By Dean Burrier Sanchis (twitter:@BurrierSanchis)  {website: DescubriendoADean}

Valencia, Spain

This week has been a whirlwind of emotions and reactions following Levante’s surprising 3-5 defeat against Rayo Vallecano this past Sunday in Ciutat de València Stadium. Having travelled more than 4,500 miles to Valencia on Thursday, vomiting from motion sickness as many times as goals were scored on Sunday, I felt just as depressed as any of the 4,000 fans who stayed loyally by the side of our Levante through all of the 94 minutes. With that final whistle from Iturralde began the commentaries of fans, trying to make sense of how our club still had not ended its streak of three months without a victory in La Liga. “Hemos tocado fondo ya, seguro” (Surely, we’ve hit rock bottom this time) exclaimed a fan sitting in front of my in Grada Central. “Ojalá“ (I hope) was the response that quickly followed in the minds of everyone within earshot.

Its difficult to analyze the rise and fall of Levante. All Levante fans were conscious of the fact that the “fall” would come. Players, directors and fans humbly carried the flag of leader during several weeks this past fall and never lost sight of the club’s objectives. Club President Quico Catalan made it clear on many occasions that the club’s objective was still the same: avoid relegation. However, the collapse has seemed so sudden that it fans have been left looking for explanations. In today’s post we will analyze some explanations for the drop in form.

Injuries

Juanlu, Barkero, Valdo, Juanfran, Del Horno… while it might seem like a short list, Levante as a team function like a finely-tuned machine. Without even one vital part, the machine does not work. The first three names have been the most important absences: together they compose the line between the midfield and Koné. Without outside midfielders Juanlu and Valdo, no one has been able to spark the team’s offense, as the vast majority of the team’s offensive play runs through their feet. For a counterattacking offense, the absence of the outside middies has been disastrous. Koné has seen the amount of touches he gets on the ball drastically reduced and the amount of real, goal-scoring opportunities equally reduced. In the end, the reasoning is quite simplistic: when the machine does not produce goals, we cannot win. Thankfully, Barkero and Valdo are back on the field and getting back in form and, hopefully, very shortly will help the team’s offensive output that shot the team to a beautiful and historic run of 7 consecutive victories just a few months ago.

The Transfer of Nano

Gustavo Cabral played a fantastic game against Real Madrid, however, it is clear he is still struggling to fill the large boots that Nano left behind on his way to China. This past Sunday, the absence of Nano, pillar alongside Captain Ballesteros, left a gaping hole in the defensive line that Rayo exploited over and over again. If you repeat the goals Rayo scored, it’s as if Nano should have appeared to save the day. It is clear that he carried more of the communication in the defensive line than Ballesteros, traditionally more of a quiet leader. That lack of communication and the vision that Nano brought is most readily seen in the 0-1 goal from Lass, who gladly exploited Javi Venta’s lapse of attention, keeping Lass onside a meter and a half behind the rest of the defense.

The Botehlo Situation

Although the news did not come out until after the 3-5 loss, recently-arrived and too quickly reunited with the nightlife in Madrid, Brazilian left-winger Pedro Botehlo certainly set the club and coaching staff up for an embarrassing situation. After Levante’s dignified and very well-fought 4-2 loss against Real Madrid, players were restricted from leaving the team hotel. Botehlo, recently apprehended when he was still with Rayo Vallecano for crashing his car under the influence of alcohol after a long night of fiesta in Madrid (worse yet: without a driver’s license in Spain), left his hotel room and presumably marched off to a nighttime rondevu with his Madrid pals. The following morning, the rest of the players, coaches, staff and club directors left bound for Valencia after finding Botehlo’s room vacant, save for his open and unpacked suitcase. According to Botehlo, it was all a misunderstanding, as he thought he had permission to “visit the dentist”, an excuse that JIM has categorically denied, as he personally denied Botehlo permission to leave the hotel.

The club kept silent on the subject all week, but it was obvious to me, after meeting all the players as they marched from the dressing room off to the hotel the day of the game, that something was on manager Juan Ignacio Martinez’s mind. He looked stressed, angry and in a rush to board the bus. Shortly thereafter, my godfather and I went naming the players that had already boarded the bus. Everyone expected, except Botehlo. It should have hit us at the time that something was adrift. Botehlo had been picked and started every game since making the move from Rayo to Levante. We asked a club employee where Botehlo was, they downplayed his absence and said he was “inside the dressing room” and that he’d be out “shortly”. It was strange, but I did not expect the bomb shell that would go off in the media shortly after the defeat, later that evening.

The Botehlo situation is a huge public embarrassment for manager JIM. He personally vouched for Botehlo, to whom he had been a father-figure when both coincided in Salamanca and again in Cartagena in the recent past. The fact that JIM publicly spoke on Botehlo’s behalf and personally requested his signing to club directors, has blown up in his face with Botehlo’s latest nightclub appearance. While the club has decided not to tear up Botehlo’s contract, it is clear that he will be fined and almost certainly will not wear a Levante shirt again. His distraction is obviously not helping the team and the dressing room is certainly suffering as a result of his actions.

