Primera Division 2011/2012 Thread

[beavis]

"We're stronger now"

Mesut Ozil believes Jose Mourinho's team are now ready to overtake FC Barcelona to become the top team in La Liga once again.

Ozil, 22-year-old, moved to Santiago Bernabeu last summer from Werder Bremen as Mourinho started to shape the team he felt could challenge for honours - and the Germany international told Kicker he reckons that time has now come.

He said: "Real Madrid have made a lot of signings in the last couple of years, but you can now tell we understand each other on the pitch".

"We are much stronger. We've taken a step further compared to the previous campaign. I want to win every title."

"We would have liked to win the Spanish SuperCup, but what matters is we can compete at a really high level."

The playmaker feels he is also improving on a personal level and is hungry for success with Real.

"I'm in very good form and feel more prepared than ever before", he said.

"The pre-season stages in China and USA were tough and beautiful. I had learned a lot at Schalke and Werder, but it's a completely different game outside Germany."

"I'm very happy with how things have turned out for me. I feel great at Real Madrid and for playing in this team."

"It will be very interesting to watch Real Madrid play in La Liga, the Champions League and the Copa del Rey this year. We want to win all 3 titles and I'm sure we can do it."

[beavis]

Cum îşi modernizează Real stadionul

Cu toate că Florentino Perez iniţiase la un moment dat proiectul construirii unui nou stadion, la baza sportivă a lui Real Madrid de la Valdebebas, gruparea din capitala Spaniei va continua să joace mulţi ani pe Santiago Bernabeu. Perez a renunţat la ideea de a muta echipa şi acum vrea să îmbunătăţească arena existentă.

"Este o adevărată mină de aur şi nu are sens să ne mutăm", le-a explicat Perez subordonaţilor săi, alături de care va porni la drum în modernizarea arenei, scrie AS.

Stadionul generează 25% din veniturile anuale ale clubului, din abonamente, carduri de membru, bilete, în special cele 4.200 de locuri VIP. Restul banilor clubului vine din drepturi de televizare (35%), drepturi de imagine (30%), UEFA (5%) şi vânzări de tricouri (5%).

Pe 24 septembrie, Florentino Perez va prezenta într-o şedinţă noul proiect de modernizare a Santiago Bernabeu, care constă în refacerea intrării din Paseo de la Castellana, ce va include acum şi o zonă de relaxare şi cumpărături de peste 30.000 de metri pătraţi.

Va exista şi un hotel de 5 stele, din care oamenii cu bani vor putea vedea meciurile Realului live fără să părăsească hotelul. Modelul a fost luat după cel din Anglia şi SUA, unde această facilitate este ceva obişnuit.

Proiectul trebuie să fie aprobat de primăria Madridului, urmând să fie pornit imediat ce se va primi ok-ul. Inspiraţia a venit de la Stadionul Olimpic din Beijing, "Cuib de pasăre", astfel că şi Santiago Bernabeu va avea o faţadă avangardistă.

Va dura 2-3 ani pentru ca aceste planuri să fie realizate, ele incluzând şi acoperirea stadionului, ce va costa €40 milioane.

Întregul proiect este cifrat la €200 milioane.

[beavis]

Ankle injury puts Ronaldo in doubt

Cristiano Ronaldo is doubtful for Real Madrid's trip to Levante on Sunday after picking up an ankle injury against Dinamo Zagreb in midweek.

The Portugal international was on the receiving end of some strong tackles in his side's 1-0 Champions League victory.

Ronaldo's ankle needed to be stitched after the final whistle.

The attacking midfielder will now have to pass a late fitness test before being named in Real Madrid's squad.

The 26-year-old has started the 2011/2012 campaign strongly, netting 4 goals in 2 games so far.

Los Blancos lead the early La Liga table on goal difference from Valencia and Real Betis.

All 3 boast a 100% record from their opening 2 fixtures while defending champions FC Barcelona have 4 points.

[house]

Întregul proiect este cifrat la €200 milioane.

daca nu ma insel atat a costat National Arena...

