Found this priceless video on "youtube" (thanks to "CroPETROforever") of when REAL MADRID ruled SPANISH BASKETBALL. That reign ( the 80s) was made even more glorious thanks to Croatian DRAZEN PETROVIC who was the finest European Basketball Player that I have ever seen in Spanish or European Basketball
The player left Real Madrid for the NBA (USA), being a poineer to open the way for other
Monday, February 28, 2011
SPANISH FOOTBALL | ROUND 25 MONDAY NIGHT REUSLT | MALAGA 3 ALMERIA 1
The Spanish Football League ended Round 25 with the Monday Night LIGA match between MALAGA & ALMERIA with the victory going 3 - 1 to the home team. A desperate win for Malaga who are bottomed placed & need all the points they can muster up to attempt to get out & not get caught in the relegation zone.
Malaga - Almeria: Spanish Soccer 2011
It was Almeria that looked good early & was playing
Malaga - Almeria: Spanish Soccer 2011
It was Almeria that looked good early & was playing
SPANISH FOOTBALL LEADING GOAL SCORER - EL PICHICHI - AFTER ROUND 25 SEASON 2010-2011
Firstly , please accept my apologies for the Spanish Football League Leading Goal-scorer "widget" on the right hand side. I have contacted the Football website that they are not updating the goal scoring tally & they have not responded. The site in question - "Footbo.com" - has been losing its "attraction" for some months with some poor service that leaves you wondering why they are still
REAL MADRID | KAKA | PATIENCE IS WEARING THIN
Some say that KAKA came from AC MILAN with injury. Some say that the Brazilian had the 2010 World Cup as his main objective with Brazil & thus placed REAL MADRID as a secondary obligation. The last accusation is out of line & I personally doubt it 100 % , but here are some numbers from the ex FIFA World Player:
9 goals from 33 games ( 8 in 25 Liga matches; 1 in 7 Champions League)
Kaka with
9 goals from 33 games ( 8 in 25 Liga matches; 1 in 7 Champions League)
Kaka with
Sunday, February 27, 2011
ROUND 25 SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS
SPANISH FOOTBALL action this Sunday via LA LIGA & its Round 25 with four matches scheduled. Here is a brief summary of events, the results & the scorers.
Caicedo scores for Levante
LEVANTE settled their game with OSASUNA in 10 explosive minutes with a 2 -1 victory. The game reached its maximum height in the 41st min when PANDIANI put Osasuna ahead. Then Levante reacted in deadly fashion with
Saturday, February 26, 2011
SPANISH FOOTBALL ROUND 25 SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS & SURPRISE
SPANISH FOOTBALL action tonight with five matches scheduled as part of Round 25 of the La Liga.
A 0 - 0 draw result between REAL SPORTING DE GIJON & REAL ZARAGOZA with both teams taking a point each. Not much to really add here at all.
Atletico de Madrid - Sevilla FC
Great game between ATLETICO DE MADRID & SEVILLA FC with a 2 -2 draw. It was end to end stuff with the home side having to
A 0 - 0 draw result between REAL SPORTING DE GIJON & REAL ZARAGOZA with both teams taking a point each. Not much to really add here at all.
Atletico de Madrid - Sevilla FC
Great game between ATLETICO DE MADRID & SEVILLA FC with a 2 -2 draw. It was end to end stuff with the home side having to
Friday, February 25, 2011
ATLETICO DE MADRID MAKES 18M€ OFFER FOR LAMEAL OF RIVER PLATE ?
ATLETICO DE MADRID is a fascinating Club. While there is a debate to whether the Clubs debt is +700€ o +182M€ ( a big difference) an issue that has the Club in courts against those who published the first, the Spanish Football Club is reported from Argentina to have made a 18M€ offer to RIVER PLATE for their "creative" midfielder LAMELA.
Lamela in action
The 19 year old is also said by media
Lamela in action
The 19 year old is also said by media
REAL MADRID FOLLOWING JAVI MARQUEZ OF RCD ESPANYOL ?
According to Spanish Sports paper "AS", REAL MADRID is following RCD ESPANYOL player JAVI MARQUEZ. Apparently the player left a "glowing" impression on Real Madrid Coach José Mourinho last time both teams played & he has asked his "men" to follow the Espanyol player.
Javi Marquez Spanish Football talent
The 24 year old has many Clubs interested, from Valencia to Clubs in the English Premier
Javi Marquez Spanish Football talent
The 24 year old has many Clubs interested, from Valencia to Clubs in the English Premier
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Gameweek 28 Rankings
Clean Sheet Rankings
Clean sheets kept at home/away - opponent failed to score at home/away
Predicted weekly goals in parenthesis
Given their tricky fixtures, United players do not look like the slam dunk picks that Arsenal gave us last week, though they are still, of course, at the forefront of the rankings this week:
Nani - while the goals haven't flowed on the road (2 in 10) compared with at home (7 in 12), Nani's ability to contribute fantasy points from multiple sources (goals, assists and bonus points) make him a consistent performer with a relatively high ceiling. 49 points in his last 6 games rank him up alongside just about anyone else in the league and he is likely the only United midfielder who can be relied upon right now. In 3 games against opponents who concede less than a goal a game (as Chelsea do at home) he has failed to score and added just 10 fantasy points but the Wigan game looks like one in which he may prosper.
Wayne Rooney - like his teammate Nani, Rooney has 49 points in his last 6 games including three double digit performances. He too has struggled somewhat on the road (1 goal in 6) but he is clearly finding form at a good time and possibly has the highest ceiling of all United players this week. His 13% ownership is also a massive plus compared to Berbatov (34%) and Nani (45%) and Drogba owners should not think twice about making this move if they haven't already. Rooney is probably the best play this week taking all factors into account.
Dimitar Berbatov - Berbatov has really struggled away from Old Trafford this season with just 4 goals in 12 games (compared to 15 in 11 at home) and an average of just 3.1 fantasy points. He is also a massive rotation risk for the game with Chelsea as Ferguson tends to favour 4-5-1 with Rooney up on his own in the clashes with the other title challengers. He is course a solid pick for the week but as a captain option I think many may overrate him this week.
Nemanja Vidic - there was a time when United defenders were must own properties who would contribute clean sheets at least a couple of times a month and a player like Vidic may even add bonus points for his troubles. Away from home at least, that has been far from the case this season. Just three clean sheets have been kept on the road this year, though interestingly they were all against quality home opponents (Sunderland, City and Spurs). Chelsea have failed to score just once at home and Wigan have only had three blanks of their own but neither are firing on all cylinders right now and so United have two decent chances at a clean sheet making Vidic a good play, but not a captain option for me.
Carlos Tevez - 30 points in his last two home games makes a former United player hotter than any of his old teammates though the fixture is trickier than it looks (only Chelsea have conceded fewer on the road than Fulham this year). It's very tough to pick against the United players this week but if any is worth a role of the dice it is Tevez. With solid fixtures on the horizon Tevez makes a great buy this week if you are already maxed out on United players.
Darren Bent - moving away from Ferguson's men, Darren Bent has the fixture of the week and he could continue his useful start to his Villa career with another good game. He lacks the high ceiling of some of his United counterparts but if you are a gambling man he might be worth a roll of the dice.
Suspensions
Chaz Adam (don't sell him though!)
Jean Makoun
Thanks for reading and please post questions or comments below or @plfantasy.
Clean sheets kept at home/away - opponent failed to score at home/away
- Man City (8 - 5)
- Man Utd (3 - 3) and (3 - 2)
- Chelsea (8 - 3)
- Stoke (4 - 7)
- West Ham (3 - 4)
- Newcastle (3 - 4)
- Aston Villa (5 - 3)
- Everton (3 - 4)
- Fulham (3 - 3)
- Liverpool (4 - 3)
- Wolves (2 - 5)
- Sunderland (4 - 2)
- Blackpool (5 - 2)
- Wigan (2 - 3)
- West Brom (0 - 3)
- Blackburn (0 - 3)
- Bolton (0 - 2)
Predicted weekly goals in parenthesis
- Man Utd (2.8)
- Newcastle (2.6)
- Aston Villa (2.4)
- Stoke (2.4)
- Wolves (1.9)
- Chelsea (1.9)
- Everton (1.7)
- Blackpool (1.5)
- Man City (1.3)
- West Ham (1.3)
- Sunderland (1.3)
- Wigan (1.1)
- Blackburn (1.1)
- Bolton (1.1)
- Liverpool (1.0)
- West Brom (0.8)
- Fulham (0.5)
Given their tricky fixtures, United players do not look like the slam dunk picks that Arsenal gave us last week, though they are still, of course, at the forefront of the rankings this week:
Nani - while the goals haven't flowed on the road (2 in 10) compared with at home (7 in 12), Nani's ability to contribute fantasy points from multiple sources (goals, assists and bonus points) make him a consistent performer with a relatively high ceiling. 49 points in his last 6 games rank him up alongside just about anyone else in the league and he is likely the only United midfielder who can be relied upon right now. In 3 games against opponents who concede less than a goal a game (as Chelsea do at home) he has failed to score and added just 10 fantasy points but the Wigan game looks like one in which he may prosper.
