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This Week in LaLiga

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Several more transfers were completed by LaLiga Santander clubs this past week, as well as a significant contract renewal at Real Sociedad.

There were also more pre-season fixtures for Spanish teams, including a meeting between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid in Las Vegas. All of these storylines and more are discussed in greater detail below.

FC Barcelona win ElClasico in Las Vegas

FC Barcelona and Real Madrid met in a pre-season ElClasico in Las Vegas this past weekend, with Barça winning the contest 1-0 thanks to a stunning top-corner strike from summer arrival Raphinha. More than 60,000 fans packed into the home stadium of the Las Vegas Raiders to take in the match.

Robin Le Normand commits his future to Real Sociedad

Real Sociedad and Robin Le Normand have agreed a contract extension, with the centre-back putting pen to paper on a deal that’ll run until 2026. This is great news for the Basque club, as Le Normand has been one of the best defenders of LaLiga Santander for some time and even won the October Player of the Month award last season.

Kubo makes the move to Real Sociedad

There was another piece of astute business at Real Sociedad this week, as they secured the signing of Japan international Takefusa Kubo from Real Madrid. The 21-year-old winger has previously played at RCD Mallorca, Villarreal CF and Getafe CF and is now ready for another challenge in LaLiga Santander.

Muriqi is staying at RCD Mallorca

In just a few months, Vedat Muriqi became a fan favourite at RCD Mallorca while on loan at the island club during the second half of last season. He scored four goals that helped keep the club in LaLiga Santander, even winning the May Player of the Month award. Now, RCD Mallorca have acquired the striker on a permanent transfer from Lazio, with Muriqi signing a contract until 2027.

Carlos Clerc moves across the Valencian Community

Carlos Clerc has completed a transfer across the Valencian Community, moving from Levante UD to Elche CF. As such, the talented left-back is staying in LaLiga Santander and will reinforce Los Franjiverdes’ defence.

UD Almería win the race for Kaiky

Several top clubs across Europe were trying to sign 18-year-old centre-back Kaiky, one of the top young talents in Brazilian football, and it’s UD Almería who have won the race. The newly promoted LaLiga Santander club reached an agreement to sign him from Santos, with the defender putting pen to paper on a contract until 2028.

RCD Mallorca make progress on their stadium redevelopment

There is an ambitious project taking place in Mallorca right now, as RCD Mallorca are redeveloping their stadium. The work at the Visit Mallorca Estadi is on schedule and all the deadlines so far have been met, meaning the ground is on track to host RCD Mallorca vs Real Betis in Matchday 2 of the new LaLiga Santander season.

A new era for Atlético de Madrid’s stadium

Atlético de Madrid announced the new name of their stadium this week, revealing that it’ll now be called the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano, after having been called the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano over the previous five years. The club also presented its ‘Ciudad del Deporte’ development plan, that’ll transform the area around the ground to include more sports facilities and a hotel.

Conclusion of the LaLiga x Bloomsbury Football League Finals

Over the past few weeks, a tournament has been held for youngsters in London called the LaLiga X Bloomsbury Football League Finals. The various teams of local schoolkids represented different LaLiga sides and it was the team wearing CA Osasuna shirts that won the competition.

A LaLiga space is inaugurated in the Rafa Nadal Museum

There is an exciting new development at the Rafa Nadal Museum in Mallorca, as a LaLiga exhibition has been installed, containing club jerseys, interactive screens, trophies and more. The tennis superstar is a big fan of Spanish football and his uncle, Miguel Ángel Nadal, even played for RCD Mallorca and FC Barcelona.

Insatiable FC Barcelona and Atlético de Madrid spice up the race for second

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With eight matchdays to go, FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid and Sevilla FC are all on 57 points. With second place providing a ticket to the Spanish Super Cup, there is a lot at stake.

FC Barcelona and Atletico de Madrid continued their resurgent runs of form on the weekend to clock up six wins in a row each in LaLiga Santander, making for a compelling race for second place. They have both pulled level with Sevilla FC on 57 points, with just eight matchdays remaining.

