So I commissioned a piece of art to be done for me based off of an OC I recently posted here... Manuel Oscar Suarez. With Mirabel. It was supposed to be of their first meeting and...
@ricsfiles on Instagram or @httycipher on Twitter
DID AN AMAZING JOB!!! PLEASE go follow them for their amazing artwork. It legit looks like it's from Disney's Storybook or Concept Art book... and I love it! They gave Mirabel longer hair because she's 19 in this scenario... and I love everything about it. I'm so happy with it!!
Cancun FC Suffers Close 0-2 Defeat Against Dorados' Strong Tackles
Explosive Sports: Mexico Soccer
Recently in the Mexican Professional Soccer League, Cancun FC soccer club suffered a 0-2 away loss against Dorados de Sinaloa in the sixth round of matches. Dorados entered the new season unbeaten.
Cancun FC took to the field as usual under coach Martin Molina Astorga's starting whistle, but lacked strength and were defeated 2-0 by Dorados de Sinaloa at Banorte Sports Stadium in the sixth day of the 2021 MX Expansion League "Grita México" opening tournament.
This was Cancun FC's third commitment as visitors, marking the debut of their black alternate jerseys. "La Ola Futbolera" chose the same squad that faced Mineros facing Andrés Quintana Roo; Cristian Campestrini in goal; Ricardo Cruz, Heriberto Aguayo, Alexis Torres and Antonio Sánchez in defense; Michael Pérez, Luis Felipe Emocisyo, Francisco Estrada, Paul Uscanga and Adán Zaragoza in midfield; and Ayer Delgadillo as striker.
Coach Federico Vilar also gracefully returned to the substitute bench after his suspension. Before the fight, he greeted his opponent Rafael "Chiquis" Garcia. Goalkeeper Cristian Campestrini was another who did not miss the opportunity to do so.
As expected, the match was intense and close, leaving many impressions. For example, up front, Ayer Delgadillo was closely guarded by Luis Hernández, while Alonso Samora was responsible for taking care of the technically skilled Adán Zaragoza.
In the first half the agonizing shot from number "21" grazed the right post of goalkeeper Luis López, causing great panic for the home team.
Dorados wanted it but could not, precisely because of the order shown by 'La Ola' in the defensive zone. José Zuniga and Jonathan Beadon could not act freely.
For the substitutions, the main course of the game did not change. Cancun FC were even more pushed back. In contrast, Dorados took hard tackles, such as Luis Felix's tackle on Adán Zaragoza, which almost "opened" the Caribbean.
In the ensuing action, Zaragoza caused the maximum penalty sanction defined by referee Molina, considering he dived when Luis Felix simply pushed him into a large area.
At 79 minutes, the referee made a mistake by disallowing a valid goal by Daniel Delgadillo, who completed the game in a good position, but unfortunately the mistake of assistant coach Jesus Gomez confused the central referee and committed a terrible error against coach Federico Vilar
The match seemed to end evenly matched, but at 83 minutes, the captain of "El Gran Pez" Adolfo Dominguez broke the deadlock. Dorados were already winning 1-0.
The pride of "La Ola" was hurt, keeping its ambition to find the target. Now in a counterattack, thanks to the space he left, Jonathan Beadon locked in the northern team's victory at 2-0.
Cancun FC lineup: Cristian Campestrini, Oscar Torres, Heriberto Aguayo, Ricardo Cruz, Antonio Sánchez, Michael Pérez, Felipe Hermosillo, Francisco Estrada, Adán Zaragoza, Francisco Uscanga and Daniel Delgadillo.
Substitutes: David Montavo, Luciano Bocco, Luis Alonso, Benjamin Gallindo, Simon Almeida, Sher Mohammed, Manuel Cibba, Jesus Vargas and Sergio Ippolito.
Dorados lineup: Luis López, Luis Félix, Alonso Samora, Salvador Meneses, Jesús Vega, Luis Hernández, Adolfo Dominguez, Jonathan Suarez, Paul Irarrazabal, José Zuniga and Jonathan Beadon.
Substitutes: Carlos Alvarez, Aaron Mejia, Jesús Basques, Iván Tornel, Antonio Nava, Giovanni León, José Lugo, Mirsad Ereira, Miguel Diaz and Adrián Marín.
Stop the aggressions against the Zapatistas! - Manifesto signed by Noam Chomsky, Boaventura De Sousa, Raúl Zibechi, Enzo Traverso, Gilberto López y Rivas and more.
Today those who defend the environment are slaughtered every day. At a time like the one that the planet lives in which the protection of those who defend it is required, the opposite happens. Those who have resisted this destruction by the powerful have not stopped saying NO, they have always done so, although the current administration does not want to have memory.
The murder in the community of Amilcingo, Morelos of Samir Flores, a member of the resistance against the Comprehensive Plan Morelos, its gas pipeline and thermoelectric plants that put the life and territory of Nahua communities in Puebla and Morelos at risk; the massacre of 15 Ikoot indigenous people in San Mateo del Mar, Oaxaca, one of the regions that has opposed the Trans-isthmian Corridor projects; the growing paramilitary violence in Chiapas, with 56 attacks in the municipality of Aldama alone, and the kidnapping in February of members of the National Indigenous Council (CNI) of the municipality of Chenalhó are proof that the war continues.
Now the violence is becoming more and more explicit against the Zapatista communities. The growth of the activity of paramilitary groups such as “Los Chinchulines” or the Regional Organization of Coffee Growers of Ocosingo (ORCAO), as well as the appearance of new groups, is exacerbating tension in the region. The theft and burning of warehouses and houses of the Moisés Ghandi community, of the Autonomous Rebel Zapatista Municipality “Lucio Cabañas”, (in the official municipality of Ocosingo), show the increase in the intensity of the aggressions and provocations against the Zapatista Army of National Liberation. The EZLN has respected the ceasefire for years and has focused on strengthening its autonomous organizational processes with schools, clinics, and justice systems. It is serious that one of the ethical references of resistance and construction of concrete and viable alternatives for the planet continues to be under siege, and it is even more serious that the response of those who seek to “transform Mexico” is complicity or oblivion in the face of these extermination attempts. .
It is extremely worrying that this occurs in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, that there are those who seek to take advantage of the vulnerability in which everyone finds themselves to fuel their ambitions for money and power. It is more worrisome when those who are supposedly in charge of preventing such abuses allow and therefore favor them.
Beyond the erroneous or successful changes of the executive power, which shows this escalation of violence in indigenous areas, and the worsening of paramilitary attacks in the Zapatista territory in Chiapas, is the continuity of the racist, colonial and paternalistic vision of the governments. liberals and conservatives, left and right. Projects such as the Mayan Train show the idea of bringing "development" to indigenous peoples by turning them into cheap labor and contributing only the folkloric image of the Mexican indigenous.
The violence and dispossession of indigenous territories that megaprojects such as the Trans-isthmian Corridor or the Mayan Train imply and require are the ethical breaking point of the current Mexican government, it is where the moral stature that President López Obrador has awarded in front of its predecessors begins to collapse.
Those of us who signed this letter are watching carefully what is happening in Mexico, what is happening in the Zapatista communities that for decades have been a benchmark for other ways of living, health, education, justice, politics. We will not allow the extermination of indigenous peoples with the recurring excuse of development.
International firms
Noam Chomsky (USA)
Saskia Sassen (USA)
Raúl Zibechi (Uruguay)
Marcos Roitman (Spanish State)
Oscar Olivera (Bolivia)
Hugo Blanco Galdos (Peru)
Boaventura De Sousa Santos (Portugal)
Michael Hardt (USA)
Yvon Le Bot (France)
Philippe Corcuff (France)
Jaime Pastor (Spanish State)
Manuel Garí Ramos. Economist. Member of Anticapitalistas (Spanish State)
Juan Wahren (Argentina)
Sabrina Melenotte (France)
Daniel Mato (Argentina)
John Gibler (USA)
José Angel Quintero Weir - Wainjirawa Indigenous Organization (Venezuela)
Roberto Ojeda Escalante (Cusco, Peru)
Pepe Mejía, journalist, social activist, Correspondent for Indigenous Struggle in Europe
Conozca los postulados a rectores del CNE (+Listado)
Los nombre de los 75 postulados y postuladas a rectores y rectoras del Consejo Nacional Electoral (CNE) que pasaron la etapa de evaluación realizada por el Comité de Postulaciones Electorales, fueron dados a conocer por el Comité de Postulaciones Electorales de la Asamblea Nacional (AN).
El Comité informó que de las 75 postulaciones que superaron esta etapa, 47 pertenecen a la sociedad civil, 10 a las universidades y 18 al Poder Ciudadano, cumpliendo así con el artículo 26 de la Ley Orgánica del Poder Electoral.
A continuación el listado
Candidatos postulados por las facultades de Ciencia Jurídicas y Políticas de las Universidades:
5.424.288 HAROLD ELISEO ALBORNOZ TORREALBA
8.789.248 CARMEN ALVAREZ CABEZA
9.363.630 ANGEL ZULEY ANTUNEZ PEREZ
13.748.998 WILSON GOMEZ GUEVARA
4.767.120 ALEJANDRO JOSE UGARTE SPERANDIO
7.726.798 PEDRO ALBERTO ISEA GONZALEZ
7.275.591 JOSE RAMON MUÑOZ MONTILLA
11.469.855 LILIMAR JOSEFINA ROJAS DAVILA
4.793.004 LERMIT JOSE ROSELL PUCHE
12.630.557 MICHELY ALEXANDRA VIVAS CHACON
Candidatos postulados por el Poder Ciudadano:
4.596.507 FRANCISCO GUSTAVO AMONI VELASQUEZ
10.815.608 ODALIS YANETTE ARTEAGA PEÑA
9.683.971 ALFREDO GERMAN BAPTISTA OVIEDO
9.652.930 REINALDO ENRIQUE CARVALLO MACHADO
7.959.098 JULIO ANTONIO DUNO OLIVEROS
11.199.471 MANUEL JOSE ESCAURIZA SANCHEZ
6.730.853 WILLIAM JOSE FERNANDEZ RANGEL
12.061.089 AURA ROSA HERNANDEZ MORENO
6.492.846 CELESTE JOSEFINA LIENDO LIENDO
11.785.927 DOMINGO MEDINA GUTIERREZ
14.316.687 ANTONIO JOSE MENESES RODRIGUEZ
18.094.872 LEONEL ENRIQUE PARICA HERNANDEZ
10.948.762 ESTHELA MARIA RINCONES
17.799.433 EBENEZER DAVID RIVERA BRAZAO
9.640.547 SHEILA YUBIRY ROMERO GONZALEZ
6.836.622 CARMEN ALIDA VIGIL BENCOMO
6.297.704 GUSTAVO ADOLFO VIZCAINO GIL
11.957.784 CARLOS EDUARDO ZAMBRANO GELVES
Postulados por las Organizaciones de la Sociedad:
14.017.686 HELEN DAYANA AGUIAR HERNANDEZ
14.306.972 AMELIA ESTHER ALTER PINO
7.659.795 ELVIS HIDROBO AMOROSO
4.506.504 LEON ANTONIO ARISMENDI ANUEL
11.159.050 ESTEBAN STEVE ARVELO RUIZ
4.077.208 SAUL DE JESUS BERNAL PEÑA
4.248.113 OSCAR BRAULIO BRAVO GUARAMATO
10.886.311 GRISELDA VANITI COLINA HIBIRMA
11.691.429 TANIA DE AMELIO CARDIET
5.962.704 JUAN CARLOS DEL PINO
3.187.497 DAVID DELGADO ITURRIZA
13.339.266 ANA PAULA DINIZ SANTOS
5.217.642 WUILLIAM FERNANDEZ FUENMAYOR
5.524.394 CARMEN LUCRECIA GONZALEZ CORONEL
12.731.271 EUGENIO GONZALEZ MARTINEZ
4.132.092 ALFONSO GRANADILLO MALAVE
17.375.543 JHONNY ALEXIS GUERRERO CASTILLO
12.248.860 GABRIEL GREGORIO GUERRERO GIL
8.967.366 DICHELIS JOSEFINA GUEVARA
1.567.695 JOSE ALONSO GUEVARA GUERRA
7.048.576 JOSE LUIS GUTIERREZ PARRA
3.180.027 LUIS ENRIQUE LANDER LARRALDE
14.533.009 CIRO VLADIMIR LEON
16.288.462 AMANDA CORINA LUCCI ROYE
7.528.966 NOEL YORELBE MABARES
7.761.966 FRANCISCO JOSE MARTINEZ GARCIA
7.950.191 LADYS COROMOTO MEJIAS ROJAS
3.750.465 BERNARDO MENDEZ ACOSTA
3.552.194 CELIZ RAMON MENDOZA
4.771.335 LEONARDO ENRIQUE MORALES POLEO
6.094.547 JOEL GUSTAVO OLOYOLA CARRASQUEL
4.505.818 JOSE ENRIQUE PARRA MAURERA
3.927.576 EURO DE JESUS PARRA MONTIEL
4.323.185 CONRADO RAMON PEREZ BRICEÑO
12.095.154 ANIBAL JOSE PERNIA CONTRERAS
6.560.218 ROBERTO ANTONIO PICON HERRERA
10.719.241 CARLOS ENRIQUE QUINTERO CUEVAS
4.271.137 TULIO ALFONSO RAMIREZ CUICAS
14.143.740 ROSMERY GERALDINE RAMIREZ DIAZ
10.451.000 ROBINSON RIVAS SUAREZ
11.657.235 AQUILINO ANTONIO RODRIGUEZ GARCIA
13.970.262 DENNY ALEXANDER RUIZ FARFAN
12.839.942 YVAN JOSE SALCEDO UZCATEGUI
12.950.777 MAYGRET DEL MILAGRO SANCHEZ BARRERA
6.671.155 JHOVANY SEVILLA GASPAR
13.875.503 JUAN JOSE TORRES LARA
12.014.259 JOE PONCE UZCATEGUI GONZALEZ
Cabe destacar que este miércoles, el vicepresidente del Comité de Postulaciones Electorales, diputado José Gregorio Correa, precisó que la lista con los nombres de los venezolanos seleccionados como elegibles se podrá impugnar durante 6 días, quienes tendrán ese mismo tiempo para hacer los descargos de las objeciones.
