Xavi – BRITISH SOCCER {DIVA}

The End of Act One…

Act One of the new season in Spain is over and Sophie and Ben return to dissect the action so far, as Barcelona begin with a perfect record under ‘Tata’ Martino.

Atlético are hot on their heels with eight wins of their own and Real Madrid follow five points behind – albeit with some teething problems in their post-Mourinho project.

We take a look at how Barça have coped without Messi, how Madrid can improve in the lead-up to the Clásico, the difficult start to life in La Liga for Gareth Bale, plus Atlético and how the third team in Spain are looking to challenge under Diego Simeone.

Join us for all that and much more in La Liga Lounge!

The One After the Summer…

The summer has gone and with it the transfer window is now a thing of the past too – at least until January.

Gareth Bale is finally a Real Madrid player, La Liga is underway again and Barcelona have a new coach – although not the centre-back they so badly needed. Sophie and Ben return to discuss all of that and more on the latest La Liga Lounge.

The One After the Summer. Tune in and join us as we catch up on all the stories.
We’re back in the Lounge for our laid-back look at the game in Spain…

The One with Neymar to Barcelona…

La Liga Lounge returns with a Brazilian blend, dedicating the entire show to one man…Neymar!

The most talked about transfer in football over the last two seasons is finally done. Neymar joins Barcelona from Santos and we look at how this deal could work out.

Will Neymar complement Messi or will he try to compete with him? Can these two superstars co-exist? Or are there too many cooks in the Camp Nou kitchen?

Neymar is also slight and doesn’t carry too much weight. Can he bulk up and also change his style of football to adapt playing in Europe? Will he be a huge success like Ronaldinho or will he end up a high-profile flop? Remember Keirrison?

We dissect this subject like a frog and are also joined by Brazil legend and 1970’s World Cup winner and captain Carlos Alberto. The scorer of the greatest goal ever seen in the World Cup doesn’t hold back when talking about Brazil’s current football starlet.

Sit back. Relax. Grab a chair in the lounge. It’s happy hour. It’s a special. It’s “The One with Neymar to Barcelona.”

The One with El Clasico Special…

Two Clásico clashes in five days and both were won by Real Madrid. We haven’t seen that for a while. Sophie and Ben discuss the two latest installments of the famous fixture in an hour-long special not to be missed!

What is wrong with Barcelona? Qué pasa con Messi? We also talk Tito and Roura, Pique and Alves, the penalty incident and much more!

And then there’s Madrid, of course. Is Mourinho having the last laugh? Is Ronaldo the world’s best player right now? We look ahead to the Champions League clashes, talk Milan and Manchester United and even made some predictions for our respective teams in the North London Derby!

It’s an epic! So join us for our Happy Hour special!!

Euro 2012 Crystal Football…

One of the most exciting football tournaments in the world is upon us and we’ve only had to wait four years.

Euro 2012 is about to kick-off and co-hosts Poland and Ukraine, together with the rest of Europe, carry the dreams of millions of fans in their kit bag!

Who will be victorious? Is there a team primed for a Denmark or Greece type Cinderella story? Can one of the host nations win? Can Spain create European history and win another title? Who will shine the brightest on the biggest stage?

The wait is over. It’s time for us to channel our inner Nostradamus. It’s time for us to look deep into our crystal football. How right or how wrong will we be?

Let’s hope it’s a thrilling tournament without any trouble and that for a few weeks, the beautiful game can make a tough old world feel a little good about itself right now.

Group A
Winner = Poland
Runner-up = Russia

Group B
Winner = Holland
Runner-up = Germany

Group C
Winner = Spain
Runner-up = Italy

Group D
Winner = France
Runner-up = Sweden

The quarter-finals could be a time for justice or vengeance!

Quarter Final #1
Poland v Germany

These teams drew 2-2 last September in a friendly. Germany coach Joachim Loew said that result was a “wake-up call” for his country. It was the first time Poland got close to beating the Germans in 17 previous attempts. Poland have been unable to defeat Germany in 78 years. What better way to break the cycle than a sweet victory in front of your own people! Football always serves up story lines that take us beyond the game and it’s almost written in the stars these two teams will meet. You can almost feel it in the air.

Quarter Final #2
Holland v Russia

This is a match-up that would excite any football fan. Russia were the surprise team of Euro 2008 and very few thought they could beat Holland in the quarter-finals. The Dutch were piping hot favourites in that game and as we’ve seen in tournament’s past, they tend to break under the pressure. The Russians on the other hand played fearless football and solidified their place as one of the tournament’s most exciting teams. They could meet again at Euro 2012 and this would be a wonderful opportunity for Holland to turn the tables and exert revenge on the Russian’s who trampled all over their Euro 2008 dream.

Quarter Final #3
Spain v Sweden

In the past, we’ve seen some of the supposed European giants of football get an easy path in the knockout stages. Some would say Germany were lucky to face Turkey in the semi-final of Euro 2008. No matter who you get in the knockout phase, it’s never an easy game, but the luck of the draw could mean it’s just easier than other match-ups. This year, Spain could find themselves a little lucky when they face Sweden in the quarter-final. Sweden may have done well getting out of their group, but they are reminded of who the real Royal family of European football is in this match!