Barça had to sweat to continue their winning streak, finally downing an impregnable Sevilla FC side 1-0 on Sunday thanks to an exquisite goal from Pedri in the second half. The victory took FC Barcelona level on points with their opponents, with Sevilla FC having occupied second place for most of the season.

It was always going to take something special to beat Julen Lopetegui’s side, who boast the best defence in LaLiga Santander and who were on a club record unbeaten run stretching back 15 games. But, teenage magician Pedri provided that something special, dancing past two defenders outside the area before arrowing into the far corner of the net to finally beat in-form goalkeeper Bono.

Even if it was a narrow victory, it was no less than Barça deserved after a dominant performance and it followed up their rampant 4-0 win at Real Madrid in ElClasico. Xavi’s side are in unstoppable form, boasting the longest unbeaten run in Europe’s top five leagues, as it’s now 14 games since they last tasted defeat in December. They are also the top-scoring team in Spain, while Ligue 1 side Rennes are the only side in Europe’s top five leagues who can better their tally of 27 goals in the last 10 games.

Pedri’s return to action after a five-month injury absence has been a key factor in Barça’s revival. Since the 19-year-old came back into the team in late January in the 1-0 win at Deportivo Alavés, Barça have won eight of nine league games, compared to seven victories in 20 matches in his absence.

“He is a superlative player and he scored an extraordinary goal,” Xavi said of his midfield sensation. “He makes the difference and watching him play is a spectacle. And he is only 19. Everything he gives us is a delight.”

Yet, there are so many other factors behind FC Barcelona’s return to form. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has made a truly remarkable impact since signing from Arsenal in January, scoring seven goals in eight appearances, including a double in the 4-0 win at Real Madrid and a hat-trick in the 4-1 success at Valencia CF. He has struck up a profitable partnership with Ferran Torres, another January arrival from the Premier League, who has four goals and three assists in eight matches.

A fascinating three-way battle

FC Barcelona, however, are not the only team in insatiable form right now. Atleti have also hit their stride at the perfect moment in the season.

It has been a stop-start campaign for the champions and, before this recent run, they had not managed to win more than two consecutive games. But, there is no stopping them now. Since a surprise 1-0 defeat at home to Levante UD in February, they have won six games in a row while scoring 15 goals in the process. João Félix has spearheaded their run, scoring six goals in six games as well as contributing two assists.

While all teams will keep fighting to push leaders Real Madrid as long as possible, the battle for second is so interesting with FC Barcelona, Atlético de Madrid and Sevilla FC all level on points. With second bringing a ticket to next season’s Spanish Super Cup, there is a lot at stake.

And, in this race, don’t count Sevilla FC out of it. Lopetegui’s side have struggled for results, taking 13 points from their last 10 matches, but they have still had a tremendous campaign, built on defensive solidity, which saw them win 12 games from 19 in the first half of the season.

Sevilla FC are fully focused on finishing the season well. “Our objective has always been to achieve something historic and qualify for the Champions League three times in a row,” said Lopetegui. “It’s going to be difficult, but we’re prepared to take it on. We have to compete in every game as if it were a final.”

The business end of the season is here, yet the race to finish second still has a long way to run.

Improved Barca face Athletic Club Sunday

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The LaLiga title may be out of reach for FC Barcelona this season but a Champions League qualification should do a world of good for a club that looked completely lost just a few months ago.

And Barcelona will be looking to continue their improved form under Xavi Hernandez when they entertain Athletic Club Bilbao in the Camp Nou Stadium on Sunday night.

Barca go into the game with their morale high after a 4-1 win in Valencia last Sunday, followed by an impressive 4-2 victory away to Napoli on Thursday, which saw them qualify for the last-16 of the Europa League.

Those wins imply that the team is starting to show the consistency that has been lacking in some of their displays, while the January signings, Adama Traore, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ferran Torres and Dain Alves (although he didn’t play in the last two matches) have certainly improved the side.

Playing on Thursday may leave the Barca players with tired legs ahead of the game, but Xavi has options to rotate his side with Gavi, Nico Gonzalez and Ousmane Dembele all options after watching much of Thursday’s game from the bench.

