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 tur...
Aug 12, 2019•26 min•Season 3Ep. 1
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, shoul...
May 27, 2019•49 min
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...
May 20, 2019•24 min
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 Va...
May 13, 2019•24 min
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 tak...
May 06, 2019•24 min
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 Bar...
Apr 29, 2019•24 min
Another weekend of significant results, but the most significant is that Barcelona can win LaLiga again in this next week after their 2-1 victory over Real Sociedad. 2 defenders scored for them, while it was Karim Benzema whose hat-trick gave Real Madrid their most convincing performance of late, beating Athletic Club 3-0. Standby for some stunning stats about the Frenchman... It was 4th v 5th but Sevilla lost 3-0 at Getafe, and both sides finished with 10 men as referee Mateu Lahoz made himself...
Apr 22, 2019•24 min
With the title race pretty much done in LaLiga, we had to major on the 4 derbies this week, especially the ones in Seville and Valencia, and in particular the 5-goal thriller at the Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán where Sevilla beat Real Betis 3-2. These 2 go at it hammer and tongs right from the first whistle, and even before then, the Sevilla anthem sends shivers down your spine. Just check out our Twitter feed -- @LaLigaLowdown -- if you don't believe us... Along with that game, Valencia took t...
Apr 16, 2019•24 min
Oi, Diego Costa - the LaLiga title race is officially over, thanks to you. After you got sent off, Atlético Madrid held out at the Camp Nou until 85 minutes...and then lost. Just imagine what they might have done if you hadn't lost your rag... So yes, Barcelona are now 11 points clear after that 2-0 win over Atleti in the biggest fixture of Matchday 31, and that should really be that. Real Madrid might still finish 2nd - they needed to give their heads a wobble at home to Eibar and eventually tu...
Apr 08, 2019•24 min
At half-time of Celta Vigo's home game with Villarreal, it looked like the hosts were totally dead and buried...but for the irresistible force which is Iago Aspas, especially at Balaídos. 45 minutes later, Celta had fought back from 0-2 to win 3-2 and give their LaLiga survival hopes a real shot in the arm. The image of the night was Iago Aspas weeping on the bench, overcome by the emotion of it all - no doubt then about the hero of the weekend on Matchday 29 in LaLiga. In terms of the other rel...
Apr 01, 2019•24 min
The Euro 2020 qualifiers are underway, and Spain are 2 from 2...so how are they shaping up after the excitement of the Nations League? In this special international podcast, Euan McTear hosts with Paco Polit and Román de Arquer as his guests, as we recap the 2-1 win over Norway and the 2-0 victory in Malta. If those scorelines sound underwhelming...it's because they were. So why did La Roja find it hard to smash their way through supposedly inferior opposition? We'll look at the situation with t...
Mar 27, 2019•27 min
You might as well just give Barcelona the title now. With 10 games to go they're 10 points clear, after another Lionel Messi-inspired display at Real Betis. That 4-1 win, coupled with Atlético Madrid's 2-0 defeat at Athletic Club means that the title race is effectively over, barring a total implosion from the champions. Real Madrid have got Zinedine Zidane back in the dugout, so we chat about the impact he's had already, how it might affect Gareth Bale and Marcelo's futures at the Estadio Santi...
Mar 18, 2019•24 min
It's a momentous time for Valencia - it's their 100th birthday this month, and the momentum is building in their season as well. Los Che are through to the Copa del Rey final, they've qualified for the quarter-finals of the Europa League and they're on an unbeaten run in LaLiga which is edging them up towards that 4th place which they covet to return to the Champions League next season. In this bonus podcast, La Liga Lowdown's Paco Polit discusses all the big talking points with Che Scandinavia,...
Mar 15, 2019•29 min
The more things change, the more things stay the same...in some ways, it was a weird weekend. Madrid won, for one - that hadn't happened for 2 weeks. And Atleti played musical chairs with left-backs. And Barcelona went behind to the 2nd-bottom side...but guess what? Yes, they won. Again. LaLiga is theirs... The big results came just below that top 3. Getafe were trailing Huesca but Jaime Mata got them all 3 points to keep them 4th, and Sevilla, Valencia and Real Betis all got victories too...tha...
