You can find me on Bobby's blog on Fox. Otherwise, my main blog is & always will be my Atleti blog.

(I'm this Month's fantasy league champion!)

Murcia 2 Racing 1
After 6 rounds without a win, Murcia finally collect 3 points.

Mallorca 0 Athletic 0
Mallorca played with 10 men for 68 minutes & still managed to secure a point.

Deportivo 1 Zaragoza 1
The draw suits neither team. That said, 2 Argentines (Coloccini & DiegO Milito) scored the goals.

Getafe 1 Villarreal 3
A dominant, clinical Villar beat an inferior Getafe. Turkish striker Nihat is back to his deadly form.

Betis 3 Almería 1 
Rubbish Betis won at home, finally...against a 9-man Almeria side, both players sent off within the first 25 minutes.

Valladolid 0 Sevilla 0
Valladolid failed to punish 9-man Sevilla, 51st & 80th minute sending-offs. How? The strong presence of Keita & Poulsen in midfield.

Recreativo 0 Atlético 0 
Is it ironic that the two Italian goalkeepers had brilliant games?

Real Madrid 2 Osasuna 0
Simply put, an effective performance by los blancos, although Osasuna played fairly well for some portions of the game. Oranje on target: van Nistelrooy & Sneijder.

Espanyol 1 Levante 0 
####; Espanyol are annoying me. Easy victory against 2nd division-bound Levante. AS calls describes the game as 'very boring'.

Valencia 0 Barcelona 3
The good news: Valencia are still absolute rubbish! The bad news: Eto'o & Deco are back! If you ever need proof as to why Eto'o is a superior striker when compared to Henry, refer to this game. Deadly accurate display by the Cameroonian. Good performance by Gudjohnsen, too. The bad news for Barça ahead of the big Spanish derbi: Messi will be out injured for a month.

1 Real Madrid 38
2 Barcelona 34
3 Atlético 31
4 Villarreal 31
5 Espanyol 30
6 Racing 26
7 Valencia 25
8 Mallorca 21
9 Sevilla 20
10 Zaragoza 20
11 Almería 19
12 Recreativo 19
13 Athletic 18
14 Getafe 18
15 Murcia 18
16 Osasuna 17
17 Valladolid 17
18 Betis 17
19 Deportivo 14
20 Levante 7

Meanwhile Round 17...Granada 1 Real Sociedad 2
Real end Granada's 4 game winning streak! Granada came out in full force & scored a fantastic goal in the 10th minute. Real equalised in the 26th minute with a deadly strike by Delibasic just outside the box. Granada had a player sent off in the 43' after a dangerous tackle.

In the 2nd half, Granada played a cautious game (simply happy with the draw) while Real pressed forward, creating opportunities. MARCA says that many of these opportunities weren't particularly threatening. The dead-lock finally came to an end thanks to an injury-time goal.

Take it away Chris (who wasn't happy with the state of the pitch)...
"This is a fantastic result for us [...] Other times, we have suffered through mistakes in the dying minutes.

On the sending off of the Granada player (a 2-footed tackle): "It was the right decision."

All in all, important victory for Chris' Basque army. They are now #9 with 25 points, in a very tight table!

Zaragoza 3-3 Espanyol
Great game! Super-sub Oliviera scored 2 late goals to secure a point for Zaragoza. They're manager is still not safe from getting sacked, though.

Levante 0-2 Recreativo
A golden opportunity for Levante to dig themselves out of relegation. They fudged it, of course. Ironically, they dominated long portions of the game.

Villarreal 0-1 Betis
Betis' 1st win after sacking Hector Cuper last week; they scored early & held on.

Sevilla 3-1 Murcia
Hear that? That's the sound of Sevillistas breathing a sigh of relief: they've made it to the top of the half of the table. Luis Fabiano adds 2 more goals to his Liga tally.

Racing 3-1 Mallorca
Some awful decisions by the ref, but at the end of the day, a win is a win is a win. Racing move up to a UEFA spot. Remember the name Smolarek- he's Racing's in-form Polish striker.

