Filipe Luís Kasmirski returned on Saturday as one of the inspirational moments of the season.

The Race for the La Liga Crown

If there were a match on which Barcelona would stumble in their path to a second consecutive La Liga title, Villarreal would stand in their way.

All involved with FC Barcelona said the right statements after Inter Milan eliminated the Catalans from the UEFA Champions League.  Barça president Joan Laporta wanted to focus on the league to give the Culés some joy.  Barcelona entrenador Pep Guardiola mentioned how his players needed to get up from the floor in the three days prior to their league match against Villarreal.  Various players, including Gerard Piqué, Pedro Rodríguez, and Sergio Busquets, mentioned how their whole attention is now on securing La Liga for the second consecutive year.  These are all nice statements, but after a gutting semifinal loss with a chance of competing the final at the Santiago Bernabéu, no one would be surprised if they delivered these quotes with a shade of hollowness.

Barcelona left their European disappointments behind with a 1-4 drubbing of Villarreal at El Madrigal, a fortress for the Yellow Submarine all season long.

If Villarreal would not be the Barça stopper, Sevilla must be the answer.

The Andalusian club became one of the few teams to defeat Barcelona this season when they went to the Camp Nou and won 1-2 in the first leg of the Copa del Rey Round of 16.  Sevilla had something for which to play, as they stood only one point ahead of Mallorca for the final Champions League berth.  Frédéric Kanouté and Luís Fabiano, whom Sevilla relies on so heavily, started together up front, an all-too-rare occurrence this season.

Barcelona handled them with ease for the first hour, building a 0-3 lead and benefiting from a man-advantage after Abdoulay Konko received his second yellow card for pulling down Bojan Krkic as he sped past him.  Even the Catalans can fall into a lull with such a significant ascendancy, and who else but Kanouté and Fabiano to score two quick goals in succession to make the final twenty minutes a nervy experience for the Blaugrana.  They refocused, and Barcelona saw out the rest of the match with relative ease.

With one match remaining, Barcelona needs to win at home against Real Valladolid to assure themselves of their twentieth Spanish title.

Real Madrid is akin to that little Chihuahua that incessantly nips at the heels and tries to protect its territory.  Los Blancos have riposted every Barcelona tally with a win of their own, although the methods in which Real Madrid continue to notch their victories provide more of those “heart in mouth” moments for their fans.

Late goals against Almería, Real Zaragoza, and Osasuna within the past month kept the title race alive, and facing an obstinate Athletic Bilbao team that defeated them at the San Mamés in the first half of the campaign, Real could not afford to put on a mediocre performance.

When referee César Muñiz Fernández sent off Fernando Amorebieta in the 20th minute for what he perceived to be an intentional handball in the penalty area, he gave Real Madrid the gift they needed to relieve some of the stress and nerves that could clearly be seen by those in the Santiago Bernabéu.  Cristiano Ronaldo coolly sent the penalty kick into the back of the net, and Los Merengues looked to be on their way to securing the three points early in the match.

Similar to Barcelona, Real went on cruise control for the rest of the half when Athletic went down to ten men, and Fran Yeste burned them with an impressive solo effort, as he took on four defenders who inexplicably did not close him down at any point while he made his lateral run across the top of the box.

1-1 with seventeen minutes remaining and with Barcelona winning at the Camp Nou, twenty minutes stood from Barcelona retaining La Liga for another season.  As Real are wont to do, they scored late, and Athletic Bilbao simply could not maintain their energy with one less man for 70+ minutes.  The 5-1 final flattered the men from the Spanish capital, but they did their job, and they have extended the title race to the final matchday for the first time since the 2006/07 season, when both Barcelona and Real Madrid were tied on 73 points heading into the final day.  Barcelona won at Gimnàstic de Tarragona 1-5, but Real Madrid against Mallorca 3-1, and Real held the head-to-head tiebreaker over Barça, so Real Madrid won their 30th crown.

The Race for the Final Champions League Place

Mallorca started Jornada 37 one point behind Sevilla for that Champions League qualifying spot, and on paper, Los Barralets had the easier match, as they traveled to A Coruña and faced a weary and beaten down Deportivo La Coruña squad who wanted the campaign to end as quickly as possible, whereas Sevilla hosted league leaders FC Barcelona who has only one trophy for which to play.

A typical Galician night with a steady rain pouring on El Riazor, the Depor fans hardly showed up because of both the weather and their team’s atrocious string of results in the second half of the season.  The first sixty-five minutes of the match was not much better.  The crowd started to rise when they saw that Filipe Luís Kasmirski donned his substitute’s bib and started to warm up on the sidelines.

One of the indelible images and scenes of the 2009/10 La Liga season was Filipe Luís’ foot hanging nearly ninety degrees after his ankle was crushed underneath the weight of a diving Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz.  Constant rehabilitation and sheer perseverance and will brought Filipe Luís to this moment, and less than four months after that horrific incident, Filipe Luís miraculously played for Depor as a substitute in the 66th minute.

Of the supporters who did show up at El Riazor, they created as much clamor and noise as if the stadium were full when Filipe Luís ran onto the pitch.  To complete this Hollywood story, Filipe Luís contributed to the only goal of the match when his run down the left flank brought a couple a defenders with him.  His pass into the center led to Juan Carlos Valerón’s pinpoint through ball to Riki in the box, and Riki placed his shot past Dudu Aouate at the left near post.

Although Mallorca lost 1-0 at Depor, Sevilla could not come back from a three-goal deficit against Barcelona, falling short 2-3 despite playing with ten men for the final half-hour.  Sevilla’s lead remains at one point, and with Mallorca losing the head-to-head tiebreaker with Sevilla, Mallorca has to win against Espanyol and hope that Almería can prevent Sevilla from winning in order for the debt-ridden team from the Balearic Islands to complete their unexpected journey with a shot at the Champions League group stage.

The Race for the Potential Final Europa League Spot

Depending on the result of the Copa del Rey between Sevilla and Atlético Madrid on May 19, seventh place could earn a berth into the UEFA Europa League, but Villarreal and Getafe cannot rely on that, so they continue to fight for sixth place and a certain spot into the third qualifying round of the 2010/11 Europa League.

Usually an entertaining and enthralling encounter, the Valencian derby between Villarreal and Valencia had none of those characteristics.  Valencia ensured themselves of third place and direct qualification into the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League group stage last weekend, so their motivation was near nil.  Unai Emery, whose contract was extended this past week, sent out the B squad against Villarreal, and Villarreal took advantage of their near neighbors with a professional performance that hardly extended any of their resources.

Villarreal manager Juan Carlos Garrido gave Javi Venta his final appearance for Villarreal at El Madrigal, and the fans greeted Venta with the reverence and respect he deserved for being involved with the team from its La Liga infancy eleven years ago to its esteemed status as a European force in 2010.  Robert Pirès, also likely to be gone in the summer, received his final farewell, and the latter stages of the match became more of a testimonial as Valencia obliged to the situation.

Getafe, however, also won on Saturday against Málaga, and while Getafe and Villarreal are equal on points, Getafe holds the head-to-head edge on Villarreal, so Getafe remains in sixth place with one round remaining.

The Race to Avoid Relegation

Whereas the other three races in La Liga each involve only two teams, five teams have a chance by 9:00 PM CEST next Sunday to fall to the Segunda División for next season.  All five teams were involved in matches that included late drama this weekend, and as the results stood at the end of Saturday night, the relegation picture is more muddled than ever.

Sprightly and plucky Xerez continues to linger around, and after their thrilling 3-2 victory over Real Zaragoza, they have a legitimate chance to stay in La Liga for the first time all season.  Their destiny is not in their own hands, but surprisingly, Xerez holds many of the tiebreakers against the other four teams in the relegation scrap, and if they somehow extend their journey in La Liga for another season after they have occupied the foot of the table since Round 12 and mired in the relegation zone since Round 2, that would be one of the top three stories of La Liga this season.

Until Málaga’s loss to Getafe on Saturday, they had been unbeaten in their previous five matches.  An impressive statement on its own until delved deeper, and it is realized that all five of those matches were drawn.  Málaga deserved to win none of those matches, and save for their battling performance against Mallorca at the ONO Estadi, Málaga failed to progress forward when their other relegation rivals earned victories.