Quarter Final #4
France v Italy

Who wouldn’t want to see these two European powers battle it out in a quarter-final? There is so much recent history between France and Italy, it would almost be wrong for them not to meet again. Italian hearts were smashed into tiny pieces at Euro 2000 after Trezeguet’s golden goal sealed glory for France. And at the 2006 World Cup, the football boot was firmly on the other foot as Zinedine Zidane’s moment of headbutt madness cost the French another world title. Old scores must be settled and this match would truly be a treat for fans everywhere.

Semi Final #1
Poland v Spain

Semi Final #2
Holland v France

European Championship Final
Spain v France

Champions
France

Storylines…
1. Debuchy comes of age.
2. Ben Arfa grows to superstar status.
3. Benzema solidifies spot as European scoring machine.
4. Laurent Blanc the heroic winning player turns winning coach.
5. Laurent Blanc restores pride to French flag and French international football.
6. Hugo Lloris finally recognized as one of world’s best goalkeepers.
7. Arsenal have to pay double for M’Vila.
8. Spain’s rule ends and questions are asked about Xavi and Iniesta.
9. Less questions about Torres as he has a great tournament
10. Del Bosque retires. Pep Guardiola pressured to take over the national team. Luis Enrique joins as his assistant

Spain: The Golden Age…

For so long we’ve been told the likes of Rooney, Gerrard, Lampard, Terry and Cole are the “Golden Age” of British football and the best we’ve seen since the World Cup winning squad of 1966. But yet again England exited a tournament as losers and their fans dream of world success has turned into another nightmare. And in a European country just around the corner, a team of patriotic men were lauded similarly to this generation of English players. From the media to fans, everyone agreed Spain was something special. And like England, so much pressure was put on the Spanish. Even prior to Euro 2008, the expectations were high. But they didn’t cave. They won it. And the expectations for England and Spain were vast again in World Cup 2010. England were as miserable as their winter weather and Espana went on to win the whole damn thing.

In the case of Spain, their team of individual superstars actually have world-class talent and this time around they didn’t cave to pressure. Their team of individual superstars came together and played for each other. They proved that despite the hype and expectations, they could win. They deserved to win the World Cup. The right team won the World Cup. And with the likes of Xavi, Iniesta, Casillas, Ramos, Villa, Torres and Fabregas, they could go on to win for many years to come.

In the past, Spain too have been guilty of failing themselves and their country. Whether it was the European Championships or the World Cup, they would always choke. Even in the days of the great Raul, the Spanish could never deliver the big prize. But somewhere along the way they bought some belief, a little swagger and a side of balls. They became a team of destiny. They became World Champions.

England should examine how Spain have achieved their success over the last four years. They should look to their European counterparts as an example of how you can go from being a total loser to a total winner. And perhaps they should consider having an Englishman manage their way back to the glory days. You can’t help but think the spirit of the Spanish side and the influence of their coach Vicente del Bosque just instilled more patriotic pride to their cause.

There’s nothing much else to say about the World Cup other than I feel the same way about it as I did a few weeks ago. We saw some great goals here and there with Giovanni Van Bronckhorst’s of Holland being the best for me. There were a few nail-biting moments and in my opinion the most exciting of all was the late goal by the USA against Slovenia . The biggest stars in the world including Messi, Ronaldo, Kaka and Rooney didn’t shine at all, which was a huge disappointment. Unfortunately the tournament was dampened by awful refereeing decisions and the final didn’t live up to its billing. Plus it felt way too cold for a World Cup. Overall the sizzle was certainly missing!

A few things are for sure after this tournament…here we go…Spain are truly the best footballing team in the universe. They will be considered one of the best-ever having won Euro 2008 and World Cup 2010. Everyone around the world will now know who Xavi and Iniesta are and who will deny these two sublime players their place as the world’s best midfield duo? Not me. David Villa has absolutely nailed the label of world’s best striker and how happy are Barcelona they bought him before the tournament? Manchester United must be feeling sick having let Pique go back to Barcelona. Referees from Mali suck. Rooney is a baby. Forlan has still got it. Muller is the next big thing. Sneijder is magic. Goal-line technology is a must. And coach Bosque will forever be worshipped for delivering the goods to his fellow countrymen.

This certainly is the “Golden Age” of Spanish football and you truly deserve the label Spain. Hope you are taking notes England…

Ba Ba Barcelona…

Spain Soccer La Liga For Real Madrid, Saturday’s game against Barcelona was more El Miserablo than El Clasico. For a brief second, it looked like both teams could score lots of goals. But in the end, it was the Catalan Kings that had their happy fans singing well into Sunday morning.

Let’s not beat around the corner flag here people..Barcelona gave their rivals an absolute beating. Raul and co. are probably still applying ailment to help ease the pain after the many lashings they received. Barcelona were sensational. Henry’s performance was vintage Arsenal and Messi was sublime and brilliant as usual. But Xavi and Iniesta tore the Real Madrid midfield apart and proved once again why they are two of the best players in the world. They carved- up Diarra, Gago and Robben like a Christmas turkey and slice by slice we devoured their perfect display of beautiful football. I was stuffed at full-time but could have had plenty more if they were willing to serve it up. Wow.

Next is the Champions League semi-final agains Chelsea. Should the Blues be afraid of getting a football whipping on Wednesday? Will their physical strength see them through to the final in Rome? Will Barcelona choke? Can anyone beat them? Soak it up footie fans. This is the beautiful game at it’s beautiful best and we’ll all be watching.