NY Coed Soccer

Madrid Manager Under Pressure After 50 Days

Real Madrid didn't even manage a single shot on target in their woeful 1-0 weekend defeat to Getafe. No wonder questions are being asked about their coach.

Back on the opening day of the season, as fans emerged from the Bernabéu, bored into tearful submission by a desperately dull 0-0 draw with Villarreal, coach Fabio Capello pleaded with them not to reach for the razor blades. "It will," he explained kindly, "be 50 days before we see the Real Madrid."

Oh dear. On Saturday night, those 50 days were up...

A great article from Sid Lowe of the Guardian:  Capello Under Pressure

Frank Rijkaard

Nowadays Frank Rijkaard can afford to be a little relaxed. His Barcelona team come to London this week to play Chelsea in the Champions League as probably the most admired team in the world. But the Dutchman has not always had it so easy. He struggled in his first six months in charge at Camp Nou. In December 2003, after a dismal run of three defeats in four games, the papers called him a 'coward' and splashed the word 'guilty' alongside pictures of him. Barcelona were twelth in La Liga and Rijkaard could not afford another six months of mediocrity. He had to do something drastic:  Franl Rijkaard

Spanish Official Studying Optometry Questioned Over Eyesight

A Spanish linesman studying optometry has been thrust into the spotlight after flagging for a penalty for an incident that happened at least three metres outside the area.

Manuel Rodriguez Vallejo, studying for a masters in optometry (the profession of examining the eyes), committed the error in a second division match between Almeria and Cadiz last Sunday.

"I am putting up with it as best I can but have decided not to make any comments on what happened the other day," Rodriguez Vallejo was quoted as saying on sports daily AS's Web site. "I just want it all to blow over as soon as possible so I can concentrate on my next game."

Almeria had a player sent off and Cadiz scored from the resultant penalty on Sunday, but they still won the game 2-1.

National Coach Stays... Ruud Scores Hat-Trick

Spain coach Luis Aragones has revealed why he has decided not to quit after handing in his resignation following the 3-2 defeat by Northern Ireland.

The 68-year-old said: "I originally thought that I should resign because of the bad result, but the Spanish football federation wouldn't accept it. I thought I would resign up until five in the afternoon, but my assistants persuaded me to change my mind. They said we could still qualify for Euro 2008."

Aragones denied his change of heart had been influenced by the fact that he would not receive any financial compensation if he resigned.

"It wasn't down to the money, it was more to do with the people around me."

After the 3-2 defeat by Northern Ireland, Spanish newspaper Marca polled 100,000 fans on its website, with nearly 80% calling for Aragones to resign.

LA LIGA: Ruud van Nistelrooy scored a hat-trick in his second league match for Real Madrid as they cruised to a 4-1 victory over nine-man Levante at the weekend. The former Manchester United striker also missed a late penalty.

Barcelona demolished Osasuna 3-0 with Samuel Eto'o scoring twice before half-time. Valencia also secured their second win of the campaign, defeating Atlético Madrid 1-0 at the Vicente Calderón after a seventh-minute goal from David Villa...

Drawn Together By Necessity

No longer England captain or even in the national squad, David Beckham now needs Real Madrid as much as the Spanish club need him:  Becks

Transfer News

Officials in Real Madrid's new regime have been accused of talking up their interest in players solely to unsettle rival clubs and to help them to win the Spanish club's presidential elections 10 days ago.

But the new director of football, Predrag Mijatovic, said: "We would never do that. Of course, we are fighting to bring the players to this club. After Thursday I am going to be moving with their respective clubs in a bid to show our supporters we are people of our word."

It promises to be a hectic summer in the transfer market with Fabio Cannavaro set to become new Real boss Fabio Capello's first signing, with Mijatovic saying: "We've made good headway in getting him here and we're going to continue trying hard. I'm sure there will be some news in the next few days.

An offer for Chelsea Arjen Robben is expected but Madrid will fail in their bid to take Cesc Fábregas from Arsenal. The midfielder signed an improved contract yesterday confirming his commitment to the Champions League finalists until 2011.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger stated, "At 19 years old Cesc represents the future of Arsenal Football Club and we are looking forward to him being a major part of our plans for many years to come."

In other news, although not unrelated, Manchester United's announcement that Ronaldo would be going nowhere seems to be undermined by the news that the Portuguese winger had already been plotting his departure from Old Trafford some ten months ago.

In their statement, United said there was "no possibility" they would sell and that "Cristiano recently signed a new contract until 2010 and the club fully expects him to honour that contract ... We are not in the business of selling our best young players."

When speaking to Portuguese and Spanish press, however, Ronaldo simply said: "There are possibilities for me to continue at Manchester United but there are other possibilities as well. There is still nothing concrete but I believe the issue will be resolved before the end of the week."

Meanwhile, Franck Ribery's agent has denied reports Arsenal have made a £10m bid for the Marseille and France winger. The 23-year-old has been tipped to join Lyon in media reports but has also been linked with Arsenal.

"I've not met with Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, in Paris or elsewhere, and have not received any offers for Franck," agent Bruno Heiderscheid told L'Equipe. "Real Madrid and Bayern Munich are also rumoured to be interested but I have never received any concrete offer."

Barca Fury At English

The Barcelona president, Joan Laporta, has launched a fierce attack on English clubs for signing some of the club's best young talent. The Spanish and European champions invest heavily in their football academy but have watched Premiership clubs take their rising talents for nominal fees in recent years:  Barca Fury

La Liga Awards

The Guardian's Sid Lowe provides a tongue-in-cheek end-of-season awards bonanza. Which is good for Real Madrid, as they actually win something.

Among the categories are 'Most Surreal Sight', 'Best Post-Match Soundbite' and 'Most Misguided Gesture'. The latter is awarded to Getafe president Angel Torres for his suggestion that the club should stand up against racism by coming out for their next match blackened up with boot polish. Only in Spain:  The Sids

Barcelona's Model of Integrity

The vital role of the fans in the success and culture of the Catalan club sets an example for the giants and minnows of English game :  Barca

La Liga Round-Up

One of our favourite writers Sid Lowe completes his overview of the Spanish league with the story of a chairman deservedly going to "hell":  La Liga