Rule as usual; one player per club. No more. Honourable mentions the exception. Criteria is based upon how valuable the individual has been to the team, and their improvement as a player. No players from Real Madrid or Barcelona. There will be a million teams produced with players from those teams. GK: Gerónimo Rulli There…
Low cost and high reward: Gálvez and Arribas cases in point
Given the plight of Spain’s transfer market as a whole, the free market has become along with the loan market, the most important and decisive aspect of the transfer window. Players are seeing their contracts expire for two reasons, with either a) the club they’re contracted to simply not being able to afford a healthier…
La Liga Team of the Season 2012/2013: Midfield and Attack
Here is the second part of my La Liga Team of the Season 2012/2013, focusing on the midfield and attack. An immensely difficult area to choose from, but I thought certain players stood out as mentioned in their respective placings. The first part if you missed it is here. CM Ander Herrera At 23-years-old Ander…
La Liga Team of the Season 2012/2013: Goalkeeper and Defence
So, here we are. Another La Liga season is over and what a fascinating one it has been – especially outside the top two. That is therefore where I’m plucking my selections from as I do every year, to give people – or at least attempt to, insight into matters elsewhere in Spain. Looking over…
Santi Mina: The brilliance is striking
Kids in Spain these days don’t really want to be a number nine. They want to be a creative midfielder, or as recent Spanish youth squads have shown, a winger. This trend seems to have past a young man born in 1997 by. Santi Mina is his name, 17-years-old is his age and right now…
Alberto Moreno brings about light but Sevilla remains in the dark
“80% of the work I do, is dedicated to the cantera….” – Sevilla Sporting Director, Monchi Alberto Moreno Pérez for the past two months or so has become one of Sevilla’s most reliable players of the current campaign, and while performing impressively he’s also flown the flag for a the cantera at Sevilla. His performances…
Fede Vico: Awaiting the explosion
“When I leave football, I’d like to be a psychologist. If I wasn’t that, then probably an entrepreneur”. At 18 years old, Fede Vico is already looking ahead to his career after football. It’s the one he’ll have in it though that could bring him success – and if early signs are anything to go…
Cantera profile: Athletic Bilbao’s pack of lion cubs prowling Lezama
Recent figures have shown that in Spain three cantera’s lead the way in terms of products coming through their football base, and turning out for the first team. Barcelona’s La Masia, one of the most famous in the world, and the lesser known but equally as essential Zubieta ran by Real Sociedad. Not so far…
Espanyol get lost on their way to ‘The Promised Land’
“We reiterate our full confidence in [Mauricio] Pochettino and his coaching staff. We are confident they are able to overcome this situation. All the directors have agreed”. Rafael Train, spokesman for RCD Espanyol’s Board of Directors stated on Tuesday morning. That they’ve come to ‘another’ decision means little for the supporters, after all these are…
Javi Martínez; Bayern, his brother and being rather good.
“He has physical and technical attributes which make him very special. He is an extraordinary football player.” Xavi Hernández, currently the most decorated Spanish footballer around, was not talking about a teammate of his at Barcelona. He was talking about a footballer located over 300 miles away in the city of Bilbao; he was talking…
The best signings in La Liga – that you missed (Part I)
Jordi Alba joined Barcelona, Luka Modrić signed for Marca as the object of their summer desires and Málaga did some asset stripping. Pretty much the Spanish transfer window in a nutshell – except not quite. Economic strife mans clubs are having to be more astute in the market, and with that some interesting deals have been…
Midfield brains central to Valencia’s new era under Pellegrino
When Mehmet Topal departed Valencia last month, questions were raised about the sense behind allowing such a player to go quite so easily. Systematically he was one of two defensive midfielders left at the club, and with the other being David Albelda a reasonable case could be put forward stating the Turk was the only…
Estilo De Juego 