Graham Hunter – Page 3 – Football Scout

La Liga preview: Are Atletico ready to topple Barcelona and Real Madrid?

Following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, the ESPN FC panel question if Real Madrid will have the pieces necessary to win La Liga this season.

Former Real Madrid midfielder Steve McManaman explains why he can’t see his old side catching Barcelona in La Liga after losing Cristiano Ronaldo.

With Thibaut Courtois set to join Real Madrid, the FC crew assess whether he improves their chances of winning La Liga more than Keylor Navas.

ESPN FC’s La Liga correspondent Sid Lowe explains what it will take for Gareth Bale to seize the opportunity left by Cristiano Ronaldo’s departure.
La Liga is back! After a summer of big-name departures, might there be a shake-up at the top? Graham Hunter previews the new season.
Are Atletico the best team in Madrid?
Does no Cristiano Ronaldo and no Zinedine Zidane mean a red-and-white opportunity for Diego Simeone & Co.?
In Julen Lopetegui, the Atletico Madrid manager faces his fifth different coach since he became manager of Los Colchoneros in 2011. What is more, the No. 1 obstacle to Simeone’s side regularly overtaking Real Madrid in the…

Spain’s World Cup failure rooted in Julen Lopetegui’s shock sacking

Sid Lowe and the FC crew conduct a deep dive into Spain’s World Cup exit and call Fernando Hierro’s tactics into question after the defeat to Russia.

Relive Russia’s thrilling upset over Spain in the round of 16 in Lego form.
KRASNODAR, Russia — Spain started as a victim of chaos and ended a victim of too much organization. In its way, Spain’s 2018 World Cup fiasco will be as damaging as — perhaps more than — the embarrassments of Brazil four years ago and the 2016 European Championship in France.
The pandemonium of Spain’s manager initially choosing to become Julen “Two Jobs” Lopetegui and then almost immediately being sacked did have its debilitating effects. Of course it did. But that chaos should not, under any…

Aspas worth, traces of Del Bosque, faith in De Gea: Spain’s World Cup so far

The FC crew look back on VAR decisions from Spain’s draw with Morocco and ponder whether La Roja can get their defensive issues sorted in the knockout stages.

Luis Suarez and Uruguay cruised to the top spot in Group A, while VAR had a big impact on Spain and Portugal in Group B.

Portugal managed to hold Iran to a 1-1 draw and secure qualification, while Spain took first place in Group B with a stoppage time equaliser against Morocco.

VAR overturned an offside call on Iago Aspas as Spain salvaged a late draw against Morocco to top Group B.
With Spain recovering from the Julen Lopetegui affair to book a World Cup round-of-16 clash with Russia, here’s five things we’ve learned about Fernando Hierro’s men from the group stage …
Iago a go-go
Spain topped Group B thanks to Iago Aspas’ 90th minute equaliser against Morocco and his goal record for his country is remarkable. In just two starts (and 382 minutes in total), he has scored six times — one for every hour he has played. If you add his four assists, he’s responsible…

David De Gea’s form and focus make error vs. Portugal inexplicable

The FC crew agree Spain and Portugal’s draw in their opening match at the World Cup proved they are both a class above the rest of Group B.

KRASNODAR, Russia — Anyone who tries to say “It’s like this and there’s no other explanation” about a goalkeeper who can make a brilliant save on a header that travels at 57 miles per hour across five yards in 0.18 seconds but then let’s a weak Cristiano Ronaldo shot dribble past him at tortoise speed is lying.

Whether or not you had David De Gea ranked No. 1 in the world before that error against Portugal, his second in three games for Spain, the absolute truth lies neither in that utterly…

Julen Lopetegui gets dream second chance at Real despite odd timing

It didn’t work for Julen Lopetegui the first time at Real Madrid but the odds look a little better now that his second chance has come along.

When the departing Spain coach — who will succeed Zinedine Zidane once La Roja finish their business here in Russia — was advancing through the Madrid academy as a youngster, he gave the appearance of terrific keeper in the making. Tall, athletic and strong, possessing that typical Basque stubbornness of purpose and blessed with being a decent footballer…

Spain, Portugal World Cup stars united by Premier League exposure

Gab Marcotti and the FC crew debate whether Spain’s lack of a clinical No. 9 will prove detrimental to their hopes of winning another World Cup.

Casemiro, Dani Carvajal and a few Real Madrid players square off in FIFA 18 as Spain vs. Brazil ahead of the World Cup.

It doesn’t matter that Spain haven’t yet travelled to Russia and have a final warm-up fixture, against Tunisia, to play. Already, The 2010 World Cup champions have themselves focused on Portugal. Not just because La Roja’s opening game is a guarantee of Iberian ire, jealousy, tension, bragging rights, but because the premium for the Group B winner is absolutely enormous.

Whoever tops this group containing the Cristiano Ronaldo XI, La Roja, Iran and Morocco earns the dramatic advantage of limited,…

What Zidane’s glorious Real Madrid exit means for Bale and Ronaldo

Gab Marcotti reveals some of the candidates and his early pick for the next Real Madrid manager.

At last for Zinedine Zidane, a truly “great” goodbye to crown his otherwise all-time great career. This was how to leave the stage. It was utterly magnifique in every aspect, not just for Zizou’s personal interest.

It was an anomaly that this august Frenchman, who could boast such substance, elegance and outright brilliance across his playing years, saw his resume littered with sometimes underwhelming, often acrimonious and even ultra-controversial “au revoirs.” Thursday’s exit-stage-left shocked…

Real Madrid’s historic Champions League title obscured by online outrage

There has been so much heated nonsense spoken and written about Real Madrid’s 3-1 Champions League final win over Liverpool in Kiev that there are some missed or ignored items that must be focused on. And they will be here.
Let’s begin with the opening goal.
I’m not contesting that it makes Karim Benzema a footballing genius to have scored it, but the fact that Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius made such an atrocious series of judgmental errors in gifting the holders the lead has obscured credit…

Sergio Ramos is Real Madrid’s ultimate big-game player in Europe

Gab Marcotti and Stewart Robson examine the styles of Real Madrid and Liverpool and how they combine to set up a potentially thrilling UCL final.

As Real Madrid prepare for Kiev we go behind the scenes at the Bernabeu as Ronaldo grabs a lift to training, Zidane speaks about Liverpool and Kroos talks Klopp.

As Liverpool head to Kiev, a look behind the scenes at Anfield as Salah meets Lampard, van Djik nutmegs Lovren and ESPN meets Wijnaldum.

Cristiano Ronaldo says Liverpool remind him of Real Madrid from a couple of years ago.

I’m not being cheeky or doubting you, but you do know Sergio Ramos’ red-card record, don’t you? The infamous story about Real Madrid’s captain and how many times he gets sent off, yes?

No. Wait! Not the one about how another expulsion would land him squarely on a quarter-century of orderings-off for Los Blancos. That’s an entirely different side to Madrid’s belligerent captain. I mean, instead, the one where this combative, all-or-nothing, hell-for-leather centre-half/hero/hooligan has actually…

The Final Word on La Liga: Lionel Messi shines, Girona impress, Atletico offer hope

After Andres Iniesta’s last game for Barca, the FC crew assess his place among Spain’s greats and whether he can go out on top at the World Cup.

Barcelona aren’t only champions on merit but their title will mean a great deal when they assimilate that, rather than it being won with outrageous talent, via an established philosophy or several great footballers in their prime, this was a victory for Ernesto Valverde’s ability to figure out solutions.

In his first season with the club, he needed daring to invoke the idea of a four-, five- and six-man midfield so that his team could control the ball and space and hold many opponents by the…

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