El Consejo Nacional Electoral está integrado por cinco (5) miembros, denominados Rectoras o Rectores Electorales, cuyo periodo de ejercicio en sus funciones es de siete (7) años. Son designadas o designados por la Asamblea Nacional con el voto favorable de las dos terceras partes de sus integrantes y podrán ser reelegidas o reelegidos en sus cargos hasta un máximo de dos (2) periodos adicionales, previa evaluación de su gestión por parte de la Asamblea Nacional.
Sin justicia: A 18 años del femicidio de Natalia Melmann
Natalia Melmann tenía 15 años cuando fue asesinada por un grupo de policías de la bonaerense el 4 de febrero de 2001 en la cuidad balnearia de Miramar. Su cuerpo sin vida fue encontrado cuatro días después de su desaparición en el Vivero Dunícola Florentino Ameghino, zona que, en teoría, había sido rastrillada anteriormente por la policía.
Natalia fue a bailar a un boliche de la zona, llamado “Amadeus”, pero al salir del lugar fue secuestrada y llevada a una casa en el barrio de Copacabana, en las afueras de Pinamar. Fue golpeada, violada, torturada y estrangulada con el cordón de su zapatilla. En su cuerpo encontraron el ADN de cinco hombres.
Según testigos de la causa, Gustavo “El Gallo” Fernández, siguió a la joven después de salir de “Amadeus”, y ya nunca más volvieron a verla con vida. El acusado recibió una pena de 25 años como partícipe necesario de la privación ilegal de la libertad, pero fue absuelto por el homicidio.
Por el asesinato, en 2002, el Tribunal Oral en lo Criminal (TOC) 2 de Mar del Plata condenó a los policías Ricardo Suarez, Oscar Echenique y Ricardo Anselmini a reclusión perpetua, pero en la actualidad son beneficiados con salidas transitorias cada 15 días.
Otro de los acusados, el exsargento Ricardo Panadero fue llevado a juicio 17 años después del asesinato de Natalia. Los peritos hallaron, en el cuerpo de la adolescente, material genético perteneciente al hombre, pero los jueces Jorge Peralta, Fabián Riquert y Juan Manuel Sueyro desestimaron estas pruebas y absolvieron a Panadero en julio del año pasado.
Natalia Melmann no sólo fue victima de la violencia machista, sino también de la justicia patriarcal que perpetúa la impunidad de sus asesinos.
Qatar World Cup: Tabriz bets on its stars to return to victory with La Celeste
Uruguay's mentor, Oscar Washington Tabriz, indeed bet in his primary stars and group references, for example, advance Luis Suarez and Edinson Cavani or safeguard Diego Godin, to escape the terrible second in the South American qualifiers of the Qatar FIFA World Cup 2022.
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With every one of the veterans who have gone with it as of late, just as the youthful abilities of Federico Valverde and Rodrigo Bentancur, La Celeste will attempt to get back to the way of triumph in a troublesome twofold day wherein it will confront Argentina in Montevideo and visit Bolivia in La Paz.
The consider comes to a couple of days after the Tabriz cycle was addressed and, even, there was a theory about the excusal of the most established mentor of the individuals who involve a global seat, with over 15 years behind him. In any case, without even a trace of a couple of dates and with Uruguay in the positioning position.
It is in the fifth spot with 16 focuses just as Colombia, which has the best equilibrium of objectives - the specialists of the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF) will wager to believe the instructing staff to go to Qatar Football World Cup 2022. The primary stars of La Celeste are additionally joined by other central participants, for example, Defender José Maria Jiménez, Protector Ronald Araujo, or Benfica striker Darwin Nunez.
Despite the fact that it actually stays to add nearby players to the crew, Tabriz definitely realizes that he cannot depend on National goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, who experienced a messed up hand in the group's last game against Wanderers. On Thursday the eleventh, Uruguay will have Argentina at the Campion del Siglo arena, while on Tuesday the sixteenth it will visit Bolivia at the Hernando Siles Stadium. For more to know about Qatar World Cup Tickets Click here
Rundown of footballers brought by Tabriz:
Goalkeepers: Fernando Muslera (Galastasaray, TUR), Martín Campania (Al Batin, KSA) and Martín Silva (Libertad, PAR).
Protectors: Diego Godin (Cagliari, ITA), José Maria Jiménez (Atlántico de Madrid, ESP), Sebastian Coates (Sporting de Lisboa, POR), Ronald Araujo (Barcelona, ESP), Sebastian Caceres (America, MEX), Maximiliano Falcón ( Colo, CHI), Yonatan Rack (Tijuana, MEX), Martín Caceres (Cagliari, ITA), Damián Suarez (Getafe, ESP), Matias Viña (Roma, ITA), and Joaquin Piquerez (Palmeiras, BRA).
Midfielders: Lucas Torreira (Fiorentina, ITA), Fernando Gorriarán (Santos Laguna, MEX), Nahitan Mendez (Cagliari, ITA), Rodrigo Bentancur (Juventus, ITA), Mauro Arambarri (Getafe, ESP), Matías Vecino (Inter, ITA) , Federico Valverde (Real Madrid, ESP), Manuel Ugarit (Sporting de Lisboa, POR) and Nicolás De La Cruz (River Plate, ARG).
