La Liga 2013/4

[Stuttgart88]

In an odd way, Atletico’s result against Malaga might not be important. If they win Barcelona can still pip them by winning the last game. If they lose to Malaga at the weekend and Barcelona win, a win at Barcelona will still seal it for Atletico.

If Atletico lose to Malaga even a draw will do at Barcelona if Real drop any more points.

2 draws will be enough for Atletico too, regardless of any other results.

[Closed Account 2]

I'd fancy Atletico to beat Malaga, it's at the Calderon and Malaga arent really the force they were a year or two ago, the sheik pulled the money out and a few of the star players left. Even when Atletico lost at Levante last weekend it was a bit of a freak result, an own goal and then a counter attack as they threw cation to the wind trying to salvage a point. Atletico still hit the woodwork many times and created most of the chances. Normally you would expect Barca to be Elche but the form Barca are in a draw is possible and I could see Atletico winning the whole thing this weekend, I think it's their best chance as an away trip to the Nou Camp for, in effect a one off cup final (with the CL final looming for them just after) could give them the jitters.

[geysir]

In an odd way, Atletico’s result against Malaga might not be important. If they win Barcelona can still pip them by winning the last game. If they lose to Malaga at the weekend and Barcelona win, a win at Barcelona will still seal it for Atletico.

If Atletico lose to Malaga even a draw will do at Barcelona if Real drop any more points.

2 draws will be enough for Atletico too, regardless of any other results.
In that scenario, Atletico would only get the title with a score draw at Barca, if the away goal is valued more in the HTH calculations. However I don't think the away goal is valued more, I think if it's a draw, any draw at the Camp Nou (in that circumstance), then it's 'blown it wide open' for Barca to grab the title, because Barca have the better goal difference.

ATM it's advantage Atletico, they are the team in form and their end of season schedule is not that cluttered.

[Stuttgart88]

Duh, of course: the first game was 0-0, I had thought Atletico had won it for some daft reason.

[DeLorean]

However I don't think the away goal is valued more, I think if it's a draw, any draw at the Camp Nou (in that circumstance), then it's 'blown it wide open' for Barca to grab the title, because Barca have the better goal difference.

Presume that was aimed towards my comment. You said La Liga was blown wide open though, not blown wide open for Barca. Real's draw realistically reduced the teams that can win it from three to two... so it's less open than it was before their slip up. Bit petty I know :o

[geysir]

Presume that was aimed towards my comment. You said La Liga was blown wide open though, not blown wide open for Barca. Real's draw realistically reduced the teams that can win it from three to two... so it's less open than it was before their slip up. Bit petty I know :o
A bit petty?
Someone might say when a goal is scored, "yeah... back of the net .. in you go" and someone else points out the next day, "well, do you realise that the ball just crossed the line, it didn't hit the net?" :)
I wouldn't overanalyse comments made when a game is in motion, there is a tendency to imitate commentatorisms, Gerry Armstrongisms.
A pendulum swing may have been a more apt description, what can I say? I was just in a stunned state after what I just witnessed, me and Ronaldo shared a moment.

[DeLorean]

Take it as a compliment that I think you're better than Gerry Armstrongisms Geysir! :)

[Stuttgart88]

Atletico squandering chances, areal 1 down at Celta and Barcelona still goalless at Elche.

And last week Atletico lost, Real drew at lowly Valladolid and Barcelona got held by Getafe.

So, imagine my "interest" in BBC 5 Live's explanation of the EPL's global popularity: because no other league throws up results like Man City drawing to Sunderland!

The EPL was great this year, but so too has been La Liga. And the LOI is looking pretty tight too :)

[Charlie Darwin]

Wow, I can't believe Atletico didn't win that. That Wally character was incredible - that save three minutes into injury time! It's all set up for an amazing finish at Camp Nou - a win for Barcelona will win them the title on head-to-head record, a win or draw for Atletico will see them through. They can't argue they didn't have the opportunities to win it.

[DeLorean]

Waste of time predicting anything anymore! Real will be kicking themselves, what an opportunity to get back into it! No Ronaldo or Bale again, can't seem to cope without them.

