La Liga’s Good Day, Bad Day - Round 13
Monday 07 December 2009 10:00
Weekend results: Deportivo La Coruna 1-3 Barcelona, Real Madrid 4-2 Almeria, Sevilla 1-1 Valladolid, Xerez 0-2 Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao 1-2 Valencia, Espanyol 0-4 Racing, Malaga 1-1 Osasuna, Mallorca 4-1 Zaragoza, Tenerife 2-1 Sporting, Villarreal 3-2 Getafe.
Good Day
Cristiano Ronaldo, Leo Messi
There will some hand-wringing, bed-wetting, ivory tower-living, liberal types out there tutting and fretting about Cristiano Ronaldo and his wicked ways on Saturday day.
Stuff ‘em, says La Liga Loca.
What wasn't there to enjoy about the Real Madrid man’s Almería rumble?
It had goals, nudity and violence - three very good things in the blog’s wicked world.
Tomas Guasch is quite right in Monday’s AS when he asks whether “you are all going to wag your fingers if Elsa Pataky takes her top off and gets her breasts out?
"And why not? Cristiano did the same: the joy that both men and women feel when seeing his fantastic chest out in the fresh air should not be punished.”
Cristiano’s zany sporting stylings, of course, gave the writers supporting the world’s smuggest club an arms cache of ammo to take pot shots at their Madridista neighbours.
Especially as it all came on the same weekend when King Goody-Two-Shoes, Leo Messi, scored a brace against Deportivo and picked up his Ballon d’Or trophy in Paris.
“There are no Ferraris, nor diamond earrings,” writes Joan Vehils in Sport. “He’s always been a good kid and an exemplary footballer.”
La Liga Loca has two words for you, Joan: Tiger Woods.
Personally, the blog imagines Messi returning home to his Buffalo Bill-style nutty room every evening, before climbing into his hamster skin suit.
Mallorca
Home ties against Xerez, Tenerife, Valladolid, Getafe, Racing, Almería and Zaragoza would all have been considered very winnable for a middling Mallorca at the beginning of the season.
However, such matches would normally be scattered about the fixture list.
This season, Mallorca have been able to face these encounters back-to-back, and it has led to a remarkable record of seven home wins from seven in the Ono Estadi.
But once again, the problem is that there are only seven people in the stands going to watch what has been a remarkably efficient campaign so far for Gregorio Manzano’s men.
Manucho
A goal to win a handy point for Valladolid against Sevilla means that the former Manchester United man is now one giant step nearer his season’s target of 40 super strikes.
Just 38 to go.
Sergio Canales
An excellent cameo against Real Madrid and two strikes for Racing in their 4-0 win over Espanyol has got tongues a’waggin’ in Spain about this particular 18-year-old.
The Cantabrian player stopped a rot of four straight defeats for his side as well as scoring some of the first goals for Racing in the same pathetic period.
Santi Cazorla
The pouch-faced magician of Villarreal had only been on the pitch two minutes, having returned from injury, before scoring an equalising goal for his team.
The midfielder flicked the ball up and then wellied it past Oscar Ustari in the Getafe goal to set up a 3-2 win in a match where Villarreal were not only 2-1 down at one point, but with one man less after the somewhat harsh sending off of Cani.
“This team has spirit,” notes Ernesto Valverde as he saw Villarreal move into mid-table.
Valencia
After last week’s mess-up against Mallorca, La Liga Loca was expecting another capitulation against Athletic on Sunday night.
But Valencia came through in San Mamés thanks to a late goal from Frenchie defender Jeremy Mathieu, who was lingering outside the box like a Parisian next to a brothel.
Atlético Madrid
“Atlético are back!” trumpets F. Javier Díaz in Sunday’s AS after a 0-2 win against Xerez.
"No, no they’re not" is La Liga Loca’s resigned reply.
A win against Espanyol - see Bad Day section - and a victory against a team with just seven points and four goals to their name does not a recovery make.
Bad Day
Espanyol
It’s déja-vu all over again with Espanyol in horrible form and fans calling for the heads of just about everyone.
Here’s Paul from Barcelona to tell us all about what many would describe as a disappointing 4-0 home defeat to Racing.
“Quite simply, the worst performance from any professional team in any sport in Europe, this weekend.
"Well done to the largest away following we've seen, this season. Hope you enjoyed the present we gave you.
"Have a few quid on a six or seven goal mauling next week (away to Barcelona. Oh dear. LLL)”
Paul, Barcelona
Sevilla
A Champions League defeat against Unirea and four dropped points in piece of p*ss home ties against Málaga and Valladolid sees a wholly lacklustre Sevilla on the crest of a slump at the moment and desperate for their winter break.
“It was a bad game, they were better and I’m the one to blame,” shrugged manager Manolo Jiménez after the 1-1 draw against Valladolid.
Fortunately, Sevilla have the mother of all pick-me-ups to give their pencil some wood on Wednesday night - Rangers at home.
Almería
Although La Liga Loca felt Saturday’s visitors to the Bernabeu gave a fine second half display to take a 2-1 lead against a slumbering Real Madrid, the very glum goalscorer Kalu Uche told the blog after the game that:
“When we were 2-1 up we lost concentration, thinking ‘hey, we are winning’.
"But when you are playing teams like Real Madrid and Barcelona you have to keep fighting until the referee blows the final whistle.”
Zaragoza
A 4-1 defeat at the hands of Mallorca sees Zaragoza really, really in trouble now.
The side have never quite recovered from the opening day injury to striker - and Kalu's brother - Ikechuwku Uche.
Just one win in eight now sees Marcelino’s men crawling about in the bottom four like a night-blind Maniche looking for a dropped Mars Bar.
Málaga
A home point against Osasuna thanks to a late equaliser from the potty-mouthed Apoño, but still without a win since their opening day tonking of Atlético Madrid.
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About Tim Stannard
La Liga Loca is the playground for the evil, more childish half of Tim Stannard’s psyche to be let loose. The other 50% is a contributor to FourFourTwo magazine, Football365, Sabotage Times as well as other publications such as UEFA Champions Magazine and When Saturday Comes. He is also a regular guest on Real Madrid TV’s Extra Time show and works as a TV producer extraordinaire for hire. To contact Tim directly email laligaloca@yahoo.co.uk