Wayne Rooney - like his teammate Nani, Rooney has 49 points in his last 6 games including three double digit performances. He too has struggled somewhat on the road (1 goal in 6) but he is clearly finding form at a good time and possibly has the highest ceiling of all United players this week. His 13% ownership is also a massive plus compared to Berbatov (34%) and Nani (45%) and Drogba owners should not think twice about making this move if they haven't already. Rooney is probably the best play this week taking all factors into account.
Dimitar Berbatov - Berbatov has really struggled away from Old Trafford this season with just 4 goals in 12 games (compared to 15 in 11 at home) and an average of just 3.1 fantasy points. He is also a massive rotation risk for the game with Chelsea as Ferguson tends to favour 4-5-1 with Rooney up on his own in the clashes with the other title challengers. He is course a solid pick for the week but as a captain option I think many may overrate him this week.
Nemanja Vidic - there was a time when United defenders were must own properties who would contribute clean sheets at least a couple of times a month and a player like Vidic may even add bonus points for his troubles. Away from home at least, that has been far from the case this season. Just three clean sheets have been kept on the road this year, though interestingly they were all against quality home opponents (Sunderland, City and Spurs). Chelsea have failed to score just once at home and Wigan have only had three blanks of their own but neither are firing on all cylinders right now and so United have two decent chances at a clean sheet making Vidic a good play, but not a captain option for me.
Carlos Tevez - 30 points in his last two home games makes a former United player hotter than any of his old teammates though the fixture is trickier than it looks (only Chelsea have conceded fewer on the road than Fulham this year). It's very tough to pick against the United players this week but if any is worth a role of the dice it is Tevez. With solid fixtures on the horizon Tevez makes a great buy this week if you are already maxed out on United players.
Darren Bent - moving away from Ferguson's men, Darren Bent has the fixture of the week and he could continue his useful start to his Villa career with another good game. He lacks the high ceiling of some of his United counterparts but if you are a gambling man he might be worth a roll of the dice.
Suspensions
Chaz Adam (don't sell him though!)
Jean Makoun
Thanks for reading and please post questions or comments below or @plfantasy.
VILLAREAL 2 NAPOLES 1 | VILLAREAL GO THROUGH TO KEEP THE SPANISH FLAG FLYING
Fantastic news for Spanish Football as VILLAREAL won 2 - 1 Italian Club NAPOLES to go on in the EUROPA LEAGUE competition. It was never going to be easy & the Italians put up a good game & fight but were overcome by a more determined & better Villareal.
Nilmar scores for Villareal
The Italian team via TAMSIK scored first in the 16th min to make us all wonder if the Spanish team could pull
Nilmar scores for Villareal
The Italian team via TAMSIK scored first in the 16th min to make us all wonder if the Spanish team could pull
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
OPORTO 0 SEVILLA 1 | SEVILLA FC ELIMINATED FROM THE EUROPA LEAGUE
SEVILLA FC was always going to find things very difficult at Portugal after losing 1 - 2 in the 1º leg of their EUROPA LEAGUE clash with OPORTO. Tonight they managed to win the 2º leg match against Oporto 0 - 1 but was eliminated. The away leg result was not enough for the Spanish Club & leave the competition with their heads high although that won´t matter much now with the elimination so fresh
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
League Links: February 22
After what seems like an eternity, we are back in action this week with a couple of GW27 stragglers today and tomorrow before a (close to) full program on the weekend. Before we get into the rankings though, let's run around the league and check in with those who tend to know best: the local papers (incidentally, if anyone has a recommendation for a team blog who always get big news, injuries etc right, please pass on the link and I'll add it to the league links review).
The Treatment Room
He's close to returning from injury but Houllier has already stated that Petrov will have to accept platooning with new arrivals Bradley and Makoun. None of this trio are fantasy worthy right now, especially given the risk of losing minutes every other week.
With Sam Ricketts joining Steinsson on the sidelines, Marcos Alonso (4.0m) has a chance to earn some playing minutes for Bolton. Having arrived in the summer from Real Madrid, Alonso has struggled to settle in this term but now has the chance to impress Owen Coyle. The Wanderers' defense hasn't been a great unit this year but anytime you can get a 4m starter it's worth a thought and he could be worth a spot start when Bolton welcome the low scoring Villa to the Reebok.
One man who is hoping to leave the treatment room behind him is Daniel Agger, and so far he looks like one of the main beneficiaries of the Kenny Dalglish era. He looks to be a fairly reliable fantasy pick and at 6.3m provides decent value in an improved defensive side. Unfortunately Liverpool's defensive fixtures look pretty tough but Agger at least deserves shortlisting right now.
Matt Etherington's injury problems have apparently been traced to his jaw line which is misaligned and causing all kinds of other issues. With the problem sorted he will hopefully return to full time action and continue his productive fantasy season. Hold off bringing him back in just yet though.
The Front Office
Kyle Walker will not be moving to Villa Park on a full time basis and Harry Redknapp sees him as a future England and Spurs' right back. At just 4.0m Walker is an intriguing prospect for the remainder of this season and given his lack of total minutes this year he could be undervalued next season and worth keeping in mind.
Mauro Formica arrived at Ewood Park to little fanfare but he's already off the mark for the reserves and he's already turning some heads on the training ground. Steve Kean has labelled Formica as a young Gabriel Batistuta (who of course starred at Newell's Old Boys too) while Spurs favorite Ossie Ardiles has also tipped his compatriot to have success in the Premier League. At 5.5m he looks like he will struggle to make a fantasy impact this year but he could be one worth scouting now to get a jump on next season.
Peter Crouch could be heading to Newcastle to replace Andy Carroll according to sources in the Chronicle.
United's goalkeeper search appears to be starting up again with Huge Lloris once again linked with a move to Old Trafford.
The Manager's Office
Ian Holloway has been in good form again and thinks he has spotted a few tweaks to help keep his team in the league. With 4 of the next 6 on the road and the 2 home games against Chelsea and Arsenal, Holloway better hope those changes stick quickly so the Seasiders can continue their revival after earning 4 valuable points this gameweek.
Harry Redknapp has once again confirmed his admiration for Charlie Adam (though that was before Adam helped Blackpool beat his Spurs side tonight). Adam remains a must own fantasy player while Spurs will be thankful they don't have a game scheduled immediately after the second leg fixture with Milan after struggling again with the 'continental hangover'.
Steve Bruce thinks that Asamoah Gyan might be better off without Darren Bent, and his 2 goals, 2 assist and 4 bonus points in the four games since the mercenary left for Villa Park might be proving him right. His 32 points in the last 5 put him in the same company as Van Persie, Tevez, Rooney and Berbatov yet he costs between 2.6m and 3.6m less. Sunderland's fixtures put a slight downer of his potential but nevertheless I like Gyan quite a bit over the remainder of the season.
The Water Cooler
A timely story from the Liverpool Echo tells how it is 20 years to the day that Dalglish resigned from Anfield. It's been a turbulent time since with plenty of highs and probably more lows so Reds fans will have to hope this term brings more stability to the club.
It looks like a Player of the Season trophy might be finding its way onto Phil Bardsley's mantle and with just 10 games to go he might yet be able to add an aPPMS crown too.
Gabriel Heinze has admitted that he regrets the way things ended at Old Trafford and is looking forward to facing his former team this week.
Yaya Toure thinks that City could be better than Barcelona in "a couple of years" while Ancelotti has written off his team's chance of winning the league this year.
The Treatment Room
He's close to returning from injury but Houllier has already stated that Petrov will have to accept platooning with new arrivals Bradley and Makoun. None of this trio are fantasy worthy right now, especially given the risk of losing minutes every other week.
With Sam Ricketts joining Steinsson on the sidelines, Marcos Alonso (4.0m) has a chance to earn some playing minutes for Bolton. Having arrived in the summer from Real Madrid, Alonso has struggled to settle in this term but now has the chance to impress Owen Coyle. The Wanderers' defense hasn't been a great unit this year but anytime you can get a 4m starter it's worth a thought and he could be worth a spot start when Bolton welcome the low scoring Villa to the Reebok.
One man who is hoping to leave the treatment room behind him is Daniel Agger, and so far he looks like one of the main beneficiaries of the Kenny Dalglish era. He looks to be a fairly reliable fantasy pick and at 6.3m provides decent value in an improved defensive side. Unfortunately Liverpool's defensive fixtures look pretty tough but Agger at least deserves shortlisting right now.
Matt Etherington's injury problems have apparently been traced to his jaw line which is misaligned and causing all kinds of other issues. With the problem sorted he will hopefully return to full time action and continue his productive fantasy season. Hold off bringing him back in just yet though.
The Front Office
Kyle Walker will not be moving to Villa Park on a full time basis and Harry Redknapp sees him as a future England and Spurs' right back. At just 4.0m Walker is an intriguing prospect for the remainder of this season and given his lack of total minutes this year he could be undervalued next season and worth keeping in mind.