Next Up: Espanyol

A very formidable opponent, who will not want to relinquish the fourth place spot they just took away from us this past weekend. I will be accompanying the estimated 100 Levante fans who will be making the trip to Barcelona in bus this Saturday afternoon. Levante are a club with a style of play well accustomed to playing as the away side. Let’s hope the defensive line returns to being as attentive and well in-sync as it traditionally is, and that we are not still lamenting Nano’s exit, or Botehlo’s visit to the “dentist”…

Elisa and Ravi chatted with Dermot Corrigan, a freelance journalist living in Madrid and writing on football for Sport360, WSC, Fox Soccer & Football Ramble and travel, technology and environment for others. Dermot’s website is http://www.dermotcorrigan.com and you may reach him on twitter at @dermotcorrigan

We covered the length and breadth of La Liga with Dermot discussing the following topics

Agenda

0. Quick intro

1. State of La Liga

- From 4th through 18th are in a range of 9 points : what do you make of it?

- No team apart from top2 is able to string together 3-4 wins in a row. Is it parity or mediocrity?

- Is the title race over? What can you attribute to the bad away form of Barça? Is it lack of appetite

- Clemente at Sporting and Michel at Sevilla – thoughts?

- Who are your picks for CL, UEFA & relegation

- Top 3 rookies of La Liga so far

 2. Champions League

- What do you think of Barca’s performance against Leverkusen in Germany?

- Forbes money league your thoughts? Are Barca and Real Madrid creating the same duopoly in Europe?

 3. Copa del Rey final

- the furore over finding a site for the final?

- does Spain need a national stadium?

- should a stadium be assigned in the beginning of the year?

This Thursday in the Spanish capital Atlético Madrid and Lazio conclude the second leg of their Europa League fixture on banks of the city’s Manzanares river. Last week the Italians were humbled on their home turf, and as far as order measurements go, theirs is going to be quite a tall one if they are to progress any further in the competition. The Roman side has a 3-1 deficit to overcome against a rojiblanco team which, so far under Simeone’s stewardship, has only leaked two goals in eight competitive matches.   Champions League betting and Europa League betting organizations favor Atletico Madrid.

Domestically speaking, neither team had an encouraging weekend on the back of last week’s encounter, with both being frustrated by “lesser” opposition. In Lazio’s case, the wounds they were left to lick were particularly deep, as eighth placed Palermo gave them a 5-1 pummelling, which saw them drop down to fourth in Serie A and led an embarrassed Edy Reja to admit, “we had a total blackout” after the final whistle.

Lullabies and good night kisses are what one would expect the former Napoli coach to lavish upon Sunday’s experimental 3-4-1-2 formation before putting it to bed ahead of Thursday’s trip to the Calderon, but his hand may be forced again as injury woes still abound for the Biancocelestis (White and sky blues). So depleted is the Lazio squad at the moment that Christian Ledesma was played as a centre half during the humiliation in the Stadio Renzo Barbera on the weekend. With the likes of Stefan Radu and Giuseppe Biava still out, and players like Abdoulay Konko (suspensed for the Palermo game) probably low on confidence after being humbled against the Spanish side last week, Reja has very few resources at hand to pacify the Atleti front line.

Luckily for him though, aside from their master class in Rome last week, the rojiblanco machine has not exactly been firing on all cylinders of late. On Sunday Cholo’s men were held to their third league stale mate in a row, as a plucky, second-from-bottom Sporting Gijon held them to a 1-1 draw in the Molinon. This uninspiring string of results raises some legitimate concerns about the wastefulness on display, especially considering the talent at the Madrid’s club disposal – they had to rely on Canella to score an o.g. for their only goal in Cantabria.

Dropped points not withstanding, the worst thing to come out of Sunday’s la liga clash was the news of Diego’s hamstring injury, which will see the Brazilian side lined for at least a month. Without his creative flair and vision in the centre of the park Atleti are definitely a weaker team and his absence on Thursday arguably leaves Simeone without his best player since taking over. On a positive note for the Argentine, Tiago should be available to fill in for the Werder Bremen loanee, and with Mario taking on the role of the holding midfielder, the Portuguese player could be pushed higher up the pitch (a position he is already comfortable with) to help pull the strings for the likes of Koke, Adrian and Falcao.

Whatever the concerns about firepower are for the home side, the fact of the matter is that this game is theirs to lose and as long as they can contain Klose and Alfaro up front, Lazio don’t stand much of a chance of beating them. Defensively, Atleti look very assured and breaking them down will be a real test for the off-form visitors.

The Italians are in a catch 22 situation, where committing men forward in order to overhaul their deficit is necessary but at the risk of exposing a make-shift defence to the likes of Adrian and Falcao who thrive on counterattacking football.

Prediction: Like the first leg I see Atlético upping their game for the European stage, especially at home, where they have convincingly won all of their Europa League matches so far this season.

Craig Williams brings us a lovely piece on his love of Spanish Football.  Enjoy!

I guess one of the luxuries of living in Spain, outwith the sun, the woman and the food, is the football. Or perhaps have I got my priorities wrong? Anyway, soaking up living not the actual watching of matches, but more the pre-match and aftermath, the next day and the build-up to the big game, offers both similarity and contrast to how things are done in the UK.

Like all football fans, the next days scan through the papers, the internet search, the match reports, the highlights, its as much a part of the makeup of our love of the game as is watching ninety minutes, the hair of the dog type antidote or the first taste as it were to the night’s football debauchery.

Monday mornings, well, any mornings in fact, are a chance to look at what the nation is thinking, what opinions are being offered, what non existent transfer deals are occuring, etc, etc. And from doing so here, almost methodically, u soon get used to how things “work”, how the game is loved, the Spanish way. As I said, at times offering polar opposites to our British affair with the ball and the net, at times like distant brothers.

