Bombazo LaLiga Podcast 33: Rants on refs, Villarreal are back, Valencia are doomed, and a Scandi update

Bombazo: The Scandinavian LaLiga Podcast is back for season two, and this season we're switching things up! From now on, we'll be doing a deep dive every month on a Scandinavian-LaLiga theme, and first up is one of the biggest of all, Henrik Larsson. Whether you know him as Larsson, Henke, or the King of Kings, there's no doubt that the Swede is one of the greatest Scandinavians to grace LaLiga, but with his time as a Barça player just pre-dating the explosion of Youtube, social media and minute-by-minute LaLiga coverage, plenty of details have been forgotten from his two years in Catalonia. With that in mind, we look back on our memories of Larsson's time at the Camp Nou, and enlist the help of three top quality experts who were there to watch it in the flesh. Graham Hunter (LaLiga TV/ The Big Interview), Johanna Garå (TV4) and Toni Padilla (DiariAra) share their thoughts and first hand accounts from Henrik's days with the Blaugrana.  Finally, with Henrik's surprise return to the Camp Nou this summer as an assistant coach to Ronald Koeman, we try to answer the big question: just what the hell is his job? And will even someone as loved as the former Barça striker survive the cloudy atmosphere at the club these days? Remember to leave a rating/like and a comment at your podcast provider of choice if you enjoyed this episode. And feel free to tweet us with suggestions for what you want to hear in future episodes.  You can follow Lee here and Alex here.  Thanks as always for listening!

Bombazo: The Scandinavian LaLiga Podcast is back for our penultimate episode of the season and it's a busy one... – We look at Julen Lopetegui finally finding the right home at Sevilla who sealed Champions League football. – We take our best shot at guessing who is going to be relegated and who will survive, though we can't quite agree... – As for the European spots, Villarreal are the best bet but who follows is still wide open, and Real Sociedad's Ødegaard and Isak fitness problems don't help. – Yet again Valencia have managed to raise the craziness level a further notch. The target this time? Most of their best players, including Dani Parejo. – And we answer listener questions on Real Zaragoza and the latest side to join LaLiga.  Remember to leave a rating and comment, and follow the pod here, Lee here, and Alex here. Thanks for listening!

Bombazo: The Scandinavian LaLiga podcast returns and there's plenty Nordic news to get stuck into amongst other things... – We look at Alexander Isak's goal scoring form and how he has already bettered both John Carew and Henrik Larsson's Spanish football stats, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic now in sight.  – And we have the run-down on new Atlético Madrid signing, Swedish goalkeeper Hedvig Lindahl. – With Espanyol's demise to second division oblivion imminent, we discuss the sad downward turn of a team that was once firmly rooted in a Barcelona neighbourhood, but now struggles to pull future core fans from the behemoth towering down the road. – Plus we look at the return of a familiar old face to LaLiga via Real Betis, and reflect on Spain's 2010 World Cup win, a decade later. Remember to leave a rating and comment, and follow the pod here, Lee here, and Alex here. Thanks for listening!

LaLiga has barely been back and yet there's not much left to go, so this week's Bombazo has a lot of ground to cover: – Alex has a rant at the standard of refs in LaLiga who are getting it particularly wrong even by their usual level... – We both get excited about Villarreal's return to form as a team competing for the top four. – And get upset for the way Valencia's fans are being treated by an owner who clearly couldn't care less. – Plus Barça's highly predictable coaching dilemma, their complete negligence with Marc Cucurella, John Guidetti's LaLiga future, Martin Ødegaard's issues and more. Remember to leave a rating and comment, and follow the pod here, Lee here, and Alex here. Thanks for listening!

Bombazo: The Scandinavian LaLiga podcast is back again and after doing our best to keep on top of the endless stream of Spanish football action we have plenty to discuss, including... – Is Real Sociedad's downward slide away from European football something that could have been predicted? Or is it just good old fashioned low confidence? – Celta's remarkable revival under Oscar Garcia and why Alex is the most optimistic about them she has been for years. And why the Nolito signing shows the Braithwaite rule really is a joke. – Bruno Soriano's beautiful comeback and our hopes for someone who was one of the best in his position before injury took its toll. – Diego Simeone's stroke of genius with Marcos Llorente – And why don't we care about the LaLiga title race? We should! But we won't... Remember to leave a rating and comment, and follow the pod here, Lee here, and Alex here. Have a dig through our back catalogue too and you'll find plenty of timeless episodes to keep you busy: last week's Sid Lowe special is a good start, as is our Michael Laudrup special, guide to women's football in Spain, and the overlooked story of the last time two Swedes made it big in LaLiga. Thanks for listening – and stay safe!

Episode 31 of Bombazo is a special one as we talk to one of our favourite football journalists and a man you should all be familiar with, Sid Lowe.  Not only has Sid been the guy bringing Spanish football to an English speaking audience via The Guardian for as long as we can remember, he's also one of the hosts and people behind The Spanish Football Podcast – in our humble opinion the best pod on Spanish football out there. That's thanks in no small part to their dedication to attending games and getting to know the human beings behind the clubs. Sid knows more about Spanish football than most, so it was only right for us to grill him on the Scandinavians in Spain, including... – Why Martin Braithwaite is such a convincing player to speak to, and how that has won over Barça's coaching staff as well as a certain number 10. – His high hopes for Martin Ødegaard, in Sid's view probably the best player in LaLiga this season behind the aforementioned Lionel Messi. But there are some concerns about him continuing to play in the right environment for his development. – How Alexander Isak's endless confidence impressed him when the Swede put Real Madrid to the sword at the Santiago Bernabéu after a less than perfect first half. – Plus praise for Daniel Wass, intrigue on Pione Sisto, a bit of Zlatan, a bit of Henke, and how he ended up with Thomas Gravesen's shorts. You can hear Sid and the TSFP guys here, and they also have loads of additional content for subscribers.  Thanks again for listening and, yes, you know what's coming: LEAVE A RATING for Bombazo at your podcast provider of choice, please. Drop us a comment or even an email while you're at it. Follow the pod here, Alex here, and Lee here.  Enjoy the episode, it's a good one!  

LaLiga 2019-20 is finally back, and Bombazo: The Scandinavian LaLiga Podcast is back with it! We sit down for the first time in over two months to unpack the long-awaited restart to Spanish football, including... – What we think about the league returning without fans. – The winners and losers of the unexpected break, including why Lee expects Martin Braithwaite to make a big impact for Barcelona, and Alex has worries about Alavés surviving. – How having no supporters could impact teams who rely on strong home form, and whether it will even out and make away trips easier. – The tactical changes coaches like Diego Simeone have been working on during the break, like Atleti's new Raúl García. – And we preview a game we both attended last season, the Seville derby at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. The game where fans matter most, that has to be played without them. As always, remember to leave a rating and comment at your podcast provider of choice which really helps us to climb the rankings and get more listeners (super important now more than ever after a long break). You can follow the pod here, Lee here, and Alex here. Hay liga!

The last time you heard from Bombazo: The Scandinavian LaLiga Podcast we had just taken in Barcelona v Real Sociedad from the Camp Nou. Little did we know it was the last football we'd be watching live for a long time. In this special update we check in with a report on the differences in life in Spain and Sweden under Corona, reflect on the season that stopped, and also what kind of LaLiga season we may see in the future. Remember to leave a rating and comment, and follow the pod here, Lee here, and Alex here. Have a dig through our back catalogue too and you'll find plenty of timeless episodes to keep you busy – like our Michael Laudrup special, guide to women's football in Spain, and the overlooked story of the last time two Swedes made it big in LaLiga. Thanks for listening – and stay safe!

Episode 28 of Bombazo LaLiga Podcast marks a first in the series as both Lee and Alex are finally in the same location! We report live from the Camp Nou at Barcelona v Real Sociedad, hear from one of the stars (spoiler: he's Swedish), then break down all the fallout. On today's show... – Alex kicks us off by sharing her experience at one of Spanish professional football's smallest stadiums as Mirandés capped their historic Copa del Rey run with an admirable semifinal performance. – We explain why Real Sociedad's return to a final for the first time in three decades is a huge deal for a club that once regularly competed for cups and league titles. – We look at Athletic Club's part in the mouth-watering all Basque final. – Then, we unpack Barcelona's narrow 1-0 win over Real Sociedad where the most dangerous player in Blaugrana happened to be a Dane. And the Camp Nou rewarded Martin Braithwaite with huge applause for his efforts.  – There's more to dissect from the match including Real Sociedad bettering Barça at what was once the Catalans' own signature style of play, plus why we feel Alguacil got it wrong with his late change.  – And finally, we hear from Alexander Isak on his performance, the team going toe-to-toe with Barça, and the future. Thanks to everyone who listens each week. If you enjoy it, leave us a rating, review and comment at the podcast provider of their choice (or even if you don't – let us know why). Please take a few minutes to do so – it's very helpful!

It's the big one – or is it? Bombazo goes forensic on Real Madrid's 2-0 win over FC Barcelona in El Clásico. Talking points include... – Now it's clear the big game has lost a bit of its sheen, we get a nostalgic for the mighty Clásicos of old and ask whether LaLiga missed the opportunity to promote it properly internationally in those heady days. – Both coaches made big calls, but while Zinedine Zidane picking Marcelo paid off, did Quique Setién get it wrong with his conservative approach?  – Tactical battles aside, if not for Thibaut Courtois making some big saves it's a different game. We have some praise for the Belgian who is still excellent when he's switched on. – We look at Martin Braithwaite's performance which included an instant impact with one of the best chances of the game.  – And Alex rounds up the Scandis who have made previous appearances in this historic fixture. Spoiler: the Danes win. Next week we will bring the pod to you from FC Barcelona v Real Sociedad where LaLiga's three biggest Scandinavians could all appear, but until then for more quality content you can follow the pod here, plus Lee and Alex at their personal accounts. Thanks to everyone who listens, and if you like what you hear, leave us a rating, review and comment at the podcast provider of their choice. Please take a few minutes to do so – it's super helpful!