelona 3-2 Real Betis
Osasuna 0-0 Deportivo La Coruña
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Post by Bismarck on Sept 28, 2008 1:05:37 GMT
Ruud van Nistelrooy grabbed an injury-time goal to give Real Madrid a 2-1 win at Real Betis in the Primera Liga on Saturday after two players were sent off.
The last-gasp victory kept the champions a point behind new leaders Villarreal who won 1-0 at promoted Sporting Gijon thanks to a second-half goal by Italian striker Giuseppe Rossi.
Villarreal have 13 points from five games but, with the bulk of the weekend matches being played on Sunday, Valencia could regain top spot if they win at home to Deportivo Coruna.
Real Madrid, who visit UEFA Cup holders Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League on Tuesday, had a hard time collecting the points in Seville after a convincing first half performance.
Their Argentina defender Gabriel Heinze opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a close-range header that flew inside the far post after a free kick from the left by Ruben de la Red.
An unmarked de la Red then came close to scoring 10 minutes later when he forced a full-stretch save from Betis goalkeeper Castro Espinosa with a powerful shot from outside the area.
The home side almost equalised in first-half stoppage time through Cameroon midfielder Achile Emana whose shot was parried on to the post by Madrid keeper Iker Casillas after a neat pass from Mehmet Aurelio had set up the chance.
Betis did level the scores early in the second period when Madrid's Brazilian defender Marcelo conceded a penalty and was sent off after a reckless challenge from behind on Damia Abella.
Casillas got a hand to Sergio Garcia's spot kick but the Betis striker slammed the rebound into the net. Garcia was then sent off after being shown a second yellow card in the 82nd minute for a tackle on substitute midfielder Royston Drenthe.
In stoppage time, Van Nistelrooy beat his marker Juanito with a powerful run down the right and fired a low cross shot past Castro to secure the points for the visitors.
Crowd trouble forced the Primera Liga match between Espanyol and Barcelona to be halted for several minutes during the second half on Saturday.
Home side Espanyol were 1-0 in front when television pictures showed a flare being lobbed from the upper stand in the direction of the fans below, leading referee Medina Cantalejo to take the players off the pitch for almost ten minutes.
The game was eventually restarted and Thierry Henry profited from a defensive mix-up to poke into an empty net and cancel out Coro's opener for Espanyol.
Then a controversial last-gasp penalty allowed Lionel Messi to give Barcelona an unlikely, but deserved, victory.
Villarreal, who host Celtic in the Champions League on Tuesday, had to wait until the second half before opening the score at Gijon when Rossi picked up a loose ball in the area and gave Sporting goalkeeper Ivan Cuellar no chance.
It was a frustrating night for Sporting whose Croatian striker Mate Bilic spurned several chances. They are rooted to the bottom without a point, having already conceded 20 goals.
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Post by Bismarck on Oct 6, 2008 22:39:13 GMT
A second-half goal from Manuel Fernandes gave Valencia a 1-0 victory at Real Valladolid and saw them regain top spot in the Primera Liga on Sunday.
The victory helped Valencia draw alongside Villarreal on 16 points from six games but they have the superior goal difference.
Fernandes collected the ball outside the box and struck home a low shot to secure his fifth victory of the campaign.
Real Madrid twice came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw with Espanyol at the Bernabeu.
Raul Tamudo's 21st-minute penalty gave the visitors the lead but Raul levelled four minutes later.
Luis Garcia's nicely hit chip restored the lead on 31 minutes for Espanyol before Raul slipped through the visitors' defence and levelled in first-half stoppage time as Real moved to fifth on 13 points.
Earlier on Sunday, Sevilla moved to within two points of the pace with a 4-0 demolition of Athletic Bilbao.
Mali striker Frederic Kanoute broke the deadlock after a scrappy opening from Sevilla, slipping home the opener on 26 minutes after an error from Bilbao defender Mikel Balenziag.
Renato doubled the lead five minutes before the break before second-half goals from Adriano Correia and Ernesto Chevanton completed the rout which put Sevilla on 14 points.
Sporting Gijon broke a five-game losing streak with a 2-0 win at Real Mallorca which lifted them from the bottom of the table at the expense of Real Betis, who lost 2-1 at Villarreal on Saturday.
Almeria scored twice in the final minutes to carve out a 2-2 draw at Getafe, Alvara Negredo scoring with three minutes to go and Chico adding a second a minute into injury time to earn a point that put them in sixth spot.
A brace from Raul. He showed his sharpness and his worth as a proven striker with 2 well taken chances. Good on him. Taken the load off Van Nistelrooy. He's been the only sound striker hitting the back of the net. Higuain's good but only seems to score goals coming off the bench. No doubt, we need scorers like him.
A striker and defender will be coming in January. Wonder who'd be coming in?
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Post by Bismarck on Oct 18, 2008 23:33:28 GMT
Gonzalo Higuain's last-gasp penalty broke Atletico Madrid hearts as Real continued their impressive unbeaten streak at the Vicente Calderon with all three points from a fiery derby.