Mauro Formica arrived at Ewood Park to little fanfare but he's already off the mark for the reserves and he's already turning some heads on the training ground. Steve Kean has labelled Formica as a young Gabriel Batistuta (who of course starred at Newell's Old Boys too) while Spurs favorite Ossie Ardiles has also tipped his compatriot to have success in the Premier League. At 5.5m he looks like he will struggle to make a fantasy impact this year but he could be one worth scouting now to get a jump on next season.
Peter Crouch could be heading to Newcastle to replace Andy Carroll according to sources in the Chronicle.
United's goalkeeper search appears to be starting up again with Huge Lloris once again linked with a move to Old Trafford.
The Manager's Office
Ian Holloway has been in good form again and thinks he has spotted a few tweaks to help keep his team in the league. With 4 of the next 6 on the road and the 2 home games against Chelsea and Arsenal, Holloway better hope those changes stick quickly so the Seasiders can continue their revival after earning 4 valuable points this gameweek.
Harry Redknapp has once again confirmed his admiration for Charlie Adam (though that was before Adam helped Blackpool beat his Spurs side tonight). Adam remains a must own fantasy player while Spurs will be thankful they don't have a game scheduled immediately after the second leg fixture with Milan after struggling again with the 'continental hangover'.
Steve Bruce thinks that Asamoah Gyan might be better off without Darren Bent, and his 2 goals, 2 assist and 4 bonus points in the four games since the mercenary left for Villa Park might be proving him right. His 32 points in the last 5 put him in the same company as Van Persie, Tevez, Rooney and Berbatov yet he costs between 2.6m and 3.6m less. Sunderland's fixtures put a slight downer of his potential but nevertheless I like Gyan quite a bit over the remainder of the season.
The Water Cooler
A timely story from the Liverpool Echo tells how it is 20 years to the day that Dalglish resigned from Anfield. It's been a turbulent time since with plenty of highs and probably more lows so Reds fans will have to hope this term brings more stability to the club.
It looks like a Player of the Season trophy might be finding its way onto Phil Bardsley's mantle and with just 10 games to go he might yet be able to add an aPPMS crown too.
Gabriel Heinze has admitted that he regrets the way things ended at Old Trafford and is looking forward to facing his former team this week.
Yaya Toure thinks that City could be better than Barcelona in "a couple of years" while Ancelotti has written off his team's chance of winning the league this year.
OLYMPIQUE LYON 1 REAL MADRID 1 | CHAMPIONS LEAGUE 1º ST LEG RESULT
REAL MADRID managed to leave Lyon with a valuable 1 - 1 draw in their 1º leg clash with French Club OLYMPIQUE LYON in CHAMPIONS LEAGUE. Finally the Spanish side manage to score a goal at Lyon & it was a Frenchman from Lyon that had to break the "bad luck" spell.
Benzema scores for Real Madrid
The first half goes to Lyon as they suffocated Real Madrid with pressure Football, with a very
Benzema scores for Real Madrid
The first half goes to Lyon as they suffocated Real Madrid with pressure Football, with a very
ARSENAL FC SIGNS JON TORAL 16 YEAR OLD FC BARCELONA PEARL
There was a very heated arguement last week in the VIP Boxes of the "Emirates Stadium" (London) between FC BARCELONA President Sandro Rosell & ARSENAL FC Chief Executive Ivan Gazdis before the Champions League match between both Clubs. The cause of the anger was 16 year old FC BARCELONA junior midfield player JON MIQUEL TORAL HARPER
Jon Toral Harper
ARSENAL FC has signed the player for
Jon Toral Harper
ARSENAL FC has signed the player for
REAL SOCIEDAD 1 REAL MALLORCA 0 | SPANISH FOOTBALL ROUND 24 MONDAY NIGHT RESULT
There was Spanish Football action last night in the now habitual Monday night & last game of Round 24 of the Spanish League - La Liga. Firstly , excuse me readers & fans for not posting the result last night as was out & got back late :O)
Raul Tamudo scores winner for Real Sociedad
REAL SOCIEDAD was last year were in 2º Division & now is 8th on the Spanish Football League table just 3º
Raul Tamudo scores winner for Real Sociedad
REAL SOCIEDAD was last year were in 2º Division & now is 8th on the Spanish Football League table just 3º
Monday, February 21, 2011
OBAMA AT ATLETICO DE MADRID | FUTURE PROMISE
Did you know ATLETICO DE MADRID has OBAMA? No, not US President Barack Obama, but SALOMON BARACK ( 04.02.2000) a young Football player from African country Equatorial Guinea, a Spanish speaking nation which was an ex-Spanish colony.
The 11 year old kid is a goal scoring machine & is looking like heading towards bigger things after Atletico de Madrid defeated Real Madrid 3 - 5 yesterday big "
The 11 year old kid is a goal scoring machine & is looking like heading towards bigger things after Atletico de Madrid defeated Real Madrid 3 - 5 yesterday big "
GOALKEEPER ARANZUBIA DEPOR SCORES GOAL AGAINST ALMERIA | SPANISH FOOTBALL ROUND 24
Here is the video of Goalkeeper DANI ARANZUBIA scoring the equalizer for DEPORTIVO in the 95th min against ALMERIA. It was a Round 24 match of the Spanish Football League - La Liga & Almeria was about to take the victory with a 1 - 0 lead. The Deportivo goalkeeper kicks out of this area & flies the ball into the Almeria goal area were it gets an Almeria deflection & onto to a last corner for
Sunday, February 20, 2011
SPANISH FOOTBALL - LA LIGA | ROUND 24 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS
SPANISH FOOTBALL action this Sunday with six matches on the calendar for Round 24 of the Spanish League - La Liga. Lets examine the games with a brief summary of results & the scorers.
Villareal let slip three points
VILLAREAL drew with bottom placed MALAGA 1 - 1 & allowed the three points to slip through their fingers. Villareal played much better but paid dearly for not transforming their
Saturday, February 19, 2011
SPANISH FOOTBALL - LIGA RESULTS | ROUND 24 SATURDAY GAMES
Three games celebrated tonight as part of Round 24 of Spanish Football League - La Liga. Lets take a brief look at events, the results & the scorers in tonight's matches.
Valencia CF - Sporting Gijon
VALENCIA CF could not manage to break the REAL SPORTING DE GIJON defensive wall & finished with a 0 - 0 draw. Sporting showed that their draw with FC Barcelona last week was not a fluke &
Friday, February 18, 2011
ATLETICO DE MADRID | PINOCCHIO PART II | A SUSPICION
The 9th of February I posted an article here on ATLETICO DE MADRID & the rumours about the possible selling of SERGIO AGUERO &/or DIEGO FORLAN at the end of the season. I titled the post "ATLETICO DE MADRID | SERGIO AGUERO | PINOCCHIO", basically saying I did not believe a word from Atletico Directives that they would not sell under any circumstances Aguero & finished with Forlan as already a
Thursday, February 17, 2011
VILLAREAL OK SEVILLA FC KO | EUROPA LEAGUE GAMES RESULTS
Two Spanish Football Clubs had EUROPA LEAGUE - last 16 team stage - duties tonight with mixed results. Here is a brief summary with results & the scorers.
Rossi in action for Villareal
A fiercely competitive & intense match for VILLAREAL who played 2º placed Italian Serie A team NAPOLES at Italy. The game was balanced all night & it ended in a 0 - 0 draw result after the Spaniards cancelled
Rossi in action for Villareal
A fiercely competitive & intense match for VILLAREAL who played 2º placed Italian Serie A team NAPOLES at Italy. The game was balanced all night & it ended in a 0 - 0 draw result after the Spaniards cancelled
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
ARSENAL 2 FC BARCELONA 1 | 1st LEG CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULT
Magnificent CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - last 16 teams stage - 1º leg clash between ARSENAL FC & FC BARCELONA that gave all the spectators a wonderful 90 mins of World Class Football. The final result was 2 - 1 victory to Arsenal that gives them the comfort to travel to Barcelona for the 2º leg match although Barça take a valuable away goal that could end up being vital.
David Villa
Arsenal started on
David Villa
Arsenal started on
SPANISH FOOTBALL | VALENCIA CF TEAM PHOTO 2011
Finally managed to find a team photo of Spanish Football Club VALENCIA CF. There are many Valencia fans throughout the global & habitual readers of Spanish Football Sports Blog that may enjoy the image & thus satisfy a few emails I have been getting requesting such image. Below is the Valencia starting 11 team photo in yesterdays Champions League match against Schalke 04.
Top: Guaita, Topal,
Top: Guaita, Topal,
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE RESULT 1st LEG | VALENCIA CF 1 SCHALKE 04 1
The EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE competition began again tonight with the last 16 team stage with Spanish Football Club VALENCIA CF hosting German Team SCHALKE 04 in their 1º leg match. The final result was a 1 - 1 draw after an intense, rapid & chances filled game of soccer.
