La Liga

Subterms

    More stories

    • 238 Shares99 Views

      in Soccer

      Lionel Messi is ‘difficult to manage’, claims ex-Barcelona boss Setien as he insists there is different side to legend

      by

      LIONEL MESSI is ‘difficult to manage’, says former Barcelona boss Quique Setien.
      The 62-year-old was sacked by the Spanish side in August after taking charge of just 25 games.

      Quique Setien has insisted that Lionel Messi is the ‘best of all time’Credit: Reuters

      Following his stint at the Nou Camp, Setien has lifted the lid on what Messi is like behind closed doors.
      The Spaniard claims the 33-year-old can be hard work despite being very ‘reserved’.
      According to El Pais, Setien said: “I think Messi is the best of all time.
      “There have been other great players who have been great, but the continuity that this boy has had throughout the years has not been had by anyone.

      “Leo is difficult to manage. Who am I to change him! If they have accepted him as he is for years and have not changed him.
      “There’s another facet beyond just the player and it’s more difficult to manage.
      “Much more difficult. It’s something inherent in many athletes that can be seen in the Michael Jordan documentary (“The Last Dance”).
      “You see things you don’t expect.

      “He’s very reserved but he makes you see the things that he wants. He doesn’t talk much.”
      Messi came close to leaving Barcelona in the summer after he handed in a transfer request.
      But he eventually withdrew his demand to leave and agreed to stay for one more season.

      The Spanish side have since made their worst start to a LaLiga season in 18 years.
      Ronald Koeman’s men are slumped at 12th in the table with just eight points from six games, and trail rivals Real Madrid by eight points.
      Messi summed up his frustration as he booted the ball towards the referee during the 1-1 draw with Alaves on Saturday night.

      Lionel Messi’s Barcelona record

      Appearances: 739
      Goals: 637
      Assists: 278
      La Liga titles: 10
      Champions League titles: 4
      Copa del Rey titles: 6
      Club World Cup titles: 3
      European Super Cup: 3
      Spanish Super Cup: 8

      Spurs boss Jose Mourinho admits Gareth Bale isn’t the star he once was but says neither are Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi More

    • 275 Shares169 Views

      in Soccer

      Messi kicks ball towards ref in frustration as Barcelona make worst start to season in 18 years with 1-1 draw v Alaves

      by

      LIONEL MESSI summed up his frustration with crisis club Barcelona by almost getting himself sent off against Alaves.
      During the Blaugrana’s 1-1 draw on Saturday night, the forward kicked the ball in anger – and almost hit the referee.

      Messi narrowly misses the referee as he kicks the ball away! 😲Safe to say he’s not too pleased with this first half 😡 pic.twitter.com/pXX9xq9xi3
      — Premier Sports 📺 (@PremierSportsTV) October 31, 2020

      Lionel Messi endured a tough night as Barcelona again failed to winCredit: AP:Associated Press

      Man in the middle Alejandro Hernandez Hernandez immediately booked Messi as the irate Barcelona captain walked away in disgust.
      The incident came minutes after a howler from Neto gifted Alaves the lead.
      The goalkeeper attempted to dribble round Luis Rioja after a hard-hit backpass by Gerard Pique, losing possession and gifting an easy finish.
      Messi was then booked as Barcelona attempted to secure only their third win of the league season.

      Antoine Griezmann earned the point, equalising moments after Jota was sent off for two bookable offences in the second-half.
      The draw left Ronald Koeman’s side 12th in the table with just eight points – accounting for their worst start to a season in 18 years.
      Scoring goals has been the biggest problem for Barcelona, who sold Luis Suarez to Atletico Madrid in the autumn.
      A run of three goals in four LaLiga games has reaped just one victory for the Catalans.