[b3bytzu]

1-0

Levante

[house]

Ala e... Cristiano Ronaldo ...
Bv Levante

[beavis]

FC Barcelona vs Atletico Madrid preview

TEAM NEWS
Gerard Pique is set to return to the centre of the Barca defence after injury but Pep Guardiola saw Dutch midfielder Ibrahim Afellay ruled out for a long spell after he tore knee ligaments on Thursday. Afellay joins Andres Iniesta and Alexis Sanchez on the injury list.

Atletico - who have won their last two games 4-0 - are boosted by the return to the squad of Brazilian playmaker Diego, who remains a doubt for Camp Nou.

MATCH FACTS

FC Barcelona and Atletico have drawn just one of their last 13 league meetings.

The Blaugrana are on a run of 4 straight wins at home to the Rojiblancos in the league.

Atletico are the only side to have beaten Barca twice in the Pep Guardiola era in the league.

Lionel Messi has scored 11 goals in 10 games against the Colchoneros in the league, more than against any other side.

However, Atletico are the only side to have inflicted more than 2 league defeats on Messi (4).

FC Barcelona have scored more goals against Atletico than any other side has (20) since Guardiola took charge of the club.

Atletico have conceded the fewest goals in the league this season (one).

FC Barcelona have a shots-to-goals ratio of 28% against Atletico under Pep Guardiola, their second-highest rate.

Atletico have lost only 2 of their last 9 league games on the road.

The Rojiblancos have won their last 2 league games in Primera; they have not won 3 in a row since January 2010.

Real Madrid vs Rayo Vallecano preview

TEAM NEWS
Real Madrid will have a patched up defence with Ricardo Carvalho, Pepe and Fabio Coentrao joining long-term injury victims Nuri Sahin and Hamit Altintop in the treatment room. Pepe and Coentrao have muscle strains while Carvalho is recovering from a blow to the head suffered in Santander on Wednesday.

Rayo Vallecano will be minus the on-loan Arsenal winger Pedro Botelho. Botelho was red carded in the 2-1 loss to Levante on Wednesday. Dani Pacheco is set to come in from the cold.

MATCH FACTS

Real Madrid have won their last 10 league games against other sides from Madrid since march 2009.

Since 2000, Getafe are the only side from Madrid to have won at Santiago Bernabeu in Primera.

4 of Rayo's last 5 wins against other sides from the capital in Primera have come away from home.

Rayo are on a run of 6 straight defeats against Real Madrid in the league.

The Franjirrojos have conceded an average of 3.2 goals per game on their 12 visits to Bernabeu in the top flight.

Real Madrid have beaten Rayo more often than any other side in the league (17, two more than Valencia).

Los Merengues have won 19 of their last 20 games against newly-promoted sides in Primera (exception was Levante 0-0 Real Madrid last season).

Mourinho's side have only kept a clean sheet in one of their last 7 games at home in all competitions.

Karim Benzema has scored in Real Madrid's last 4 league matches at home (6 goals in total).

Rayo are still unbeaten on the road in La Liga this season.

Real Madrid have failed to score in consecutive league games for the first time since February 2007; it is 9 years since they failed to find the net in 3 on the spin (May 2002).

7 points from 4 games is Real Madrid's worst start to a league season since 2005/2006 (6 from 4).

[beavis]

Mourinho confirms Benzema injury

Jose Mourinho has confirmed Karim Benzema will miss Sunday's trip to face Espanyol in La Liga, due to injury.

The France striker suffered a groin strain and will be out of action for at least 2 weeks, according to the Portuguese tactician.

"Benzema is injured and cannot play - he has an injury that will keep him out for a couple of weeks, so he will miss the Espanyol game and possibly Betis too", the former Inter coach told reporters in his press conference.

Benzema is likely to be replaced by fellow front man Gonzalo Higuain, and Mourinho was full of praise for the Argentine hitman, who has endured his fair share of injury problems of late.

