La Liga Loca’s Good Day, Bad Day - Round 35

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Good Day

Real Madrid

Madrid at their very worst are just as watchable as Barça at their best. A defensively suicidal performance saw the second-placed side make an absolute dogâÂÂs dinner of what should have been a straight forward contest against an Osasuna side that had left Walter Pandiani - the scorer of a third of the teamâÂÂs 30 league goals before the game - at home

But over the past few seasons, the best seat in town has been the one which lets you see just how exactly Real Madrid are going to claw their way out of the latest hole theyâÂÂve managed to dig for themselves.

For once, the Portuguese forward was composed, patient and looking to pass to his teammates - even Gonzalo Higuaín on the odd occasion - rather than going for glory from 45 yards.

Before the Villarreal clash, the Barcelona press was as nervy and spooked as a cat hearing the words âÂÂvetâ and âÂÂput downâÂÂ.

Although they were at their boisterous best in claiming this was the real, real game of the century (and this time they meant it), there was a feeling that BarçaâÂÂs heads were about to drop to let Real Madrid win the title - the side that the Catalan club have beaten twice, this season.

Strangely, the only paper that had confidence that the league leaders would shrug off the Milan mishap to be masters in El Madrigal was AS, with SaturdayâÂÂs editorial warning optimistic Madridistas that âÂÂthese may not be the best days of Barça, but it is still Barça.âÂÂ

And after the 4-1 victory, it was chief AS Alfredo Relaño who was on hand to praise Barcelona for proving that they had âÂÂgreat inner strength, as well as great football.âÂÂ

The Catalan crazy papers threw their hats into the air and are went out kissing random ladies like it was VE Day in response to the win. âÂÂIn one word, they were back to being the true Barça,â gushed Josep María Casanovas, using seven more than promised.

The final, final, hurdle will be an away match against Sevilla on Saturday. But the hurdle may not actually be that high, with Villarreal issuing a handy reminder that the rest of la Liga isnâÂÂt actually any good when all is said and done.

ItâÂÂs not just Mad Sammy EtoâÂÂo that Pep doesnâÂÂt have that all important âÂÂfeelingâ with, itâÂÂs Bojan Krkic, too.

The youngster has never been held in high regard by Pep Guardiola, but all that might be about to change with the wee young nipper returning some zest to the forward line having been chosen ahead of Zlatan Ibrahimovic who, letâÂÂs face it, has the mobility of the Eiffel Tower.

This sudden spurt in form coincides with a story in Marca - so therefore completely true - that Bojan is set to be part of a cash and Hleb deal with Valencia for David Villa. That move doesnâÂÂt look so clever now.

On Friday, the Barça boss could have been tense and tetchy. But he was back to being fun and funky as he attempted to understand the English stylings of a Catalan inquisitor who was mangling a language that Pep knows fairly well.

Atlético Madrid

A victory for the Rojiblancos against Sevilla would have done nothing more than move Atlético into ninth. However, the 3-1 defeat described by Marca as âÂÂsuicidalâ thanks to the two penalties given away, keeps Sevilla in the hunt for fourth and the Champions League space that they could take, leaving Atlético with a Europa League spot no matter what happens in the Copa del Rey final.

Javier Clemente, Míchel

It is no exaggeration to say that both men loath each other due to MíchelâÂÂs days of writing disparaging editorials in Marca about his footballing brethren - something the former Madrid player got up to quite a lot.

Eight years ago, the Getafe boss wrote a fairly pointed piece about Clemente claiming that the then Tenerife coach was a bit hopeless and that all he really cared about was playing golf. âÂÂHis words are just like his deeds, empty,â tutted Míchel back in 2002.

Clemente certainly hasnâÂÂt forgotten this slur and said before SaturdayâÂÂs clash - the first where the two have met as managers - that their relationship was âÂÂnon-existentâÂÂ.

