Real Sociedad
Villarreal boss applauds Samuel Chukwueze’s performance vs Real Sociedad
Nigeria international Samuel Chukwueze was impressive again as Villarreal recorded a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad in a pre-season game on Tuesday. Chukwueze who scored in Villarreal’s pre season game against Valencia continued from where he stopped as he ran the show against the Basque based team. Chukwueze set up Francis Coquelin for the opening goal in the 8th minute, making him the player with the most assist in pre-season games for Villarreal. Emery was impressed with his performance and he rose to his feet to applaud the 20-year-old when he went past three players in a flash. Despite the arrival of Real Madrid youngster Take Kubo, Chukwueze has continued to get enough game time under his belt and he will be hoping to start in opening their La Liga campaign against newly-promoted Huesca....
Antoine Griezmann ‘a caricature of himself’ in toxic Barcelona environment – former coach
Antoine Griezmann has become “a caricature of himself” at Barcelona, where his former Real Sociedad boss, Martin Lasarte, feels a toxic environment is taking its toll. Quique Setien has named Griezmann on the bench for three of Barca’s past four games, including important meetings with top-four hopefuls Sevilla and Atletico Madrid. The World Cup winner was not sent on until the 90th minute against Atletico on Tuesday, with Ansu Fati introduced ahead of him in the 2-2 draw at Camp Nou. Barca will fall four points behind Real Madrid with five games remaining if La Liga’s leaders beat Getafe on Thursday, with reports suggesting Setien has lost the backing of his players. Martin Lasarte, who handed Griezmann his professional debut as an 18-year-old in the Segunda Division with La Real, believe...
Zinedine Zidane unconcerned by Real Madrid’s fixture list complaints
Zinedine Zidane has claimed Real Madrid will accept the congested fixture list for what it is, despite the club complaining to La Liga. Los Blancos issued a complaint to top-flight officials on Monday after the schedule for matchdays 33 and 34 of the season left them with less than 72 hours between fixtures against Getafe and Athletic Bilbao. Madrid felt this left them at a disadvantage compared to title rivals Barcelona, who were given five days of rest between games against Atletico Madrid and Villarreal. However, it has since emerged that Madrid will have accumulated more rest – approximately 26 hours in total – than Barca until matchday 35, and asked if he felt the club’s complaints to La Liga were fair, Zidane insisted he is fully focused on preparing his side for the fixture list as ...
Sergio Ramos becomes LaLiga’s all-time top scoring defender
Sergio Ramos’ goal in Sunday’s 2-1 win over Real Sociedad means the Real Madrid captain has become the highest-scoring defender in all of LaLiga history. Ramos’ seventh goal of the current LaLiga Santander season saw him pass Barcelona legend Ronald Koeman and move to 68 career goals in the most demanding league tournament around. The Andalusian has also scored against all 20 current LaLiga teams and his total includes an impressive range of finishes, from towering headers to long-range pile-drivers, and more recently a dead-eye from the penalty spot. Such a talent for goal-getting has been a constant for the center-back, who often featured further up the field while he was developing through his teenage years at boyhood club Sevilla. His first LaLiga goal came in September 2004, in a 2-1 ...
La Liga: Barcelona boss questions use of VAR
Barcelona boss Quique Setien believes that officials in La Liga are not using the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system correctly. It follows on directly from Real Madrid’s victory at Real Sociedad being marred by controversial officiating decisions surrounding key incidents in the clash. Los Blancos opened the scoring in Anoeta from a penalty decision before an equaliser for La Real was controversially ruled out by handball and Karim Benzema’s strike – Madrid’s second of the game – appearing to have been controlled initially by a handball. It was a result which took Madrid to the top of La Liga for the first time since the resumption of Spanish football as they leapfrogged Setien’s Blaugrana – who were to a scoreless draw at Sevilla on Friday – on goal difference. “There are things that we...
La Liga congratulates Bundesliga ahead football league return
The Spanish La Liga has congratulated Germany’s Bundesliga for announcing its imminent return as Spain’s top-flight stepped up its own comeback preparations. The Bundesliga was given the green light to resume later this month when chancellor Angela Merkel made the announcement during a news conference on Wednesday. Strict testing and matchday procedures will be put in place by the German government, with football seemingly set to resume on May 15 having been paused in mid-March. LaLiga outlined its own plan for a staggered return to training on Monday, with teams set to begin individual work this week before gradually moving to group sessions, the ultimate aim being to re-commence the 2019-20 season in June. Spanish clubs began testing players for COVID-19 on Tuesday and LaLiga sees the Bu...
