The crying game

Guillem on why Roberto Ayala is crying, why Villarreal are flying and who Real Madrid are buying.

Guillem Balague on the latest developments in La Liga

It was wonderful to see Roberto Ayala of Zaragoza crying after he scored in the 93rd minute against Deportivo. I haven't seen that sort of emotion for a long time after a league victory, especially one that doesn't guarantee them anything. He was talking about it later and said it was a very emotional time because of the tension, but also because there have been doubts about the commitment of the team. Those tears shouldn't hide the fact that for three-quarters of the season the big players haven't performed and Zaragoza and have not been at the level they should be at. There have been little groups fighting amongst each other in the changing room, three changes of coach and now the big players have to come out. I think in that game, Zaragoza had 30 shots on goal - a record for the season - and that suggests that finally the team has turned a corner and realised they have to work hard and show effort and commitment. They've done so in a wonderful manner because they can only play good football - they don't know how to play any other way, a bit like Arsenal. The plan is to beat Real Madrid, but the champions are playing automatically - they just don't think about things and they have loads of little associations in the team that work and link really well. Despite the fact they've been celebrating for a week now, they have enough power in their legs to beat anybody. I think Real Madrid will go for the win here and they will be strong defensively with Iker Casillas, the best goalkeeper in La Liga. I expect a cracker.

Guillem answers your questions...

Got a question for Guillem? Then send it in here. PASTURES NOU FOR HENRY?
Hi Guillem, Many fans of Arsenal want to know what the chances are of Henry coming back to the Gunners? We all know that he loves this club, but is it is the only team in England who he will go to? Do you think that there is more of a chance he will go to Italy or somewhere else in La Liga? What's the latest news on who is interested, who's more of a strong prospect to signing him? Shaun, Brighton GUILLEM REPLIES: Thierry Henry is having a difficult time in Barcelona, but I find it unfair that he would blame his poor performances on missing his daughter, playing in different positions etc. I think he should be big enough to accept that when there is no space in front of him he's in trouble and he should re-adapt to his new situation. He wouldn't go back to Arsenal and I don't think he will go back to the Premier League. The plan is to stay at Barcelona, but I know from a good source that the club want to sell him. He will probably stay because if he doesn't want to go, he won't, but it has reached a stage where Barcelona want to get rid of the big names - including Henry. It's a shame but we're seeing clearly why Henry was seen as such a great player in England. It's because Arsenal play counter-attacking football, played for Henry and left space in front of him so that he could destroy defences - as he did for a long while. That's not happening at Barcelona and he'll either have to re-adapt or reconsider his situation and move on. SUBMARINES TO SINK?
Hola Guillem, I am a regular viewer of Revista and have followed Villarreall's rise to their current lofty heights for the past few years now, however I was wondering whether they truly have the financial muscle to take the next step-up and win La Liga? I think I heard the town had a population of forty thousand (?) and was wondering whether they will become the next Deportivo La Coruna and have an almighty fall from grace? I follow Juande Ramos' Spurs - you must be sick of hearing from fellow Tottenham fans by now - and was wondering whether you see Ramos sticking with us for a number of years? I have noticed he doesn't seem to stay with a club very long - although in this day and age who does? Darryl. GUILLEM REPLIES: For Juande Ramos, this is probably the biggest challenge of his career and I don't think he's going to stay for just a couple of years. He plans to be there for a long while, but it also depends on the ambition of the club. They seem to be matching his ambition, despite some doubts early on, and I think he'll finish his contract. This is probably his last big team and after that, who knows? He may realise he's been at the top and it's time to retire. As for Villarreal they don't have enough financial muscle to win the league. The position they're in now is the best they could ever hope for, but they would like to be regulars in the Champions League and I feel they have the ideas and the consistency to do so - both on and off the pitch. They're doing it very cleverly and without going into too many details, they will not be the new Deportivo. They won't fall from grace because they're not going beyond their means. In fact, they are growing as a club from the bottom up in a way that will guarantee a long stay at the top. HARD TO SAY GOOD BUY
Hey Guillem Balague, I enjoy reading your articles every week. My issue concerns Real Madrid, and how the club is run. It seemed like when the new presidency was elected two years ago, that Calderon had very clear objectives, some which also are completed. But I still feel like the buying policy has no real goal, and that we are just buying players for the sake of it. The best example is Drenthe, who is a boy with great potential, but we already had Robinho and we went out and bought Robben as well. My question to you is if you think Mijatovic is the right person to run the sporting section of Real Madrid. Ivan Moses of Denmark. GUILLEM REPLIES: I had doubts about Mijatovic, some of the choices seemed odd, but to be honest a huge percentage of his signings have been good ones. I disagree with you because I feel there is a foundation of a team for the future. They've signed 17 players in the last two years - some were good and some were not so good - but they now have a young side and in the middle of that transition they have won the league twice. They only need two or three players of quality - a striker, a central midfielder and if they can they will go for Kaka or Cesc Fabregas if he feels it is time to leave Arsenal. In the first year especially when Mijatovic had to rush into things it looked like a very unbalanced side and this year he has still got things wrong. For example, not enough good midfielders - they all seem to be too creative and not defensive enough - but they know what is needed and they will have to sort that out now. Sometimes you go for players without knowing if they'll be successful - as in the case of Drenthe - but all in all you can say Mijatovic has done a decent six-out-of-ten job. He's also done really well with selling players - if you look at the list of people he has sold nobody has succeeded in a big way - Raul Bravo, Roberto Carlos, David Beckham, Ronaldo - you can say they haven't improved their careers. So I would say well done to him. Got a question for Guillem? Then send it in here.