Real, who have not lost a league game in their neighbours' back yard since the 1998/99 season, took a first-minute lead through Ruud van Nistelrooy but Simao Sabrosa's 89th-minute free-kick looked to have saved Atletico.
However, Higuain showed nerves of steel deep into injury-time to slot home the winner from the spot after John Heitinga had brought down fellow Dutchman Royston Drenthe in the box.
Both teams had also played over half the match with only 10 players after Luis Perea and Van Nistelrooy were shown straight red cards in separate first-half incidents.
The defeat was an agonising way to end a turbulent week for Atletico, who on Thursday had received a temporary reprieve from the stadium ban and fine handed down to them by UEFA following incidents during the recent Champions League match against Marseille.
With that punishment on hold, Atletico could focus all their energies on this derby match and confidence was high in the Rojiblancos camp that they could end that dismal run against their neighbours.
However, that optimism was quickly doused as for the second successive year Real scored inside the opening minute.
Last season Raul broke the deadlock after 48 seconds, but his strike partner Van Nistelrooy managed to eclipse that mark with an effort that Atletico goalkeeper Leo Franco will feel he should have done much better with.
The Argentinian, who was captaining the side in the absence of Maxi Rodriguez, had left a huge gap at his near post and he was unable to make up the ground when Van Nistelrooy tried his luck with a snapshot from 25 yards out.
That goal came inside the first 40 seconds and was just the sort of start Atletico would have been hoping to avoid.
It almost got worse though as Leo Franco was twice called into action in the next three minutes to twice deny Wesley Sneijder as Real threatened to swamp their rivals.
Atletico briefly gave their fans something to cheer with decent efforts from Mariano Pernia and Sergio Aguero, but those were rare moments of light in what turn out to be a nightmare opening half-hour for the Rojiblancos.
Javier Aguirre's side had already seen Real have two 'goals' through Van Nistelrooy and Raul ruled out for marginal offsides before they lost defender Perea to a sending-off in the 29th minute.
The full-back was shown a straight red card when his flailing arm caught Sneijder in the face as he was looking to shrug off the Dutchman's challenge near the halfway line.
At that stage it looked as though Atletico were on their way to a hiding, but they received an unexpected - and much needed - boost in the 38th minute when Van Nistelrooy also saw red for a scything challenge on Maniche.
With both teams down a man less and Atletico still trailing, the start of the second half proved to be an open and exciting affair, with Ever Banega and Maniche firing just wide for the hosts at the other end Leo Franco did well to deny Higuain twice and then Ruben de la Red.
Aguero then missed a gilt-edged chance in the 57th minute when he broke clean through after turning Fabio Cannavaro near the halfway, but the in-form Argentinian ace dragged his shot wide of the far post with just Iker Casillas to beat.
Atletico were starting to take control of the match and Maniche and Diego Forlan both tested Casillas.
The match then went through a 15-minute lull when neither side looked overly inclined to push forward in numbers.
That changed in the closing stages though as Atletico set about trying to salvage something from the match, and only a crucial last-ditch Pepe block denied Aguero.
But as Atletico sent more men forward they left increasingly bigger gaps at the back, and Higuain and Rafael van der Vaart almost capitalised in one late breakaway, with Leo Franco just managing to deny the Real duo.
The Rojiblancos survived that scare though, and it proved a critical incident as within moments of that they had equalised through Simao's brilliant late free-kick.
That looked to be enough to earn Atletico a share of the spoils, but there was to be a late twist in the tale as Higuain's penalty claimed derby glory for the reigning Spanish champions.
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Post by Bismarck on Oct 26, 2008 20:09:19 GMT
Barcelona produced a wondrous first-half display to sweep aside Almeria in the sides' Primera Liga clash at the Nou Camp on Saturday night and secure their ninth consecutive win in style. Click here
Samuel Eto'o bagged a first half hat-trick and further goals from Thierry Henry and Dani Alves saw Pep Guardiola's side race into a five-goal lead at the interval.
And Almeria were forced to play the entire second half with 10 men after Alvaro Negredo was dismissed for a frustrated lunge on Rafael Marquez.
It was the Catalans' second 5-0 win in a week after Wednesday's demolition of FC Basle in the Champions League.
And Barcelona came into this came on the back of eight successive victories in total.
The Catalans had scored 29 times in 10 matches to become Europe's most prolific attacking side this season, but Guardiola rejected comparisons with Johan Cruyff's mythical 'Dream Team' in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
However, Barca quickly had their fans drooling again with their penetrating brand of touch football.
Just five minutes had elapsed when the first goal went in.
Yaya Toure's ball from deep was only half-cleared by the Almeria defence and Eto'o pounced on the rebound to give Barcelona a perfect start.
Eight minutes later, the Catalans went two up as Messi set up Henry and the Frenchman slotted home from close-range.
Almeria had again failed to clear their lines and were punished once more.
But Barcelona were practically unplayable at this point and raced into a three-goal lead after 20 minutes.