      Messi has failed to score since Barcelona’s opening game in LaLigaCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Alaves secured a 1-1 draw with Barcelona on Saturday nightCredit: AFP OR LICENSORS
      And coach Koeman has admitted that his side are struggling in front of goal.
      He said last night: “I am concerned about the performance up front.
      “It is not a matter of attitude or concentration, but of having more success in front of goal.
      “It happened to us against Juventus and tonight too. In addition, we have given the goal to Alaves.
      “But if we create so many chances, we cannot fail this much. If you create chances and only score one goal, it’s not good enough.”
      Messi attempted to leave Barcelona during the summer, but was dissuaded from attempting to trigger a release clause by the threat of a legal battle.

      Koeman has struggled to get the best out of the 33-year-old with a return of three goals in eight games certainly below-par for the superstar.
      How the Dutchman manages Messi could make or break for his Blaugrana career, with the club desperate for success amid their financial turmoil.
      Reports suggest the threat of bankruptcy is looming over the Camp Nou while the board attempts to secure a second round of player pay cuts.

      Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu defends role in Lionel Messi transfer saga More

    • 263 Shares99 Views

      in Soccer

      Real Madrid flop Isco ‘keen’ on Everton transfer as January sale on cards and ace wants to play for Ancelotti again

      by

      EVERTON are reportedly in the hunt to sign Isco and reunite the midfielder with old boss Carlo Ancelotti.
      The Spaniard won a Champions League and Copa del Rey title when the Toffees boss coached Real Madrid, but has fallen out of favour under Zinedine Zidane.

      Isco is reportedly available for a January loan switchCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      With just two starts all season, neither of which lasted longer than an hour, the 28-year-old is thought to be available for a January switch.
      According to the Mirror, Isco fancies reuniting with Ancelotti and former team-mate James Rodriguez at Everton.
      Madrid are reportedly happy to send the midfielder out on loan in January, with an £18million obligation to buy.
      However, any potential buyer would have to pay his £120,000-a-week wages in full, it is said.

      Competition could come from Juventus with the Serie A giants linked with a swap deal.
      Reports in Italy suggest Real are thinking of offering Isco plus winger Vinicius in a bid for Paulo Dybala.

      Isco leaving Real would end a seven-year spell with the LaLiga side, with two league titles and four Champions League crowns won in the Spanish capital.
      But his relationship with coach Zidane has been subject to much speculation.

      Named on the bench for last month’s Clasico, the playmaker was heard joking about his boss in the stands before the game.
      Movistar TV cameras picked up Isco regaling to team-mates: “If [Zidane] has to take me off, he takes me off in the 50th or 60th minute, sometimes at half-time.
      “If he has to bring me on, he brings me on in the 80th minute.”
      Zidane subbed Isco off at half-time of Real’s defeat to Cadiz earlier in the campaign, but defended his player after the game.

      He said: “There’s always going to be criticism, even when we win.
      “Isco is a decisive player, he’s always shown that and I have no doubt in my mind.
      “We want to change things and we will, Isco just like everyone else. I have no doubt about it.”

      Football star Isco shows off his skills at the Real Madrid training ground More

    • 213 Shares139 Views

      in Soccer

      Wolves powerhouse Adama Traore used to get roughed up as a skinny kid, admits ex-Barcelona youth boss

      by

      HE has the speed of an Olympic sprinter, the build of a middleweight boxing champion  and strikes fear into every team he faces.
      Yet there was a time when the only thing scary about Adama Traore was the rough-house approach opponents used to stop him.

      Adama Traore has developed into one of the most feared attacking players in the Premier League Credit: Getty Images – Getty

      Back in his young years, Traore did not pose the same physical threat, according to his former coach at BarcelonaCredit: Supplied

      Back then he was still a flier, yet a waif of a player with a body more like a butcher’s pencil than powerhouse Prem star.
      And Andres Carrasco, the man who coached Traore in those early days at Barcelona, remembers how he would wince at the punishment handed out.
      Time and again he feared the kid would throw in the towel.
      Carrasco, recently named Kuwait coach, was in charge of Barcelona’s Under-12s through to Under-14s and the spindly lad scorching up and down the wing stood out a mile.

