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Juande Ramos’ resignation leaves Malaga at a mid-season crossroads

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Juande Ramos’ resignation leaves Malaga at a mid-season crossroads A run of five games without a win was enough to see La Liga’s managerial merry-go-round spin once more, with Juande Ramos leaving Malaga under his own steam after merely seven months in charge. While Bob Bradley’s 81-day reign at Swansea City pales in significance, another recently appoi...

Hot Streak: Masterful Messi has Barcelona breathing down Real Madrid's neck

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Hot Streak: Masterful Messi has Barcelona breathing down Real Madrid's neck In a week that saw Cristiano Ronaldo crowned both club world champion and Ballon d’Or winner, it was Lionel Messi who was left to make the headlines in La Liga almost single-handedly. Real Madrid’s fixture against Valencia was postponed, owing to their merry and successful jaunt to Japan...

Form Guide: Trigueros has Villarreal dreaming of Champions League return

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Form Guide: Trigueros has Villarreal dreaming of Champions League return For those who believe that La Liga is an uncompetitive affair, it is possible to look at the league table and spot that Zinedine Zidane’s Real Madrid are currently six points clear at the summit of the table - but the battle for Champions League football has rarely been so interesting.A comfor...

Blistering league form has Aspas gunning for regular Spain spot

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Blistering league form has Aspas gunning for regular Spain spot Home comforts have Iago Aspas on the cusp of being a regular Spain international, as this La Liga campaign has seen the 29-year-old bounce back from disappointing jaunts away from Balaidos in recent years. Three seasons spent with Liverpool and Sevilla cumulatively stunted his progress, but since re...

Indifferent displays leave El Clasico Ronaldo's for the taking

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Indifferent displays leave El Clasico Ronaldo's for the taking El Clásico can often be billed as a clash of the titans on an individual level, with it easy to draw the contest up as a battle between two of the world’s best players, Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi, but this time around such a label feels a bit more genuine than sensationalist.Whi...

La Real hope to continue as Barcelona’s chief tormentors

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La Real hope to continue as Barcelona’s chief tormentors After 12 games, even the most optimistic of Real Sociedad fans would not have believed that their side had the players nor the team cohesion to find themselves outside of the Champions League places on goal difference only. An injury to Imanol Agirretxe proved disruptive last campaign, but a direct ...

Can injury-hit Real upset the odds in finely poised Madrid derby?

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Can injury-hit Real upset the odds in finely poised Madrid derby? Things at the top half of the La Liga table are interestingly poised, with an international break coming at exactly the wrong time for the cluster of teams who find themselves edging towards the Champions League places - but Real Madrid might just have been glad of an extra week to get some familiar...

Poyet under fire as faceless Real Betis whimper into international break

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Poyet under fire as faceless Real Betis whimper into international break As four of their squad’s full internationals break off to join up with their national teams, Real Betis find themselves in 14th place, at a time when domestically it may have been more beneficial for the whole squad to stay on the training ground together.The Seville-based club could be easily...

Barcelona’s reliance on key men could see Sevilla collective triumph

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Barcelona’s reliance on key men could see Sevilla collective triumph Sevilla had a busy summer. Long-term boss Unai Emery departed for a new challenge with Paris Saint-Germain, while club transfer guru Monchi ensured that new coach Jorge Sampaoli was armed with whatever personnel he thought he needed for a smooth start at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.“I don&rs...

Real Madrid’s BBC should be sacrificed for the collective good

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Real Madrid’s BBC should be sacrificed for the collective good As Alvaro Morata wheeled away in celebration after scoring Real Madrid’s winning goal against Athletic Club on Sunday, the case for Zinedine Zidane to rotate and re-shuffle his forward line became ever-stronger. The weekend game marked 38 days since Cristiano Ronaldo last scored at the Santiag...