<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>With the confusing TV schedules for La Liga in the United States every week, it is quite difficult to figure out who is playing when and on what channel.&nbsp; Every Friday, I will lay out the TV schedule so that every fan of La Liga has a place to go to see when and where their favorite team will play.&nbsp; Here is the schedule for Jornada 10 of La Liga:
The times listed are Eastern Standard Time (EST) and include the pregame pleasantries, although sometimes the matches on the DIRECTV La Liga specific channels may not go to match coverage until right before kickoff.
Nov. 7
Tenerife vs. Málaga – 11:45 AM on DIRECTV channel 456
Getafe vs. Deportivo La Coruña – 11:55 AM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360
Barcelona vs. Mallorca – 1:55 PM on GOL TV
Atlético Madrid vs. Real Madrid – 3:55 PM on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360
Nov. 8
Sporting Gijón vs. Espanyol – 10:45 AM on DIRECTV channel 457
Racing Santander vs. Athletic Bilbao – 10:45 AM on DIRECTV channel 456
Almería vs. Osasuna – 10:55 AM on GOL TV
Valencia vs. Real Zaragoza – 12:55 PM on ESPN2/ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360
Sevilla vs. Villarreal – 2:55 PM on GOL TV
Sorry for those Real Valladolid and Xerez supporters, their match against each other will not be shown on US TV.
As an extra aside, GOL TV and ESPN will also show second legs of the Copa del Rey Round of 32 in the mid-week, including Alcorcón’s bid to complete the shock of Real Madrid.&nbsp; Here are those fixtures:
Copa del Rey
Real Madrid vs. Alcorcón – Tuesday, November 10 at 1:55 PM on GOL TV (Real Madrid 0-4 Alcorcón after the first leg)
Barcelona vs. Cultural Leonesa – Tuesday, November 10 at 3:55 on ESPN Deportes/ESPN 360 (Barcelona 2-0 Cultural Leonesa afther the first leg)
Athletic Bilbao vs. Rayo Vallecano – Wednesday, November 11 at 2:55 PM on GOL TV (Athletic Bilbao 0-2 Rayo Vallecano after the first leg)
Almería vs. Hércules – Thursday, November 12 at 2:55 on GOL TV (Almería 1-2 Hércules after the first leg)

