La Liga 2013-2014

It's not a coincidence that a Ronaldo looks like he wants to score after Bale went off... or is it a coincidence?!
 
Indeed, he look disinterested before Bale went off. Now he wants to try and score with every shot he has. His ego is incredibly large and I am surprised he is able to get on the team bus because of the size of it.

Haha, I'm not too sure that it's his ego. I think it's something else, but I obviously don't know what.
 
Honestly I didn't think Villareal can keep it up till the end, but they did, and I thought they deserved to win it by at least two goals.

Lopez MOTM.
 
Have they changed the rules for throw-ins in the last 18 months or so? I swear everyone takes foul throws these days.

Don't think Albania took one legal throw in the other day. Linesman actually did call one wrongly taken though.

Players are always a bit casual with throw-ins and if they don't get reminded from time to time to do it right they just get worse.
 
Don't think Albania took one legal throw in the other day. Linesman actually did call one wrongly taken though.

Players are always a bit casual with throw-ins and if they don't get reminded from time to time to do it right they just get worse.

Valencia takes a foul throw every single time for us.
 
2 cracking games last night, I have no idea how they are gone ng to make Ronaldo, Isco and Bale work....but if they do.
 
I thought Madrid looked much better as a unit when Khedira replaced Illarramendi and when Di Maria replaced Bale. I don't know if it was the occasion (it being his Madrid debut) but I thought Illarramendi struggled a bit and it seemed that every time he tried to win the ball he ended up committing a foul. Isco seems to have fitted in straight away and looks a real prosect, he has a certain tenacity, as well as his ability on the ball.

Cristiano will really miss Özil imo, Di Maria plays to his strengths as well, but will he get many games now with Bale, Ronaldo and Isco being the first choice 3 behind the striker.
 
2 cracking games last night, I have no idea how they are gone ng to make Ronaldo, Isco and Bale work....but if they do.


Ditch Benzema, and play with no #9? Bale and Ronaldo are better at poaching than he is anyway. Could do with Ozil back...

Villareal have made a great start this season, amazing really, but Madrid's defending was all over the place. You can see Carvajal has potential but Pepe/Carvajal defending as a pairing is just painful. I imagined a fullback who'd had a good season in the Bundesliga would look less raw. The midfield had plenty of talent but not much bite, though of course Illarramendi has had no pre-season so it's no surprise that he lacked sharpness.

Lopez is doing great, it's hard to imagine a player under as much scrutiny as him - even some of his own fans and significant sections of the "Madrid" media seem to want him to fail.

Casillas is playing on Tuesday in the CL. Either to keep him fresh, or to make it harder for him to move in January - take your pick.

Navarro (Sevilla captain) got interviewed as he left the pitch - always dangerous. Talked about a robbery, and how everyone knows that Barca are a great team, but if things aren't going their way they've got other ways to win. Emery was careful (from what I heard) to steer this side of a ban, going for irony, "vivan los arbitros," - long live the referees.

Two good matches, probably enlivened by the tiredness of players coming back from international matches and with CL games next week, but well fought.
 
You can see Carvajal has potential but Pepe/Carvajal defending as a pairing is just painful. I imagined a fullback who'd had a good season in the Bundesliga would look less raw.
Carvajal's season at Leverkusen is a bit overrated, imo. He had a brilliant first half and an average second half, overall it was his contribution in attack that made it very good, his defending was a bit questionable throughout the whole season. Leverkusen played with a 3 men midfield most of the time, with Lars Bender as a box to box midfielder on the right and very often Castro, a former right back, on the right wing in a 433, so Carvajal really had a lot of help in defense. Everyone I know thought it's at least a year too early to go back to Madrid, but there are few great full backs on the market, so I understand why Madrid called him back anyway.
 
Not watching this one, but not surprised at Valencia's defence. They have 2 fullbacks, but 1 is playing CB. One winger playing LB. And yet still the RB playing RB Pereira is the weak link. He was rubbish last season too, bad buy. Doesnt help that Pabon, mostly a forward, is playing on the right ahead of him

Hows that Alvaro Vladilo on Betis left wing doing? Only 19
 
Not watching this one, but not surprised at Valencia's defence. They have 2 fullbacks, but 1 is playing CB. One winger playing LB. And yet still the RB playing RB Pereira is the weak link. He was rubbish last season too, bad buy. Doesnt help that Pabon, mostly a forward, is playing on the right ahead of him

Hows that Alvaro Vladilo on Betis left wing doing? Only 19


Haven't really noticed anyone but the defending has been comical. No midfielders shielding the back four, and the back four don't even seem like a back four, more like a back two with two full backs playing in midfield and not tracking back.
 
Only
Not watching this one, but not surprised at Valencia's defence. They have 2 fullbacks, but 1 is playing CB. One winger playing LB. And yet still the RB playing RB Pereira is the weak link. He was rubbish last season too, bad buy. Doesnt help that Pabon, mostly a forward, is playing on the right ahead of him

Hows that Alvaro Vladilo on Betis left wing doing? Only 19

3-0 down at HT is painful - terrible start to the season by Valencia. I take every nasty thing I said about Emery back. OK, not every nasty thing, but some of it.

I've only seen the HT highlights so all I can tell you about Vadillo is that he's quick!
 
Only

3-0 down at HT is painful - terrible start to the season by Valencia. I take every nasty thing I said about Emery back. OK, not every nasty thing, but some of it.

I've only seen the HT highlights so all I can tell you about Vadillo is that he's quick!
Did you watch Athletic this weekend jojojo?

edit: I see they're playing Celta tomorrow night. Will try & watch.
 
I've been channel flipping between Athletic/Celta and Swansea/Liverpool so I don't claim the match has had my full attention.

However it's 1-1 at HT. Athletic have had most of the game but Celta could easily be winning, they've missed a penalty and had a couple of good chances mostly down to excellent counterattacking play by Rafinha.

So for muppetry purposes - Herrera and Muniain are playing well and Celta have a 18 year old centre back called David Costas who's looking very good for a player that young.
 
Celta's 17 year old sub Santi Mina scores bringing it back to 3-2.

With Herrera and Munian already subbed off, Athletic may have a nervous last 10 minutes.
 
Round 4 standings

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Wow :lol:

Say as things stand, & their head to head record was equal, would "least yellow cards" determine the league or woud it be a playoff?


In order of importance, if level on points: Head to head, goal difference, goals for, least yellow cards. If they were indeed even on H2H, GD & GF, I believe it will have to be decided on the cards. :D
(Correct me if i'm wrong as I didn't check, but that is how I think it goes)
 
As might as well give the league to Barcelona. Madrid are behind. Goodbye.
Lulz
If anything the first 4 games have shown that both of the big two are vulnerable this year and can be beaten. Barca should have dropped points at home to Sevilla last weekend and Madrid were lucky to get a point at Villarreal, both struggled in one or two of previous games as well (Barca found it hard at Malaga and Valencia, Real basically haven't had a comfortable win aside from 3-1 against Athletic).
 
In order of importance, if level on points: Head to head, goal difference, goals for, least yellow cards. If they were indeed even on H2H, GD & GF, I believe it will have to be decided on the cards. :D
(Correct me if i'm wrong as I didn't check, but that is how I think it goes)
Thanks mate. Would be hilarious if that ever happened! :lol: