Real Madrid: The Whiners That Cried Ref! (Madrid El Equipo Mas Lloron De La Liga)

So Jose Mourinho thinks that the referees were unfair to Real Madrid. Awww! Ooh boo!

I feel terrible for Jose and his team. Clearly there is a referee conspiracy against the merengues. In fact, the whole league is probably against them. And, we all know about the governments historic sabotage of Madrid!

Bullshit!

That's right, I'm going to pull the bullshit card on this one. The fact of the matter is, I haven't seen any team in La Liga that has been as coddled, if not illegally favored by the referees of the Spanish league.

Madrid isn't satisfied to be the nina of the referees ojos, they heap it on by whining about how the refs are mistreating them. What a bunch of spoiled cry babies.

Remember when Rafa Van der Vaart played volleyball with a pass in front of goal? He put both hands on the ball and literally setting it to his foot. Sporting had been winning 1-0 (in Bernabeu) and the Madrid goal totally changed the course of the game.

I've seen few more ridiculous referee calls in soccer (although Thierry Henry's France vs. Ireland handball fits the bill) but its indicative of the game-changing calls in their favor that Los B(l)ancos regularly get.



This is just one of many examples of the rampant favoritism that the referees show Madrid. Have you watched Madrid in the last 10 years? Remember when they went from Galacticos to Iker y los diez tontos (Iker Casillas and the ten fools - a term coined by a Madrid fan)? There was game after game when San Iker repeatedly saved his team with spectacular saves while Los Blancos played horribly. Then, just when you thought Sevilla, Almeria, Athletic, Gijon, Getafe, Osasuna, Valladolid or whoever, were finally going to beat Madrid, the refs would come to the rescue. I'm sure every Spanish team has their share of these examples.

Here's another example taken over the course of a season.



Want more? How about Pepe's shameless mauling of Getafe's Casquero (at the end of last season)?

I realize that you could probably find unflattering examples of the play of any top team if you looked long and hard enough. Still, you'll find more examples from Madrid. Don't believe me? Watch their games. You'd have to be delusional not to see that Real not only get more than their share of preferential treatment from the refs but intentionally try to injure players on occassion.

Even so, I wouldn't even bring this up if it weren't for the constant whining about referees that comes out of Madrid from both the Real organization but also Marca, the propaganda wing of Madrid (to be fair to Marca, they clearly love soccer and produce a very entertaining paper - day in and day out). Real's delusional supporters remind me of right-wing talking heads in the U.S., railing against the dangers of the mainstream media - it's so ridiculous it would be laughable - except that some people believe this BS.

To sum up: Madrid - quit your pathetic whining and play soccer - you have an incredible roster, one of  the world's best coaches and more money than a US-government-bailed-out investment banker. Shut up and play!

Thiago Alcantara: The Next Big Thing Coming Out of Barcelona's Youth System.

In Barcelona there is constant discussion of the next great signing. Will it be Cesc? Gareth Bale? Perhaps Javier Pastore? Maybe the next great thing to prowl the pitch of Camp Nou will be a player from the Barcelona youth system: Thiago Alcantara.

Image from ThiagoAlcantara.com

Thiago is the son of Mazinho, the Brasilian midfielder known as the third man in the three-men-and-a-baby celebration from the 1994 World Cup. Mazinho was also a crucial member of the solid Celta de Vigo teams of the late 1990s.

During his time in Spain, Mazinho brought his son Thiago to Spain. Thiago found his way into the Barcelona youth system at age 13.

Thiago is now the pearl of the Barca B team. His crisp passing shows the vision of Xavi. He even looks like Xavi. As you watch the video of Thiago, imagine him blacked out in profile. Could you see Xavi? I can. Perhaps it's the shape of his head, the way he swivels it, eyes up as passes cleanly downfield. I imagine him taking in Xavi's work much as a young Kobe Bryant emulated Michael Jordan.

Yet Alcantara adds Brasilian flair to Xavi's stone-faced efficiency. His ball-handling is superb and his nose for goal, superb. In some ways he looks like Ronaldinho.

Thiago and his father clearly have plans for his future. His website, the video below and the buzz about him show marketing savvy. Yet whether I'm being market to or not, I love it.

I couldn't enjoy a video more - sick soccer action combined with a great song by the Black Keys (Tighten Up). I hope you enjoy it, too.

Zlatan Must Go!

All summer long rumors of  Zlatan Ibrahimovic's imminent departure have earned top billing on Spanish sports journals. The Swedish giant had trouble catching the gist of Josep Guardiola's passing and movement-heavy offense and was benched towards the end of the season. Should his struggles spell the end of the former Inter star's run in Barcelona?

I can only hope that he is transferred. I believe that the blame for Barcelona's reduced goal totals in comparison to their record-setting 2008-2009 season, lays squarely on the shoulders of Ibra. In 08-09, quick, agile players like Thierry Henry, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi switched position with a mesmerizing speed, creating mismatches, beautifully triangulated passes and lots and lots of goals.

Zlatan's arrival signaled the end of Barcelona's offensive firepower. Passes to the giant Swede resulted in lost balls because of his lack of passing skill or the many fouls he committed against opposing defenses. He was rarely in sync with midfielders either and apart from a brilliant first leg against Arsenal in the Champion's League, was rarely able to create scoring runs.

Things got so bad that when Barcelona needed a clutch striker they turned to the 19-year-old Bojan Krkic - and he made the decision look good. Bojan's pace, understanding of his teammate's passing choices and movement off the ball opened up scoring opportunities for his team and took Barca to the league title.

Now the Blaugrana have Spanish international, David Villa in addition to Bojan and Ibra. A born goalscorer, Villa was a proven 25-goals-per-liga performer with Valencia. At the high pace Barcelona, he's sure to score more. And he just spent all summer developing chemistry with teammates Xavi and Iniesta, Pique and Puyol as Spain won the World Cup.

So, is there any room left for Zlatan? I say no. His lack of chemistry is evident. As he fails on the field, he's sure to become a bigger distraction off the field. His big-mouth agent, Mino Raiola, won't stop spouting off about how his client is the best "9" in football. Rather than have a front-man controversy the Blaugrana should just get rid of this guy now.

It sounds like the problem is that Ibra is just too expensive. Barca paid somewhere upwards of 60 million Euro for the striker and now pay him a reported 12 million Euro a year. No team is willing to pay such an astronomical transfer or salary. And Ibra won't leave because he won't be paid upwards of 10 million Euro a year by any of the other Champion's League entrants.

The loan exceptions may be AC Milan and Manchester City (who are not in the Champions League). I hope one of them can come up with the goods.

When Zlatan is acrobatically toeing in long, searching crosses in the Italian or English leagues, we'll all be better off. He's the perfect striker for a team the plays a fast-paced, athletic counterattack. Let's all say "Ibracadabra" and let this rabbit free to work his magic.