Tuesday 16 May 2017 00:14, UK
Philippe Coutinho's Barcelona link, James Rodriguez's future and Real Madrid's crunch clash with Celta Vigo are on the agenda as Guillem Balague also answers your questions in his weekly column....
This has turned into a weekly question. His entourage is clearly working to move him to the Nou Camp. There are different reasons why Barca will not go for him.
One is the cost and the other is they think he's a forward rather than a midfielder. And of course they are completely sorted in attack.
They are looking for a different type of midfielder. Nobody doubts Coutinho's quality but Barcelona don't have the money to be getting three or four top players for their first-choice line-up.
Even though they left out many players against Sevilla - Pepe was injured, Benzema was out, Casemiro, Isco and Modric were on the bench - this was a Real Madrid that proved two things.
One. As we have been saying all along, Zidane's trick is to keep everybody sweet. How does he do that? By telling them, 'Enjoy yourselves, you will have your moment and be ready for it'.
He has proven throughout the season he has shared the opportunities around.
Even when players aren't playing too well, they get chances. Only Fabio Coentrao is yet to score in the squad. That has meant, when required, the players respond.
Two. The success is more psychological than tactical. He put out a team against Sevilla that was not the right selection. Sevilla had an extra player in midfield, where Real were starting James, Mateo Kovacic and Toni Kroos. That was a little unbalanced, especially in a defensive aspect.
But the fact is the way they are playing right now, it feels like nothing will go wrong. Not even against Celta. Sevilla hit the post twice and Keylor Navas made three massive saves but even when it went 2-1, you still felt Real would just go up another gear. That's an amazing feeling, both for the team but also for their opponents.
The Celta game is interesting. Luis Enrique has reminded everybody Barcelona lost against Celta and Malaga. They are Real's final two opponents.
Celta feel they owe nothing to Real Madrid, they are not going to go easy. It will be an homage to the supporters who travelled to Old Trafford and to the players themselves for that performance. They played like a big team in Manchester and exposed United's frailties, which is so impressive against such an expensively assembled squad.
I find it hard to accept United's argument about injuries and fatigue when you consider the difference in budgets between the two teams. Celta showed wonderful bravery and had huge chances but there were a lot of tears at the end. They know it won't be easy to reach that stage again.
They now see this game against Real as a special day and they will compete. Don't assume everything is finished in the league. It's going down to the wire again, disproving the theory it is not competitive.
Neymar scored his first away hat-trick, his fourth in total since arriving at Barcelona. He has proven to be a key player in La Liga and you could make a case to name him Player of the Year. By the way, we want your votes for that.
Neymar is growing in stature because he doesn't always take the easy route. He doesn't always go one-v-one now, he has learned sometimes that is not required. But when he does, he is the most effective one-v-one player in the world.
@RasmusV97 Was James waving goodbye to Real Madrid last night? Do you think he'll be a Manchester United player next season?
Manchester United are favourites to get James. He has decided to leave Real, who have three clubs ready to meet the asking price. One of them is United. I still say they are the top contenders to get him.
@katemillspromo Do you still think Zidane is right for Real?
I doubted it at first. Quite clearly he has managed the side very well. You wonder if it will be tougher next season, though. They are unlikely to have players of the quality of James on the bench, ready and waiting to be called upon.
Zidane may not last too long because it's not easy to manage that club but the job he has done has been great. He sometimes lets himself down with team selections, like against Sevilla as discussed above, when he was forced to bring Casemiro and Modric on to regain some balance. But so far Real have not found a rival able to stop them this campaign.
@utchayabugu Which Premier League team do you fancy having a crack at the Champions League next season?
It is so early and we don't know what signings will happen. I still think it's early for Manchester City, Spurs will learn from experience but they are punching above their weight.
You have to celebrate finishing second again but when they face big clubs in the Champions League they may fall short. That's unless they make two or three signings that really add to the first XI. They can't have a repeat of last summer, when they signed Vincent Janssen and Moussa Sissoko.
Chelsea will reinforce so I expect them to go far. Let's see if it's Liverpool or Arsenal. They are both well-equipped to cope in Europe, perhaps Arsenal slightly more than Liverpool.
@TomNewland08 Could Sandro Ramirez be the next player to leave Malaga and if so, what are his likely options?
He is linked to five clubs, three of them in the Premier League. He is a player that has definitely caught the attention of many. Atletico Madrid want him as well so he will see what happens with their transfer ban.
