Jan 18, 2016 by Alex Baker
Two seasons after becoming the first club not called Barcelona or Real Madrid to win the La Liga title in more than a decade, Atletico Madrid again find themselves leading the Spanish title race. A handy 3-0 win over a gritty Los Palmas was enough to see Diego Simeone’s men preserve their two-point lead over Barça in second.
With the season at the halfway point and Atleti on top, the murmurs that another title challenge could be on are growing louder. Yes, Barcelona have a game in hand and are the best team in the world again. Yes, Real Madrid have more money and are flying high under new manager Zinedine Zidane. But there’s just something about this Atleti side.
Simeone, who is quick to play down Atleti’s title... Read More
Jan 12, 2016 by Alex Baker
Despite boasting the most formidable attacking trident in world football -– Luis Suarez, Neymar, and newly crowned Ballon d’Or winner Lionel Messi -– Barcelona are looking to buy a striker this month.
Club manager Luis Enrique said that ideally, he’d like to reinforce the team in several areas, but admitted the frontline is where they were thinnest.
“Right now, I think probably in attack -– if we are to bring someone in,” Enrique told Sport. “In all areas though, it would be nice to bring in reinforcements.”
Barcelona are coming off an 18-month transfer ban and have already had their squad bolstered by the addition of Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal.
But while Barcelona has plenty of attacking midfield options, apart from Suarez, who’s suspended for the club’s next... Read More
Jan 04, 2016 by Alex Baker
With Barcelona’s 18-month, FIFA-imposed transfer ban coming to an end this week, new signings Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal will at last be eligible to play against Espanyol in the Copa del Rey Wednesday.
The match will mark the second time the two Catalan clubs have met in the space of four days, after Espanyol held Barcelona to a scoreless draw on Saturday. The addition of Vidal and Turan will be a welcome respite for manager Luis Enrique, whose squad has been stretched by injury and looked surprisingly short of ideas as it labored to break down a resilient Espanyol defense.
Even the all-star attacking trident of Luis Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi proved incapable of unlocking an Espanyol side that, despite creating few chances of its own, limited Barça... Read More
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