Another year, another disappointment. No decima. No dice. Madrid fought the good fight in the King's Cup, conceded La Liga way early, and fell in the semifinals of the Champions League. Despite some fun wins at the Camp Nou, even Jose Mourinho has admitted this is his worst season ever.
There are still three matches remaining in the La Liga season but for all intents and purposes for Jose Mourinho reign in Spain is over and it has ended in failure.
Defeat tonight in the Copa del Rey to city rivals Atlético meant that Real Madrid ended the season with no silverware. That is simply not good enough for Real and the 'The Special One' acknowledged that in his post match press conference:
"This is the worst season of my career", said Mourinho.
During this evening's Copa del Rey final, won by Atletico Madrid in extra time at the Bernabeu (big win, that one), Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo were both sent off. The latter was unjustified, though Cristiano probably could've been sent off for kicking Juanfran off the ball earlier, and there's no way to know what Jose actually said.
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid Copa del Rey Final Highlights 2013 1-2 Costa Miranda Ronaldo Gabi Red Cards Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid Copa del Rey Final Highlights 2013 1-2 Costa Miranda Ronaldo Gabi Red Cards Video is a post from Soccer Blogger.
What might have been for Michael Owen - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
The announcement, made back in March, that Michael Owen will be hanging up his boots at the end of this season ultimately came as little surprise to anybody.
The decision was an expected one, but in many respects his retirement at just 33 years of age will be an ignominious conclusion for a player once seemingly destined for the upper echelons of the game; it will be a quiet, almost sheepish exit compared to the grand fanfare he could have once expected.
It's going to be La Furia de Madrid literally, and figuratively tonight as Real and Atletico battle it out to become Copa del Rey champions at Santiago Bernabeu.
With Barcelona picking up the league title over the weekend, Los Blancos will be pulling out all the stops to ensure that they win their one and only trophy of the season before Jose Mourinho starts ordering more Ikea boxes.
Real Madrid stars show off their footballing skills on a golf course - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Real Madrid players headed to a golf course to play a game of Football-Golf. The players included Mesut Ozil, Gonzalo Higuain, Fabio Coentrao and Raphael Varane.
The golf course tested their football skills in a way they have never been tested before.
Two more top European league titles were secured over the weekend, with FC Barcelona and Paris St. Germain making additions to their trophy cases.
Barcelona battled back from an early deficit to beat Atletico Madrid on Sunday, though they had clinched their fourth La Liga title in five years the day before courtesy of an Espanyol draw vs.
Unsettled Ronaldo a long way from Manchester United - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Manchester United could well be looking to bolster their attack this summer with Wayne Rooney's future up in the air, and a dream move for all those concerned with the club would be the resigning of former star Cristiano Ronaldo.
FC Barcelona have won the Spanish championship for the 22nd time after Real Madrid were held to a 1-1 draw at Espanyol.
Tonight's result leaves Barça seven points clear at the summit ahead of their trip to Atletico Madrid tomorrow, with Jose Mourinho's side now only having two league games left this season.
Espanyol vs Real Madrid 2013 Highlights 1-1 Stuani Higuain Goals Sanchez Red Card Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Espanyol vs Real Madrid 2013 Highlights 1-1 Stuani Higuain Goals Sanchez Red Card Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Espanyol vs Real Madrid 2013 ( Espanyol Real Madrid VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Espanyol vs Real Madrid 1-1 ( Stuani/ Higuain) Estadi Cornella El Prat, Barcelona- 11 May, [.
Jose Mourinho may already have started packing ahead of his impending departure from Real Madrid at the end of this season, but it seems that a section of 'Madridistas' are already getting impatient. Yes, they want him out of Madrid NOW!
Los Blancos played out to a 6-2 win over Malaga at the Bernabeu yesterday, which buys them time before Barcelona pick up the La Liga title.