"Higuain's statistics are excellent on the field and our opponents know he has goals in him."

Mourinho also spoke of including Ricardo Kaka and Mesut Ozil in the same starting line-up, after both impressed in the 3-0 Champions League win against Ajax on Tuesday.

[deangel9]

Altă față a arogantului Mourinho



Mă număr printre ziariștii care au stat de vorbă cu Mourinho. Nu mult, însă suficient ca să constat că reputatul antrenor al Realului e un tip deschis, plăcut, cu charismă. Dacă i-aș spune și simpatic, sigur mi i-aș pune în cap pe aceia, deloc puțini, care îl consideră nu doar fițos, ci și egoist, adesea arogant, greu de suportat. De unde și reproșul că-i privește pe ceilalți ca pe niște furnici. De sus, cu o superioritate pe care nu încearcă nici s-o ascundă.
Dar pînă și contestatarii lui ar trebui să accepte că tehnicianul portughez, nu degeaba supranumit The Special One, chiar are motive să fie mîndru. Ca atare, și orgolios. Absolut impresionant, palmaresul îl recomandă cu prisosință, așa că nu mai insist.

Sînt tentat să cred, îngăduiți-mi o părere, că atitudinea de rebel a lui Mourinho e mai degrabă o poză, un rol. Că forțează nota cu intenție, în mod deliberat, tocmai din dorința de a se discuta mereu despre el, de a stîrni polemici. Provoacă pentru a fi în centrul atenției și face pe cinicul pentru a epata.

Nu-i exclus să greșesc, dar mă declar de partea lui, deși admit că, incapabil uneori să se controleze, nu merită totdeauna apărat. Precum atunci cînd, la returul Supercupei Spaniei 2011, încheiat cu 3-2 în favoarea Barcelonei, a pierdut măsura și i-a băgat degetele în ochi lui Tito Vilanova, principalul secund al lui Guardiola! Oricum am judeca, o mitocănie nu-i niciodată altceva. Se mai scuză, dar nu se uită.
Nu fără satisfacție, am descoperit deunăzi și o altă față a omului căruia nu i s-ar mai ajunge cu prăjina la nas. Prezent la un antrenament al fiului său de 11 ani, Jose jr., care joacă alături de unul dintre copiii lui Zidane la echipa Canillas, Mou a zărit o femeie plîngînd pe marginea terenului.

A aflat că respectiva, mama unui băiat înscris și el la Canillas, nu mai poate plăti taxa cerută de club pentru ca fiul ei să-și continue pregătirile. Pe loc, Mourinho i-a oferit femeii necunoscute 6.000 de euro.
Se vor găsi destui să strîmbe din nas și să pretindă că Mou a umblat la carnetul de cecuri, probabil îndemnat de PR, spre a-și mai drege imaginea, șifonată în ultimul timp de declarații răutăcioase, de suspendări etc.

Imposibil de contrazis, aceiași se vor grăbi să adăuge că la salariul portughezului de 10 milioane pe an, 6.000 nici nu contează. Că nu se simt, că înseamnă o picătură dintr-un ocean.
De acord, numai că destui au cît tehnicianul madrilen și nu dau nimic, nu vezi de la ei un euro nici să-i pici cu ceară! Spre deosebire de aceștia, indiferent de ce-a făcut-o, Mourinho chiar a făcut-o, iar gestul său emoționant ar trebui să le schimbe unora opinia despre insensibilul și arogantul The Special One.

[beavis]

Canales suffers knee blow

Valencia's attacking midfielder Sergio Canales has damaged the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee and will be out for 3 to 6 months.

The Spanish youth international, on loan from Real Madrid, picked up the injury during Valencia's 1-1 La Liga draw at home to Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.

The 20-year-old will have exploratory surgery in Madrid and his time on the sidelines will depend on the course of action taken after that.

He has been a key figure for Valencia since joining in the closed season and is set to miss the rest of their games in Champions League Group E, where the side lie third.

[FREAKTUNING]

tare gestul lui Mourinho.