Unfortunately for Málaga, La Liga is one of the few leagues in Europe to employ head-to-head results as the first tiebreaker as opposed to goal difference, or else they would stand at 16th in the table, but hosting Real Madrid on the final day, Málaga has little chance of achieving a result, and they wrote their own writings on the wall with substandard play in the past five rounds.

Racing de Santander and Real Valladolid arguably played the most significant match of the weekend, and it was a typical Javier Clemente match: slug it out and see what happens.  A disputed penalty and player unrest in the final fifteen minutes led to overtime work for referee Carlos Velasco Carballo, but at the end of the ninety minutes, Valladolid stole the three points that were absolutely necessary, as their final match is on the road against Barcelona.

Javier Clemente is on the brink of another successful late-season revival, and he has become the quick-fix doctor for Spanish teams whose season teeters between La Liga salvation and relegation ignominy.  No one will ever confuse Clemente’s football philosophies with Pep Guardiola or Arséne Wenger, but a team that usually wants his services does not care about style; they just want to stay in the top flight.

With Nino’s equalizer in the third minute of stoppage time to poach a vital point against Almería, Tenerife is on thirty-six points, tied with Valladolid, Racing, and Málaga and Xerez just three points behind.  The numerous permutations with these five teams will sort itself out next Sunday, and Round 38 of the 2009/10 season shapes up to be one of the most unpredictable final days for the whole table in recent memory.  Who says La Liga is boring?

The Tower of Hercules in A Coruña, built in the 2nd century CE, is the oldest Roman lighthouse currently in service.

There will be a Spanish team in a European final, but it is not the team that many expected.  Atlético Madrid completed their strange and wonderful trip to the Europa League final with an extra time goal by Diego Forlán against Liverpool.  As per usual, Atlético did not win the second leg of their Europa League semifinal against Liverpool, losing 2-1, but for the third consecutive round, Los Colchoneros progressed on the away goals rule.  Normally, if a team only wins twice throughout its whole European campaign, it has a million to one shot of advancing to a European final.

Who better than the 2009-10 Atlético Madrid team to defy any logic.

Only receiving the parachute from the Champions League to the Europa League with a last matchday group stage draw against APOEL Nicosia, Atleti completed the Champions League group with zero wins and three draws.  Their only two wins in the Europa League knockout phase came against Galatasaray with a Diego Forlán goal at the death and against Liverpool with another Forlán late show goal.

Although standing a mediocre tenth in La Liga, Atlético looks forward to their hectic May schedule with two cup finals scattered among their final four league matches.  The 2009-10 Atlético Madrid team is reminiscent of the 2000-01 Liverpool team that won the UEFA Cup, the FA Cup, and the League Cup but only finished third in the Premier League.  Atlético would have certainly taken third place in La Liga, but cup triumph is in the forefront of their minds, and they will likely be a shell of themselves when they face Sevilla on Sunday afternoon.  Atlético has nothing for which to play in the league, and Sevilla continues to fight Mallorca and Villarreal for the final Champions League berth.

Do not be surprised if Sevilla runs over Atlético Madrid with ease.

Then there is that other Spanish team that competed in a European semifinal.  Barcelona failed in its attempt to win consecutive European Cups since the AC Milan teams of Frank Rijkaard and Marco van Basten completed the double in 1989 and 1990.  The vaunted attack could not break through Inter Milan’s brick wall, and now they have seventy-two hours to recover from their Champions League hangover to encounter a Villarreal outfit that has enjoyed a renaissance under their second trainer of the season, Juan Carlos Garrido.

After their disastrous start to the campaign, Villarreal has climbed to within four points of Mallorca for the final Champions League place, and while they have recently done well on their travels, Villarreal relies on its solid home record, earning thirty-nine of their fifty-two total points at El Madrigal.  Because they dug themselves such a cavernous hole early in the season, they cannot afford to lose any of their last four matches if they have any inkling of joining Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Valencia in the Champions League next season.

Barcelona could only muster a draw at the Camp Nou at the beginning of the new year against Villarreal because of an inspired performance by the Yellow Submarine, David Fuster in particular, so the question arising from this match is if Barcelona can recover and regain their wits about them to focus on their slim one point lead over Real Madrid in La Liga, or will Villarreal derail the already faltering Barça train with their new-found confidence and panache.

The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Note: ESPN 360 has rebranded itself as ESPN3.

May 1

Málaga vs. Sporting Gijón – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 456

Real Valladolid vs. Getafe – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 457

Tenerife vs. Racing de Santander – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 458

Deportivo La Coruña vs. Real Zaragoza – 11:55 AM on Gol TV

Espanyol vs. Valencia – 1:55 PM on Gol TV

Villarreal vs. FC Barcelona – 3:55 PM on Gol TV

May 2

Sevilla vs. Atlético Madrid – 10:55 AM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Real Madrid vs. Osasuna – 12:55 PM on ESPN2 HD/ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Athletic Bilbao vs. Mallorca – 2:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN3

Unfortunately, the Xerez – Almería match at El Chapín will not be shown on US TV

“NINO, NINO, NINO!” chanted Los Chicharreros in the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López.  When shouted aloud, the chant sounded like an onrushing ambulance through a traffic-jammed street, and for Getafe, who fell victim to the brilliance of Nino, they needed the assistance of EMT workers.

After a 0-0 draw at home to Real Valladolid last Saturday, a result most favored by new Valladolid entrenador and former Tenerife head man Javier Clemente, Tenerife stood seven points behind Málaga for the final place of safety in La Liga.  The criticisms laid upon this team fell squarely on José Luis Oltra’s naïve tactics.  In the same way that Tony Mowbray’s West Bromwich Albion team in last year’s Premier League was deemed too naïve as they were relegated to the Coca-Cola Championship, Oltra’s Tenerife incorporated an open style that needed clinical finishers in the front line to be successful because there would be several chances for their opponents to capitalize on the counter-attack.

Nino and Alejandro Alfaro scored forty-nine goals between them in the Segunda División last season, and Nino’s twenty-nine goals earned him the Pichichi trophy as the highest goal scorer in the second division.  Seventeen goals for the pair in the top flight this season is not a bad return, but when their team has conceded the most goals in La Liga, seventeen is simply not enough.

No single match illustrates Tenerife’s frustration more than their 0-5 humbling by Barcelona at home at the dawn of the new year.  Through the first thirty-five minutes, the islanders completely outplayed the Blaugrana in every facet of the game, but Alfaro failed to exploit three wonderful opportunities, two of them created by Nino.

Tenerife’s high defensive line initially surprised Barça and put them off their game, but this gamble would soon prove to be suicidal, as Bojan Krkic’s blistering pace left the Tenerife defense in shambles, and Lionel Messi finished Bojan’s cutback pass with aplomb.

Sucker punched in the gut, the prudent play would have been to drop deeper and work more on the counter-attack.  Call him brave or declare him stubborn, Oltra kept to his strategy, and at fulltime, Tenerife conceded five goals, including an Ezequiel Luna own goal and a Messi hat-trick.

While José Luis Oltra has somewhat toned down his offensively aggressive tactics since that match, the flair associated with this team has not left them.  Consequently, Tenerife still had not won away from home all season, an unwanted feat only shared by a few teams in all of the European leagues.

Tenerife righted this wrong on Tuesday evening when they went to Asturias and defeated Sporting Gijón 0-2 with that same end-to-end mentality instilled by Oltra.  Unfortunately for Tenerife, their compatriots in the bottom three, Xerez and Real Valladolid, also won in the mid-week.  Racing de Santander, one of the teams teetering just above the relegation zone, scored a 3-1 victory over Espanyol with the help of two deserved penalties, both of whom were scored by Mohammed Tchité, to further complicate the situation for Tenerife.

Málaga, however, heeded the bottom three’s protestations of slowing down their point accumulation.  Two points in their last five contests left the Andalucians only three points above Tenerife and the drop zone.

Tenerife had to keep their focus on Getafe and away from the other matches affecting their standing. No one understood this more than Juan Francisco Martínez, otherwise known as Nino.

