La Liga Lowdown

We have just one matchday left in LaLiga after another thrilling round of games - nine all at the same time, with so much on the line, was nearly too much for us. Join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) as they piece back together the penultimate round of La Liga action and all the consequences.There is nowhere else to start than the relegation battle, and with three different ties involving direct rivals, even three 0-0 draws would have been the height of drama. As it was, there was no shortage of action, with Getafe and Cádiz coming out winners. Espanyol, were very much the losers. This podcast was brought to you by the Barcelona metro service, which quickly transported one of our hosts from Camp Nou to our recording location, and we close out part one with reaction direct from the final game before it becomes the Camp Vell.Part two sees us head north, as we reflect on the ongoing European battles with heavy representation from the Basque country - La Real continue to make

The relegation battle continues to be the best white-knuckle thrill in Spain, so make sure you don't miss it. Join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Román de Arquer (@aeroslavee) as they look at some major results, and analyse more fall out from the racial abuse received by Vinícius Júnior.Real Valladolid and Espanyol kept their hopes of playing in La Liga alive with major results against the two best teams in the division in 2023 - it sets up a Sunday showdown for both. It's tight at the bottom in general though, with six of the bottom eight separated by just two points. La Bordaleta chugged into life this week in Andalusia, but Getafe also lost their best driver. For a region famed for its rain, things are also uncomfortably warm in Galicia.In part two, we discuss the dying embers of the Champions League race and one player who is all but unstoppable right now. The Europa Conference League race is a matter of intrigue too. Just the six teams are involved in that, four of them separated by two points.

La Liga was back hot off the heels from a big week in Europe with a big week in the relegation battle, but one which like all of the football, fell into the background due to a very serious problem - racism.On Sunday evening Vinícius Júnior was racially abused by a Valencia fan, and some time later, ended up being sent off. It was the boiling point in a absurd and awful situation that has been bulding for some time. We give you an objective and correct timeline of events, and discuss the problems with both the dealing of the situation, and the discussion surrounding.With some degree of difficulty, we then discuss some major results in the relegation battle, including major results for Cádiz and Almería.In part two, we attempt a little less gloom, and at the very least Real Sociedad provided that, as they continue their march towards the Champions League at Camp Nou. There's also Sevilla's heated clash with Real Betis in the derby, a twist of fortune for Villarreal with one of the in-form forwards in La Liga,

Nobody loves it like they do. After a phenomenal week of European entertainment, Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) come fresh off the back of another heroic victory in Andalusia to bring you all of the reaction and analysis you need.The entirety of part one is dedicated to the simply stupendous goings on in Nervión. An electric game, a swaying Sánchez Pizjuán, and another Europa League final. Sevilla dispatch Juventus, we break down the man behind that success, José Luis Mendilibar, how they managed to beat Juventus, peak at the final itself. Another familiar José awaits.Grit your teeth for part two Madridistas. Part two sees us look at what went wrong during Real Madrid's pummeling at the hands of Manchester City... It's not as bad as you think. Paco picks through Carlo Ancelotti's mistakes, but just give more praise to City for stopping Real Madrid doing the one thing they do best. How exactly does it affect the Italian's future, and we touch on a major problem for Ancelotti that

LaLiga has its third champions in the last three years, after Barcelona sliced through rivals Espanyol to secure the title, and write a sweet chapter in the club’s history. Hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Román de Arquer (@aeroslavee) are on hand to tell you how and why.In part one, we break down who the main culprits for the Blaugrana victory, and which were the key moments in ensuring that it was they that triumphed. Román closes out part one with a wish and a worry for the summer months.Part two comes onto the numerous other goings on in Spain this weekend, including a fiery relegation battle or three. Only Valencia won out of the relegation candidates this weekend, which is worth four more places in the table to Los Che. Real Valladolid were up in arms about defeat to Sevilla, which tightened the race for Europe right down to 12th-placed Real Mallorca. Up in top four country, La Real lost ground to give Villarreal narrow hope.Follow us on Twitter @LaLigaLowdown, where we will be covering the title

