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Player Focus: Sevilla Success Puts Bacca in Contention for Columbia

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Player Focus: Sevilla Success Puts Bacca in Contention for Columbia With more goals than both Gareth Bale and Neymar - and at a fraction of the price - it’s becoming more and more apparent that Sevilla’s €8m spend on Carlos Bacca has been a fine piece of business, akin to those the club made in the early 2000’s.In fact, Bacca’s impact ha...

League Focus: The Race for Fourth in La Liga

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League Focus: The Race for Fourth in La Liga There's a battle going on in La Liga right now that threatens even the title race when it comes to drama and intrigue. Cast your eyes slightly below the engrossing three-way tussle for La Liga’s top spot, and you'll arrive at fourth place.It's the coveted final Champions League place that&rsqu...

Player Focus: Keylor Navas - La Liga's Unlikely Star

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Player Focus: Keylor Navas - La Liga's Unlikely Star Levante possessing a star, however unlikely a source it may be, doesn't seem to fit the bill. Since their return to La Liga it's been all about the team, the unit, and sacrifice. Keylor Navas has taken that to another level, sacrificing himself on a weekly basis for the team. The Costa Rican goalkee...

Player Focus: Top 5 January Signings in La Liga

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Player Focus: Top 5 January Signings in La Liga There was no deal in Spain as large as those of Juan Mata or Nemanja Matic over the January transfer window, as clubs instead resorted to what has become the norm – loans and free transfers – to bolster their aspirational and ailing squads. If anything it brings about a more calculated a...

Player Focus: La Liga's Argentine Defenders Hoping for International Recognition

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Player Focus: La Liga's Argentine Defenders Hoping for International Recognition The riches that Alejandro Sabella has available when it comes to Argentina’s attack are the envy of the footballing world, but as far as defensive options go their depth isn’t quite as vast. While it appears that the coach has already chosen his centre-back options, two players from La L...

Team Focus: Possession Counting for Little for Wasteful Rayo

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Team Focus: Possession Counting for Little for Wasteful Rayo Rayo Vallecano’s hard-fought win last weekend away to Getafe was their first in 2014, and their first overall since November 9th 2013. It was also only their 5th victory in the league all season. Rayo have learned over the years since their promotion not to take the small victories for granted...

Match Focus: Something Has to Give in Atlético vs Barcelona

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Match Focus: Something Has to Give in Atlético vs Barcelona On the surface it brings forth an old cliché, of the best attack versus the best defence. Barcelona against Atlético Madrid on this occasion, however, is so much more than that. It’s an early title decider. Using that term in the same breath as Atleti’s name has been, putti...

Player Focus: Rafinha Realising Potential at Celta Vigo

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Player Focus: Rafinha Realising Potential at Celta Vigo The kids from La Masia seem to popping up everywhere these days; after Gerard Deulofeu's headline stealing shows for Everton, it's quite easy to forget about another player from one of the most famous youth academies in the world, who is also developing in style.Rafael Alcântara, aka Rafinha, ...

Team Focus: The Valverde Effect at Athletic Bilbao

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Team Focus: The Valverde Effect at Athletic Bilbao If anything, this was meant to be a year of recovery for Athletic Bilbao. The emotional and physical strains of the Marcelo Bielsa era were deeply felt after all, and the appointment of Ernesto Valverde was seen as a perfect tonic.Instead, however, we’re seeing a resurrection in Bilbao. It cou...

Player Focus: Bruno Coming Into His Own as Villarreal's Leader

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Player Focus: Bruno Coming Into His Own as Villarreal's Leader He spent a year away from Spain’s top flight, and with every game that passes in Villarreal’s first season back after promotion, Bruno Soriano is making sure he firmly re-establishes himself as one of La Liga’s most revered midfielders. While doing so, he’s bringing the good ...