La Liga Lowdown

The seventh round of the 2019/20 LaLiga season is in the books and we've had the first big match between title rivals of the season as Real Madrid visited Atlético. There weren't any goals in that one, as the goals were saved for Sevilla vs Real Sociedad. We discuss those two matches and so much more.Host Euan McTear (@emctear) reflects on his trip to the Basque Country to see Eibar and Athletic Club and catches up with Dan Parry (@DanParry_) outside San Mamés. Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) analyses Villarreal's good form and Levante's poor defending. Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) discusses Barcelona and Espanyol. Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100) explains what's going wrong at Mallorca. And Matt Clarke (MattClark_08) has the lowdown on the big Sevilla vs Real Sociedad five-goal thriller.All of that, complete with commentary from Cadena Cope and Movistar, makes up your week seven La Liga Lowdown.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The first midweek round of the 2019/20 LaLiga season was held across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights and the La Liga Lowdown squad was all over it. In this podcast, get the lowdown from across the country on the top storylines of matchday six.We've got David Whitworth (@DCWh1tw0rth) on Real Betis, Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100) on Real Mallorca, Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) on Real Madrid, Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) on Barcelona, Gregor Chapelle (@GregorChappelle) on Sevilla and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) on Valencia. Plus, some clips from ESPN Brasil, Cadena Cope and beIN and it's all hosted by Euan McTear (@emctear).  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Athletic Club and Real Madrid are the new leaders of LaLiga Santander on 11 points and we look at their victories over Alavés and Sevilla, as well as discussing Granada's hugely impressive victory over a Barcelona side that just cannot win away from home. We discuss that special Granada night with a man who was there, Heath Chesters (@HeathGCF). We talk Real Madrid with Kristofer McCormack (K_mc06). There's a chat with Jeremy Beren (JBBeren) of @IntoTheCalderon about Atlético Madrid's difficult week. Paco Polit (pacopolitENG) talks Levante and Villarreal. And Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) analyses Espanyol's latest setback, as well as telling us about his trip to see the women's teams of Barcelona and Atlético Madrid. There's all that and much more with host Euan McTear (@emctear), with sounds from À Punt Esports and Cadena Cope livening up the matchday recap even more.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the 2019/20 Europa League group stages get under way with Espanyol participating, we look back on the Catalan club's previous European adventure. Back in 2006/07, they went all the way to the final at Hampden Park in Glasgow, where they lost to Sevilla on penalties.In this La Liga Lowdown episode, we discuss their qualification for that year's tournament, their route to the final, their coach Ernesto Valverde and discuss what it was like to experience that special game.Hosted by Euan McTear (@emctear), there are contributions from Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge), Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100), Roman de Arquer (@Aeroslavee), Stuart Spencer (@StuartSpencer92), Nick Puñal (@PERICOZ) and Matt Clarke (@MattClark_08), plus UEFA commentary clips and music from Cachowrro  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Club football has returned and it has done so with plenty of drama. All of that is discussed in this LaLiga matchday four recap.16-year-old Ansu Fati had a breakout performance for Barcelona, one that Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) reflects on. Valencia had their first match since the shock sacking of Marcelino and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) tries to work out what's going on. Real Sociedad christened the redeveloped Anoeta with a win and Spanish stadium expert Chris Clements (the man behind the @Estadios_Spain account) explains what has changed.There's also a look at Villarreal's start to the season with Allen Dodson (@groguet01) of @VillarrealUSA and some analysis of Sevilla's rise to the top of the table from Gregor Chappelle (@GregorChappelle), plus commentary clips from Cadena Cope and LaLiga TV.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Valencia have never won the Champions League, but they have been to the final twice. Two years in a row, in fact. They reached the finals in 2000 and 2001, losing to Real Madrid and to Bayern Munich, and this Thursday's La Liga Lowdown podcast looks back on those two memorable European campaigns. Joachim Björklund, a centre-back in those Valencia squads, talks about his experiences. Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) reveals what it was like to be a season-ticket holder at the time. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) tells us about the Copa del Rey-winning campaign the previous year. Mario Ottiglio (@MarioOttiglio) breaks down coach Héctor Cúper's managerial style. Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100) tells the happy sequel of the LaLiga triumph in 2001/02. And host Euan McTear (@emctear), with the help of some UEFA commentary, breaks down the finals themselves.So, enjoy this Valencia-focused podcast as we go back 20 years to a time when Valencia were a true force in Europe, much to everyone's surprise.  See acast.co

