Sam Leveridge
@samleveridge
Write about sport for @Forbes, @managingmadrid & @intothecalderon. As seen at @marca, @BBCSport, @SkyNews & more. Abonado del @Atleti. Forti Nihil Difficile.
Swapping Spain for Spotland to watch the mighty Shrimpers in play-off “eliminator” action tonight 🦐
@PasionSpain25 Club Thread Day 20; Who? @Atleti Halfway there, here's the story of a complex and fascinating club if there ever was one. The multicultural fanbase, connections with Basques and Franco's army, corrupt chairman and managers bigger than life. And that fanbase...
@PasionSpain25 Xlub Thread Day 19; Who? @MalagaCF They know hell. They know heaven. The best supported football club from the British expats living in Spain, Malaga is also a symbol of the highs and lows of a city that is reshaping itself as a modern hub in southern Europe.
“6 shots, 4 on target, 5 chances created, 93% passing accuracy, 7 touches in the box and 5 passes into final third showed what Fede Valverde can offer in this new role” Some thoughts as Real Madrid beat Juventus at the Club World Cup for @managingmadrid managingmadrid.com/2025/7/1/24459…
Do we still need to pretend to be shocked about a Bernabéu Clásico in October and a Camp Nou Clásico in May?
Often this season I’ve looked at Real Madrid and thought that a quick left winger is exactly what they’ve been missing…
💣💣 BOMBAZO 💣💣 🚨 ¡El Real Madrid, a por Nico Williams! 🚨 El club blanco estudia pagar la cláusula de la estrella del Athletic 👶🏿🦁 marca.com/futbol/real-ma…
Becoming the first play ever to score a hat-trick and be on the losing side in a Clásico just about sums up Kylian Mbappé’s first season at Real Madrid.
Carlo Ancelotti brought on Jesús Vallejo at 3-0 up against Alavés and it ended 3-2. He's done the same again here with Jacobo Ramón, who came on at 3-0 up and it's now 3-2 against Celta Vigo. Not sure if it's arrogance or complacency, but there was no need for that change.
With that result, Barcelona become the team to have beaten Carlo Ancelotti more than any other. It’s 12 defeats in 25 games as a coach against Barcelona (overtaking Inter with 11 in 34 and Juventus with 11 in 29).
Arsenal fans are now singing "adiós, adiós, adiós" to the Real Madrid fans heading for an early exit.
Arsenal fans are oléing their team as they run rings around Real Madrid at the Bernabéu
The most worrying thing for Real Madrid is that it hasn't looked like they have a game plan. Chaotic energy and direct driving into the box from wide early on has turned into desperate crosses from deep as the game has gone on.
Carlo Ancelotti spoke about the importance not of scoring early, but of "controlling the game" in the first 15 minutes, but it's been more chaos than control in the first 5.
Some stadium this. Let’s see if the match lives up to the atmosphere.
The calm before the storm at the Bernabéu ⚡️🏟️ @samleveridge is on site for us.
That's some goal for Pablo Barrios' first goal for Atlético Madrid in La Liga. Diego Simeone called on him to threaten more in front of goal earlier this season, and it seems to have worked.
He’s done it again.
Hugo Duro now has more goals scored against Real Madrid (4) than first team appearances for the club during his loan spell in 2020/21 (3).
"Wait, because at real speed you won't see it from this angle" should be an automatic reason to end the VAR check and continue play.