Jordi Alba Archive

  •         Ah, the dangers of hubris! Before Barcelona’s quarter-final clash with Paris St Germain I confidently announced to all that would listen in the Reykjavik bar where I was settling down to watch the match that Dani Alves would prove to be Barcelona’s undoing.   Unfortunately, the...

    Reckless in Reykjavik: Never Publicly Doubt Dani Alves!

            Ah, the dangers of hubris! Before Barcelona’s quarter-final clash with Paris St Germain I confidently announced to all that would listen in the Reykjavik bar where I was settling down to watch the match that Dani Alves would prove to be Barcelona’s undoing.   Unfortunately, the...

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  •     For this instalment of Spaniards Abroad, I thought I would focus on two best friends that have found themselves in England’s capital this season after starting out at their hometown club Osasuna. The two in question, of course, are Chelsea right back Cesar Azpilicueta, and Arsenal’s new left...

    Spaniards Abroad – Two Osasuna Boys In London

        For this instalment of Spaniards Abroad, I thought I would focus on two best friends that have found themselves in England’s capital this season after starting out at their hometown club Osasuna. The two in question, of course, are Chelsea right back Cesar Azpilicueta, and Arsenal’s new left...

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  •         Valencia v Real Madrid   (Primera vuelta: 1-1)   The circumstances of these sides will have lowered the fascination of the neutrals: what has recently been a battle between one of the twin over-arching giants of Spanish football and the one team which hoped to keep...

    La Liga Preview Round 20 ~ Mestalla Grudge Match & More Relegation Dogfights

            Valencia v Real Madrid   (Primera vuelta: 1-1)   The circumstances of these sides will have lowered the fascination of the neutrals: what has recently been a battle between one of the twin over-arching giants of Spanish football and the one team which hoped to keep...

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  •       I don’t usually put an introductory paragraph into these previews, but Round 13 warrants something special. It’s guaranteed to be unlucky for some big teams.   They’d call it Super Sunday in Britain. For some reason, the people behind the fixture list seem to have chosen this...

    La Liga Preview Wk 13 ~ Top of the Table Showdowns Galore!

          I don’t usually put an introductory paragraph into these previews, but Round 13 warrants something special. It’s guaranteed to be unlucky for some big teams.   They’d call it Super Sunday in Britain. For some reason, the people behind the fixture list seem to have chosen this...

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  •       This Tuesday sees the current leaders of Scotland travel to the leaders of Spain in the third match of this season’s group stage, with both sides coming off the back of wins at the weekend. But while Celtic registered a routine 5-0 success at St Mirren, Vilanova’s...

    Barca v Bhoys – UCL Preview, men vs boys…

          This Tuesday sees the current leaders of Scotland travel to the leaders of Spain in the third match of this season’s group stage, with both sides coming off the back of wins at the weekend. But while Celtic registered a routine 5-0 success at St Mirren, Vilanova’s...

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  •       Vicente Del Bosque is a man with of conservative instincts, who prizes continuity. But today’s qualifier against Belarus will see experimentation ahead of Tuesday’s heavyweight clash against France.   So why this great departure? The answer is largely down to circumstances. With both Carles Puyol and Gerard...

    La Roja: Busquets center stage

          Vicente Del Bosque is a man with of conservative instincts, who prizes continuity. But today’s qualifier against Belarus will see experimentation ahead of Tuesday’s heavyweight clash against France.   So why this great departure? The answer is largely down to circumstances. With both Carles Puyol and Gerard...

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  •       Round three wasn’t a good week from a betting perspective and I’m probably going too far by trying to find a winning bet in every game at this stage of the season, so let’s keep it simple in round four and pick carefully! The previews are fairly...

    JCLaLiga betting advice: 2012/13 – round 4 ~ Post FIFA blues

          Round three wasn’t a good week from a betting perspective and I’m probably going too far by trying to find a winning bet in every game at this stage of the season, so let’s keep it simple in round four and pick carefully! The previews are fairly...

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  •       As this is an International Week, I thought I would take a look at the transfer value of the Spanish National Team after winning the Euro Cup for the 2nd time (along with the World Cup).  Ladies and Gentlemen the numbers don’t lie, this is truly a...

    Transfer Market Value: La Roja

          As this is an International Week, I thought I would take a look at the transfer value of the Spanish National Team after winning the Euro Cup for the 2nd time (along with the World Cup).  Ladies and Gentlemen the numbers don’t lie, this is truly a...

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  •     New Barcelona boss, Tito Vilanova, could not have wished for a better start to his reign, after his side stung rivals Real Madrid 3-2 in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup. The victory came off the back of last week’s 5-1 win over Real Sociedad in...

    Advantage Barca

        New Barcelona boss, Tito Vilanova, could not have wished for a better start to his reign, after his side stung rivals Real Madrid 3-2 in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup. The victory came off the back of last week’s 5-1 win over Real Sociedad in...

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  •     Well, the new La Liga season is upon us once again, and that can only mean one thing; El Clasico’s galore! The first of at least four this season takes place this week, as the Big Two contest the Supercopa. Normally, of course, this would have already taken...

    Spanish Supercopa – Clasico Anyone?

        Well, the new La Liga season is upon us once again, and that can only mean one thing; El Clasico’s galore! The first of at least four this season takes place this week, as the Big Two contest the Supercopa. Normally, of course, this would have already taken...

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