A few weeks ago the La Liga title looked a done deal but Juande Ramos has steadied the ship and Real Madrid now find themselves four points behind Barcelona with the two teams still to play each other at the Bernabeu on May 3.

Can Real complete an unlikely comeback?

Vlogonthepitch host Owen Wyatt and Kevin Fylan discuss.

Spain overcame 44 years of underachievement on the international stage when they were crowned European champions at Euro 2008. Not only did they win the tournament, but their players, their style and their attacking ambition were hailed around the world.

However, that success appears to have had a detrimental effect on their domestic teams, who have traditionally been some of the strongest performers in Europe’s club competitions.

Last week’s Champions League and UEFA Cup results are some of the worst in recent seasons.

Nine-times European Cup winners Real Madrid were beaten 1-0 at home by Liverpool in their last 16 first leg, while both Villarreal and Atletico Madrid were held to score draws at home by Panathinaikos and Porto respectively.

Only Barcelona achieved what could be considered a positive result, coming from behind to draw 1-1 away to Olympique Lyon and it was hardly an impressive performance.

In the UEFA Cup they fared even worse.

The 2004 winners Valencia drew at home to Dynamo Kiev to go out on the away goals rule 3-3 on aggregate, while Deportivo Coruna were humbled 6-1 on aggregate by AaB Aalborg. The 2006 and 2007 winners Sevilla failed to make it out of the group stages along with Racing Santander.

It is the first time in 18 years (since the 1990/91 season) there is no Spanish representative left in the last 16 of the UEFA Cup.

This competition is often touted as an indicator of the strength in depth of particular leagues and this year’s Primera Liga does not appear to be a vintage one.

Leaders Barcelona are doing their best to make it exciting at the top, with their 12-point lead over Real Madrid down to four, but look beyond the top two and you’ll find third-placed Sevilla are a long, long way back, while fourth-placed Villarreal are closer to the relegation places (17 points) than they are to Barca (18).

Unless Barca, Real, Atletico and Villarreal buck up their ideas before the Champions League second legs, Spain could be bemoaning an even more calamitous scenario.

PHOTO: Dynamo Kiev’s Betao (R), Carlos Correa (2nd R) and Eremenko celebrate a goal near Valencia’s Vicente Rodriguez (L) during their UEFA Cup soccer match at the Mestalla Stadium in Valencia February 26, 2009. REUTERS/Heino Kalis

The sort of performance Sergio Aguero turned in to inspire victory over Barcelona could be a curse as well as a blessing for Atletico Madrid, who are only going to find themselves under more pressure to sell him to one of Europe’s powerhouse clubs come the end of the season.

The gifted 20-year-old, nicknamed “Kun” after a Japanese comic book hero, scored two superb goals, including a dramatic 89th minute winner, as Atletico twice came from behind to stun the visiting Primera Liga leaders 4-3.

The match was a near carbon copy of the same fixture exactly a year earlier, when Aguero grabbed a brace and created one goal in the Madrid club’s 4-2 comeback win, and the quality of his performance was underscored by the fact that he outshone his more famous compatriot Lionel Messi.

However, he has looked unsettled at times this season and was unhappy with coach Abel Resino’s decision to replace him in the 56th minute of last week’s Champions League draw with Porto.

Argentina coach Diego Maradona, the father of Aguero’s partner Gianinna, has publicly advised him to seek a move to Inter Milan and the Serie A leaders have confirmed they are monitoring him.

“We’ll be hearing again today how the big boys of Europe want to buy him,” F. Javier Diaz wrote in Monday’s edition of Spanish sports newspaper As. “For now he’s playing in the red and white stripes of Atletico, not at Inter, Manchester United, Real Madrid or Barcelona, and it’s a matter of pride for the Atletico fans to hold on to him.”

Aguero said last month he was happy at Atletico and was not thinking about moving on but the pressure on the club to cash in will surely mount as his star continues to rise.

Selling him could make sense for both the player and the club, which lacks the earning power of Real and Barca, and they could use the proceeds to bolster a squad missing the depth enjoyed by their richer rivals.

If Atletico do try to hold on to Aguero, Champions League football will be a key factor.

Their chances of progressing to the quarter-finals of this year’s competition look slim after the 2-2 draw with Porto in Madrid in the first leg of their last 16 clash.

