Primera Division 2011/2012 Thread

[beavis]

Falcao talks up Atletico hopes



REZUMAT

Radamel Falcao has called on Atletico Madrid to aim high after inspiring his side to a 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano in La Liga on Sunday.

The Colombian forward netted for the 30th time this season as keep his side's slim hopes of Champions League qualification alive.

"We have achieved a great victory against a strong opponent", Falcao told reporters.

"We want to bring joy to our supporters."

"We will go game by game and then we'll see where we stand. We must try to aim as high as possible."

"I am happy to help the team. Now we have Valencia next, which will be a tough match, but we will try to grab the win."

Atletico are in ninth place in La Liga, 6 points behind the last Champions League spot held by Malaga in 4th position.

[beavis]

Pellegrino appointed Valencia coach

Mauricio Pellegrino has been appointed the new coach of Valencia, the La Liga club have confirmed.

The 40-year-old has put pen-to-paper on a 2-year contract with the Spanish club after Unai Emery's spell at the helm came to an end on Monday.

Pellegrino has not previously held a head coach position, but did serve as an assistant to Rafa Benitez at both Liverpool and Inter Milano.

The former Argentina stopper spent 6 years at Valencia as a player, between 1999 and 2005, where he won 2 La Liga titles and finished with a Champions League runners-up medal in 2 successive seasons.

Emery took charge of Valencia in 2008 following his impressive exploits with Almeria and lead the Mestalla outfit to 3 successive third place finishes in La Liga, but struggled to mount a title challenge throughout his tenure.

Kanoute to leave Spain

Frederic Kanoute said he will keep his promise to continue his career outside of Spain when his contract with FC Sevilla expires this year.

The former Mali international has already confirmed that Sunday's La Liga clash with Espanyol will be his final outing for the club and he received a hero's send off from Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan after netting in the 5-2 win over Rayo Vallecano over the weekend.

Speculation is now rife over where Kanoute will go next, but the forward has revealed that his future is still up in the air.

"I know my contract is ending now but so far I have nothing decided", the former Tottenham Hotspur man told reporters on Tuesday.

"Maybe in a few weeks I will say where I will go."

"However, I have always said that when I left Sevilla that I would not continue playing in Spain and I think that will be the case."

Kanoute arrived in Nervion from White Hart Lane in 2005 for a reported fee of £5.2 million and won 7 trophies with the club, including 2 UEFA Cup titles and 2 Copa del Rey triumphs.

[beavis]

Dani Benitez handed 3-month ban

Granada winger Dani Benitez has been handed a 3-month ban by the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) following Saturday's La Liga match with Real Madrid.

The game, which saw Jose Mourinho's men score twice in the last 9 minutes to snatch a 2-1 comeback win, ended in ugly scenes with Granada players confronting referee Carlos Clos Gomez and during that incident the official was struck by a plastic bottle seen to be thrown by the substituted Benitez.

The 25-year-old apologised for his actions following the match but he was today handed a 3-month suspension by the RFEF.

The RFEF's competitions committee also handed out several other punishments to Granada following the match.

Defender Siqueira and midfielder Moises Hurtado were both given 4-match bans after being shown red cards following the late melee while Inaki Garcia and David Navarro - members of Granada's coaching and backroom staff - have been suspended for 4 and 2 games respectively.

Granada are still fighting to avoid relegation from La Liga heading into this weekend's final round of fixtures, where they will play fellow strugglers Rayo Vallecano.

Granada are currently in 15th spot on 42 points, 2 above 17th place Rayo and 18th place Real Zaragoza.

Emery grateful for Valencia experience

Unai Emery has spoken of his pride in coaching Valencia after the 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad marked the 41-year-old's last game in charge.

Emery will leave the La Liga side at the end of the season after 4 years in their managerial hotseat, but his reign ended with a disappointing loss on Saturday, courtesy of Antoine Griezmann's winner.

After the encounter, Emery maintained that in spite of the loss, he would leave Valencia with a mix of "satisfaction and gratitude", but "left the door open" to shadowing his successor Mauricio Pellegrino.

Meanwhile, Sociedad coach Philippe Montanier described the victory as a "perfect night" at Anoeta, which also marked the departure of captain Mikel Aranburu.

The 33-year-old Aranburu will leave at the end of the season after making over 500 official appearances for his hometown club.

[beavis]

Van Nistelrooy announces retirement

Former Manchester United star Ruud van Nistelrooy has announced his retirement after not renewing his contract with La Liga side Malaga.

The former Holland international's contract is due to expire at the end of the season, bringing down the curtain on a glittering 20-year career that has included stints with United, PSV, Real Madrid and SV Hamburg.

"Yesterday I played the last match of my professional career", Van Nistelrooy told a packed press conference.

