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Tag: FC Barcelona

  • La Liga Returns This Weekend: Will It Be Business As Usual?

    The first week of the La Liga season kicks off Saturday, and yet it feels as if the 2013-14 season has only just ended.

    In a surprising turn of events, neither Real Madrid CF or FC Barcelona was awarded the league trophy at the end of it all.

    Atlético Madrid was the third horse in the race that won it all by a nose. It was the first time in nearly a decade that a team other than Real or Barcelona rose to claim La Liga’s big prize.

    The Real Madrid team was able to lick its wounds and recover, eventually defeating their local rival in the Champions League final and earning their long sought tenth CL title.

    Barcelona finished absolutely empty-handed.

    Looking over how things ended last season, it seems observers are of one of two minds about what we can expect from this weekend going forward.

    Real and Barcelona Return To Business As Usual

    Prior to Atlético Madrid’s recent feat, the last time that a La Liga team other than Real Madrid or Barcelona won the league was during the 2001-02 season.

    Valencia CF was not able to repeat that result the next season and it became something of a fact that other La Liga teams couldn’t come close to challenging the two sides boasting the best European football players in the world.

    That claim may only have strengthened through recent acquisitions. The brilliant but controversial Luis Suarez is now at FC Barcelona. Meanwhile Real Madrid have brought in World Cup fan favorite James Rodriguez.

    Both teams will be out to prove that Atlético’s interruption of their lengthy duel for dominance was little more than a fluke.

    The Era Of The “Two Horse Race” Ends

    Money well spent on transfers helped Atlético outlast their powerful La Liga rivals. This is a lesson that is not lost on other La Liga sides.

    You want to beat the best? You have to BE the best.

    FC Barcelona and Real Madrid both are very wealthy clubs. And for the longest time they were engaged in an arms race that left other La Liga sides in the dust.

    Atlético Madrid may have found a way to nullify that dominance. It could be that other La Liga teams follow in their footsteps.

    Either the Real Madrid-Barcelona dominance is re-established or the league will reveal itself to be increasingly competitive.

    Football fans everywhere are anxiously awaiting the weekend in order to find out for themselves which heavily predicted narrative will be the most likely outcome.

  • FC Barcelona Blows League Title In Final Game

    Well, that’s that! La Liga is over and a champion other than Real Madrid or FC Barcelona has been crowned for the FIRST time in ten years!

    Atlético Madrid never really had to do much…other than not lose away to Barcelona on the last day of the Spanish football season. No pressure.

    In seasons past, holding their own against Barça at Camp Nou would have been a tall order for the visiting Atlético.

    A goal by Alexis Sanchez in the 33rd minute lifted Barcelona 1-0 going into the second half. The scoreline, had it held, would have been enough to allow them to steal the league out from under Atlético at nearly the last minute.

    However, a determined Atlético bounced back.

    Diego Godín headed a brilliant goal to the back of the home team’s net, bringing the game level and swinging the momentum decisively in Atlético Madrid’s favor.

    Though Barcelona threatened, they were never again able to regain the upper hand on their visiting opponents.

    When it was all said and done, the game ended 1-1.

    Atlético and the club’s fans celebrated a rare La Liga treat while hoping this is the beginning of their turn as a serious force in the traditionally “two horse” Spanish league.

    Perhaps it will be.

    Or it could mean that, as with Valencia under Rafa Benetiz, this is just a fluke and next season will see either Real Madrid or FC Barcelona as champions once more.

    Speaking of Real Madrid, the whites trotted out winners over Espanyol on the final day and will finish the season in third.

    The two Madrid teams each have a trophy this season and will meet in the Champions League final to fight it out over one more.

    For now Atlético is busily savoring their first title win since the 1970s. Whether there will be more silverware added by the Madrid team is something fans are no doubt anxious to find out.

    Image via Atlético Madrid (Eng), Twitter

  • La Liga Title Race: Will Be Settled On Final Day

    The final day of the La Liga season is set to be a nail-biter.