For a start there’s the coverage, and lots of it. You think in the UK we speak, we live football, we report, we talk football, Spain do as well. At least five daily sports papers churning out anything and everything post and prematch, those with an unadulterating bias to Madrid, and those for Barcelona. The TV programmes, every night at tea time, the football chat shows, the football highlights shows, alongside that stuck on the end of the normal news programmes. And then there is the radio; El Larguero, the football show with the 12 oclock start that is as much a part of the fanatic’s day as a coffee or a bite to eat. Incessant.

What about the woman? Far from being the realm of men only banter in the bars, women seem to have been slowly and surely allowing the footballing “circus” to penetrate their every thought or opinion as much as the other sex do. The chains are off here in terms of “equality”, more so perhaps than back home. A world of Hazel Irvine’s it isn’t. Whether it has been post World Cup win or has been for years, the plethora of female bums on seats in the stadiums, in the bars giving their teams the motivational speeches or turning the air blue, the reporters on the tv, you name it, women offer as much as a part of the puzzle as men do. Any archaic view of football being a female forbidden territory is laughable.

Another, somewhat crazy admission is that people here are “wise to it”, wise to their love of the game, in a way that we at home are perhaps not so inclined. They love it, they cherish it, they breadth it and dream it, but they still are able to remain free from it being an all encompassing addiction. Imagine us Brits, swimming in the pool of football, gliding through the water of all that is good. The Spaniards dip their toes in it, careful not to fall in. That image, hard to put into words, offers a difference between our respective footballing cultures. Bill Shankly’s famous life and death analogy doesn’t hold as much reverence on these shores. As one journalist put it, “The unique error that you can commit with football is to give it too much importance”, or as Del Bosque himself said about the beautiful game, “The most important of the non important things in life.”

And then we have the unwritten rules so to speak, the traditions that have formed a part of the maturity of the game, how it is viewed, watched, spoken about. The times of the games, normally on a Saturday night at ten oclock or late on a Sunday afternoon. The early 12 oclock kick offs, whilst offering little in terms of protest on our shores, have been met with widespread apathy over here, with the Spanish siesta taking majority of folk not accustomed to an early start at the weekend. No señor. Where’s the time to make up the baguettes, sit and have a pre-match wine or a cheeky beer?

The last part that perhaps, for an outsider, offers the most difficulty to grasp and appreciate(although to is almost a necessity), is to appreciate the language of the game. Football isn’t just a sport here like others, it’s a form of art, a canvas to paint pictures with the Castillan tongue. No stone is unturned, from the tags given to each touch of the ball, each and every way of passing, shooting, running, even thinking, on behalf of the players. The chilena (overhead kick), the vaselina (chip), abrir la lata (the first goal) the todo campista (all rounder), it all forms a part of the flavour, the delight and the passion provided to football, Spanish football.

And with the more time spent here, the more opinions gained, experience swallowed, and notions asserted on that slight difference, that Latin flavoured, slightly more spicy viewpoint that is offered in the red and blue of this wonderful nation, a dash of colour in a sometimes grey and self assuming love that knows no boundaries. Football, Spanish football, I love you.

In 2009 a man went for a walk. Well it was more of a hike. At the end of the hike he stood in front of a statue of the Virgin Mary and begged for a miracle. Mauricio Pochettino took over at Espanyol when there were 3rd from bottom. Few had faith in that Argentine and less when he found himself and his team at the bottom with just 22 points and only 10 weeks to go. He hiked the 12 kms to Montserrat and put Espanyol’s faith in a higher power. It worked!

Nobody likes to live beside a neighbour who has a bigger house and is richer and constantly rubs your face in it. Imagine if that neighbour was Barça? If there is anybody who hates Barça more than Real Madrid fans it is the Espanyol faithful. Even their moment in the sun was overshadowed by Frank Rijkaard’s Barça winning the Champions League. Even when they got to the UEFA cup final, Barça still won the league. The Camp Nou was rocking after years of disappointment, down at the Olympic stadium they had to place huge advertising posters to hide the fact that the ground was empty. Throw in the awful running track that went around the ground and it was no wonder the Espanyol fans breathed a huge sigh of relief when they finally were planning to move to Estadi Cornellà-El Prat.

But there was one small problem. What was the point in having this sparkling new ground if the club were going to play in La Segunda?  Being 3rd from bottom some expected the club to sign an experienced manager who could lead the club to safety and so the signing of Mauricio Pochettino raised more than a few eyebrows. The ex player was now coaching players he played with and some doubted that he had the mental strength to make the step up. But he did and he also had the strength to make a tough decision when needed, just ask Raul Tamudo!

Pochettino has recently been linked with the Real Madrid job and it is no surprise. He was an outsider for the Atlético de Madrid job last summer with some journalists fearing that working for ‘Los Rojiblancos’ would destroy him and everything he had built. Something similar could be said were he to take over at Real. Pochettino has worked miracles at Espanyol, signing youth players and developing them. Rui Fonte is one of ‘Arsenal Could Have Beens’. A player who featured mainly in the Carling Cup but failed to move up. He moved to Crystal Palace and failed to make it in the 2nd tier of English football and went home to Portugal where he failed to make a splash. He signed for Espanyol  B but Pochettino saw something and he has worked himself into the 1st team. But Fonte is just one example. Vladimír Weiss on loan from Man City, Thievy  Bifouma and Philippe Coutinho, also on loan, are all under 23 and are all exciting players. The rest of the squad is not much older. It is clear to see the progress being made by the Argentine Coach.