Atlético 1-0 Getafe
Ugly, ugly, ugly. 18 cards issued in this game...4 players sent off! 3rd spot for Atleti! Woo!

Barcelona 2-1 Depor
Eh, I expected Barca to win. Depor did score 1st--  surprising 2' goal.

Osasuna 0-0 Valencia
Dreadful. I wanted to jump out the window after watching this one. Valencia crisis is back in full force.

Athletic Bilbao 0-1 Re*l M*drid
Casillas saved Re*'s ####. van Nistelrooy scored the only goal in this very intense game.

1 Real Madrid 35
2 Barcelona 31
3 Atlético 30
4 Villarreal 28
5 Espanyol 27
6 Racing 26
7 Valencia 25
8 Mallorca 20
9 Sevilla 19
10 Zaragoza19
11 Almería 19
12 Getafe 18
13 Recreativo 18
14 Osasuna 17
15 Athletic 17
16 Valladolid 16
17 Murcia 15
18 Betis 14
19 Deportivo 13
20 Levante 7

Round 16 in the Segunda Division...Real Sociedad 0-0 Cádiz CF
"BOREDOM IN ANOETA. Cádiz & Real demonstrated why they aren't on top." That's AS' headline for the game. The article is rather melancholic: "Real & Cádiz. Cádiz & Real. Two clubs with a great history in Spanish football...a lot will have to change if they want to return to the elite upper division." Real Sociedad's headline on the game reads: "Real tried to do it all, but was left with a draw."

Take it away Chris...
"We're disappointed that we didn't score. It's a game that we needed to win, really. We're 5 points away from the team that is in 3rd, so we're still very close, but we know that we can play better. Especially the first half. There is a little worry that we haven't won a game. 1 win in 7. OK, we've drawn 6. But really if we've won 1 or 2 more games, it would look differently."

"We know we must improve on our goal-scoring. We don't concede a lot of goals [...] I don't want to sound negative because we didn't lose & it's a clean sheet. But, yes, we have to improve. We have to put the ball in the back of the net."

"We musn't panic. We know where we can improve. I would be worried if the team in 3rd place was 10 or 12 points ahead of us. Of course, I have a lot of things to think about. Maybe we can change formation. Maybe we can change 1 or 2 players. But, we're still quite close. And, all the while, we're one or two victories away. We didn't reach the same levels as we did against Malaga. We have to reach that standard again. We musn't panic."

Real are now  #9 with 22 points. Next up? Away to Granada 74, #6 with 25 points.

In closing, I'd just like to point out that Cádiz have the best & friendliest supporters in all of Spain, according to a 2006 survey. Why you ask? They consistently see their team play, despite being in the 2nd division. They also cheer opposing teams & players. They also have amusing songs, eg (translated): "Alcohol, alcohol, alcohol! We came here to get drunk & the result doesn't matter!"

Mallorca 1-1 Murcia
Murcia were denied a blatant penalty in the 81'. The draw doesn't help neither team: Mallorca failed to leapfrog to #7 spot while Murcia are too close to the relegation zone.

Deportivo 1-2 Osasuna
Osasuna exposed Depor's frailties in a battle between two clubs flirting with relegation. Super-sub Dady continues to score incredibly important goals for Osasuna.

Recreativo 2-1 Zaragoza
Zaragoza's away form leaves much to be desired. After going down a goal in the 21', Recre came back in full force, dominating play & scoring two goals (25' & 41').

Getafe 2-1 Levante
On-loan Atleti striker Braulio scored two 2nd half goals (60' & 89')  to secure the 3 points for Getafe. Frightening moment for Levante's Iñaki as he dangerously collided with another player's head & fell to the ground, semi-unconscious. He was hurried off the pitch for medical attention & thankfully it appears he's OK. Fellow Levante teammate Serrano also received medical attention after suffering an anxiety attack over seeing his teammate in distress.

Valladolid 2-0 Villarreal
Valladolid played an intelligent game with a 4-3-2-1 formation to see off Villarreal. The Yellow Submarine's attack didn't come alive until Pires was subbed in after HT. Valladolid held their ground.