Although Barca sit 15 points behind Real Madrid in the table, club president Joan Laporta said on Friday that he still doesn’t rule out the chance of winning the title, although assuring a place in next season’s Champions League looks like a more realistic goal.

Athletic Club travel to the Camp Nou after thrashing local rivals Real Sociedad 4-0 last weekend and they need points to strengthen their own hopes of playing in Europe next season.

The Basque side also have one eye on Wednesday’s return leg of the Copa del Rey in Valencia and the club have publicly complained that Valencia, who play on Saturday, have 31 hours longer to prepare for a season-defining game (as they also had in the first leg).

That lack of preparation means coach Marcelino Garcia Toral will make some changes to the side likely to start in the Cup with Oier Zarraga, Nico Serrano, Inigo Lekue and perhaps Mikel Balenziaga all starting, while regular starters such as Inaki Williams and Iker Muniain are rested.

Athletic knocked Barca out of the last-16 of the Cup after outplaying them in January and this should show just how much Barca have improved.

Five things you may not know about Xavi Hernández

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His talent and brilliance as a player are well known, but here are five things you might not know about Barça’s new coach: from his childhood idol and footballing pedigree to being the only player this century not named Messi or Cristiano to make the Ballon d’Or podium three years in a row.

Xavi Hernández is back in LaLiga Santander. Six years after playing his last match for his boyhood club FC Barcelona, the Catalan icon has returned as first-team coach at the Camp Nou, a position many have believed he was destined to fill throughout his career. Details of his brilliance as a player and his promising managerial career are common knowledge, but these little-known facts might not be.

His father was a footballer too

Xavi was born on January 25^th 1980 into a footballing family; his father Joaquín Hernández played for a variety of teams in the 1960s and 1970s. Playing in midfield, like his son would go on to do too, Joaquín represented teams across the region of Catalonia such as Girona, Reus and Sabadell, even playing in the LaLiga Santander with the latter.

His idol at the Camp Nou: Bernd Schuster

Growing up, Xavi was of course a Barcelona fan and his favourite player was Bernd Schuster. Xavi fell in love with the German when he went to the Camp Nou for the first time to see a Gamper Trophy match, Barça’s annual curtain-raiser for each new season. He was in awe of the midfielder and later went on to play against teams coached by the German on 10 occasions, facing his Levante, Getafe, Real Madrid and Málaga side and even scoring a couple of goals along the way.

He scored on his debut for Barcelona

It now seems so long ago that many will have forgotten, but Xavi scored just 16 minutes into his debut for Barcelona’s first team. Not known for his goalscoring exploits, the then 18-year-old burst onto the scene with a goal in the Spanish Super Cup against RD Mallorca on August 18^th 1998, a match which the Blaugrana went on to lose 2-1. It was the first of his 85 goals scored over 767 matches for the club.

He made the Ballon d’Or podium three years in a row

Xavi finished third in Ballon d’Or voting three years in a row: 2009, 2010 and 2011. The Catalan midfielder was recognised for his exceptional passing ability by those voting for the award, but came up just short as his teammate Lionel Messi won the prize each year. Since the turn of the century, only Xavi, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo can say they’ve been on the Ballon d’Or podium for three consecutive years, highlighting Xavi’s consistency at the time.

He’s a lottery winner!

Xavi rounded out his career in Qatar with Al Sadd after leaving Barcelona in 2015, before taking the reins in the dugout in 2019. During his time in Qatar he made headlines by winning a lottery organised by Doha Bank, picking up a prize fund of approximately €230,000.

Video interview: Andres Iniesta on Xavi taking over at Barcelona

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A legend returns: Dani Alves back at Barcelona – See video and photos

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The veteran right-back will play for Barça in the second half of the 2021/22 season, linking up with his former teammate Xavi and bringing a wealth of experience to the Camp Nou.

A revolution is taking place at Barcelona under new coach Xavi Hernandez, with a new generation of players coming through, but one very familiar face is returning to be a part of it: Dani Alves.

The 38-year-old has reached an agreement in principle to join the Blaugrana in the January transfer window, becoming the first signing of the Xavi era… just as he was the first acquisition of Pep Guardiola’s tenure.