[DeLorean]

I suppose a draw was the exact same thing as a defeat for Atletico, as it turned out.

[Charlie Darwin]

Waste of time predicting anything anymore! Real will be kicking themselves, what an opportunity to get back into it! No Ronaldo or Bale again, can't seem to cope without them.
They're carrying super form into the Champions League final.

[DeLorean]

Big pressure on Ancelotti to deliver that now.

[Stuttgart88]

Willy Caballero I think his name is. Won't get into Argentina's WC squad despite being their best keeper by a mile.

Mental league. Can't wait for next Sunday.

[geysir]

Re closing series of games drama, the EPL was okay but 2014 is about La Liga, both at the top and the bottom.
Madrid conceded 2 incredibly sloppy goals against Celta de Vigo. The Barca game at Elche was flat, I suppose it was Barca who were flat and relegation threatened Elche who pleased their fans, the locals were well pleased with their point.
I find it hard to believe that Barca are 8/11 favourites for the title, they have to beat a form team who're extremely hard to beat and their turbo has blown.
There's talk the title decider will be scheduled for Saturday eve and Sunday will be reserved for the relegation drama.

[Charlie Darwin]

I thought it was funny how the Sky commentators were showing the Elche fans celebrating "a famous result" to upset Barcelona. As if the fact the point guaranteed Primera Division football for another year is irrelevant.

[The Fly]

Wow, I can't believe Atletico didn't win that.

Willy pis*ed on their parade.

[DeLorean]

There's talk the title decider will be scheduled for Saturday eve and Sunday will be reserved for the relegation drama.

This has actually happened! Barca Atletico is now clashing with the F.A. Cup final, kicking off at 17:00.

[Closed Account 2]

It's unreal how all three teams are stumbling over the line. I think sadly Barca might sneak it, home advantage could just be the difference, I fear Atletico could end up being the nearly men in the league and the CL, and over the summer key players and the manager might go. I hope I'm wrong and they do the double but it's looking like it could be a Bayer Leverkusen scenario, running out of gas just yards from the line.

[Stuttgart88]

The FA Cup Final clash is infuriating.

I'll have to record the Spanish game.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Not really. The FAC Final will be pants, it usually is these days, sadly...will ask the pub if they can put on the Spanish football instead...

[Stuttgart88]

We've been invited over to a fellow Arsenal fan's house to watch the match with our Arsenal supporting sons and then have a BBQ after with all the family. Absolutely no chance I'll be able to watch any of the Spanish game live or even at all until after 10pm I reckon. I'll have to turn my mobile and iPad off. That'll hurt too. Watching Spanish football without the live punditry here won't be the same.

[DeLorean]

Yeah it's a balls really. I'll be at a gig and I presume they'll only have the Hull game (:)) on in the bar beforehand. I wanted to see both in any case. The Cup final last year was great.

[ArdeeBhoy]

The result was entertaining but the match wasn't especially...
And Stutts, you could have played in that other annual game. And killed two birds etc.

[Stuttgart88]

I don't get back from Birmingham until around 4.30 at the earliest. I'd have preferred the other annual game but was committed to the race, a team event.

[ArdeeBhoy]

No worries...next year...hopefully!

[BonnieShels]

So how was that?

The tension watching the BBC site update on my phone was awful.

I had this awful worry that Atletico would do a Benfica.

[geysir]

La Liga for Atletico Madrid after a ding dong title decider,
they won it the hard way, on merit at Camp Nou.

[OwlsFan]

I haven't been as nervous watching a game as this where I had no commitment for a very long time. Real edge of the seat stuff. I know Barca have won it on numerous occasions but fair dues to their fans applauding Atletico at the end of the game. Man of the match - the referee. I thought he was excellent and so calm amid the frenzy going on around him.

I taped the FA Cup Final and went out to get a bag of chips to settle down and watch that: sods law the chipper had the game on a large TV screen with Arsenal just scoring in extra time winner. Sigh. Which is the last team to throw away a 2 goal lead to lose the final ? I'll give you a clue: they have the name of a day of the week in their name.