      Not just for the afterburners in his feet but the fire in his belly — and Traore had only just turned ten at the time.
      Carrasco revealed: “There were a lot of 11-year-old boys at Barcelona who gave the impression they were three or four years older. Adama wasn’t like that. He was very small — one of the smallest in the team — but really caught our attention.
      ““When we defended a corner, we’d put him on the edge of box to take advantage of the rebounds. With his speed we’d go straight up to the other end — he scored a lot like that.
      “When Adama had the ball in a one against one, the defenders didn’t even smell him. He created total panic among them.”

      Traore developed under Andres Carrasco in the Under-12s through to Under-14sCredit: Supplied

      Some at Barca doubted his ability to reach the top levelCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      He created a fair bit for his coach too, as teams gradually realised the only way to halt the gangly ace was to stop him running — however they could.At the time, he was a world away from the man who is now a cult hero to Wolves fans.
      Carrasco said: “When he was a little boy I’ve never seen so many brutal and dirty tackles against a player in grassroots football.“The incredible thing is Adama kept getting kicked and we’d have our hands over our faces that he’d be badly injured — but he always got up as if nothing had happened.”In fact, the bigger threat to him making it was his tendency to turn up just before kick-off. Carrasco explained: “He was a really nice kid, always smiling away — but a very forgetful boy.
      “He would forget his passport when we played international tournaments and would have to call his mum or dad to bring it.“Adama was also well known because sometimes he used to arrive late to  the games.

      Traore left Spain in search of making it in the Premier LeagueCredit: Reuters
      “Everybody was stressed, looking at their watches and asking, ‘Where is he’? But he’d come in cool as a cucumber.
      “When we kicked off he transformed to the Adama we know.”
      Yet for all his speed and talent, many at Barca doubted whether he had the ‘footballing nous’ to go right to the top.
      With the first-team door locked, Traore tried his luck at Aston Villa, then Middlesbrough, until the 24-year-old found his spiritual home at Molineux.

      Carrasco added: “English football is made for him and obviously he has silenced any who doubted him.“Look at the international market, there are no players of his ability to destroy defenders in a one v one.“He is the best — Adama can change a game.”

      Wolves star Adama Traore shows off incredible ripped physique as he works out at home More

    • 263 Shares109 Views

      in Soccer

      Thibaut Courtois’ dad accuses Keylor Navas ‘of not being good team-mate’ at Real Madrid as he ‘could not count on him’

      by

      THIBAUT COURTOIS’ father has slammed Keylor Navas – and accused the ex-Real Madrid stopper of failing to be a “good team-mate”.
      Thierry Courtois claims the Costa Rican international made things “complicated” for the Belgium stopper following his megabucks switch from Chelsea in 2018. 

      Thibaut Courtois had a ‘complicated’ start at Madrid due to his rivalry with Keylor NavasCredit: Icon Sport – Getty

      Courtois, 28, made a sensational £38million summer move to Spain from Stamford Bridge two years ago, following a successful seven-year stint with the Blues. 
      But the Madrid keeper’s father reckons his tricky working relationship with Navas was a far cry from his amicable experience with Chelsea icon Petr Cech. 
      Thierry told Le Derniere Heure: “Petr received him very well (at Chelsea). 

      “He was the first one to come to receive him in his first training, he always gave him advice and helped him to integrate. 

      “He was a great team-mate who he could always count on. The same cannot be said for Keylor. 
      “His arrival was a bit complicated. The season had already begun and he was behind in his preparations. 
      “But, above all, the problem was that Keylor was still there. He had to wait two or three games to be a starter. 

      Courtois enjoyed an amicable relationship with Petr Cech during their time at ChelseaCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      “His integration was not easy because Keylor was always there, there was a difficult internal competitiveness. 

      “Also external, with the journalists, who were in favour of Keylor. Once he went to PSG, everything was easier.” 
      Courtois and Navas, 33, went head-to-head for a starting place in Zinedine Zidane’s line-up in 2018-2019, a season in which the club finished third behind Atletico Madrid and champions Barcelona. 