La Liga US TV Listings for Jornada 10: Nov. 7 and Nov. 8 - World Soccer Talk

La Liga US TV Listings for Jornada 10: Nov. 7 and Nov. 8

<div id="attachment_1892" style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Pictures of famous Athletic Bilbao players at San Mamés. Photo courtesy of Nicholas McGowan.</div>
Athletic Bilbao would have no problems with the proposed UEFA plan of mandating eight homegrown players in the squad of eighteen for every match or the theoretical 6 + 5 rule, where six players of the starting eleven would have to be eligible for the national team of their club’s country.&nbsp; Athletic Bilbao refuses to sign anyone not of Basque heritage.&nbsp; This policy seems out of touch with modern times, as top European teams and minnows of UEFA try to sign the best players within their means, regardless of country or province of origin.&nbsp; As their record of accomplishment indicates of always staying in the top flight of Spanish football, Bilbao is doing something right.&nbsp; In the past four years, however, Bilbao finished in the bottom half of the table, including a last gasp win in the final round of the 2006-2007 season to stave off relegation.
Forsaking the cantera plan never entered the minds of the Bilbao boardroom.&nbsp; These local players from the Basque gelled together in the past few years, taking the best shots from La Liga and many times plummeting onto the canvas.&nbsp; Under the leadership of manager Joaquín Caparrós, Athletic Bilbao is now in a position to finish in the top half of the table and compete for European places.
Because of their amazing Copa del Rey cup run to the finals, Bilbao earned a spot in the Europa League.&nbsp; After narrow escapes against Swiss team Young Boys in the third qualifying round and Norwegian outfit Tromsø in the playoff round, they commenced their voyage in the Europa League group stage with a 3-0 thrashing of Austria Wien.&nbsp; In La Liga, Athletic won their first two matches, narrowly defeating Espanyol at San Mamés 1-0 and dispatching newcomers Xerez 0-1 at Chapín.&nbsp; Bilbao’s first real test came Sunday against a Villarreal team who was searching for their first win in La Liga after two 1-1 draws with Osasuna and Mallorca.
Both Athletic Bilbao and Villarreal played in the Europa League on Thursday, so they were on equal footing when it came to a quick turnaround.&nbsp; Villarreal was used to coping with midweek European matches along with their Spanish league responsibilities since they played in European competitions for the past six seasons.&nbsp; It was Athletic, though, who looked like the fresher of the two teams from the outset.&nbsp; Villarreal’s intricate passing and possession football were overmatched by Bilbao’s more physical and direct style of play.&nbsp; Being that Bilbao’s roots derived from immigrant English steel and shipyard workers, Bilbao’s physical style and use of whipping deep crosses and a strong, tough target man should be of no surprise.
Bilbao created most of the first half chances, and they converted on two of these opportunities, giving them a 2-0 lead at halftime.&nbsp; Villarreal did not have an attempted shot until the 36th minute, and by the end of the half, the Yellow Submarine had two shots total with none of them on goal.&nbsp; Central defenders Diego Godín and Iván Marcano could not handle the brute strength and the technical skill of Bilbao talisman Fernando Llorente; Gaizka Toquero and David López ran rampant on the wings in support of Llorente; and Igor Gabilondo’s wicked crosses and free kicks created opportunities for his teammates and kept the Villarreal fullbacks in defense rather than making overlapping runs in the attack.
Villarreal manager Ernesto Valverde made a conscious decision to become more direct in the second half to counter Bilbao’s dominance.&nbsp; This strategy paid off in the 49th minute when Cani scored to cut the deficit in half.&nbsp; Joan Capdevila’s cross traveled deep into the penalty area, where Joseba Llorente headed the ball into Cani’s path, and Cani smashed it home from twelve yards out.&nbsp; Despite this development, Bilbao was unfazed and eventually regained their two-goal advantage when Javi Martínez headed in the third goal from a Gabilondo corner in the 59th minute.&nbsp; Athletic eventually won the match 3-2 and kept their 100% record.
Only La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid share a perfect three for three record with Bilbao, and while no one claims that Bilbao will keep pace with them for the remainder of the season, the swagger is back with this Bilbao team.&nbsp; Iker Muniain and Isaac Aketxe, both 16 years old, made substitute appearances, 21 year old Javi Martínez scored a goal, 24 year old central defender Fernando Amorebieta effectively phased out Giuseppe Rossi and Joseba Llorente for the most part, and 24 year old Fernando Llorente showed the form that made him a strong candidate for inclusion into the Spanish national team for the 2010 World Cup.
Joaquín Caparrós constructed a team that stayed true to their origins with their direct play while incorporating the highly technical football necessary to compete successfully in La Liga.&nbsp; Even if Athletic were relegated for the first time in their history, their supporters would not want Athletic to renounce its cantera policy and sell out for some extra wins.&nbsp; The Basques want their club to be represented by their own, and the young talent that Caparrós brought into the fold promises a budding future for Los Leones.&nbsp; While the economic inequities between Real Madrid and Barcelona and the rest of La Liga may prevent Athletic Bilbao from consistently challenging for titles as they did in the 1980’s, the Euskaldunak have a team of which they can be proud not just for their heritage but also for their football.