And now they are close to the Champions league. Once again it is their city neighbours who are earning all the headlines, even if this time they are negative headlines but still Barça will always come first. Against Getafe they had a good chance to move into 4th. Getafe will feel unlucky to only come away with a point as they had chances to take the game. Espanyol looked dangerous and had chances but when they went down to 10 men, it was decided that a point was good enough. And it will be for now and Espanyol live to fight another day and try again to take one of the Champions League spots. Should they do it, will they get the press they deserve?

First time for everything

It was Clemente 1st game in charge of Sporting and did he enjoy it. The Coach who has had a career and a half working in club and international club. This week he made headlines claiming that he wouldn’t shake Michel, Sevilla Coach, hand after an argument they had over 14 years ago. A point against Atlético was the perfect start, but can he lead them to more.

And in Clemente’s 1st game, Atlético also conceded their 1st goal under Simeone. Having not conceded since December against Real Betis, Courtois conceded as Sporting ground out a draw. Atlético fans still looking on the positive side of things. Simeone still undeafeated though. Next up is Barca for El Cholo.

Down at Sevilla it was a day of firsts too. Michel won his 1st game at Sevilla but more important so did Jose Antonio Reyes. It was the wingers 1st win since his move from Atlético.

Another win for Abel as Granada trash Real Sociedad. Athletic Bilbao beat fellow Champions League contenders Málaga whilst Rayo hammered Levante away to put the team 1 point off the Europa League spots.

Real Madrid and Barça win.

Getafe 1–1 Espanyol, Madrid 4–0 Racing, Granada 4–1 Real Sociedad, Athletic 3–0 Málaga, Sporting 1–1 Atlético, Mallorca 4–0 Villarreal, Levante 3–5 Rayo, Barcelona 5–1 Valencia, Zaragoza 0-2 Real Betis

There’s a chance that I may change it to fit in with standard points betting systems, but for now my scheme works as follows: 1 point = £10, 2 points = £20 etc. Of course, change to Euro’s, dollars etc as applicable, and if you bet in 100’s or even 1000’s then simply add extra 0’s! I’m using this system because the majority of people I’ve encountered stake between £5 and £50 per bet. Remember to only bet what you can afford to lose though – I can’t stress that enough.

Getafe v Espanyol
Should be a simple home team wins game on paper as Getafe don’t give much away at the Alfonso Perez, but then these kind if matchups have often gone against this theory in 2011/12 so I’m inclined to pick out the value.

In this regard, three bet’s stand out: Espanyol to win at 11/4, BTTS (both teams to score) at evens and over 2.5 goals at 23/20. Now in analysing these three options, Espanyol won here last season and have won away to similar teams when they weren’t expected to in 2011/12. For BTTS and over 2.5 goals it’s worth noting that Getafe’s last three home games have only contained one goal each. Therefore I opt for a small punt on a shock away win.

Recommendation: Espanyol at 10/3 for 1 point.

Real Madrid v Racing Santander
I fancied a Ronaldo hat-trick last week and I got it! I also got over 1.5 1st half goals as recommended to you. This week, however, the first half goals bet is simply too short for my money at a paltry 4/6, and a Ronaldo hat-trick seems less likely with the possibility that Jose will substitute star players once Los Blancos have put this game to bed.
Sure, I expect Ronny to bag a brace today, but there no value in that at 5/4. Value can be found in BTTS at 11/10, but this week Jose has made a point of telling his defenders how disappointed he is that Real keep conceding at the Bernabeu in every game so I hesitate slightly.
I’ve seen Real score seven against Racing in previous games at the Bernabeu, but just four will be fine today. Heck, even if Ronny is taken off there’s Kaka, Higuain, Ozil……..

Recommendation: Total Real Madrid goals over 3.5 at 11/10 for 5 points.

Sevilla v Osasuna
Naughty, naughty Sevilla! After I refused to bet on the game but applied the usual don’t go against a new manager in his first game theory, Sevilla disproved it by losing 2-0 away to Sociedad.

However, I won’t be changing my stance as there are exceptions to every rule, but I will change up with the not backing against a new manager in his first home game theory as Sevilla are too short at 3/4 and they looked clueless in San Sebastian.

Osasuna -though famed for being hard to beat at home and the reverse away – will be riding a wave of confidence after beating Barca in Pamplona last weekend, and they have gone against the grain with the odd away win so far this season.

So, I recommended you either lay Sevilla or take the bet beneath if you’re using a regular bookmaker.

Recommendation: Osasuna or draw at 6/5 for 1.5 points.

Granada v Real Sociedad

Apart from their defeat away to in-form Villarreal last weekend, Granada have done well since they appointed a new boss and will expect to beat Sociedad today. However, Sociedad their selves have been in decent form so I fancy this game to be a draw.

Recommendation: Draw (23/10) for 1 point.

Athletic Bilbao v Málaga

To my horror, Llorente couldn’t continue his marvellous recent scoring record in Athletic’s games away to Betis and Lokomotiv Moscow, but he’ll expect to get back on track at San Mames today.

However, with Llorente and his fellow Basque’s showing clear signs of tiredness during the above games I’m inclined to instead look towards the BTTS market, over goals and a possible upset.

Indeed, Malaga have been very poor away from home this season, but as a general point they are finally taking shape as a team. Also, if nothing else and considering the tiredness of Bilbao, the Anchovies should at least score today.

Cream crackered or not, I’d be stunned if Bilbao don’t score so BTTS seems to be the safest option. If you’re a little bolder, however, Malaga are worth a small punt at 7/2. Upsets do happen, particularly when one team is tired and the other well rested.