"The time has come to hang up my boots. I want to thank all the clubs I've played for over the years for their support."

"I want to thank my friends and family, who have supported me all these years. I also like to thank the fans of all my clubs - they have been great."

The 35-year-old started his professional career with Den Bosch in 1993 before joining Heerenveen 4 years later.

He then made the move to Dutch giants PSV, prompting his selection in the Dutch national team, and eventually earned a big-money transfer to Manchester United in 2000.

Van Nistelrooy was a key figure at Old Trafford netting 150 goals in 219 appearances before joining Real Madrid in 2006, where he won 2 La Liga titles.

Well known for his sharp movement in the box and ability to poach goals, the Dutchman went on to spend 18 months at SV Hamburg, before joining Malaga at the start of the 2011/2012 season.

Van Nistelrooy made 70 international appearances for Holland scoring 35 goals and is still the Champions League's second highest scorer with 56 goals.

[beavis]

De Guzman seeks Villarreal exit

Jonathan De Guzman has admitted he is looking for a way out of relegated Villarreal.

The former Holland U21 international joined the Yellow Submarine in 2011 from Real Mallorca with high hopes, but the club that played Champions League football unexpectedly encountered relegation to Segunda Division this season, prompting most of their talents to seek an exit.

"Playing in Segunda Division is not an option for me. This I think is true for most of my team-mates who played Champions League football", De Guzman told Voetbal International.

"Relegation is the last thing I expected when I signed from Mallorca."

The Canada-born midfielder moved to Europe in 1999 as a 12-year-old to play for Feyenoord and is reported to be monitored by FC Twente.

"I read about the Twente rumours on the Internet but neither me nor my agent are in talks with them", he said.

"We will wait and see, but what is sure is that a return to Holland is only possible if a club guarantees me regular playing time and an important role."

[deangel9]

Sunt mai bun ca Messi

"Nu se poate compara un Ferrari cu un Porsche, deoarece au motoare diferite. El dă tot ce are la Barca, iar eu la Real Madrid", a nuanţat internaţionalul portughez după ce a afirmat că este "mai bun ca Messi".

Ronaldo, autor a 46 de goluri în campionat, în timp ce Messi a marcat 50, a fost mult mai clar atunci când a afirmat că Real a avut un sezon mai bun ca FC Barcelona.

"Clasamentul spune totul: nouă puncte separă Real Madrid de FC Barcelona şi este enorm în Spania. Noi am jucat mai bine ca FC Barcelona în acest an, sunt convins", a declarat Ronaldo.

"Voi ţine minte mereu momentul în care, în urmă cu o lună, i-am învins cu 2-1 la ei acasă şi nimeni nu a reuşit acest lucru. Suntem mai buni ca ei în acest moment, dar trebuie să-i respectăm, FC Barcelona este o mare echipă", a adăugat portughezul.

[beavis]

Bielsa extends Bilbao contract

Athletic Bilbao coach Marcelo Bielsa has agreed a contract extension which will keep him with the La Liga club until June 2013.

The 56-year-old Argentinian won a legion of admirers over the 2011/2012 season for guiding the Basque team to the finals of both the Europa League and the Copa del Rey, as well as a 10th place finish in La Liga.

[beavis]

Kaka to lead Real summer exits

Real Madrid have put clubs on alert after a report claimed they are ready to offload a string of high profile players in the summer - including Ricardo Kaka.

Mundo Deportivo reports that Jose Mourinho has instructed the club that he intends to get rid of Ricardo Kaka, Fernando Gago, Hamit Altintop and Ricardo Carvalho in the off-season.

The Brazilian signed for Madrid from AC Milan in June 2009 on a 6-year deal but he has so far struggled to recapture the form he had with the Italians which once saw him regarded by many pundits as the best player in the world.

This season Kaka played more of a super-sub role in Mourinho's La Liga winning team and the emergence of Mesut Ozil as Madrid's chief playmaker is likely to see him play more games from the bench in the next campaign.

The player himself recently admitted that he intends to see out the remainder of his contract at the club but the Spanish newspaper insists he may not have too much of a say in this.

Chelsea are just one of several European clubs consistently being linked to Kaka in the past.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Gago and Altintop will follow Kaka through the Bernabeu exit if Mourinho gets his way in the summer.

Gago is not part of Mourinho's plans and the midfielder spent the season on loan at AS Roma.

He was expected to seal a permanent move to the Serie A outfit last month but the Italians refused to meet the €7 million asking price set by Real by the 1 June deadline.

Gago has one year left on his contract and may now be forced to run out his contract next season if no other interested buyers come in.

Another midfielder on his way out of the club, says the report, is Turkey international Altintop.