Barcelona and Real Madrid both won and both scored four times, leaving the Catalans needing one more win to secure the Primera title. Barca's 4-2 win over Real Betis keeps them 11 points clear of second-placed Real Madrid with four games remaining, and means they will almost certainly clinch the championship at Atletico Madrid next Sunday.
Real Madrid vs Malaga 6-2 Highlights 2013 Albiol Ronaldo Ozil Benzema Modric Di Maria Santa Cruz Goals Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Real Madrid vs Malaga 6-2 Highlights 2013 Albiol Ronaldo Ozil Benzema Modric Di Maria Santa Cruz Goals Video is a post from Soccer Blogger.
Don't you hate it when your favorite blogger hops and skips about and blogs at sites other than his own blog domain? You have to, like, click on links and go to other sites. It's quite inconvenient. Well, alas, prepare yourself. I have put finger to touchscreen for a few other fine sites. Here they are:
Please disregard my recent eBook, it's not always all about Real Madrid & Barcelona.
Diego Lopez or Iker Casillas? Under pressure at Real Madrid, Jose Mourinho comes out swinging... is a post from: Just Football
The temperature continues to rise for Jose Mourinho in Madrid. After elimination in the semi finals of the Champions League courtesy of a brilliant Borussia Dortmund side, and with the league title all but conceded back to Barcelona, the pressure on Mourinho is building as speculation increases that this will be his final few weeks as head coach at Real Madrid.
The following photo has been circulating over the past few hours, appearing to show Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho and this is the point where you may want to find something leathery to bite down on or ingest some particularly strong anti-depressant medication IN IKEA, POSSIBLY BUYING BOXES, TAPE AND/OR OTHER MISCELLANEOUS PACKING MATERIALS.
Sergio Ramos and former French international, Christian Karembeu, have both addressed the bewildering situation faced by Iker Casillas' at Real Madrid at the moment. As you may know, the goalkeeper has been controversially frozen out by Jose Mourinho at the club for most of the season.
This is a sort of fantastic encapsulation of what social media has done to the "news" or whatever you'd like to call it these days. ("Retelling what you already read about on the internet at six o'clock"?) The dramatic buildup to Jose's whereabouts this morning, something which somehow went to Twitter, was.
Guess what eBook goes on sale to the general public today? A hint. Look at the above image. Details after the jump.
For only $6, you can now get a hundred years of history in glorious eBook technicolor! I'm proud to announce that the eBook, a tour de force on the first hundred years of this rivalry, is available at the following outlets:
You can buy a copy at Amazon for your Kindle by clicking HERE (Or on the icon below).
It has been a tumultuous few weeks for Barcelona, who took a 7-0 battering from Bayern Munich in the Champions League (hard to swallow, even for the sadists among us). In fact, they may be trying to ward off all the Debbie Downers at their training centre right now. But really, apart from the German champions who have proven that there is such a thing as BarKryptonite last night's La Liga match showed that opponents are still in fear of Leo Messi.
Barcelona vs Real Valladolid 2-1 Highlights 2013 Pedro Valente OG Perez Penalty Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Barcelona vs Real Valladolid 2-1 Highlights 2013 Pedro Valente OG Perez Penalty Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Barcelona vs Real Valladolid 2013 ( Barca Valladolid VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Barcelona vs Real Valladolid 2-1 ( Pedro, Valente OG/ Perez pen) Nou Camp, Barcelona- 19 May, 2013- [.
David Villa to pick Tottenham over Arsenal if they get Champions League football - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Reports in Spain suggest that Barcelona forward David Villa's time at Camp Nou may be up this summer, with the La Liga Champions eager to cash in on the attacker to fund moves for new players.
Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Juventus: 4 Champions, 4 Different Styles is a post from: Just Football
by Tim Palmer
Real Madrid's dropped points at Espanyol last weekend helped seal the title for Barcelona, confirming the four winners of Europe's four major leagues in England, Germany, Spain and Italy.
Can former Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas be Manchester United's new Paul Scholes? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
The British media have been full of rumours as the transfer window's reopening looms, however one that catches the eye in particular is the future of former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas.