Nino has played every minute in every match for Tenerife this season, an astonishing accomplishment in this modern age, where squad rotation and injuries beset even the fittest of players.  Standing at a relatively minuscule 5′ 7″, a center forward like Nino would not strike fear into the hearts of central defenders.  Tossed around often due to his slight frame, Nino fought through these nicks and knocks to lead the line every single minute he plays on the pitch.  With the season on the line, his hard work came to fruition with a hat-trick that will be remembered by Los Chicharreros for many years.

After Pedro León scored early for Getafe, Nino’s equalizer on the half-hour mark was the result, from all the different ways he can score, of a header!  A seriously demented betting man would have gone away with bucketful of cash for predicting a Nino header, but Román Martínez’s perfectly weighted cross from deep in the right flank found a completely unmarked Nino in middle of the penalty area.  David Belenguer and David Cortés stood frozen as Nino rose in the air between them.  Of course, it would have to be unchallenged for Nino to score a header, but the box score will not indicate that he had enough room to build a house with all the space that the Getafe central defenders gave him.

His second goal to give Tenerife the 2-1 lead showed his technical ability to control a ball in the air.  Marc Bertrán headed a hopeful, looping ball into the penalty box, and nothing seemed to come of it; however, Nino kept himself onside while the Getafe defenders were heading forward, and Nino found himself all alone in the box.  He had to take down the lofted header softly, and his first touch was nothing short of immaculate.  It took a bounce, and he whacked it to the left far post, where Jordi Codina could only watch as it passed by him into the back of the net.

Getafe would score to even the game at 2-2 several minutes later, and it could have been a crushing blow to this club that continues to fight for its La Liga life.  Nino would have none of that negative behavior, and in the 76th minute, exactly a minute after Javier Casquero headed the tying goal for Getafe, Nino completed his hat-trick to whisk Tenerife back into a lead they would not relinquish.

Alejandro Alfaro and Nino combined yet another time, with Alfaro perfecting a through ball that sliced through the Getafe defensive line.  Nino still had work to do, as Jordi Codina rushed off his line to attempt to clear the ball away from Nino outside of his area.  His third goal exhibited his calm composure, dribbling to his left to avoid a sliding, lunging Codina and slotting the ball into the unguarded goal.

Three goals.  Three different goals.  One outcome: three points for a thankful Tenerife.

Tenerife would find out later that Málaga and Real Valladolid would draw 0-0, and Xerez could only draw 2-2 at home against Racing de Santander, so the Nino hat-trick meant more than an isolated three points.  Tenerife is now only one point behind Málaga for the magic 17th position, and 16th is not too far away with Real Zaragoza only two points ahead of El Tete with five games remaining.

In a place where two well-known British names, Gill Hornby and a certain Barcelona striker from the 1980s, were forced to stay in Tenerife a little longer due to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud, they both could have enjoyed a beautiful afternoon at the Estadio Heliodoro Rodríguez López to witness two desperate teams in one of the premier matches of the second half of the season.

“Riki-raca, zumba-raca, sim-bomba; ra-ra-ra, Tenerife, Tenerife, y nadie mas!” the fans sung throughout the match and after their team came out victorious.  The first part is merely a set of rhyming words, but the latter half translates as, “Tenerife, Tenerife, and no one else.”  If Tenerife rises above the relegation zone and extends their stay in La Liga, Los Chicharrones may alter this chant in honor of Nino, “Nino, Nino, y nadie mas!”

Fueras de Juego

- Sevilla goalkeeper Andrés Palop might be better with his head than his hands, and his hands are quite superb.  His best individual moment in his career occurred in the Round of 16 of the 2006-07 UEFA Cup when his last-gasp header sent the tie against Shakhtar Donetsk into extra time, which Sevilla would win 3-2.  Sevilla would go on and lift the UEFA Cup trophy for the second consecutive year by defeating Espanyol on penalties in the final.

In the early Saturday kickoff, Sevilla led Sporting Gijón 2-0 when Sporting central defender Grégory Arnolin headed the ball on target from a corner.  The header came so quickly from a short distance that Palop could not get his hands up in time to parry it away.  Instead, he decided on the next best option: counter Grégory’s header with a header of his own.  It was just as effective as if he used his hands to slap it away, and Sevilla would eventually add a third to win 3-0.  In dire situations, Sevilla should use Andrés Palop as a center forward.

- If one would want to introduce people to the flair and skill of Spanish football, do not show them a tape of the drab 0-0 draw between Deportivo La Coruña and Almería from this Sunday afternoon.  Two teams going nowhere, and the match fit their paths.  When there were decent opportunities to score, both teams scorned them with such poor technique that it was literally laughable.  The fans at El Riazor did not share the same mirth.

- The champagne for Barcelona’s La Liga title can be put back on ice for the time being, as their 0-0 draw at derby neighbors Espanyol, combined with Real Madrid’s 2-0 win over Valencia, means that Real has shaved Barça’s lead to a mere point.  Pep Guardiola’s 4-4-2 did not work against Espanyol, and Inter Milan boss José Mourinho surely took some notes on how Espanyol flooded the midfield to prevent Xavi’s distribution across the final third of the pitch.  The absence of Andrés Iniesta may loom large for the Blaugrana as they continue their drive for a domestic and European cup double for the second straight year.

Even the dog felt low after Athletic Bilbao's performance against Valencia.

Sevilla failed to show up against a desperate Real Valladolid side.  Mallorca could only muster a draw against Real Zaragoza at La Romareda.  Athletic Bilbao knew that a win against Valencia on Thursday would ascend them to within one point of Mallorca for the final Champions League spot.

Sure, Athletic has not won away from the San Mamés since the middle of December, so they were not expected to win at the Mestalla against a Valencia team looking to lock up the final automatic Champions League place.  Coming off an impressive 4-1 dismantling of an in-form Almería on Sunday, however, Joaquín Caparrós and his men seemed to have the confidence necessary to defeat Valencia.

As for Valencia, they went back to the future because of their sheer amount of injuries.  Vicente Rodríguez, David Albelda, Joaquín, and Rubén Baraja all started for Los Che, hearkening back to the days when Valencia regularly competed in the later stages of the Champions League.

The apparent rift between Éver Banega and Unai Emery seemed to be repaired after Banega’s choleric behavior in being substituted against Mallorca on Sunday, but again, Banega’s inclusion in the starting eleven had more to do with the lack of midfield players at Emery’s disposal than any other factor.

With any match against Athletic Bilbao, the opposition should expect a physical affair and have a muted emphasis on quelling Bilbao’s direct style of play.  Fortunately for Valencia, Athletic played with a languid style that did not suit their personnel.

Joaquín Caparrós lamented his team’s lack of energy and intensity in his press conference after the match:

“Today we have not been at the competitive level we can show at home.  We knew it was a very good chance, but things do not go as one wants.  In the locker room, it feels like the season is already over.  We had hopes, but we knew that Valencia does really well in their home matches.  We still feel anger that we did not come out with greater aggression.”

With Athletic ceding most of the possession to Valencia, David Villa, David Silva, and the Valencia attack needed to figure out how to break through the obstinate Athletic defense.  Valencia plays it best football on the counter-attack, and it is no surprise that after Barcelona and Real Madrid, Valencia has the best away record in La Liga.  Through the first half-hour, there was no constant threat on goal from either team.  Joaquín and Rubén Baraja had headers that endangered Gorka Iraizoz’s goal, but Iraizoz handled them with relative ease.

When David Silva scored from a goal-line scramble in the 35th minute, Athletic neither stepped up their game nor fought back with anger, in line with Caparrós’ assessment of his team after the match.

Athletic’s lack of confidence away from home was clearly evident against Valencia, but they missed two key players that would have been vital in raising the spirits of their teammates: Gaizka Toquero and Pablo Orbaiz.

Gaizka Toquero has been the loyal sidekick to Fernando Llorente as the right-sided forward this season, but his contributions have gone well beyond his seven goals scored this season.  A journeyman throughout most of his career in the lower divisions of Spain, the twenty-five year old would appreciate his opportunity to play with a top-level club more than most players, and his never-ending engine only helps to endear himself to his teammates and the Basque faithful.

Toquero wears the number two jersey, a number usually designated for a fullback, but many times, he helps Andoni Iraola on the right side of defense.  Whereas Wayne Rooney sometimes receives criticism for running all over the pitch instead of focusing on his duties up front, fans laud Toquero for his abundance of energy and his willingness to help his defense when necessary.

