[RiG]

Erm, yeah I know that. My point is considering Mourinho blocked a loan move last summer as he wanted him available for the first team it's quite a reversal for him not figure in his plans.

[The Troll]

RiG, on 07 August 2011 - 10:21, said:

Erm, yeah I know that. My point is considering Mourinho blocked a loan move last summer as he wanted him available for the first team it's quite a reversal for him not figure in his plans.

But the signing of Nuri Sahin made it pretty obvious that Canales didn't feature in his plans. And as i said, he can't play CM or on the wing so didn't fit the system anyway

[capybara]

http://www.laligatal...na-preview/ 4150


1st leg of he Spanish Super Cup tonight(2nd leg wed). A few debuts on the card. Interesting to see how this goes. In the past the big 2 havent bothered to much about cups. But nowadays every game is taken seroiusly. No Cesc tonight but he should be a Barca player by Mon.

[capybara]

http://news.bbc.co.u...ll/14482418. stm

Cesc has arrived

[capybara]

Strike this week end will see all games cancelled,maybe even nx as well.

[Swampy]

Getafe's new season ticket ad campaign is out. It's even better than last season's. Even if you don't speak Spanish you'll enjoy this... (NSFW)

http://www.marca.com...1313680182.html

[Marshmallo]

Swampy, on 18 August 2011 - 15:58, said:

Getafe's new season ticket ad campaign is out. It's even better than last season's. Even if you don't speak Spanish you'll enjoy this... (NSFW)

http://www.marca.com...1313680182.html

Superb

[Swampy]

I just noticed the "i" in Calientes is an ejaculating penis, which elevated this advert from "brilliant" to "the greatest thing I've ever seen, ever."

[Swampy]

OH, AND BY THE FUCKING WAY



Welcome home, Dani

This post has been edited by Swampy: 18 August 2011 - 16:26

[J_Stewart]

Swampy, on 18 August 2011 - 15:58, said:

Getafe's new season ticket ad campaign is out. It's even better than last season's. Even if you don't speak Spanish you'll enjoy this... (NSFW)

http://www.marca.com...1313680182.html

I have absolutely no idea what was said in that, but I can quite comfortably say that might be the best advert ever made.

[fueradejuego]

Confirmed that, following breakdown in talks today, all La Liga games are postponed this weekend.

Next week's game are still scheduled at the moment but if talks do not progress further, they are also under threat.

[fueradejuego]

Swampy,

How do you think Getafe will do this season.

With the signings of Guiza, Sarabia, Lopo and Rodriguez, in addition to Luis Garcia being in charge, do you think they can challenge for a top10 place in La Liga?

Could they replicate their form of a couple of seasons ago?

[Swampy]

fueradejuego, on 20 August 2011 - 10:05, said:

Swampy,

How do you think Getafe will do this season.

With the signings of Guiza, Sarabia, Lopo and Rodriguez, in addition to Luis Garcia being in charge, do you think they can challenge for a top10 place in La Liga?

Could they replicate their form of a couple of seasons ago?

Nah, I think this is a consolidation season, because the central midfield has been downgraded. Juan Rodriguez and Mehdi Lacen are good, solid players... but Derek Boateng and Dani Parejo were great, solid, productive players. That's where we're really going to struggle this season. Elsewhere we're good enough to stay up without much hassle. I'd say around 13th, at least 7 points clear of the drop, which is fine for me. Then a new centre mid for the following season and who knows?

[fueradejuego]

Swampy, on 20 August 2011 - 12:24, said:

Nah, I think this is a consolidation season, because the central midfield has been downgraded. Juan Rodriguez and Mehdi Lacen are good, solid players... but Derek Boateng and Dani Parejo were great, solid, productive players. That's where we're really going to struggle this season. Elsewhere we're good enough to stay up without much hassle. I'd say around 13th, at least 7 points clear of the drop, which is fine for me. Then a new centre mid for the following season and who knows?

Valencia have strengthened very well this season with the likes of Piatti and Parejo being signed.

I would have thought Sarabia would be coming in to fulfill a similar role to Parejo? Following a recently well trodden path of Real cast offs joining Getafe and going on to be successful.

If Guiza can steer clear of injury and score a few goals and a more creative forward thinking player is signed, I think Luis Garcia can lead Getafe back into the top half of the table.

A decent run should achieve that as the bottom end of the table looks like being the usual congested bunch with teams such as Getafe, Gijon, Espanyol and maybe Mallorca comfortably sitting in the middle and just a short winning streak away from challenging for the final Europa League spot.

[fueradejuego]

Looking forward to the new season, whenever it kicks off, and hopefully lots more entertaining football in store this season.

The usual scrap at the top will take place between Barca and Real Madrid.

Madrid have obviously strengthened their squad further this season with Sahin, Coentrao, Varane, Altintop and Callejon (still not worked out that one yet) whilst shedding some of the players who did not fit in under Mourinho such as Garay, Sarabia and Diarra looking like he will move on to.

