Moans and groans strike La Liga
La Liga Loca loves a good moan. Really, really loves it. More than sleeping, in fact. And that show where Jennifer Love Hewitt talks to ghosts through the medium of her boobs.
In a mere eight-minute spell this morning, LLL grumbled that someone else was using what the blog considers to be its personal lift. And that it had to wait at the traffic lights before it could cross the road. And that the newspaper kiosk attendant refused to acknowledge LLLâÂÂs presence, despite it playfully waving its AS in his grumpy face for a good ten seconds.
But the blog is in good company this week as everyone in the world of la Liga appears to be getting out of bed on the wrong side and slamming their feet into bear traps, these days.
Barcelona have just completed their tour of the Far East and seemed to have resented every second of what was probably a pleasantly luxurious experience despite having been handsomely rewarded for their two match excursion.
However, that cash pile consumed for having faced and defeated a Korean League XI and Guoan was reduced â¬300,000 with the club only playing Leo Messi in the first clash for 15 minutes - when he scored two goals - instead of the contractually agreed 30 and failing to field the still-holidaying Xavi Hernández at all.
Pep Guardiola didnâÂÂt even appreciate the chance to stroll about the apparently pot-holed Olympic BirdâÂÂs Nest stadium in Beijing for the Guoan clash, either, complaining that âÂÂall we ask is that the pitches are playableXâÂÂ. âÂÂNowadays you have to balance sporting and commercial interestsâ sighed the Barça coach before returning to Cataluyna to plan the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla on Saturday.
Except he is having to plan for the game without seven first-teamers who have been called up for the Spain game in the midweek round of international matches that is resented by the clubs in la Liga just as much as those in England. Marca have reported that the league champions are so miffed that some players who have only just returned from holidays could be used in WednesdayâÂÂs clash away in Mexico that they have sent their own representative to keep a beady eye on their footballersâ interests - a move that Marca predictably disagrees with.
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âÂÂDel Bosque doesnâÂÂt deserve the treatment that heâÂÂs getting from Barçaâ tutted SundayâÂÂs editorial.
José Mourinho has already begun causing trouble in the Spanish capital by complaining that he only has two proper strikers at his disposal - and the blog has a feeling that he is referring to Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo HiguaÃÂn, who scored three goals in two games in a couple of warm-up matches in the US.
Karim Benzema did the sum total of naff-all in the encounters against Club América and LA Galaxy and AS even suggested a week or so ago that Mourinho was highly unimpressed by the FrenchmanâÂÂs apathetic attitude during training proving that it is true what it is said about Mourinho learning fast when moving to a new team.
Juan Mata is a very unhappy footballing bunny over in Mestalla. ValenciaâÂÂs World Cup winner is now the sideâÂÂs main man after the departures of Villa and Silva but remains one of the most poorly paid in the squad. âÂÂFor the last two years, the club has been telling me that they want to improve my contractâ complained Mata who says that nothing has changed as per his financial situation.
Mallorca are still huffing and puffing about being turfed out of the Europa League, Hércules fans are whining about their âÂÂmedia lynchingâ in regards to the match-fixing allegations, but the best rant of the week has come from Getafe owner and president, Angel Torres.
The incredible club from the south of Madrid have been performing superbly in recent years and have reached the Europa League, once again, having finished sixth last season and will face APOEL in a qualifying clash next week.
However, Getafe have some of the most ungrateful, moaning, miserable bunch of supporters in the land and Torres wanted to recognise this face in a wonderful rant.
âÂÂTheyâÂÂre the least enthusiastic fans IâÂÂve ever known in my life,â complained the Getafe bigwig, âÂÂthey donâÂÂt get excited about anythingâ despite the club having qualified for Europe twice since gaining promotion to la Primera in 2004.
âÂÂI brought in Laudrup...Schuster...and they just didnâÂÂt care,â grumbled Torres. âÂÂThe year we went up we had 14,500 season ticket holders and since then weâÂÂve lost some 500-800 a year.âÂÂ
Having sat in the stands and heard Getafe fans booing their players off the pitch because they had failed to beat Barcelona, the blog would say that out of all the moans from the first couple of weeks of August, the one coming from the Coliseum is the most justified.
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