Recommendation: Both teams to score for 3.5 points at 4/5

Worth a punt: Malaga (7/2) for 1 point

Sporting Gijón v Atletico Madrid

Brought in to save the club from relegation as he has been many times before with various clubs over the years, Javier Clemente is the new Sporting manager. Famed for having a fiery temper and playing players out of position in his defensive, 1980’s Italian style of football, his tenure should prove to be interesting.

Atleti impressed when coming from a goal behind to beat Lazio in Rome midweek, but in La Liga they’ve had two 0-0 draws in a row and are yet to concede since Simeone took over as coach.

Both managers employ a physical style of play and have no care for attractive football so I’m expecting a hard fought battle with plenty of booking points. The game should also be low on goals with 0-0 worth considering.

Recommendation: Under 1.5 goals at 5/2 for 1 point

Worth a punt: 0-0 correct score (9/1) for 0.5 point.

Mallorca v Villarreal

Briefly, Villarreal have been in great form recently and were very impressive in defeating Sevilla 2-1 in their last away game. Hosts Mallorca aren’t a bad side – one that flourishes through hard work and taking the few chances that they get – but there could be an upset today.

However, as Mallorca have scored in their last four home games BTTS (once again) looks like the best bet here.

Recommendation: Both teams to score at evens for 2 points.

Levante v Rayo Vallecano

Let’s just cut to the chase here: Levante haven’t won a game since December, while Rayo have impressed in that period – particularly new loan signing Diego Costa, who has two goals in his last two games.

Now it’s no banker, but I fancy Rayo to win and Costa to score – simple as that.

Recommendation: Rayo (23/10) for 1 point

Worth a punt: Diego Costa: 0.25 point first scorer at 7/1, 0.75 anytime at 12/5

Barcelona v Valencia

Pep’s boys impressed offensively and won comfortably away to Leverkusen in the Champions League midweek, but then that’s a competition which they can still win. As for La Liga, well, whatever stats you read about big leads being overturned in the past, it’s not happening this season – Real Madrid are Champions for 2011/12.

Now I’m not saying that Barca aren’t motivated in the league, but it’s clear that their priorities now lie elsewhere.

Today’s opponents Valencia can cause the Catalans problems as we’ve seen – they were unlucky not to have scored in the recent cup semi final second leg – so I’m going to take a punt in the both teams to score market along with a first and anytime scorer option.

Sure, Soldado always fails to score against Barca and hasn’t hit the net in his last four games, but he’s therefore due one and I love betting on scorers at inflated prices!

Quite honestly, I just don’t like betting on Barca games at the moment as the over goals are no longer trustworthy bets and faith cannot be put into handicap bets (in the league) as we saw against Sociedad recently.

Recommendation: Both teams to score: (21/20) for 2 points.

Worth a punt: Soldado 1st scorer at 10/1 for 0.25 point, anytime at 10/3 for 0.75

Zaragoza v Betis

To be brutally honest I just don’t want to bet on this at all, but I withheld in going for Ruben Castro first scorer last week (I’d given out Llorente in my previews so I felt the need to stick with my recommendation) just before their game with Bilbao started last weekend and he duly scored first!

Recommendation: Ruben Castro to score first (6/1) for 0.5 point.