Andres Iniesta found Xavi in the area and the star of Spain's Euro 2008 win waited for Almeria keeper Diego Alves to commit himself before sliding a perfectly-weighted ball across to Eto'o, who rolled his shot into the empty net.
It was all too easy for the home side and three became four shortly afterwards, when Messi got to the byline and rolled the ball back for the advancing Eto'o, who finished at the second attempt from close-range with an improvised back-heel.
Already four goals down, Almeria's early misery was compounded on the half-hour mark, when Negredo scythed down Marquez close to the corner flag and received a straight red card.
Barcelona continued to look like scoring with every attack and duly went five goals ahead after 37 minutes.
There appeared little danger as Dani Alves lined up a free-kick from long-range, but the Brazil full-back unleashed a vicious low drive which found its way through the wall and bounced just in front of his namesake Alves in the Almeria goal before flashing into the keeper's bottom right-hand corner.
With the game well and truly won, Barca began the second half at a slower pace.
And Almeria created the first chance of the second half, when Guilherme rifled a shot against the crossbar from long distance after 47 minutes.
Barcelona remained a joy to watch, though, and Henry brought the ball down gloriously in the area after 51 minutes, but was unable to hit the target on the turn.
Two minutes later, the former Arsenal forward set up Iniesta in the area, but the Spain midfielder unselfishly pulled the ball back across goal instead of shooting himself and Almeria cleared.
Bojan Krkic, Alexander Hleb and Victor Sanchez all came on in the latter stages, but Barcelona were unable to add to their tally.
Eto'o came closest with a low shot after being set up by Carles Puyol, but Alves made a fine save with his left foot.
Barca were nevertheless given a rapturous ovation on leaving the pitch and the win sees the Catalans move provisionally to the top of the Primera Liga, where they sit level on points with Valencia, who travel to lowly Recreativo Huelva on Sunday.
Almeria remain in sixth, but could drop several places after Sunday's matches.
Struggling Osasuna were still seeking their first win this season after losing 2-0 at home to Real Betis in the Primera Liga on Saturday.
Turkey midfielder Mehmet Aurelio gave Betis the lead with a freekick that flew through the wall just after the interval, and Argentine striker Mariano Pavone scrambled home the second after home keeper Ricardo Lopez spilled a freekick at the end.
Former Spain coach Jose Antonio Camacho took charge of Osasuna two weeks ago, replacing the sacked Jose Angel Ziganda, but has failed to inspire a change in fortunes so far with two consecutive defeats to his name.
Betis climbed to 12th on eight points from eight games with their second win. Osasuna are second bottom with four points from eight games.
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Post by Bismarck on Nov 9, 2008 15:57:27 GMT
Gonzalo Higuain struck all four goals as 10-man Real Madrid won an astonishing encounter against Malaga at the Bernabeu on Saturday night. Click Here!
Higuain was the star man on a crazy night in the Spanish capital, which saw Madrid trail three times and have Sergio Ramos sent off in the first half before the champions finally prevailed to claim their seventh win of the season.
The match was a rollercoaster affair that also produced three penalties, eight yellow cards and enough incident to ensure the encounter will be talked about for a long time to come.
Madrid started the clash amid talks of crisis following three defeats in their last five outings, and those alarm bells started to ring a little louder when Malaga took the lead inside six minutes.
Eliseu was both the architect and the scorer of the goal, although there was also a degree of fortune thrown in as well.
The Portuguese did superbly to skip around the challenges of Marcelo and Gabriel Heinze and although his cross was cut out by Fernando Gago, the Madrid midfielder's attempted clearance struck the post and Eliseu was on hand to take advantage of the lucky break to slot home.
Madrid would have been desperate to avoid just such a start, but Bernd Schuster's men showed good fighting spirit to get back on level terms almost immediately.
Guti's neat pass put Marcelo through, and when the Brazilian's rasping shot was parried by Francesc Arnau, Higuain was on hand to tap the rebound into the empty net.
Madrid then laid siege to the Malaga goal with Dutch trio Wesley Sneijder, Rafael van der Vaart and Royston Drenthe all going close, before the visitors stunned their hosts by re-taking the lead in the 18th minute.
Duda sent a low cross in from the left and Nabil Baha got in behind Heinze to power a first-time shot past the helpless Iker Casillas, with the home side left appealing in vain for offside.
Malaga, roared on by a sizeable and noisy support, were understandably brimming with confidence at that stage and they looked more like the home side as they caused Madrid more than a few headaches with their fast breaks.
That was not enough to keep Malaga ahead until half-time though, as Madrid equalised through Higuain's penalty eight minutes before the interval.
Malaga centre-back Welington inexplicably stuck out an arm to block Higuain's attempted scoop through to Guti and, after referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez had deemed the offence to have taken place inside the box, the Argentinian rifled home the resulting penalty.
An exciting first half then ended in controversial circumstances with Ramos being shown a straight red card after standing on the chest of Eliseu following a challenge on the Malaga goalscorer near the halfway line.
