Verbal Memo | The Bite, the Bale & the Special One…

1931Dracula There’s no biting in football…unless you are Luis Suarez of course! Liverpool’s star player is in hot water once again and the biggest question is what will this legendary and historical club do with him?

Unless you’ve been living under a gigantic rock, Suarez took a healthy bite out of Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic during a game at Anfield over the weekend. It’s not the first time Suarez has done this to an opponent. In April 2011 while playing for Ajax, he sunk his teeth into PSV Eindhoven midfielder Otman Bakkal. He received a seven-match ban and it was the last time he ever played for Ajax, a club with as much rich football history as Liverpool. This is unacceptable behaviour from a player who doesn’t even need to act like Mike Tyson on the football pitch.

Suarez is undoubtedly one of the best players in Europe, let alone the Premier League. His continual bad decision making however leads you to believe he is definitely a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic. Where do Liverpool go from here? They will probably support him because without his thirty goals this season, they’d be languishing below mid-table and Brendan Rodgers would probably be standing in the football unemployment line.

In this week’s verbal memo you can also catch soundbites about Tottenham, Jose Mourinho and there’s even a mention about my chat with Brazil football legend Carlos Alberto. There will be more of that interview posted in the coming days.

Sit back. Relax. Rant. Rave. If you agree or disagree with anything you hear, lob me @soccerdiva and let me have it.

The One With the Quarter Finals…

La Liga Lounge returns with a Champions League special after this week’s first leg matches in the quarter-finals.

As the competition reaches its business end, Sophie and Ben discuss Barcelona’s depleted defence (who will partner Piqué?), Messi’s mini-absence, disagree on Víctor Valdés and question whether the Catalans have a mental issue late in games.

The Lounge bar staff also talk Madrid and how it’s all coming together for Mourinho, Casillas vs Diego López, the strikers and how this could be their year. We also chat Cristiano Ronaldo, look at his amazing stats and those of Messi, remember Ronaldinho, weigh up Neymar and big up Málaga, probably the story of this Champions League campaign. Will we see them back next year?

And the show wouldn’t be complete without predictions, some banter, fun, info, insight and interaction. From Sophie in LA and Ben in Barcelona, to you the world: This is La Liga Lounge…The One with the Champions League Quarters. Join us! It’s always happy hour here.

The One Where We Catch Up…

It’s been way too long! We missed hanging out in La Liga Lounge talking Spanish football over delicious cocktails.

Barcelona lose to Celtic in the Champions League. Yes it was shocking, but wasn’t it inevitable this would happen at some point? And which team does this result mean more to? Ben and Sophie come to an insightful conclusion!

Real Madrid are still eight points behind Barcelona. They have two semi-tough games left in the Champions League. Cristiano Ronaldo might play a central role at the weekend. Ben and Sophie dissect!

The La Liga Lounge bar staff also talk Malaga and heap even more praise on Manuel Pellegrini’s men. And we chat Oviedo and their incredible battle for survival. Plus we make four hot picks for the weekend. Grab your favourite drink, have a listen and let us hear from you @laligalounge. Get stuck in there. Pepe does!

The One with El Clasico…

La Liga Lounge returns for Episode III and it’s all about El Clasico! One of the most exciting and infamous sporting events on the calendar year has been heightened over the last couple of years because of the Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi rivalry.

Both of their games have been elevated to levels we only dream of. Both of their games have improved because they fuel each other to be the best. These already declared legends continue to grow and so does the battle for Europe’s top individual football prize, the Ballon d’Or. Is Ronaldo going to knock Messi off his throne? Or will the little genius break CR7’s heart all over again?

It’s not all about the big two, though! We also chat about Atletico Madrid’s chances of La Liga glory. Should we believe they can win it? And what about Malaga and their start to the season? Can we trust them?

Sit back in your comfy chair and enjoy the sound of La Liga Lounge. It’s Happy Hour!