LA LIGA 2008/09 Thread

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Asad7 Barca were pretty average today Bojan, Xavi and Eto'o didnt play well is Messi injured or something???? he wasnt even on bench

Yeah he was injured, dont think its long term - should be back for the next match

[Asad7]

Barca win 3-0 away at Sevilla
Eto'o with 1 and Messi with other two
10 consecutive away win for them and 6 points clear at top

[Asad7]

wth is with their fixtures???? almost every team has played Barca first and the next they play Madrid

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Asad7 Barca win 3-0 away at Sevilla Eto'o with 1 and Messi with other two 10 consecutive away win for them and 6 points clear at top

Brilliant result - Barca back on track after dropping 2 points at home to Getafe

Eto'o cant stop scoring and Messi also in great scoring form, Messi has 15 goals in 17 games this season

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Asad7 wth is with their fixtures???? almost every team has played Barca first and the next they play Madrid

Daoud mentions that in post 54

Certainly is very weird

[Geordie Ahmed]

Forogt to mention Getafe beating derby rivals Real 3-1

[Geordie Ali]

Madrid were shocking!!! Getafe fully deserved their win so well done to them.
If madrid carry on playing like that thn never mind winning the league they wont even get a spot in europe next season!! They were awful!

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Geordie Ali Madrid were shocking!!! Getafe fully deserved their win so well done to them. If madrid carry on playing like that thn never mind winning the league they wont even get a spot in europe next season!! They were awful!

Nah they will get a spot in Europe (CL), they are not that bad BUT the problem for them is that Barca are in supreme form at the moment

Real are not playing much worse than last season, its just Barca kept messing up due to the ineptness of Rijkaard

[Daoud]

Originally Posted by Geordie Ahmed Nah they will get a spot in Europe (CL), they are not that bad BUT the problem for them is that Barca are in supreme form at the moment Real are not playing much worse than last season, its just Barca kept messing up due to the ineptness of Rijkaard

Yep. Dont think Madrid have been terrible in La Liga at least results wise, its just that since they've been playing the same opposition as Barca just a week later so the respective performances have been taken into consideration. Barca have been winning many of the games by 5 or 6 goals and if Madrid only edge it by a goal or two, in comparison they seem crap

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Daoud Yep. Dont think Madrid have been terrible in La Liga at least results wise, its just that since they've been playing the same opposition as Barca just a week later so the respective performances have been taken into consideration. Barca have been winning many of the games by 5 or 6 goals and if Madrid only edge it by a goal or two, in comparison they seem crap

Indeed

Barca have a frightening GD of 31 whilst Real's is 10

That is a HUGE difference considering they are only 1 spot behind in the table

[Sheikh]

Just saw the brace Messi scored against Sevilla.

The lad knows his way around a park eh?

[Geordie Ahmed]

Barcelona take on Valencia tonight

Will be a tough test for Barca - they have more or less been sweeping teams aside with ease, this wont be so easy

Real Madrid take on Sevilla at home 2moro

[Amir]

Barca do it again, 4-0 vs Valencia.

[Daoud]

Originally Posted by Geordie Ahmed Barcelona take on Valencia tonight Will be a tough test for Barca - they have more or less been sweeping teams aside with ease, this wont be so easy Real Madrid take on Sevilla at home 2moro

Or so you would have thought. 4-0. This is getting ridiculous

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Daoud Or so you would have thought. 4-0. This is getting ridiculous

It really is - destroying the smaller teams is one thing BUT they have destroyed Atletico and Sevilla already, now you can Valencia to that list. Lets hope they do the same to Real next week

Their GD is getting sillier now, its 35 - the next best is Atletico on 12, a staggering difference of 23

It was nice to see Henry get himself a hat-trick

Would be nice if Real slip up against Sevilla tonight

[Daoud]

Yeah, the way they've been playing against the bigger teams has made this season so far all the more satisfying. For example, Liverpool if anything were lucky to get a point against Atletico home and away yet Barca stuffed them 6-1.