The difference in numbers was not immediately obvious at the start of the second half with Madrid giving as good as they got.
Malaga's decision not to go all-out on attack looked justified when in the 70th minute they took the lead for the third time through Apono's penalty.
Duda went crashing in the box under Gago's clumsy challenge and Apono sent the visiting fans wild by smashing his spot-kick in off the underside of the bar.
That could have been the end of Madrid, but Higuain, not for the first time, had other ideas.
Just moments after Apono had put Malaga ahead, Higuain charged at the heart of the Andalusian side's defence before lashing a low 25-yard effort into the bottom corner to level the scores up at 3-3.
That was not the end of the goalscoring though, as Higuain then astonishingly put Madrid ahead seven minutes later having won another penalty.
Higuain went crashing as he attempted to squeeze between two Malaga defenders to get on the end of a cross, and although it looked a debatable decision, the Madrid striker took advantage as he slotted home at the second attempt after Arnau had saved his penalty.
Incredibly, Madrid almost added a fifth when Van der Vaart got in behind the visiting defence, but although he could not take advantage, it did not prove costly as the champions held out for a remarkable and morale-boosting victory.
Barcelona went back to the top of La Liga after they thumped Vallodolid 6-0.
Barca blew their visitors out of the water in the opening half at the Camp Nou with Samuel Eto'o bagging four goals.
Eto'o notched his first in the 12th minute when Dani Alves threaded a ball through the Vallodolid defence, allowing the Cameroon international to cut inside and finish with his left foot.
It was 2-0 on the half hour when Eto'o turned home Thierry Henry's rebounded shot from 12 yards.
Three minutes before the break Eto'o completed his hat-trick, rounding Sergio Asenjo after a cute ball from Lionel Messi.
Just two minutes after that Eto'o bagged his fourth after a Messi dribble deflected off a defender right into his path.
In a perhaps predictably lacklustre second half Barca squandered a number of chances with the visitors just content to try and prevent a heavier beating.
But they went five down when Eidur Gudjohnsen dinked a shot over Asenjo after a through ball from Henry.
Henry finally got on the scoresheet after being set-up by another former Arsenal player, substitute Alexander Hleb.
Hleb swapped passes with Xavi and squared for Henry when Asenjo came out to meet him. The win now means Barca already have a goal difference of plus 26.
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Post by Bismarck on Nov 18, 2008 16:35:05 GMT
Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o has urged his club to make another addition to their galaxy of attacking talent by signing Lyon and France star Karim Benzema.
Benzema, the French league's leading scorer and stand-out talent, last week spoke of his desire to play for one of Europe's heavyweight teams in the coming years.
And he would be welcomed with open arms at Barca by Eto'o, even though the Spanish giants already have the likes of Thierry Henry and Lionel Messi on their books.
"Barca are the biggest club in the world and the biggest club in the world need the best players in the world," he said. "Benzema is in that category at the moment."
Eto'o, in his interview with French daily L'Equipe, poured cold water on speculation linking him with a move to AC Milan by saying he wanted to stay at Barca until his contract expires in 2010.
The 27-year-old is now flourishing with the Blaugrana after appearing to be on his way out during the summer, when he was given the cold shoulder by new coach Pep Guardiola and placed on the transfer list.
When his time at the Catalan side comes to end, he has set his sights on drawing the curtain on a distinguished career by playing a season in France and having another year at old club Mallorca.
"I dream of one day playing for Marseille, even though I am a Parisian," added Eto'o, who grew up in the French capital and owns an apartment in the city. "France, for me, is like Cameroon. So at the end of my career, when the time comes where my body is telling me to stop, I will perhaps play a last season in France.
"And also a season in Mallorca. I really owe them that."
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Post by Bismarck on Nov 23, 2008 13:58:35 GMT
Real Madrid earned coach Bernd Schuster some breathing space with a much-needed victory over lowly Recreativo Huelva tonight, but it was far from comfortable viewing for the home fans at the Bernabeu.
Madrid, having lost four of their previous eight competitive matches, had come into the match with the spotlight still firmly on Schuster despite this week's vote of confidence from sporting director Predrag Mijatovic.
But despite struggling to overcome second-bottom Recre, Madrid managed to claim the spoils thanks to Wesley Sneijder's deflected first-half piledriver.
Madrid's quest for a much-needed second goal was badly hit with 15 minutes to go when Gonzalo Higuain was stretchered off with a serious-looking injury.
There was an edgy atmosphere and plenty of empty seats at the Bernabeu at the start of the game, and an injury-hit Madrid side did little to lighten the mood with a nervous start.
They looked disjointed and unsure in the opening 10 minutes, and were extremely fortunate not to be a goal behind as well.
Javier Camunas had already seen one decent effort saved by Iker Casillas when he was presented with a glorious chance in the ninth minute after Sneijder had been robbed of possession.
But, with just Casillas to beat, the Madrid-born forward blazed Javi Guerrero's pass over the crossbar.