With Pablo Orbaiz, he provides the steel in front of the defensive live that breaks up the opposition’s play as well as providing that extra slice of intimidation that comes with the Athletic Club brand.  Orbaiz has gone over the line in a couple of instances this season, including receiving a two-match ban for his part in the ugly fracas at the end of the Villarreal match in February and receiving another two-match ban in March for kicking the cajones of David Cortés.

Athletic needed that extra bite in the midfield (the legal bite) against Valencia because of their skill players up front, and Carlos Gurpegui, Javi Martínez, and David López did not supply the girth necessary to bother Valencia.

After the halftime break, the insertion of Fran Yeste and Ander Iturraspe for the lagging David López and Igor Gabilondo brought a sense of vitality into the squad, but when David Silva scored his second goal in the 62nd minute, the fight and tenacity intertwined with Athletic Club players dissipated slowly into oblivion as Valencia cruised to a facile 2-0 victory to fortify their third-place position in La Liga.

This column has covered Athletic Club’s struggles when they have had a chance to threaten fourth-place, but to come up so small with the season reaching its climax is inexcusable for a team so close to qualifying for the Champions League.  A common theme in La Liga this season has been the failure of the second tier teams below Real Madrid and Barcelona to fulfill their potential.  Sevilla, Villarreal, and Atlético Madrid have seen significant dips in form, and while Athletic Club may not have been in that tier to begin the season, they have been consistent in the top ten.

To Bilbao’s advantage, four of their final six matches are at the San Mamés, and with their Dr. Jekyll – Mr. Hyde act, they should consider themselves favorites to garner at least ten out of twelve points from those matches.  A Europa League berth based on league standing would be a good achievement for Athletic Club, but if they can finish in fourth and negotiate the playoff round in the Champions League, any European team would dread traveling to the San Mamés on a European night.

Fueras de Juego

- The golazo of the week must go to Pedro Rodríguez of Barcelona in their 3-0 win over Deportivo La Coruña.  With Barça holding a slim 1-0 lead, Víctor Valdés went long with his goal kick, a rare occurrence for Valdés, because he saw Dani Alves streaking down the middle of the pitch with only one defender back.  Depor goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia came out of his area to clear the ball away from Alves.  It was not the greatest clearance, but it went as far as the halfway line.  From that point, Pedro kicked a soaring, curling ball first-time nearly from the halfway line into the back of the unguarded net.  In a season full of awe-inspiring moments for Barça, that Pedro goal ranks near the top of the list in terms of pure difficulty and technique.

- Whenever a club from the bottom half of the table needs a signature victory over a top-five team, Sevilla is the most charitable team to give those lower clubs that sense of belonging.  In Round 32, Real Valladolid took advantage of a below-par Sevilla side, and with their 2-0 victory on Wednesday evening, La Pucela climbed to within four points of Málaga and relegation safety.  As much as Quique Sánchez Flores pulls his hair out for Atlético Madrid’s inconsistency, Manolo Jiménez and now Antonio Álvarez cannot understand how their collection of talented players have shut it down for the most part at the end of the season.  Injuries took its toll on Los Nervionenses, but that is no excuse for the dearth of passion late in the season as they try to qualify for the Champions League for the third year running.

- Tenerife and Xerez, the other teams besides Valladolid in the drop zone, also won on Wednesday to increase their chances of staying in the top flight next season.  With Málaga and Real Zaragoza just above them but hardly running away from the relegation fight, a surge to end the campaign is not out of the question for the bottom three teams.

The Bellver Castle in Palma de Mallorca is the only circular style castle in Spain.

After a mid-week round of fixtures, there is no rest for the weary as another slate of weekend matches comes much more quickly than they would earlier in the year.  This last quarter of the year becomes a war of attrition, and those who consistently stay fit will reap the benefits as they take advantage of those squads that cannot keep their core players on the pitch.

Mallorca’s latest foe to challenge their home superiority comes in the form of FC Barcelona.  Los Barralets will not fear their closest neighbors, as the Blaugrana stands between them and three vital points in the islanders’ aspirations for European football.  Pep Guardiola will not let his team wander their minds toward its trip to London to face Arsenal in the Champions League on Wednesday.  Again in the position to post their results before Real Madrid, Barça will want to add more pressure to Los Blancos when Real Madrid plays in the late Sunday kickoff.

In that late Sunday kickoff, Real Madrid will host Atlético Madrid in El Derbi madrileño.  Recently, the rivalry has been in name only, as Atlético Madrid has not defeated Real Madrid in over ten years.  In one of those statistical oddities, since Los Colchoneros returned to the top flight in 2002, they forced a draw at the Santiago Bernabéu in every other year.  If the pattern persists, then Atlético should lose on Sunday, but this Atleti team has defied any logical reasoning or explanation this season.

While Atlético Madrid also has a Europa League match against Valencia on Thursday, they will not look ahead to that match when the preceding game is against their eternal enemies.  If they were facing a Real Valladolid or some other team at the bottom end of the table, Atlético Madrid would have likely waned in their concentration, but the double incentive of defeating their arch rivals as well as knocking them from the top of the table will give them an extra impetus to be the only team to conquer both Barcelona and Real Madrid this season.

At the other end of the league, Xerez invites Real Valladolid to El Chapín in a pivotal relegation six-pointer.  Valladolid has only won once in 2010, but that win came two weeks ago against Deportivo La Coruña.  With their 0-0 draw against Espanyol on Wednesday night, Valladolid currently rides a two-match unbeaten streak, a significant event for this team.  Only two points from safety, La Pucela could salvage a putrid season by starting with a triumph over Xerez.

Xerez has earned eight points in their last five matches, only three less than they gathered in their first twenty-three games.  Momo and Mario Bermejo, who scored twenty-nine goals between them in the Segunda División last season, are finally delivering the goals for Xerez in the top-flight, and their goalkeeper Renan, who is on loan from Valencia, has kept them from conceding many more goals.  Seven points behind Real Zaragoza for relegation survival with ten matches remaining is not the largest hill to climb, and while Xerez does not control their own destiny, the execrable play of the clubs ahead of them gives Xerez more than a strand of hope of pulling off the impossible.

The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Mar. 27

Mallorca vs. FC Barcelona – 2:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360

Real Zaragoza vs. Valencia – 4:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360

Mar. 28

Espanyol vs. Sporting Gijón – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 456

Osasuna vs. Almería – 10:45 AM on DirecTV channel 457

Xerez vs. Real Valladolid – 10:55 AM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360

Deportivo La Coruña vs. Getafe – 10:55 AM on Gol TV

Villarreal vs. Sevilla – 12:55 PM on Gol TV

Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid – 2:55 PM on Gol TV

Mar. 29

Athletic Bilbao vs. Racing Santander – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 456

Unfortunately, the Málaga – Tenerife matchup at La Romareda will not be shown on US TV.

UEFA Champions League

Barcelona and Arsenal were drawn to face each other in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, and this rematch of the 2006 Champions League final pits two teams that thrive on maintaining possession and forcing their opposition to chase them around for the whole match.  The interesting question will be which team will hold the majority of possession and what that ratio will be.

If Barcelona has any weakness, they sometimes have trouble breaking down highly organized and disciplined defenses, e.g., Rubin Kazan, Chelsea, and Osasuna.  Arsenal’s defensive philosophy definitely does not fall into that category.  Arsenal expects to hold the edge in possession in every match they play, but chances are that Barça will win that battle.  If Arsenal can adjust to this and work more on the counter-attack, even at the Emirates Stadium on Wednesday, the north London club has a great opportunity to knock out the current European champions, but if Arsène Wenger sticks to his philosophy and tries to out-Barça Barcelona, expect a two-legged rout.

Mar. 30

Bayern Munich vs. Manchester United – 2:30 PM on FSN HD and Fox Sports en Español

Olympique Lyonnais vs. Bordeaux – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel

Mar. 31

Arsenal vs. FC Barcelona – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español

Inter Milan vs. CSKA Moskva – 2:30 PM on Fox Soccer Plus (5:00 on delay on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español)

UEFA Europa League

With three different countries each having two teams in the final eight of the Europa League, there was a better than fifty percent chance that a matchup between two teams from the same country would occur.  While the two English and two German teams avoided each other in the quarterfinal, there will be an all-Spanish affair in one of the quarterfinals between Atlético Madrid and Valencia.