Raul scores for Schalke 04
The first half was basically all Valencia CF dominanting & creating chances. One of those
Raul scores for Schalke 04
The first half was basically all Valencia CF dominanting & creating chances. One of those
LIONEL MESSI JOSE MOURINHO TOP WORLD MEDIA FIGURES IN WORLD FOOTBALL
Some interesting Football & Maketing news handed in today by the prestigious Economics Faculty of the Spanish University of Navarra in its annual report on which World Football - Soccer personalities are the most meteoric with the World media & thus their value as World News.
Lionel Messi 2011
The most meteoric figure with World media is FC BARCELONA player LIONEL MESSI with 20. 7 points
Lionel Messi 2011
The most meteoric figure with World media is FC BARCELONA player LIONEL MESSI with 20. 7 points
Monday, February 14, 2011
MALLORCA 1 - AT BILBAO 0 | MONDAY NIGHT GAME RESULT | SPANISH FOOTBALL ROUND 23
Round 23 of the Spanish Football League has given us all weekend some surprise result, & tonight with the last match there has´nt been any exception. Tonight REAL MALLORCA played with ATHLETIC DE BILBAO to close the Round with the now habitual Monday night match.
Webo scores the winner
The final result was a 1 - 0 victory for Real Mallorca thanks to the goal scored by WEBO in the 11th min.
Webo scores the winner
The final result was a 1 - 0 victory for Real Mallorca thanks to the goal scored by WEBO in the 11th min.
IFFHS | FC BARCELONA NAMED BEST TEAM OF THE 1º DECADE OF THE 21st CENTURY
Its official. FC BARCELONA has been named the "Best Team of the 1º Decade" (2001- 2010) in European Football by the FIFA backed institution the "IFFHS" ( International Federation of Football History & Statistics). All the details are on the IFFHS Web page & as the organizations comments:
"FC Barcelona will be honoured as Europe’s Club of the 1st Decade on occasion of the World Football Gala 2011
"FC Barcelona will be honoured as Europe’s Club of the 1st Decade on occasion of the World Football Gala 2011
RONALDO RETIRES FROM FOOTBALL | TIME TO SAY GOODBYE
Ronaldo Luis Nazário de Lima, RONALDO, has announced his retirement from Football at the age of 34 years of age. The players body just instead the same & as he himself says, the body does not want to do what the mind thinks. According to Spanish media the player will give his last press conference this afternoon (Sp.Time) to communicate the news. Arguably the Best Number Nine that Football has
Sunday, February 13, 2011
SPANISH FOOTBALL RESULTS | ROUND 23 | SUNDAY NIGHT GAMES
Six matches of Round 23 played tonight as part of the Spanish Football League with some incredible matches & come back performances. Here are the results & scorers
Levante player Caicedo was decisive
LEVANTE continue with their good momentum with another win with a 1 - 0 result against REAL ALMERIA. The decisive player was "that man again" CAICEDO who scored the only & winning goal in the
Levante player Caicedo was decisive
LEVANTE continue with their good momentum with another win with a 1 - 0 result against REAL ALMERIA. The decisive player was "that man again" CAICEDO who scored the only & winning goal in the
SPANISH BASKETBALL | RESULT SPANISH "KINGS" CUP FINAL | REGAL BARCELONA WINS TITLE
We had SPANISH BASKETBALL action tonight with REGAL BARCELONA winning the SPANISH "KINGS" CUP FINAL after defeating REAL MADRID 60 - 68 & thus take the title for a consecutive year.
Barcelona wins the 2011 Spanish Kings Cup
Barcelona now has 22 Spanish "King" Cup titles equalling Real Madrid. The MVP was awarded to Barça player ANDERSON who had a fantastic night with 19 points. Lastly, as a
Barcelona wins the 2011 Spanish Kings Cup
Barcelona now has 22 Spanish "King" Cup titles equalling Real Madrid. The MVP was awarded to Barça player ANDERSON who had a fantastic night with 19 points. Lastly, as a
Saturday, February 12, 2011
SPANISH FOOTBALL | ROUND 23 | SATURDAY GAMES RESULTS WITH SURPRISE
Here is the SPANISH FOOTBALL summary via the Spanish League which celebrated three games tonight as part of the Round 23 fixture with the following results & scorers.
Atletico de Madrid in "dire straits"/source:efe
The above picture says it all, ATLETICO DE MADRID lost 1 - 2 against VALENCIA CF to extend their run of loses, open up further the doubts over Coach Quique Sanchez & speed up the
Atletico de Madrid in "dire straits"/source:efe
The above picture says it all, ATLETICO DE MADRID lost 1 - 2 against VALENCIA CF to extend their run of loses, open up further the doubts over Coach Quique Sanchez & speed up the
Friday, February 11, 2011
THE GUARDIAN - XAVI HERNANDEZ INTERVIEW
Great interview given by Spanish Football International & FC Barcelona midfield ace XAVI HERNANDEZ to English newspaper "The Guardian" which I place here & recommend you click over to have a read below the main picture.
FC Barcelona player Xavi Hernandez
"I'm a romantic..."
I have taken from "The Guardian" Interview ( thanks guys!) the impressive Football Honours that Xavi has to his name:
FC Barcelona player Xavi Hernandez
"I'm a romantic..."
I have taken from "The Guardian" Interview ( thanks guys!) the impressive Football Honours that Xavi has to his name:
REAL MADRID CESC FABREGAS | PREPARING A 60M€ OFFER?
Guys, I just inform you & I suppose that many readers who are far away from Spain & Europe may appreciate to be informed of what´s "cooking" locally in Spanish Football. Below is the front page of todays Spanish Sports daily "Marca", a paper known for its over-zealous hype building & news scoops to marketing their imagined superiority over rival media. This strategy somethings leads to "
ATLETICO DE MADRID TEAM PHOTO 2011
Thought the ATLETICO DE MADRID fans around the World may wish to have the latest Team photo. The below image is the starting 11 against FC Barcelona.
Atletico de Madrid 2011
De Gea, Tiago, Ujfalusi, Valera, Filipe Luis y Godin
Reyes, Agüero, Merida, Assunçao & Antonio López
Yes, you also noticed it, Diego Forlan did not start against FC Barcelona.
To end, just some information that may
Atletico de Madrid 2011
De Gea, Tiago, Ujfalusi, Valera, Filipe Luis y Godin
Reyes, Agüero, Merida, Assunçao & Antonio López
Yes, you also noticed it, Diego Forlan did not start against FC Barcelona.
To end, just some information that may
Thursday, February 10, 2011
HUMOUR | FAN LOSES HIS PANTS OVER LIONEL MESSI AT BARCELONA AIRPORT
Here is a light humour post to give you a true human story. Let me put you in the picture.
LIONEL MESSI returned to Barcelona today from Zurich where the night before he played for Argentina in a Friendly International against Portugal. All fine & normal up to this point.
At the Airport the famous World Nº1 Football player grabbed the attention of a fan, a zealous fan at that, who followed
LIONEL MESSI returned to Barcelona today from Zurich where the night before he played for Argentina in a Friendly International against Portugal. All fine & normal up to this point.
At the Airport the famous World Nº1 Football player grabbed the attention of a fan, a zealous fan at that, who followed
DELOITTE REPORT | REAL MADRID RICHEST CLUB IN THE WORLD FOR SIXTH YEAR CONSECUTIVE
International Financial Consultancy firm DELOITTE has released its 44 page annual report on the state of the revenues generated by the Football – Soccer Clubs. REAL MADRID leads the list of Richest Football Clubs for the 6th year consecutive & is 9.2% up from last report with FC BARCELONA second & the remaining 4 Clubs staying unchanged in their positions from the last report.
REAL MADRID CF
REAL MADRID CF
SPANISH FOOTBALL TEAM | IKER CASILLAS MOST CAPPED PLAYER IN ALL CATEGORIES
Just some trivia for Spanish Football fans & followers around the World.
Spanish National Football Team Captain & goalkeeper, apart from Real Madrid player, IKER CASILLAS became last night the highest "capped" player is the history ( in all categories) of the Spanish National Team.
Spanish goalkeeper IKER CASLLAS
Iker Casillas overtakes another goalkeeper & Spanish legend ANDONI ZUBIZARRETA
Spanish National Football Team Captain & goalkeeper, apart from Real Madrid player, IKER CASILLAS became last night the highest "capped" player is the history ( in all categories) of the Spanish National Team.
Spanish goalkeeper IKER CASLLAS
Iker Casillas overtakes another goalkeeper & Spanish legend ANDONI ZUBIZARRETA
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Gameweek 27 Rankings
Barring any unseasonable weather this is likely to be the last significant double gameweek of the season so you better make it count. I won't re-tread much covered ground here but I would urge, if not demand, that you trundle over to the double gameweek analysis posted earlier in the week.