Next two games are huge but a win against Madrid and a point against Villareal would mean an excellent first half to the season

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Geordie Ahmed It really is - destroying the smaller teams is one thing BUT they have destroyed Atletico and Sevilla already, now you can Valencia to that list. Lets hope they do the same to Real next week Their GD is getting sillier now, its 35 - the next best is Atletico on 12, a staggering difference of 23 It was nice to see Henry get himself a hat-trick Would be nice if Real slip up against Sevilla tonight

and they slipped up - lost 4-3 at home in an entertaining game

cant be bothered to write what happened so shall let skysports.com do the honours

The Santiago Bernabeu was the place to be on Sunday as Real Madrid and Sevilla played out a seven-goal thriller. The hosts fell behind after only three minutes as Adriano pounced, but were level on 19 minutes when talismanic skipper Raul headed home. Romaric then had Sevilla back in front three minutes later and Frederic Kanoute looked to have put the seal on the win on 38 minutes. However, a remarkable second half comeback from Los Blancos saw Gonzalo Higuain (67) and Fernando Gago (69) haul Bernd Schuster's side back into the game. Arjen Robben was then shown a second yellow card on 77 minutes, allowing Dirnei Renato to sink the 10-men with an 85th minute winner.

[Geordie Ahmed]

[Geordie Ahmed]

Table looking good for Barca - 6 points clear of 2nd place Villareal, well at the moment its more like 7 points cos of their GD

Its good to see that a few sides are doing well and that its quite close from 2nd to 7th spot

Good La Liga season so far

[Daoud]

Madrid will probably have serious problems in defending against Barca's attacks down the right side. Marcelo kept getting burned by Jesus Navas so imagine the difficulty hed have against Messi and Daniel Alves. Alves seems have have made a huge impact and while he was signed for quite a hefty fee, hes been well worth it so far

[Fawad]

Real lost but is was an excellent game, you have to remember that Madrid were 3-1 down at half time. Schuster needs to go as well as ***** players like Guti, Marcelo and Salgado.

Hate to say it but Barca looks unstoppable.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Reports in Spain that Real Madrid will replace Bernd Schuster with Wendy Ramos

[Fawad]

Originally Posted by Geordie Ahmed Reports in Spain that Real Madrid will replace Bernd Schuster with Wendy Ramos

, hopefully Juande Ramos can sort out the mess at Real.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Fawad , hopefully Juande Ramos can sort out the mess at Real.

Like all the other one's

Real change managers more than us - its a joke

[Geordie Ahmed]

from bbc.co.uk/sport

Real Madrid have sacked Bernd Schuster as coach and replaced the German with former Tottenham manager Juande Ramos until the end of the season. The 54-year-old's first game in charge will be Wednesday's Champions League match at home to Zenit St Petersburg. Real are fifth in the Primera Liga, nine points behind Barcelona, who they face in El Clasico on Saturday. The Madrid board had given Schuster, 48, several votes of confidence before Sunday's 4-3 home defeat by Sevilla. Schuster, whose side was knocked out of the Copa del Rey by little-known Real Union, conceded after the match that his side was incapable of winning at Barcelona. "We spoke to Schuster this morning about all the difficulties over the past few months," said Real director of sport Pedja Mijatovic. "We came to the mutual agreement to take this decision. He took the decision well. "I have to take the opportunity to thank Bernd Schuster for the work he did at Real Madrid. He did an excellent job last season to win the title and the Spanish Supercopa." Ramos, who has signed a six-month contract, was sacked as manager of Tottenham in October following Tottenham's worst start to a season. But he made his reputation in Spain by leading Sevilla to back-to-back Uefa Cup wins in 2006 and 2007. "I would like to thank the board for their confidence - I face this job with excitement. It's everybody's dream," he stated. "I hope I don't let anyone down and that I achieve the successes that this club has set for this season. "In most of my previous jobs I have had short contracts. We came to a quick agreement and I'm delighted. "If I'm happy at the end of the season then I might extend the contract. Both sides are free to see what happens." Schuster enjoyed a successful first year at the Bernabeu, retaining the league title his predecessor Fabio Capello clinched in 2007. But attempts to win it for a third successive time have floundered amid a spate of injuries and Barcelona's resurgence under new boss Pep Guardiola. On Monday, Mali international Mahamadou Diarra became the latest Real player to be struck down after it emerged he will sidelined for six to nine months because of a knee injury. Diarra joins Ruud van Nistelrooy, Gabriel Heinze, Pepe, Wesley Sneijder, Miguel Torres and Ruben de la Red in the treatment room. Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas also gave an insight into the negativity surrounding the club on Tuesday when he admitted they were not capable of challenging for the league title on current form. Casillas told radio programme El mirador de Punto Radio: "At the moment the team isn't capable of winning trophies because Barcelona lead us by nine points and it's true that they're playing well. "We are going through a bad run. Defensively we are vulnerable - and I'm the first (to blame). "At the moment it seems that our opponents will have three chances and score three goals and it's clear that we are all to blame. "I have been 10 seasons in the Primera Liga and this, for now, is the worst start I have had."