Robert Huth and Andy Wilkinson trying to tackle Pablo Piatti - Picture by AP

As Marco, the Italian immigrant dock worker in Arthur Miller’s “A View From The Bridge”, suggests, “The English like courage”, and Marilyn Monroe’s ex- had a point. The English enjoy courage, effort, determination and, as long as it’s dished out by them, a touch of violence. Nowhere is that more clearly illustrated than in sport, which is constantly portrayed as war (as the current Guinness ad proves beautifully) and in football heart is often seen as a more valuable attribute than technique. Therefore, you couldn’t pitch up to watch Stoke City play Valencia without anticipating a clash of cultures and styles. Certainly the home fans had that thought uppermost in their minds, judging by how they reacted throughout the game. The funny thing is, Valencia didn’t really play ball. It was an odd night in so many ways. For me the logical outcome was quite straightforward: Stoke would thump long stuff at Valencia, then wait for ages before they got it back. But surprisingly, Los Ches didn’t approach it this way. It wasn’t until the tenth minute that the home fans could start chanting “Boring, boring”, as Valencia passed it around under no pressure in their own half, because they simply didn’t try to pass the ball around until that point. Until then, remarkably, they played the game on Stoke’s terms, and didn’t the home team just love it? Adil Rami was particularly guilty, pounding early, long balls straight back to the Stoke back four. It was oddly brainless stuff, but there was no way it was an accident; Unai Emery simply doesn’t operate like that. Such a meticulous coach must have decided to fight fire with fire; if his charges really had suddenly decided to go native and thump the ball wildly up the pitch without permission, the demeanour of a coach who is demonstrative at the best of times would have been something to see! So, the game opened up with Valencia under the cosh and Stoke enjoying the fact that the game was being played on their terms. But slowly, things changed. Although Valencia’s long balls were surrendering possession, they were starting to turn Stoke’s defence. It was classic route one football, as they picked up Stoke’s hurried clearances high up the pitch and slowly started to settle. Having won possession high up the pitch in this manner, their natural technical superiority started to kick in. Stoke found it increasingly difficult to wrest the ball back from them, and their movement perplexed, with Jonas, Piatti and Feghouli drifting around, switching positions and bemusing the home side’s rigid midfield. As Stoke defended narrowly, trying to deny that creative trio the space to pass the ball incisively, so Emery’s side exploited the flanks, with Bruno and Mathieu constantly overlapping to good effect. Having gained control of possession in the opposing half, Valencia were pulling Stoke all over the place. The gulf in technique was now beginning to become apparent. Jon Walters, a game runner who has played much of his career in the lower divisions, is played into the channel and the ball bounces away off his shin; Piatti received the ball in the same, tight position and immediately the ball is dead at his feet before he embarks on a weaving run deep into the heart of Stoke’s defence. The decisive goal was a result of Valencia enjoying this control in the Stoke half. Demoralised, The Potters struggled to maintain their characteristic pressing game and found themselves penned back in their own box. The result? When the ball was cleared to Mehmet Topal thirty yards out he was allowed time to control the ball, carry it forwards and plant a fine shot into the top corner for the only goal of the game. As the game turned, the wind seemed to go out of the Stoke sails off the pitch too. City’s fans are known for their vociferous nature, aided by the excellent acoustics of their stadium. They started off in intimidating mood, but were becalmed as Valencia took control. Soon, their only contribution was to embarrassingly serenade periods of Valencia possession with a chorus of “greasy bastards”. Better get on the phone to Michel Platini with the shock news that playing ten-second UEFA-branded videos telling fans to respect each other and eschew racism doesn’t actually work! It’s not just in the stands that the stereotypes were emanating though. The British media sought to portray this as a journey into the unknown for Los Ches. A cold, dark, British winter’s night, almost the proverbial Tuesday night in Stoke which would apparently neutralise Leo Messi. It’s an hilarious notion which perfectly flags up the deficiencies in British punditry; while the rest of the continent formulates a tactical approach to stifle the little maestro, in these parts we’d not bother with such subtleties; just give him a taste of our weather and he’ll not come back for more! Of course, the concept also shows a wonderful lack of knowledge about anything beyond their own borders; there were sub-zero temperatures in Madrid last weekend, and anyone who has played while buffeted by wind coming in off the sea in Galicia, or who witnessed Osasuna’s frozen patch-work quilt of a pitch last Saturday would know that Spanish footballers are perfectly aware of the sensation of being cold! Also, anyone who thought the delicate ball-playing fops of Valencia would fold under the honest, robust pressure of a good old-fashioned British side clearly hadn’t seen Emery’s side this season. Rami and Victor Ruiz are hardly swooning Jane Austen heroines, Jérémy Mathieu is a fine physical specimen at left-back, and Tino Costa’s certainly not scared of making a crunching Stoke-style tackle, as Dean Whitehead will testify. It was amusing to contrast Tony Pulis’ pronouncements before and after the game; beforehand he tried to mark the referee’s card, and stir up the crowd, by warning of the diving and cheating that was bound to occur; afterwards his complaints centred instead around TIno Costa’s tackling, maintaining that it was far too rough for his delicate boys, who clearly didn’t like it up ‘em! He’d undergone a ninety-minute education, it seems! There’s a lesson to learn from this match, but the pupils are the English, not the Spanish. Far from Valencia having to learn how to cope with robust play, it’s Stoke’s regular opponents who ought to look at this and understand that, rather than obsess about the different challenge City offer and pack your team with centre backs (yes, I’m looking at you, Mr Dalglish!) the best way to counter them is simply to pick quality players and trust them to do their jobs well. Unai Emery did, and as a result Stoke simply couldn’t get put their gameplan into effect. Guillem Balague, present in the press box, received some disgusting post-match abuse from an Arsenal fan on Twitter for daring to suggest that there’s nothing morally wrong with Stoke’s style of play. He responded with dignity, of course, and in doing so provided a microcosm of the whole evening. Valencia had shown equal poise in the face of English aggression on the pitch.

After European competition, some of the big boys might display some lack luster performances.  Athletic Club face a European dreaming Malaga in San Mames.  Atletico Madrid have a dangerous tie away against Sporting Gijon who are fighting relegation with new route one coach, Javier Clemente.  Meanwhile Barça face Valencia again, but this time at the Camp Nou.

Here are the fixtures:

Saturday, February 18th:

Getafe v Espanyol 18.00 CET, 12pm EST, 9am PST   ESPN3.com, ESPN Deportes

Real Madrid v Racing Santander 20.00 CET, 2pm EST, 11am PST  GOLTVUSA

Sevilla v Osasuna 22.oo CET, 4pm EST, 1pm EST    ESPN3.com, ESPN Deportes

Sunday, February 19th:

Granada v Real Sociedad 12pm CET, 6am EST, 3am PST

Athletic Club v Malaga 16.00 CET, 10am EST, 7am PST   DIRECTV Sports

Sporting Gijon v Atletico 18.00 CET. 12pm EST, 9am PST  GOLTVUSA

Mallorca v Villarreal 18.00 CET, 12pm EST, 9am PST DIRECTV Sports

Levante v Rayo Vallecano 19.45 CET. 1:45pm EST, 10:45am PST  GOLTVUSA

Barça v Valencia 21.30 CET, 3:30pm EST, 12:30pm PST   ESPN3.com, ESPN Deportes

Monday, February 20th:

Real Zaragoza v Real Betis 21.00 CET, 3pm EST, 12pm PST DIRECTV Sports

One of the best things about Spanish Football is La Cantera and Youth Development, seeing young locally developed talent prosper, grow and mature to become top  notch players.  Every year I look foward to the Football Draft, an internal ‘scouting’ mechanism/contest to honor the best home grown players.

