Valladolid v Real Madrid
Sunday, 8pm, Sky Sports 1
Bernd Schuster told German television after the Champions League win over Werder Bremen that he wasn't that happy at Real.
He said that everybody has an opinion, that this isn't the Real Madrid that he knew as a player and that he doesn't expect to be there for long.
Schuster: swift exit?
So he has managed to create a crisis at a club where everything was now supposed to be okay.
On the pitch, they have had started the season very well with some solid, if unspectacular performances and results. Three victories out of three, four if you count the Champions League win in midweek.
But they still need to improve a lot especially in the midfield where they don't dominate games. The football is of a counter-attacking nature and it's slowly getting better and everybody seems to be enjoying it.
Schuster has managed to create a crisis at a club where everything was now supposed to be okay
.
Guillem Balague
Quotes of the week
Real Madrid will need to be careful against Valladolid, a team based on the image of the coach, Jose Luis Mendilibar - a former Basque player from Athletic Bilbao who likes to play the Basque way - very physical, fighting for every ball and especially impressive at set-pieces.
Barcelona v Sevilla
Saturday, 8.30pm, Sky Sports 1
It's very fascinating what's happening with Barcelona because it's a repeat in a way of what happened with the Galacticos at Real Madrid.
Barcelona is a club that thought they had found happiness with the success that they have had and the presence of big stars at the club. But they seem to have forgotten that what brings even more happiness is the continuation of that success and the renovation of those stars.
That has not happened. The good thing for Barcelona is that they have lots of quality so they don't need to play great football to win matches, but they do need to play good football to win over their fans who are growing a little bit restless.
Sevilla on the other hand found in the Champions League that it's not quite the same as the Uefa Cup. Two or three players were very disappointing in the sense that you know you cannot count on them in big matches.
They have to be a little bit more humble. I'm not talking about the coach or even the players but the atmosphere around the club suggested that, given their back-to-back Uefa Cup wins, they were going to win the Champions League without even trying.
They can, it isn't impossible, but they need to work much harder and to come back in this kind of game - against Barcelona - will definitely be the way to prove that they do have the quality and they do have the quality for the big matches.
Atletico Madrid v Racing
Sunday, 7pm, Sky Sports 1 (second half live)
Atletico Madrid is another interesting story in that the problems of the past keep repeating. Their main problem is the centre of the pitch where they don't have an offensive midfielder who can create chances and make things happen.
They have big names - it looks like one of their best squads ever - but are still not showing it. They have been very poor in fact.
It seems for many players that arrive at Atletico Madrid that it is as if they have reached the climax of their careers. They get there and that's it! Getting there is the target instead of winning titles, which is confusing the fans.
Fernando Torres was great in reminding people that the target is not getting to Atletico but is to keep pushing to finish in the top four.
Now that Torres has gone to Liverpool there is nobody who does that, so all the pressure is on the coach, Javier Aguirre.
Racing Santander keep playing the way they know best and the way that suits them. Pedro Munitis is a live-wire up front and apart from him they have got a team of unknowns. But they are solid defensively and cause problems on the counter-attack.
Now to your email...
Guillem, Athletico Madrid compensated for the departure of Torres by making several 'significant' acquisitions. Despite losing to Madrid at the start of the season, how do you rate them? Alex Menocal, (Liverpool fan).
Guillem replies: Atletico have got the best squad in decades. But that doesn't mean anything. They are called El Pupas (the one who always gets hurt, more or less) for no reason - when things seem to go right, they go wrong without previous warning. It has to do with the fact they are the third club in Spain in terms of fan base and history, but it was a long time ago when they could compete consistently with the best. Expectations bury the weakest personalities. Torres had to go and Atletico had to sell but I still don't see big strong characters in the side. They will fight for the top six but not the top four, they are still miles away from Valencia and Sevilla, although they are probably about to give a jump in quality. Simao and Diego Forlan are the pick of the new guys.
Hola Guillem, I would, like every other Madridista, like to know how it is possible that Guti continues to be ignored for the national team. I personally think he is a lot more creative than Xabi Alonso, Xavi or Fabregas and yet he can't make it on the bench for Spain. I can't understand this as it was blatantly obvious in the world cup that Torres was desperate for the kind of service Guti was giving Ronaldo and van Nistlerooy at Madrid. My girlfriend and I are expecting a baby in early September and I've decide to name our baby Guti so I may be a little biased but nonetheless does not detract from the fact that Guti is the best central midfielder Spain has. What do you think Guillem? Miguel Troncoso, London
Guillem replies: Guti more creative than Fabregas? I don't agree with you there. Cesc is in my eyes a more consistent player and so is Xavi. Xabi Alonso could play alongside Guti so they are not really rivals. Guti looks too much as if he doesn't care, he talks as if he is the centre of the world. His quality is obviously there but Guti is the biggest representative of what is wrong with Spanish football - we think that giving a wonderful pass to Ronaldo is all you have to do in a match. Football has changed and the demands to midfielders are bigger than that - they need to score, be consistent, defend well. Guti, in my eyes, hasn't got all that is necessary to be a great midfielder. But congratulations on your baby!
Hola Guillem, I've been following Real for years now, and agree on your view that they need a strong central midfielder. Diarra is a more defensive player and doesn't really have any attacking flair, but what is your view on Fernando Gago? Although, with the revival of Emerson last season, he didn't feature too much but when he did I felt he showed promise. He also had a successful run in the Copa America. Do you think he has the potential to fill the gap or will he succumb to the pressure of being labelled "the next big thing"? Gracias, Tom McWhirter.
Guillem replies: Gago has the potential to be a great number 4. But in that position Schuster needs a Diarra, a strong defensive midfielder and Gago is not that. In a side like Barcelona, Gago would be very useful and we can even see with Liverpool and Javier Mascherano that he could also do well at Anfield. But at Real Madrid Schuster wants a lone centre midfield player who would protect the offensive front five. To do that you need a Ballack, a Zidane, someone who would control the midfield and help dominate games. Real Madrid are monitoring very closely the situation of the German midfielder, so that could be the answer they are after.
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