Both coaches lamented facing each other at this stage of the tournament, but Unai Emery and Quique Sánchez Flores agreed that this meeting benefited La Liga because there will definitely be one Spanish team in the semifinals.

Valencia has been the more consistent team all year, and they have David Villa leading the line, the best and most dangerous player between the two teams.  In their two meetings in La Liga, however, Atlético Madrid had the upper hand.  In the first match, Valencia gave up a stoppage time equalizer to Maxi Rodríguez, and Los Colchoneros earned a point at the Mestalla.  In the second meeting, Atleti thrashed Los Che 4-1, which included a straight red card for Carlos Marchena because he imitated his of goalkeeper César Sanchez by slapping the ball away from Sergio Kun Agüero in the penalty box.

The edge in this matchup actually goes to Atlético Madrid because of their cup pedigree this year.  They have made the final of the Copa del Rey along with reaching the quarterfinals of the Europa League, and they seem to focus and play better when they face tougher competition.  Against the likes of Málaga, Almería, and other teams at the bottom half of La Liga, Atlético almost acts as though those matches are not important enough to give their full effort.  Against an upper echelon team like Valencia in a knockout situation, Los Rojiblancos will likely rise to the occasion, and Valencia needs to match this intensity if they want to reach the semifinals of the Europa League.

Apr. 1

Fulham vs. Wolfsburg – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 463 (463-1 for HD)

Standard Liège vs. Hamburg – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 464 (464-1 for HD)

Liverpool vs. Benfica – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 462 (462-1 for HD) (8:00 PM on delay on Gol TV)

Atlético Madrid vs. Valencia – 2:55 PM on Gol TV

Jornada 28 is only the second mid-week round of the La Liga season, the first occurring well back in late September.  Three teams in particular are glad that they get to play so soon: FC Barcelona, Getafe, and Xerez.  Xerez?   Yes, that same Xerez club that threatened to become the team to secure the fewest points in one campaign since La Liga went to a thirty-eight match season.

They have earned points in three of their last four matches, including their first ever road victory in the top flight at Málaga and a 2-1 win at home against Tenerife on Saturday.  They travel the short 90 km trip north to Sevilla on Tuesday, and while Xerez would almost be certain to lose at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán in normal times, these are not normal times.

Manolo Jiménez’s reign as manager of Sevilla remains in the air, the players have not responded in a constructive manner since they surrendered a two-goal advantage to Real Madrid earlier this month, and they have not won a match in any competition since they broke Mallorca’s 100% home record on February 20.  A turnaround against Xerez seems inevitable, but Néstor Gorosito’s men can actually sniff a chance to stave off relegation for the first time all year, and if their Andalusian neighbors are able to snatch any points, Jiménez may not make it to the end of the week.

For FC Barcelona, they would one of the last teams to welcome a mid-week round on the surface because if they can negotiate past Arsenal in the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League, they would endure a sixteen match stretch over the span of just fifty-six days.  All told, they would have a mid-week game along with a weekend match every week from March 14 to May 9.

Already a squad suffering with injuries in key positions, a full week of rest would appear to be on Barcelona’s wish list, but their building momentum has eerie parallels to last season, when they became the first Spanish team to win the treble.  While they will not defend their Copa del Rey championship, La Liga and the Champions League are well within reach, and with the scheduling in this round, Barcelona has the opportunity to put the pressure on Real Madrid, as Barcelona’s match against Osasuna is on Wednesday, and Real will have to wait until Thursday to respond to Barça’s performance.

As for Getafe, they need wins to creep into the European discussion, and they host the royalty of Madrid to their humble abode in the southern zone of the Madrid metropolitan area in the final match of the round on Thursday night.  Getafe’s impressive record against Real Madrid in the last five years, three wins and two draws in nine meetings, gives Los Azulones a shot of confidence against a Real Madrid side that has retained only one goal from the beginning of the season: conquering La Liga.

With Real Madrid’s eyes solely focused on winning the league, they cannot afford to drop any points with the pace that Barcelona set at the top of the table.  Los Blancos have caught up with the Blaugrana, but Getafe is Real’s thorn in their side, and Getafe manager Míchel will not miss an opportunity to impress Florentino Pérez and the Real boardroom should Manuel Pellegrini be relieved of his duties at the end of the season.  While former Real cantera product Roberto Soldado will not participate in this Madrid derby, other cantera products Adrián González, Miguel Torres, and Dani Parejo need no extra incentive to show up their former employers at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez.

The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Mar. 23

Sporting Gijón vs. Deportivo La Coruña – 2:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360

Sevilla vs. Xerez – 4:55 PM on Gol TV

Mar. 24

Tenerife vs. Villarreal – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 456

Racing Santander vs. Mallorca – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 457

Almería vs. Real Zaragoza – 2:45 PM on DirecTV channel 458

FC Barcelona vs. Osasuna – 2:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360

Valencia vs. Málaga – 4:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360

Mar. 25

Getafe vs. Real Madrid – 2:55 PM on Gol TV

Atlético Madrid vs. Athletic Bilbao – 4:55 PM on Gol TV

Unfortunately, the Real Valladolid – Espanyol clash at the Estadio José Zorrilla will not be shown on US TV.

Referee Alfonso Pérez Burrull had many situations with which to deal in this match.

While Real Madrid and Barcelona run away from the rest of the field in the struggle for the La Liga title, the tussle for the next four European spots is just as fascinating.  The mix of teams truly runs the gamut from the usuals to the upstarts.

Sevilla and Valencia continue to be the consistent teams that finish in the top five.  Deportivo La Coruña is trying to regain their European pedigree that glittered the Galicians from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s.  Athletic Bilbao and Mallorca have ridden the roller coaster in the past decade, from top-ten finishes to relegation scares in other years.  Then there is Getafe, the little team from the outskirts of Madrid that has actually competed in European competition more recently than Athletic, Mallorca, or Depor.

In the early Saturday kickoff, Athletic Club and Getafe squared off in San Mamés in a match that included direct consequences to the European race.  Unlike most leagues, if clubs are tied on points at the end of the season, the first tiebreaker is the head-to-head record.  In the reverse fixture in October, Getafe handled the Basques with little problem 2-0, although that game occurred at a time when Athletic reeled from losing four of their previous six matches.  Now that the end-of-season possibilities become much clearer, both of these teams had plenty of incentive to take the three points with Europe in the front of their minds.

This was Getafe’s first match since they received the news that Roberto Soldado would be out of action for a month and a half with a torn meniscus in his right knee.  Miku, the striker that Getafe got on a free transfer in January from Valencia, became the natural replacement for Soldado as the lone striker in Getafe’s 4-2-3-1 formation.

Getafe’s back line was a bit of a hodgepodge because right back Miguel Torres filled in as a central defender in place of Cata Díaz, and David Cortés got a rare start at right back.  Preparing a makeshift defense to face a fierce three-pronged Athletic attack, especially at San Mamés, was one of the top priorities for Getafe manager Míchel heading into Saturday.

Athletic Club, however, had its regular players ready for selection against Getafe.  In their 0-0 draw with Sporting Gijón last weekend, Athletic missed another penalty that cost them points.  That time, it was Igor Gabilondo that was denied, and with none of the relevant teams in the European scrap winning last weekend, Athletic threw away two more vital points that would have tied them with Sevilla at fourth place.

When Athletic plays at home, they tend to play more football on the ground than in the air, and they ratchet up their typical physical play.  Saturday’s match was no exception, and when Pablo Orbaiz scored in the 14th minute for Athletic, they deserved to be in the lead.  Bilbao’s manager Joaquin Caparrós employed his tactics to perfection, as his team pushed around Getafe, and El Geta had no answer.  Even though Getafe played with more of the ball, Athletic did not allow them to flow with their usual fluidity.  The only way that Getafe could get into the match was through an Athletic mistake, and that mistake transpired in the 32nd minute, when Manu del Moral’ shot/cross somehow sneaked past Gorka Iraizoz to equalize 1-1.

