Yesterday, prior to their respective La Liga clashes today, Real Madrid, CF Barcelona, and Atletico de Madrid, put their cards on the table in their three-way fight for the Champions League and La Liga trophies.
Recent results, Real Madrid's 1-1 draw with Valladolid, Barcelona's 2-2 draw with Getafe, and Atletico's 0-2 loss to Levante, have set up a squeaker of a La Liga home stretch.
Real Madrid will play their match away to Celta de Vigo without Pepe, Angel di Maria, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Dani Carvajal, among others. This did not mean they were conceding their mathematical shot at the La Liga title, but that instead, with a pretty strong roster to draw on for domestic play, they were going to focus on the Champions League as the bigger of their year's objectives.
For that final, it is likely Pepe, with a calf tear, will not play. Similarly Xabi Alonso is already out of the final due to accumulated yellow cards. While Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel di Maria are not quite yet recovered from their injuries, both should be ready in two weeks' time.
For that final, it is likely Pepe, with a calf tear, will not play. Similarly Xabi Alonso is already out of the final due to accumulated yellow cards. While Cristiano Ronaldo and Angel di Maria are not quite yet recovered from their injuries, both should be ready in two weeks' time.
Carlo Ancelotti said, at yesterday's press conference in Madrid, that he would "Not risk playing either of them [di Maria and Ronaldo] until they are fit to play at their best."
Meanwhile, Tata Martino was making no bones about the fact that Barcelona have been given a reprieve in what just a couple of weeks ago seemed a year destined for the trash bin by Barca standards. Now, with the La Liga title in play, should they win their last two games, Martino is planning on playing, not resting, his World Cup bound stars in an all-out bid to at least salvage the domestic season.
Martino, at yesterday's pre-game press conference said: "Just a week or so ago, the players were already talking about the future, about next year. I was feeling like I did not deserve my job because we had not won anything during my tenure. Now we have a chance to rewrite that [script]. We will seize it."
Atletico Madrid find themselves at a historic crossroads. In a matter of two weeks they will play three matches that will determine whether their magical year bears fruit or falls agonizingly short of the tantalizing summits they could attain.
If the Colchoneros can win all three matches they would be crowned La Liga and Champions League champions. To accomplish this, they must beat the two strongest Spanish Football teams at a time when they are both vying for titles that have great import for each of them. The Decima has been the Holy Grail for Madrid since before Jose Mourinho was in charge and reaching the finals is what Ancelotti has been gunning for since his arrival. Ronaldo and company see it as their club's marker. At the Camp Nou, Lionel Messi and company do not want to go into the Brazilian summer on a downer and nothing would revive their moribund demeanors of late more than two back-to-back La Liga wins.
Atletico's talisman, Diego Costa, is still fighting for fitness due to a hamstring problem. But Atletico coach Diego Simeone does not have the luxury to chose not to play his star, unless Costa is truly unable, so he will wait until the last possible moment to make his call. "We will have some tests before Sunday's game and we will know then," he said.
So how does Simeone see his team's next two weeks? "There is no pressure, only responsibility. This is a great moment. All of us who work in football want to reach important situations like this one. We need to keep going, without looking ahead and hoping. That is the best way to prepare for this period. Our future and destiny is marked out for us moving forward. We just need to do what we have to do."
According to ESPN's Sid Lowe "There are 243 combinations of results involving the three teams in the final two weeks. In 177 of them, Atletico will be champions; Barcelona emerge victorious in 59 and there are only seven combinations by which Real Madrid can win the title." But it would seem that for Diego, Tata, and Carlo those combinations are reduced to three, two, and one, respectively.
Sunday, May 11, 2014
Manchester City wins Premier League for 2nd time in 3 seasons
Manchester City won the Premier League for the second time in three seasons on Sunday, completing its campaign with a comfortable 2-0 victory over West Ham that lacked any of the drama of its previous title.
Unlike the stoppage-time comeback required in the 2012 title decider, goals either side of halftime by Samir Nasri and Vincent Kompany provided a more serene end to what had been an exhilarating season.
"You can't repeat what happened last time," City goalkeeper Joe Hart said. "This year, we've really come on strong at the end when we needed to."
Two years ago, City won the title on goal difference ahead of neighbour Manchester United after coming from behind to beat Queens Park Rangers on the final day. Sunday's victory, though, meant Liverpool's 2-1 win over Newcastle at Anfield was meaningless as City finished two points above the Merseyside club.
As soon as the final whistle was blown, thousands of fans flooded onto the Etihad Stadium pitch, setting off blue flares. For a club that has spent so much time in the shadow of United — last year's champion — it was just the fourth time in its 134-year history that fans could celebrate a league title.