Clean Sheet Rankings
(Team clean sheets - opponent failed to score)
Attacking Rankings
(Predicted goals for the week)
So far in the captain poll, Van Persie has 85% of the vote and with good reason. He is the clearly the form player in the Arsenal team with a frankly ridiculous 50 points over the past 4 gameweeks and 5 QGs in the last 6. When you consider that he has faced just one team who concede more than 1.5 GPG this season but gets two of them this week, his upside for the week is unmatched. His status as a differentiator is gone (21%) but he still ranks well below Berbatov and Tevez and is still a way to gain some points over the unattentive managers. The presence of Chamakh worries me a little as does his flu, so the potential for rotation or early withdrawal is there but so long as you think he can play 120 minutes or so, he should have enough time to shine.
Fabregas, who himself has 47 points over the last 6, is still a differentiator (11%) and it's this point which makes him intriguing this week. I don't believe in players being 'due' a goal but given the number of shots he has had over the past few weeks, the regression to the mean would indeed suggest that a goal will come soon. His 10 bonus points over the past 6 weeks are great and he generally produces points in more categories than Van Persie. Like Van Persie, Fabregas has the flu but he makes a slightly safer pick than the Dutchman due to the lack of obvious replacement for him and his status as club captain. Picking him is a risk and there's a real possibility it could be a Nani/Berbatov GM24 situation, but sometimes you need to make a bold decision to gain some ground.
A decent outside bet is Theo Walcott who has been astonishingly good from a fantasy perspective this season and is currently level with Van Persie (151) and just one behind Fabregas (152) in aPoints. My concern are his 11 bad games compared to just 6 quality games. In fact, in every game but one he has either contributed double digit points or 3 or less. His 5 double digit games are as many as Van Persie and Fabregas combined. He is surprisingly owned by more managers (15%) than Fabregas so his differential potential is lower than you might expect but you can be sure that the vast majority of those owners won't be captaining him and so you could gain ground if you need to make a last gasp move.
Bacary Sagna is the pick of the defenders with Djourou injured but despite the great fixtures I do not think this unit is captain worthy right now. They were a shambles in the second half against Newcastle and while a single clean sheet looks like a decent bet, the chance of double digit production from Sagna and co looks unlikely.
As always thanks for reading and I welcome all comments/questions below or at @plfantasy. You can also check out more fantasy ramblings over at Back Page Football where I write a weekly column.
Clean Sheet Rankings
(Team clean sheets - opponent failed to score)
- Arsenal (4 - 5) and (4 - 5)
- Birmingham (4 - 5) and (4 - 3)
- Liverpool (6 - 6)
- West Brom (1 - 6) and (1 - 5)
- Blackburn (5 - 3)
- Man Utd (7 - 4)
- Stoke (2 - 4) and (2 - 2)
- Sunderland (7 - 2)
- Blackpool (0 - 5) and (0 - 2)
- Tottenham (1 - 2) and (1 - 0)
- Newcastle (3 - 3) and (3 - 4)
- Chelsea (3 - 2)
- Fulham (6 - 5)
- Bolton (3 - 3)
- Everton (2 - 3)
- Wigan (3 - 1)
- Wolves (1 - 2) and (1 - 3)
- Man City (4 - 0)
- West Ham (0 - 2)
- Aston Villa (0 - 0)
Attacking Rankings
(Predicted goals for the week)
- Arsenal
- Blackpool
- West Brom
- Tottenham
- Birmingham
- Newcastle
- Stoke
- Wolves
- Chelsea
- Blackburn
- Man Utd
- Everton
- Sunderland
- Liverpool
- Aston Villa
- West Ham
- Fulham
- Man City
- Bolton
- Wigan
So far in the captain poll, Van Persie has 85% of the vote and with good reason. He is the clearly the form player in the Arsenal team with a frankly ridiculous 50 points over the past 4 gameweeks and 5 QGs in the last 6. When you consider that he has faced just one team who concede more than 1.5 GPG this season but gets two of them this week, his upside for the week is unmatched. His status as a differentiator is gone (21%) but he still ranks well below Berbatov and Tevez and is still a way to gain some points over the unattentive managers. The presence of Chamakh worries me a little as does his flu, so the potential for rotation or early withdrawal is there but so long as you think he can play 120 minutes or so, he should have enough time to shine.
Fabregas, who himself has 47 points over the last 6, is still a differentiator (11%) and it's this point which makes him intriguing this week. I don't believe in players being 'due' a goal but given the number of shots he has had over the past few weeks, the regression to the mean would indeed suggest that a goal will come soon. His 10 bonus points over the past 6 weeks are great and he generally produces points in more categories than Van Persie. Like Van Persie, Fabregas has the flu but he makes a slightly safer pick than the Dutchman due to the lack of obvious replacement for him and his status as club captain. Picking him is a risk and there's a real possibility it could be a Nani/Berbatov GM24 situation, but sometimes you need to make a bold decision to gain some ground.
A decent outside bet is Theo Walcott who has been astonishingly good from a fantasy perspective this season and is currently level with Van Persie (151) and just one behind Fabregas (152) in aPoints. My concern are his 11 bad games compared to just 6 quality games. In fact, in every game but one he has either contributed double digit points or 3 or less. His 5 double digit games are as many as Van Persie and Fabregas combined. He is surprisingly owned by more managers (15%) than Fabregas so his differential potential is lower than you might expect but you can be sure that the vast majority of those owners won't be captaining him and so you could gain ground if you need to make a last gasp move.
Bacary Sagna is the pick of the defenders with Djourou injured but despite the great fixtures I do not think this unit is captain worthy right now. They were a shambles in the second half against Newcastle and while a single clean sheet looks like a decent bet, the chance of double digit production from Sagna and co looks unlikely.
As always thanks for reading and I welcome all comments/questions below or at @plfantasy. You can also check out more fantasy ramblings over at Back Page Football where I write a weekly column.
SPAIN 1 COLOMBIA 0 | INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY MATCH RESULT
The reigning World Champions SPAIN won 1 - 0 COLOMBIA in tonights Friendly International match played at the "Santiago Bernabeu Stadium" (Madrid). A very difficult game with a very serious & physical Colombian side that had their chances but missed plenty of opportunities. They gave the Spanish Football Team a good knock around & it was only some individual magic from Navas & Silva that saved the
ATLETICO DE MADRID | SERGIO AGUERO | PINOCCHIO
The message was directly aimed at the ATLETICO DE MADRID members & the fan base; a multitude who are very angry with the Clubs Directives & with some players who are not thinking in the Club but more about their future. Added to this the team has entered a downward spiral course that is putting in threat the only objective left of this season: to finish in the Champions League classification
ANDER HERRERA SPANISH FOOTBALL YOUNG PROMISE | ATHLETIC DE BILBAO NEW PLAYER
ANDER HERRERA scored the winner for the U-21 Spanish Football Team yesterday against Denmark in their International Friendly. The 21 year old has also been signed by Athletic de Bilbao from Real Zaragoza for next season for 8M€ making the young promise the 2º nd highest paid for a player by Athletic de Bilbao. Due to the Bilbao Club history long policy of only having players with a Basque
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
SPAIN 2 DENMARK 1 | U-21 INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY RESULT
SPANISH FOOTBALL U-21 NATIONAL TEAM defeated DENMARK 2 - 1 in their Friendly International game played tonight in the city of Gualadajara.
Spain scores against Denmark
The first half saw a well positioned Denmark side allowing Spain the initiative & using the counter-attack as their main weapon. Spain was playing well & had their chances while Denmark made the odd incursion via the wings.
Spain scores against Denmark
The first half saw a well positioned Denmark side allowing Spain the initiative & using the counter-attack as their main weapon. Spain was playing well & had their chances while Denmark made the odd incursion via the wings.
ARSENAL FC EYES SEVILLA FC JESUS NAVAS AGAIN?
Spanish Football media has picked up a news "flash" from English radio programe "Talk Sport" which although maybe just healthy speculation has made ripples down towards the Iberian peninsula.
The talk is that English Premier League Club ARSENAL FC has once again put its sights on SEVILLA FC winger & Spanish International JESUS NAVAS. I mention again because Arsenal has had Navas on their agenda
The talk is that English Premier League Club ARSENAL FC has once again put its sights on SEVILLA FC winger & Spanish International JESUS NAVAS. I mention again because Arsenal has had Navas on their agenda
Monday, February 7, 2011
Double Gameweek Analysis
Before we get into the full rankings for the week, I guess that most will be more concerned with the double gameweeks and so this piece will focus exclusively on them, and who ranks best on the teams with two games.
Defensive options
With defenders, I would be careful before throwing too many eggs into the DGW basket as the fixtures generally aren't that strong and the majority of the teams have at least one game where a clean sheet looks very unlikely. Now, earning 4 points just for showing up is a plus, but I wouldn't be paying 4 points for many defensive starters this week, and your free transfers can probably be better used elsewhere.
1. Arsenal
By far the strongest defensive option for the week, Arsenal face sides who score just 0.75 GPG (Wolves) and 1.00 GPG (Stoke) away from home while they themselves boast the 6th best home defense. Two clean sheets in the last three home games and four in a row overall seemed to mark the return of Arsenal as very useful fantasy unit but Saturday's disastrous second half collapse against Newcastle throws that into question somewhat. Still, with the weak opposition on offer, this unit is still the best bet for a clean sheet this week.