[Geordie Ahmed]

Lets hope Wendy gets THUMPED in his 1st game in charge

[Oxy]

Ramos will be looking to sign Darren Bent no doubt.....

[Amjid Javed]

I think Ramos will do a good job at real as hes done a good job in spain before. I recon barca will beat Real this weekend though.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Oxy Ramos will be looking to sign Darren Bent no doubt.....

Ramos never signed the Spurs players, the signings were done by Comolli

Thats the way things work at Sevilla and it will work that way at Real

Ramos was brilliant for Sevilla and built a solid reputation for himself, whilst people in Britain dont think too highly of him he is still as is evident rated in Spain

[Fawad]

Originally Posted by Geordie Ahmed Like all the other one's Real change managers more than us - its a joke

schuster had to go, being 5th in the league is disgraceful for a club like Real, Real fans expect the absolute best, schuster wasn't delivering so he had to go.

The idiot said that Real has "no chance" of beating Barca this weekend, what kind of ***** manager is he?

[Geordie Ahmed]

El Classico tonight - should be awesome

Ramos first La Liga game is at the Nou Camp - lets hope he gets a thumping to remember

[Geordie Ahmed]

HT at the Nou Camp

Still 0-0

[Daoud]

Apparently the Madrid defenders have been targetting Messi is quite a cynical manner. Hope he doesnt actually get injured though

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Daoud Apparently the Madrid defenders have been targetting Messi is quite a cynical manner. Hope he doesnt actually get injured though

Yep - very dirty, ref has been quite lenient aswell

[Daoud]

Casillas saves a penalty from Eto'o. I really hope Madrid dont grab a flukey goal somewhere

[Zechariah]

Henry should have taken it, why Eto?

[Oxy]

This has got to be some of the most cynical, most targetted bit of fouling on 1 player as I have seen in years.

The ref should have booked all 5 -6 RealM players in the 1st half.

It was a plan - it was calculated.

[Daoud]

Despite the fascist plan to cynically foul away, they were unable to stop the Barca march. 2-0 in the end with goals from Etoo and Messi

[Asad7]

That tackling was really annoying but Messi made for it in the end with that classy goal

[Geordie Ahmed]

YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Win fully deserved over the fascist scum, disgraceful tactics employed by them.

Was gutted Eto'o missed the penalty, thought it was gonna be one of those days BUT Eto'o managed to get a goal. It was lovely bit of play from Puyol, a wonderful leap from the corner and his header found Eto'o who had a simple finish

Messi's goal was quality - at first i thought the pass from Henry to him was a bit too heavy BUT Messi controlled it well and the finish was exquisite - Cannavaro did well in his attempt to clear it BUT it went in off his shin and he crashed into the post for his troubles

BRILLIANT WIN

12 points ahead of the scum now and 8 points ahead of 2nd placed Valencia. Altho Villareal can reduce the gap to 6 points if they beat Sevilla away 2moro

[Geordie Ahmed]

Real beat Valencia at home yesterday - important win for them

Barca have a tough match today, away to Villareal - hopefully defeat can be avoided

[Geordie Ahmed]

Thats another win for Barca. 2-1 away to Villareal is a great result

They went behind to a Cani goal BUT Keita equalised, then Henry gave Barca the lead and they held on for the 3 points

10 points clear at the top now

[Geordie Ahmed]

Forgot to update the thread after La Liga resumed after the winter break

Barcelona beat Mallorca 3-1 at home. The away side took a shock lead through Aduriz who scored a wonderful goal BUT Barca equalised through Thierry Henry, Iniesta came off the bench and gave them the lead with 15 mins remaining then Toure wrapped things up late on with a wonderful goal. He showed great footwork to beat a couple of players and smashed it past the keeper

Barcelona are on 44 points, 11 points clear of 2nd place Valencia.