Mar 11, 2019•24 min
In this bonus podcast, Euan McTear speaks to 2 colleagues in the Spanish capital about Real Madrid after Los Blancos suffered 7 days of their worst nightmares: being knocked out of the Copa del Rey by Barcelona, then losing in LaLiga to Barcelona and finally (and perhaps most shockingly) throwing away a 2-1 away first-leg advantage to crash out of the Champions League to Ajax. In part 1, Euan and Robbie Dunne pick apart the week of woe, why it's gone so badly wrong, they discuss how much head co...
Mar 07, 2019•28 min
Real Madrid fans, we apologise. This won't be an easy listen. But it will be a comprehensive one, as we pick apart all the big talking points of El Clásico - the 4th clash between Madrid & Barcelona this season, and a 3rd win for Barça coming swiftly after their victory at the Bernabéu in the Copa del Rey. Gerard Piqué was majestic, but a few other players also stood out in an intense match. David Garrido speaks to Euan McTear in Madrid and Román de Arquer in Barcelona to dissect the big gam...
Mar 05, 2019•24 min
What would Barcelona do without Lionel Messi? Well, lose a lot more for a start. The little Argentine came back to haunt Sevilla once again with an utterly outstanding hat-trick, helping them come from 1-0 and 2-1 to win at the Sanchez Pizjuan in the last 5 minutes. We celebrate Leo and all his stats, but it's still a bit of a worrying picture for out-of-sorts Philippe Coutinho... Even more worrying is how referee Iglesias Villanueva gave a penalty as Casemiro got only feather-light contact from...
Feb 26, 2019•24 min
There are so many talking points surrounding the LaLiga champions and Copa del Rey holders, and in this special bonus podcast edition, Román de Arquer speaks to respected journalist Marco Chiazza. If you're a Barcelona fan, or even if you're not, this is definitely for you. Roman & Marco discuss all of the following topics, in a tight but informing half-an-hour chat: - reaction to Barça's Champions League draw with Lyon - why the rotations aren't quite working at the moment - Coutinho, Arthu...
Feb 21, 2019•26 min
Just when you thought you could predict LaLiga, it does something else to confuse you, and this time it's called Real Madrid. Every bit of form pointed towards them not only beating Girona but MAULING THEM...and yet they lost 2-1 at home, and it was basically all their fault. And it's also their fault that Barcelona keep inching further ahead, without doing anything special. Lionel Messi's tale of 2 penalties was the main storyline from the Camp Nou as Barça just about did enough to beat Real Va...
Feb 19, 2019•24 min
You can still hear the fans arguing in the bars of Madrid. To say there were a few controversial or questionable decisions in Saturday's derby is putting it mildly, and the poor old buggers in the VAR booth were right at the centre of it all...but the fact is Real Madrid beat Atleti to go 2nd in the table - they were better, and it's now 5 straight LaLiga wins for them, just 6 points off Barcelona. The champions looked flat away to Athletic Club, and in fact could have lost this game if it wasn'...
Feb 12, 2019•24 min
In our first special bonus edition of the La Liga Lowdown podcast, Euan McTear speaks to Madrid-based journalist and reporter Antía André about everything that's going on at the 2 big clubs in the Spanish capital. In a comprehensive chat, they discuss their current form, and also the huge derby at the Wanda Metropolitano this weekend, so find out who Euan and Antía are backing for the game itself...here's a clue: they don't agree! There's discussion of Alvaro Morata and whether he'll have an imp...
Feb 08, 2019•25 min
"Expect the unexpected" is the theme of LaLiga this season - Barcelona were held by Valencia (rescued by Leo Messi again), then Atlético Madrid could have made up ground on the leaders but they lost at Real Betis...Sevilla also went to out-of-form Celta Vigo, and they lost too. So that's 3 of the top 4 failing to win. Real Madrid have hit form though, 3-nil winners over Alavés. The chasing pack is starting to look a bit more familiar - Valencia & Real Sociedad are prowling just outside the E...