      Courtois’ form has improved at Madrid with the Belgian keeping 18 clean sheets in LaLiga last termCredit: Reuters
      And some pundits believe Navas’ departure to Paris Saint-Germain led to an improvement in the Belgian’s form. 
      The Madrid stopper, whose team face Inter Milan in a Champion’s League clash on Tuesday, kept 18 clean sheets in 34 La Liga appearances as Real regained the Spanish title last season.
      And his former rival has gone on to cement a starting spot in Thomas Tuchel’s PSG side after agreeing to a four-year contract last September, making 35 appearances last term. 

      Reports of frostiness between Courtois and Navas have come in a week Madrid star Karim Benzema was reportedly overheard criticising club team-mate Vicinius.
      During the team’s Champions League clash with Borussia Monchengladbach Spanish outlet Marca claims Benzema was heard telling Ferland Mendy: “When he  [Vinicius] becomes scared, he loses what makes him great.” 
      However the striker has reportedly apologised for criticising his team-mate.

      Inside Real Madrid’s new £500m Bernabeu redevelopment as roof goes on but capacity is reduced by one More

    • 225 Shares129 Views

      in Soccer

      Eden Hazard ends 392 days without a goal for Real with stunning piledriver in 4-1 win over Huesca

      by

      EDEN HAZARD scored a stunning goal on his return from injury in Real Madrid’s 4-1 win against Huesca, ending 392 day goal drought.
      The former Chelsea superstar has struggled to stay fit since making the switch to Madrid in the summer of 2019, missing a grand total of 35 games.

      Eden Hazard scored a screamer on his return from injury Credit: Getty Images

      Returning after his recent muscle injury which saw him miss six games, he opened up the scoring against Huesca with an absolute beauty.
      The ball was played into Hazard 25 yards from goal, he took one touch on the turn, one touch to take the ball out of his feet and then blasted the ball past Andreas Fernandez with his left peg.
      It was a huge sigh of relief for Hazard, as he brought an end to a streak of 392 days without scoring a goal for Madrid.
      His previous, and only goal, for Madrid came on October 5, 2019 against Granada – a year and 26 days ago.

      Hazard’s opener set the tone and Madrid got a second five minutes later when Karim Benzema chested down Lucas Vazquez’s cross before firing into the net from close range.
      The hosts were under no pressure and Federico Valverde added a third early on in the second half. The 22-year-old rifled a shot into the bottom corner.
      Huesca pulled a consolation goal back in the 74th minute through David Ferreiro, but Benzema would strike just before the full-time whistle restoring Madrid’s three goal advantage.
      Madrid posted a video of Hazard addressing the fans after the game, he said: “Hi, guys! I’m just happy to be back on a pitch, [and] score a beautiful goal, that’s for you. I hope to see you soon.”

      Zinedine Zidane will be pleased with his sides result, they needed to bounce back after being on the end of two disappointing results in the Champions League.
      Madrid lost their Champions League opener to Shakhtar Donetsk 3-2, and drew their second group game 2-2 against Borussia Monchengladbach.
      Speaking after the game, Zidane was full of praise for Hazard and his team: “We are happy with Hazard’s game and happy with what we did today. He has no discomfort, he is happy with his goal, his teammates are happy with him.
      “It’s a victory, it’s four goals, three points and you have to be happy, what Hazard did was magnificent. We saw that in the first goal, It gives you an idea of the category of player we’re talking about.
      “From then on, the team felt more comfortable. Being effective up top helps the game to go how you want it to.

      Zinedine Zidane has been under pressure recently after a string of poor results in the Champions LeagueCredit: Getty Images

      Karim Benzema scored a brace to sink Huesca Credit: Getty Images

      “He has had back luck since he came due to injuries. He’s a winner and what he wants is to be out on the pitch and helping the team.
      “Hopefully, we can have him like this because he makes the difference.”