âÂÂI write articles now, but I donâÂÂt insult anyoneâ claimed Clemente. âÂÂIf he offers me his hand, I wonâÂÂt accept it.âÂÂ

Facing a 1-1 draw at home against Almería and into injury time, Xerez held their nerve with Mario Bermejo heading home a cross that should have been ruled out as offside, to be fair.

That goal, BermejoâÂÂs twelfth of the season, has probably sealed a move to another Primera side next year and it keeps Xerez in the survival hunt for one more round of action, but needing a midweek away win at Valencia to make it another.

A newspaper thatâÂÂs getting more wretched and pathetic by the day. Despite Cristiano Ronaldo himself blaming the near disaster at the Bernabeu on the footballers, âÂÂit was all our fault...we were bad all over the pitch, in attack, in midfield and in defence,â Marca still savage the Real Madrid manager at every opportunity in MondayâÂÂs edition.

âÂÂThe defeatist coachâ sneers the front page over the ChileanâÂÂs claim that his side will âÂÂforce Barcelona to win the league with 99 pointsâÂÂ. The paper then criticised Pellegrini for being too downbeat in the press conference, not praising Ronaldo enough and for being too tough on his defence.

The name-dropping dunderhead, Roberto Gómez, also gets in on the act claiming that âÂÂMadrid kept going thanks to the public and because of the faith of the footballers, not Pellegrini,â despite the fact that the Bernabeu faithful were deathly silent apart from taking time out to boo Esteban Granero and the footballers were responsible for the enormous c*ck-up that took place out on the pitch.

LLL has heard grumblings that even the Real Madrid hierarchy feel Marca have lost the plot this season and have made life very difficult for them indeed, should they wish to continue with Pellegrini - a coach who has been treated disgracefully in a bitter campaign championed by MarcaâÂÂs spiteful director, Eduardo Inda.

But out of the two performances, it was the Osasuna man who won the seasonâÂÂs biggest âÂÂwhat the ****!â moment, so far, with his stunning miss against Madrid.

The Almería manager was not a happy camper at all, after the 2-1 defeat to Xerez that saw a red-carded Ortiz go quite bananas at the final whistle over the controversial nature of the home sideâÂÂs winner.

âÂÂIâÂÂve got a mobile full of messages from people who work on TV saying that BermejoâÂÂs goal was offsideâ complained Lillo.

Valladolid are now lying second-from-bottom, two from safety, and probably needing at least seven from the final nine available to stay up. The problem there is that the sideâÂÂs final games are against Atlético (A), Racing (H), Barcelona (A).

ItâÂÂs hard to know whether the home defeat to Zaragoza is merely a âÂÂdayâ rather than âÂÂbad dayâ for Deportivo, now that Miguel Angel LotinaâÂÂs men are nose-diving down the table and without a win in ten.

It looks like Espanyol have called time on their campaign - and itâÂÂs Paul from Barcelona who was there for last orders at a 2-0 home defeat against Valencia.

âÂÂRoget's Thesaurus didn't contain a word that explained what a steaming pile this game was but Roger's Profanisaurus came pretty close.

Pretty dull all round and the clash between King of the online merchant bankers Banega, Pillud and that bloke on here who doesn't give loans (uh oh - LLL), didn't happen as Pillud was on the bench and Loan has never been anywhere near a footy stadium.

1) About 300 Valencia fans. Not a lot of noise but their response to the Jarque tribute was excellent. Well done to them.
2) Espanyol had basically the reserve defence playing and looked comfortable until the first goal, which was the first conceded at home since Jan 24 so can't complain.
3) David Villa is well worth the 20 quid a week salary he's asking from Man Utd and Chelsea on this performance. José Callejon isn't. Another sitter missed.
4) Zigic is a freak. There I said it. I'd long since given up caring by the time he scored his second.
5) Valencia third and Mallorca fourth is cause for concern.

Espanyol's league position is at times generous.âÂÂ

Paul, Barcelona