La Liga – BRITISH SOCCER {DIVA}

Shut the Window Up! Thomas Partey Signs…

Thank goodness it’s over. The transfer window is finally shut and there’s no doubt the Arsenal pulled off the signing of the day stealing, Thomas Partey from Atletico Madrid.

Joining Sophie, Amanda and Super Kevin Campbell is Arsenal legend and Anfield 89 hero, Alan Smith, ex-Newcastle, Wimbledon and now Fox Soccer analyst & LAFC color commentator, Warren Barton! And it doesn’t end there…they are also joined by the Bleacher Report’s transfer guru, Dean Jones.

Connect with our football democracy. Have your voice heard. It’s just like being down the pub with your mates.

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 Lounge…

Here at British Soccer Diva, we love the world’s game. From Bundesliga, Serie A, Ligue 1 and Eredivisie to South American football, MLS and beyond, if they are kicking a round white ball, we’re in!

One of Sophie’s passion projects is her new podcast La Liga Lounge which she co-hosts with Ben Hayward from Goal.com. After launching last year, the show is garnering an audience from around the globe with it’s identifiable laid back look at the game in Spain.

La Liga Lounge is full of passionate debate and discussion based on the latest football action, news and transfers. And of you love talking tactics, we do love to dissect formations and analyze what went right or wrong in a game based on team line-ups. Everyone loves to think they are a coach right?!

From the top European leagues to the Champions League, Europa League, World Cup, Confederations Cup, Copa America, European Championships and Gold Cup, La Liga Lounge covers it all throughout the football season. Just click on the Lounge icon above and you’ll find a smorgasbord of podcasts you can enjoy listening.

Follow us on Twitter @laligalounge and join our Facebook football democracy to have your voice heard.
La Liga Lounge…it’s always happy hour here!

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.”

Brazil Legend Carlos Alberto…

There are some moments in life when you feel exceptionally lucky. You want to freeze time in a bottle. You never want the moment to end. Talking to Brazil, Santos and New York Cosmos legend Carlos Alberto Torres was exactly that moment for me.

The 1970 World Cup Final goal he scored versus Italy is undoubtedly the greatest we’ve ever seen. It was a stunning team effort that showcased why we’ve all loved watching Brazil in the World Cup. The goal also solidified Carlos Alberto’s name in football’s history books and is a moment he admits changed his life forever.

A true gentlemen of the game, Carlos is proud to have returned to his beloved New York Cosmos as an Ambassador. Together with other legends of the game like his best friend Pele, Franz Beckenbauer and Giorgio Chinaglia, they set the Big Apple on fire, put the sport on the map in the United States and galvanized a nation to fall in love with football.

Talking to him about that historical final, the 1982 Brazil World Cup team, Pele, Maradona, Messi, Neymar and more felt like all the Christmas mornings I’ve ever had rolled-up into one. He unwrapped his thoughts and provided honest opinions like a gift that kept on giving.

I hope you enjoy listening to one of football’s legends as much as I enjoyed talking to him.

http://www.talksport.co.uk/radio/extra-time/130425/carlos-alberto-brazils-world-cup-chances-their-premier-league-stars-and-196344

Football. Soccer. Call it what you want. It’s just like being down the pub with your mates.
Lob us @soccerdiva.

The One with the Spanish Inquisition…

You didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition?

Ben and Sophie return to the Lounge to discuss where it all went wrong for Barcelona and Real Madrid in the Champions League this week.

Was Messi selfish to start? Who is helping Ronaldo? Is it time these teams looked beyond their individual icons in favour of collective choreography? Did Mourinho mess up? Why didn’t Tito react? Is a miracle comeback possible for either side? Just where do they go from here?

Let’s credit Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund for their beautiful performances. They certainly shocked Spanish football to its core and have started a debate about the rise of German football. Is it premature? Is everyone getting carried away with their claims that Spanish football is dead?

Sophie and Ben discuss it all in La Liga Lounge. And if you agree or disagree with any of their opinions, let them have it volley style @LaLigaLounge. It’s always happy hour here.

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

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 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!!