Feb 05, 2019•24 min
Are Real Madrid back for good? Like REALly back? (Sorry.) Suddenly the boys in white (or actually a weird pinky red this week) are looking like European champions, with big names starring and scoring - especially Karim Benzema as they won at Espanyol. Question is: is he the best number 9 in the world?! Just up the road, Barcelona beat Girona but it wasn't actually all that easy - still, it's 8 straight league wins, so they stay 5 points clear of Atlético who were totally in control at home to Ge...
Jan 29, 2019•24 min
Some things in LaLiga are odd. Like Barcelona signing Kevin-Prince Boateng. (They actually have, on loan.) But other things aren't. We witnessed some incredible goals this weekend in Spain's top flight - Casemiro for Real Madrid, Jorge Molina for Getafe, Charles for Eibar just to name a few. If you want spectacular strikes and top tekkers, then LaLiga is THE place to be. As for results, Barça made it 7 wins in a row with Dembélé starring to start off with, and Messi being Messi for the last half...
Jan 22, 2019•24 min
This weekend we saw yet another milestone in the extraordinary career of Lionel Messi. He's now reached 400 goals in LaLiga after scoring in Barcelona's 3-0 win over Eibar, as the champions take a five-point lead into the second half of the season. The performance of Philippe Coutinho has given Ernesto Valverde food for thought, so Román tells us what the future holds for him. With Atletico Madrid winning and Sevilla losing, maybe the title race is down to two horses - we're hearing from Euan on...
Jan 15, 2019•24 min
3 words: More Madrid misery. Yes, they might be European champions, but Real Madrid definitely didn't look like it as they slumped to a 6th LaLiga defeat of the season at home to Real Sociedad. We absolutely tear into Los Blancos, and deservedly so because they were truly terrible. The result leaves them 10 points off leaders Barcelona who won away to hard men Getafe, but at least they've signed a 158th young player that they barely need in Brahim Diaz... Barça were also helped by Sevilla and At...
Jan 08, 2019•24 min
So, reasons for fans of both of Spain's Big 2 to be happy - Real Madrid got the job done in Abu Dhabi as they won a 3rd straight Club World Cup and Barcelona finish the year top of LaLiga and 3 points clear, while one of their rivals stumbled. We look at both in depth and in detail. Atlético were 1-nil winners over Espanyol thanks to Antoine Griezmann again, but could there be trouble ahead in the January transfer window - anyone for Lucas Hernandez or Jan Oblak? Sevilla could only draw at Legan...
Dec 24, 2018•24 min
Go on then, YOU describe Lionel Messi. 3 goals + 2 assists = 1 masterful display as Barcelona got sweet revenge at Levante, winning 5-0 at the ground where they lost last season as they surrendered an unbeaten league campaign in the penultimate game. It means they stay top, but Sevilla were superb and Atletico survived a scare at Valladolid to keep pace with Barca. Now Real Madrid also won, but it's rarely that simple at the Bernabéu - the stadium was barely half-full as they beat lowly Rayo Val...
Dec 18, 2018•24 min
How often have we said that superlatives don't do Lionel Messi justice? Well, we're saying it yet again after the little Argentine started and finished the Catalan derby with 2 sensational free-kicks, Barcelona beating Espanyol 4-0 away. We're giving our marks out of 10 to both sides. Atlético and Real Madrid both win but neither of them had it easy, while Sevilla almost won at Mestalla in LaLiga for the first time in nearly 7 years, but were denied by a late equaliser. Still, things aren't grea...
Dec 11, 2018•24 min
A win, a first clean sheet in 12 LaLiga games, they're back top of the table...but Barcelona fans still aren't happy. The style of play under Ernesto Valverde is coming under intense scrutiny, despite all the injuries they've got, but nevertheless they've reclaimed top spot, and the chasing pack slipped up. Sevilla in 2nd and Alavés in 4th drew at Mendizorrotza, while 3rd-placed Atlético Madrid were held yet again by Girona - but now Real Madrid are up to 5th and not too far off the lead after b...
Dec 04, 2018•24 min
