[SPA] La Liga 2007/2008 (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter JCK
- Start date
Real Madrid rule. The king is back.
For those that are unhappy that ranieri is our manager thank your lucky stars it is not Ronald Koeman.
I am still to understand why he has been given such jobs as benfica, Psv and now valencia
Vicente was far and away the worst player on the pitch and he lets him play for 90 minutes but he takes off david Villa for Zigic making the Dp substitution the work of a genius.
Guiseppe rossi has to be ashamed fro that miss as well as Nihat cos it could have been 6-0
I would not argue with the albelda, Angulo and Canizares situation cos i never quite saw what anyone saw in Angulo and was quite astonished that Wenger wanted him but that was the time Wenger had Luzhny, Jeffers and stephanovs so he must have been on crack at the time.
But why did they not banish Marchena as well as he is quite possibly the worst defender in Spain and he is even worse in midfield.
I thought Banega played well when he came on in their last match and should have started this game but Koeman seems to know what he si doing.
Valencia have scored just 2 goals in la Liga since Koeman took over and we think we got problems
Casillas was again world class against Atletico and Real madrid are possibly the most efficent side in the world right now as they do not just attack at will they are very dangerous when they do attack with Robinho on fire, Raul oustanding and Guti's passes as cute as ever.
Pity salgado is now a caricature of his former self, he is now like Birindelli and they do not seem to have a decent left back.
Pepe's injury is not good news for a side that keeps losing defenders
Barcelona were not that impressive against racing but Rijkaard showed yet again how he likes to make easy substitutions by taking Gudjohnssen off cos he is not a superstar for Marquez and then taking off Silvinho for Abidal in a quite unnecessary substitution.
I am still to understand why he has been given such jobs as benfica, Psv and now valencia
Vicente was far and away the worst player on the pitch and he lets him play for 90 minutes but he takes off david Villa for Zigic making the Dp substitution the work of a genius.
Guiseppe rossi has to be ashamed fro that miss as well as Nihat cos it could have been 6-0
I would not argue with the albelda, Angulo and Canizares situation cos i never quite saw what anyone saw in Angulo and was quite astonished that Wenger wanted him but that was the time Wenger had Luzhny, Jeffers and stephanovs so he must have been on crack at the time.
But why did they not banish Marchena as well as he is quite possibly the worst defender in Spain and he is even worse in midfield.
I thought Banega played well when he came on in their last match and should have started this game but Koeman seems to know what he si doing.
Valencia have scored just 2 goals in la Liga since Koeman took over and we think we got problems
Casillas was again world class against Atletico and Real madrid are possibly the most efficent side in the world right now as they do not just attack at will they are very dangerous when they do attack with Robinho on fire, Raul oustanding and Guti's passes as cute as ever.
Pity salgado is now a caricature of his former self, he is now like Birindelli and they do not seem to have a decent left back.
Pepe's injury is not good news for a side that keeps losing defenders
Barcelona were not that impressive against racing but Rijkaard showed yet again how he likes to make easy substitutions by taking Gudjohnssen off cos he is not a superstar for Marquez and then taking off Silvinho for Abidal in a quite unnecessary substitution.
no! there is a difference as koeman has to deal with the mistakes of his predecessor
this is ranieri at valencia: the second time
Valencia again
On 8 June 2004, he returned for a second stint as coach of Valencia on a three-year contract.
Picking up the pieces after Rafael Benítez, the manager who had led Valencia to the UEFA Cup and La Liga double the previous season, resigned and then promptly joined Liverpool. Ranieri made a series of signings from Serie A, spending the cash on Marco Di Vaio, Stefano Fiore, Bernardo Corradi and Emiliano Moretti. These four signings never really worked, after a bright start, in which the Mestalla outfit picked up 14 out of a possible 18 points and beat Porto to lift the European Super Cup, Valencia went into a slump from October, winning once in 7 games and getting knocked out of the Champions League, in no small part thanks to a humiliating 5-1 drubbing by Inter in which midfielder Miguel Angulo was sent off for spitting. After a brief revival Valencia went another 6 games without a win from mid-January. Apart from his four Italian signings Ranieri was criticised for not playing Argentinean playmaker Pablo Aimar and persistent changes to formations and tactics, something carried forward by him from his Chelsea days.
He was sacked on February 25, 2005 after Valencia were knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Steaua Bucharest. Valencia were sixth at the time of Ranieri's sacking.