Athletic Bilbao Maintains Perfect Start and Basque Heritage - World Soccer Talk

Athletic Bilbao Maintains Perfect Start and Basque Heritage

<div id="attachment_1797" style="width: 470px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>("How poorly Madrid are defending.")</div>
Espanyol 0-3 Real Madrid 
0-1 Granero, 39’ 
0-2 Guti, 77’ 
0-3 Ronaldo, 90’
This was a constant refrain from the Spanish language announcers and the theme of most of the match, as the Merengues struggled to hold their nerve at the back, occasionally looking as porous as SpongeBob Square Pants in defense. It should be noted that two of the team’s first choice defenders – Pepe and Sergio Ramos – were out of the line-up, which will take its toll on any squad. But with two Spanish internationals deputizing for them, in Albiol and Arbeloa, Madrid have little to complain about. Regardless of any caveats about missing players, though, the key word for this game was “composure,” which was sorely lacking over much of the pitch against Espanyol.
Despite the clear gap in quality (and paychecks) between the two teams, Espanyol were easily the better side for much of the game. Aside from a bad miss that Metzelder sent over the crossbar, the Periquitos had the best chances in the game’s early stages. Casillas prevented his side from going 1-0 down inside the first half hour when he saved Moises Hurtado’s shot from close range. Hurtado only had such a clear-cut opportunity because of horrible defending by Madrid, who left Luis Garcia completely unmarked near the back post, allowing him a free header back in front of goal to the waiting Hurtado. Fortunately for Los Blancos, Iker’s legs bailed them out and kept the scoreline even. Soon thereafter, Raul Tamudo narrowly missed getting his head onto an Ivan Alonso cross after some more shaky defending.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, they struck, on a lovely little one-two between Kaka and Granero. El Pirata, who was brilliant all game, secured the ball nicely, dropped it off to Kaka, then darted into the box to receive the return pass and blast it past Kameni. It was very similar to the first goal against Deportivo in Jornada 1, when Madrid suddenly found their attacking boots on a double-nutmeg pass by Kaka to a streaking Benzema. That time, the post intervened and Raul was required to clean up the rebound. This time, Granero made no mistake with the shot to give his side the advantage.
The second came only after numerous chances for Espanyol to equalize, when Kaka dribbled around three defenders on the left, got his nose out in front, and laid it off for Guti to slot home. It was a lovely play by Kaka, who looks to be the team’s most important creative player so far. And finally, substitute Cristiano Ronaldo got his first goal from open play for the team when Guti played a perfect through ball to the world’s most expensive (and most precisely coiffed) football player. Ronaldo streaked with it down the right hand side and coolly put the ball between Kameni’s legs for the goal. It was once again refreshing to see his joy and relief at scoring for his new team, as his new price tag has appeared to weigh on him since arriving in Spain. A couple more goals like that, and those worries will be a thing of the past, like his relationship with Sir Alex at the end of his ManU tenure.
So in the end, they got the goals and outclassed an opponent they had every right to beat, but they made it as nerve-wracking as possible along the way. I couldn’t count how many times I grimaced as a ball rolled past numerous Madrid defenders or an Espanyol player dribbled with ease into the heart of the defense. They looked quite unorganized and, consequently, exceedingly vulnerable to the counterattack. At times, even clearing the ball became an exercise in futility and difficult to watch. It was more Espanyol’s profligacy in front of goal than Madrid’s defense that kept them off the scoreboard, but I suppose they’ll take a clean sheet any way they can get it.
In their first two games, Real Madrid have shown both how high they can go and how much they still have to do to attain such heights consistently. That tricky bit of composure is still clearly lacking, and it hurts the defense more than the offense. They have enough astronomical talent in the attack to come out with little unity or plan and still score goals. The back line is not quite so blessed with riches, but even if it were, defense is another proposition altogether. Individual stars can do little on their own to shut down an opponent, instead requiring a coherent system to which all subscribe in order to excel. It is this system which Madrid lacks at this point, and it is this which Pellegrini must correct, and soon, if he wants to content with Barcelona (and keep his job).
To be fair, this is an entirely understandable predicament for a team that was hastily assembled over the summer and which tends to feature between five and eight new faces in the starting eleven. They were always going to need time to gel, and as long as they are winning, they will probably be granted leniency from the demanding home fans. With lots of players resting due to international action midweek and a looming Champions League clash, they were also fielding somewhat of a B team – if such a term can be applied to a line-up that features the likes of Kaka, Benzema, and Xabi Alonso, but you get the picture. San Iker may just be enough to save them until they get their act together, but this can only go on for so long and the defensive deficiencies cannot be bailed out indefinitely by offensive firepower. At some point, Real Madrid are going to have to learn how to defend. I suspect that with time and the return of some much needed familiar faces, they will settle into their roles and play at least competently together, which is not something that could be said about them in this performance.

