FC Barcelona back on top... the Catalans are finally home!

After their merciless 6-1 drubbing of Rayo Vallecano on Sunday, FC Barcelona are finally back on top of La Liga for the first time in 2015, and they have finally raised their flags! It's no surprise that the Catalans were tipped as hot favorites in their clash with Rayo Vallecano, as they strolled through the pitch at Camp Nou, leaving bodies on the floor in utter despair and desperation, as Vallecano should indeed consider themselves lucky to not have been further embarrassed than they were today.  Star player Neymar was the most notable absentee, as he picked up a one-match suspension for accumulating quite a few yellow cards in his previous games, however, he was far from needed in today's fixture! 

The beauty of Barcelona's hunger and desire for success lies within it's core, their fans! Week after week, coach Luis Enrique and his team have been hit with constant pressure from their supporters who show their passion like no other, urging the Spanish giants to get it together and fight! Lionel Messi has shown the world why he is notably one of the best players to grace the game, as his hat-trick today signaled yet another phenomenal performance from the Argentine maestro! Luis Suarez was none too shy of goals, as he himself netted a brace which all but sealed Barca's dominant win. The message again is clear, the titans are here to stay!

With 12 games remaining in the 2014-15 season, it's everything but easy for Messi and company, as they will have a daunting task of holding on to first place, with the wittiness of Diego Simeone and defending champions Atletico Madrid, and the aggression and desperation of Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid, Barcelona now have their work cut out for them more than ever! The beauty of the La Liga has spread more rapidly over the past two seasons, as it is finally no longer a two horse race competition. Everyone is now twice as hungry, which means the likes of Barca, Real and Atletico will have more ships attacking their turf, but at this moment no ship may be big enough to sink the Catalans! Team MSN (Messi, Suarez, Neymar) have been the talking point of the football world, record European scorers, world warriors in their own right! Safe to say, they have finally eclipsed the juggernauts of Real Madrid and their triple-threat trio of  BBC (Bale, Benzema, Cristiano) that have been  causing nothing but panic in the hearts of their opposition; but now there's finally a new spin to the tale! Should Messi and friends keep this momentum going, Barcelona are safe in their title hunt, and its going to take more than a sulky Ronaldo and a lingering Gareth Bale to take that away from them! The aim of the game is to win them all, and at this stage, the winner of this year's La Liga will be the team that has it in them to win the remainder of their 12 games, convincingly or not! Atletico's hustle all of last season was the key to their previous success, capitalizing on the errors of their rivals, but it's safe to say that this season, there may very well be no such luck!

King Messi has claimed his throne today, and today alone, as he will have a few more months left to prove to the world that his rightful place is indeed number one, and it's his job to prove to his doubters and fans that he's indeed no fluke. This surely wont be the last time that we'll hear the age-old discussion of Ronaldo vs Messi, this wont be the last time we hear the trembling fans of Madrid blasting their coach Carlo Ancelotti, and this most definitely wont be the last time we get a 'bite' out of a rejuvenated Luis Suarez, as this has proved to be one of the best seasons in La Liga, one of epic drama, action, and most certainly, one that we will most definitely dare to remember!

Athletic Bilbao 1-0 Real Madrid: Have the Galacticos crashed?

The San Mames Stadium erupted with jubilee as Athletic Bilbao pulled off one of the most unexpected upsets this season, defeating World & European Champions, Real Madrid! After an explosive first half for Real, they were unable to transfer that level of charisma into to the second half, which eventually saw them drop an all-important three points at this stage. The fans are now blaming Carlo Ancelotti, claiming the Italian is a bit too soft on his approach when facing fierce opposition, and this all started back at the Copa Dey Rey clash where Real were hammered 4-0 by derby rivals Atletico Madrid. A lot of fans seemingly have blamed it on the fact that Carlo has always had success handed to him, because after all, he managed a juggernaut AC Milan back in the days, then Chelsea, a heavily invested PSG, and now he's home in Madrid! Needless to say, Ancelotti is a man familiar with the big scene, unlike such managers like David Moyes or even Andre Villas-Boas.