The Getafe attack seemed to have passed, and Manu’s cross from the left flank initially looked harmless, but Bilbao central defender Mikel San José, on loan from Liverpool, decided to let the ball go at the last second towards Iraizoz instead of clearing it, and Iraizoz could not adjust himself in time when he realized the ball was coming toward him.  The ball nestled into the side netting, and the shock and frustration from that conceded goal spilled over in the 37th minute when Pablo Orbaiz was sent off with a red card.

After Orbaiz suffered a late challenge from David Cortés, Orbaiz retaliated by viciously kicking David Cortés in the groin.  Cortés received a yellow card for the tackle on Orbaiz, but Orbaiz’s indemnity for the tackle was uncalled for and potentially damaging for Athletic in the long run, as he will likely be suspended for more than one match.

Athletic continued their on-the-edge physical style when Carlos Gurpegui was cautioned for studding Javier Casquero’s ankle late in the first half.

To start the second half, Caparrós made an aggressive and positive substitution by inserting Iker Muniain in place of Gabilondo on the left side of Fernando Llorente.  Gabilondo ghosted through the first half, and whether David Cortés gave him fits down the left flank, or he had not recovered from his missed penalty hangover, Caparrós made the right move by giving Muniain a chance to spark his ten-man team.

Muniain did just as he was prescribed, catalyzing an attack that nearly gave Gaizka Toquero a tap-in to give Athletic the 2-1 edge.  In the 51st minute, Muniain performed some fancy dribbling to lay it off for Andoni Iraola, and Iraola’s hit his squared ball across the face of goal a shade too hard for Gaizka Toquero to get a toe on it, and it flashed just past the left far post.

With the game opened up completely with only twenty-one players on the pitch, Getafe expectedly had the upper hand, but Athletic endeavored into Getafe’s final third quite often, especially since the inclusion of Iker Muniain.

The game came to a lull until Miguel Torres brought down Markel Susaeta in the box to give Athletic a penalty kick to regain the lead.  Torres received a straight red card for a “pull” on the shirt of Susaeta in the box on top of his yellow card he received earlier in the match.  There was little to no contact from Torres on Susaeta, but Torres caused the problem when he tried to shepherd the ball back to Getafe goalkeeper Jordi Codina but could not reach Codina before Susaeta got there.

Fernando Llorente squeezed his penalty past Jordi Codina.

The penalty responsibility laid upon their talisman Fernando Llorente, and Athletic’s poor three for seven conversion rate from the penalty spot this year could easily have weighed on Llorente’s mind as he stepped up to take the penalty.  Maybe that was on his mind, but he did not show it as he stroked the ball into the back of the net.  Codina guessed the right way, but Llorente placed it in the corner, where Codina could not get a hand onto it.

The lead did not last long, as Pedro León completely baffled Carlos Gurpegui with a couple of cutbacks in the box, and Gurpegui could only recover enough to partially deflect Pedro León’s shot and fool Iraizoz as it went past him.  A 2-2 final that both teams would feel as though they should have earned the full three points.

What a match for referee Alfonso Pérez Burrull to call.  A couple of weeks ago, after a horrific performance in the Atlético Madrid – Valencia match, the Liga de Fútbol Profesional (LFP) suspended Pérez Burrull for a couple of matches.  Unfortunately known for his high-profile gaffes, Pérez Burrull had to control a match that was on the verge of chaos.  The belief is that a strong referee can limit a match from becoming out of control, and while in most cases that is true, the referee can do little if the players have it in their mind to follow through on their cynical ideas.

Athletic Club is one of the hardest teams for referees to call in La Liga because their physical style borders on the line from legal to illegal.  Maybe Pérez Burrull could have warned both teams earlier when the challenges flew around with little abandon, but he could not prevent what Pablo Orbaiz did to David Cortés.  In addition, the other talking point was the penalty and subsequent red card he brandished to Miguel Torres late in the match.  Yes, the contact was minimal, but Torres did prevent Susaeta from a goal-scoring opportunity, and Pérez Burrull had little choice in the matter.

The referee aside, Athletic can only blame itself for surrendering two points to Getafe.  Los Azulones are a solid team, but they lacked their top scorer, and Athletic’s supernal home form would suggest a win against Getafe.  Luckily, for Athletic, none of the teams with whom they are involved in the competition for Europe strung a series of positive results that would have put Bilbao in a severe uphill climb.  Eleven matches remain, and if Athletic can stay disciplined for those upcoming matches, they can easily qualify for Europe due to placement in the league, not because they were the losing team in the Copa del Rey final.

Fueras de Juego

- Sevilla’s malaise continues as Espanyol thrived on Los Nervionenses‘ impotent performance with an easy 2-0 win.  Aside from the match itself, the fans at the Cornellà – El Prat paid a poignant tribute to both teams’ fallen players, Daniel Jarque and Antonio Puerta.  All season long, the Espanyol fans all clap in unison during the 21st minute in honor of their previous captain Daniel Jarque, who wore the number 21 and who tragically died in the preseason from a heart attack.  If there were any team that would know this pain, it would be Sevilla because in August of 2007, they lost their own player, Antonio Puerta, to a cardiac arrest.  When the game reached the 16th minute, the Espanyol fans stood up and clapped for that whole minute in honor of Antonio Puerta, who wore the number 16.

- Three golazos of the week.  The golazo for pure technique goes to Felipe Mattioni of Mallorca.  Mallorca kept its stellar home form with a 4-1 dismissal of Atlético Madrid, and the exclamation point for the islanders was Felipe Mattioni’s exquisite volley in the 90th minute that astonished Atleti goalkeeper David de Gea.  From a curling cross from the left flank, Mattioni side-volleyed a bullet that required perfect timing and technique from twenty-five yards.

- David Silva provided the golazo of the week for pure improvisation as his Valencia team struck an impressive 2-0 victory over an Almería team that could be argued as the third best team in La Liga in the second half of the season.  Knocked down on the floor from a Santi Acasiete tackle, Silva still possessed the presence of mind to keep himself involved in the play, and from the seat of his pants, he swept and hooked the ball into goal past a diving Diego Alves.

- In Lionel Messi’s hat-trick in Barcelona’s 2-4 win against a tough Real Zaragoza side when they play at home in La Romareda, his second goal was the golazo of the week for pure determination.  Not known for his physical prowess, Messi bullied the ball away from Ander Herrera near the halfway line, and he proceeded to go on a mazy run, skipping past a sliding Jiri Jarošik, then cutting back twice against Matteo Contini, who screwed himself into the ground with the twist and turns that Messi forced them to do, and ultimately shooting across the face of goal and past Roberto to give Barça the 0-2 lead.  In contrast to Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s glaring misses, Messi’s ingenuity continues to awe.

La playa del Sardinero, for which Racing Santander's stadium is name, is a popular and stunning beach at the north end of Santander that attract many tourists every year.

The final third of the season commences this weekend with a slate of matches that will likely impact European places more than the title race.  Both Real Madrid and Barcelona will face clubs at the bottom half of the table, and barring any catastrophes, they should fend off Sporting Gijón and Real Zaragoza, respectively, with relative ease.

The two most intriguing games involve those fighting for a top six spot.  Athletic Bilbao hosts Getafe at San Mamés in the early Saturday kickoff, and Los Leones‘ home record remains stellar with only three losses out of twelve and a win and a draw over Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.  The mediocre play of both Valencia and Sevilla has given a number of teams, including Athletic Club, justifiable hope that they could represent La Liga in the Champions League next season.

Athletic is only three points behind Sevilla for fourth place, and having last participated in the Champions League in 1998, their only time since the European Cup became the Champions League in 1992, they would want nothing more than to prove that their restrictive player policies can produce a team capable of mingling with the top teams in Europe.

As for Getafe, their recent poor results have caused the Madrid side to drift away from the European scrap, but their 3-0 demolition of Mallorca last weekend may have turned the corner for Míchel’s men.  Getafe is six points behind Deportivo La Coruña for that final Europa League spot, and while the gap is surmountable on the surface, the news that their ace striker Roberto Soldado will miss the next month and a half with a torn meniscus suffered in that win against Mallorca will dampen the mood within the dressing room.  Miku will likely deputize for Soldado as Getafe’s lone striker, and they will need him to fill Soldado’s sizable boots for the time being.