Advances: Brian Rodríguez (Los Angeles, USA), Jonathan Rodríguez (Cruz Azul, MEX), David Terans (Athlético Paranaense, BRA), Gastón Pereiro (Cagliari, ITA), Luis Suarez (Atlético de Madrid, ESP), Giorgian De Arrascaeta (Flamengo, BRA), Darwin Nunez (Benfica, POR) Maxi Gómez (Valencia, ESP) and Edinson Cavani (Manchester United, GBR).
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La Liga: Real Madrid begin title defence with rivals Barcelona in turmoil
Zinedine Zidane is in his second spell as Real Madrid manager, while Ronald Koeman took over at Barcelona during the summer
Champions Real Madrid kick off their new campaign on Sunday with a trip to Real Sociedad and, with Barcelona in disarray, Zinedine Zidane’s men are odds-on favourites to retain the title.
But the big two are not the only compelling storylines to follow, so let’s take a quick tour of the new La Liga season.
Stability and sales at Real Madrid
Is this the season Martin Odegaard makes the breakthrough in the Real Madrid first team?
This has been an extremely calm and quiet off-season for Real, with the reigning champions happy to sit back and let Barcelona hog the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The only addition to Zidane’s squad has been the return of gifted attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard from loan at Real Sociedad.
The 21-year-old Norwegian delivered a series of dazzling performances during his time with the Basques, and he will now aim to gradually replace Luka Modric and further revitalise a midfield which has already been boosted by the emergence of Fede Valverde.
Other than that, Real’s only moves in the market have been through the out door. Around £100m has been raised through the exits of players like James Rodriguez (Everton), Achraf Hakimi (Inter Milan), Oscar Rodriguez (Sevilla) and, at long last, Gareth Bale.
The club are expected to save those proceeds for a major push to sign Kylian Mbappe next summer, and in the meantime Zidane will continue to rely on his blend of trusted veterans like Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos, along with gifted youngsters Odegaard, Valverde, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Turmoil in Barcelona
After his appointment as Barcelona boss, Koeman reportedly told Messi “your privileges in the squad are over, you have to do everything for the team”, helping Messi decide he wanted to leave
If stability has been the word of the summer for Real, the opposite is true at their eternal rivals Barcelona – embodied in the fact that beleaguered president Josep Maria Bartomeu faces a formal vote of no confidence after more than 20,000 fans signed a motion against him.
Bartomeu was the chief target of Lionel Messi’s fury after his failed attempt to leave, and it’s clear that many fans feel the same way about the president’s running of the club over the past few years.
Barca’s embarrassing 8-2 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich made their failings startlingly obvious, and that has been followed by a change in manager with the arrival of Ronald Koeman – who is remembered fondly by Barca fans after scoring the winner in the 1992 European Cup final against Sampdoria at Wembley.
Attempts to revitalise the squad are moving slowly. Ivan Rakitic has returned to his old club Sevilla, Arturo Vidal is expected to join Inter Milan and Luis Suarez will probably also leave, but the Catalans’ bleak financial situation under Bartomeu means there are few funds for fresh faces.
Lyon forward Memphis Depay and Manchester City defender Eric Garcia are Barca’s targets, but even they may prove to be outside the club’s price range.
Messi, of course, is staying for now. But the acrimony of his aborted departure, and his obvious disgust with Bartomeu, has left a sour taste which will linger long into the new season.
So Koeman is surrounded by a lot of questions, and very few answers.
Simeone under the microscope
Diego Simeone led Atletico Madrid to the La Liga title in 2013-14
Albeit in a less dramatic manner, there are also question marks over Atletico Madrid following their disappointing Champions League exit against RB Leipzig.
That was seen as a wasted opportunity and strengthened the impression that Diego Simeone – who has spent the past fortnight at home after contracting Covid-19 – needs to introduce a more expansive style of play.
Criticism that Simeone is too negative and does not give his players enough freedom have been circulating for years, but they have sharply intensified following last summer’s arrival of gifted youngster Joao Felix.
The Portuguese star generally looked uncomfortable in Simeone’s rigid system during his first season at the Wanda Metropolitano, and if Simeone fails to find a way of allowing greater attacking fluency then patience in his methods will soon start to run out.
Villarreal win the transfer market
On the whole it has been a quiet transfer window, with the majority of moves coming for low-cost veterans or promising prospects from the Segunda Division.
The uncertainty engendered by the pandemic means it is unlikely we will see much cash splashed in the last fortnight of the window, although Atletico, Sevilla and Granada are all in the market for a striker, with Watford’s Luis Suarez, who spent last season on loan at Real Zaragoza, in their sights.
There has, at least, been plenty of activity at Villarreal, who look set for a serious top-four challenge after the recruitment of Unai Emery as coach, midfield duo Dani Parejo and Francis Coquelin (both from near-neighbours Valencia) and Japanese rising star Take Kubo on loan from Real Madrid.
A warmly welcomed move has been David Silva’s return to Spain. The former Manchester City man has joined an open and attack-minded Real Sociedad side who should be perfectly suited to his style, and he is in line to make his debut this weekend against Real Madrid after recovering from coronavirus.
Sevilla’s double midfield swoop for Oscar and Rakitic has sparked hopes they could narrow the gap on, or even overtake, the top three, while cross-town rivals Real Betis are expecting the appointment of former Villarreal and Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini to reignite a talented but previously underperforming squad.
Uncertainty at Valencia
The waters are choppy at Valencia, where the sale of key players Parejo, Rodrigo and Ferran Torres has led to fresh protests against unpopular owner Peter Lim.
New boss Javi Gracia has already voiced his frustrations at the club’s failure to replace those outgoing stars, but Lim is expecting his coach to place his faith in a talented batch of youngsters which includes gifted South Korean teenager Lee Kang-in and 17-year-old Englishman Yunus Musah, who dazzled on debut in last weekend’s dramatic opening-night 4-2 derby win over Levante.
That victory showed there is still plenty of talent within Los Che’s ranks, but there is also an enormous amount of uncertainty. If anyone can rival Barcelona for unpredictable drama over the coming weeks, it will be Valencia.
The article was originally published here!
La Liga: Real Madrid begin title defence with rivals Barcelona in turmoil
Mirabel woke from her slumber with a tender stretch and rolled over to drape over the man she'd been married to for the past couple of years. She genuinely never thought she'd be so lucky to find someone perfecto for her. Where she was a little scattered and outspoken, he was calculative and quiet. He complimented her physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Her alma gemela.