Que Mal Que Marca El Madrid - World Soccer Talk

Que Mal Que Marca El Madrid

Part one of the 2009-2010 La Liga season preview will be out in the next couple of days, but today is devoted to Daniel Jarque González, who tragically passed away at the age of twenty-six while his RCD Espanyol team and he were on their preseason tour of Italy.&nbsp; According to the RCD Espanyol website, “Tragedy struck Espanyol and the family of Dani Jarque this evening.&nbsp; The blanquiblau player died of cardiac arrest.”
“The doctor carried out CPR on the player and used a defibrillator which showed that the arrest was non-responsive.&nbsp; The medical services continued carrying out CPR, administering adrenaline and atropine for an hour, but the player’s heart did not react, so finally that determined his death.”
“RCD Espanyol, broken with pain, wish to put themselves at the absolute disposition of the family of our captain Dani Jarque, to whom go our warmest thoughts.”
When any death like this occurs, rivalries are set aside, and everyone grieves for the deceased and his family.&nbsp; From San Francisco, where FC Barcelona is on their American preseason tour, Joan Laporta said on the Barcelona club website, “We are filled with extreme dismay at this tragic event which we deeply regret.”
“Today we are all in mourning.&nbsp; I want to send, on behalf of FC Barcelona, our deepest sympathies to RCD Espanyol for the painful loss of their captain Dani Jarque, and to his family.”
A rock in central defense with Nicolás Pareja, they led Espanyol from the bottom of the table as late as Round 30 and from relegation as late as Round 32 to tenth place, an astonishing turnaround to a top half finish.&nbsp; A proud player of the Espanyol cantera since the age of twelve, Daniel Jarque reached the highest peak individually when his native Espanyol asked him to be captain one short month ago.&nbsp; He then captained the first match in their newly built stadium, the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, where they impressed the home supporters with a 3-0 thrashing of Liverpool FC.
This kind of catastrophic event reminds people of their own mortality and how life can be taken away in an instant, even if you are only twenty-six years old, in top physical shape, and seemingly at a good place in your life.&nbsp; No one truly knows why these events occur, and surely, Jarque’s teammates are asking the same questions.&nbsp; If anyone knows through what they are going, it is the players of Sevilla in the 2007-2008 campaign because their teammate Antonio Puerta died shortly after he played in the first match of that season.&nbsp; Sevilla finished fifth that season, narrowly missing a Champions League spot because while they had the same total of points as Atlético Madrid, Atlético Madrid had the better head-to-head record against Sevilla.
While it is a noble idea to suggest that Dani Jarque’s death will spur on Los Perequitos to play their best football ever, the truth is that each player will take his death in his own private way.&nbsp; If they can envelop the spirit of Dani Jarque and, as the untimely, yet apt and appropriate cliché goes, play as if their lives depended on it, they will honor their fallen friend in the most respectable way possible.
Rest in peace, Dani.&nbsp; The football world will sorely miss you.

Daniel Jarque: An Untimely Death - World Soccer Talk

Daniel Jarque: An Untimely Death

<div><figure class="image"></figure></div>
Newly promoted Swansea City couldn’t have picked a better time to ascend into the Championship.
The Welsh club was a penalty kick away from being promoted to the league in May 2006, but Barnsley walked away victors that day in Cardiff.
In hindsight, it was a blessing in disguise for Swansea. The South Wales club now features one of the best sides Swansea has ever seen, which is heavily influenced by La Liga thanks to Swansea’s Spanish manager Roberto Martinez, formerly a player with Real Zaragoza, Wigan and Swansea City.
The Spanish influence doesn’t stop there. The style of play that the team employs is a traditional Spanish variety with lots of passing ball on the floor rather than hoofing them up the field, as well as an attacking style of play that is better suited for the Premier League than the old fashioned Championship.
Swansea’s squad is far stronger today than it was in 2006. The team now features six Spanish players: Andrea Orlandi (midfielder formerly with Barcelona and Alaves), Jordi Gomez (midfielder formerly with Espanyol), Gorka Pintado (striker formerly with Spanish side Granada), Angel Rangel (defender formerly with Spanish side Terrassa), Guillem Bauza (striker formerly with Espanyol) and Albert Serran (defender formerly with Espanyol).
It’s no wonder then that Swansea chose to play several friendlies the past two weeks in Spain to prepare for the grueling Championship season. The tour included a 3-3 draw against the Barcelona B side, a 4-0 loss to Espanyol, a 1-0 win against Palamos and a 2-0 win against Peralada.
The Spanish influence at Swansea is just one element of their success thus far. The biggest question mark about the Swans is that of experience. Can a Spanish style of play overcome the lack of experience in the fourth biggest league in the world? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Spanish Influence Is In Vogue At Swansea City - World Soccer Talk

Spanish Influence Is In Vogue At Swansea City

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Leagues: La Liga

La Liga US TV Listings for Jornada 10: Nov. 7 and Nov. 8

Athletic Club

Athletic Bilbao Maintains Perfect Start and Basque Heritage

Cristiano Ronaldo

Que Mal Que Marca El Madrid

Antonio Puerta

Daniel Jarque: An Untimely Death

Leagues: La Liga

Spanish Influence Is In Vogue At Swansea City

Albert Serran

Spanish Influence Is In Vogue At Swansea City