Game 39 threat comes to Spain

[ursus arctos]

My Madridista mates (yes, I have a few) say that it is a bit of a perfect storm.

The team was always going to be challenged by having to develop a new style of play after years of Cristianodependencia and Courtois has been average to poor (while Navas continues to excel in Europe). Add to that Isco's appendicitis, Modric's fatigue and some strange choices by Lopetegui (freezing out Lucas Vasquez perhaps being the most curious) and you have the context for a "crisis" most evident in a near complete lack of finishing.

Long may it continue.

[ursus arctos]

Sevilla are your leaders going into the international break

[seand]

I'm enjoying the Madrid crisis as much as the next man, but let's face it, this is a crisis that sees Madrid two points off the top with 30 games left to sort it out.

[Jah Womble]

Any 'crisis' is leavened by the currently erratic form of Barcelona, tbh.

[ursus arctos]

Madrid have lost at home to Levante, managing to break their all time record for the most consecutive minutes without scoring on the way.

Marcelo ended the drought after 8 hours and 1 minute, but the final score was 2-1.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

One man team.

[ursus arctos]

https://twitter.com/deadspin/status/1053731166627524611?s=21

[Diable Rouge]

Taxi for Lopetegui? Barça 2-0 up approaching HT in El Clasicó.

[ursus arctos]

Conte is going to have fun with Florentino

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

I've got to say that the people running Spanish football have a lot to fear about the loss of ronaldo and the aging of Messi. Though not as much as Real Madrid by the looks of things. They might get something out of this match simply because they have a lot of good players wandering aimlessly out there, but there's no plan.

[ursus arctos]

The plan seemed very much to get rid of the manager in the first half.

As they have been transformed after the interval (2-1 plus a post), perhaps they have been assured that their primary objective is now certain.

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

Barcelona seem to have sat down to a 14 course banquet at half time. There's a serious bang of the Harry Ramsden's challenge off them since half time.

[ursus arctos]

Chomp Chomp

[ursus arctos]

The massively assed assassin strikes again.

4-1

[ursus arctos]

Manita completa

[The Awesome Berbaslug!!!]

I liked how Sergio Ramos at times managed to reproduce his performance against Harry Kane the other night, but also elements of Harry Kane's performance against Him

Real managed to get some momemtum going, and they needed events to go for them during those periods of moment, but modric hitting the post, and benzema missing that chance at 2-1 meant that Barcelona just had to stick with their plan, and eventually things would be ok. I think the key change was getting Rafinha out of there because he seemed to have a brainstorm, and seemed to be setting up most of the real madrid pressure with a series of puzzling decisions.

[Satchmo Distel]

5-1 despite Barcelona's post-HT sleepwalk. Lopetegui staying any longer might put qualification for next year's Champions League in danger, for the first time in 23 years (they missed 1996-97). OTOH this assumes there are three other clubs below Barcelona good enough to keep the pressure on.

[Ray de Galles]

Quite some going from Lopetugui to fuck both Spain and Real in under six months.

[Satchmo Distel]

It was foreseeable though when he made the Faustian bargain to sign for Real before any World Cup game had been played. He could conceivably have got Spain to the final from that "weaker" half of the draw (unless he's actually crap under pressure, in which case still a last 16 exit).

[Ray de Galles]

Lopetugui sacked.

[Sporting]

Real Madrid's press release explaining his dismissal is "admirable" if only for its almost complete lack of the political correctness and bland phraseology normally used on these occasions. It's also notable for a total absence of any kind of self-searching or "mea culpa". Even Marca, so often Fiorentino's mouthpiece in recent years, has a front-page critical of Madrid's actions.

None of which, of course, excuses how Lopetegui went about things back in the summer. As Sid Lowe said on yesterday's Guardian Football Weekly podcast, he had the Spain and Madrid jobs and "fucked [them] up".

[Sporting]

There won't, by the way, be a Barcelona - Girona match in the USA.

[ursus arctos]

Eibar are 3-0 up on Madrid after 65 minutes.

Eskozia la Brava indeed.

[Sporting]

Real Madrid concentrating on the CL again this season.

[ursus arctos]

Solari Navigation has broken down.

Can't wait for Florentine to bring back Mourinho.