La Liga Season 2016/2017

Ulysses Gaze

So another season starts in Spain today and Barcelona will start their defense of La Liga title against Real Betis at home today whilst Real Madrid play away against Sociedad.

Some drama before the season even started with Marcelino leaving Villarreal due to a fall out with Matteo Mussachio during half-time in a friendly. Just days before the season started.

Lots of changes in management apart from Marcelino. Fran Escriba, who got Getafe relegated takes over at Villarreal. Paco Jemez finally leaves Rayo, after they were relegated, and will now manage Granada. And Quique Flores returns to Spain to manage Espanyol.

Looking forward to this season to see if Valencia and Atletico Madrid can take it to the big two.

Should be a good season ahead.

Comic Book Guy

Judging by their transfer business to date in the pre season there isn't a hope of Valencia bridging the gap to the top 3 teams.
Sevilla will be worth watching this season once the team beds in with a new style of play under Sampaoli.
Looking forward to the continued development of the young talent at Atletico like Saul Torres Gimenez Carrasco etc.
Surprised Real haven't added to the squad outside of Morata.
Barca have done really good business aand talk of adding Alcacer to the ranks as well.

dfx-

a couple of games last night too, Deportivo and Malaga I think.

Definitely impressed by Barcelona today, but Bilbao away next week.

Ulysses Gaze

dfx- wrote: »

a couple of games last night too, Deportivo and Malaga I think.

Definitely impressed by Barcelona today, but Bilbao away next week.

Barca were excellent today. Really impressive start from them.

cowboyBuilder

Newsflash - Barca have it won allready .... boring .....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Incredibly boring league, I feel so sorry for Real Madrid fans..

Mr.Nice Guy

Sevilla 6-4 Espanyol. You have to love Jorge Sampaoli.

Ulysses Gaze

Well Real just beat Real Sociedad 3-0 at the Anoeta.

Bale got a brace and played very well. Goal of the game was for Asensio.

Lovely deft chip over the keeper from close range.

CSF

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Well Real just beat Real Sociedad 3-1 at the Anoeta.

Bale got a brace and played very well. Goal of the game was for Asensio.

Lovely deft chip over the keeper from close range.

Was 3-0. Real quite strong despite the lack of a number of key players.

This game here has been the other side to Simeone's Atleti. Sometimes against weaker teams they can lack inspiration and creativity. That's been the case here. I wasn't sold on Gameiro as being capable of a move to the top 3 and he hasn't convinced me here.

CSF

How has Gameiro not scored there

CSF

Get in!!!

CSF

Alaves can feel ridiculously hard done by, wasn't in the box, should have been followed by a red card, but at that stage of the game it wouldn't have been likely to affect the game.

CSF

Wow.

Comic Book Guy

Wow you couldn't have scripted that ending.

Dirty Dingus McGee

2 massive points lost by Atletico.

Ulysses Gaze

CSF wrote: »

Alaves can feel ridiculously hard done by, wasn't in the box, should have been followed by a red card, but at that stage of the game it wouldn't have been likely to affect the game.

Justice done at least.

Bad result for Atleti at home. Really bad.

CSF

Ulysses Gaze wrote: »

Justice done at least.

Bad result for Atleti at home. Really bad.

Yup, still don't get how the player wasn't sent off though.

Comic Book Guy

CSF wrote: »

Yup, still don't get how the player wasn't sent off though.

Think there was a change in the interpretation and if there is a genuine attempt to win the ball then it's a yellow, it's a red for purely cynical foul.
Brought in to stop the triple punishment effect with these fouls.

At least i think I read that before!

Ulysses Gaze

Real Betis drew 0-0 at home to Deportivo. Looks like a long, hard slog of a season ahead for Los Verdiblancos

Headshot

A.Madrid are going have a hard time this season.

I thought they bought poorly during the summer as well

Duck Soup

Hell's bells.

HalloweenJack

Any idea why the Athletic fans are leaving?

I have the game on silence while chatting on Skype so haven't heard anything.

Nice goal for Barca. Athletic should have scored after Ter Stegen gifted them that chance.

dfx-

Sky are suggesting they were moving up out of the rain..

Super goal from Rakitic

CSF

Not many teams win in Bilbao. Barca looking like justified early favourites with Neymar to return still.

The less said about this Atletico start the better.

callaway92

Where's AndersonIsGod?

Nobody in the thread has done the Barca goal it's fair justice here. Some goal.

JaMarcusHustle

Not looking good for Barcelona! Losing 2-1 at home to Alaves in the 89th minute.

Headshot

wow did anyone see ya man in the crowd.