The problem Real Madrid seem to face at this moment are the injuries that have plagued them this season. James Rodriguez, Sergio Ramos, and the notorious Luka Modric have been big stars for the club, and undoubtedly a star-studded club such as Real are easily able to replace said players right off the bat in no time, or so we thought! Real's struggles haven't just emerged this Saturday, it's been an ongoing crisis they have faced ever since their unbeaten run was ended just a little after their World Club Cup victory. The momentum has somehow taken a hit, but don't expect that to be the case for too long! Their golden egg, Gareth Bale, has failed to impress the fans and also seemingly, his teammates, as he's had to endure strenuous pressure time and time again, because of expectations that have somehow been wearing him down. Madrid will need to find a solution to their small delay, as now their mega-rivals Barcelona lurk within the shadows, hoping to steal three points in tomorrow's clash at home to 11th place Rayo Vallecano, which seems quite an easy task on paper.

The biggest elephant in the room out of all the other elephants is simply the form of three time FIFA World Player of the Year, Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portuguese has lost his touch shortly after claiming his most recent award, but that's not to say he's down and out for the count! Ronaldo will have to muster up his confidence and help inject it in this team if Real are going to have a successful season similar to last season. Karim Benzema has always been a questionable player, who should be considered lucky that he hasn't already been sold by Real, but his luck may soon run out at a moment's notice. Ancelotti will find it a difficult task to call on the powers of Angel Di Maria, now at Manchester United, who has been tremendously missed for his gift of flamboyant assists and goal-scoring abilities, and in my mind, has not yet been successfully replaced. The laugh of the matter emerged when Barcelona's Assistant Director of Football, Carles Rexach, claimed that Real Madrid only sold Di Maria because he was too ugly! How can that not be considered an audacious claim? Then again, come to think of it, Di Maria was replaced by Colombian playboy James Rodriguez just last summer! The question then begs to be asked, is this club somehow too caught up with the glamour and the glitz of their own prestige that they have forgotten their 'Real' purpose?

It's best said that there's a darkness that now looms over this historical club, as the La Liga title race has now gotten even hotter, the question is, who will take the title? Atletico, Barcelona, or Real Madrid?

Give Divas a Chance WWE!

Photo courtesy of WWE

WWE need to focus on giving its Divas division a real run for the bread! The comments came around a week ago when AJ Lee called out Stephanie McMahon and the WWE for their negligence and respect shown to the WWE Divas Division. <<<There's the problem, right there! For a long time, many of us had a huge problem with the fact that WWE decided confidently to change the name from Women's Division to 'Divas Division.' With this in place, the 'divas' are now considered models, sex magnets, figures, you name it! There's no doubt that stars such as AJ, The Bella's, Paige, Natalya, Naomi, etc. are some of the most talented women to grace the earth, let alone the WWE ring, but the problem is that WWE seem to not have that much confidence in their women. 

There's never been an event in years, since the days of Lita, Trish Stratus, Gail Kim, and even Mickie James, that a Divas Match has lasted for more than 10 minutes. It's a complete disgrace for the Divas Division to endure days upon days of training, only to be dropped like a ball on a string at every live event. The problem hardly lies within the talent pool, because the talent is there, but the issue of inequality looms in the air. What the fans would love to see, we as fans aren't seeing it! Too often have we seen the Divas used as fillers for events, to just provide a bathroom break for the fans, and this isn't only sexist, it shows a lack of confidence that the company has in its own product! Sure, divas such as Eva Marie, mostly Eva Marie, could use some more time in NXT to get her skills a little bit more advanced than it already is, but WWE uses her mainly because of her stardom in magazine shoots, which in turn gives WWE more power to their name. Don't get me wrong, Eva works hard for her opportunities, as seen on Total Divas, but there should be more to being a WWE Diva besides just posing half-naked for magazine shoots.

Regarding paychecks, on-screen time, all the good works, it's agreeable that there should be a bump in the paychecks, as it came as a huge surprise when it was discovered that the Bella's were only worth $2 million in total, while John Cena alone is worth over $35 million! The mere fact that one man is pretty much worth more than twice of what all the WWE Divas earn, shows that the scale isn't as balanced as it should be. Stephanie McMahon, an activist in her own right, hasn't really advocated for her women as she should have, therefore it should come as no surprise when AJ called her out publicly on this! The NXT however, with the likes of Sasha Banks, Bayley and Charlotte, among many others, have somehow taken the Women's division and turned it into something worth watching! It's admirable, and also very commendable, that Triple H has done a fantastic job with NXT, and hopefully there's a plan somewhere to revive the WWE Divas Division sooner than later if the Divas do expect a bump in their salaries anytime soon!

