LA LIGA & REAL MADRID

[raul julia]

All they need is a tall striker coz they have lots of good wingers who can cross the ball effectively.....the types of Crouch of Liverpool or Ibrahamovic of Juve could be a perfect target....

[fingolfin]

.. their current line-up is good. all they need to do is play like a team, just what they did in the first games of the year. i dont know what happened to them. crumbled again.

robinho, diogo, cicinho, baptista. guti, cassano, bravo, woodgate, pavon, garcia and ramos are all young talents. their development should be key to their success. The old boys; Carlos, zidane, Beckham, Salgado, Helguera will have at least one more year.

[raul julia]

MADRID, March 3 (Reuters) - Striker Ronaldo has been left out of Real Madrid's squad for the city derby against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
The Brazilian has been criticised by Real fans for below-par performances and hinted last week he wanted to leave. On Thursday Real's new president Fernando Martin said he would not put up with players who failed to put in the required effort.
Real coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro said the player had been left out for tactical reasons.
"I don't think he is being singled out for what happened during the week," Ronaldo's Brazil and Real team mate Julio Baptista told reporters.
"He wasn't angry with the decision.
"On form he is the best striker in the world. We need to remain calm. Next Wednesday we have an important game and he will be well rested for it."
Raul or Antonio Cassano are expected to start up front. Next week Real travel to London to play Arsenal in their Champions League first knockout round tie, trailing from the first leg 1-0.
Real midfielder Guti has recovered from a thigh injury and returned to the squad for Saturday.

[fingolfin]

.hahayz. 3 years in a row with an empty closet. damn, i hate thinking that this is the legacy of Perez. damn that guy. Real has been ousted of the ECC. crap. total crap. I can foresee the departure of Ronaldo, Zidane retiring and so will Carlos. They need to rebuild everything. Start fresh for next season. I have faith in Lopez.
Damn you Perez. He only made a "Corporate and commercial" madrid. Buying "galacticos" was quite impressive and effective at times but the constant manager/coach changes was really hammering the players. I hope Martin will stick it out with Caro Lopez.

[K|D]

If it's any consolation, Perez made Madrid the richest team in the world.... And at the same time, the team went through the worst for the past 3 years... But with all the money they made, let's hope this would be the start of something bigger...

It's something I realized about sports teams, its either you're rich or you're successful -- rarely both...

[fingolfin]

.. in that aspect only one sport firm had it all. Fame. Glory. Trophies.... and that is FERRARI. In football, its really hard to balance between financial muscle in the world market and filling your closet with silver shiny thingies. Well, Manchester United had it once when Beckham was still with them and they won the treble. yes, kid, i hope the money that Perez has garnered will be put to good use such as hiring a VERY VERY good technical and training staff.

[K|D]

i'm impressed with arsenal's back 4.... average age of 20 and they had a clean sheet against real madrid during the knockout stage (add walcott & fabregas, now that's young!) ... hope they go all the way... and i could only expect better things for madrid... with their young players, they just need some more games together and stop changing managers... if i were to pick new players for madrid, i'll get kaka, juninho, and john terry...

[K|D]

Barca vs Benefica, Arsenal vs Juventus, Inter/Ajax vs Villareal, AC Milan vs Lyon...... No Italians pitted against each other..... interesting draw...

[fingolfin]

...damn. arsenal vs. juve. italian teams are really strong in europe. they are consistent. nice to see a portuguese team and a french team in the mix. hehe

.. i want a juve vs barca finals. with juve winning. for the love of del pierro. always the bridesmaid never the bride.

[raul julia]

MADRID, March 11 (Reuters) - Real Madrid had to settle for a 0-0 draw at Valencia in the Primera Liga on Saturday after substitute Ronaldo spurned a golden opportunity to give his side victory when he missed a last-minute penalty.
The Brazilian, who was dropped to the bench by Real coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro, earned the spot-kick after he was fouled by Santiago Canizares but the Valencia goalkeeper atoned for his error when he saved Ronaldo's low shot.
"Things aren't going well at the moment but I can only get out of this situation with enthusiasm and hard work," the striker told reporters after the game.
Real coach Lopez Caro made the surprise decision to leave Ronaldo on the bench after his failure to find the net as Real slipped out of the Champions League in the first knockout round on Wednesday following a goalless draw at Arsenal.
He also left out forwards Antonio Cassano and Robinho, choosing instead to play Raul and Julio Baptista up front.
But the changes failed to add more spark to the Real attack and scoring chances were scarce in the first half as the sides battled hard in midfield and got plenty of men behind the ball.
The first clear opportunity did not come until just before the break when Valencia striker David Villa had a goal-bound free kick tipped over the bar by Iker Casillas.
Valencia continued their pressing game in midfield in the second half and although Real had more possession they had problems getting near the opposition area.
Lopez Caro sent Ronaldo on in place of Raul just after the hour, although it was his strike partner Baptista who almost opened the scoring a few minutes later.
The Brazilian looked certain to find the net when he got his head to a Zinedine Zidane cross but Canizares produced a great reflex save to scoop the ball off the line.
Cassano and Robinho added new life to the Real front line when they too were thrown into the mix in the final 15 minutes.
The Italian had a hand in winning the penalty when he exchanged a neat one-two with Ronaldo a minute from time.
The Brazilian was felled by Canizares as he burst towards goal but was then denied his 11th goal of the season when the Valencia keeper went the right way to save his spot kick.