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Spain Euro 2012 profile: Review of Spain’s team, coach and more
Spain will play to defend their European Championship title. Four years after their historic triumph in Vienna, can the Red Fury impose their power again?
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How Spain qualified for Euro 2012
Giants Spain had to play against Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Scotland and the Czech Republic in the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers. The Spaniards enjoyed positive run which included 4-0 and 6-0 wins against Liechtenstein.
With 24 points from 8 games, Spain secured automatic tickets to this summer’s competition. However, the road was not as smooth as numbers may suggest.
Scotland threatened Spain’s perfect record when both teams met in Glasgow in October 2010. A 58th minute strike from Naismith and a 67th minute own goal from Gerard Pique cancelled Spain’s 2-0 lead. However, Fernando Llorente rescued his side with a winner 11 minutes from time.
Chelsea’s Juan Mata backs Villas-Boas and Torres as Blues maintain hopes for glory
Although Andre Villas-Boas and Fernando Torres are under scrutiny at Chelsea, key player Juan Mata has found reasons to believe in the Blues’ chances for success this year.
The 23-year-old Spanish midfielder can look down at this individual performance at Chelsea with pride. The former Valencia play maker has already provided 9 assists and scored 5 goals in 23 appearances for the Blues. However, his good form has been overshadowed by the entire team’s flaws from a general point of view. “It's true we've had a little crisis of results,” Juan Mata admitted before reiterating his belief in Chelsea’s criticized manager.
“But Villas-Boas is doing things very well and both the players and the club have a lot of confidence in him. He won everything with Porto last year.”
Chelsea vs Manchester City and the match’s big implications
Chelsea vs Manchester City will see a number of battles which include the following: Juan Mata vs David Silva, Didier Drogba vs Mario Balotelli and Andre Villas-Boas vs Roberto Mancini…
Last week, AVB mocked claims of a Chelsea crisis in great fashion. The young manager made proof of leadership by inspiring the Blues to a vital victory over Valencia. As a result, the Champions League dream is still on for all Chelsea supporters. What about the prospect of winning the English Premier League? Responding to this question, Juan Mata told the press:
“If we win against City, we will have more confidence. The Premier League does not finish for another six or seven months. Nothing is impossible. They have a big points difference, but I think it [winning the title] is not impossible.”
Valencia vs Chelsea: Mata facing bitter reunion with best pal Pablo Hernandez
Pablo Hernandez will put his friendship with Juan Mata on hold when Valencia will host Chelsea at the Mestalla Stadium in the UEFA Champions League.
Juan Mata spent 4 seasons at Valencia as he developed into a key player for the club. He made a total of 45 assists and netted 46 goals in 174 appearances. With Los Che, Juan Mata won the Copa del Rey in his debut season. Later that year, he lost the 2008 Supercopa de España to Real Madrid despite scoring on home soil in the two-legged final.
Since joining the Blues, Mata has impressed supporters with his fine performances which have contributed to Chelsea’s positive run this season. Pablo Hernandez knows what it will mean for Juan Mata to be back at the Mestalla Stadium. He doesn’t, however, want to be distracted by his friendship with the current Chelsea player.
The 2011/12 season is Fernando Torres’s time to shine—Chelsea’s Juan Mata
A big portion of football fans—made of some Liverpool ones especially—believes that Fernando Torres’s goal drought is the punishment for being a “Judas”. Well, Chelsea’s Juan Mata shares a totally different point of view.
In midweek, the Blues recorded vital 2-0 victory away to Bayer Leverkusen and Fernando Torres played a crucial role despite not scoring. According to Juan Mata, this Champions League match was the sign of much better things to come from the former Liverpool striker.“I believe Fernando is still the same player he was before. Nothing has changed. He is a great player who has demonstrated he can score lot of goals,” Mata told the Daily Mirror.
“Everybody goes through phases when it doesn't happen for them and that is what Fernando is doing now. But this will be his season. It's just a question of time.
Juan Settles the Mata as Chelsea Get Champions League Campaign off to a Winning Start
A late goal from Juan Mata put the seal on a convincing 2-0 win for Chelsea over Bayer Leverkusen in their Group E
Chelsea had the better of a scoreless first half during which both teams had goals disallowed. Fernando Torres first had the ball in the net only for Raul Meireles to be called offside, before Leverkusen defender Omer Toprak had a goal ruled out for a foul on Florent Malouda.Leverkusen goalkeeper Leno also saved well from Torres and Daniel Sturridge to keep the scores level going into the break.
Leverkusen started the second half well but Brazilian defender David Luiz opened the scoring for Chelsea with a curling shot from outside the penalty area.
Mata then calmed any injury time nerves for Chelsea when he slotted home a pass from his fellow Spaniard Torres.
2011 summer transfer—10 most expensive signings: Where do Fabregas & co rank?
It’s time to look at the 10 players that top the list of this summer’s most expensive transfer signings.
Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Juan Mata are of course part of this chart. Note that all transfer fees figures are as seen on Futebolbusiness.com.
1) Sergio Aguero—from Atletico Madrid to Manchester City
Kun Aguero cost Manchester City €45M. After several weeks of work behind the scenes, Atletico Madrid and the Sky Blues finally reached an agreement for the star striker who wanted his future sorted as quickly as possible. Sergio Aguero, whose Copa America goals failed to inspire Argentina to glory in July, ended his 5-year spell in the Spanish capital this summer.
At Atletico Madrid, Sergio Aguero made 234 appearances. He scored 102 goals and produced 37 assists. His transfer to Manchester City has proven to be a good one thus far. Sergio Aguero made an instant impact by scoring a formidable brace on his debut as a Sky Blue.
Premier League Sharp-shooters: Dzeko Sets The Pace on Week 3
He was a mis-firing striker for much of his time at Manchester City last season, but Edin Dzeko has put all behind him with a blistering start to the 19th English Premier League season.
Dzeko took his tally to 6 in three games, while players from no fewer than 13 countries hit the target over the weekend. As Manchester United’s winning margin in the last game of the weekend eclipsed City’s over Tottenham, there was also a hat-trick for Wayne Rooney, the 6th of his Old Trafford career.Only three current players have scored more Premier League goals than Rooney, but that may soon change with the Croxteth-born striker now on 122, just one behind Chelsea’s Nicolas Anelka. After Anelka, the next man in Rooney’s sights is the Frenchman’s Chelsea team-mate Frank Lampard, who made it 140 career goals in the Premiership with a vital penalty conversion in the Blues win over a spirited Norwich City.
Transfer roundup: Mata to Chelsea, Nasri seals Man City deal, Forlan to Inter
A lot has happened lately on the transfer market and updates will keep flowing until the summer transfer window closes…
Juan Mata is officially a Chelsea player. The Spaniard completed his switch on Wednesday and told the press in England following his arrival:“Valencia was a big club but I have left to join a bigger club and it is all about the opportunity to win trophies and I have that here.”
Manchester City also got their star midfielder, Samir Nasri. The French international was delighted to land at Eastlands as he stated:
“Today is a big day for me, it's a new start and I'm looking forward to doing it.”