TNA and UFC have put a lot of pride in their women, as they have made them so watchable, that it's no doubt that some of the WWE Divas may even have a little bit of envy! Take for example, UFC 184, which drew figures of over 17,000 in attendance, thanks to the heavy promotion and confidence the company had in their superstar Ronda Rousey! Ronda was among four women that night, who headlined the event which not only drew a sold-out crowd in Los Angeles, but was a huge success in the ratings!  Are there Divas in the WWE who are as equally talented as Ronda, of course! But how are they going to get the chance they so undoubtedly deserve, when their own bosses don't give them a chance? Total Divas has been pretty much the trademark of the Divas, not their wrestling, and this in itself is a huge problem!

It's down to the women to show their strength, and its up to the WWE to give their Divas a chance to take the big stage every once in a while, and its also up to the WWE Universe to push WWE on this, make them do what should be done, give Divas a Chance!

Manchester United vs Arsenal: FA Cup Quarter Final Analysis

The FA Cup has been for a while, the dominant KO competition in England, and safe to say, in all of Europe too! The quarterfinal clash between Manchester United and Arsenal will prove to be nothing short of mouthwatering! The tale of two rivals will once again prove to deliver the inevitable drama we have all come to love in the game of Football!

Radamel Falcao, once the most coveted striker in World Football, will be available and ready to go, after a lengthy injury layoff which has seen him on the bench for most of this season for United. The big question remains, however, as to whether or not coach Louis Van Gaal will actually feature Falcao in his starting eleven for this match. As of late, evidently so too, Falcao hasn't featured half as much as expected in Van Gaal's plans, and this has caused a huge strain between fans and the coaching staff for some time now regarding how much United's formation fails to suit the South American hitman! Ashley Young will be fresh in form after a string of decent performances for the Red Devils, as he will surely remain a goal threat against the Gunners.

Olivier Giroud, Santi, Cazorla, Mesut Ozil, and Alexis Sanchez will all be ready and loaded for the big game! Arsenal boast an attack that has the ability to be one of the most deadliest teams, on a good day that is. They lack consistency, and proper structure especially when they face bigger oppositions, but it's no doubt that Arsenal have continually produced some of the most entertaining football in Europe! Arsene Wenger will no doubt have his hands full as he knows the progress of his club hangs in the balance of this match, as he looks to defend his FA Cup title, with success. 

Arsenal's track record vs Manchester United hasn't been the best of the best, as they haven't only beaten Man. United once in the last 12 games, and this is perhaps to their advantage if Wenger's men are able to spin the 'psychology game' correctly! Arsenal will no doubt be bringing the bang come Monday, but they need to play on United's possible overconfidence, and strike where they least expect it, by pressing in United's box and exposing their vulnerability in midfield, making sure the likes of Di Maria is completely marked out of the game! Their biggest task, however, will be preparing for the likes of Wayne Rooney, who has always been Arsenal's kryptonite for over a decade! Arsenal's main priorities will be to preserve their back four, and ensure that they keep majority of their possession in the midfield with the likes of Coquelin leading the defensive charge, to ensure that they are able to release the likes of Alexis and Giroud to create damage in the United box!

Manchester United will play under another one of Van Gaal's horrendous formations, which may end up being their ticket out of the FA Cup, and yet result in another trophy-less season for the Devils. Manchester United will be without Robin Van Persie, but they do have Falcao and Fellaini to push on for United, but will that even be enough? Ryan Giggs' stare at Van Gaal during United's previous win over Newcastle suggests that all isn't right at the camp, and it's pretty evident, no matter how much Van Gaal tries to play it off, that even his assistant is infuriated with United's style of play!

What can we expect come Monday? There will be goals for sure, as both teams will put it all on the line, and play for it all! This isn't a Premier League match, where both teams would've taken calculated measures, this one is for the FA Cup, where it will be 'all guns blazing!'


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