That scare at least seemed to wake Madrid out of their slumber, with Sneijder heading a Royston Drenthe cross just before Higuain contrived to miss an open goal.
The in-form Argentinian, who scored all four goals in Madrid's last home match against Malaga, looked to have done the hard work as he latched onto Sneijder's superb through-ball and skipped past Recre goalkeeper Asier Riesgo.
However, with the goal gaping, Higuain failed to get sufficient power on his shot and Nasief Morris got back to block the shot. To make matters worse, Higuain then reclaimed possession but clumsily ran the ball out of play before pulling it back to Sneijder, who slotted it home but then saw his celebrations cut short by the linesman's flag.
The fact the biggest cheer of the opening 35 minutes came with the news that Spain had won their doubles match in the Davis Cup tennis final in Argentina spoke volumes about the encounter.
But, despite their troubles, Madrid did manage to sneak a half-time lead. Not long after Raul had headed a good chance wide, Sneijder broke the deadlock with a 25-yard thunderbolt with his left foot.
The shot took a slight deflection of a Recre foot to help it loop over Riesgo, but nobody in the Madrid side will have cared a jot about that slice of luck.
Recre almost upset things though when Kanga Akale saw his low shot fly just wide of Casillas post just before the break.
Despite Madrid's lead, the atmosphere at the Bernabeu was still eerily quiet at the start of the second half, although Higuain almost gave them something to cheer with an effort that hit the side-netting.
Decent chances were few and far between though, and Madrid's cause was not helped when Higuain was stretchered off in the 75th minute.
Higuain had looked one of Madrid's chief goal threats, but the champions still managed to create a decent chance with him off the pitch.
Drenthe chipped a cross into the box and Guti's header looked goalbound only for Riesgo to superbly claw the ball out.
Madrid had a few scares at the other end as Recre pushed forward in search of an equaliser, but the hosts managed to hold out for what could be an important - if largely unimpressive - victory.
Villarreal started their unbeaten run with a 2-0 home win over Valladolid in April but were always second best at the Madrigal.
Jonathan Sesma scored twice and Pedro Leon made it 3-0 from a free kick just before the interval to earn Valladolid their first away points this season.
Sevilla and Valencia played out a 0-0 draw in the late game.
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Post by Bismarck on Nov 24, 2008 13:58:23 GMT
Seydou Keita grabbed a second-half equaliser for Barcelona as the leaders were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Getafe in the Primera Liga on Sunday.
Getafe successfully shut out Barca in the first half and hit them on the break in the 20th minute when Manu del Moral curled a low shot into the corner from outside the area.
Samuel Eto'o hit the crossbar before the break but Barca missed the cutting edge of Lionel Messi, who was rested with a thigh muscle strain.
Victor Valdes fumbled Juan Albin's shot on to his post in the 71st but Barca levelled a minute later when Mali midfielder Keita headed in Daniel Alves's cross from close range.
Keeper Roberto Abbondanzieri pushed Gerard Pique's header onto the crossbar from a corner soon after as Barca laid siege to the visitors' goal, but they failed to register a 10th successive victory in the league.
Barca have 29 points from 12 games, three points ahead of second-placed Real Madrid and four in front of Villarreal, who both played on Saturday.
Real beat Recreativo Huelva 1-0 at the Bernabeu and Villarreal were beaten 3-0 at home by Real Valladolid.
Fourth-placed Valencia are ahead of Sevilla on goal difference with 24 points after drawing 0-0 at the Sanchez Pizjuan on Saturday.
LATE PENALTY
Sixth-placed Atletico Madrid missed out on the chance to narrow the gap when they conceded a penalty deep into stoppage time to draw 1-1 at Numancia.
Simao Sabrosa sped down the right flank and threaded a ball through for Diego Forlan to give them the lead in the 35th minute, but Javier Aguirre's side lived dangerously on their narrow lead in the second half.
Numancia hit the woodwork and had a header controversially cleared from under the bar by Leo Franco which looked like it might have crossed the line, before they were awarded a last-minute penalty which Jose Barkero put away.
Atletico are on 18 points, ahead of Deportivo Coruna on goal difference after they beat Athletic Bilbao 3-1 at home in Sunday's late game
Osasuna finally registered their first win of the season beating Almeria 3-1 at home to move off the foot of the standings into 19th place above Recreativo.
Alvaro Negredo gave the visitors an early lead from the penalty spot, but they had defender Guilherme sent off in the eighth minute.
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Post by Bismarck on Dec 6, 2008 20:36:27 GMT
Barcelona v Valencia
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola has given his support to striker Thierry Henry ahead of the Primera Liga clash at home to Valencia. The 31-year-old has come under fire for his lacklustre performances since joining the Catalan club from Arsenal last year, but claimed this week he is working harder and running more than he ever did in England.
Henry is set to start up front against Valencia as Samuel Eto'o is suspended after picking up his fifth booking of the season against Sevilla last weekend, and Guardiola insists he is happy with the Frenchman.