      Inside Karim Benzema’s astonishing tunnel bust-up as he tells Real Madrid team-mates not to pass to Vinicius More

    • 250 Shares109 Views

      in Soccer

      Barcelona face filing for BANKRUPTCY as club need to save £171m before November 5 and beg players to cut wages

      by

      BARCELONA are at risk of BANKRUPTCY unless the LaLiga club can agree a fresh round of pay cuts, it has been claimed.
      Stars already accepted a wage decrease, said to be as much as 70 per cent, in the spring amid the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

      Lionel Messi’s contract situation could have a huge bearing on Barcelona’s financial futureCredit: AFP

      But the club’s finances continue to spiral out of control with losses of £88million announced in early October.
      Debt levels hit £443m with revenue down by £122.5m – leaving the Spanish side lightyears from their pre-pandemic boasts of topping one billion euros in annual income.
      The situation has drawn the club back to the negotiating table with a fresh round of pay cuts forecast.
      According to Catalan radio station RAC1, Barcelona have until Thursday to reach a settlement.

      Unless they can cut £171m from their wage bill, the five-time Champions League winners reportedly risk having to file for bankruptcy.
      The Blaugrana were launched into turmoil during the summer when Lionel Messi attempted to leave the club.

      The threat of a legal battle persuaded the Argentine to stay although his contract expires in June, at which point he is said to be owed a large bonus payment.
      Barcelona recently announced contract extensions for Gerard Pique, Frenkie de Jong, Clement Lenglet and Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

      Veteran defender Pique reportedly accepted a 50 per cent pay cut when signing on, with the other three losing 30 per cent of their wage.
      After the resignation of club president Josep Maria Bartomeu, a new board helmed by Carles Tusquets is in charge until next year’s elections.
      He recently explained that the pandemic’s impact on ticket and merchandise sales have ravaged Barcelona’s finances.
      Tusquets stated: “Our main concern is the club’s finances.

      The club depends on tourism and now, all of that income has been lost.
      Carles Tusquets

      “The pandemic has affected Barcelona particularly hard.
      “The club depends on tourism and now, all of that income has been lost.
      “The situation is not very comfortable, we have to take on the ideas of the previous board to find a way of addressing the problems we are facing.”

      Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu has handed in his resignation from the club More

    • 213 Shares189 Views

      in Soccer

      Zinedine Zidane claims Benzema’s incredible tunnel bust-up with Vinicius Jr was ‘good thing’ as French star ‘apologises’

      by

      ZINEDINE ZIDANE claimed Karim Benzema’s incredible tunnel bust-up with Vinicius Jr was a “good thing”.
      The French star has now reportedly apologised after camera footage at half-time in Real Madrid’s Champions League clash with Borussia Monchengladbach showed Benzema criticising his team-mate.

      Karim Benzema told Ferland Mendy not to pass to Vinicius Jr in an incredible tunnel rant

      Benzema is thought to have had his apology accepted and the pair are back on good termsCredit: Reuters

      He even told left-back Ferland Mendy not to pass to the Brazilian winger, accusing the youngster of ‘playing against’ his own team.
      But Los Blancos boss Zidane insisted there is no rift between the pair and that anything said during a match is forgotten after the full-time whistle.
      He said: “The most important thing is that it’s cleared up and that the players sort it out themselves.
      “You say a lot of things on the pitch, but it always stays there.

      “It’s good that these kind of things happen, because it means we’re alive and in the moment.
      “They spoke and that’s that. This kind of thing happens all the time on the pitch, things get heated. You say things about yourself, others and even me.”
      According to Marca, Benzema, 32, has since said sorry to Vinicius for persuading Mendy to avoid giving the ball to the £38million man.

      The French striker accused Vinicius of ‘playing against’ Real Madrid in the Borussia Monchengladbach tieCredit: AP:Associated Press

      Zinedine Zidane insisted he did not mind what he saw from Benzema and recognised what happens during a match is forgotten after full-timeCredit: AFP or licensors

      The French defender played to Vinicius just three times in the second half despite the pair both operating down the left.

      And Vinicius, 20, is thought to have accepted the apology with the pair back on good terms.
      Real Madrid trailed 2-0 to the Bundesliga side at half-time but Benzema struck in the 87th minute before Casemiro grabbed a dramatic equaliser in the third minute of injury time to rescue a point.

      Karim Benzema shows off his training workout in the gym More