Raùl - a specialist in scoring against Valladolid.

After the exit from the Champions League, Manuel Pellegrini and his men will take on Real Valladolid at the Jose Zorrilla stadium tonight at 21:00 CET.

Valladolid are having one of their worst seasons as they sit 19th on the table with just 20 points; 4 points clear from the relegation zone. Additionally, they haven't won at home since January, they have recently changed their coach and they have a few key players in the sickbay.

Things are not working out for them at all, but they can still be difficult to beat If we let the disappointing exist from the Champions League put us down and distract us from playing well in the league.

Pellegrini must have had some serious chat with the team and tried to cheer them up. The...

On this week's podcast, Kevin asks me about Real's exit from the Champions League, it's financial impact on the club as well as its impact on Manuel Pellegrini. We also discuss some of the stories currently mentioned in the Spanish press.

Please note that I made a mistake on the podcast when I mentioned that Lisandro scored for Lyon. In fact, Pjanic was the one who scored.

As usual, you can either download the episode or listen to it below. There is also a poll that I started a few days ago. It's about Pellegrini this time and it's asking whether he has been doing a good job so far. Please take a few seconds and vote then let me know your thoughts about all of these issues in the comment section.

Did Real Madrid deserve to lose?

I humbly answer: No, not at all.

Why?

Well, there was one side out there and it was Real Madrid.

The Good

• We played attacking football in the first half and managed to create many chances.
• Guti was brilliant and one of his passes resulted in our only goal as Ronaldo finished it very well. He once again proved he is capable of competing with Alonso for the creative-midfielder position.
• Ronaldo is the best player at Real Madrid, period. It's not Higuaìn, it's not Kakà or Alonso, it's Cristiano Ronaldo. His movement on and off the ball terrified Lyon. He was every where looking dangerous and strong. He helped free some of his teammates, he assisted and...

This is undeniably our most important game this season. More important than anything, and I can imagine how nervous everyone is. There is a lot of pressure from the management, the media and the fans on the team. We haven't reached the quarter-finals for five consecutive years, but jinx are made to be broken.

I don't have a lot to say about the game, but I'd like to mention a few things.

• No french team has ever beaten us at the Bernabeu and we haven't lost at home since the AC Milan game.
• Missing Alonso shouldn't hurt us. We never lost when we missed him and we have a deep squad with players capable of replacing him. I'd like Guti to take his place and partner Lassana Diarra in the midfield.
• Higuaìn never impressed in the Champions League, but he has been in a fine form and I have a feeling he'll...

Written by Elisa Uranga

It was a crucial week for Los Merengues. You know that foreshadowing feeling? Well, that is what I got last week when I watched Barçelona play against Malaga. The team from Catalonia looked tired, predictable and most of all beatable. Well, at least for 10 minutes. It felt like Real Madrid would finally have the chance to surpass the Champions, but it...

UPDATE: Real 3-2 Sevilla Goal Videos

Everybody want's to know, and I can tell you, you'll be surprised at how much some are earning. Gago earns more than Higuaìn and Drenthe earns more than Pepe!

There is a lot of debate on how much footballers should earn, and while I was recording the podcast yesterday, the guests were talking about the recent revenue report as well as Higuaìn's contract talk and it seems that many people evaluate players according to their form ONLY.

In my opinion, that's not an accurate evaluation especially If you are trying to figure out how much a footballer should earn because form is not permanent.

Raùl, Guti, Gago and Benzema all earn more than some "in-form" players like Higuaìn and Lass simply because their...

Sergio Canales, Real Madrid's latest signing.

For the next week or so, I will be trying something new on the blog. I will be doing a daily news round-up with my thoughts on each news item. It's known that I'm inconsistent, but I'm determined to make it work this time.

Guti is fully recovered, while Benzema is making progress

Let's start off with some injury update. Guti has seemingly recovered from his sport hernia and trained with the squad at the Valdebabes today. 

He had a good start to the season, but after the Alcorcon incident he was cursed with injuries -- and now it seems that the sport hernia is also chasing Karim Benzema who is still doubtful for the Sevilla game.

Guti is still essential...

Here is the latest installment from the Sizzling Señorita

Iker Casillas and Sara Carbonero. Everybody's talking about it.....that is except the two in question.

Are they or aren't they dating?

While the rest of the hot-blooded male and female population dicen Que No! The Spanish media are convinced that this relationship is definitely on.

If sources are to be believed, her (recently) ex-boyfriend, a fellow Sports Journalist, David Sanchez announced his break-up with the gorgeous brunette on Facebook on the 12th February, stating that he had "returned to the single life." Just one week previous, revellers at Pacha nightclub in the centre of the capital said that they had seen Iker and Sara in the VIP area of the club looking very cosy, after...

Last night's game is an example of how being effective and having effective strikers can be useful. In terms of performance, we didn't have an extraordinary game -- at least not as extraordinary as the Villarreal game, but thanks to the effectiveness of Higuaìn, we managed to overcome a good Tenerife side.

The Argentine striker was the one I liked the most last night for his approach of the game. All he wanted was to score in the easiest way possible. He scored two goals from two shots and that's it. Others like Ronaldo and Kakà kept trying to dribble and run with the ball when unnecessary and...