"I have read his arguments and I understand them,'' he said.
"Basically because he was chosen as the best player (ever) at Arsenal, he is France's top scorer and a player with a really high level.
"He has the humility and the capacity to do things he didn't do before, he has put himself at the disposition of the club and at his age, having achieved what he has, that's not at all easy.''
But Guardiola disagrees with Henry's assessment of his work-rate.
"With respect to the running, I am convinced he doesn't run that much because we attack so much and so close to the rival area,'' he said.
"I'll convince him and within a few days I will make him change his opinion.''
Guardiola also lauded Henry's role in his team, who lead the Primera Liga by four points from Villarreal after 13 rounds.
"He is there for the team and does what is necessary, and because of that, we are leaders,'' said the coach. "Thanks to the behaviour of Henry and many others.''
Barca have won 10 of their last 11 Primera Liga matches and extended their lead to four points after thrashing Sevilla 3-0 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan last weekend.
But Guardiola refuses to get carried away with his side's successful start to the season, claiming there is a fine line between success and failure.
"We appreciate the praise we're getting, but it's a bit over the top,'' he said.
"The penalty (which wasn't given) to (Frederic) Kanoute (last weekend), I don't think it was (a penalty), but it could have been given and would have changed the game, and we would have been left playing with 10 men,'' he said.
"The line is very fine.''
Andres Iniesta and Gabi Milito remain sidelined for Barcelona and will not feature against Valencia, but Eric Abidal has recovered from injury and could start.
Like Barcelona, Valencia also began the season with a new coach.
Unai Emery took over in the summer and has led the club to third place in La Liga.
Los Che sit just five points adrift of the Catalan outfit in third place and Emery believes his side have a great chance of closing that gap tomorrow.
"Barcelona have a great team, but we have a very good chance of winning, although we'll have to play very well,'' he said.
Emery hopes Valencia can frustrate the leaders by denying them the possession they usually enjoy in their games at the Nou Camp.
"They have many players who can win games and the more they have the ball, the more dangerous they will be, so we have to defend together, put pressure on them and take advantage when we have the ball,'' he said.
Valencia have problems in defence, with Carlos Marchena suspended after his red card in last weekend's win over Real Betis and Alexis in need of an operation.
Ivan Helguera and Curro Torres could feature, but both played the full 90 minutes of Valencia's 1-1 draw at home to Club Brugge in the UEFA Cup on Thursday and the latter has just returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
David Silva, Miguel Angel Angulo and Emiliano Moretti all miss out through injury.
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Post by Bismarck on Dec 6, 2008 20:38:00 GMT
Real Madrid v Sevilla FC
Real Madrid coach Bernd Schuster welcomes back three key players for the Primera Liga showdown with Sevilla, but the champions still have a host of injury absentees as they seek to avoid losing any more ground on leaders Barcelona. Arjen Robben, Gonzalo Higuain and Fabio Cannavaro have all recovered fitness and been named in an 18-man squad as the champions look to bounce back from last week's toothless 3-1 defeat to local rivals Getafe.
That loss saw Madrid slip six points behind pacesetters Barca and if results go against Schuster's men this weekend, then they could be making the trip to the Nou Camp next weekend a massive nine points adrift of Pep Guardiola's men.
To make matters worse, Madrid also have a huge number of senior players missing this weekend, with Ruud van Nistelrooy, Gabriel Heinze, Pepe, Wesley Sneijder, Ruben de la Red, Miguel Torres and Mahamadou Diarra all sidelined for varying periods of time.
That has led to young defender Chema Anton being called up for the first time in the league.
Despite his side's indifferent form and injury problems, Schuster is looking forward to the next four league games, where Madrid will take on fellow high-flyers Sevilla, Barcelona, Valencia and Villarreal.
"I'm calm and happy that these games have come,'' said Schuster.
"In the other matches we've played there was more to lose than gain. Against Sevilla, Barcelona...these are teams who will be good for us and we know that in the space of four games there is a lot to be gained.''
Despite Madrid's lengthy injury list, Sevilla playmaker Renato Dirnei insists they cannot treat the champions lightly tomorrow.
"I think that independent of who plays for Madrid, we know that it is going to be difficult,'' said Renato.
"We could beat them, because they have important players missing and that could benefit us. But I repeat that whoever plays for them it is always difficult to play in the Bernabeu.
"We know that it is going to be a game where they are going to put us under pressure because they need the three points, but we will fight as well because we want to be in the top four and we are going there to get a good result.''
Sevilla are not without their own selection concerns as well, though, with key striker Luis Fabiano - reportedly a target for Madrid last season - missing through suspension following his red card in last weekend's 3-0 defeat to Barcelona.
Luis Fabiano showed his importance to the Sevilla team with a brace in their 3-0 midweek UEFA Cup win over Partizan Belgrade, and Schuster for one is delighted the Brazil international is unable to play this weekend.
"I'm glad that Luis Fabiano is not coming because he is their goalscorer and has a great partnership with (Frederic) Kanoute,'' said the German.