What's more, is he had blessed her with the little one that was sleeping away in the bassinet next to her side of the bed. She was genuinely surprised Julieta hadn't snuck into her room this morning to take her grandbaby up to spend the quiet morning with her. Like she had done since she was born. Mirabel leaned her head on her husband's broad chest, feeling the warm skin against her caramel colored cheek. A sigh escaped her lips as his heart calmly beat in her ear. Oh how she'd come to adore this sound, she couldn't sleep without the steady thudding of his corazon in her ear. She gazed up at his sleeping face, smiling as his nose scrunched a bit... that's how she knew he was about to wake up. He had some tells that she'd come to learn through the years- what would she have done... if she'd never gone to the city? If she just... stayed behind like they suggested?
It wasn't moments that they'd come to the city when Mirabel wandered to a fountain area- hearing the sounds of the most beautiful guitarra she'd ever heard. Her papa could play... and Tio Felix was pretty good with the tiple. But nothing compared to this sound she heard. She clambered up onto the lamppost to look over the busy fountain area of the city, her hazel eyes scanning the sea of people to fall on the singular man sitting casually, playing a beautifully designed guitarra. Plenty of young city girls surrounding him and swooning to his musica... he paid little to no mind to these girls, and played simply with his ojos closed. The musica coming from his heart- through his fingers that danced across the strings.
Mirabel's sweaty palms torturing her once more as she slipped from her grip on the lamppost and tumbled off of it with a thud. The musica instantly stopped and the next thing she knew, she was being helped up by the young man. The bitter catty city girls beckoning him back as though female cats in their way with a tom around. Calling her a 'country bumpkin' and an 'underdeveloped ninny'. He simply ignored her and turned his eyes towards her, looking beyond his golden glasses, a reddish-brown eye and a green mismatched eye met with her hazels... and immediately the young Madrigal was putty in his hands.
"Are you okay?" She was snapped out of her daze, noticing the mismatched hues were staring down at her now, no longer closed in slumber. She turned a bit pink and nodded gently "just remembering how we met" He gave her a charming smirk and kissed her forehead tenderly "you imagined me without my color contact, didn't you." he teased her, she always did. She hated that damn thing- and was glad it was left behind in the city when he came to live in Encanto with her. She loved his unique ojos... and he knew it. "get out of my head Manuel Oscar Suarez-Rojas-Madrigal!" She giggled and lightly slapped her palm against his shoulder, pushing herself up to leave.
Manuel wrapped his arms around Mirabel's midsection and pulled her over to him like a ragdoll and kept her in place against him. "Not a chance, I want to always be on your mind- just as you are always on mine" He cooed with his silver-tongue. Mirabel turned a brighter pink and wiggled "Not in front of Melody, Manuel!" she laughed as he started peppering kisses up her neck "she's asleep she wont even kn-" and just like on cue... Melody began to fuss. "Told you!" Mirabel giggled, after all... a mother always knows.
La Liga: Real Madrid begin title defence with rivals Barcelona in turmoil
Zinedine Zidane is in his second spell as Real Madrid manager, while Ronald Koeman took over at Barcelona during the summer
Champions Real Madrid kick off their new campaign on Sunday with a trip to Real Sociedad and, with Barcelona in disarray, Zinedine Zidane’s men are odds-on favourites to retain the title.
But the big two are not the only compelling storylines to follow, so let’s take a quick tour of the new La Liga season.
Stability and sales at Real Madrid
Is this the season Martin Odegaard makes the breakthrough in the Real Madrid first team?
This has been an extremely calm and quiet off-season for Real, with the reigning champions happy to sit back and let Barcelona hog the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The only addition to Zidane’s squad has been the return of gifted attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard from loan at Real Sociedad.
The 21-year-old Norwegian delivered a series of dazzling performances during his time with the Basques, and he will now aim to gradually replace Luka Modric and further revitalise a midfield which has already been boosted by the emergence of Fede Valverde.
Other than that, Real’s only moves in the market have been through the out door. Around £100m has been raised through the exits of players like James Rodriguez (Everton), Achraf Hakimi (Inter Milan), Oscar Rodriguez (Sevilla) and, at long last, Gareth Bale.
The club are expected to save those proceeds for a major push to sign Kylian Mbappe next summer, and in the meantime Zidane will continue to rely on his blend of trusted veterans like Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos, along with gifted youngsters Odegaard, Valverde, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Turmoil in Barcelona
After his appointment as Barcelona boss, Koeman reportedly told Messi “your privileges in the squad are over, you have to do everything for the team”, helping Messi decide he wanted to leave
If stability has been the word of the summer for Real, the opposite is true at their eternal rivals Barcelona – embodied in the fact that beleaguered president Josep Maria Bartomeu faces a formal vote of no confidence after more than 20,000 fans signed a motion against him.
Bartomeu was the chief target of Lionel Messi’s fury after his failed attempt to leave, and it’s clear that many fans feel the same way about the president’s running of the club over the past few years.
Barca’s embarrassing 8-2 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich made their failings startlingly obvious, and that has been followed by a change in manager with the arrival of Ronald Koeman – who is remembered fondly by Barca fans after scoring the winner in the 1992 European Cup final against Sampdoria at Wembley.
Attempts to revitalise the squad are moving slowly. Ivan Rakitic has returned to his old club Sevilla, Arturo Vidal is expected to join Inter Milan and Luis Suarez will probably also leave, but the Catalans’ bleak financial situation under Bartomeu means there are few funds for fresh faces.
Lyon forward Memphis Depay and Manchester City defender Eric Garcia are Barca’s targets, but even they may prove to be outside the club’s price range.
Messi, of course, is staying for now. But the acrimony of his aborted departure, and his obvious disgust with Bartomeu, has left a sour taste which will linger long into the new season.
So Koeman is surrounded by a lot of questions, and very few answers.
Simeone under the microscope
Diego Simeone led Atletico Madrid to the La Liga title in 2013-14
Albeit in a less dramatic manner, there are also question marks over Atletico Madrid following their disappointing Champions League exit against RB Leipzig.
That was seen as a wasted opportunity and strengthened the impression that Diego Simeone – who has spent the past fortnight at home after contracting Covid-19 – needs to introduce a more expansive style of play.
Criticism that Simeone is too negative and does not give his players enough freedom have been circulating for years, but they have sharply intensified following last summer’s arrival of gifted youngster Joao Felix.