It's the September international break! Just three weeks into the new LaLiga season, there is a pause for the national teams. But fear not! This Monday's podcast features LaLiga-focused and Segunda-focused questions from listeners, plus a discussion of Spain's wins over Romania and the Faroe Islands.Host Euan McTear (@emctear) is joined by Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG), Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) and Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100) to talk Spain and to answer all the questions. Thanks also go out to Cadena COPE for the excited commentary of Spain's goals.So enjoy! From a debate over who should be Spain's No.1 to Real Betis' expectations for this season to the drama at Málaga, it's all in this week's pod.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo, better known as Monchi, is the most famous sporting director in the world.Sevilla benefited from his expertise for 17 years, between 2000 and 2017. Before that, he was a backup goalkeeper for the club. After that, he spent a couple of years running the sporting department at AS Roma. Now he is back at Sevilla. He's back home.In this podcast, hosted by Euan McTear (@emctear), we tell Monchi's life story, speaking to those who know it best. Román de Arquer (Aeroslavee) talks though his playing career. Victor Orta, the Leeds United director of football, reflects on when he worked with Monchi at Sevilla, Conor Clancy (@ConJClancy) of @SerieAFFC discusses Monchi's time in Serie A, Matthew Clark (@MattClark_08) looks at the Spaniard's relationship with the Premier League and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) analyses Sevilla's 2019 summer transfer market. Thanks also go out to esRadio and Cadena COPE for the classic commentary.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information

The first international break of the season is here and Atlético Madrid are the only team in LaLiga still with a 100 percent record. Barcelona and Real Madrid slipped up again, so we indulge in some title talk in this matchday three recap.We also look back at and study the Basque derby and have an in-depth discussion about Real Valladolid and how their season is shaping up.Euan McTear (@emctear) hosts and there are contributions from Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG), Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee), Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge), Dan Parry (@DanParry_) and Martin Devlin (@MartiRVCF) of @PucelaEscocia, plus commentary from beIN SPORTS and Cadena COPE.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Takefusa Kubo is one of world football's rising stars, and the 18-year-old Japanese prodigy has already passed through three Spanish clubs. After spending time at Barcelona's academy and after returning to Japan, he signed with Real Madrid this summer and has been loaned out to Real Mallorca.Euan McTear (@emctear) hosts this episode and speaks to Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) about Kubo's Barça days, to Kiyan Sobhani (@KiyanSo) about his pre-season with Real Madrid and to Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100) about his arrival at Real Mallorca. We also hear from Ben Maxwell (@OnTheGas1999), the host of the J-Talk Podcast (@JTalkPod), for expert insight into Kubo's emergence in Japan. And Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) discusses Kubo's appearances with the Japanese national team. Thanks go out as well to J-League, Barça TV and Premier Sports for the Kubo clips. So listen in and enjoy. This is Takefusa Kubo's story so far...  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The second week of the 2018/19 LaLiga Santander season is in the books and there are just two teams remaining with a 100 percent record - Sevilla and Atlético Madrid. We discuss that and much more, speaking to multiple experts.We hear from Heath Chesters (@HeathGCF) in Granada, Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) in Valencia, Joseph Sexton (@josephsbcn) in Vigo, Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) in Barcelona, Alex Fitzpatrick (@Mallorcalex100) in Mallorca and Kiyan Sobhani (@KiyanSo) in Canada, all hosted by Madrid-based Euan McTear (@emctear).There's an in-depth chat with Heath about Granada and their survival, we get the lowdown from Paco on Villarreal throwing away another lead and Kiyan talks Real Madrid's problems. That and and more is discussed and the conversation doesn't end there. Check us out on Twitter (@LaLigaLowdown) to let us know your thoughts on the first two weeks of the season.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Athletic Club striker Aritz Aduriz is a LaLiga legend. We all know this. But how did his story start? What bumps were there along the way? That and more is all discussed in this podcast looking at the Aritz Aduriz story. We speak to Phil Ball to explain how Aduriz, who grew up in San Sebastian, ended up playing for his hometown's biggest rivals. Alex Fitzpatrick talks about the Aduriz Real Mallorca years. Paco Polit reflects on what went well, and what didn't, for Aduriz at Valencia. Román de Arquer dissects Aduriz's role in Athletic Club's Supercopa de España win in 2015. And Gaizka Atxa looks ahead to his retirement along with your host, Euan McTear. Plus, commentary excitement from Mundo Futgol, Cadena COPE, beIN SPORTS, ITV and Radio Popular.So click play, and enjoy learning some more about one of LaLiga's all-time greats.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

