Osasuna-Athletic Bilbao, more than a derby

 
Good morning, dear Osasunists!
Today is a red day on our football calendar. Although it isn't a Sunday, today is FOOTBALL DAY, with capital letters. Not only because there is a Clasico match before Osasuna's game, but also because the rival of Osasuna is the hatred Athletic de Bilbao.

Osasuna needs to get their fourth consecutive victory against Athletic in Pamplona. A match that both teams will face differently from the expected after the first round in La Liga. Athletic is only three points from the relegation posts; after playing two finals last season and shouting their supporters an overwhelming "Bielsa quedate" at Vicente Calderon at Copa del Rey Final last June, the supporters and some assistants of Athletic's chairman, Urrutia, want Bielsa to be fired after the bad results of the Basque team.

The reds from Pamplona, "los rojillos", have won all their matches that they played at El Sadar in 2013, after the beginning of the second round and their situation is the opposite from Athletic's. Osasuna have flown away from the relegation posts, which are now five points ahead. The Navarrians are still a strong team in the defence as Andres Fernandez, the goalkeeper, picked the ball 27 times, even less times than Victor Valdes in F.C. Barcelona or if we compare to the goal issue raised in Bilbao, because there is a debate with Iraizoz or Raul, the two goalkeepers in the Basque team. But on the other hand, the best forward, Kike Sola, has just scored seven goals though they have been very important for Osasuna.

There is an important supporting campaign to take the football fans to El Sadar, and for the first time this season the stadium will be complete and all together we'll shout "A por Ellos" or "Eman Gogor" ( Go for them ). There is a great expectation on the game in Pamplona and the supporters expect to win the eternal hatred rival from Bilbao.

Mendilibar, Osasuna's coach, is from Bilbao, but he has already achieved a victory against Athletic last season in Pamplona. He won't use players like Ruben, sanctioned, or Raoul Loe, injured. Miguel Flaño and Lolo will substitute them after resting against Levante last weekend, another important success in a game away the local stadium.

Meanwhile, Bielsa, Athletic's coach, is on the red line. They have lost their last three games against Espanyol, Malaga and their neighbours in Donosti-San Sebastian at San Mames stadium, Real Sociedad, and they are heading the relegation posts and need to win Osasuna to avoid those posts. Besides, Athletic's coach has got many problems with his players since the beginning of the season. After Javier Martinez's transfer to Bayern Munich and the announcement of next season sign with Juventus for Llorente, there are many doubts with Amorebieta or Iker Muniain, who has shown his lack of mature after his action last weekend at San Mames and his later speech.

Posible kickoff teams:
. Osasuna: Andres Fernandez; Marc Bertran, Arribas, Flaño, Damia; Lolo, Silva, Oier Sanjurjo, Armenteros, Nino; Kike Sola.
. Athletic: Iraizoz; Iraola, San Jose, Laporte, Aurtenetxe; Iturraspe, De Marcos, Herrera; Susaeta, Aduriz , Ibai Gómez.
Don't forget the referee: Fernando Teixeira Vitienes, with bad results for Osasuna matches!
Gora Osasuna! Aupa Rojillos!

F.C. BARCELONA vs. REAL MADRID, a WORLDWIDE FOOTBALL MATCH

Good morning, dear football fans! ( As you see I change my greeting as my loved football team is not involved. ). Tonight we have a FOOTBALL MATCH, in capital letters.div>

During the whole week, even before, it has been the only game to play for many sport journalists. This is my only criticism for the "previa" of this match. I think that this issue is dealt wrongly by the mass media, as even though they believe it makes La Liga stronger than other European Leagues, the fact that the sport mass media only talk about the "clasico" for a week make the rest of the Spanish League team less than a favour.

In the last few years, this game has been devalued as the white team ( you know my policy ) did not arrive at Camp Nou as a powerful historical team as they are. But this situation has changed this year after the arrival of a new coach in the capital of Spain.

You also know my policy since a few weeks ago about the coach in the white team, and I am not going to change my policy yet. Thus, when I started this blog my goal was to educate my students in English through topics related to English spoken world, and I really believe that the coach in the white team from the capital of Spain is many things but an educated person. So, I'm ging to talk volumes about Guardiola. an intelligent player when he was playing in Barça and a very educated, supportive, clever coach now in his loved team, F.C. Barcelona.

Since I was a child, my favourite football team has been the main team in Barcelona ( sorry Espanyol F.C. ), and I evolved my likes to my town team, Osasuna, from the very beginning moment I knew there was a football team in Pamplona, Osasuna, in the arly 80's, when they promoted to First Division with that brilliant team. So, I used to support the team that Cruyff leaded as a football player and then he knew how to leave a football style as a coach.

That style is still in Barcelona through Guardiola and I hope that when he leaves his club, the chairman and people leading the club will know to find a similar person to follow that way of playing football that so many people like.

Well, I want to finish this article with a short comment for those supporters of the whhite team. I have some friends who support them. But they usually tell me that they do not like their coach at all, as he is so uneducated and showoff, not at all the style of the club, and another reason is the success of the Spanish National team, full of Barça players, but I think this is a covered Nationalism that arises in this successful moment to hurt the Independent feeling of the Catalonian people.

I hope to see a brilliant game tonight! So,, here is my cry:

GORA FOOTABALL! AUPA BARÇA!