From their signings, only Sahin is likely to start possibly ahead of Khedira in midfield. Coentrao may or may not start ahead of Marcelo but certainly adds more balance to that side of the pitch and provides the opportunity for both to play as left back and left wing and switch Ronaldo infield or to the right. As for Callejon, Altintop and Varane, they look like having limited opportunities and only really being involved when Mourinho rotates.

Overall, I don't expect much to change in terms of style or tactics really for the season ahead.

Mourinho has managed to successfully generate considerable public support against him in Spain with a number of opposing managers not exactly enamored with his abrasive and, against Barcelona increasingly unhinged, behaviour.

Barca have also sold some fringe players with Caceres, Bojan, Jeffren and Zlatan (now officially confirmed as a Milan player) all leaving and Fabregas and Sanchez coming in with the promotion of Fontas and Thiago from the B team squad. The squad still needs another central defensive option and there is cash available for that. The net spend to date is about E15M taking on board the cash from the sale of Zlatan along with the others.

Stronger in midfield and in attack with players such as Mascherano and Affellay having had plenty of time to adapt now, the one remaining problem is really over the long term position of Puyol. Is he going to be fit enough to last the majority of the season or will he increasingly sit out games through injury?

Thiago is the natural long term successor to Xavi which means is Fabregas competing with Iniesta for the remaining midfield spot given that Busquets or Mascherano will play the holding role?

The squad is now almost strong enough to rotate properly and at home against the likes of Granada and Vallecano I expect Pep will rotate heavily this season.

I think that Barca will take La Liga again this season. It will be close again but I just feel that the hunger is still within the Barca squad. I expect this could be Pep's last season in charge and that will give the team that extra little bit of determination. On an individual level, there is not much between the teams but on a collective level the gap is still there. I know Ronaldo is a great player but for me he epitomises the gap in the collective at Madrid still prone to taking daft pot shots at goal when a pass is the better option and more interested in the personal dual (determined to run and beat Alves each time) as he demonstrated in both legs of the Super Cup. I read a stat from last season which showed Ronaldo took 54 free kicks at goal last season and scored just 3 of them. Since leaving Man Utd, he has arguably become more of an individual.

At the bottom of the league I expect Granada to be firmly rooted along with Rayo Vallecano. The third spot will no doubt become the usual relegation battle royale that we have witnessed over the last few years.

Levante look like they are in trouble. Luis Garcia has left for Getafe and the rag tag bunch of veterans are all one season older. Caicedo has joined on a permanent transfer (Levante's first transfer fee in 3 seasons) but that is purely designed so that Levante can then punt him and clear some debts. If Caicedo goes before the close of the transfer window, I think they are more or less accepting relegation.

Santander are likely to be there or thereabouts too. Hector Cupar is in charge now and a defensive counter attacking approach is likely. Thats fine but who is going to score the goals for them? Dos Santos and Rosenberg's loans have finished and the club is entering administration.

Skirting about the edges here will be Betis and Sociedad but both should have enough to keep them up. Betis primarily due to their mental fans giving the team a real boost at home. Sociedad will be okay subject to key players avoiding injuries and possibly also due to the likes of Granada and Vallecano being pish.

The middle of the table sees the usual suspects of Mallorca, Sporting Gijon, Osasuna (who have lost a few key players such as Camunas, Aranda and Pandiani), Getafe and possibly Zaragoza pushing slightly further up into mid table if Aguirre can continue with his pragmatic ways. Like so many others, Zaragoza start the season in administration.

From this batch, I expect Getafe to push on (although Swampy thinks this is a consolidation season). Espanyol have lost some key players and the possibility of losing Osvaldo remains. The B teamers being promoted are highly praised but inexperienced and an inconsistent campaign looks on the cards. Hopefully Pochettino can continue the good work he has started.

Which leaves us with the likes of Villarreal, Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Malaga and Athletic Bilbao (if I have counted all 20 teams correctly).

Valencia look likely to secure 3rd place again. Emery has done an impressive job there (aside from losing to Schalke last season in the CL quarters) and the club has bought wisely over the summer with Diego Alves strengthening the goalkeeping dept whilst Piatti, Canales and Parejo add strength and quality to the midfield and attack. It shows the transfer policy is working when the likes of Villa and Silva can leave but the club can continue to compete successfully for 3rd place.

Mata is today suggesting he may not leave Valencia which would be another considerable boost.

The massive debt remains but the club continue to tackle this and another decent CL campaign will see this reduced further still. Emery though remains a doubt long term. A new contract was agreed but on reduced terms.

I am worried about Villarreal this season. The loss of Cazorla is absolutely massive and they simply have to beat Odense next week and qualify for the CL or Rossi or Nilmar will be next to balance the books. The first team is still packed with quality though with Valero, new signing Zapater, Mussacchio and everyone's favourite hatchet man, Marchena. But the squad is small. 4th place looks beyond them and I think they will do well to finish 6th.