He was very very red lol. I would say burnth

Francie Barrett

Deserved result considering the lack of respect Barcelona showed that team.

Johner

What a result.

ebbsy

Thought they just had to turn up....

CSF

Those 3 points could be exceptionally costly in the title race if Real are going to keep up the pace.

hadepsx

Fair to say AIG will not be a happy bunny tonight

Johner

hadepsx wrote: »

Fair to say AIG will not be a happy bunny tonight

He'll be fine, his new team and Pep produced a masterclass.

hadepsx

Apart from the goalie lol

Charizard

Well it didnt take long for the shock of the season to happen, checked the results expecting a white wash and was greeted to 1-2 :eek:
Didnt watch the game myself, anyone have any view on how it went
Real and Atletico looking scary based on yesterday

irishguitarlad

What a fantastic game I saw today, Betis have won for the first time in thirty years in the mestailla. First Ruben Castro scored with a lovely deft finish after piccini squaring it, Valencia then had enzo perez sent off and should have had nani sent off as well(he lost the head). Then after a killer ball from durmisi joaquín buried it. Valencia fought back and got two goals one from rodrigo moreno and the other from garay. Munir was excellent when he came on for valencia. But it wasnt to be as betis in the 93 minute hit them on the break and it was the old man himself castro to finish it at the back post after another great ball from piccini. I thought brasanac had a fantastic game for betis.

irishguitarlad

Just came back from the pub after seeing betis v granada, finished 2-2. After the joys of last week this has brought betis back to earth again as this a game they should have and could have won. The two granada goals came down the wing of durmisi, i thought he could have been tighter for the first and should have stopped the run that led to the second. However he wasnt helped by fabián who is so useless he shouldnt be left near a football pitch and he was substituted before half time. Granada also missed a penalty. I think musonda has regressed from last year and joaquín and castro were also poor tonight. Betis had enough chances to win two games at a canter. Anyways best for betis were alegría with a lovely header and the second a tidy finish into the top corner, piccini, petros and brasanac. If piccini keeps playing the way he is, he should get an italian call up. Anyways fairly pissed off and they'll need to improve x5 to beat sevilla in the derby on Tuesday.

Burial.

MSN running riot again. Messi just pulled off one of the most outrageous pieces of skill in the leadup to Neymar's goal.

MisterAnarchy

Burial. wrote: »

MSN running riot again. Messi just pulled off one of the most outrageous pieces of skill in the leadup to Neymar's goal.

Yes ,they are really banging in the goals now .

Charizard

MisterAnarchy wrote: »

Yes ,they are really banging in the goals now .

I think its fair to say, the top 2 has been set in stone again for next season. Its funny a result like Barca last week could cost them the title thats how little these two lose

chopperbyrne

Atletico will have a very hard time keeping Griezmann beyond January.

HalloweenJack

Pavo Jemez showing once again that he can't organise a defence.

MisterAnarchy

Where's AndersonIsGod?

Nobody in the thread has done the Barca goal it's fair justice here. Some goal.

Deserved result considering the lack of respect Barcelona showed that team.

Thought they just had to turn up...

Fair to say AIG will not be a happy bunny tonight

He'll be fine, his new team and Pep produced a masterclass.

MisterAnarchy

Sevilla and Betis tonight was an entertaining match.

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid tomorrow night ,could be worth a watch .

irishguitarlad

Just back from watching sevilla- betis and my god what a robbery. That referee should never again ref a top tier game. Nasri should have been sent off in the first half and then he goes and disallows a perfect goal from Betis. Anyways best for betis was Joaquín and Felipe gutierrez.

dr.kenneth noisewater

didnt relise Nasri was playing for Sevilla now!

Richard Hillman

The ref in the Madrid-Villareal game added 3 minutes and blew up bang on 3 mins, despite the fact he spent nearly 1 of those minutes strolling over to the bench to remove a person who looked irrelevant to either team. Cue immediate yellow cards for anybody who looked like they were about to complain.

Bizarre.

NIMAN

Madrid looked average enough from what I saw.

Early yet I suppose.

irishguitarlad

dr.kenneth noisewater wrote: »

didnt relise Nasri was playing for Sevilla now!

Yeah got him on last day of the window with siragu. To be fair to nasri aside from the few incidents he had a very good game and looked like sevillas best chance of creating something, which he did do for their goal that came from his free kick.

LuckyGent88

Barcelona just went a goal up against athletico through rakatic. Unlike atlethi to concede from a cross.

justshane

Super header Rakatic

LuckyGent88

Both busquets and Messi gone off injured.

Gives more initiative to Athletico to go more attacking and try get an equaliser