Just 15 years ago, City was playing in the third tier of English football, but the club's fortunes were transformed after the influx of Abu Dhabi cash following a 2008 takeover.
Making this victory all the sweeter is the fact that United, which beat City to the title by 11 points last May, ended this campaign in seventh place after imploding in the post-Alex Ferguson era.
Although City spent just 15 days at the summit during a campaign when the lead changed hands 25 times, Manuel Pellegrini's side surged to the top when it mattered most. The 60-year-old Chilean is ending his first season in English football as a double winner, having already won the League Cup victory over Sunderland in March.
However, the league title looked out of reach for City just weeks ago after losing to Liverpool at Anfield. However, Liverpool collapsed toward the end with a loss to Chelsea and a draw at Crystal Palace which meant City only needed a draw at the Etihad to secure the title.
But after an edgy start, Nasri scored with a shot from outside the area in the 39th minute and Vincent Kompany added the second from close range shortly after the break to let fans celebrate for much of the second half.
"Liverpool's game against Chelsea, I think that's the twist of the season," Nasri said.
All City required was a draw, but after an edgy start this energetic and attacking team seized on the opportunity to finish the season in style. Against an uninspiring West Ham, City was in complete control, calmly knocking the ball around the pitch.
However easily City unpicked the West Ham defence, finding a route to goal was proving more difficult. David Silva, so dynamic in this title-winning side, lashed the ball over from distance and Aleksandar Kolarov had a long-range strike tipped over by goalkeeper Adrian.
But the goal that settled nerves in the stands came in the 39th minute, with Yaya Toure teeing up Nasri, who took two touches before curling the shot into the net off the inside of the post.
Although Silva was denied by the woodwork in stoppage time, City's second came just four minutes into the second half. From a corner, the ball bounced off striker Edin Dzeko, and the unmarked Kompany swept in City's 102nd league goal this season from close range.
The captain slid across the pitch in celebration, and the party truly started in the stadium. Unlike the rollercoaster season finale against Queens Park Rangers here two years ago, it was job done for City.
West Ham was never going to spoil these celebrations, and City is at the pinnacle of English football once again. The challenge now is retaining the trophy for the first time, and replicating the electrifying domestic form in Europe to conquer the Champions League.
These title celebrations, though, could be short-lived in the City boardroom, with UEFA on the verge of imposing sanctions on the club for overspending in breach of Financial Fair Play rules.
Unlike the stoppage-time comeback required in the 2012 title decider, goals either side of halftime by Samir Nasri and Vincent Kompany provided a more serene end to what had been an exhilarating season.
"You can't repeat what happened last time," City goalkeeper Joe Hart said. "This year, we've really come on strong at the end when we needed to."
Two years ago, City won the title on goal difference ahead of neighbour Manchester United after coming from behind to beat Queens Park Rangers on the final day. Sunday's victory, though, meant Liverpool's 2-1 win over Newcastle at Anfield was meaningless as City finished two points above the Merseyside club.
As soon as the final whistle was blown, thousands of fans flooded onto the Etihad Stadium pitch, setting off blue flares. For a club that has spent so much time in the shadow of United — last year's champion — it was just the fourth time in its 134-year history that fans could celebrate a league title.
Just 15 years ago, City was playing in the third tier of English football, but the club's fortunes were transformed after the influx of Abu Dhabi cash following a 2008 takeover.
Making this victory all the sweeter is the fact that United, which beat City to the title by 11 points last May, ended this campaign in seventh place after imploding in the post-Alex Ferguson era.
Although City spent just 15 days at the summit during a campaign when the lead changed hands 25 times, Manuel Pellegrini's side surged to the top when it mattered most. The 60-year-old Chilean is ending his first season in English football as a double winner, having already won the League Cup victory over Sunderland in March.
However, the league title looked out of reach for City just weeks ago after losing to Liverpool at Anfield. However, Liverpool collapsed toward the end with a loss to Chelsea and a draw at Crystal Palace which meant City only needed a draw at the Etihad to secure the title.
But after an edgy start, Nasri scored with a shot from outside the area in the 39th minute and Vincent Kompany added the second from close range shortly after the break to let fans celebrate for much of the second half.
"Liverpool's game against Chelsea, I think that's the twist of the season," Nasri said.
All City required was a draw, but after an edgy start this energetic and attacking team seized on the opportunity to finish the season in style. Against an uninspiring West Ham, City was in complete control, calmly knocking the ball around the pitch.
However easily City unpicked the West Ham defence, finding a route to goal was proving more difficult. David Silva, so dynamic in this title-winning side, lashed the ball over from distance and Aleksandar Kolarov had a long-range strike tipped over by goalkeeper Adrian.