Betis 0-2 At. Madrid
HAH! Atleti leapfrog Espanyol to #4 spot after winning a very poor Betis side.

Valencia 0-3 Athletic Bilbao
HAH! Athletic's last win against Valencia was 20 years ago! How bad were Valencia? They made Athletic look good, a team that have been struggling in attack. Koeman has his work cut out for him...

Real Mandril 3-1 Racing Santander
It wasn't the greatest game, but they got the job done...

Almeria 1-0 Sevilla
Bad times for both Sevilla clubs, huh? Sevilla lose after an 86' goal was scored. Of course, I should point out that they did play with 10 men for a large portion of the game- Alves was sent off. It looks like the good times are officially over for them: they are 9 points away from 6th place. Their only hope at this point is to finish in the top half of the table & progress in CL.

Espanyol 1-1 Barcelona
Ah....Another result that helped Atleti's climb to the top. Barcelona had a fairly good 1st half & could've put the game out of reach. Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda. Espanyol returned from HT on fire & scored a deserved 68' equalizer. Barcelona are missing the experience of Eto'o & Henry. The injury situation is so bad that they've called up two kids from the B team.

1 Real Madrid 32
2 Barcelona 28
3 Villarreal 28
4 Atlético 27
5 Espanyol 26
6 Valencia 24
7 Racing 23
8 Mallorca 20
9 Zaragoza 18
10 Getafe 18
11 Athletic 17
12 Almería 16
13 Valladolid 16
14 Sevilla 15
15 Osasuna 15
16 Murcia 15
17 Recreativo 15
18 Deportivo 13
19 Betis 11
20 Levante 7

Round 15...Sevilla B 0-0 Real Sociedad.
Sociedad drew against the top B team in all of Spain. An observation by one Spanish daily: Real tend to play with more confidence away from home. Another Spanish daily suggests that it wasn't a particularly inspired performance by Real, who played with 10 men for the last 6-7 minutes of the game.

"It's good that we got this point because Sevilla are a very good team. In the 1st half, Sevilla played well, lots of fast movements & quick touches" said Coleman. "& it's clear that they had the majority of possession. But the 2nd half was different. A bit better for La Real. In other games, we have played better. This certainly wasn't a great game for us."

"The truth is that it was a strange game, with so few people in attendance. It almost appeared like a friendly."

My thoughts? Leaving Sevilla with a point is good! Unfortunately, Real are still struggling to score goals, which is one of the main factors that'll hinder their hope of promotion.

They're now #9 with 21 points--- 10 points away from the league leaders. Next game? Home to Cadiz (#16 with  18 points).

Oh, and here's the official 07/08 photo:

 

 

Villarreal 1-1 Almeria
Villarreal missed a golden opportunity to go tops thanks to a solid Almeria side. Pelligrini criticised Almeria for being 'negative'.

Athletic Bilbao 2-2 Deportivo
Depor score an 89' goal to secure a well-deserved point. Athletic continue to drop points at home.

Osasuna 1-2 Espanyol
A strong 1st half performance (which included two goals) was enough for Espanyol to secure a win.

Levante 4-3 Real Betis
HAHA! Levante win their 2nd game of the season. As one article puts it, they played with heart & determination in front of their frustrated supporters (whistling & chanting).

Atlético 4-3 Valladolid
Lady Luck gifts Atleti victory in the dying minutes. Valladolid scored an injury-time own-goal!

Racing 1-0 Valencia
A game predominately played in the central midfield with few opportunities. Racing score the winner in the 69' thanks to a Canizares' error.

Zaragoza 1-1 Getafe
Both goals resulted in defensive errors. The draw adds more fuel to the 'crisis' fire at Zaragoza.

Sevilla 1-2 Mallorca
'Lots of perspiration, no inspiration' for Sevilla. Mallorca, hm. Who would've thought they would do so well this season? I didn't expect it, that's for sure. Consider them the 'revelation' of Liga this season.

Barcelona 3-0 Recreativo
Comprehensive victory for Barcelona. All goals scored in the 2nd half.