The win over Barca moved them up into fifth spot in the Spanish league but they are still three points behind Villarreal in fourth and eight shy of third-placed Sevilla.

PHOTO: Atletico Madrid’s Sergio “Kun” Aguero celebrates after scoring against Barcelona at the Vicente Calderon stadium in Madrid, March 1, 2009. REUTERS/Stringer

Back in December, when the draw for the first knock-out round of the Champions League was made, Liverpool could be forgiven for feeling pretty pleased with the prospect of renewing their acquaintance with Real Madrid. How different things look now.

Back then, Liverpool were top of the Premier League, six points ahead of a Manchester United side facing a fixture pile-up and struggling for form. Real Madrid, in apparent disarray after sacking coach Bernd Schuster, were 12 points behind Barcelona, having just lost 2-0 to their arch-rivals.

Now, Liverpool have all but conceded the title to United, while Real Madrid, inspired by Juande Ramos, have won nine league games in a row to give Barcelona plenty to think about. True, Real remain seven points behind Barca, exactly the same margin by which Liverpool trail United, but Ramos’s side will go into the tie bristling with confidence, while their opponents fight just to keep their season alive.

There are at least a couple of other uncomfortable facts for Liverpool to consider as they prepare for a first European Cup meeting with Real since the final in Paris in 1981.

Firstly, coach Rafa Benitez will know that Fernando Torres has a terrible record against Real Madrid. As an Atletico player, Torres could be relied upon to score against Barcelona and to come up short against Real. There was no real explanation for it. That’s just the way it was.

Secondly, it will not have escaped Liverpool’s notice that Raul has gradually played his way back into the sort of form that convinced Sir Alex Ferguson that he was the world’s best player.

Raul is two goals short of Gerd Mueller’s record of total European goals and he has that guile around the box English defences hate. Just ask Ferguson.

Liverpool’s faith will be pinned on Steven Gerrard, who has at least been passed fit enough for a place in the squad. A couple of inspirational performances from him and who knows? But without him, it’s hard to see Liverpool surviving to the last eight. And not many people were talking like that back in December.

PHOTO: Real Madrid’s Raul celebrates a goal during their Spanish First Division soccer match against Real Betis at Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid February 21, 2009. REUTERS/Juan Medina

Barcelona look unstoppable this season but did Sporting Gijon coach Manolo Preciado tempt fate when he said it was crazy to think La Liga was not already in the bag?

Pep Guardiola’s team swept aside Sporting 3-1 on Sunday to make it 10 consecutive league wins.

After Sunday’s game, when Samuel Eto’o’s double took his tally for the season to 21 and Barca’s right-back rapier Daniel Alves scored a screamer of a third, Preciado was full of praise.

“We came (to the Nou Camp) with the idea of frightening them a little, but it was them that frightened us,” he said. “When you are in the stadium you see the true significance of this team. They are the best in the world. They have everything — fighting spirit, physical strength, attitude, play etc. They were far superior to us. (more…)

Potential Real Madrid presidential candidates will be trying to decide whether Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi is the player most likely to deliver them the majority of votes in this summer’s election campaign.

Ramon Calderon was forced out of the presidency earlier this month, setting the wheels in motion for another six months of rumours and speculation as rival candidates manoeuvre behind the scenes to take power at the Bernabeu.

The nine-times European champions are ‘owned’ by the thousands of club members rather than a small group of shareholders, and they get to chose their president every four years.

As a result, candidates need to splash the cash with full blown election campaigns complete with manifestos, lists of promises, advertising campaigns, and rallies to win over the voters and the local media. (more…)

Real Madrid have suffered a flurry of criticism in recent times for some disappointing, and expensive, forays into the transfer market (Fernando Gago and Rafael van der Vaart to name two).

But the recruitment of Arjen Robben from Chelsea for a reported 36 million euros in August 2007 seems finally to be paying off, with the Dutch winger in the form of his life.

He scored another superb goal against Villarreal at the Bernabeu on Sunday, securing a 1-0 victory for the champions, and said it was the best he had scored since his move to the Spanish capital.

 ”I am feeling happy right now,” he told Tuesday’s As newspaper. “Finally I can show how I play.”

The problem for Real is that when Robben is absent, which is not a rare occurrence due to an unfortunate habit of getting injured or suspended, the team lacks momentum going forward.

They seem, in fact, a bit like the current Chelsea side and the Londoners may be regretting their decision to let Robben leave.