Who to target: Djourou's injury is a massive blow as he looked like he would be a very cheap way to access this top unit. Instead, his replacement Squillaci (6.0m) will presumably take his place making Koscielny (5.9m) the cheapest option along the back four. I would therefore play it safe with Sagna (6.2m) who gives some assist possibility, or Szczesny (4.5m), who incidentally is the most entertaining player on Twitter.
2. Birmingham
After 6 clean sheets through the first 14 gameweeks, Birmingham then went 13 straight games without keeping the opposition out. An away clean sheet this week though has put the Birmingham defense back into the shop window at the right time as they get two home games this week (where they have conceded just over a goal a game). As noted for Arsenal above, Stoke are pretty wretched on the road while Birmingham's other opponent - Newcastle - are the definition of inconsistent (though generally poor on the road).
Who to target: Jiranek (4.5m) appears to be the first choice centre back partner for Roger Johnson and provides nice value. I think Steve Carr (4.4m) is the slightly better pick purely on the basis that full backs are slightly more like to earn attacking points. Ben Foster is also a nice pick, thought be sure your 'keepers make a good pair before making moves for this week.
3. Tottenham
Two road trips against very good home teams makes Spurs players a bit risky this week, but they have managed 4 clean sheets in their last 7 games including one on the road in GW25. Blackpool have scored in every home game while Sunderland have failed just twice, though the departure of Darren Bent might help with the latter.
Who to target: For guaranteed minutes Assou Ekotto (5.3m) looks like the pick as Redknapp hasn't really settled on the remainder of his back line. I would not pay a kings ransom to get him but he would make a nice one week sub for someone like Kolarov who faces the daunting visit to Old Trafford this week.
4. West Brom - great fixtures but only one clean sheet all year (GW2). Maybe worth a role of the dice but not worth paying transfer fees for.
5. Newcastle - three road clean sheets this year but only one since GW11. Neither Blackburn nor Birmingham are prolific scorers but both are fairly strong at home and are likely to find holes in a defense which looked terrible at times against Arsenal.
6. Stoke - this once reliable unit hasn't had the best season but 3 clean sheets in the last 8 suggest they could offer some value. The trip to Arsenal basically negates the double gameweek though so unless you're really confident of them having success at Birmingham I don't think they make particularly good value this week.
7. Blackpool - strangely, the bad news is that they have to play twice at home. We've all seen the stat that they have yet to keep a home clean sheet and their 22 goals conceded at Bloomfield Road is the second worst in the league. Spurs travel as well as anyone (only failed to score twice) while Villa are much improved of late.
8. Wolves - Arsenal and West Brom have collected failed to score 4 times at home. Wolves have one road clean sheet. Just say no.
Attacking options
1. Arsenal
By far the strongest play this week, you should be looking to have a couple of Arsenal players in your team and the top captain options will surely come from this group. Wolves and Stoke have conceded 42 goals on the road in 24 games while Arsenal average 2.0 GPG at home. This projects to give the Gunners somewhere around 4-5 goals for the week and you need to be a part of the action.
Who to target: Van Persie and Fabregas are no-brainers and are probably the best forward and midfield play in the league this week. With Nasri still out, Walcott makes a very nice play. He has quietly been a superb fantasy player this year when he's played, earning 151 aPoints (which averages out a player's points as if he played every week against a balanced schedule) which is 5th among all midfielders. Walcott is probably a top 5 midfielder this week and is certainly top 10. Chamakh and Arshavin look too likely to be rotated to justify their lofty price tags for me.
2. West Brom
Two very good fixtures (Wolves and West Ham combine for 49 goals in 25 games on the road) drives this ranking as West Brom have been just okay at home this year (18 goals in 12 games). The thing I like best about backing West Brom is the consistency of where their fantasy points come from. Looking at all the forwards and midfielders, three players (Odenwingie, Brunt and Thomas) account for 42% of them to date and so with little risk of rotation or point sharing it is easier to forecast who to back.
Who to target: The three names above are of course the targets here, with Brunt and Odenwingie being the slightly safer options (Thomas is occasionally withdrawn early in games). Odenwingie probably ranks ahead of any forward valued at under 8m this week, given the lack of firepower up front included in the double gameweek squads. Thomas makes a very nice minimum price signing while Brunt is again probably better than any midfielders valued at under 8m and not named Charlie.
3. Blackpool
While they have managed to find the net in every home game this year, Blackpool have not been prolific scorers so do not expect fireworks as they welcome two useful sides to Bloomfield Road. That said, Villa and Spurs have struggled for road clean sheets (one between them to date) and so the Seasiders' goal streak looks in good shape to continue.
Who to target: The headliner is of course Chaz Adam who is making a very strong case for fantasy player of the year. He is now third among midfielders in points (124 points) and first in aPPMS (0.993). I have regarded him as a must own for months now but once again he makes a great signing this week of you don't already have him. DJ Campbell has been a top 20 striker this year and would crack the top 10 on potential this week. Only 3 of his 8 goals have come at home and his lack of production outside of goals (2 assists and 5 bonus points to date) scare me a bit but at 4.7m you really can't go wrong if you want to spend big in midfield and save up front.
4. Tottenham
The issue with Spurs is that they really haven't picked up too many goals on their travels, and as a road team project less goals than a team like Stoke would at home. Their opponents for the week are a mixed bag as Sunderland are dominant at home while Blackpool have been very shaky. Spurs have failed to score more than twice since GW14 and have just 6 goals in their last 6 games. Having said that, they have a team stocked with talent and they have the ability to score goals against anyone. The potential return of Gareth Bale should also be a plus for Redknapp's team.
Who to target: Rafael van der Vaart is of course the obvious pick despite the fact his form has slowed down of late (4.5 PPG in the last 6). Redknapp confirmed that the Dutchman will remain on penalty duty and it looks like he should recover from injury in time for both games (be sure to check this later in the week before signing him though). With Bale and Modric both questionable right now, it might be best to wait until later in the week to jump on one of these players. An outside alternative might be Aaron Lennon who is averaging 4.9 PPG over his last 8 games, including 5 games of at least 5 points.
5. Stoke - Etherington is, as always, a great play though he is averaging just 4 PPG in road games so don't get carried away. Stoke's upcoming fixtures are pretty solid though so he is more than just a one week play if you wanted him. Some may look to Carew or Jones but I think better value is found in the teams above.
6. Newcastle - with his new found penalty duties to go with his decent bonus haul (16), Joey Barton looks like a good option at 4.8m. Kevin Nolan is also worth a look though he has been feast or famine this year with 13 bad games compared to Barton's 9. He probably has higher upside though and with two games for the price of one, he is worth a thought.
7. Birmingham - no one is averaging more than 4 PPG in the team though I suppose Bentley has shown signs of promise since arriving at St Andrews. For 5.7m though I think better options exist and so McLeish's men don't offer much interest.
8. Wolves - as with their cross town rivals, the Wolves squad is pretty devoid of fantasy talent right now.
Be careful to note that Arsenal, Tottenham and Birmingham don't currently have a game scheduled for GW28 while United have a DGW. It therefore may not be worth paying 4 points for too many players this week and I would not be selling the likes of Nani or Berbatov right now unless you are sure you can get them back next week.
Normal weekly rankings will be posted soon but hopefully the above will give everyone a few ideas for their weekly transfers. As always, comments are welcomed below or @plfantasy. You can also check out my weekly fantasy column over at Back Page Football.
Defensive options
With defenders, I would be careful before throwing too many eggs into the DGW basket as the fixtures generally aren't that strong and the majority of the teams have at least one game where a clean sheet looks very unlikely. Now, earning 4 points just for showing up is a plus, but I wouldn't be paying 4 points for many defensive starters this week, and your free transfers can probably be better used elsewhere.
1. Arsenal
By far the strongest defensive option for the week, Arsenal face sides who score just 0.75 GPG (Wolves) and 1.00 GPG (Stoke) away from home while they themselves boast the 6th best home defense. Two clean sheets in the last three home games and four in a row overall seemed to mark the return of Arsenal as very useful fantasy unit but Saturday's disastrous second half collapse against Newcastle throws that into question somewhat. Still, with the weak opposition on offer, this unit is still the best bet for a clean sheet this week.
Who to target: Djourou's injury is a massive blow as he looked like he would be a very cheap way to access this top unit. Instead, his replacement Squillaci (6.0m) will presumably take his place making Koscielny (5.9m) the cheapest option along the back four. I would therefore play it safe with Sagna (6.2m) who gives some assist possibility, or Szczesny (4.5m), who incidentally is the most entertaining player on Twitter.
2. Birmingham
After 6 clean sheets through the first 14 gameweeks, Birmingham then went 13 straight games without keeping the opposition out. An away clean sheet this week though has put the Birmingham defense back into the shop window at the right time as they get two home games this week (where they have conceded just over a goal a game). As noted for Arsenal above, Stoke are pretty wretched on the road while Birmingham's other opponent - Newcastle - are the definition of inconsistent (though generally poor on the road).
