LA LIGA & REAL MADRID

[fingolfin]

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defenders!!!! they should get more defenders and some quality reserves such as Mendieta or Joaquin to help ronaldo and co. with their health.

[raul julia]

MADRID (AFP) - Real Madrid are involved in a bidding war with arch rivals Barcelona for African Player of the Year Samuel Eto'o.

Real loaned out the Cameroon striker to Real Mallorca in 2000 retaining a 50 percent stake in him, yet after Eto'o's brilliant form last season they now want him back.

Since his move the 23-year-old has struck form with a vengeance, scoring 54 league goals.

Mallorca president Mateo Alemany, enjoying watching the fierce auction for his prize asset, told a press conference here Tuesday: "Real have made a slightly bigger offer than Barcelona."

According to press reports Barca are prepared to go to 16 million euros for the Cameroonian.

[fingolfin]

if Real get's Eto'o then it will be good for the team, a substitute for Ronaldo or Raul, and they are planning to get Joaquin...............and Cavallo...........

[raul julia]

MADRID (AFP) - England skipper David Beckham says he will make his critics eat their words as Real Madrid look to shake off the hangover of last season.

"Winning the Spanish league is a key objective, as well as the Champions League," said Beckham whose season ended in a media frenzy about alleged affairs and a dreadful Euro 2004 where his woeful penalty miss saw Portugal dump England out in the quarter-finals.

"In the past ten years I have had to learn to live with it, as have my family," he told the Real Madrid website.

After making a bright start following his move from Manchester United, Beckham and the team fell away and five straight defeats saw Real slide from league leaders to fourth, forcing them into the Champions League qualifiers.

They were beaten in the Champions League quarter-finals by eventual runners-up Monaco and lost the Spanish Cup final to Real Zaragoza.

Beckham admitted the team was under pressure after going empty handed for the first time in five seasons and said he wanted to make his critics eat their words.

"The team is under pressure to win trophies. Personally, some people have said I didn't have some good moments and it's a challenge for me to respond to these comments.

"This year the objective is to repeat the good start I made when I signed for Madrid. I have completely adapted to Madrid. I knew that adapting would be one of the obstacles when I arrived but I got stuck in as I had to.

"Playing alongside these players is really worth it. I am surrounded by great players."

Beckham said the fans had made him welcome from the outset and he wanted to show his appreciation.

[DutcheD]

The Greeks won the Euro Championship. Their ever first winning.

Beckham made a fool of himself, made a fool for England. The French Zidane was good nailing England. Germany scored by a mishap with the Dutch. The Dutch struggled with the Czechs then Portuguese. Everyone thought Portugal will win.... but helaas, Hellas won!

[raul julia]

well, the greeks were really good defensively.......and they were lucky offensively

[Jeffrey]

Real Madrid fan, and will always be as long as the 2 big Rs are in the team.

[fingolfin]

....i will be a real madrid fan till the day my eyes get blurred........

[raul julia]

same here bro.....till the my last breathe......viva la madrid

[raul julia]

29/07/2004
Tokyo suits Real Madrid. Real completed its first engagement in Japan with a victory of 1.2 against JEF United. The team also left a good impression with the quality of its play. Triangulations, assists, and breakaways, a diverse repertory that allowed Real to monopolize ball possess for most of the match. Guti pulled out his baton and the orchestra was suddenly in tune (a goal and an assist). Raúl ended his goal-scoring drought: he hadn’t scored since 6 April in Monaco. Lots of positive signs for a Real Madrid that continues to grow, although United tried to cause trouble and the inevitable onset of weariness showed in the second half.
With Ronaldo and Zidane hobbled by injuries, Camacho sent Morientes onto the pitch as Raùl’s partner on the attack. And Zidane’s absence led to several other moves on the chessboard: Pavon played on defence with Samuel. Helguera moved towards midfield, while Guti, Beckham and Figo alternated as a partner for him on both sides. The opening whistle signalled an enthusiastic start for JEF United, whose energy allowed them to take the lead on the scoreboard thanks to their star Marquinho in a perfect shot in a distant free kick at minute 7. Two minutes later, Roberto Carlos had to use his foot to keep a shot by Sato from making Casillas sweat it out.
Real monologue
From that moment onwards at minute 10, the Real machinery began to rev up into action. And it did so faithful to its philosophy: ball possession. For the next 20 minutes, they had a virtually uncontested monopoly over it. Raúl and Morientes helped the midfielders create plays, while Guti and Figo littered the sides with incursions and deep passes. All that was missing was a shot. It finally came after the goalkeeper Kushino stopped Samuel twice from scoring a goal (22' and 23'). The goal came as the result of a spectacular play: perfect pass by Figo into the gap, allowing Guti to hit the bull’s eye.
The Real’s triangulations time and again broke through the defensive scheme of JEF United. Guti was coming into his own and Real Madrid was thankful. Raúl, taking a superb pass from number 14, iced the comeback (37'). Important deed, bearing in mind that the captain hadn’t scored since Monaco on 6 April. The scoreboard felt skimpy, especially since Morientes and (35') and Figo (41') had clear opportunities at the tip of their shoes. The Japanese team had no way of stopping their opponents and only a distant shot by Sato that brushed against the post (33') reminded Casillas that the JEF strikers were still on the pitch.
Everything under control
Real let up on the gas to recoup energy, allowing halftime to roll around. Camacho stayed with the same players, while Osim put his goal scorer Marquinho on the bench. Otherwise, the plot was the same as in the first half: daring and energy by the locals from the start - Casillas saved a goal by at 51'.
So Camacho began to rotate his men. Solari came one for Guti, who had played the best of all so far, and the Argentine stayed on the left. And six minutes later, the coach made a triple change: Celades, Raúl Bravo and Núñez took over for Figo, Samuel and Roberto Carlos, respectively. The newcomers brought movement of the pieces on the pitch: Helguera moved back into the defensive axis with Pavón, Celades teamed up with Beckham, Raúl Bravo went to the side and Nuñez to the lane of eight.

Slower pace
The match lost intensity. This was to be expected, given the accumulated work these days on the players’ legs, but that didn’t keep Real from controlling the match. Kushino, sure of himself, cut off the centres sent up by Núñez and Solari.

With no clear goal opportunities, Real Madrid worked on holding its position on the pitch. JEF fought bravely for the draw, but no prize: since Samuel and Helguera blocked them. Camacho sent on MejÃ*a for Raúl in order to strengthen the defence. And Solari put the icing on the cake, just when injury time had begun. Now, time to prepare for Tokyo Verdy.

THE MATCH:
1 - JEF United: Kushino: Yuki, Milinovic, Saito, Mizumoto (Mizuno, 87'); Yamagishi (Rakuyama, 52'), Sato (Ichiara, 75'), Nakajima (Maki, 46'), Murai; Marquinho (Hayashi, 46') and Sandro.
3 - REAL MADRID: Casillas; Salgado, Samuel (Raúl Bravo, 64'), Pavón, Roberto Carlos (Núñez, 64'); Guti (Solari, 58'), Helguera; Beckham, Raúl (MejÃ*a, 81'), Figo (Celades, 64'); Morientes.
GOALS
1-0 (7'): Heavy shot by Marquinho on a free kick beats Casillas.
1-1 (24'): Pass into the gap by Figo to Guti, who beats Kushino on coming out.
1-2 (37'): Superb pass by Guti to Raúl, who scores on a calculated shot.
1-3 (92'): Solari, from a pass by Salgado.
REFEREE: T.Yoshida.
STADIUM: National of Tokyo. 58,000 spectators.