Summer is fast approaching and that means the season is reaching boiling point. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) review all the midweek action and look ahead to an important Matchday in LaLiga.In the European competitions, Real Madrid and Sevilla both had to settle for 1-1 draws following two hugely entertaining and different first legs. In Madrid, City resisted the City pressure and managed to keep Erling Haaland quiet, but were unable to generate any advantage to take to Manchester next week.  In Turin, Sevilla were seconds away from a famous win, but should be happy enough to come away unscathed. Having dominated the first half, to concede in the last play of the game was a suckerpunch, but this disappointment illustrates the progression made by the side in recent weeks.In the second half of the show we pay homage to Sergio Busquets, undisputed legend of Spanish football, as he announced his imminent departure from Barça. We delve into his unique attributes as well as

Real Madrid are Copa del Rey champions.Nine years since their last, Los Blancos have the Copa back in their possession after beating Osasuna 2-1 in a pulsating final at La Cartuja. Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) to review the showpiece in Seville, which saw a fifth winner of the competition in as many seasons.We talk about the key protagonists of the game, including Vini Jr, Rodrygo and Dani Carvajal.Vini showed his blistering best and his frustrating worst at times in this game, and we evaluate whether this can be resolved before it costs him or his team dearly.In Part Two we analyse what this triumph means to the club and to Carlo Ancelotti. Real become the first Spanish side to win 100 trophies, 10% of which have been won under the affable Italian.Before we're done we salute Osasuna on a proud and persistent performance, and then look ahead briefly to the huge European semi-finals this week.Follow us @LaLigaLowdown and subscribe to our Substack at lllonline.substack.com

A regal theme on this week's podcast after a frenetic week of action.As the UK is set to officially crown Charles III, in Spain it is the King's Cup which is the focus this weekend. Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) to review Matchday 33 and look ahead to Saturday's showpiece in Seville.In LaLiga, a few big questions were answered and others moved a long way towards being resolved.Barça recorded a record-equalling 11th 1-0 victory to put themselves one step away from confirming their title. They will be crowned if they win away at Espanyol next weekend. We also discussed some significant off-field developments at Camp Nou.Real Madrid's abdication from the throne is confirmed as they slipped to third after a defeat at Real Sociedad. Imanol’s side are getting closer and closer to securing Champions League football.Atleti are now a free-scoring Antoine Griezmann machine and they scored five for the second successive match.At the bottom, Elche's relegation was confirmed as Almería bea

Almost as soon as Matchday 31 had concluded, Matchday 32 arrived hot on its heels. Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) to review the weekend action with crucial fixtures at the top, and most importantly at the bottom. Home is where the heart is, and for the majority of the weekend, it was where the points were too. Six of the eight matches played were won by the hosts. We start at the bottom, with Espanyol gaining a much-needed victory over Getafe, who have just reappointed José Bordalás. There was no immediate effect for returnee, instead it was his counterpart Luis García who registered a first win of his own. Espanyol had been the team with the longest winless run in the division, but that baton now passes to Getafe themselves.Down in Andalucía, Cádiz also needed to react after three games without a goal, taking on a resurgent Valencia who had won their last two games. Once again it went the way of the hosts, a valuable three points for Sergio's side. Valencia's momentum

We are back with a midweek pod to review a pulsating Matchday 31 in LaLiga.Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) reflect on a midweek which saw both giants lose in the same jornada for the first time in 18 months, history made at Montilivi, and a rocket-launching 19-year-old changing the mood of 40,000 inside Mestalla.Of course we begin with the Poker in Girona as Taty Castellanos and Co caused Carlo Ancelotti to raise his eyebrow ever further. Real Madrid picked a bad time to produce that performance and Éder Militão will have to improve when he faces Erling Haaland...We continue the theme of underdogs earning deserved victories over at Vallecas. Andoni Iraola has the midas touch over Xavi's Barça without a doubt, as the Catalans missed the chance to go 14 points clear and lost the option of hitting 100 points.Then it's all about Valencia and their triumphant win courtesy of their latest youngster. Los Che move out of the relegation zone at the expense of Getafe, who sacked Quique Sánchez