Marcelino takes over at Sevilla and Monchi has been active in the transfer market as the squad starts to get overhauled with some aging players like Zokora on the way out along with Capel which surprised me. He is a diving wee cheat but he leaves Sevilla a bit light on the flanks which is somewhere they have excelled in recent seasons - its just Perotti and Navas now. With no Fabiano and Kanoute getting on, Negredo should have an extended run in the team and can hopefully recapture the form he showed when at Almeria. Medel and Rakitic have now had time to come in and settle and should play increasingly important roles for the team particularly Rakitic as in recent times Sevilla have played with two destroyers in midfield and required Kanoute to drop deeper and deeper leaving the sole striker isolated.

The team was all over the place last season yet still finished high up. They should be able to replicate this and compete for 4th place.

Atletico are Atletico.Destined to self destruct. A club with a penchant for great attacking players and shite defenders. Whether Manzano can bring some stability I am unsure but for me, its another 8th place (incidentally there is a season long bet between Atletico and Athletic Bilbao - Bilbao are evens which is a great price as far as I am concerned).

Athletic Bilbao look like being the interesting side to watch this season under Bielsa. The squad from last season remains intact with just a few fringe players leaving but Ander Herrara coming in. The squad also contains a number of young players and coupled with the reliance on la cantera, provides Bielsa to work with younger players who he can mould and get to accept his footballing ideas. This was part of his success with Chile - he promoted several young players from a good U20s team who accepted his views and put them into practice.

He has already shown his willingness to experiment with Bilbao playing Javi Martinez in central defence in a friendly and a left winger at left back. If club and manager can adapt to each other, Bilbao could be ready to push for a CL spot but I fear that Malaga will pip them for it.

Again, a side point but Bilbao are 7/1 at +37points on the handicap. Cracking value if you ask me.

Which leaves us with big spending Malaga. As stated above, the signing of Cazorla is massive couple with the players already at the club and those brought in like Toulalan and Van Hoseface and you have the makings of a fine playing squad. Off the pitch Hierro comes in as Sporting Director and Pellegrini has a new contract. The club clearly have a long term strategy and appear to have the necessary stability and intelligence to work towards it.

I expect them to compete for 4th place.


Anyway, thats what I think will happen this season.

Any differing views?

This post has been edited by fueradejuego: 20 August 2011 - 21:21

[craigkillie]

Caicedo signed for Lokomotiv Moscow. He played for them in midweek.

Granada will presumably be loaded with Udinese loanees again - maybe even our big Sissoko will end up there if they can't find anyone to buy him. Rayo Vallecano seem to be taking the approach Getafe adopted in their first few seasons, loaning in a lot of up and coming youngsters. I don't know much about Betis, but I'd guess they'll have enough about them to stay up.

Malaga will be after a top 4 finish, but I'm not convinced they'll do enough to dislodge Valencia or Villarreal from those places, particularly with Rossi staying with the Yellow Submarine. Atletico have made a couple of good additions from Porto, but will no doubt remain unable to defend.

Athletic under Bielsa are a wildcard, because I have no idea how he'll set them up. Keeping Llorente will be a big boost though. I fancy Sevilla to improve a bit on last season, but I can't see a top 4 return for them.

[Bully Wee Villa]

Anyone think Bilbao might be able to sneak a Champions League place this year? Have a soft spot for them.

[G_Man1985]

Real Madrid and Barca have never been relegated from La Liga. Who is the only other team to have achieved this?

[fueradejuego]

G_Man1985, on 21 August 2011 - 14:49, said:

Real Madrid and Barca have never been relegated from La Liga. Who is the only other team to have achieved this?

Athletic Bilbao.

Quite an achievement considering their signing policy.

[Judge]

Fancy taking in an Espanyol game when over in the district next month. Do you guys have any trusted sites that you have bought tickets from or should I always use the official sites. Also does anybody know the easiest way to get from Catalunya Square out to the ground which is about 5 miles away.

This post has been edited by Judge: 22 August 2011 - 18:36

[fueradejuego]

Judge, on 22 August 2011 - 18:35, said:

Fancy taking in an Espanyol game when over in the district next month. Do you guys have any trusted sites that you have bought tickets from or should I always use the official sites. Also does anybody know the easiest way to get from Catalunya Square out to the ground which is about 5 miles away.

Try spanishfootballtickets.com

If it is still going.

[nessies long lost ghost]

Bully Wee Villa, on 21 August 2011 - 14:42, said:

Anyone think Bilbao might be able to sneak a Champions League place this year? Have a soft spot for them.

I hope so as they are the Spanish team I follow. I think finishing in the top 8 again would be success for them. My guess is they'll finish 7th or 8th this season which would be great.

[lichtie23]

So this weeks games are off aswell?

[fueradejuego]

lichtie23, on 22 August 2011 - 20:15, said:

So this weeks games are off aswell?

First round of talks did not bring a solution.

More talks are planned tomorrow but at the moment there still appears to be considerable differences to overcome.

[lichtie23]

fueradejuego, on 22 August 2011 - 20:27, said:

First round of talks did not bring a solution.

More talks are planned tomorrow but at the moment there still appears to be considerable differences to overcome.

So how long they reckon this gona last?