The Brazilian right-back previously played for Barcelona between 2008 and 2016, winning six LaLiga Santander titles at the Camp Nou (2008/09, 2009/10, 2010/11, 2012/13, 2014/15, 2015/16). He won 23 trophies during his eight years in Catalonia and has an overall haul of 46 titles from his wonderful career, more than any other player in history.

Five more of those titles came elsewhere in Spain, at Sevilla FC. After leaving Bahia to first move to Europe in 2002, having been identified by Sevilla sporting director Monchi, Alves stayed at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán for six years, until his 2008 transfer to Barça.

At Sevilla, he helped the Rojiblancos win two UEFA Cups and a Copa del Rey, making the right flank his own.

Alves’ most recent success was captaining Brazil to the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics, where the right-back played every minute and even assisted a goal for current Atlético Madrid striker Matheus Cunha in the 2-1 victory over Spain in the gold medal match.

At those Olympic Games, Alves showed the world that he still has what it takes to perform at the top level. He’ll bring attacking intent, dribbling ability and precision crossing to Barcelona’s right-back position, while Alves’ defensive work rate is so impressive that all the centre-backs and goalkeepers he has ever played with love him.

As well as one of the most unique skillsets the full-back position has ever seen, Alves boasts two decades of experience and this might be exactly what Xavi’s Barcelona needs, with so many up-and-coming youngsters in the current squad.

For Alves, he is delighted to return to a club where he achieved so much and won half of the silverware of his illustrious career. Speaking about his imminent return to LaLiga Santander action, he said: “In my heart of hearts, I knew this day would come. I’m going home, but I never really left, and, as I said at the time, I am one of you! I don’t know how long this dream will last, but I hope it goes on forever! I’m as excited as the first time, with the same desire to help rebuild the best club in the world!”

For now, Alves is simply training with his new – and old, in the cases of Marc-André ter Stegen, Gerard Piqué, Sergi Roberto, Jordi Alba, Samuel Umtiti and Sergio Busquets – teammates.

In January he’ll be eligible for selection and will be able to make his 423rd appearance in Spain’s top division. So far, he has won 276, drawn 73 and lost 73 of his LaLiga Santander outings, meaning he is currently tied for 14th in the all-time LaLiga Santander ranking for matches won.

Over these next few months wearing the Blaugrana shirt, he’ll look to add some more victories and climb up that ranking. He and Barcelona fans would also love to see a 47th career title.

Dani Alves set for Barcelona return

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Dani Alves is set to return to FC Barcelona five years after departing to play in Italy

Alves has agreed to return to the Camp Nou until the end of the current season. Although he will rejoin the first team’s training sessions next week, he will not be able to play until the transfer window reopens at the start of January.

“The club will announce the full details at his official presentation as a new FC Barcelona player,” explained the Barca website.

The 38-year-old Alves joined Barcelona from Sevilla in the summer of 2008 and made 391 appearances for the club before leaving to join Juventus in 2016.

The past five years have also seen him play for Paris Saint-Germain and Sao Paulo in Brazil.

New Barca coach Xavi Hernandez, who was also a key part of the Barca team for the period Alves was at the club, has been a key factor in the Brazilian’s return.

It was reported that Xavi values not only the veteran’s ability, but also his positive influence in the dressing room.

Champions League:FC Barcelona, Sevilla and Villarreal chase last 16 slots

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FC Barcelona, Sevilla and Villarreal will in action tonight in the Uefa Champions League as they chase last 16 spots

Three Spanish clubs are in Champions League action on Tuesday in matches that are vital to them making it through to the group stage of the competition.

FC Barcelona travel to face Dynamo Kiev with Sergi Barjuan in temporary charge following their disappointing 1-1 draw at home to Alaves on Saturday.

Barca have just three points from their opening three group games, which came from a narrow 1-0 win at home to Dynamo Kiev a fortnight ago, and with a trip to Munich and a home match against Benfica still to play, they need all three points to keep a realistic hope of reaching the last 16 alive.

