La Liga 2013-2014

4-0! Diego Costa finally, what a touch and through ball by Villa, excellent goal.
 
Betis are a poor side but Atletico just never let up in games and actively enjoy rubbing salt into the wound. Great side.
 
Betis are a poor side but Atletico just never let up in games and actively enjoy rubbing salt into the wound. Great side.


They were excellent last season, but lost some key players in Beñat (to Athletic) and their top scorer in the past 3 seasons Rubén Castro who's out with a long-term back injury. Cañas went to Swansea and Pabón to Valencia. They were also with several defensive injuries for this game resulting in a completely unfamiliar back four. They've had a poor start to the season, but they really shouldn't be near the relegation zone considering their squad and manager.
 
Just watched the highlights for Villareal 4 Valencia 1
Villareal are just so well organised and so comfortable playing to their strengths.

Valencia meanwhile just look so lacking in organisation and confidence. You can't help but look at the team and think it's got the quality (despite the big names sold) but not the fight, maybe because the players know they're in a selling club.

Happy for Villareal though!

Incidentally, last night, Malaga 0 Celta 5
Wow.


Re: that, it's just ridiculous how they can go down, then promoted and then still play like stylish oldskool Villarreal (even with a completely different roster of players, manager and coaching staff)... even though I know Roig has invested substantially into the club throughout his tenure, I just can't help but see them as a very likeable underdog, mostly because of the way they try to play and the underrated personnel they've had over the years.


Also, how Valencia fans must be cry-laughing themselves to sleep... after some glory years, they get all the crap with the Nuevo Mestalla and then Koeman, they finally manage some stability and probably reach the limit of their possibilities in their current financial situation with Emery, three consecutive 3rd place finishes in the league and usually reaching the CL knock-outs (and once an EL semi, I think?)... also usually performing excellently at home against RM and (especially) Barça... in the end the fans were tired of him always making the same "mistakes" and I can't count the number of times I saw Valencia fans complain on internet boards wanting him out ... well they got their wish, alright :lol: in the end, both parties came out for the worse.. Valencia missing out on the CL for the first time in 3 seasons and now they're looking like the mess they were under Koeman... very unfortunate for Djukic who looked excellent last season at the helm of Valladolid. Emery got sacked at Spartak after 3-4 months and is now severely underperforming with a decent Sevilla side.
 
Real

Diego López, Varane, Sergio Ramos, Khedira, Cristiano Ronaldo, Benzema, Bale, Marcelo, Arbeloa, Isco e Illarra
 
I did find Bale's struggles amusing at first but thinking about it I would like to see a great British player be part of a great foreign team. The last time that happened was probably half a century ago. With Ronaldo committed long-term you have to think they'll find some way to make it work, and Isco's clearly got the makings of a top player - it's not difficult to see them winning the CL at some point in the next few years.
 
GARETH BALE HAS SCORED FOR REAL MADRID STOP EVERYTHING GARETH BALE HAS SCORED FOR REAL MADRID OMIGODOMIGODOMIGOD


76 min: A goal for Gareth Bale in Madrid, apparently.

Guardian MBM on Cattle vs Citeh :lol:
 
If that was a foul on Isco it was outside the box.

Well taken penalty by Ronaldo though 3-0

Ronaldo celebrates with a military salute for Blatter
 
Ronaldo should have let Bale get his hattrick, there are more goals in this.
 
Penalty and yellow against Ramos for something he does every time he's next to a player. Law of averages catches up, it's hardly a big call for the ref 3-1

Wow 3-2 - Madrid defence wide open :D
 
La Liga defending is non-existant.

Don't think Bale will get that second goal, original effort looked wide to me.
 
Bale's first touch is shit

You can see most of his team mates don't really trust him with the ball either. Even Arbeloa's reluctant to give it to him. He probably is just a bit rusty though.