The Portuguese star generally looked uncomfortable in Simeone’s rigid system during his first season at the Wanda Metropolitano, and if Simeone fails to find a way of allowing greater attacking fluency then patience in his methods will soon start to run out.
Villarreal win the transfer market
On the whole it has been a quiet transfer window, with the majority of moves coming for low-cost veterans or promising prospects from the Segunda Division.
The uncertainty engendered by the pandemic means it is unlikely we will see much cash splashed in the last fortnight of the window, although Atletico, Sevilla and Granada are all in the market for a striker, with Watford’s Luis Suarez, who spent last season on loan at Real Zaragoza, in their sights.
There has, at least, been plenty of activity at Villarreal, who look set for a serious top-four challenge after the recruitment of Unai Emery as coach, midfield duo Dani Parejo and Francis Coquelin (both from near-neighbours Valencia) and Japanese rising star Take Kubo on loan from Real Madrid.
A warmly welcomed move has been David Silva’s return to Spain. The former Manchester City man has joined an open and attack-minded Real Sociedad side who should be perfectly suited to his style, and he is in line to make his debut this weekend against Real Madrid after recovering from coronavirus.
Sevilla’s double midfield swoop for Oscar and Rakitic has sparked hopes they could narrow the gap on, or even overtake, the top three, while cross-town rivals Real Betis are expecting the appointment of former Villarreal and Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini to reignite a talented but previously underperforming squad.
Uncertainty at Valencia
The waters are choppy at Valencia, where the sale of key players Parejo, Rodrigo and Ferran Torres has led to fresh protests against unpopular owner Peter Lim.
New boss Javi Gracia has already voiced his frustrations at the club’s failure to replace those outgoing stars, but Lim is expecting his coach to place his faith in a talented batch of youngsters which includes gifted South Korean teenager Lee Kang-in and 17-year-old Englishman Yunus Musah, who dazzled on debut in last weekend’s dramatic opening-night 4-2 derby win over Levante.
That victory showed there is still plenty of talent within Los Che’s ranks, but there is also an enormous amount of uncertainty. If anyone can rival Barcelona for unpredictable drama over the coming weeks, it will be Valencia.
The article was originally published here!
La Liga: Real Madrid begin title defence with rivals Barcelona in turmoil
La Liga: Real Madrid begin title defence with rivals Barcelona in turmoil
Zinedine Zidane is in his second spell as Real Madrid manager, while Ronald Koeman took over at Barcelona during the summer
Champions Real Madrid kick off their new campaign on Sunday with a trip to Real Sociedad and, with Barcelona in disarray, Zinedine Zidane’s men are odds-on favourites to retain the title.
But the big two are not the only compelling storylines to follow, so let’s take a quick tour of the new La Liga season.
Stability and sales at Real Madrid
Is this the season Martin Odegaard makes the breakthrough in the Real Madrid first team?
This has been an extremely calm and quiet off-season for Real, with the reigning champions happy to sit back and let Barcelona hog the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The only addition to Zidane’s squad has been the return of gifted attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard from loan at Real Sociedad.
The 21-year-old Norwegian delivered a series of dazzling performances during his time with the Basques, and he will now aim to gradually replace Luka Modric and further revitalise a midfield which has already been boosted by the emergence of Fede Valverde.
Other than that, Real’s only moves in the market have been through the out door. Around £100m has been raised through the exits of players like James Rodriguez (Everton), Achraf Hakimi (Inter Milan), Oscar Rodriguez (Sevilla) and, at long last, Gareth Bale.
The club are expected to save those proceeds for a major push to sign Kylian Mbappe next summer, and in the meantime Zidane will continue to rely on his blend of trusted veterans like Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos, along with gifted youngsters Odegaard, Valverde, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Turmoil in Barcelona
After his appointment as Barcelona boss, Koeman reportedly told Messi “your privileges in the squad are over, you have to do everything for the team”, helping Messi decide he wanted to leave
If stability has been the word of the summer for Real, the opposite is true at their eternal rivals Barcelona – embodied in the fact that beleaguered president Josep Maria Bartomeu faces a formal vote of no confidence after more than 20,000 fans signed a motion against him.
Bartomeu was the chief target of Lionel Messi’s fury after his failed attempt to leave, and it’s clear that many fans feel the same way about the president’s running of the club over the past few years.
Barca’s embarrassing 8-2 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich made their failings startlingly obvious, and that has been followed by a change in manager with the arrival of Ronald Koeman – who is remembered fondly by Barca fans after scoring the winner in the 1992 European Cup final against Sampdoria at Wembley.
Attempts to revitalise the squad are moving slowly. Ivan Rakitic has returned to his old club Sevilla, Arturo Vidal is expected to join Inter Milan and Luis Suarez will probably also leave, but the Catalans’ bleak financial situation under Bartomeu means there are few funds for fresh faces.
Lyon forward Memphis Depay and Manchester City defender Eric Garcia are Barca’s targets, but even they may prove to be outside the club’s price range.
Messi, of course, is staying for now. But the acrimony of his aborted departure, and his obvious disgust with Bartomeu, has left a sour taste which will linger long into the new season.
So Koeman is surrounded by a lot of questions, and very few answers.
Simeone under the microscope
Diego Simeone led Atletico Madrid to the La Liga title in 2013-14
Albeit in a less dramatic manner, there are also question marks over Atletico Madrid following their disappointing Champions League exit against RB Leipzig.
That was seen as a wasted opportunity and strengthened the impression that Diego Simeone – who has spent the past fortnight at home after contracting Covid-19 – needs to introduce a more expansive style of play.
Criticism that Simeone is too negative and does not give his players enough freedom have been circulating for years, but they have sharply intensified following last summer’s arrival of gifted youngster Joao Felix.
The Portuguese star generally looked uncomfortable in Simeone’s rigid system during his first season at the Wanda Metropolitano, and if Simeone fails to find a way of allowing greater attacking fluency then patience in his methods will soon start to run out.
Villarreal win the transfer market
On the whole it has been a quiet transfer window, with the majority of moves coming for low-cost veterans or promising prospects from the Segunda Division.
The uncertainty engendered by the pandemic means it is unlikely we will see much cash splashed in the last fortnight of the window, although Atletico, Sevilla and Granada are all in the market for a striker, with Watford’s Luis Suarez, who spent last season on loan at Real Zaragoza, in their sights.
There has, at least, been plenty of activity at Villarreal, who look set for a serious top-four challenge after the recruitment of Unai Emery as coach, midfield duo Dani Parejo and Francis Coquelin (both from near-neighbours Valencia) and Japanese rising star Take Kubo on loan from Real Madrid.
