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It has been a very long Sunday. In fact, I’m writing to you from my living room and I’m about to go to bed after a very intense day… It started at 08:30 in the morning with a wake-up call from the hotel’s reception, and just five minutes later I got another one from my mobile’s alarm that definitely got me up… After a shower and a good breakfast (some of my team mates had big portions of pasta, I had toasts and coffee), we got ready for the match ahead: at Brentford in the FA Cup, at 12:00, a bit earlier than usual.
To be honest, it was special to visit such and old, charming stadium. It reminded me of those years when I was in my former clubs academies and we visited stadiums such as Griffin Park every two weeks. It was special but not easy at all; in fact, it was very tough. They put a lot of intensity and, until the 83 minute, when Fernando scored a superb goal, we were close to be out of the oldest football competition in the world, of which we are the current champions 
.
Before that, Oscar had made the 1-1 with another great goal. At the end 2-2 and we will have a replay at home. The FA Cup is not easy; Liverpool and Tottenham were eliminated and that shows how tough it is. I still remember our matches at Wembley last year and I want to go there again.
Now it’s time to focus on the Premier League and the next two consecutive matches away from home: at Reading and Newcastle. It would be very good news to finish this week with 6 points more .
As regards to la Liga, as I do every week, I’ll tell you what amazes me more from last weekend. As it happened many other weeks before, two players have been outstanding: Cristiano and Messi, with three and four goals respectively. This looks neverending. As time goes by we will realise how difficult it is to get to their statistics year after year. For many years in the past, the number of goals they have today would’ve been enough to finish top scorers in the league, and there is still half of the fixtures to be played… Incredible. Obviously their goals helped Real Madrid and Barcelona to win prior to their clash in the Spanish Cup.
Aside from that I also highlight Athletic Bilbao’s victory, in a season with ups and downs for them, against Atlético Madrid. Surprising, to say the least, given Atlético’s form in the last few games. And Rayo, who got a great victory against Betis; and Valencia, getting closer to the Champions zone thanks to their comeback at Riazor. Still up there is Málaga after winning at Mallorca (what a great free-kick goal from Giovani).
Despite so much football I also had time, of course, to watch the Handball World Championship between Spain and Denmark. I’ve always liked this sport. I remember, a few years ago, players such as Barrufet and ‘Juanín’ García (I used to follow him as we were called by the same name ). It was a good idea to watch the game, it was epic. Spain was close to perfection and from the very beginning they showed they wouldn’t miss this opportunity! Their intensity and commitment were remarkable, and they deserve to be the World Champions… A friend of mine was in the Palau and he told me that the atmosphere in there was amazing! I’m sure it was, and here I say thanks to the players for such a great time they gave to us! Congratulations #Hispanos!
As in every post, London is always present. This time it’s about cinema. As you could see in my networking sites I went to the Electric Cinema, in Portobello Road, a few days ago. It’s a cozy place more than a hundred years old that survived the two World Wars. It’s one of the oldest cinemas in the world. I saw ‘Les Misérables’; I hadn’t seen the musical and I liked the movie. Visit the Electric; it’s a very recommendable experience!
Time to say goodbye: it’s late and we are back to the training sessions tomorrow. See you next week, already in February by then!
Hug,
Juan