Kun Aguero will miss the trip as he remains in hospital undergoing tests to detect a possible irregular heartbeat, which saw him forced out of Saturday’s game after he suffered a dizzy spell in the first half.

Gerard Pique will also miss out after pulling a calf muscle in the same game and he joins Pedri, Ronald Araujo, Sergi Roberto and Martin Braithwaite on Barca’s injury list.

The club hopes that midfielder Frenkie de Jong and striker Ansu Fati will be able to travel after both missed out at the weekend, but whether they will be able to start is still unclear.

Reaching the last 16 is worth nine million euros for Barca’s troubled economy and also important for the club’s morale and status in the game.

Sevilla will take a big step towards the last 16 if they can win their home game against Lille.

The Spanish side is second in their group with three draws from three games, giving them a point lead over the French Champions and three points in the Sanchez Pizjuan would take them close to the knockout stage.

Julen Lopetegui’s men go into the game in third place in La Liga after another solid display saw them win 2-0 at home to Osasuna at the weekend.

Villarreal’s domestic form is going real cause for concern and their 2-0 defeat to local rivals Valencia at the weekend means Unai Emery’s men have taken just one point from their last four games.

Emery is without the injured duo of Juan Foyth and Gerard Moreno and if his side is to get out of a tight Group F, he needs to see a repeat of the display that saw them beat Young Boys 4-1 away from home a fortnight ago when the Swiss side visits their Estadio de la Ceramica.

Xavi Hernandez likely to replace sacked Ronald Koeman

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FC Barcelona wielded the axe Thursday night, sacking coach Ronald Koeman just hours after their 1-0 defeat to Rayo Vallecano.

“FC Barcelona have tonight sacked Ronald Koeman as first team coach. Club President Joan Laporta informed him following the defeat to Rayo Vallecano. Ronald Koeman has said goodbye to the squad tonight,” read a club statement issued shortly after midnight.

Former midfielder Xavi Hernandez, who is currently coaching Qatari club Al-Saad, is a favourite to replace Koeman, although former left-back and current Barcelona B-team coach Sergi Barjuan could be a possible short-term replacement.

The defeat in the Vallecas Stadium came just three days after Barca were beaten 2-1 at home to bitter rivals Real Madrid in the first ‘Clasico’ of the season, and the club currently sit ninth in the La Liga table with 15 points from 10 games and just four wins all season.

Speaking after the defeat, Koeman commented, “Other teams could have more balanced squads, but we have shown that we can compete with them.”

“Bad luck and injuries are excuses, we have shown we can play at a good level but it is not enough,” he added.

As a player, Koeman famously led Barcelona to the 1992 European Cup by scoring the winning goal in the final against Sampdoria at Wembley. The Dutchman was appointed head coach in the summer of 2020, replacing Quique Setien who had been sacked after barely six months in charge.

Koeman led Barca to the Copa del Rey with a win over Athletic Bilbao in April 2021. But Barca finished third in La Liga, seven points behind Atletico Madrid, and crashed out of the UEFA Champions League in the last 16 with 5-2 aggregate defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.

Many expected those results to cost Koeman his job in summer, but perhaps because of his work with some of the club’s young players, such as Pedri and Ronald Araujo, and perhaps because of the lack of a credible alternative, the Dutchman remained in his post.

Koeman’s task this season was made harder by the financial problems at the club which led to the departure of Lionel Messi and Antoine Griezmann, as well as injuries to Araujo, Pedri and Ansu Fati.

He clung to his job at the start of October after a 2-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid, with Laporta giving him a public vote of confidence, but two defeats in four days have finally led to his departure.

Injury setback for Barcelona’s Ansu Fati

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FC Barcelona have been hit by another setback with the injury news of Ansu Fati.

The 18-year-old recently returned to first-team action after almost a year out with an injury to his left knee that required four operations to correct.

Now he is struggling with an issue in his right knee that he suffered in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at home to Real Madrid.

Although he had originally been included in Wednesday’s matchday squad against Rayo Vallecano, the club confirmed in a statement that “first-team player Ansu Fati has pain in his right knee.”

The club refused to say how long the striker will be out, only saying that “he is unavailable for selection and his recovery will dictate his return.”

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