Quique Sanchez Flores was announced by Valencia in June, 2005 to be Ranieri's long term successor. Prior to that Ranieri had picked up £3million from Valencia for the premature termination of his contract.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_Ranieri
this is ranieri at valencia: the second time
Valencia again
On 8 June 2004, he returned for a second stint as coach of Valencia on a three-year contract.
Picking up the pieces after Rafael Benítez, the manager who had led Valencia to the UEFA Cup and La Liga double the previous season, resigned and then promptly joined Liverpool. Ranieri made a series of signings from Serie A, spending the cash on Marco Di Vaio, Stefano Fiore, Bernardo Corradi and Emiliano Moretti. These four signings never really worked, after a bright start, in which the Mestalla outfit picked up 14 out of a possible 18 points and beat Porto to lift the European Super Cup, Valencia went into a slump from October, winning once in 7 games and getting knocked out of the Champions League, in no small part thanks to a humiliating 5-1 drubbing by Inter in which midfielder Miguel Angulo was sent off for spitting. After a brief revival Valencia went another 6 games without a win from mid-January. Apart from his four Italian signings Ranieri was criticised for not playing Argentinean playmaker Pablo Aimar and persistent changes to formations and tactics, something carried forward by him from his Chelsea days.
He was sacked on February 25, 2005 after Valencia were knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Steaua Bucharest. Valencia were sixth at the time of Ranieri's sacking.
Quique Sanchez Flores was announced by Valencia in June, 2005 to be Ranieri's long term successor. Prior to that Ranieri had picked up £3million from Valencia for the premature termination of his contract.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudio_Ranieri
I am sorry did those mistakes include calciopoli or did that little matter escape your attention?
Yes Quique Flores was a dolt but Valencia have enough players in their squad not to be going thru a miserable period.
Arizhmendi, a striker at right back is taking it too far, no? Why is he playing Vicente when David Silva is far more effective on the left?
Vicente seems finished as a player which is very sad as he was very talented but injuries have dogged him badly in recent seasons.
The midfield lacks pace and bite as Baraja is a good passer of the ball but he has no pace and teams just waltz through them at will
Yes Quique Flores was a dolt but Valencia have enough players in their squad not to be going thru a miserable period.
Arizhmendi, a striker at right back is taking it too far, no? Why is he playing Vicente when David Silva is far more effective on the left?
Vicente seems finished as a player which is very sad as he was very talented but injuries have dogged him badly in recent seasons.
The midfield lacks pace and bite as Baraja is a good passer of the ball but he has no pace and teams just waltz through them at will
this article is out just in time for m_elayyan who was complaining about injuries at barca and not madrid. i present u this: enjoy!
Spanish Debate: Could Madrid's Medics Cost Them The Title?
It seems unlikely, but Real Madrid could yet lose the Liga title. If they do, then an injury crisis will almost surely play a part. How much of this is down to the medical situation at the Bernabeu?
Barcelona fans are no strangers to hearing about misguided medical services. Over the past year there have been tales of recurring knee injuries, or you-know-who's lack of fitness - problems which, in conjunction with others, have cost the club silverware.
Valencia, too, found their docs until attack by one of their own players, Vicente, who questioned their role in hel;ping him rehabilitate.
Now, it appears that similar drama is underway at Real Madrid.
The Treatment Table
The Bernabeu treatment table is seldom unoccupied for long. From the front line to the back, most positions have seen an absence of some kind this season, with the defence perhaps being the worst hit, especially Pepe, Cannavaro and Metzelder. Even the new signings and those who haven't played key roles this season have been laid up.
Of course, it doesn't help that some of those namsehave been injury-prone for years. Gabriel Heinze and, in particular, Arjen Robben arrived with reputations for lengthy lay-offs. Indeed, neither was 100% fit upon their Bernabeu arrival.
But of the others, there are worrying signs.
The Best Offence...
Real Madrid are scoring goals without conceding, but much of that is down to Iker Casillas. Ahead of him is an injury-hit defence.
Pepe, for example, arrived in summer and took part in the early season game against Sevilla in the Supercopa, before beginning to find form and establish himself as a regular. But an autumn injury saw the defensive line thrown into turmoil, with relatively few replacements available.
That was because Christoph Metzelder, another summer signing, had already fallen injured, and Gabriel Heinze, of course, was in no fit state to play. This meant that what should have been a relaxing spell on the sidelines for Pepe with plenty of cover soon became a hectic race against time to get him patched up and "match fit."