Cred ca sunt multi care doneaza, dar nu vad sa arate asta si nu isi fac publicitate pe aceasta tema.

Jos palaria.

[beavis]

Coentrao returns for Real

Fabio Coentrao is back in Jose Mourinho's squad for Wednesday's game at home to struggling Villarreal after shaking off a knee problem.

Turkey midfielder Nuri Sahin, another new signing but who has yet to play this season due to knee ligament damage, trained with his team-mates on Tuesday but has not been called-up for the match at Bernabeu, the club added.

Central defenders Ricardo Carvalho and Raul Albiol and midfielder Lassana Diarra have not recovered from injury in time to face Villarreal, who are languishing in 16th with just 7 points from 8 games.

Villarreal's under-pressure coach Juan Carlos Garrido said Sunday's 3-0 defeat at Levante was a severe blow but insisted the club have what it takes to get their season back on track.

"We have the dignity, pride and courage to get ourselves out of this situation", he told a news conference on Tuesday.

"The hour has come for all of us to show our bravery."

[beavis]

Villarreal suffer Rossi blow

Villarreal have confirmed that Giuseppe Rossi will be sidelined for 6 months after sustaining a serious knee injury.

The Italy international came off in the second half of his side's 3-0 La Liga defeat against Real Madrid on Wednesday.

Tests have shown that the 24-year-old has a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, with an estimated recovery time of 6 months.

The news comes as a heavy blow to Villarreal, who are struggling in the league with just 7 points from 9 games.

Fellow striker Nilmar has already been out of action for a month, also with a knee injury, and it will take the Brazilian at least another 4 weeks to get back to full fitness.

[beavis]

Şi-a dedicat o viaţă unei singure echipe

Se implinesc 17 ani de la debutul jucatorului de 17 ani care a inscris 349 de goluri in 810 meciuri in cariera.

Acum 17 ani, Raul Gonzalez debuta la Real Madrid. S-ar fi gandit vreodata ca peste 17 ani va juca in Bundesliga la Schalke, si ca va avea o medie de peste 20 de goluri marcate pe sezon?

Probabil ca nu, insa Raul a fost in cariera sa omul unei singure echipe, Real Madrid, echipa regala din Spania, cea pe care a condus-o spre 6 titluri, 2 cupe, 4 Supercupe, 3 Cupe ale Campionilor, o Supercupa a Europei, 2 Cupe Intercontinentale si un Campionat Mondial al Cluburilor.

Mai mult, a prins Echipa Deceniului conform Mirror, titlu acordat in 2009, an in care a iesit pe 2 in clasamentul Ghetei de Aur.

Raul a daramat o serie impresionant de recorduri, fiind goalgheter in aproape toate competitiile in care a participat.

De anul trecut joaca la Schalke, acolo unde a castigat deja 2 trofee: Cupa si Supercupa Germaniei.

S-a calificat in Europa League, competitie in care si-a facut debutul anul acesta, impotriva Stelei.

Cel mai bun marcator din istoria lui Real - 323 de goluri

Cele mai multe aparitii pentru Real - 741 de jocuri

Cel mai bun marcator pentru Real in La Liga - 228 de goluri

Cele mai multe aparitii pentru Real in La Liga - 550 de jocuri

Cele mai multe goluri marcate in UCL - 71 de goluri

Cele mai multe aparitii pentru Real in UCL - 132 de jocuri

Cel mai bun marcator pentru Real in Europa - 67 de goluri

Cel mai bun marcator din istoria competitiilor europene - 73 de goluri

[beavis]

Zapata blow for Villarreal

Cristian Zapata has been ruled out of Villarreal's Champions League tie with Manchester City with a sprained knee.

The injury is set to leave the defender on the sidelines for 5 weeks.

The Colombian, who sustained the injury at the weekend, has been a regular for Villarreal since his summer move from Serie A side Udinese.

Villarreal have several injury problems, with star striker Giuseppe Rossi having surgery last week for a knee ligament problem.