Since 2006, the Football Draft has been a vehicle to recognize the best of the best young players.  The event is kicked off with a list of 132,  a team of respective Football experts select the 12 best young players for each position.  Thoughout the year additional announcements are made and the experts  eventually whittle down the list to 3 per position.  At the end of the season, a big gala function is held to honor the players, a gold medal is honored to the best, a silver to the runner up and a bronze to the no 3.

What I especially enjoy is perusing through the list of talented individuals and getting a sneak peek into who is perceived as the next best thing, along with tracking their football career.  Some of the players are already playing in the first team in La Primera, where others are honing their craft in the B team or in clubs from the Second division.

Let’s take a look at the winners from last year first and reflect on their performances this year.  It was a who’s who of young starlets in La Liga to be fair.  Even though Real Madrid and Barca have the most of the top players per se, I really do like the fact that this group looks across all teams, leagues and divisions and that many Spanish clubs are well represented.

The 2011 honorees were as followed:

Where are they now?

So how are they getting along? Well, each career decision and path reveals a different story. Bojan is the eternal promise kind of guy, but kudos to him to leave his comfort zone and ply his trade at Roma.  It will make him a better person. He just needs to stay away from the Rome nite life.

Poor Sergio Canales has been wrought with injury this year. His loan spell at Valencia has been a bust, some may say.  Iker Muniain is the star of the future, always a starter at Athletic Club, definitely going to the Olympics.  This kid is blossoming perfectly under Bielsa.

Kiko Femenia moved from relegated Hercules to Barça B in the summer, a big risk, but I have a feeling the kid will come good.  Recio got tons of playing time last year when Malaga was battling relegation but this year Pellegrini really hasn’t given the boy any playing time. Kinda sad but still very young.

Thiago is becoming the heir apparent to Xavi gradually, I love the way Pep is easing the youngster into the first team.  Future Star without a doubt. Jordi Amat is still getting a lot of minutes at Espanyol.  This is not his best season, but he is a reliable journey man.

Marc Bartra hasn’t received that many minutes at Barca.  He spends most of his time with the B team in the Segunda A.  Mani was on loan at Almeria in 2011, playing day in and day out.  Now he’s back at Sevilla and spending a lot of time on the bench. Sigh.

Mario has been getting some decent first team football this year at Villarreal, but has also been plagued with some niggling injuries here and there.  De Gea well you all know he got the big money move to Manchester United, he is very young and is having problems coping with his poor defense and crosses.  Give him time.

In my next post, I will present the 2012 list of 132.  Til next time.

Martin Devlin (twitter: @PucelaEscosia) is back with a wrap up of the Spanish Second division.  Enjoy!  

Liga Adelante

Week 24 Round-up

Friday 10^th February 2012

Celta 4 Martinez (OG) 55; Iago Aspas 68,89; Fabian Orellana 87

Recreativo 1 Pablo Sanchez 40

Celta’s prize for overcoming Recre at Balaidos was to leapfrog Valladolid into second place. They sit five points off leaders Deportivo, and are putting together a nice run of form which was underlined by this four goal performance. However, the result was perhaps a little flattering to the Galicians as they were behind at the break to a Pablo Sanchez goal and needed an own goal from Martinez to level things up. Sanchez showed good perseverance to score after Sergio had blocked his initial effort. Martinez found his own net trying to cut out a De Lucas cross, to gift Los Celtinos the equaliser. Iago Aspas added another shortly after the hour mark when he capitalised from a defensive error. A late crafty chip from Fabian Orellana and Aspas’ second two minutes later, a pile driver from the edge of the box, padded the scoreline in favour of Paco Hererra’s side.

Saturday 11^th February 2012

Murcia 0

Elche 2 Ruper 38; David Generalo 84

Elche continue to rediscover winning ways following a run of poor results. A 2-0 win on the road at Murcia gave them their second win in two games, and saw them rise one place to fifth, hot on the heels of Almeria. The goals came from unlikely sources; firslty Ruper drove in a shot from the edge of the box to double his season tally as the Franjiverdes made the breakthrough. A late effort from David Generalo sealed the points, with his first goal of the campaign. Some slack defending enabled Generalo to capitalise on a cut-back from the right hand side, slotting past Alberto. Murica will be disappointed with this result, which sees them fall two places to mid-table in eleventh.

Cordoba 2 Javier Patino 33; Borja 70

Valladolid 0

Valladolid fell out of the automatic promotion places with a surprising loss away to Cordoba. This was only Pucela’s third loss of the season, but comes at a crtical time as Celta’s win on Friday night saw them vault Miroslav Djukic’s side into second place. Javier Patino set the Andalusians on their way shortly after the half-hour mark. The visiting defence failed to pick up his cross run and a neat ball into the box allowed him to poke the ball past Jaime in the Valladolid goal. Borja took his personal tally for the season to double figures with half an hour remaining to the delight of the Nuevo Archangel crowd, when he beat Jaime after latching onto a high through ball.

Guadalajara 1 Javi Soria 39

Xerez 2 Inigo Velez 8; David Lomban 74; (Jose Vega S/O 79)

Inigo Velez scored his third goal in two games to lift Xerez past Guadalajara at the Pedro Escartin. Going into this game only one league position separated the teams; Xerez sat in sixteenth, trailing their opponents by five points. It was the visitors who opened the scoring, Inigo took advantage of a failed clearance by the home defence from a throw-in to acrobatically beat Saizar. The home side’s reply was less acrobatic, but no less stunning, as a powerful direct freekick from Javi Soria was rocketed past Doblas to level things up. However, in the latter stages, Xerez’s David Lomban’s high looping header from a corner beat everyone, including the defender on the line. Despite having Jose Vega dismissed after picking up his second yellow card, Vicente Moreno’s men held on for the victory and closed the gap on Guadalajara to just two points.