Who to target: Jiranek (4.5m) appears to be the first choice centre back partner for Roger Johnson and provides nice value. I think Steve Carr (4.4m) is the slightly better pick purely on the basis that full backs are slightly more like to earn attacking points. Ben Foster is also a nice pick, thought be sure your 'keepers make a good pair before making moves for this week.
3. Tottenham
Two road trips against very good home teams makes Spurs players a bit risky this week, but they have managed 4 clean sheets in their last 7 games including one on the road in GW25. Blackpool have scored in every home game while Sunderland have failed just twice, though the departure of Darren Bent might help with the latter.
Who to target: For guaranteed minutes Assou Ekotto (5.3m) looks like the pick as Redknapp hasn't really settled on the remainder of his back line. I would not pay a kings ransom to get him but he would make a nice one week sub for someone like Kolarov who faces the daunting visit to Old Trafford this week.
4. West Brom - great fixtures but only one clean sheet all year (GW2). Maybe worth a role of the dice but not worth paying transfer fees for.
5. Newcastle - three road clean sheets this year but only one since GW11. Neither Blackburn nor Birmingham are prolific scorers but both are fairly strong at home and are likely to find holes in a defense which looked terrible at times against Arsenal.
6. Stoke - this once reliable unit hasn't had the best season but 3 clean sheets in the last 8 suggest they could offer some value. The trip to Arsenal basically negates the double gameweek though so unless you're really confident of them having success at Birmingham I don't think they make particularly good value this week.
7. Blackpool - strangely, the bad news is that they have to play twice at home. We've all seen the stat that they have yet to keep a home clean sheet and their 22 goals conceded at Bloomfield Road is the second worst in the league. Spurs travel as well as anyone (only failed to score twice) while Villa are much improved of late.
8. Wolves - Arsenal and West Brom have collected failed to score 4 times at home. Wolves have one road clean sheet. Just say no.
Attacking options
1. Arsenal
By far the strongest play this week, you should be looking to have a couple of Arsenal players in your team and the top captain options will surely come from this group. Wolves and Stoke have conceded 42 goals on the road in 24 games while Arsenal average 2.0 GPG at home. This projects to give the Gunners somewhere around 4-5 goals for the week and you need to be a part of the action.
Who to target: Van Persie and Fabregas are no-brainers and are probably the best forward and midfield play in the league this week. With Nasri still out, Walcott makes a very nice play. He has quietly been a superb fantasy player this year when he's played, earning 151 aPoints (which averages out a player's points as if he played every week against a balanced schedule) which is 5th among all midfielders. Walcott is probably a top 5 midfielder this week and is certainly top 10. Chamakh and Arshavin look too likely to be rotated to justify their lofty price tags for me.
2. West Brom
Two very good fixtures (Wolves and West Ham combine for 49 goals in 25 games on the road) drives this ranking as West Brom have been just okay at home this year (18 goals in 12 games). The thing I like best about backing West Brom is the consistency of where their fantasy points come from. Looking at all the forwards and midfielders, three players (Odenwingie, Brunt and Thomas) account for 42% of them to date and so with little risk of rotation or point sharing it is easier to forecast who to back.
Who to target: The three names above are of course the targets here, with Brunt and Odenwingie being the slightly safer options (Thomas is occasionally withdrawn early in games). Odenwingie probably ranks ahead of any forward valued at under 8m this week, given the lack of firepower up front included in the double gameweek squads. Thomas makes a very nice minimum price signing while Brunt is again probably better than any midfielders valued at under 8m and not named Charlie.
3. Blackpool
While they have managed to find the net in every home game this year, Blackpool have not been prolific scorers so do not expect fireworks as they welcome two useful sides to Bloomfield Road. That said, Villa and Spurs have struggled for road clean sheets (one between them to date) and so the Seasiders' goal streak looks in good shape to continue.
Who to target: The headliner is of course Chaz Adam who is making a very strong case for fantasy player of the year. He is now third among midfielders in points (124 points) and first in aPPMS (0.993). I have regarded him as a must own for months now but once again he makes a great signing this week of you don't already have him. DJ Campbell has been a top 20 striker this year and would crack the top 10 on potential this week. Only 3 of his 8 goals have come at home and his lack of production outside of goals (2 assists and 5 bonus points to date) scare me a bit but at 4.7m you really can't go wrong if you want to spend big in midfield and save up front.
4. Tottenham
The issue with Spurs is that they really haven't picked up too many goals on their travels, and as a road team project less goals than a team like Stoke would at home. Their opponents for the week are a mixed bag as Sunderland are dominant at home while Blackpool have been very shaky. Spurs have failed to score more than twice since GW14 and have just 6 goals in their last 6 games. Having said that, they have a team stocked with talent and they have the ability to score goals against anyone. The potential return of Gareth Bale should also be a plus for Redknapp's team.
Who to target: Rafael van der Vaart is of course the obvious pick despite the fact his form has slowed down of late (4.5 PPG in the last 6). Redknapp confirmed that the Dutchman will remain on penalty duty and it looks like he should recover from injury in time for both games (be sure to check this later in the week before signing him though). With Bale and Modric both questionable right now, it might be best to wait until later in the week to jump on one of these players. An outside alternative might be Aaron Lennon who is averaging 4.9 PPG over his last 8 games, including 5 games of at least 5 points.
5. Stoke - Etherington is, as always, a great play though he is averaging just 4 PPG in road games so don't get carried away. Stoke's upcoming fixtures are pretty solid though so he is more than just a one week play if you wanted him. Some may look to Carew or Jones but I think better value is found in the teams above.
6. Newcastle - with his new found penalty duties to go with his decent bonus haul (16), Joey Barton looks like a good option at 4.8m. Kevin Nolan is also worth a look though he has been feast or famine this year with 13 bad games compared to Barton's 9. He probably has higher upside though and with two games for the price of one, he is worth a thought.
7. Birmingham - no one is averaging more than 4 PPG in the team though I suppose Bentley has shown signs of promise since arriving at St Andrews. For 5.7m though I think better options exist and so McLeish's men don't offer much interest.
8. Wolves - as with their cross town rivals, the Wolves squad is pretty devoid of fantasy talent right now.
Be careful to note that Arsenal, Tottenham and Birmingham don't currently have a game scheduled for GW28 while United have a DGW. It therefore may not be worth paying 4 points for too many players this week and I would not be selling the likes of Nani or Berbatov right now unless you are sure you can get them back next week.
Normal weekly rankings will be posted soon but hopefully the above will give everyone a few ideas for their weekly transfers. As always, comments are welcomed below or @plfantasy. You can also check out my weekly fantasy column over at Back Page Football.
SPANISH SPORTS - FOOTBALL RECEIVE MORE WORLD PRIZES FOR AN EXTRAORDINARY 2010
Night of big prizes for SPANISH SPORTS, in particular in the SPANISH FOOTBALL & SPANISH TENNIS areas, as the SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM won the 2010 "Best Team" LAUREUS AWARD, along with Spanish World Nº 1 Tennis player RAFAEL NADAL awarded his second LAUREUS AWARD as "Sportman of the Year".
But the awards did not stop here as Spanish Football International forward DAVID VILLA was also
But the awards did not stop here as Spanish Football International forward DAVID VILLA was also
CRISTIANO RONALDO BACK CONTROL | "ESPALDINHA"
In case you missed it yesterday during the REAL MADRID Spanish Legaue match, here is a video of a CRISTIANO RONALDO "party - piece" against Real Sociedad. Unfortunately the referee called the play off-side but that does not take away the skill & execution.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
SPANISH FOOTBALL - SPANISH LEAGUE | ROUND 22 SUNDAY GAMES RESULTS
SPANISH FOOTBALL action tonight with three games of Round 22 in the Spanish League after the other 7 were all played last night. Here are brief summaries of the matches, results & the scorers.
Sevilla FC player Luis Fabiano against Malaga
defender Demichelis
SEVILLA FC drew 0 - 0 against MALAGA in a "Southern Spain" derby that showed more than anything else that Sevilla is not firing on all
Sevilla FC player Luis Fabiano against Malaga
defender Demichelis
SEVILLA FC drew 0 - 0 against MALAGA in a "Southern Spain" derby that showed more than anything else that Sevilla is not firing on all
FC BARCELONA BREAKS SPANISH FOOTBALL - LEAGUE RECORD WITH 16 STRAIGHT WINS
Bit of trivia for global Barça fans & Football fans alike.
The FC BARCELONA 3 - 0 victory over Atletico de Madrid in Round 22 of the Spanish League yesterday gave this particular Barça side another SPANISH FOOTBALL record.
FC Barcelona 2010 - 2011
Barça broke the record previously held by Real Madrid of 15 consecutive victories in the Spanish League. Real Madrid under its star Di Stefano
The FC BARCELONA 3 - 0 victory over Atletico de Madrid in Round 22 of the Spanish League yesterday gave this particular Barça side another SPANISH FOOTBALL record.