Matchday 30 was a surprising weekend in many ways. There were no penalties, no red cards...and Valencia won a game of football.A delighted Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) joins Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) to review all ten matches of the round.The European race took more twists as Betis lost in Pamplona, La Real produced a remontada and Sevilla knocked the stuffing out of Villarreal. Don't sleep on Athletic Club either.In Part Two we look at some more familiar things. Barça winning 1-0, Real Madrid winning 2-0 and Quique Sánchez Flores with a verbal zinger in the press. Following Barça's win over Atleti, no hay Liga. Valencia had a good weekend and so too did their former-academy players Ferran Torres and Kang-In Lee, who both scored for their respective sides on Sant Jordi.We wrap up the show by assessing the relegation picture, which still involves around a third of the league, and briefly look ahead to the midweek round.Follow us @LaLigaLowdown and subscribe to our Substack at lllonline.substack.com. H

A hectic midweek in Spain as Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) is joined by a man from the biggest party in Europe as Rafa Garrido (@RGarrido2210) connects from Seville in the aftermath of Sevilla’s 3-0 thrashing of Manchester United in the Europa League to reach the semi-finals.We then pan across to Madrid, where Jorge López-Torrecilla (@Jorge_ltg_) jumps on to discuss Real Madrid’s routine 2-0 brushing off of another Premier League side, Chelsea, on route to a semi-final rematch against Manchester City.Finally, we also turn our attention to the upcoming domestic action where Atlético Madrid travel to Camp Nou to take on Barcelona on Sunday, alongside some relegation six-pointers as we near the business end of the season. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) joins us for that. Stay tuned to La Liga Lowdown on Substack at lllonline.substack.com and on Twitter at @LaLigaLowdown throughout this weekend and in the build-up to next week’s midweek matchday. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) to review a pulsating weekend in LaLiga which had local derbies, intense relegation six-pointers and some surprises thrown in too. We begin at Mestalla where Valencia needed a result to keep the belief but faced a Sevilla side who salvaged a draw impressively at Old Trafford on Thursday. A game full of controversy and drama ended up going the way of the visitors as José Luis Mendilibar continues his unbeaten start. We ask how Valencia were undone yet again, how precarious their position is, and whether Sevilla are now safe. We then turn our attention to the Basque Country and the European race. Athletic dealt their rival's Champions League hopes a significant blow as they enhanced their own prospects. We discuss the form of Iñaki Williams in particular. Villarreal did a Villarreal and Betis were able to cash in with a convincing win over freefalling Espanyol. In Part Two we focus on the big three, as Barça were held to another

In this podcast, we recap on the latest from Spanish football with both action in midweek in Europe and an exciting matchday round coming up. Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) break down the action. We start off with a recap from the capital on Real Madrid's convincing win over Frank Lampard's Chelsea before moving on to discuss another recent coaching appointment as José Luis Mendilibar secured a dramatic draw with Sevilla against Manchester United. In part two, we take a look at another huge game for Mendilibar's men, a tricky away trip for Barcelona and a big Basque derby. Stay tuned to lllonline.substack.com and @LaLigaLowdown on Twitter for all the latest coverage of everything going on in Spain. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

La Liga took centre stage again after the Copa del Rey, and it did not disappoint. Averaging over three goals per game this weekend, it was the Matchday of the entertainers, as hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) discuss.There is no other place to begin though than perhaps the most entertaining tie of the weekend, as Villarreal and Samu Chukwueze put Real Madrid to the sword at the Santiago Bernabéu. We talk through his strides forward and the impact it's having on the top four race. It was Semana Santa in Spain, but in Seville the only thing rising this weekend was an unholy wave of frustration as both Real Betis and Sevilla saw red again, costing them points in the process.Sevilla do at least have some breathing room between themselves and the relegation zone, unlike Valencia and Espanyol. We start part two with a focus on the relegation zone, and a crucial victory for Almería over Los Che. Then we analyse our first impressions of the new managers at Espanyol and Real Valladol

