Podcasts by Forza Futbol

[caption id="attachment_33113" align="aligncenter" width="303" caption="La Liga talk with Eduardo Alvarez of ESPNSoccernet.com"] [/caption]

We welcome back Eduardo Alvarez of ESPNSoccernet.com to do a La Liga round-up, the transfer window happenings and much more. Eduardo writes the weekly quiniela column on ESPNSoccernet.com and contributes for Radio Marca of Spain and blogs for Esporte Interativo of Brasil. You may follow the "only trilingual spanish football commentator" on Twitter at @EdAlvarezSpain

Agenda :

0. Transfer window deals - best & worst 1. The state of La Liga. Do you feel the league is less competitive? Why? 2. The race for 3rd and 4th. Are Valencia, Athletic, Atletico and Malaga Champions League material? 3. What do you think will happen at Zaragoza? 4. The story of Mirandes 5. Are you surprised by Barça's away form and why? 6. Do you think Mou will stay another year at Madrid? 7. Who is the most improved player for you this year? 8. Who is the revelation of the year? 9. How are you Quinela predictions coming along?

And a lot more interesting stuff.

Thanks

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Elisa and Ravi chatted with  VillarrealUSA 's Allen Dodson who is well versed in all things financial about the Villarreal's season so far as well as the various financial aspects of La Liga. Changes to the Beckham Law, the Doyen Groups increasing influence, Valencia's deal with Bankia group.

1. Villarreal - 17 min

• Season
• Financial results
• Molina hire
• Valencia game  - positives, negatives
• Molina's challenges

2. Financial state of La Liga - 16 min

• No money across the league for winter transfer window
• Overall revenues of all teams except Real Madrid and FC Barcelona are flat - about 7 teams including Champions League and Europa League entrants Valencia, Villarreal, Atlético, Sevilla have no sponsors
• New government and changes to the tax laws : "Beckham law" going away?
• Who will be the most affected by changes to the Beckham law?
• Will there be an exodus of Spanish stars to other leagues like EPL?
• Teams under tremendous pressure to pay wages on time for players
• The different strategies of survival employed by La Liga clubs

3. The mysterious Doyen Group and other similar 3rd party ownership schemes - 14 min

• Increasing influence of Super agents like Jorge Mendes
• Lack of oversight on the part of LFP to oversee these
• Granada's curious relationship with Udinese
• The limitations and disadvantages of the multitude of the provincial clubs in Spain
• Is SAD (Sociedad Anonima Deportiva aka Limited Liability Co) the root cause

4. Valencia's deal with Bankia -13 min

• How does the deal work?
• Does this attract more foreign owners or investors to buy them?
• What does a foreign investment group look for in a club to make an investment decision?

We hope you enjoy this podcast. You may find and archive of all our podcasts at iTunes or  Podbean

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We kick-off the 2012 podcast season with some love to the "Pericos" on the eve of the Catalan Derby on Sunday at the Cornella. We have Mark from DC, Nick (aka @PERICOZ on twitter) all the way from Australia and our resident Perico Mando. We discussed the length and breadth of all things Espanyol in this pod.

Duration : 65 min

1. Intros and how each of the gentlemen have become 'pericos'

2. Impressions on the season so far, positives, concerns etc.

3. Financial health of the club. Espanyol board said they need 8mil to balance the books. Will there be some player sales in January?

4. Will the good showing of youngsters like Thievy, Weiss and Alvaro continue in the 2nd half of the season? Are there any concerns?

5. What do you make of Alvaro's performance so far?

6. Any upcoming players that we need to look out for?

7. The Derby  - How will the game play out? Does Espanyol have a chance?

8. Predictions for the Derby

9. Predictions for the season finish

10. Espanyol's chances in the Copa del Rey

11. The loyalty and the importance of Pochetino to Espanyol

12. Can Pocchetino be the Sir Alex of Espanyol?

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It is never too late to review a clásico. The initial emotions have subsided and have given way to a colder, analytical and holistic views on the subject. Mando and Elisa had the pleasure of welcoming Ramzi from @footballmood who gave his unique Blaugrana perspective. Elisa played the Madridista part.

1. Impressions of the game from both perspectives

2. Were you surprised by either lineups? - Explain

3. After knowing the line-ups and before the game started did you expect what unfolded?

- If yes, why?

- If not, what went wrong?

4. What are the positives you can take from this game?

5. Everyone, including Pep(based on his presser) seemed to have expected a closer game

- what went wrong Madrid?

- Is there something that Madrid or Mou can do to arrest this trend vs Barça?

- In the short-term : this season (return fixture, possibly CdR & UCL)

- In the long-term : next season

6. What is the near-term impact of this loss on Madrid & Barça?

7. Will either club buy more players in the January timeline?

8. Predictions on who will win the Liga, CdR & UCL

9. Prediction for the World Club Cup? Can Santos surprise Barça?

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