The other alluring match of the weekend sees Mallorca inviting Atlético Madrid into the “cauldron” that is the ONO Estadi.  Mallorca’s European hopes will be directly correlated to how they defend their home turf to close out the season.  Winning eleven out of twelve home matches is a wonderful accomplishment, but their appalling away record means that they will need a couple of victories at home over the traditional powers in Spain.  This mission starts on Sunday against an Atlético Madrid team who will take their Europa League momentum into this match.

Funny how Atlético Madrid rises to the occasion when the odds are stacked against them.  Earning a 2-2 draw against Sporting CP at the Estádio José Alvalade sent los colchoneros into the quarterfinals of the Europa League, and a domestic and European cup double is not out of the question.  Their poor away record in the league, however, combined with Mallorca’s superlative home record should equal three points for the islanders, but predicting Atlético’s performance from week to week would leave many gamblers owing their loan sharks everything they own.

Note: La Liga will have a mid-week round next week, and the preview for that will arrive on Tuesday morning.

Extra Note: ESPN will show a rare Saturday match with Real Madrid against Sporting Gijón.  Usually filled with college sports on Saturday, the start of the NCAA Tournament on CBS along with the Women’s NCAA Tournament on ESPN2 indicates that ESPN is wide open, and thus, the Real Madrid game that would be only seen on ESPN Deportes and ESPN 360 on Saturday will be available on ESPN Saturday and in high definition.

The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Mar. 20

Athletic Bilbao vs. Getafe – 12:45 PM on DirecTV channel 456

Deportivo La Coruña vs. Real Valladolid - 12:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360

Real Madrid vs. Sporting Gijón – 2:55 PM on ESPN HD/ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360

Espanyol vs. Sevilla – 4:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360

Mar. 21

Málaga vs. Villarreal – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 456

Osasuna vs. Racing Santander – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 457

Mallorca vs. Atlético Madrid – 12:00 PM on Gol TV

Valencia vs. Almería – 1:55 PM on Gol TV

Real Zaragoza vs. FC Barcelona – 3:55 PM on Gol TV

Unfortunately, the Xerez – Tenerife match at El Chapín will not be shown on US TV.

A forlorn Manolo Jiménez rues his side's inability to capture the moment against CSKA Moskva.

With the advantage of the away goal, Sevilla looked in prime position to advance to the quarterfinals of the UEFA Champions League.  Unfortunately, Manolo Jiménez’s team played as though they were already in the next round.  A 0-0 score line would have sent Sevilla through, and even though Diego Perotti declared that they could not be confident in their advantage or rely on the fact that they were playing at home, there was little impetus from Los Nervionenses in their attack.

CSKA Moskva also played this cat-and-mouse game, knowing that they did not need to push forward and leave themselves open to a swift counter-attack.  When Tomáš Necid scored in the 39th minute from a seemingly harmless throw-in deep in the Sevilla half, Sevilla woke up from their slumber and immediately responded with a goal of their own two minutes later.

The CSKA defense allowed a long ball from an Andrés Palop free kick to bounce near the penalty area, and Jesús Navas capitalized on this good fortune by gathering the ball and squaring the ball to Diego Perotti, who coolly finished with aplomb from seven yards to equalize at 1-1.

Jiménez substituted Diego Capel to start the second half in favor of Frédéric Kanouté to have another out-and-out striker with Luís Fabiano, but play reverted to the opening thirty-eight minutes of the match.  Sevilla went into hibernation again, and it cost them in the 55th minute, when Palop palmed Keisuke Honda’s free kick into his own net.  Although Honda fiercely struck the ball, Palop got himself into perfect position to catch it or deflect it away.  Palop rightly decided to push the ball away instead of attempting to snatch it in the air, but he somehow managed to deflect it into his own goal in one of the worst blunders in this year’s Champions League.

Galvanization did not repeat itself after Sevilla fell behind a second time, and they timidly fell out of the competition 1-2 in the match and 2-3 on aggregate.  The ineffective performances ran rampant across the Sevilla squad.  Renato failed to muster any extended possession in midfield, Luís Fabiano became a ghost as he could not be seen through most of the match, and Andrés Palop made the mistake that forced Sevilla to score twice without conceding in the final thirty-five minutes.

It would be easy to say that without Palop’s error, the match would have gone into extra time, but with all of these “what if” scenarios, any single event in a football match is not mutually exclusive.  Assuming that the rest of the match would have gone as it ended up without CSKA’s second goal would be fallacious.  CSKA had the slight upper hand throughout the match, and they were the more likely team to score anyway, whether it occurred with a goalkeeping error or by CSKA’s own brilliant play.

Sevilla deserved to be knocked out of the Champions League, and they face a fight from multiple angles to qualify for the Champions League next year.  Deportivo La Coruña, Mallorca, and Athletic Bilbao are all within three points of Sevilla for the fourth Champions League spot, and while these teams do not possess the talent and the European experience like Sevilla, the Andalucians cannot take for granted that they will finish in the top four.  If they finish the La Liga season in the same nonchalant fashion and attitude as they played against CSKA, the Europa League beckons.

The "Best Player in the World" debate should be tabled for the time being.

Someone forgot to tell Stuttgart that there was a crucial Champions League match this evening.  As confident and daring as they were at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in the first leg, Die Roten were timid and meek at the Camp Nou.  Obviously needing at least one goal in order to have any legitimate chance of brushing the defending champions away, they only had two shots all night, and neither of those shots were on target.

The match, however, told more about Barcelona’s dominance than Stuttgart’s quiescence.  Pep Guardiola made the bold move of leaving Zlatan Ibrahimovic on the bench in favor of Thierry Henry, a man who has only scored three goals in La Liga and has found it difficult to break into the starting eleven.  His revealing performance in the second half against Valencia on Sunday gave Guardiola the confidence to employ him as the central striker against Stuttgart.

A thigh injury ruled Xavi Hernández out of the Stuttgart match, and with Seydou Keita not fully fit to start, Touré Yaya became the choice for Guardiola, although there was little alternative.  Mainly used as a defensive midfielder, he patrolled the left side of midfield as though he were a tricky winger.  Numerous counter-attacks saw him bomb down the left flank with astonishing ease, and he directly contributed to Pedro Rodríguez’s opening goal with an unselfish squared ball across the penalty area that he could have easily shot himself.  Another player that has been stuck on the substitutes’ bench for most of the year, Guardiola shows the ability to inspire even the most disgruntled of players.

Then there is that man again.  Without waxing poetic to the point of veneration, Lionel Messi continues to befuddle the opposition while involving his teammates in many of the attacks in which he is involved.  Lately, due to the inconsistencies of Ibrahimovic, Pedro, and Henry, Messi had to shoulder more of the scoring load, and he looks to take a crack at goal more often than at any other time in his career.

Messi always possessed the skill and the guile to be one of the best players in the world, but in the last couple of seasons and especially in the last few months, his clinical finishing ascended to world-class level.  When Messi scored the first goal in the 14th minute, the Stuttgart defense decided to back off him instead of closing down his space in fear that he would make one move and slice them in half.  With this clearing, Messi popped a top left corner laser that Jens Lehmann had no chance of saving, and the rout commenced.

On Barça’s second goal, Messi played the provider, as he floated a ball over the top of the Stuttgart defense to Touré Yaya, and he squared the ball to Pedro, who delivered it into the back of the net.  Messi would score another goal in tandem with Dani Alves later in the match, but the damage was done, and Barcelona marched on into the quarterfinals, where no one would want to draw them on Friday afternoon, when the matchups for the rest of the competition will be sorted out.

Bordeaux’s talisman Yoann Gourcuff already declared that his team would like to face anyone but Barcelona in the quarterfinals, and every other team left might have this same request.  Now that Olympique Lyonnais eliminated Real Madrid and CSKA Moskva bounced Sevilla from the Champions League, Barcelona represents the only Spanish team remaining in the competition, and they are peaking at the right time of the season.  They wrote this script last campaign, and they won the treble.  Why deviate now?

My nieces, in blue, combining to nullify the opposition attack.

Apologies to those who expected the usual Monday column that recaps the latest round in La Liga.  I did not watch a single La Liga match this past weekend because I attended my twin nieces’ soccer tournament.  Although classified as U-9, their team played in the U-10 group, and they won the championship, proudly accepting the winners’ medals with an everlasting gleam in their wondrous eyes.

