It’s almost rather unfortunate that this still needs reiteration, but it certainly does: Sergi Roberto is good at football. Really good.

So good, in fact, that Pep Guardiola once noted that Roberto was good enough to ‘play wherever he wants’. And it appears that either current Coach Luis Enrique took his predecessor’s words literally, or that Lucho sees similarities between the youngster’s style of play and his own.

It’s hard to think, though, that the natural midfielder was, at one stage, close to being lured away to a Stoke City side in search for creative players. Bojan Krkic, once labeled as La Masia’s most promising talent, had gone down that very path and there was little stopping Roberto from following suit.

But patience isn’t a virtue the 23-year-old lacks. The Tarragona native has been featuring in Barcelona’s pre-season tours since 2010, and yet his impressions have all been in vain. The man touted at the Catalans’ next big midfield star had faded and so a contract extension in 2014 came as a surprise.

Barcelona’s transfer ban and Enrique’s influence are possible explanations as the club wanted all bases covered. But with Xavi Hernandez departing during summer 2015, it seemed logical to give Roberto yet another chance. And with the window of opportunity open, the starlet left his mark in emphatic fashion.

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La Liga 2015-16 Season Preview: Sporting Gijon

It’s a never-ending cycle. Three years of dwindling in the Segunda Division later and Sporting Gijon are back in La Liga, but it will take a super-human effort for the Asturian outfit to avoid relegation this time out.

Like last season, though, Coach Abelardo Fernandez will be relying on the flair of his youthful set-up to produce the goods. Indeed, Sporting entered 2014-15 without any new signings and were forced to rely on the young graduates from Mareo. Yet, against all the odds, the courageous attitude of the young side saw them secure promotion on the final matchday, when most believed they would only qualify through the playoffs.

Despite their lack of signings, however, Sporting find themselves in good stead for the new campaign. The likes of Jony and Carlos Castro matured significantly throughout 14-15, the former playing a key role for the side in midfield as he made 39 appearances and scored six goals in the process. The emergence of Miguel Angel Guerrero too is promising for the season ahead. The striker scored 10 goals in 34 appearances.

Key to Sporting's form has been the appointment of Abelardo, who is Rojiblanco through and through. Indeed, his ability to manage a team brimming with inexperience has been by far the greatest achievement in his short managerial career. And as the 45-year-old prepares to pit his wits against the best in the business this season, he will have to rely on the side’s defensive stability. The former Barcelona player established a backline which conceded just 27 goals last season, the fewest in La Segunda.

Read the rest of my preview for Football Espana

La Liga 2015-16 Season Preview: Sevilla

It all seemed like a well-directed film; no bloopers, no retakes as three, astonishingly, inch-perfect free-kicks left a 52,000-strong crowd in Georgia with their jaws dropped. Eventually, it all culminated in nine goals in an unforgettable 120 minutes of play as Barcelona narrowly edged out Sevilla 5-4 in the UEFA Super Cup.

If anything though, that very match exhibited all the qualities that we have come to associate with Unai Emery’s troops. Resilience, as well as possessing the ability to break down the best defences with breathtaking efficiency, has come to define what is now Andalucia's undisputed No 1 side.

Their previous season began with the sales of the likes of Alberto Moreno and, more significantly, Ivan Rakitic to Barcelona. However, the acquisitions of starlet Denis Suarez and the arrival of the relatively-untested Polish midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak helped ease the duo's departures.

It it all began with a bang as the Andalucians won seven of their opening nine matches to reach as high as second, before inconsistency throughout the season saw them challenge Valencia for a Champions League spot, a battle they eventually lost.

Nevertheless, back-to-back Europa League titles, the latest of which saw them edge out Dnipro 3-2 in the final marked their return to Europe’s elite club competition this season.

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Messianic Messi raises Barca’s bar

In many respects, it was a match of biblical proportions in a way which was somewhat expected. Only this time, though, Lionel Messi was the Messiah, and Pep Guardiola was the prophet.

“The way Messi is playing at the moment, there's no defence that can stop him. It’s impossible,” remarked the 44-year-old tactician ahead of his official return to Camp Nou.
And how prophetic that proved to be.

Barcelona, many opined, already had the tie in the bag prior to kick-off – there was no way in the world a depleted Bayern Munich set-up would be able to defeat a Blaugrana outfit in supreme form in their own fortress. But for 70 minutes or so, the match panned out in such a way many would have least expected.

Guardiola, as most would know, is not the sort of guy who dies wondering. Sitting back and defending with grit at the expense of potentially exposing their opponents with countless waves of attack is, for the Bayern coach, a mortal sin. And indeed, his troops gave the Catalans a run for their money in astonishing fashion.

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La Roja ratings: Spain 0 - 2 Chile

La Roja's 2-0 loss to Chile means that, mathematically, they are unable to qualify from their group. Cronan Yu runs through the ratings.

Iker Casillas: 4

The captain was nervy throughout the whole match, perhaps the result of the previous Netherlands match. Although unable to prevent the first goal, he gifted the second with a punch right into the danger area after an Alexis Sanchez free kick.

Jordi Alba: 4

Tried to get forward as much as possible in attack to hit those first time crosses, but didn't display enough quality to do so. Aranguiz's goal could've been avoidable had he had done more to percent Vidal from passing.

Sergio Ramos: 5

Was poor in defence yet again as he failed to strike up a sustainable partnership with Javi Martinez. Also lacked discipline and at one stage, looked like losing his head.

Javi Martinez: 4

Enjoyed a decent start to the game whereby he exhibited his midfielder qualities by attempting to play out from the back and initiate attacks. After the first goal, however, he went into his shell, failed to communicate with his partner and was slow and sluggish.

Read the rest of La Roja player ratings on Football Espana

La Roja must adapt or die

As Spain prepare to take on Chile, Cronan Yu believes that Vicente del Bosque has to adapt or face an early exit.

In early December, there was a collective groan within Spain when it was announced the world champions were drawn against 2010 World Cup runners up Netherlands, dark horse Chile and Australia. And despite the group being pessimistically touted as the ‘Group of Death’, expectations were high that Vicente del Bosque’s men could produce a positive result.

However, their mauling at the hands of the Netherlands in the Group B opener by a score line of 5-1 should come as no surprise. If their 3-1 loss a year earlier in the Confederations Cup final at the hands of Brazil was the death of Spain’s golden generation, then Friday’s result was their belated burial. And the fans and media alike had had enough.


Marca ran an all-black front page following La Roja’s worst result in years. The headline, written in bold white text read: “Arreglad esto” – fix this, it demanded.

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Player Ratings: Spain 1-5 Netherlands

Spain's World Cup defence got off to the worst possible start, having been thrashed 5-1 against Netherlands. Cronan Yu runs through the ratings.

Starting XI

Iker Casillas – 4

San Iker had the chance to establish his name in folklore of the World Cup, having not conceded a goal in the tournament for over 400 consecutive minutes. However, against Van Gaal’s troops, the 33-year-old was helpless. Although far from his best, he showed glimpses of his past, with a few smart saves.

Cesar Azpilicueta – 4

Had very little impact on the match - both offensively and defensively. Admittedly, the Chelsea man tried to initiate attacks on the right wing, but was largely ineffective as the Oranje continued to deny him any space forward.

Sergio Ramos – 1

Vastly disappointing from the off – was slow and was poor in his marking. Was lucky the Netherlands didn’t score more as chances were aplenty for the Dutch.

Read the rest of my Spain player ratings for Football Espana