    Atlético Madrid failed to seal the deal on Sunday which means that the La Liga title is still up for grabs.

    What makes this even more exciting is that the title will be decided DIRECTLY between Atlético and FC Barcelona. The two teams will meet next week on the last day of the season!

    Both Atlético and Barcelona drew, but Barcelona is the team that must win on the final day to take the league.

    There is less pressure on the league leaders; a draw will be enough to gift Atlético the league.

    At the same time, Real Madrid‘s dispassionate performance against Celta Virgo knocked them out of the race altogether.

    Had Real risen to the occasion, they could have still had a shot at the league.

    Even with Real bowing out the title race continues to be an exciting affair.

    Things are heating up at the lower end of the La Liga table as well.

    Elche hit the 40 point mark and will be safe from relegation win, lose or draw on the final day.

    Getafe and Almeria hope they’ve also done enough to save their respective clubs from dropping out of the league next week.

    If either team loses, they may still find themselves in danger.

    Most at risk of joining Real Betis in a La Liga exit are Osasuna and Valladolid. Unfortunately even if the two teams win, their fate rests in the hands of Granada. Should the current 17th-placed team win, both teams will go down automatically.

    While it will be nerve-wracking for several teams next week, for neutral La Liga watchers, it promises to be the most exciting close to a La Liga season in some time! Even the English Premier League (which ended politely and with little drama this week) was not as intriguing and unpredictable. This La Liga race is providing more drama than anyone initially expected.

    Who will win the league? Atlético Madrid or FC Barcelona? Comment below!

    Image via FC Barcelona, Instagram

  • La Liga: How Will The Season End?

    La Liga: How Will The Season End?

    This past La Liga season has been the most interesting that many football fans have witnessed in a long time.

    That’s because we’ve FINALLY been gifted a true competition at the top of the Spanish league’s table rather than the usual “two horse race”.

    Though Atlético Madrid leads the league with 88 points, they have to win their next two games in order to secure the league title.

    The last game of their season will be played against title rival FC Barcelona.

    Barcelona could claim the title if things the current league leaders suffer a bit of bad luck.

    As for third-placed Real Madrid, it would take some major mistakes by both teams ahead of the club to get back into the title race.

    It seems the club is focused on their Champions League final and the possibility of “La Décima”—the tenth CL victory in Real Madrid’s history.

    Things aren’t just exciting at the top of the table.

    Real Betis is the only team thus far that’s been confirmed to be dropping out of La Liga this season. They’ve managed just 22 points and will not earn enough points in the remaining two games to save them from relegation.

    Teams all the way up to the 14th place are feeling the pressure with the season winding down. The next two games are must-wins as a slip up could find teams out of La Liga.

    The three teams struggling the hardest not to join Betis include Osasuna, Getafe, and Real Valladolid.

    With several teams “playing for their lives”, it’s expected that the next couple of weeks could be tense. The final day of the season will likely be one that football fans don’t want to miss.

    Is Atlético Madrid destined to win the league? Which two teams will go down with Real Betis? Comment Below!

    Image via YouTube

  • La Liga Title Race: Atletico Four Points Clear

    La Liga had long been called a “two horse race”, meaning that only two teams out of the entire league were typically in the running for the title.

    In fact, until this season, all the drama of La Liga centered on the rivalry between Real Madrid CF and FC Barcelona.

    Then something happened that few could have predicted: Atlético Madrid

    This season, Atlético Madrid have not only made themselves the third horse in the race, they are presently leaving the long established horses in the dust.

    For many long time fans of either Real Madrid or Barcelona, this turn of events is most distressing.

    Not even a 4-0 thrashing of Osasuna could do much to change the fact that Atlético Madrid is in a truly enviable position.

    A simple goal was enough to lift Atlético four points clear. With the end of the season fast approaching, a five point gap is dangerous to any other team with title aspirations.

    As the saying goes, “It’s not over until it’s over.”