Real are 12 points behind Barca in 3rd spot. They played at home and beat Villareal 1-0. Robben getting the goal, quality goal it was - went down the right wing, he cut in and beat a couple of players before unleashing a wonderful left footed strike which went into the top corner, keeper had no chance

[Geordie Ahmed]

Barcelona win . . . . . . AGAIN

They made things difficult BUT still took all 3 points away to Osasuna in a 3-2 win

They took the lead through Eto'o BUT Osasuna scored twice to take a shock lead. Xavi then equalised with 10 mins remaining BUT they kept on going, for which they were rewarded when the best player in the world scored with a left footed shot from outside the box.

The Barcelona machine just keeps on going

Real got themselves a comfortable 3-0 away win at Mallorca. Robben, Raul and Ramos the scorers.

Barcelona top of the table with 47 points, Real are 2nd with 35

[The Godfather]

one thing wrong with ure post its arguabley the best player in the world not the best player in the world

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Haroon Yasin one thing wrong with ure post its arguabley the best player in the world not the best player in the world

errr no he IS the best player in the world right this moment in time - no doubts about it.

He is playing some unbelievable stuff at the moment, can you suggest anyone that is playing better than him right now?

[The Godfather]

well on form wise he may be but ronaldo wining the world player wat does that suggest to u if he keeps it he should get the tag

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Haroon Yasin well on form wise he may be but ronaldo wining the world player wat does that suggest to u if he keeps it he should get the tag

Well thats what i am basing it on

When i say best player in the world i mean right this moment, not what he did in Jan, Feb 2008

Ronaldo deserved the award because that is based on or is supposed to be based on performances throughout the entire year and he undoubtedly had a great year BUT right now Messi is playing out of this world and nobody comes near him on this form

[Sheikh]

The 08/09 season belongs to Messi so far. Even if they (Barca) don't win the CL, the manner in which they're romping home in La Liga should ensure all post season accolades go to the Argentinian.

Oh yeah and he's playing brilliantly too.

[Amjid Javed]

Messi hat-trick v atheletico was brilliant and his goal v osasuna was awesome.

Hes best player in world by a mile. I hope that barca get to CL final as they are a delight to watch!

[The Godfather]

lol he probably will get it this season but currently the accolade goes to Ronaldo

[invincible]

Originally Posted by Sheikh The 08/09 season belongs to Messi so far. Even if they (Barca) don't win the CL, the manner in which they're romping home in La Liga should ensure all post season accolades go to the Argentinian. Oh yeah and he's playing brilliantly too.

I am afraid winning the CL (or atleast performing well in it) plays a huge part in winning World player awards. In the 06/07 season, Kaká won it primarily because of his CL performances. His (and the club's) league achievements were nothing to write home about.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Since the last update there have been 2 La Liga matches

Surprise surprise Barcelona won them both . . . . with ease

First they destroyed Depor 5-0 and then the following week they beat Numancia 4-1

They obviously remain top with 53 points from 20 games, Real are in 2nd with 41 points.

Barcelona have a ridiculous GD of 49, Real are next best with 15

[Geordie Ahmed]

Eto'o is the leading La Liga scorer with 19 goals

Messi has 14 goals and Henry has got 12 goals

Brilliant forward lineup - lets hope they can stay injury free

[Geordie Ahmed]

Barcelona win again - they beat Santander 2-1 away

Messi getting both goals

[Sheikh]

Originally Posted by Geordie Ahmed Barcelona win again - they beat Santander 2-1 away Messi getting both goals

Coming on as a sub!

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Sheikh Coming on as a sub!