Sure enough, "match fit" he became... but that wasn't the same as fully fit. Recurring troubles since then have shown that the Real Madrid medical services perhaps discharged the likeable Portuguese too quickly, endangering both his longer-term prospects for the season and Real Madrid's considerable investment in him.
Such short-termism could prove costly in the end. If the worst comes to the worst and Iker Casillas falls injured, then the defensive line, depleted as it is, will once again either be makeshift, or comprise players who really shouldn't be there.
Further Up
One must also look at those players who, for whatever reason, can't get fit or stay fit. Again, the names that leap out are Arjen Robben and Gabriel Heinze.
Robben's prior injury problems are well-known, but what perhaps surprised some was just how prone he is. He was barely weeks into his comeback when he succumbed to a knock on international duty with Holland; his latest spell of recovery is proving lengthy and arduous.
To the medical staff's credit, the docs at the Bernabeu are not making the mistake of rushing Robben back to fitness. But, in a way, this could backfire. The longer that he remains out of contention for even a place on the bench, the more difficult that return for him will be.
As of today, Robben is back in full training, as are Metzelder and Soldado. How he adjusts is anyone's guess.
The same goes for Gabriel Heinze, who has been on the cusp of a reappearance for weeks. His own recuperation has been unfocused, it seems, and that injury against Real Zaragoza has put him back even further in his development.
Was he, too, rushed back too quickly? Or was he thrown into action merely at the wrong time?
None of these absences have yet proved crucial - but one or two more added to them could see them become extremely problematic for coach Bernd Schuster.
The Boss?
The Madrid medical services are not omnipotent. Much of what goes on with individual players will be down to the coach. In this sense, perhaps Schuster has a role to play.
Has he brought some players back too quickly? Some not quickly enough? What about his unwillingness to rotate up front - is he tempting fate to strike down either Ruud or Raul?
Tell us what you think.
Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com
Spanish Debate: Could Madrid's Medics Cost Them The Title?
It seems unlikely, but Real Madrid could yet lose the Liga title. If they do, then an injury crisis will almost surely play a part. How much of this is down to the medical situation at the Bernabeu?
Barcelona fans are no strangers to hearing about misguided medical services. Over the past year there have been tales of recurring knee injuries, or you-know-who's lack of fitness - problems which, in conjunction with others, have cost the club silverware.
Valencia, too, found their docs until attack by one of their own players, Vicente, who questioned their role in hel;ping him rehabilitate.
Now, it appears that similar drama is underway at Real Madrid.
The Treatment Table
The Bernabeu treatment table is seldom unoccupied for long. From the front line to the back, most positions have seen an absence of some kind this season, with the defence perhaps being the worst hit, especially Pepe, Cannavaro and Metzelder. Even the new signings and those who haven't played key roles this season have been laid up.
Of course, it doesn't help that some of those namsehave been injury-prone for years. Gabriel Heinze and, in particular, Arjen Robben arrived with reputations for lengthy lay-offs. Indeed, neither was 100% fit upon their Bernabeu arrival.
But of the others, there are worrying signs.
The Best Offence...
Real Madrid are scoring goals without conceding, but much of that is down to Iker Casillas. Ahead of him is an injury-hit defence.
Pepe, for example, arrived in summer and took part in the early season game against Sevilla in the Supercopa, before beginning to find form and establish himself as a regular. But an autumn injury saw the defensive line thrown into turmoil, with relatively few replacements available.
That was because Christoph Metzelder, another summer signing, had already fallen injured, and Gabriel Heinze, of course, was in no fit state to play. This meant that what should have been a relaxing spell on the sidelines for Pepe with plenty of cover soon became a hectic race against time to get him patched up and "match fit."
Sure enough, "match fit" he became... but that wasn't the same as fully fit. Recurring troubles since then have shown that the Real Madrid medical services perhaps discharged the likeable Portuguese too quickly, endangering both his longer-term prospects for the season and Real Madrid's considerable investment in him.
Such short-termism could prove costly in the end. If the worst comes to the worst and Iker Casillas falls injured, then the defensive line, depleted as it is, will once again either be makeshift, or comprise players who really shouldn't be there.
Further Up
One must also look at those players who, for whatever reason, can't get fit or stay fit. Again, the names that leap out are Arjen Robben and Gabriel Heinze.