"But Renato is also in phenomenal form, and it is not going to be much easier without Luis Fabiano.''
Aside from Luis Fabiano, Sevilla coach Manolo Jimenez is also without Arouna Kone, Ernesto Chevanton, Lautaro Acosta, Enzo Maresca and David Prieto.
With a dearth of strikers at his disposal, Jimenez has called up young Finnish-born forward Teemu Pukki from the reserves, where he is the leading scorer.
Sevilla are currently fifth in the Primera Liga standings, two points behind fourth-placed Madrid, after taking just one point from their last two matches against Valencia and Barcelona.
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Post by Bismarck on Dec 6, 2008 20:38:42 GMT
Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas insists he is happy in the Spanish capital despite reports linking him with a €150 million move to Manchester City.
Reports in Spain on Tuesday suggested City, backed by the Abu Dhabi United Group, have already taken steps to sign Casillas and are willing to pay the massive buy-out clause in his contract.
It has also been suggested that City will try to tempt the Spain international away from the Bernabeu with an annual wage of around 13 million euros.
But in an interview with the Real Madrid website Casillas moved to put an end to such reports.
"I don't want to talk about it because I'm very happy in this team," he said. "I've been here (in the first team) for nine years and this is bigger than anything else, this is where I'm happy."
The 27-year-old Casillas has been at Madrid since he was eight and earlier this year revealed he would like to become president of the Spanish club once he retires.
He also penned a new contract with his home-town club in February that ties him to Madrid until the end of the 2016/17 season.
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Post by Bismarck on Dec 20, 2008 9:15:59 GMT
Real Madrid coach Juande Ramos said he is looking for a right winger to boost the squad in the winter transfer period and is interested in players in the English Premier League.
The Spanish champions have been hard hit by injuries this season and Ramos said he wants to add a speedy player who can operate on the right with in-form Dutch winger Arjen Robben deployed down the left.
"It will be important for us to boost the squad with a wide right player so we can mount a strong challenge for the Champions League, not just for the league," Ramos said on the club's website.
"There are some interesting players in the English market and I am clear about what I want," he added. "I have told the club what I think and now it's a question of financing."
Real are languishing in sixth place in the Primera Liga with one match left before the winter break, 12 points behind leaders Barcelona who beat them 2-0 at the Nou Camp last weekend.
It was Real's fourth defeat in five matches and they play second-placed Valencia at the Bernabeu on Saturday.
"It seems to me that with Robben on the left and another quick player on the right we will be very complete," Ramos said. "A wide player will give us the strength to confront the decisive phase of the season with enough manpower."
Spanish newspaper As reported on Friday that Real are looking to sign Aston Villa winger Ashley Young and said the English club have set the fee at £30 million
Media have also reported that Ramos wants to bring in Tottenham Hotspur forward Aaron Lennon, who he was in charge of during his spell at Spurs that ended in his sacking at the end of October.
Real have already boosted their ranks with the signing of Dutch striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar to replace Ruud van Nistelrooy who is out for the season with a knee injury.
Ramos has also indicated he needs a wing back and a central midfielder. English club Portsmouth said this week France midfielder Lassana Diarra is set to move to Real but neither club has published any transfer details.
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Post by Bismarck on Dec 20, 2008 9:16:34 GMT
Real Madrid's new head coach Juande Ramos is eager to strengthen the La Liga champions by signing Aston Villa winger Ashley Young, according to reports in the Spanish press.
Madrid based daily Marca claim that Ramos is concerned about the quality of Real's wide men and has identified Young, who the newspaper label as 'the new Beckham', and Inter Milan winger Mancini as the club's top targets.
Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Ramos was known to be scouting for wingers during his time in at White Hart Lane and with the clout of Real Madrid now behind him he is in the position to sign some of the Premier League's top talent.
Ramos confirmed that Madrid would be looking for "new signings" during the January transfer window, adding: "I want two players with quality and fighting spirit who get stuck in."
Villa manager Martin O'Neill described Young as "world class" following the 23-year-old's two goals in the 3-2 victory against Everton last week and the England winger scored again in Saturday's 4-2 win against Bolton Wanderers.
If a predicted price tag of €30 million proves too expensive for Madrid then Ramos' second option would be Mancini. The Brazilian, who like Young is comfortable playing on both flanks, has struggled to break into Jose Mourinho's first team since his transfer from Roma earlier this summer.
Los Blancos have already a confirmed the signing of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar form Ajax and are also looking to add a defensive midfielder following news that both Mahamadou Diarra and Ruben de la Red will be out of action for the rest of the season.
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Post by Bismarck on Jan 14, 2009 22:50:36 GMT
After three defeats in a week and calls from fans for coach Javier Aguirre to be sacked, Atletico Madrid face a daunting trip to Barcelona for Wednesday's King's Cup last 16 second leg needing to overturn a 3-1 deficit.