Yep - both right footed goals aswell

The guy is in amazing form right now - thats 25 goals for him this season in all competitions

[Geordie Ahmed]

Barcelona are currently taking on Sporting Gijon at home

Its half-time and they lead 2-0

Samuel Eto'o getting both goals

[Geordie Ahmed]

It finished 3-1 to Barcelona

Dani Alves made it 3 before Mateo got a consolation for Gijon

[Saj]

Another walk in the park for Barca. They really are a joy to watch and remain 12 points clear.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Its just too easy for them at the moment

Their defence is nothing special BUT it doesnt really matter when you have the forward lineup that they have

[Fawad]

Barca drop 2 points against Real Betis, meanwhile Real Madrid have recorded their 8 consecutive win, gap now down to 10 points.

[Fawad]

Barca lose 2-1 against local rivals espanyol, while Real Madrid thrash Real Betis

[Oxy]

Saw the Barca game - man, they were absolute shyte tonight!

Another point - what a bunch of cheats and feigner of injuries these players are.

It was embarrassing to watch.

[Amir]

Originally Posted by Oxy Saw the Barca game - man, they were absolute shyte tonight! Another point - what a bunch of cheats and feigner of injuries these players are. It was embarrassing to watch.

What do you expect from the second best league in the world?

[Geordie Ahmed]

Only 7 points in it now

What was looking like a walk in the park for Barca is turning interesting now

Real have been in brilliant form - Wendy has done a brilliant job

[Geordie Ahmed]

Barcelona win 2-0, goals coming from Busquets and Messi

Real Madrid's 10 match winning run came to an end as they were held to a 1-1 home draw in the Madrid derby

The lead stands at 6 points - lets hope Barca continue on the winning path

[Geordie Ahmed]

Real Madrid with a comfortable 5-2 win away to Bilbao - this puts them just 3 points behind Barcelona

That was Real Madrid's 11th win from 12 games (the other one being a draw) - they have been going great guns since Wendy has taken over

Barcelona have a chance to extend that lead when they take on Almeria away from home tonight

[Geordie Ahmed]

Barcelona win 2-0 to extend their lead to 6 points

Bojan gets both goals for Barcelona - Barcelona dominated the game and fully deserved the win. They did it without Henry and also Eto'o didnt start the game

[Sheikh]

Athletico Madrid beat Villareal 3-2 in a pulsating game that shakes up the CL qualification order, bringing Athletico right back into the equation.

I watched the game and was enthralled; was end to end stuff with some top class goals and wonderful attacking football. Great advertisement for La Liga.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Originally Posted by Sheikh Athletico Madrid beat Villareal 3-2 in a pulsating game that shakes up the CL qualification order, bringing Athletico right back into the equation. I watched the game and was enthralled; was end to end stuff with some top class goals and wonderful attacking football. Great advertisement for La Liga.

I saw the first 20 mins of that game BUT unfortunately cudnt watch the rest of it

Atletico havnt really missed Torres too much - thought they would drop to mid-table without him BUT in Forlan/Aguero they have a lethal forward lineup

[Geordie Ahmed]

Barcelona hammer Malaga 6-0 at home

Xavi, Messi, Henry, Eto'o (2) and Alves the scorers

Real Madrid won 3-0 at home against Almeria

Marcelo and Huntelaar (2) the scorers

Still a 6 point lead

[Amjid Javed]

Barca in rampant form over weekend with a 6-0 win!

[Geordie Ahmed]

Messi scored another quality goal - thus firther reinforcing why he is the best player in the world

[Geordie Ahmed]

Barcelona leading 2-0 at home to Recreativo Huelva

Iniesta scored after 43 seconds, the second goal coming from an own goal

About 5 mins to go

[Geordie Ahmed]

Barcelona and Real both got 1-0 away wins on the weekend. The lead for Barca remains at 6 points

Messi the scorer for Barca, that takes him to 33 goals for the season

Marcelo was the scorer for Real

[Fawad]

Real won 3-2 against Getafe last night, Higuain scored a terrific goal. The gap is down to three points but Barca do have a game in hand.

[Geordie Ahmed]

Higuain is a quality player and gives Real options as he can play a number of positions

[Sheikh]

Did you guys see Pepe losing his ****? That was crazy!

[Geordie Ahmed]

Gap is back to 6 points after Barcelona beat Sevilla at home 4-0

It was a comfortable win with the goals coming from Iniesta, Eto'o, Xavi and Henry.

The reason Messi wasnt on the scoresheet is because he was rested