Robben's prior injury problems are well-known, but what perhaps surprised some was just how prone he is. He was barely weeks into his comeback when he succumbed to a knock on international duty with Holland; his latest spell of recovery is proving lengthy and arduous.
To the medical staff's credit, the docs at the Bernabeu are not making the mistake of rushing Robben back to fitness. But, in a way, this could backfire. The longer that he remains out of contention for even a place on the bench, the more difficult that return for him will be.
As of today, Robben is back in full training, as are Metzelder and Soldado. How he adjusts is anyone's guess.
The same goes for Gabriel Heinze, who has been on the cusp of a reappearance for weeks. His own recuperation has been unfocused, it seems, and that injury against Real Zaragoza has put him back even further in his development.
Was he, too, rushed back too quickly? Or was he thrown into action merely at the wrong time?
None of these absences have yet proved crucial - but one or two more added to them could see them become extremely problematic for coach Bernd Schuster.
The Boss?
The Madrid medical services are not omnipotent. Much of what goes on with individual players will be down to the coach. In this sense, perhaps Schuster has a role to play.
Has he brought some players back too quickly? Some not quickly enough? What about his unwillingness to rotate up front - is he tempting fate to strike down either Ruud or Raul?
Tell us what you think.
Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com
Madrid Win Thriller To Increase Lead
Real Madrid 3 - 2 Villarreal
Real Madrid moved nine points clear at the top of the table as they retained the lead at the third attempt to hold off the challenge of a strong Villarreal side.
Robinho scored twice for the home side before Wesley Sneijder netted a winning goal after Giuseppe Rossi and Joan Capdevila had equalised twice for the Yellow Submarine.
With Barcelona being held at Athletic earlier in the evening, the onus was on Madrid again and once more they produced a performance that garnered three valuable points.
The hosts started strongly as they recognised the importance of a victory and it took just six minutes to register their first effort on goal as Ruud van Nistelrooy warmed Diego López's gloves with a drive.
Two minutes later and the home team's former goalkeeper was beaten as Robinho was picked out by Guti and the Brazilian eased away from his marker before slotting it into the far corner of the net.
It was not the start that the visitors had planned and they looked to bounce straight back and enjoyed a good spell of possession before finding a quick response moment after Madrid spurned a chance.
With quarter of an hour on the clock the visitors equalised when Rossi Nihat laid the ball to the former Manchester United striker who turned it past Iker Casillas.
Not only did the goal draw the visitors level, it also ended the Madrid keeper's run without conceding a goal that stretched back over six games.
Robinho then went close before Michel Salgado proved that he was enjoying his evening with a shot that deflected wide for a corner.
As half time approached, Madrid continued to press forward and claims for a penalty were waved when Van Nistelrooy was nudged in the area by Diego Godín shortly before Robinho just failed to connect with a loose ball.
To round off the opening 45 minutes, Villarreal did have a second chance as Nihat ran on to a long ball before finding Santi Cazorla, who fired wide of the target.
Manolo Pellegrini evidently told his team that they could take something from the game at the break and they came out pressing forward at speed.
But Madrid were also ready to push for a second and they had two chances in as many minutes with Van Nistelrooy spurning the best of them.
Within three minutes the home team were ahead, however, as a Villarreal corner le to Madrid's second strike of the night after Guti played the ball quickly to Sergio Ramos.
The defender passed back to Guti and his shot was parried by Diego López only for Robinho to slot home.
Madrid appeared to have found their ability to entertain as well as search for victory and they continued to dominate the chances, although Villarreal looked to make changes to pull themselves back into proceedings.
With 16 minutes to go those changes appeared to have worked as Capdevila was left unmarked to turn the ball into the net and draw Villarreal level.
That lasted a matter of just two minutes, however, as Madrid raced back up to the other end and Sneijder, who had just come off the bench, fired in the hosts' third of the evening.
With time running out, the visitors looked to take a point from the encounter as Capdevila tries to repeat his earlier effort but with that miss any chance of taking something from the game disappeared.
Ian Dixon, Goal.com
Real Madrid 3 - 2 Villarreal
Real Madrid moved nine points clear at the top of the table as they retained the lead at the third attempt to hold off the challenge of a strong Villarreal side.
Robinho scored twice for the home side before Wesley Sneijder netted a winning goal after Giuseppe Rossi and Joan Capdevila had equalised twice for the Yellow Submarine.