LaLiga is back and it came back with a bang! From Aritz Aduriz's stunning winner against Barcelona in the opening match of the weekend to Joao Felix's impressive debut in Atletico Madrid's latest victory over Getafe, we've got it all covered. We start by breaking down Barcelona's problems and wondering what Ernesto Valverde has to do now.We also take an in-depth look at the newly promoted sides Real Mallorca, Osasuna and Granada as they returned to the top flight with positive results, with analysis from three reporters who were at their games. Granada's match was especially wild - an eight-goal thriller away at Villarreal.Paco breaks down the madness that went on in Valencia's draw with Real Sociedad, as they started the season with their favourite result - a draw.All of that and more is discussed in this podcast. Check us out on Twitter - @LaLigaLowdown - to let us know your thoughts on LaLiga's opening weekend.  See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Listen up! It's our second season-preview podcast, and this time we're focusing on all the other stories aside the Big Three in LaLiga.Host Euan McTear is once again joined by Paco Polit and Román de Arquer as they discuss the race for fourth place - can Valencia do it again, or will the recent turmoil at the club spoil their campaign before it's even begun? And what about the likes of Sevilla and Real Betis who have strengthened their squads, and can Villarreal improve on what was a terrible season in 2018-19? Or could there be a surprise package?The relegation battle could be equally fascinating - the new boys are Granada, Osasuna and Mallorca who were last in LaLiga 7 seasons ago, but do they have enough to stay up? And who else might struggle? Levante, Real Valladolid, Alavés or maybe even a bigger name? We also hear from LLL new recruit Matt Clark who saw Valencia, Espanyol, Athletic Club and Real Sociedad in pre-season while they were on tour in the UK.Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast, and chec

Yes, La Liga Lowdown is back!The new Spanish football season is almost upon us, so it's the perfect time to get your ears around our preview podcasts, and this is the first...In this first preview, Euan McTear in Madrid chats with Paco Polit in Valencia and Román de Arquer in Barcelona as we look back at a summer of big spending by the Big Three, and look ahead to the new campaign. We ask some key questions:will Barcelona manage to integrate Antoine Griezmann successfully?can Eden Hazard turn on the style at Madrid..and how come Gareth Bale is still there?!is João Felix the real deal, and what about Atlético's new look-defence?We also discuss some of the young talents to look out for at all those teams, whether there might potentially have to be changes of philosophy and formation for the Madrid clubs, and we get the boys' predictions on the season ahead. We'll discuss European hopes and relegation in our next preview podcast out later in the week.Don't forget to follow us on Twitter - https://twitter.com/LaL