Murcia 1-1 Real Madrid
HAH! That's all.

1 Real Madrid 29
2 Villarreal 28
3 Barcelona 27
4 Espanyol 25
5 Atlético 24
6 Valencia 24
7 Racing 23
8 Mallorca 19
9 Zaragoza 18
10 Sevilla 15
11 Getafe 15
12 Athletic 14
13 Murcia 14
14 Almería 13
15 Valladolid 13
16 Deportivo 13
17 Osasuna 12
18 Recreativo 12
19 Betis 11
20 Levante 7

Meanwhile...Real Sociedad 2-0 Málaga
WOW! I wasn't expecting that...at all. Coleman's white-&-blue army dominated & scored two goals ('9 & 73'). A morale-boosting result for Coleman, the team, & the supporters. Of course, the media outside of San Sebastien is a bit skeptical & believe Real won't return to top flight football next season anyway. 

 

In any case, here are a few excerpts from Coleman's post-Malaga talk:

"The supporters were fantastic. Even from the start when it was nil-nil, if we gave away a pass or missed a tackle, they kept supporting us. I know the players appreciate that a lot. &, of course, the performance was very, very good."

""The team you saw with the youth players coming in at the end-- that's the future of the club. I'm working on that. We're going to try to work with the younger players & give them experience. How long am I going to be here-- I don't know. While I'm here that's what I'm going to do."

Basque clubs, in general, tend to rely heavily on their own youth/B team players. Considering their financial situation, this is the case with Real. Out of a squad of 26, they only have 5 foreign players. A Welshman, an Argentine, a Slovenian, a Chilean, and a Dane

Again, I give Coleman credit for taking on this challenge.. If/when he leaves Real Sociedad, he will be a better coach because of this experience-- experience very few British managers have.

Real climb to #8 with 20 points. Next up? Coleman's side play Sevilla's B team (away). TOUGH GAME!

Deportivo 0-1 Racing
Immense performance by Toño, Racing's GK. 68' goal by Tchité halted Depor's streak.

Espanyol 2-1 Athletic
Just as Athletic thought they would leave Barcelona with a point...Aitor Ocio scored an 89' own goal! Comedy gold.

Recreativo 1-0 Osasuna
Carlos Martins' goal relieves a bit of pressure for Recre while Osasuna suffer their 6th defeat in a row. Do I care? Not really. I hate Osasuna.

Betis 2-1 Zaragoza
Great 1st half for Zaragoza, disastrous 2nd half for Zaragoza. Betis' Argentine striker Pavone scored two late goals to give Betis their 2nd win this season!

Valladolid 1-0 Levante
Ah. Levante are back to their usual, uninspired form. Valladolid deservedly win their 1st home fixture. 63' goal.

Almeria 0-0 Atletico
Dreadful.

Real Madrid 4-3 Mallorca
Robinho lights up the Bernabéu

Villarreal 3-2 Sevilla
####. I was hoping Villar would lose. Senna & Guille Franco were too much for Sevilla to handle. Although Alves was sent off in the 43', Sevilla didn't go down without a fight. Tough loss for them.

Getafe 2-0 Barcelona
Little Getafe win their 3rd consecutive Liga game while Barcelona continue to display poor form on the road. Again, they're desperately missing Eto'o & Deco.

Valencia 3-0 Murcia
Koeman's 1st game as manager. 

1 Real Madrid 28
2 Villarreal 27
3 Barcelona 24
4 Valencia 24
5 Espanyol 22
6 Atlético 21
7 Racing 20
8 Zaragoza 17
9 Mallorca 16
10 Sevilla 15
11 Getafe  14
12 Athletic 13
13 Murcia 13
14 Valladolid 13
15 Osasuna 12
16 Almería 12
17 Deportivo 12
18 Recreativo 12
19 Betis 11
20 Levante 4

Meanwhile...round 12...Real Sociedad 1-1 Celta Vigo.
Oh dear. This is bad. Very bad. Why? Celta played with 10 men for 88 minutes! The sending off (which also included a penalty) is highly controversial, too. "An injustice" & "harsh" as described by a few articles. Real held more than their fair share of possession, but failed to find the back of the net. Celta found an equaliser (from a counter-attack) in the dying minutes.