With Barcelona being held at Athletic earlier in the evening, the onus was on Madrid again and once more they produced a performance that garnered three valuable points.
The hosts started strongly as they recognised the importance of a victory and it took just six minutes to register their first effort on goal as Ruud van Nistelrooy warmed Diego López's gloves with a drive.
Two minutes later and the home team's former goalkeeper was beaten as Robinho was picked out by Guti and the Brazilian eased away from his marker before slotting it into the far corner of the net.
It was not the start that the visitors had planned and they looked to bounce straight back and enjoyed a good spell of possession before finding a quick response moment after Madrid spurned a chance.
With quarter of an hour on the clock the visitors equalised when Rossi Nihat laid the ball to the former Manchester United striker who turned it past Iker Casillas.
Not only did the goal draw the visitors level, it also ended the Madrid keeper's run without conceding a goal that stretched back over six games.
Robinho then went close before Michel Salgado proved that he was enjoying his evening with a shot that deflected wide for a corner.
As half time approached, Madrid continued to press forward and claims for a penalty were waved when Van Nistelrooy was nudged in the area by Diego Godín shortly before Robinho just failed to connect with a loose ball.
To round off the opening 45 minutes, Villarreal did have a second chance as Nihat ran on to a long ball before finding Santi Cazorla, who fired wide of the target.
Manolo Pellegrini evidently told his team that they could take something from the game at the break and they came out pressing forward at speed.
But Madrid were also ready to push for a second and they had two chances in as many minutes with Van Nistelrooy spurning the best of them.
Within three minutes the home team were ahead, however, as a Villarreal corner le to Madrid's second strike of the night after Guti played the ball quickly to Sergio Ramos.
The defender passed back to Guti and his shot was parried by Diego López only for Robinho to slot home.
Madrid appeared to have found their ability to entertain as well as search for victory and they continued to dominate the chances, although Villarreal looked to make changes to pull themselves back into proceedings.
With 16 minutes to go those changes appeared to have worked as Capdevila was left unmarked to turn the ball into the net and draw Villarreal level.
That lasted a matter of just two minutes, however, as Madrid raced back up to the other end and Sneijder, who had just come off the bench, fired in the hosts' third of the evening.
With time running out, the visitors looked to take a point from the encounter as Capdevila tries to repeat his earlier effort but with that miss any chance of taking something from the game disappeared.
Ian Dixon, Goal.com
Barcelona Held To San Mames Draw
Athletic Bilbao 1 - 1 Barcelona
Barcelona sat back on their lead and were punished by an equaliser late on...
At a stadium where Barcelona traditionally do well, the blaugrana made heavy going of an Athletic Biblao side that was able to fight back for a late equaliser.
The Catalan side were with two of their Fantastic Four, with Messi back to fitness to link up with Henry and Bojan. The midfield lined up with Xavi, Deco and Iniesta, while the defence looked somewhat unusual in that Thuram and Sylvinho earned rare starts, perhaps with a view to the midweek Copa action.
Athletic have similar concerns, but lined up strongly with Susaeta and Yeste supporting lone, star striker Aduriz, while Ustariz partnered Aitor Ocio in the back line in the absence of Amorebieta.
And it was the Basque side, emboldened by their home support, that started the better side, although Yeste's early rovings forward resulted only in a wasted corner.
Messi was once again the motor of invention for his side, and set about putting the game in Barcelona's favour. Playing out on the right, he seldom gave Koikili on the left flank a moment to himself, cutting inside on the quarter hour before testing Aranzubia with a low effort.
Iniesta then almost gifted Aritz Aduriz's side the lead when Valdes only just reached his softly-hit backpass before the striker.
That he was far enough back to play the pass to the goalie in the first place belied a somewhat oddly-positioned midfield, one that did not know whether it was attacking or defending.
In the event, it seemed to be doing neither on the half hour mark when Athletic should have taken the lead. After recovering a shot blocked by Puyol, Aritz Aduriz should have netted on the second attempt from close range, but somehow shot over.
He was made to pay immediately as Barcelona broke forward to score. Iniesta, on a surge forward, lobbed the ball over the top, and although Aranzubia succeeded in blocking its progress to halt its progress, Deco was able to feed Bojan out wide. The youngster slotted home calmly, and it was 0-1.
Athletic attempted to claw back into it, but Barcelona were prepared to weather the storm, and went in fairly comfortably at the interval.
