La Liga Lowdown

Latest Episodes:

Valencia: Back-to-back Champions League final heartbreak Sep 12, 2019

Show notes

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

International break recap: Lots of Spain chat and listener questions Sep 09, 2019

Show notes

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Monchi: From backup goalkeeper to the world's top sporting director Sep 05, 2019

Show notes

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matchday 3 recap: Atlético go top, Barça and Real Madrid slip up Sep 02, 2019

Show notes

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Takefusa Kubo: The Story So Far Aug 29, 2019

Show notes

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...

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matchday 2 recap: Griezmann's glory, Granada's graft and Guardiola's goal Aug 26, 2019

Show notes

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Aritz Aduriz Story Aug 22, 2019

Show notes

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matchday 1 recap: Barcelona stumble on the weekend of wonder goals! Aug 19, 2019

Show notes

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.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2019-20 SEASON PREVIEW - LaLiga European Fight & Relegation Battle Aug 15, 2019

Show notes

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 check out our Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/laligalowdown

Enjoy!

#LLL

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

2019-20 SEASON PREVIEW - LaLiga Title Race...Barça to do the three-peat? Aug 12, 2019

Show notes

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/LaLigaLowdown

Enjoy!

#LLL

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.