Can former Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas be Manchester United's new Paul Scholes? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
The British media have been full of rumours as the transfer window's reopening looms, however one that catches the eye in particular is the future of former Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas.
They may have lost the Champions League trophy this season to a better German team, but you can't say that Barcelona weren't worthy of being this season's La Liga Champions. After all, it was hardly the definition of "shoo-in" there was always the threat of Real Madrid behind them, and given their ambition this season, it wasn't a simple task.
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona 2013 Highlights 1-2 Falcao Alexis Goals Gabi OG Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter
Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona 2013 Highlights 1-2 Falcao Alexis Goals Gabi OG Video is a post from Soccer Blogger. Follow Soccer Blogger on Twitter Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona 2013 ( Atletico Barca VIDEO BELOW) Final score and result:- Atletico Madrid vs Barcelona 1-2 ( Falcao/ Alexis, Gabi OG) Estadio Vicente Calderon, Madrid- 12 May, 2013- [.
Barcelona are inching closer to their only title of the season the La Liga which had been tragically billed as a two-horse race right from the start. Luckily, Atletico Madrid had been entertaining all season long, so it wasn't entirely the dichotomy of 'Barca/Madrid' in the last few months, a rude conclusion many Spanish football neutrals may come to arrive at!
Marc-Andre ter Stegen: Barcelona's next goalkeeper? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Born in 1992, Marc-Andre ter Stegen joined the Borussia Monchengladbach youth academy at the age of four. He was promoted to the senior team in 2010. Now that Victor Valdes is leaving Barcelona in 2014, it is believed that Ter Stegen will be his eventual replacement.
Wayne Rooney's final destination: Manchester United, Barcelona, PSG or Bayern? - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Manchester United are a club in transition after Sir Alex Ferguson's revelation that he will step down from his role as the club's manager after 26 years at the helm. With David Moyes seemingly the favourite to replace him, and Jose Mourinho in the running too, the new head coach's first job may well be to convince star striker Wayne Rooney that his future lies at Old Trafford.
This one's for the lovers of tactics. Pep held a lecture in Argentina in which he explained the role of Lionel Messi as the false nine in his Barcelona side. Shockingly, there's more to it than a simple "get the best player alive" and then fifteen minutes of kitty cat photos. The video is in Spanish so it's obviously better if one speaks the language, but there is a description at the YouTube site.
Arsenal and Liverpool target Alexis Sanchez says he does not want to leave Barcelona this summer. The Chilean star signed for the Catalonia side for an initial €26 million from Udinese in 2011, but has since failed to live up to the hype at the La Liga giants. At the time the pacy winger was wanted by Manchester United and Manchester City, and was one of the most wanted players in world football.
In the aftermath of the Bayern Munich thrashing last week, Barca defender Gerard Pique inadvertently opened the window into a rift that has developed within the club.
After the defeat Pique told Canal Plus:
"When a team is so superior, all you can do is congratulate them," he.
Manchester City have had a rough season even with the club set to finish second in the English Premier League. According to the Telegraph's Mark Ogden on May 12, 2013, the Manchester side are rumored to be set to sack their manager in the next few days.
Expect goals on the final weekend of the season. Just don't bet on it. - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
A reader of our blog recently asked if there was any value in flat betting 'Over 2.5 goals' on the final weekend of the Premier League season, seeing that goal totals tend to be higher on the last weekend of the domestic season.
When you have an entirely corrupted sport with vast differentials between success or failure, Champions League qualification or not, league survival or relegation, it is unsurprising that the end of season brings all the cockroaches out into the open.
All four of the main leagues in Europe experience this end of season poker play/ power play - the Premier League, La Liga, Seria A and the Bundesliga.
Quotes, reports, and reaction from Union's win in Chicago. City Islanders top Antigua 4-0 while Reading thumps Westchester 8-0 in season opener. Eastern Conference roundup as Union move to 5th. More news.