On came young Aitor Ramos and the energetic Garmendia for Aduriz and Susaeta at half time, but Barcelona ignored the fresh legs to start strongly.
Messi did brilliantly to break down the right, but his ball across goal for Deco resulted only in a ballooned effort.
That was a small error for the midfielder; next came a huge one for his teammate. Xavi inexplicably played a short backpass that Javi Martinez eagerly seized on, only for Valdes to save the midfielder's fine 25-yard effort.
Xavi came off for Edmilson soon afterwards as Barcelona began to sit back, hoping to use their attacking line's pace to frustrate the visitors into allowing them to counter.
However, they hadn't reckoned on the contribution of Llorente, Athletic's third substitute.
That's not to say that the Lions immediately dominated. Instead, Puyol very nearly gave his side a 2-0 lead, only to see his side-footed effort fly just over.
But with twelve minutes to go, Llorente punished Barcelona's wastefulness - much as Bojan had earlier - with a close-range finish.
Iraola was able to break down the flank, and Llorente got ahead of both Thuram and Puyol six yards from goal to bundle the ball over the line.
Barca coach Rijkaard threw on Eidur Gudjohnsen for the flagging Bojan soon afterwards, but Athletic were abuzz after that strike, and won the bulk of the midfield battles - and wasted time effectively - until the end.
It was another disappointing evening for Frank Rijkaard, and although Athletic may have only won twice at home all season, their fans will be pleased with this latest result.
Re-live the game with our live commentary here!
Steve Michaels
Athletic Bilbao 1 - 1 Barcelona
Barcelona sat back on their lead and were punished by an equaliser late on...
At a stadium where Barcelona traditionally do well, the blaugrana made heavy going of an Athletic Biblao side that was able to fight back for a late equaliser.
The Catalan side were with two of their Fantastic Four, with Messi back to fitness to link up with Henry and Bojan. The midfield lined up with Xavi, Deco and Iniesta, while the defence looked somewhat unusual in that Thuram and Sylvinho earned rare starts, perhaps with a view to the midweek Copa action.
Athletic have similar concerns, but lined up strongly with Susaeta and Yeste supporting lone, star striker Aduriz, while Ustariz partnered Aitor Ocio in the back line in the absence of Amorebieta.
And it was the Basque side, emboldened by their home support, that started the better side, although Yeste's early rovings forward resulted only in a wasted corner.
Messi was once again the motor of invention for his side, and set about putting the game in Barcelona's favour. Playing out on the right, he seldom gave Koikili on the left flank a moment to himself, cutting inside on the quarter hour before testing Aranzubia with a low effort.
Iniesta then almost gifted Aritz Aduriz's side the lead when Valdes only just reached his softly-hit backpass before the striker.
That he was far enough back to play the pass to the goalie in the first place belied a somewhat oddly-positioned midfield, one that did not know whether it was attacking or defending.
In the event, it seemed to be doing neither on the half hour mark when Athletic should have taken the lead. After recovering a shot blocked by Puyol, Aritz Aduriz should have netted on the second attempt from close range, but somehow shot over.
He was made to pay immediately as Barcelona broke forward to score. Iniesta, on a surge forward, lobbed the ball over the top, and although Aranzubia succeeded in blocking its progress to halt its progress, Deco was able to feed Bojan out wide. The youngster slotted home calmly, and it was 0-1.
Athletic attempted to claw back into it, but Barcelona were prepared to weather the storm, and went in fairly comfortably at the interval.
On came young Aitor Ramos and the energetic Garmendia for Aduriz and Susaeta at half time, but Barcelona ignored the fresh legs to start strongly.
Messi did brilliantly to break down the right, but his ball across goal for Deco resulted only in a ballooned effort.
That was a small error for the midfielder; next came a huge one for his teammate. Xavi inexplicably played a short backpass that Javi Martinez eagerly seized on, only for Valdes to save the midfielder's fine 25-yard effort.
Xavi came off for Edmilson soon afterwards as Barcelona began to sit back, hoping to use their attacking line's pace to frustrate the visitors into allowing them to counter.
However, they hadn't reckoned on the contribution of Llorente, Athletic's third substitute.
That's not to say that the Lions immediately dominated. Instead, Puyol very nearly gave his side a 2-0 lead, only to see his side-footed effort fly just over.
But with twelve minutes to go, Llorente punished Barcelona's wastefulness - much as Bojan had earlier - with a close-range finish.