[geysir]

That must have been the Abergavenny Thursdays?
Give my winnings to a charity of your choice :)

I had the FA cup final on the tv in the background, it looked agricultural compared to the la liga fare, for instance Arsenals' defending was statuesque.

The German cup final was quite interesting, ie until Bayern scored.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Which is the last team to throw away a 2 goal lead to lose the final ? I'll give you a clue: they have the name of a day of the week in their name.
West Ham, surely?

Fair play Atleti, though have had rather too many fascist fans over the years, to be more greatly enthusiastic. That said, an improvement on Franco's Madrid.

[Stuttgart88]

I'm hardly the most objective person to comment but I think I think it's a bit churlish to play down yesterday's FA Cup Final.

They were both great games in different ways. I'm glad the two teams I was rooting for came through.

I didn't see the German game.

I agree with Owls Fan. Ref was outstanding, as were Barcelona fans in defeat.

[Stuttgart88]

West Ham, surely?

Fair play Atleti, though have had rather too many fascist fans over the years, to be more greatly enthusiastic. That siad, an improvement on Franco's Madrid.i was googling the history today to get a better handle on the politics. Apparently Atletico were the Franco regime's preferred team until Real started winning in Europe, making Real a better outward projection of the regime, so Franco and his supporters adopted Real.

Is it more nuanced than that?

[Charlie Darwin]

i was googling the history today to get a better handle on the politics. Apparently Atletico were the Franco regime's preferred team until Real started winning in Europe, making Real a better outward projection of the regime, so Franco and his supporters adopted Real.

Is it more nuanced than that?
I'd say it's more than Franco didn't favour either side until he realised the immense propaganda power the patronage of a club like Real Madrid could afford him. Atletico were never - and could never be - on that level.

[ArdeeBhoy]

True enough, that and Stutts's post.

[Charlie Darwin]

A better question would be what clubs in Spain don't have a fascist element in their hardcore support? Apart from Rayo, Villarreal and maybe Barcelona, there's not that many. Same as other ex-fascist countries like Italy. Even France and England have long had problems with right wing nuts.

[ArdeeBhoy]

Bilbao, Sociedad and most Basque teams AFAIK.
Fair point, about far too many clubs' fans having right-wing links, ironically according to social media, even more prevalent in E.Europe...

[Charlie Darwin]

Eastern Europe was pretty heavily touched by fascism, even if they went communist in the end. There's a fair far-right contingent in East Germany too. In fact, you could probably count on your fingers the places where there isn't a significant far-right hold, and Ireland is thankfully one of them.

[Stuttgart88]

Isn't UCD a Fine Gael club? :)

[geysir]

I'm hardly the most objective person to comment but I think I think it's a bit churlish to play down yesterday's FA Cup Final.

They were both great games in different ways. I'm glad the two teams I was rooting for came through.

I didn't see the German game.

I agree with Owls Fan. Ref was outstanding, as were Barcelona fans in defeat.
That was me who pointed out the defensive standards of Arsenal. But i don't think its churlish to point this out in a La Liga thread.
Perhaps it would be churlish to point it out in a FA/EPL thread.
I've said it before that the standards of defending at Atletico are just unworldly, way ahead of the lauded Chelsea's drone like defence and by today's standards of transfer fees paid, it is bargain basement defence. The lighting speed, the anticipation, the art of the dispossession, the interceptions, the playing out of the back, were all evident and was remarkable in contrast to Arsenal's standing around a space and allowing a moderate team to pass itself around them.

[OwlsFan]

West Ham, surely?

That was after a replay I think.

As regards the Atletico defence, despite all the pressure by Barca, their keeper didn't have a whole lot to do but there was always the possibility of a few seconds of Messi magic. Tremendous game and for Atletico to go to Barca needing a result, falling behind and then coming back: brilliant stuff. Comes close to the Man City v QPR game but will anything ever top that for drama?

[ArdeeBhoy]

It was in extra time(2006)...that West Ham finally ceded a two goal lead.

And Citeh-QPR, possibly the most dramatic EPL game ever...

[OwlsFan]

It was in extra time(2006)...that West Ham finally ceded a two goal lead....

Ok, lose a two goal lead and not lose on penos :)-