    Real Madrid has a game in hand which could bring them within touching distance. This means they have extra points to pick up that Atlético does not. Should Atlético Madrid stumble in any of their three remaining games, it leaves open the door to being overtaken by Real Madrid.

    Unfortunately for Barcelona, it would take a miracle for them to see out their season with any kind of silverware. They fell to Real Madrid in the Copa del Rey final. Real Madrid also has a chance to win the Champions League.

    One thing that can be said for this La Liga season is that it’s the most surprising and open it’s been in many years.

    The fact that a “three horse” race is considered open must at the same time be considered rather unfortunate. There are 17 other teams in the league, lest we forget.

    Image via YouTube

  • FC Barcelona Loses Copa Del Rey Final To Real Madrid

    It was a night to forget for the FC Barcelona faithful as they watched their team’s best hope for silverware dashed to pieces by a Gareth Bale goal.

    An “el clasico” match between Barcelona and Real Madrid is always an exciting affair, though some thought it surreal to see Cristiano Ronaldo unable to take part.

    As Barcelona found out, the Madrid club was more than up for the task of facing off against their rival for the Copa del Rey trophy. With or without their talisman Ronaldo.

    A statement of intent was made ten minutes in with a brilliant goal by Angel Di Maria. Real Madrid was remarkably aggressive until the close of the first half, but was unable to finish any of their numerous chances.

    The lack of finishing at 1-0 up led to a bad case of nerves coming into the second half of the Copa del Rey final.

    Barcelona was determined to bring the score level. They pushed the retreating Real Madrid until a chance presented itself. The game evened out into a 1-1 thriller following a Marc Bartra goal in the 68th minute.

    With the game all tied up heading down the the wire, it looked like it would be another Copa del Rey final between these two sides that would be played into extra time.

    Then Gareth Bale netted a magnificent 84th minute goal. The effort was enough to make some feel the former Spurs forward justified his historic price tag at last.

    The close of the game was tense right into the final seconds with Barcelona threatening to level things once again.

    Real Madrid held on and Barcelona lost out.

    With this Copa del Rey win, Real Madrid was able to assure they won’t finish the season empty handed. They also have a chance to catch Atlético Madrid and win the La Liga title. Both teams advanced to the semifinals in the Champions League.

    All in all, the final few weeks of the season seem bright for the Madrid team. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for the defeated Barcelona team.

    They were knocked out of Champions League contention last week by Atlético Madrid. This loss marks their third defeat in a row, a first since 2003.

    With form fading, it’s possible that Barcelona may fall out of competition for the league altogether. This would see the Barça team finish the season in a surprising manner: with nothing to show for a promising start.

    Image via YouTube

  • FC Barcelona, EA Sign Three-Year Deal

    FC Barcelona, EA Sign Three-Year Deal

    FC Barcelona and EA today announced they have agreed to a three-year partnership deal. Under the deal, EA Sports will be the “official video game partner” of FC Barcelona. The club will be getting exclusive features in the upcoming FIFA 14.

    EA revealed that it has taken 3D head scans of 17 FC Barcelona players, including Xavi Hernandez, Gerard Piqué, Cesc Fàbregas, Dani Alves, and Andrés Iniesta. The athletes will have these scans incorporated into their digital versions in FIFA 14. In addition, Barcelona’s home pitch, Camp Nou, will be a “featured stadium” in the video game.

    Barcelona star Lionel Messi has already been announced as the global cover athlete for FIFA 14. His role in FIFA 14 marketing will now expand to other advertising and social media “activities.”

    “Joining a world class football club like Barcelona as an official club partner is a fantastic opportunity for EA Sports and our fans,” said Matt Bilbey, SVP at EA Sports. “We will create a deeper connection with their passionate, global fan base, and use our games as a platform to engage supporters all around the world for years to come.”

    EA and Barcelona also announced that a “range of interactive activities” for fans will result from the new deal. This includes a mobile gaming trailer for Barcelona fans at some home games. A FIFA 14 tournament between Barcelona squad members has also been announced for later this year.