Iraola was able to break down the flank, and Llorente got ahead of both Thuram and Puyol six yards from goal to bundle the ball over the line.
Barca coach Rijkaard threw on Eidur Gudjohnsen for the flagging Bojan soon afterwards, but Athletic were abuzz after that strike, and won the bulk of the midfield battles - and wasted time effectively - until the end.
It was another disappointing evening for Frank Rijkaard, and although Athletic may have only won twice at home all season, their fans will be pleased with this latest result.
Re-live the game with our live commentary here!
Steve Michaels
The Madrid-Villareal game was fantastic.Rossi's really coming off age now,and Robinho's in great touch.Madrid were always an entertaining team to watch under Basque,and i think that element was missing from their game when the new coaches took over.Last night,i saw that entertaining bit from Madrid after a long long time.The match itself was great fun to watch.
Best game from real Madrid in a long time they were very good to watch. Villareal are a good team but cannot defend as it was appalling yesterday
Guti has to be 1 of the best passers of the ball in la liga and Robinho is arguably with Ronaldo, the hottest player right now.
Why is Koeman still at Valencia, until he relegates them before the president would realise he has made a ghastly error, losing at home to Almeria is quite extraordinary and whats with Athletico and Espanol losing match after match all
of a sudden.
I think the next big fight at Las vegas should pit Osasuna's manager against the referee of the sevilla -osasuna game as he was extremely incensed after the ref's performance
Guti has to be 1 of the best passers of the ball in la liga and Robinho is arguably with Ronaldo, the hottest player right now.
Why is Koeman still at Valencia, until he relegates them before the president would realise he has made a ghastly error, losing at home to Almeria is quite extraordinary and whats with Athletico and Espanol losing match after match all
of a sudden.
I think the next big fight at Las vegas should pit Osasuna's manager against the referee of the sevilla -osasuna game as he was extremely incensed after the ref's performance
yea thats why Villareal scored twice at the Bernabeu? 
Atletico was all over them last week as well...had it not been for luck the woeful finishing they should have been beaten comfrotably....it is the sparkling form of Robinho and Guti that has been the undoiing of their opposition
Atletico was all over them last week as well...had it not been for luck the woeful finishing they should have been beaten comfrotably....it is the sparkling form of Robinho and Guti that has been the undoiing of their opposition
Zambrotta: I Will Finish My Career In Italy
Gianluca Zambrotta has again hinted that he could be set to move back to Italy although it may not be this summer as many reports have been suggesting.
The Barcelona full-back has been linked with a transfer to AC Milan, but he has stated in the past that he will see out his contract, which runs until 2009, at Camp Nou.
"I prefer not to talk about the stories connecting me to Milan," he explained.
"All I can say is that my stay in a foreign country represents for me a lifestyle choice and a new experience."
Zambrotta admitted that he has always maintained that he would like to retire at a club in Serie A, but is happy with life in Barcelona at the moment.
Despite reports that his wife is homesick, the 30-year-old explained that he travels home quite often to see family and friends.
"I have never hidden my desire to finish my career in Italy," he stated.
"I do miss a bit of everything from the food to the people. But in the main I miss my family and friends, although I think that is normal for any Italian living abroad.
"Nevertheless, an hour-and-a-half on a plane I am at home. That allows me and my wife, Valentina, to return quite a bit to Como, my city."
Lucas Brown,
Goal.com
---------------
Stay there you are Zampo...
Gianluca Zambrotta has again hinted that he could be set to move back to Italy although it may not be this summer as many reports have been suggesting.
The Barcelona full-back has been linked with a transfer to AC Milan, but he has stated in the past that he will see out his contract, which runs until 2009, at Camp Nou.
"I prefer not to talk about the stories connecting me to Milan," he explained.
"All I can say is that my stay in a foreign country represents for me a lifestyle choice and a new experience."
Zambrotta admitted that he has always maintained that he would like to retire at a club in Serie A, but is happy with life in Barcelona at the moment.
Despite reports that his wife is homesick, the 30-year-old explained that he travels home quite often to see family and friends.
"I have never hidden my desire to finish my career in Italy," he stated.
"I do miss a bit of everything from the food to the people. But in the main I miss my family and friends, although I think that is normal for any Italian living abroad.
"Nevertheless, an hour-and-a-half on a plane I am at home. That allows me and my wife, Valentina, to return quite a bit to Como, my city."
Lucas Brown,
Goal.com
---------------
Stay there you are Zampo...