#AupaMirandes (Come on Mirandés!)
Miracle is the word that comes to mind as Mirandes go to Bilbao in the second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final. Marcelo Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao won 2-1 at Mirandes’ Estadio Anduva last week, and the odds are overwhelming leaning towards them to reach the final, where they’ll play Barcelona or Valencia. But don’t count Mirandes just yet. The minnows sitting in the third tier of Spanish futbol have made a habit out of creating the dramatic, and maybe, just maybe tonight they’ll do it again. Regardless, #AupaMirandes will be trending on twitter later today, and we’re going to join in on the support for Spain’s Cinderella story.
Source: afootballreport
As El Clásico divides and negativity gets redundant, new heroes arise
By Eric Beard
Doesn’t vehement hatred get kind of boring after a while? I mean, sure, if you want to let a little schadenfreude and anger out a couple of times a year, that’s fine. Everyone’s entitled to their fair share of irrational fandom. Maybe I’m not as creative as the Spanish press and [insert name of your Superclub]’s fans, but hatred gets kind of circular after a while. Millions and millions of fans watched the superb match at the Camp Nou on Wednesday night, where violence and drama were plentiful. They saw Messi assist and Ronaldo score. They saw a comeback that arguably could have overshadowed Liverpool’s triumph in Istanbul. The match, in itself, was fantastic, but the shoving, pushing, accusing, and general unabashed conduct that has become the status quo took over as the final whistle approached.
Unprofessionalism can be as equally entertaining as it is surprising, don’t get me wrong. But only if it’s unexpected (and relatively non-violent). I remember seeing an MLS playoff game in 2007 between the New England Revolution and the Chicago Fire. Michael Parkhurst of New England had been presented two awards before the match: the MLS Defender of the Year award and the Fair Play award. Within 20 minutes of kickoff, Parkhurst gave away a freekick, which prompted an inordinately audible Cee-Lo Green-esque “eff you!” for everyone in the stands to feast their ears upon. It was appalling, yet also hilarious given Parkhurst might as well have been the league’s Dalai Lama. When is the last time you heard say, “that Pepe, he’s amusing isn’t he?” When expected, unprofessionalism is quite simply as boring as it is disgusting.
With Spaniards consuming a half dozen Clásicos every year, stories elsewhere are welcome, yet difficult to be granted attention by the Spanish media. Two unexpected figures have been uniting Spanish fans, one though genius and one through sheer spirit. The first is Marcelo Bielsa, the manager of Athletic Bilbao, who has done remarkably well in his first season with the Basque club. Bielsa has earned the full support of Athletic fans, managing to get results through an enjoyable style of play. The second is a Spanish club based in Spain’s Segunda División B, Group 2 named CD Mirandés, who have managed to somehow transcend the boundaries of what is imaginable for a club that can only seat 6,000 in its stadium. Indeed, Mirandés did the ineffable by progressing into the Copa del Rey semifinals courtesy of an injury-time winner from Pablo Infante, Mirandés’ midfielder-turned-Spanish hero.
Source: afootballreport
The Morning After Conversation: From London to Madrid
By Eric Beard. Trying something new. Responses and reactions welcome.
Tom (thinking): Oh my… Where on earth am I? London, still? God I hope so. WHAT. A. NIGHT. After the clock struck midnight though, bam! I can’t remember a thing! Remember the match perfectly though. Nothing like a little passion to show those Spaniards what England is all about. Seriously though, where am I? These bed sheets are so comfortable. This room is so clean. This flat is just all-around brilliant. What’s this? A note? And who could this be from? A girl named Poppy? You would, Tom. You would.
Poppy’s note: Morning Tom, help yourself to a shower and anything in the kitchen. Last night was absolutely wonderful. Wearing your Scott Parker shirt to work this afternoon. It’s a bit large, but I just couldn’t help myself. I put my number in your phone, which is charging by the desk. I get off from work at six this evening if you’re still up for Wagamama. Let me know. xx -Poppy
Tom: Holy Fabio! Calm down, Tom. You’ve done well. You’re shirtless, yes. But you’ve done well. Pull yourself together. Let’s take this one step at a time. First, breathe. Second, breathe again. Third, keep breathing. Okay, that’s enough steps dedicated to something you’ve done literally every minute you’ve been alive. Fourth, get up, get your phone, and call Connor.
Two Londoners. Two England Fans. Tom was at Wembley. Connor was in Madrid for business. This is their conversation the morning after England’s victory against Spain.
Source: afootballreport
The past doesn’t count. Everything is starting again. Spain continues to strengthen.
With a friendly against England at Wembley on Saturday and the EUROs on the horizon, the time has come for Spain to refresh, and forget everything. Everything won. Everything created.
The Message:
Iker: “No one came to welcome us”
Silva: “We didn’t create a new way of playing football”
Xabi: “We weren’t admired by the whole world”
Iker: “We didn’t take a whole country to the streets”
Villa: “I wasn’t the top scorer”
Llorente: “We couldn’t bear the pressure”
Del Bosque: “We didn’t change the conception of football”
Xavi: “I wasn’t the best football player in the Euro 2008”
Llorente: “We are not a team”
Xavi: “We are not European Champions”
Villa: “We are not World Champions”
The shirt is new, the meaning of wearing it remains the same. Always.
Source: afootballreport
El Chiquitín Fútbol Club - The wonderful story of the women from Jerez, Spain that will play the beautiful game for as long as they live.
For anyone who has had trouble coming to terms with the fact that the dream of making a living from football has passed, these women courageously show that no matter the circumstances you can play and even try to be the local Messi. Enjoy the weekend everyone.
Source: afootballreport