The former Bayern Munchen player joined Real in the summer of 2011 on a free transfer. Injuries have largely restricted Altintop to just a handful of games since his arrival.

[deangel9]

Resino quits as Granada coach

Abel Resino has quit as coach of Granada just weeks after securing the club's La Liga survival.

The former Atletico Madrid and Spain goalkeeper was drafted in by Granada as the replacement for Fabriciano Gonzalez, who was sacked in January despite guiding the club to consecutive promotions.

The 52-year-old Resino agreed a short-term deal until the end of the season and confirmed on Wednesday he would not be seeking to extend his stay.

"Cycles come to an end but good times are unforgettable," Resino said in a statement on his personal website, abelresino.com.

"In these last few months Granada, their fans and people, have filled me with fond memories that I will always carry with me."

In a statement on official website granadacf.es, the club thanked Resino for his contribution.

"Granada CF would like to thank Abel Resino for the technical work performed in our institution in recent months, and having achieved the goal for which he was hired," it read.

"The board of directors and all employees want to wish him all the best of luck in his future career."

[deangel9]

Villa eager for new Barca season

Villa admits it will be difficult to watch his compatriots from the side-lines, but he has no regrets ruling himself out of the tournament, targeting a return to full fitness before the start of Barcelona's next campaign.

"In the end I didn't make it in time for logical reasons seeing as it was such a serious injury. I won't be in Poland, but the new season starts in July and that'll be a new challenge," Villa said to the club's official website.

"I owe myself to the club and I can't go there assuming the risk of getting injured even more seriously and for Barça to have to pay the cost."

"That is the club's decision, and it is them who plan the team and evaluate the shortcomings. I know I am at the best club in the world and I know how much competition there is for places," he stated.

"All I want right now is to be fit all year in order to be able to compete at 100% and win a place in the team, I want to be fit as quickly as possible, get my form back and be able to join the rest of the squad when they return on July 16."

The coming season will see a new manager take the helm of the Catalan side, as Pep Guardiola makes way for his assistant Tito Vilanova. The striker encouraged Barcelona fans to have faith in Vilanova, as he believes the new boss is the ideal candidate to take over from Guardiola.

"Tito is more than ready to accept this challenge. Barça fans are scared that he won't be able to fill the void left by Guardiola, but I don't think there's anybody in the world who could do it better than Tito," Villa shared.

"I think it was the best decision they could have made. I'm sure the team will continue to grow."

[beavis]

Valladolid earn La Liga promotion

Real Valladolid have returned to La Liga after a 2-year absence after a 2-1 aggregate win over Alcorcon in the promotion play-off Final.

Miroslav Dukic's men recorded a 1-0 win in the first leg and on Saturday achieved a 1-1 draw in the return fixture to book a place in the Spanish top flight for next season.

Valladolid finished third after the final round of fixtures in Segunda Division, meaning they had to join 3 other teams in a play-off tournament to determine the third side to be promoted to La Liga.

Dukic's men will now look forward to top football for the first time since they were relegated to the second division in 2010.

Celta Vigo and Deportivo La Coruna were also promoted from the Segunda this season.

Suarez signs Atletico extension

Atletico Madrid have agreed a 4-year contract extension with home-grown midfielder Mario Suarez.

The 25-year-old Suarez, who helped Atletico win Europa League last season after returning to the capital club in 2010 following 2 years at Real Mallorca, is now tied to the Rojiblancos until 2017.

[beavis]

Soldado extends Valencia deal



Roberto Soldado has extended his contract with Valencia until the summer of 2017.

Soldado was the joint top-scoring Spaniard in La Liga along with Fernando Llorente last season as his 17 goals helped guide Los Che to their third consecutive third place finish.

The former Real Madrid man also scored 7 times in European competition as Valencia progressed to the Europa League semi-finals, but after scoring only once his last 10 games of the campaign Soldado was overlooked by Vicente del Bosque for the Spanish squad at the European Championships as his former club coach instead chose to take Llorente, Alvaro Negredo and Fernando Torres.

However, the 27-year-old's place as Valencia's main man has rarely been in doubt during his 2-year stay at Mestalla and his experience could become even more important next season with rookie manager Mauricio Pellegrino set to take over from Unai Emery.

Espanyol snap up Colotto on a free

Espanyol have completed their first signing of the summer with the capture of defender Diego Colotto on a free transfer from Deportivo La Coruna.

The 31-year-old played 77 times in Primera Division during his first 3 years at Depor and was also part of the Segunda Division title-winning side in 2011/2012, the Galicians earning promotion back to the top flight at the first time of asking.

However, despite that success, the Argentinian admitted the opportunity to link up with his compatriot Mauricio Pochettino, the Espanyol coach, was too great to turn down.