We've gone double-length for this podcast, as it's the final one of the season and we wanted to give you, the fans, TOP value. Of course this pod focuses on the Copa del Rey final where Valencia shocked Barcelona to win 2-1 at the Estadio Benito Villamarín to lift their first trophy in 11 years, while also denying Barça a domestic double - the culés have to settle for one piece of silverware.We dissect and analyse the final in real depth, the players who performed, the players who didn't, should Ernesto Valverde leave the Camp Nou and what this means for Los Che - David Garrido hosts, with Paco Polit who was at the stadium in Seville on Saturday night and Román de Arquer based in Barcelona.We also speak to Euan McTear in Madrid as we take a considered look at the main narratives of the 2018-19 campaign, and David and Euan also reveal their teams of the season, but with a twist: only 1 player allowed per LaLiga team!Don't forget to give us a lovely review and a 5-star rating if you'd be so kind, and

And so, LaLiga is done and dusted for another season...an up-and-down season finished with yet more twists and turns on the 38th and final matchday - with Valencia and Getafe in the race for Champions League qualification, and Athletic were the width of the crossbar away from the Europa League, but in the end, that accolade went to Espanyol as they snatched 7th place in the table.Relegation was almost decided before time - Girona needed a miracle, but they were put out of their misery at Alavés, while Iago Aspas was once again the hero as Celta Vigo pulled off yet another comeback, this time against Rayo.In the less meaningful matches, none of Barcelona, Atlético or Real Madrid managed to win, and in fact Madrid were awful in their defeat to Real Betis, who then announced that Quique Setién would not be carrying on as head coach.Also, the LLL squad give their "moments of the season" - there are some interesting choices! Thanks for listening, any lovely ratings and reviews are welcome and don't forget to

Football is often all about how you get up, not how you fell down in the first place. Barcelona and Valencia both responded to European exits last week by winning on Sunday, as all 10 matches in LaLiga were played at exactly the same time. Maybe it'll catch on, who knows? It made for a dramatic penultimate round of games, and a twist in the race for the Champions League.Getafe went to Barça and had their chances but lost 2-0, even though the champions were poor by their own standards...while Valencia came from behind to beat Alavés 3-1 at home, to take control of the battle for 4th place. It means matters are in their own hands going into the final day of the league campaign. Sevilla could only draw 1-1 away to Atlético Madrid, so they are almost certainly going to have to settle for Europa League football next season.There are still 3 teams who could finish 7th - Real Sociedad beat Real Madrid, Espanyol won at Leganés, Athletic Club defeated Celta Vigo...which in turn has implication

Finally, we've had 2 teams confirmed as relegated from LaLiga...Rayo Vallecano and Huesca gave it a good crack, but were put out of their misery after suffering big defeats on Matchday 36 - Rayo going down 4-1 at Levante, Huesca were smashed 6-2 at home by Valencia. Both of these are teams who came up from Segunda last season, so they return straight away - in truth, neither of them really looked like escaping the drop. But Real Valladolid still might - their 1-0 win at home to Athletic Club takes them out of the relegation zone...for now at least.In terms of the other relegation candidates, Celta Vigo pulled off a 2-0 win over champions Barcelona at Balaídos, while Villarreal could only manage a 3-2 defeat away to Real Madrid - Girona also lost, 2-0 at Getafe who continue to keep their unlikely Champions League dreams alive. This was a comfortable win but a huge 3 points, and if Geta finish 4th, it'll be an astonishing achievement. Sevilla look like they've given up the ghost with a 3rd d

Well, we knew it was coming, and in the end, Barcelona have done it with 3 games to spare. They are once again champions of Spain, retaining their title, making it 8 out of the last 11 that they've won and their 26th crown overall. Lionel Messi, who else, scored the only goal in their 1-0 win over Levante, meaning that Barça could celebrate their triumph in front of their own fans. Atlético Madrid also won 1-0 at home to Real Valladolid, so the gap is 9 points with 3 games to go, but because Barcelona's head-to-head record is better between themselves and Atleti, it means that they are deserved champions.Real Madrid surprisingly (or maybe not) went down at Rayo by the same scoreline, giving the side from Vallecas the slightest glimmer of hope that they might stay up, but there were also points for the teams around them. Huesca and Villarreal drew, and so did Celta Vigo, but Girona went one better and won.That result was significant in the race for 4th place, as Sevilla were the team on the