"It was always going to be a difficult game" said Coleman. When asked why he didn't play with three in the back with the advantage, he said "We had to be careful for counter-attacks."

"We didn't play without passion or emotion. We failed to take chances. We failed to score goals, again. The team is hurting. The supporters are disappointed with the way the club is, where it's going. It's difficult.

When asked, "Don't you think it should be easy to play against 10 men?" Coleman responded, "Yes, of course, 11 against 10 is an advantage. We struggle to score goals. The supporters let us know they weren't happy..."

Coleman went on to say later on in the press talk (more like an interrogation): "The players have strong characters. They're disappointed. They're angry. They're not stupid, they read the news stories written about them by you guys They always try their best. You can criticise us for not creating chances or scoring goals, but you can't criticise them for not trying.

He was also questioned as to why he was hanging out (late at night) with friends before the day of a press talk & they even asked him if this was a norm in England. His response was that it wasn't, obviously, but that he has been away from his family & friends for 5 months & that he apologises to the club, the players, and the supporters..."It's something I should not have done because it gives you guys more [ammo]."

I have to hand it to Coleman: he moved to a completely different country/culture to coach a struggling team.  I listen to the hour (sometimes longer) press talks every Sunday. It's excruciating to hear them fire question after question after question. On one hand, you can't blame them: the results have been just awful. On the other hand, there's not much Coleman can do. A lot of the players were promoted to the top side (from the B team) when there was a massive clear-out the season they were relegated. Not only that, but they're in major debt.

Real Sociedad are #13 with 16 points.

Unless there's a dramatic turnaround, Coleman will be sacked by January.

Lots of 'firsts' in this round.

Murcia 0-2 Deportivo
Depor gave Murcia a lesson on how to attack & score effectively. ZZZZ...

Racing 1-1 Espanyol
Tamudo scored a late penalty to take home a deserved point.

Osasuna 0-2 Getafe
Getafe win their 1st away game against an Osasuna side who couldn't break down their defence.

Zaragoza 2-3 Valladolid
Valladolid pick up a crucial 3 points. Misery for Zaragoza faithful. Here's hoping they survive the drop- they give top sides a run for their money & play attractive football.

Levante 3-0 Almeria
Levante win their 1st game...of the season! Rigano hat-trick. They'll still be relegated, though!

Atletico 3-4 Villarreal
........

Barcelona 3-0 Betis
Barcelona win a toothless, clueless Betis.

Athletic 2-0 Recreativo
Athletic win their 1st home game.

Mallorca 0-2 Valencia
Morientes helped Valencia momentarily forget their crisis while Mallorca were left scratching their heads (they played far better, but couldn't score).

Sevilla 2-0 Real Madrid
Mandril's 2nd loss of the season & one that tightens up the top half of the table. Poor officiating. Schuster immaturely blamed the ref's region of origin (Catalonia) as the reason for some of his decisions.

1 Real Madrid 25
2 Barcelona 24
3 Villarreal 24
4 Valencia 21
5 Atlético 20
6 Espanyol 19
7 Zaragoza 17
8 Racing 17
9 Mallorca 16
10 Sevilla 15
11 Murcia 13
12 Athletic 13
13 Osasuna 12
14 Deportivo 12
15 Getafe 11
16 Almería 11
17 Valladolid 10
18 Recreativo 9
19 Betis 8
20 Levante 4
 
Meanwhile...Round 9...Hércules 1-1 Real Sociedad.
According to one report (unfortunately I only found one unaffiliated with Real), it was a fairly even game. Hercules dominated the 1st half while Real seemed to do much better in the 2nd half. Coleman: "The pitch complicated the game[...] in the 2nd half, we were far more offensive & created opportunities[...] We have been talking about playing youth players, giving them playing time to gain experience."

Real are now #12 with 15 points, in a very tight table.

Next up: Home to Celta Vigo (the other club that were relegated last season).