Cani, Marcos Senna and Marco Ruben are also on the injury list.

[beavis]

Ronaldo celebrates century of goals

Cristiano Ronaldo was delighted after recording 100 goals for Real Madrid during their Champions League win over Olympique Lyon.

The 26-year-old netted both of Real's goals in their 2-0 victory on Wednesday at Stade Gerland, bringing up his century milestone in just 105 matches for Los Blancos.

"I didn't expect to score my 100th goal so soon", he said.

"I'd like to thank my team-mates and the manager, who gives me the chance to play and grow as a player and as a person."

Ronaldo then reflected on his team's win in France, which was their 4th in succession in the group and secured them a berth in the last 16 of Europe's premier club competition this campaign."

"It was important to win and qualify for the next round", he said.

"We made it. We're calmer now that we've won our first 4 games."

"We all played very well against a team that made things difficult for us. We must keep this up and avoid comparing ourselves with other sides."

"We're more mature than last year and we're having a good run, but we must also take things slowly."

[beavis]

Coentrao in doubt for Real

Jose Mourinho has revealed that Fabio Coentrao is doubtful for Sunday's La Liga match against Osasuna.

The Portugal international came off in the second half of Real's 2-0 Champions League victory against Olympique Lyon on Wednesday.

A quick scan after the game showed that Coentrao picked up a muscular problem, which could rule him out of the upcoming encounter at Bernabeu.

"It is safe to say Marcelo and Kaka will not play on Sunday and we do not know yet if Coentrao will be fit, but we will not cry because of injuries", Mourinho said.

If Coentrao's fitness worries are confirmed, it is believed that Alvaro Arbeloa will deputise at left-back after recovering from a minor knock.

[beavis]

Ronaldo awarded Golden Boot

Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo was officially presented with the European Golden Shoe award on Friday.

The Portugal international achieved the prestigious honour by firing home 40 goals in La Liga last term, thus scoring more times than any other player in the top division of a European league.

Ronaldo, who was handed the award by Portugal legend Eusebio and Real Madrid honorary president Alfredo Di Stefano, said that he would be happier to see his club side lift the biggest trophies in the game than to continue winning individual accolades.

This was the second Golden Shoe award won by Ronaldo, who also scooped the honour in 2008 following a 31-goal haul at Manchester United.

[beavis]

Di Maria blow for Madrid

Real Madrid winger Angel Di Maria may be sidelined for up to a month after sustaining a hamstring strain in the side's 7-1 La Liga win over Osasuna on Sunday.

The former Benfica star set up all 3 first half goals but was forced from the pitch soon after the interval.

Di Maria will undergo further examination on Monday to clarify the extent of the problem, but boss Jose Mourinho knows only too well what to expect.

"He has a hamstring injury. We will have to wait for results of further tests, but I have enough experience to realise that he will be unavailable for some time", Mourinho said.

Di Maria had made 47 appearances for the league leaders since his move in June last year and has announced his withdrawal from the Argentina squad to face both Bolivia and Colombia in World Cup qualifiers on 11 and 15 November.

[beavis]

Falcao targets derby return

Radamel Falcao says he is working hard to regain full fitness in time for their league clash with capital-city rivals Real Madrid.

The 25-year-old striker suffered a strain to the abductor muscle in his left leg in Colombia's training session on Wednesday, a problem which ruled him out of the national team's World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Argentina.

Falcao arrived in Madrid from Bogota on Saturday evening and said he is setting his sights on a return against the Santiago Bernabeu outfit on 26 November.

"It is true that we do not have a big margin, but I will do everything possible to be at Bernabeu", Falcao said.

"It will all depend on how I feel. That will be an important factor to know whether I will be able to play that match. But I hope that my recovery will go well."

The former FC Porto striker, who has so far scored 9 goals for Atletico, will sit out the club's next La Liga match against Levante.

"It is a shame that I got injured in such a crucial moment in the league", he said.

"It is also troublesome for Atletico. But you have to deal with it."