The Copa del Rey semi-finals were all set up for stories in midweek, and they did not disappoint. Real Madrid humble Barcelona, Osasuna make their second ever Copa del Rey final, Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) is joined by Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) and Jorge López-Torrecilla (@Jorge_ltg_) to break down all the goings on.Part one kicks off with El Clásico, as we come fresh off a 4-0 win at Camp Nou for Real Madrid, a thrashing not seen since the 1960s. We start off with where the match was won and lost, Real Madrid's most underrated but rated player, and how Carlo Ancelotti vindicated his position. Then we have a go at both fanbases, all is fair in love and war. Finally, we work out how this result influences what remains of both of their seasons.The second half sees us work our way through an historic achievement for Osasuna - but also a bitter defeat for Athletic Club. Within that we look at the protagonists for Osasuna and the lack of them for Athletic Club. Our extra time is devoted to Espanyol and Real

La Liga was back after the international break - one perhaps best forgotten in Spain - but there were plenty of memorable matches across Jornada 27 for a number of reasons. Join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) as they navigate their way through the narratives.Part one begins with Real Madrid and Barcelona, who combined for ten unanswered goals against Real Valladolid and Elche respectively. Ahead of their Copa del Rey crunch match both had confidence building victories, but Román is grilled on a number of questions hanging over Carlo Ancelotti and Xavi Hernández. We also touch on the Ansu Fati drama, as well as a first win for José Luis Mendilibar as Sevilla manager.The second half of the show kicks off with an enthused Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge), fresh off the back of Atlético Madrid's sixth victory in their last seven matches. What might have been? Then we dig into Athletic Club and Osasuna, with the onus on Los Leones to turn around their 1-0 deficit. Finally we may

To preview Luis de la Fuente’s first international break as Spain coach, Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) is joined by Paco Polit (@PacoPolitENG) to break down all to expect from this new-look Spain squad. By delving into the squad choice, captain selection and possible line-up to take on Norway for De la Fuente’s first match in charge in Málaga on Saturday evening, we look at how the new coach can put his stamp on the squad. We also look at Spain’s opponents, with Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) joining us to share his insights on his home nation, Scotland, while we discuss some familiar faces to LaLiga fans that feature in the Norway squad. Finally, we wrap up by looking at the managerial merrygoround in LaLiga with an old friend returning as José Luis Mendilibar took charge of Sevilla and a complete novice starting out with Sebastián Beccacece appointed Elche coach.Stay tuned for more across our Substack in the coming days and on Twitter at @LaLigaLowdown.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri

Hay poca liga. Barcelona win El Clásico and move themselves 12 points clear, as the relegation battle gets increasingly hot and sticky. Join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) as they break down a crucial Jornada ahead of the international break.Part 1 begins and stays with the big one for the most part as we break down the anatomy of the match itself, the consequences for the two teams going forward, and the Copa del Rey semi-final coming up between the two. We round off the first section with the other two teams charging onwards currently; Atlético de Madrid and Celta de Vigo.Part 2 sees us plunge into the hot mess that is the relegation battle. With a single win Getafe can breathe and sleep a lot easier outside the relegation zone. They were the only side to win in the bottom nine, and it the pressure is starting mount on the men in charge. In more temperate climes, the European race is threatening to get a little messy too. Finally, we end on one of the most bizarre penalti

La Liga Lowdown is back with another podcast with plenty on the agenda.Hosts Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) begin by reflecting on a disappointing night in Europe for the Spanish sides.After three defeats and not a single goal scored across Thursday's Europa and Conference League matches, only Sevilla progressed, suffering and holding on in Istanbul.It opens up questions about the state of LaLiga and we ask to what extent these negative results serve as a diagnosis on the health of Spanish football?At least Real Madrid made it through in the Champions League, with an air of serenity not seen in their momentous campaign last season. Their comfortable and controlled performance against Liverpool is also touched upon.Surely the Clásico on Sunday will be more taxing for them, as they seek to cut the gap to Barça at the top.In the second half of the show we preview that game in full, including the importance of Pedri's potential return, what Real Madrid should do with Eduardo Camavinga a