A warmly welcomed move has been David Silva’s return to Spain. The former Manchester City man has joined an open and attack-minded Real Sociedad side who should be perfectly suited to his style, and he is in line to make his debut this weekend against Real Madrid after recovering from coronavirus.
Sevilla’s double midfield swoop for Oscar and Rakitic has sparked hopes they could narrow the gap on, or even overtake, the top three, while cross-town rivals Real Betis are expecting the appointment of former Villarreal and Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini to reignite a talented but previously underperforming squad.
Uncertainty at Valencia
The waters are choppy at Valencia, where the sale of key players Parejo, Rodrigo and Ferran Torres has led to fresh protests against unpopular owner Peter Lim.
New boss Javi Gracia has already voiced his frustrations at the club’s failure to replace those outgoing stars, but Lim is expecting his coach to place his faith in a talented batch of youngsters which includes gifted South Korean teenager Lee Kang-in and 17-year-old Englishman Yunus Musah, who dazzled on debut in last weekend’s dramatic opening-night 4-2 derby win over Levante.
That victory showed there is still plenty of talent within Los Che’s ranks, but there is also an enormous amount of uncertainty. If anyone can rival Barcelona for unpredictable drama over the coming weeks, it will be Valencia.
The article was originally published here!
La Liga: Real Madrid begin title defence with rivals Barcelona in turmoil
La Liga: Real Madrid begin title defence with rivals Barcelona in turmoil
Zinedine Zidane is in his second spell as Real Madrid manager, while Ronald Koeman took over at Barcelona during the summer
Champions Real Madrid kick off their new campaign on Sunday with a trip to Real Sociedad and, with Barcelona in disarray, Zinedine Zidane’s men are odds-on favourites to retain the title.
But the big two are not the only compelling storylines to follow, so let’s take a quick tour of the new La Liga season.
Stability and sales at Real Madrid
Is this the season Martin Odegaard makes the breakthrough in the Real Madrid first team?
This has been an extremely calm and quiet off-season for Real, with the reigning champions happy to sit back and let Barcelona hog the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The only addition to Zidane’s squad has been the return of gifted attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard from loan at Real Sociedad.
The 21-year-old Norwegian delivered a series of dazzling performances during his time with the Basques, and he will now aim to gradually replace Luka Modric and further revitalise a midfield which has already been boosted by the emergence of Fede Valverde.
Other than that, Real’s only moves in the market have been through the out door. Around £100m has been raised through the exits of players like James Rodriguez (Everton), Achraf Hakimi (Inter Milan), Oscar Rodriguez (Sevilla) and, at long last, Gareth Bale.
The club are expected to save those proceeds for a major push to sign Kylian Mbappe next summer, and in the meantime Zidane will continue to rely on his blend of trusted veterans like Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos, along with gifted youngsters Odegaard, Valverde, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Turmoil in Barcelona
After his appointment as Barcelona boss, Koeman reportedly told Messi “your privileges in the squad are over, you have to do everything for the team”, helping Messi decide he wanted to leave
If stability has been the word of the summer for Real, the opposite is true at their eternal rivals Barcelona – embodied in the fact that beleaguered president Josep Maria Bartomeu faces a formal vote of no confidence after more than 20,000 fans signed a motion against him.
Bartomeu was the chief target of Lionel Messi’s fury after his failed attempt to leave, and it’s clear that many fans feel the same way about the president’s running of the club over the past few years.
Barca’s embarrassing 8-2 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich made their failings startlingly obvious, and that has been followed by a change in manager with the arrival of Ronald Koeman – who is remembered fondly by Barca fans after scoring the winner in the 1992 European Cup final against Sampdoria at Wembley.
Attempts to revitalise the squad are moving slowly. Ivan Rakitic has returned to his old club Sevilla, Arturo Vidal is expected to join Inter Milan and Luis Suarez will probably also leave, but the Catalans’ bleak financial situation under Bartomeu means there are few funds for fresh faces.
Lyon forward Memphis Depay and Manchester City defender Eric Garcia are Barca’s targets, but even they may prove to be outside the club’s price range.
Messi, of course, is staying for now. But the acrimony of his aborted departure, and his obvious disgust with Bartomeu, has left a sour taste which will linger long into the new season.
So Koeman is surrounded by a lot of questions, and very few answers.
Simeone under the microscope
Diego Simeone led Atletico Madrid to the La Liga title in 2013-14
Albeit in a less dramatic manner, there are also question marks over Atletico Madrid following their disappointing Champions League exit against RB Leipzig.
That was seen as a wasted opportunity and strengthened the impression that Diego Simeone – who has spent the past fortnight at home after contracting Covid-19 – needs to introduce a more expansive style of play.
Criticism that Simeone is too negative and does not give his players enough freedom have been circulating for years, but they have sharply intensified following last summer’s arrival of gifted youngster Joao Felix.
The Portuguese star generally looked uncomfortable in Simeone’s rigid system during his first season at the Wanda Metropolitano, and if Simeone fails to find a way of allowing greater attacking fluency then patience in his methods will soon start to run out.
Villarreal win the transfer market
On the whole it has been a quiet transfer window, with the majority of moves coming for low-cost veterans or promising prospects from the Segunda Division.
The uncertainty engendered by the pandemic means it is unlikely we will see much cash splashed in the last fortnight of the window, although Atletico, Sevilla and Granada are all in the market for a striker, with Watford’s Luis Suarez, who spent last season on loan at Real Zaragoza, in their sights.
There has, at least, been plenty of activity at Villarreal, who look set for a serious top-four challenge after the recruitment of Unai Emery as coach, midfield duo Dani Parejo and Francis Coquelin (both from near-neighbours Valencia) and Japanese rising star Take Kubo on loan from Real Madrid.
A warmly welcomed move has been David Silva’s return to Spain. The former Manchester City man has joined an open and attack-minded Real Sociedad side who should be perfectly suited to his style, and he is in line to make his debut this weekend against Real Madrid after recovering from coronavirus.
Sevilla’s double midfield swoop for Oscar and Rakitic has sparked hopes they could narrow the gap on, or even overtake, the top three, while cross-town rivals Real Betis are expecting the appointment of former Villarreal and Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini to reignite a talented but previously underperforming squad.
Uncertainty at Valencia
The waters are choppy at Valencia, where the sale of key players Parejo, Rodrigo and Ferran Torres has led to fresh protests against unpopular owner Peter Lim.