The older U-10 team that my nieces’ team faced held a 2-1 lead with seconds remaining, but a late equalizer forced extra time.  After two scoreless periods in extra time, both of these teams would encounter the cruel ending that is penalty kicks for the first time in their lives.

My precocious nieces feel the nervousness when they perform penalties on FIFA 09, and now, they were selected to be two of the penalty takers in the shootout.  They invoked the power of prayer as a vehicle for their jangling nerves while they watched their teammates take their penalties and awaited their own.  They both made their penalties, but after each team took their five penalties, both teams were still tied.  The sixth penalty proved pivotal as my nieces’ team converted their penalty and the opposition missed theirs.  Even at such a young age, the famous Jim McKay line “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” felt appropriate because while my nieces’ team celebrated, their opposition could not hold back their tears.

The most telling difference between watching professionals in various European leagues and watching children in this U-10 tournament was the willingness of the children to adapt to their surroundings versus the paid football players.  A torrent of rain surged through the city hosting this tournament the night before the competition started, and when my nieces’ first match kicked off at 12:30 PM the next day, they trudged through a mushy pitch that bore little grass with which to begin because the last vestiges of winter still reigned even though spring temperatures had sprung up sporadically.

Bad bounces, balls halting to a complete stop while dribbling, and frequent slips that these children endured would discourage many professionals.  The chronic carping and lamenting of the surface would have been endless from the professionals, but the children continued to play their football as though the pitch compared to the old Wembley Stadium.

Covering professionals for a living can jade the most optimistic of journalists, but if they need a break from the constant petulance and complaining of grown men who earn millions of Euros, attend a match or competition involving young children.  They just want to play.  Although you get the occasional parent who goes overboard, the purity of the sport lies here in these children.

La Plaza del Toros de Las Ventas in Madrid is the largest bullring in Spain, and it is considered the most prestigious bullring in the world.

The thrilling race at the top of La Liga came to a head last weekend, when Barcelona dropped two points at surging Almería, and Real Madrid fought back from a 0-2 deficit to win against Sevilla in the second minute of stoppage time 3-2.  Now the two exemplars of Spanish football are tied for the lead on sixty-two points, fifteen points of third-place Valencia, who could only manage a 0-0 draw at home against struggling Racing Santander on Monday night.

Barcelona will play with two minds, as they play in the glamor match of the weekend against Valencia on Sunday while worrying about their second leg in the Champions League against Stuttgart three days later.  With Real Madrid only focusing on La Liga at this point, Barça cannot afford to drop points at this juncture of the season, even against a Valencia team that outplayed them in the 0-0 reverse fixture in October.

As for Real Madrid, the postmortem of their dismissal from the Champions League continues, as everyone has chimed in about Madrid’s performance against Olympique Lyonnais, from the players involved to the manager, the owner, and former players.  The Madrid press labeled their loss as an embarrassment, while the Barcelona press echoed the same sentiments in a more gleeful manner.

Although Real has a right to blush about being knocked out in the first elimination round of the Champions League for the sixth consecutive year, the media and the team has completely belittled the stellar performance by Lyon and the second half adjustments by Claude Puel to seize the result in the Santiago Bernabéu.  Of course no one will deny that Real should have scored twice more in the first half, especially Gonzalo Higuaín’s open-netter that hit the post, but a team that is worthy of winning Europe’s most prestigious competition converts those chances, and Real Madrid did not.

Los Blancos visit Real Valladolid in the late Sunday kickoff, and if Madrid is not careful, their Champions League hangover could filter into this match against a team fighting for top-flight survival.

The other two intriguing matches of the weekend include the late Saturday kickoff between Sevilla and Deportivo La Coruña, where they are two of the four teams fighting a battle royale for the fourth Champions League spot, and the traditional 5:00 PM Sunday kickoff between Almería and Málaga, two teams that have turned their seasons around from certain relegation to relative mid-table security.

The times listed are Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DirecTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.

Extra note: the main ESPN channels will carry their first La Liga match in over a month with Barcelona against Valencia, so catch this important clash on ESPN2 in high definiton.

Extra extra note: the United States will go into daylight savings time on Sunday, but Europe will not go into daylight savings time until March 28, so for the next couple of weeks, the US times for these matches will be one hour later than normal.

Mar. 13

Getafe vs. Mallorca – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 456

Sporting Gijón vs. Athletic Bilbao – 1:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360

Sevilla vs. Deportivo La Coruña – 3:55 PM on Gol TV

Mar. 14

Almería vs. Málaga – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 456

Racing Santander vs. Real Zaragoza – 11:45 AM on DirecTV channel 457

Villarreal vs. Xerez – 11:55 AM on Gol TV

FC Barcelona vs. Valencia – 1:55 PM on ESPN2 HD/ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360

Real Valladolid vs. Real Madrid – 3:55 PM on Gol TV

Mar. 15

Atlético Madrid vs. Osasuna – 3:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360

Unfortunately, the Tenerife – Espanyol match at the Heliodoro Rodríguez López will not be shown on US TV.

UEFA Champions League

The ramifications from Real Madrid’s elimination are still being felt throughout Spain, but there are still two La Liga teams in the tournament that have a chance to carry the flag for Spain.  Stuttgart bested Barcelona through many parts of the first leg, but despite that, Stuttgart conceded the away goal and face avoiding a negative result at the Camp Nou on Wednesday evening.  Barcelona hopes this will be déjà vu all over again because last season in the first knockout round, they scrapped their way to a 1-1 draw at the Stade de Gerland against Lyon before convincingly ousting them in the second leg at home 5-2.  Knowing that they have a legitimate shot to defend the trophy at the Bernabéu, the blaugrana will have all the motivation they need to succeed on Wednesday.

Sevilla will encounter a similar situation to Barcelona, as they play a crucial domestic league match against Deportivo La Coruña before battling CSKA Moskva on Tuesday.  Los Nervionenses are the betting favorites to proceed to the quarterfinals, and the fitness of CSKA will be tested on Tuesday because they sent out their best eleven against FK Amkar Perm on Friday in their first Russian Premier League match of the season.  CSKA midfielder Mark Gonzalez will be sure to get the rudest of ovations in the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán since he scored the equalizer in Moscow, but more pertinent to the Sevilla fans, he was a Real Betis player.

Mar. 16

Sevilla vs. CSKA Moskva – 3:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel (Sevilla 1-1 CSKA Moskva after the first leg)

Mar. 17

FC Barcelona vs. Stuttgart – 3:30 PM on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Sports en Español (FC Barcelona 1-1 Stuttgart after the first leg)

UEFA Europa League

Atlético Madrid and Sporting Clube de Portugal played to a drab 0-0 draw at the Vicente Calderón on Thursday, but there were a couple of flash points, as two Sporting defenders, Leandro Grimi and Tonel, received red cards and will not be available for Sporting in Lisbon next Thursday.

Los Colchoneros had a man-advantage for more than an hour and a two-man advantage for the final few minutes, but as they are wont to do this season, they do not perform well when circumstances fall their way.  Now they face the cauldron that is the Estádio José Alvalade in Lisbon in the second leg, but Atleti can take comfort knowing that they were able to win at Galatasaray to advance to this round, one of the most fearsome teams to play at home in all of Europe.

Valencia’s match at the Mestalla vs. Werder Bremen had every ingredient of an enthralling match; beautiful, flowing football, offensive aggressiveness from both teams, controversial calls, multiple yellow cards, a red card, wonderful saves, and golden chances spurned.  All of this equaled a 1-1 draw that gives the advantage to Werder Bremen as they return to the Weserstadion on Thursday.  Juan Mata and David Villa uncharacteristically flubbed on significant opportunities, and just like Real Madrid did in the first half of their second leg against Lyon, those missed chances could come back to haunt Los Che by the end of this tie.

Mar. 18

Werder Bremen vs. Valencia – 1:45 PM on DirecTV channel 463 (463-1 for HD) (Werder Bremen 1-1 Valencia after the first leg)

Sporting CP vs. Atletico Madrid – 4:00 PM on Gol TV (Sporting CP 0-0 Atlético Madrid after the first leg)