But the goal that settled nerves in the stands came in the 39th minute, with Yaya Toure teeing up Nasri, who took two touches before curling the shot into the net off the inside of the post.
Although Silva was denied by the woodwork in stoppage time, City's second came just four minutes into the second half. From a corner, the ball bounced off striker Edin Dzeko, and the unmarked Kompany swept in City's 102nd league goal this season from close range.
The captain slid across the pitch in celebration, and the party truly started in the stadium. Unlike the rollercoaster season finale against Queens Park Rangers here two years ago, it was job done for City.
West Ham was never going to spoil these celebrations, and City is at the pinnacle of English football once again. The challenge now is retaining the trophy for the first time, and replicating the electrifying domestic form in Europe to conquer the Champions League.
These title celebrations, though, could be short-lived in the City boardroom, with UEFA on the verge of imposing sanctions on the club for overspending in breach of Financial Fair Play rules.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Manchester City captain Kompany pleased to see off 'intense' Everton
Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has praised his side for their victory over an "intense" Everton at Goodison Park.
Edin Dzeko notched a brace as City secure a gripping 3-2 win to edge ahead of their opponents' local rivals Liverpool on goal difference at the top of the table.
An Everton victory would have left Liverpool well placed to secure a first title for 24 years, leading to suggestions of mixed emotions in the Goodison Park stands on Saturday.
That was certainly not the case on the field as Everton threw everything at City in a thrilling finale, but saw their hopes of Champions League qualification ended.
"It was hard and very intense as well - I was thinking that the Everton players have got a lot of friends at Liverpool," Kompany joked when interviewed by Sky Sports after the match.
"It was tough and we ultimately got a great result."
Sergio Aguero cancelled out Ross Barkley's superb opening strike to set City on their way to ending a run of four straight defeats at Goodison - a streak their captain attributed to Everton's competitive spirit and a lack of luck.
"To be honest we've not had a lot of great results but we’ve never really had took many bad games either," Kompany said.
"It's just one of those places. When we take the lead it’s never finished - they always find a way to make it difficult and they always find a way to score a goal that put them back in the game.
"Today was the same. I thought until the last minute both teams had to keep giving everything they had to keep in the game."
City have passed up a handful chances to take a firm hold on the title race since February's 1-0 home loss to Chelsea, seemingly in the most damaging fashion when they slipped to a 3-2 defeat at Liverpool three weeks ago.Now wins in back-to-back home games against Aston Villa and Chelsea next week will give them a second Premier League crown in three seasons.
But the dramatic manner in which his team clinched glory against struggling QPR in 2012 means Kompany knows nothing can be taken for granted.
He added: "We've had a lot of tough times during the season but I think that we've had a lot of wonderful games.
"The most important thing is to pick up the form at the right time and if we can carry on like this in the next two games, hopefully it should be enough to win those two games. I guess the past will tell us to be careful."
Edin Dzeko notched a brace as City secure a gripping 3-2 win to edge ahead of their opponents' local rivals Liverpool on goal difference at the top of the table.
An Everton victory would have left Liverpool well placed to secure a first title for 24 years, leading to suggestions of mixed emotions in the Goodison Park stands on Saturday.
That was certainly not the case on the field as Everton threw everything at City in a thrilling finale, but saw their hopes of Champions League qualification ended.
"It was hard and very intense as well - I was thinking that the Everton players have got a lot of friends at Liverpool," Kompany joked when interviewed by Sky Sports after the match.
"It was tough and we ultimately got a great result."
Sergio Aguero cancelled out Ross Barkley's superb opening strike to set City on their way to ending a run of four straight defeats at Goodison - a streak their captain attributed to Everton's competitive spirit and a lack of luck.
"To be honest we've not had a lot of great results but we’ve never really had took many bad games either," Kompany said.
"It's just one of those places. When we take the lead it’s never finished - they always find a way to make it difficult and they always find a way to score a goal that put them back in the game.
"Today was the same. I thought until the last minute both teams had to keep giving everything they had to keep in the game."
City have passed up a handful chances to take a firm hold on the title race since February's 1-0 home loss to Chelsea, seemingly in the most damaging fashion when they slipped to a 3-2 defeat at Liverpool three weeks ago.Now wins in back-to-back home games against Aston Villa and Chelsea next week will give them a second Premier League crown in three seasons.
But the dramatic manner in which his team clinched glory against struggling QPR in 2012 means Kompany knows nothing can be taken for granted.
He added: "We've had a lot of tough times during the season but I think that we've had a lot of wonderful games.
"The most important thing is to pick up the form at the right time and if we can carry on like this in the next two games, hopefully it should be enough to win those two games. I guess the past will tell us to be careful."
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