New boss Javi Gracia has already voiced his frustrations at the club’s failure to replace those outgoing stars, but Lim is expecting his coach to place his faith in a talented batch of youngsters which includes gifted South Korean teenager Lee Kang-in and 17-year-old Englishman Yunus Musah, who dazzled on debut in last weekend’s dramatic opening-night 4-2 derby win over Levante.
That victory showed there is still plenty of talent within Los Che’s ranks, but there is also an enormous amount of uncertainty. If anyone can rival Barcelona for unpredictable drama over the coming weeks, it will be Valencia.
The article was originally published here!
La Liga: Real Madrid begin title defence with rivals Barcelona in turmoil
La Liga: Real Madrid begin title defence with rivals Barcelona in turmoil
Zinedine Zidane is in his second spell as Real Madrid manager, while Ronald Koeman took over at Barcelona during the summer
Champions Real Madrid kick off their new campaign on Sunday with a trip to Real Sociedad and, with Barcelona in disarray, Zinedine Zidane’s men are odds-on favourites to retain the title.
But the big two are not the only compelling storylines to follow, so let’s take a quick tour of the new La Liga season.
Stability and sales at Real Madrid
Is this the season Martin Odegaard makes the breakthrough in the Real Madrid first team?
This has been an extremely calm and quiet off-season for Real, with the reigning champions happy to sit back and let Barcelona hog the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
The only addition to Zidane’s squad has been the return of gifted attacking midfielder Martin Odegaard from loan at Real Sociedad.
The 21-year-old Norwegian delivered a series of dazzling performances during his time with the Basques, and he will now aim to gradually replace Luka Modric and further revitalise a midfield which has already been boosted by the emergence of Fede Valverde.
Other than that, Real’s only moves in the market have been through the out door. Around £100m has been raised through the exits of players like James Rodriguez (Everton), Achraf Hakimi (Inter Milan), Oscar Rodriguez (Sevilla) and, at long last, Gareth Bale.
The club are expected to save those proceeds for a major push to sign Kylian Mbappe next summer, and in the meantime Zidane will continue to rely on his blend of trusted veterans like Karim Benzema, Sergio Ramos and Toni Kroos, along with gifted youngsters Odegaard, Valverde, Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo.
Turmoil in Barcelona
After his appointment as Barcelona boss, Koeman reportedly told Messi “your privileges in the squad are over, you have to do everything for the team”, helping Messi decide he wanted to leave
If stability has been the word of the summer for Real, the opposite is true at their eternal rivals Barcelona – embodied in the fact that beleaguered president Josep Maria Bartomeu faces a formal vote of no confidence after more than 20,000 fans signed a motion against him.
Bartomeu was the chief target of Lionel Messi’s fury after his failed attempt to leave, and it’s clear that many fans feel the same way about the president’s running of the club over the past few years.
Barca’s embarrassing 8-2 Champions League loss to Bayern Munich made their failings startlingly obvious, and that has been followed by a change in manager with the arrival of Ronald Koeman – who is remembered fondly by Barca fans after scoring the winner in the 1992 European Cup final against Sampdoria at Wembley.
Attempts to revitalise the squad are moving slowly. Ivan Rakitic has returned to his old club Sevilla, Arturo Vidal is expected to join Inter Milan and Luis Suarez will probably also leave, but the Catalans’ bleak financial situation under Bartomeu means there are few funds for fresh faces.
Lyon forward Memphis Depay and Manchester City defender Eric Garcia are Barca’s targets, but even they may prove to be outside the club’s price range.
Messi, of course, is staying for now. But the acrimony of his aborted departure, and his obvious disgust with Bartomeu, has left a sour taste which will linger long into the new season.
So Koeman is surrounded by a lot of questions, and very few answers.
Simeone under the microscope
Diego Simeone led Atletico Madrid to the La Liga title in 2013-14
Albeit in a less dramatic manner, there are also question marks over Atletico Madrid following their disappointing Champions League exit against RB Leipzig.
That was seen as a wasted opportunity and strengthened the impression that Diego Simeone – who has spent the past fortnight at home after contracting Covid-19 – needs to introduce a more expansive style of play.
Criticism that Simeone is too negative and does not give his players enough freedom have been circulating for years, but they have sharply intensified following last summer’s arrival of gifted youngster Joao Felix.
The Portuguese star generally looked uncomfortable in Simeone’s rigid system during his first season at the Wanda Metropolitano, and if Simeone fails to find a way of allowing greater attacking fluency then patience in his methods will soon start to run out.
Villarreal win the transfer market
On the whole it has been a quiet transfer window, with the majority of moves coming for low-cost veterans or promising prospects from the Segunda Division.
The uncertainty engendered by the pandemic means it is unlikely we will see much cash splashed in the last fortnight of the window, although Atletico, Sevilla and Granada are all in the market for a striker, with Watford’s Luis Suarez, who spent last season on loan at Real Zaragoza, in their sights.
There has, at least, been plenty of activity at Villarreal, who look set for a serious top-four challenge after the recruitment of Unai Emery as coach, midfield duo Dani Parejo and Francis Coquelin (both from near-neighbours Valencia) and Japanese rising star Take Kubo on loan from Real Madrid.
A warmly welcomed move has been David Silva’s return to Spain. The former Manchester City man has joined an open and attack-minded Real Sociedad side who should be perfectly suited to his style, and he is in line to make his debut this weekend against Real Madrid after recovering from coronavirus.
Sevilla’s double midfield swoop for Oscar and Rakitic has sparked hopes they could narrow the gap on, or even overtake, the top three, while cross-town rivals Real Betis are expecting the appointment of former Villarreal and Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini to reignite a talented but previously underperforming squad.
Uncertainty at Valencia
The waters are choppy at Valencia, where the sale of key players Parejo, Rodrigo and Ferran Torres has led to fresh protests against unpopular owner Peter Lim.
New boss Javi Gracia has already voiced his frustrations at the club’s failure to replace those outgoing stars, but Lim is expecting his coach to place his faith in a talented batch of youngsters which includes gifted South Korean teenager Lee Kang-in and 17-year-old Englishman Yunus Musah, who dazzled on debut in last weekend’s dramatic opening-night 4-2 derby win over Levante.
That victory showed there is still plenty of talent within Los Che’s ranks, but there is also an enormous amount of uncertainty. If anyone can rival Barcelona for unpredictable drama over the coming weeks, it will be Valencia.
The article was originally published here!
La Liga: Real Madrid begin title defence with rivals Barcelona in turmoil