“When he is injured you notice it quite a lot,” Real goalkeeper Iker Casillas told reporters on Monday when asked about Robben’s recent form.

“He is a very important player for us, electric, fast and throws the opposition off balance. We have to look after him a lot and we hope he doesn’t injure himself because I am sure he will do great things and help the team a lot.”

With the Dutchman in the side, Real can look and play like champions. Without him they can look pretty ordinary.

PHOTO: Real Madrid’s Arjen Robben celebrates his goal during their La Liga match against Villarreal at the Bernabeu, Jan. 4, 2009. REUTERS/Juan Medina

Eighteen years ago today, on Dec. 16 1990, a 19-year-old midfielder made his debut for Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona dream team in a Primera Liga match against Cadiz.

Pep Guardiola, who picked up a yellow card that day as the Catalans won 2-0, has come a long way since then, carving out a distinguished career both for Barca and the Spanish national side before taking over as coach at the Nou Camp from Frank Rijkaard at the end of last season.

The dapper Guardiola, who cuts a reserved yet assured figure, immediately stamped his mark on the squad, junking the under-performing Ronaldinho and the unwanted Deco, and bringing in the dynamic Daniel Alves and midfield pair Aleksandr Hleb and Seydou Keita.

He has restored the discipline, professionalism and team spirit to the club and the results are there for all to see: a lead of eight points at the top of the table, 46 goals in 15 matches with only nine conceded and, best of all, a 12-point advantage over champions Real Madrid.

In their last three league matches, Barca have dismissed three of their closest rivals with uncanny ease — 3-0 at Sevilla, 4-0 at home to Valencia and 2-0 in Saturday’s “Clasico” at the Nou Camp against Real Madrid.

This without the creative midfield talents of Spain international Andres Iniesta, who has been out for six weeks with a thigh strain but may return as soon as Sunday’s match at Villarreal.

After such an explosive start to the season, and with confidence and expectations sky high, anything but a Champions League, Primera Liga and King’s Cup treble would surely be a disappointment.

PHOTO: Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola smiles during the news conference at the Nou Camp Dec. 12, 2008. REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino

Has new Real Madrid coach Juande Ramos picked up where he left off at struggling Tottenham Hotspur?

You might very well think so after a glance at the 2-0 scoreline from Saturday’s “Clasico” at the Nou Camp.

But the battling display by a much-depleted Real, in which they held their arch rivals at bay until the 83rd minute and created one or two chances to steal the three points, provided Ramos with several positives.

Not least was the performance of the defensive line, with Iker Casillas playing like one of the world’s best goalkeepers again while Fabio Cannavaro and even Christoph Metzelder flung themselves into impeccably-timed, last-ditch challenges.

The desire and fight that was not always evident under Bernd Schuster appears to have returned.

As Ramos pointed out on Monday, things will surely improve for the champions once key players like Pepe, Gabriel Heinze and Wesley Sneijder are fit again. A couple of new signings in January should also provide impetus while Klaas Jan Huntelaar will be eager to get going.

Real host second-placed Valencia on Saturday and Villarreal, currently in third, the following weekend.

Six points from those two matches would set them up for a decent run in the New Year once the squad is back to something resembling full strength.

But if Barcelona maintain anything like their current form – 46 goals in 15 matches with only nine conceded – it will surely be impossible to catch them.

PHOTO: Real Madrid’s Gonzalo Higuain reacts after failing to score past Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes during their match at Nou Camp, Dec. 13, 2008 REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino

There was a lot of fuss about Bayern Munich v Hoffenheim and Chelsea v Arsenal in the last few weeks but for me this weekend offers the best two games in domestic football.

Saturday’s El Clasico between Barcelona and Real Madrid and Sunday’s clash between Juventus and AC Milan both have real tradition and a zest which Europe’s nouveau riche clubs can only dream of.

The game at the Nou Camp has extra spice given it’s Juande Ramos’s first league game in charge of Real while in-form Barca can really surge ahead in the table with a win. 

Juve v Milan is also a big game in terms of the standings. The two sides are joint-second and the winner will become the true rivals to leaders Inter Milan and their recent Serie A dominance. But it has not always been like this, prior to Inter’s three scudettos in a row it was nearly always Juve and Milan battling for the title in the last 20 years. (more…)