Barcelona B 4 Gerard Deulofeu 2, 90; Marc Muniesa 44; Rafinha 90

Cartagena 0 (Mariano S/O 67)

At the Mini Estadi, Barcelona B hit four past lowly Cartagena who finished the game a man light thanks to Mariano’s dismissal. Gerard got them off to a flyer when he smashed the ball home off the underside of the bar from a tight angle after only two minutes. Muniesa got the second just before the interval, bundling the ball into the net after Reina had spilled a freekick. As time ran out, Rafinha got in on the act as he was played though and chipped calmy over the goalkeeper. Gerard got his second in the dying moments, from a similar angle to his first. However, this time, he chose to go to the keeper’s near post and was perhaps lucky to score as Reina should have done better.

Alcoyano 2 David Torres 60; Alvaro Garcia 69

Las Palmas 0 (Stephane Pignol S/O 60)

Las Palmas dropped one place to thirteenth following a disappointing loss away to Alcoyano. Having snatched a late victory last week, the islanders were unable to recreate that spark in front of goal against a tenacious Valencian side. David Torres opened his account for the season when he slotted home for Alcoyano after Barbosa had spilled a shot inside the six-year box. Stephane Pignol saw red for Las Palmas to make their tasks even harder so it was no surprise when they conceded again shortly after. Alvaro Garcia added the El Collao outfit’s impressive second when he gathered the ball on the corner of the box and drove on before managing to crack a shot through the crowded box.

Sabadell 3 Simon Hector 52; Manuel Lanzarote 58; Baha 83

Villarreal B 1 Manu Trigueros 90; (Lucas Porcas S/O 90)

Sabadell continue to creep up the table from the lower positions and are unbeaten in their last four matches, following a 3-1 win over Villarreal B at the Nova Creu Alta. After a goal-less first half, Simon Hector collected a cut-back on the penalty spot and placed it past Diego Marino to get the Saballuts on track. Minutes later, Manuel Lanzarote’s long range free kick found it’s way into the back of the net, but the visiting keeper would have hoped to have done better. Baha capped his side’s scoring when he bundled a defender off the ball before firing past Diego Marino who was looking for a free kick. Manu Trigueros’ fine free-kick was no more than a consolation. The visitors finished the game with ten men, following Lucas Porcas seeing red. Villarreal drop back to one place off the relegation zone, but are also unbeaten in four following a narrow loss to leaders Deportivo in Week 20.

Gimnastic 1 Pavon 30

Numancia 1 Del Pino 80

Elsewhere in Catalonia, there was a strong performance from Gimnastic who were ten minutes away from taking Numancia’s scalp. They were fortunate to take the lead when Pavon drove the ball across the goal mouth and it went in off the defender. Spurred on by the thought of being beaten by the bottom side, there came a scrappy equaliser from Numancia; a free kick was swept into a crowded area and Del Pino forced it across the line in amongst heavy traffic. This spared the blushes of the Rojillos, but could not prevent them from losing two places in the standings, following wins by both Alcorcon and Barcelona B.

Alcorcon 2 Jean-Sylvian Babin 79; Saul 89

Huesca 0

Alcorcon welcomed Quique Hernandez’s struggling Huesca to the Santo Domingo and dispatched them 2-0 courtesy of late goals from Jean-Sylvian Babin and Saul. Babin’s powerful header from a corner made the breakthrough eleven minutes from time. Saul doubled the advantage ten minutes later with a neat, angled finish as he stabbed the ball past Luis Garcia after latching onto a through ball. Juan Antonio Anquela’s men rose two places in the standings and have taken nine points out of their last five games.

Sunday 12^th February 2012

Hercules 1 Urko Vera Mateos 5

Deportivo 4 Riki 21, 90; Bruno Gama 36; Diogo Salamano 87

League leaders Deportivo showed their title credentials by putting four past fellow promotion-chasers Hercules in Alicante. The man of the hour was Riki who pitched in with two goals to take his season tally to eight. Riki’s first came when he latched onto a through ball and drove a blistering angled shot high into the roof of the net. Bruno Gama took advantage of a mistake in the hercules defence who failed to clear a cross. It fell to the Deportivo man, who smashed the ball home past Falcon. Urko Vera pulled one back as the ball ricoched around the area. Depsite pulling off a great reaction save to deny the initial attempt, there was nothing Aranzubia could do to keep out the Hercules man’s drive. Diogo Salamano’s long low effort evaded Falcon at his left post to give Depor a two goal cushion. The Galician’s fourth was the pick of the bunch as Depor turned defence into attack in a flash and Riki received a long ball before running the length of the Hercules half and slotting past the helpless Hercules custodioan.

Girona 0

Almeria 1 Jose Ortiz 78

Almeria travelled to Catalonia to take on second-from-bottom Girona in what looked like it should be a routine win for Lucas Alcaraz’s promotion hopefuls. Three points was indeed the reward from the trip, but not in the fashion expected and it took Jose Ortiz’s first goal of the season twelve minutes from time to see off a stubborn Girona side. A low cutback from the right wing found Jose Ortiz in the box, and he showed great composure to control the ball and slot past Dani Mallo for the only goal of the game to rescue Almeria from a potential banana skin.