Spanish Clubs

In the mood to see a tasty one touch volley from Gareth Bale?

Oh my, Gareth Bale. https://t.co/35Gc4MtDgV

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) September 26, 2017

Conditions conspired to give us a glimpse of a rarely used, outdated tactic on Saturday: an authentic and faithful use of man-marking during Girona’s hosting of Barcelona at the Estadi Montilivi. What this means is that Girona defender Pablo Maffeo was entirely sacrificed to negate the influence of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi — wherever Messi went, there was Maffeo. When Girona were in possession, Maffeo continued to mark Messi. In fact, Maffeo was substituted in the 78th minute after recording only 10 touches. 

Chelsea wantaway striker Diego Costa appears to have finally wrangled the move he has been angling for, back to Atletico Madrid and their shiny new stadium.

The statement on Atletico Madrid's website:

First things first: clickbait! But not really. In soccer, had Cristiano Ronaldo converted, this wouldn’t have been an assist for Isco. But if we’re talking hockey, yes. The confines of a rink are intensely intimate, so the preceding pass is usually as important as the ultimate one. In soccer, we know that’s less frequently the case.

Atletico Madrid defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-1 at the San Mames on Tuesday to continue their unbeaten start to league play after five matches. But anemic draws against Girona and Valencia find them trailing Barcelona by four points, and you can’t fight the feeling that despite the continued excellence of players like Koke and Antoine Griezmann, there’s a Diego Costa-sized hole in this Atleti side.

Real Madrid and Karim Benzema have agreed to terms on a two-year contract extension with the striker now set to stay until 2021, past the Frenchman’s 33rd birthday.