FC Barcelona 2010 - 2011
Barça broke the record previously held by Real Madrid of 15 consecutive victories in the Spanish League. Real Madrid under its star Di Stefano
Saturday, February 5, 2011
SPANISH FOOTBALL - SOCCER ROUND 22 SATURDAY NIGHT RESULTS
SPANISH FOOTBALL action tonight with Round 22 of the Spanish League with seven matches scheduled & plenty of goals. Here is a quick summary of the games, results & scorers.
David Lopez scores for Bilbao
ATHLETIC DE BILBAO won 3 - 0 REAL SPORTING DE GIJON in a game "scared" by an early 15th min red card to Sporting defender Gregory that left Sporting in a serious disadvantage thereafter.
David Lopez scores for Bilbao
ATHLETIC DE BILBAO won 3 - 0 REAL SPORTING DE GIJON in a game "scared" by an early 15th min red card to Sporting defender Gregory that left Sporting in a serious disadvantage thereafter.
SPANISH FOOTBALL FLASHBACK | 19 September 2009 Round 3 | FC BARCELONA 5 AT.MADRID 2
Big game in SPANISH FOOTBALL tonight as part of Round 22 of the Spanish League, the always exciting FC Barcelona - Atletico de Madrid clash. These encounters have traditionally been high scoring games that have tantalize spectators & fans.
Atletico de Madrid is looking to win back some pride tonight, lost form & grab three vital points so as to not lose the "Euro classification table"
Atletico de Madrid is looking to win back some pride tonight, lost form & grab three vital points so as to not lose the "Euro classification table"
Friday, February 4, 2011
Gameweek 26 Rankings
The transfer window has closed once again with key players moving teams and a couple of fresh faces arriving from overseas. There’s not too much time to let the dust settle though as another gameweek roles round, which looks promising for the Manchester teams, while the headliner match on Sunday will give us a good opportunity to assess whether Chelsea and Liverpool have really turned the proverbial corner after both have struggled (comparatively) in recent times.
Clean Sheet Rankings
(clean sheets kept at home/away – opposition failed to score at home/away)
- Man City (7 – 6)
- Chelsea (8 – 4)
- Tottenham (4 – 4)
- Aston Villa (5 – 5)
- Stoke (4 – 4)
- Man Utd (3 – 2)
- Fulham (3 – 3)
- West Ham (3 – 4)
- Sunderland (4 – 3)
- Everton (3 – 5)
- Arsenal (4- 2)
- Wigan (2 – 3)
- Birmingham (2 – 2)
- Blackpool (5 – 2)
- Blackburn (0 – 3)
- Wolves (2 – 3)
- Newcastle (3 – 2)
- Bolton (0 -3)
- Liverpool (3 – 1)
- West Brom (0-3)
- Man City
- Chelsea
- Man Utd
- Arsenal
- Blackburn
- Tottenham
- Everton
- West Ham
- Wigan
- Blackpool
- Birmingham
- Stoke
- Sunderland
- Newcastle
- Aston Villa
- Fulham
- Wolves
- West Brom
- Bolton
- Liverpool
Tevez is the obvious choice for the armband this week based on the fixtures though his home form (5.36 PPG) dampen my predictions a tad. He is making mince meat (7.43 PPG) against easy opponents though and is probably the best play this week.
Berbatov has been pretty average away from home with 4 goals, 1 assist and just 3.18 PPG. His form is sensational and he’s had some huge games of late, but I would look elsewhere this week if you have other top options.
Malouda has been great at home (7.0 PPG) and against teams who average more than 1.5 GPG conceded (6.78 PPG) and looks well placed to continue his rejuvenated form. The arrival of Torres (who will surely play in a more traditional forward role than Anelka) may hurt his value a bit but with 8 goals in their last 2 games, Chelsea look like they might be back on form.
Like teammate Malouda, Drogba has also been very impressive at home (6.45 PPG) with 8 goals in 11 appearances and may actually benefit from the presence of Torres (despite popular opinion he actually flourished when playing alongside a second stiker).
The form forwards in the league are Rooney and Van Persie, who have 10.0 and 9.4 PPG over the past 5 gameweeks respectively. Both get a decent fixture this week though neither opponent have been easy to beat at home. At a certain point form can be more important than the fixture though and one or both of this pair might be in that zone right now.
Fabregas has been very impressive on return from injury and his bonus tally of 10 points over his last 6 games is very encouraging. He has only had one huge game since his return but has also only failed to score at least 4 points once and is averaging 7.5 PPG.
Not sure whether this category should be named after Robbie Keane or Darren Bent. Probably Keane on the basis of his “I’ve always dreamed of playing for my current team, having grown up idolising one their best players. I remember walking down that famous street to the legendary stand where I watched this team have great success”. Either way, I like these boys this week as one week fillers:
Ciaran Clark (4.4m) – the Villa back line looks a bit crowded when everyone is fit but with Steve Warnock and Luke Young out as long term casualties and Cuellar being in and out all year, the versatile Clark has played several positions which should all but guarantee him a game again this week. Houllier has been complementary of the youngster this year, drawing comparisons to Gareth Barry and Clark has already added 3 league goals (as well as one in the cup last week). I still don’t fully trust Villa’s defense week in, week out but Fulham have scored just 9 away goals all year and so Clark is a great short term pickup.
Morten Gamst Pedersen (6.0m) – on the face of it Gamst Pedersen is having a very nice fantasy year but he scored 38 of his 100 points in a four game period and has been largely average for the remainder of the year. That said, those big games came against weaker defensive teams which is exactly what they face this week. Wigan have conceded 7 goals in the last 3 league games and Pedersen might be worth rolling the dice on in an all or nothing type pick.
CHELSEA FC UNVEIL NEW FERNANDO TORRES SONG | VIDEO
New star Chelsea FC signing Spanish International forward FERNANDO TORRES now has a song at his new Club. Yes, Chelsea could not be less than Liverpool & have notched up a song that smell every little bit of it as pure Marketing as the "publicity machine" kicks off to recoup part of the Investment in sponsorships & merchandising.
The only negative bit is the "fake" Spanish accent from Chris
The only negative bit is the "fake" Spanish accent from Chris
SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM LIST ANNOUNCED FOR COLOMBIA INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLY
SPANISH NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM Selector & Coach Vicente del Bosque has handed in his list of 21 Spanish Football players to make up the squad for the upcoming International Friendly against COLOMBIA on the 9th of February. This match also serves as a trainer for the soon to return Euro Group qualifiers & to keep the team tuned. The novelty is the absence of FC Barcelona defender Carles Puyol who
REAL MADRID - SERGIO AGUERO | OFFER 28M€ + ALVARO NEGREDO ?
The connection REAL MADRID - SERGIO AGUERO intensifies on a daily basis even though it still is on the rumour level. Spanish Sports paper "Marca" - with a reputation of exaggerating & looking for exclusives at all costs: real or false - publish on their front cover that Real Madrid has "prepared" a package to offer ATLETICO DE MADRID for forward SERGIO AGUERO. According to the "spot light" hungry
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
SPANISH CUP RESULTS | 2º LEG SEMI FINAL | ALMERIA 0 - FC BARCELONA 3 | REAL MADRID 2 - SEVILLA FC 0
We have the two finalists that will meet on the 20th of April in the final of the SPANISH CUP after tonights 2º leg semi-final clashes that saw FC BARCELONA & REAL MADRID win their ties & set up another "Clasico" of Spanish Football.
The last time Real Madrid lifted the Spanish Cup was in 1993 & from there to today the walk across the Spanish Cup "desert" has been more painful than the years of
The last time Real Madrid lifted the Spanish Cup was in 1993 & from there to today the walk across the Spanish Cup "desert" has been more painful than the years of
SPAIN STILL NUMBER ONE IN FIFA WORLD RANKING FOR FEBRUARY
FIFA has released its monthly list of Top World National Football Teams with SPAIN retaining the Number One ranking. There has been little to really calculate for FIFA since last month except the Doha International matches & the more recent Asian Cup games were Japan won the title & lifted them 12 positions to place them in the 17th spot on the World ranking.
Below is the Top 15 list of National
Below is the Top 15 list of National
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
SPANISH FOOTBALL | THE IN - OUT | SPANISH LEAGUE CLUBS | WINTER TRANSFER MARKET
The transfer “2011 Winter Market” ended at 00.00 today with the following moves in Spanish Football & with the Spanish League Clubs. Below is a complete list of Spanish League – Liga Clubs & their players in – out guide:
:: Barcelona: New: Affelay. Out: Rochina (Blackburn).
:: Real Madrid: New: Adebayor. Out: Diarra (Mónaco), Mateos (AEK).
:: Villarreal: New: Cicinho. Out: Montero (Levante).
::
:: Barcelona: New: Affelay. Out: Rochina (Blackburn).
:: Real Madrid: New: Adebayor. Out: Diarra (Mónaco), Mateos (AEK).
:: Villarreal: New: Cicinho. Out: Montero (Levante).
::
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