The Catalans humbled Atletico in the first leg last Tuesday thanks to a superb hat-trick from Lionel Messi and the Argentine forward was on target again on Sunday, hitting the winner in the 3-2 Primera Liga win at Osasuna.
The Atletico players have rallied round Aguirre. Goalkeeper Leo Franco said criticism from fans after Sunday's 3-2 woeful home loss to Athletic Bilbao was unfair while defender Antonio Lopez called for patience.
"The players are the ones who are to blame because he (Aguirre) is not out there on the pitch," Franco said on the club's website.
"We need to try to get back on the winning trail and then I am sure the cat calls directed at the coach will stop."
Atletico's task of stopping Messi and Barca's other prolific forwards, including the league's top scorer Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry, will be complicated by the absence of central defender John Heitinga.
The Dutchman is suspended for one match after he was sent off in the first leg for felling Messi in the penalty area, but Franco said he and his team mates still believed they had a chance of making it through to the quarter-finals.
"We are not going there for a stroll," he said. "We are confident of our chances and I sincerely believe we can do it."
Atletico Madrid winger Simao Sabrosa has not given up hope his out-of-sorts side can upset the odds.
"Against Barcelona we're not going to let our heads drop and we're not going to give the tie up for lost," said Simao, who spent a couple of seasons at the Nou Camp earlier in his career. "We've played three poor matches, we've lost and now is the time to lift ourselves."
Simao also insists the players are behind under-fire coach Javier Aguirre, who was urged to quit the club by disgruntled Atletico supporters during the recent home defeats to Barca and Athletic Bilbao.
"In this team, when we win, we all win together, the same as when we lose. I've played in many teams and had many coaches, and firing the manager isn't the solution," Simao said.
"When you start losing, it's logical for people to look for someone to blame.
"The public have the right to show their discontent. The best thing that they can do right now is to be by our side and support us, because we really notice that. We're the main ones who want to win."
In other Cup second legs on Wednesday, Sevilla travel to Deportivo Coruna with a 2-1 lead from the first leg having also beaten the Galicians 3-1 in the league at the weekend.
Holders Valencia host Racing Santander level at 1-1 and Real Valladolid need to reverse a 3-1 loss at Sporting Gijon in the first leg having also lost to them 2-1 in Sunday's league game.
Struggling Real Mallorca, thumped 3-0 by Real Madrid on Sunday, will be defending a 3-1 advantage at Almeria.
There are two non-Primera Liga teams left in the competition, Segunda B (third tier) sides Poli Ejido and Real Union, conquerors of Real Madrid in the previous round.
Poli Ejido travel to Barcelona looking to defend a 3-2 advantage over Espanyol while Real Union play Real Betis in Seville trailing 1-0.
In Thursday's one remaining match, Osasuna, currently bottom of the league, and Athletic Bilbao are tied at 1-1 following the first leg in Pamplona.Barca for the double...
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Post by Bismarck on Jan 26, 2009 11:21:30 GMT
January 25, 2009
Real Madrid 1-0 Deportivo La Coruña Sevilla FC 0-2 Racing Santander Recreativo Huelva 1-0 Real Betis Málaga 1-1 Atlético Madrid Almeria 2-1 Athletic Bilbao Mallorca 3-1 Valencia Valladolid 1-1 Espanyol Getafe 5-1 Sporting Gijon
January 24, 2009
Barcelona 4-1 Numancia Villarreal 1-1 Osasuna
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Post by Bismarck on Jan 31, 2009 23:51:21 GMT
Arjen Robben inspired Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory at Numancia in the Primera Liga on Saturday, making it six wins out of six for the champions.
Two quick goals at the start of the second half settled the issue, the Dutch winger helping set up Raul for his 307th Real goal, equalling the club record held by Alfredo di Stefano.
Robben then bagged the second with a trademark run in off the right flank and a shot from the edge of the area.
Juande Ramos's side strengthened their hold on second place on 44 points but are still nine short of leaders Barcelona who visit Racing Santander on Sunday.
Third-placed Sevilla, on 38 points, also travel to Sporting Gijon on Sunday.
Numancia's Javier del Pino headed against the post as the home side kept Real at bay in a chilly first-half, with Robben closely marshalled.
However, three minutes into the second period it was Robben's run that created the opening for Raul to slot in Gonzalo Higuain's parried shot.
NUMANCIA REELING
With Numancia still reeling, Robben raced through to score the second in the 56th and the visitors comfortably maintained their advantage despite Fernando Gago being sent off for picking up his second yellow card near the end.
Earlier, Athletic Bilbao came from behind to beat Malaga 3-2 in a pulsating encounter at San Mames.
Promoted Malaga twice took the lead through Albert Luque and Lolo and were close to breaking into the Champions League places.
In-form striker Fernando Llorente set up the first Bilbao equaliser for Fran Yeste just before the break.
Llorente then powered in a spectacular goal in the 71st minute before Markel Susaeta rose to head the winner four minutes from time.
Malaga stay seventh with 32 points, three ahead of ninth-placed Bilbao who travel to Sevilla in the first leg of their King's Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
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