Aye it is a very good deal for Villa. van der Vaart is quality and started off at Real really well scoring 4 goals in the first month. But since the team has been out of form, it has affected his own form also. Juande Ramos has been playing him off the bench also. Which he isn't happy about either.

Not surprised he ain't happy he is a great player.

I think thats one of the things that Real Madrid are seriously missing. A quality striker with genuine pace. They have Drenthe and Robben who are fast but not the best attacking players around. Eto'o would be a quality signing but there is no chance in hell, him ever going back to Madrid.

Is Huntelaar fast because they have signed him or did he just look fast playing in the Dutch league

Tbh I have no idea if he is fast or not?

barca go 10 points clear, almeria sack their manager, osasuna belt getafe for 5 and despite drawing sevilla finish the year 2nd
roll on 2009

Average, although I think the rest of his game is underrated. People say he's just a finisher, but he's much more than that.

the almeria chairman didnt even wait to leave the stadium before sacking the coach!!
i can see them struggling in the 2nd half of the season

Huzzah! An away win! That makes everything look rosier going into the break.

Hardly surprising as he's one of the most highly self-opinionated players there is, and that's up against some stiff opposition. He out big-headed Zlatan at Ajax, f'rinstance. No mean feat, I'm sure you'd agree.

It's not just about the relative merits of the actual on-field performances of players y'know. Ashley Young's people would be idiots if they thought of thinking about walking away from Villa where he's getting regular football in a settled side with a manager who knows what he's doing, long and short term. Long term isn't something required in the vocabulary of a Real Madrid manager. And van der Vaart is nothing if not disruptive. He was at Ajax. He was at Hamburg. Sounds like he's already started at El Real. Good. They're welcome to him. Classic El Real player.
So what I'm saying is that it'd be a rubbish deal for Villa.

The weekend in full:

Deportivo La Coruna 4 Recreativo Huelva 1
Mallorca 0 Sevilla 0
Numancia 4 Valladolid 3
Osasuna 5 Getafe 2
Racing Santander 1 Malaga 1
Real Betis 0 Athletic Bilbao 1
Sporting Gijon 1 Almeria 0
Villarreal 1 Barcelona 2
Espanyol 2 Atletico Madrid 3
Real Madrid 1 Valencia 0

So, with beating Villarreal and Sevilla helpfully drawing in the Balearics, Barcelona go into the winter break with a 10-point lead having not lost in La Liga since the opening day - a sensational effort from Guardiola's men. With strikes from Seydou Keita and Thierry Henry, the Yellow Submarine drop out of the top six and are replaced in third by Atletico Madrid - who have the brilliant Maxi Rodriguez to thank for squeezing past Espanyol at the Montjuic. The Blanc i Blau have collected just one point over new coach Mane and are without a win since November 2nd, horrendous.

A solitary Gonzalo Higuain goal was enough to beat Valencia and that, rather surprisingly given results, puts El Real within 2 points of Sevilla in second. At the bottom, 2 results to thoroughly upset the form book as Osasuna put 5 past Getafe and Numancia beat Valladolid thanks to a 90th minute winner from Brit. Osasuna remain bottom but they are just a point behind Recreativo, smashed in La Coruna, and Espanyol. The big winners this week at that end were Athletic, who climb to 12th following their win in Andalucia.

1 Barcelona 41
2 Sevilla 31
3 Atletico Madrid 30
4 Valencia 30
5 Real Madrid 29
6 Villarreal 29
7 Deportivo la Coruna 27
8 Valladolid 23
9 Málaga 22
10 Getafe 21
11 Sporting de Gijón 21
12 Athletic Bilbao 19
13 Real Betis Balompié 18
14 Racing Santander 18
15 C.D Numancia 17
16 Almeria 16
17 Mallorca 14
18 Espanyol 13
19 Recreativo Huelva 13
20 Osasuna 12

Top scorers:
1 Samuel Eto'o 15 Barcelona
2 David Villa 12 Valencia
3 Gonzalo Higuaín 11 Real Madrid
4 Lionel Messi 10 Barcelona
4 Diego Forlán 10 Atletico Madrid
6 Sergio Aguero 9 Atletico Madrid
7 Álvaro Negredo 8 Almeria
7 Thierry Henry 8 Barcelona
9 Nabil Baha 7 Málaga
9 Mate Bilic 7 Sporting of Gijón

The Penguin's 'team of the season so far' to follow.

The Penguin's not-quite-halfway team of the 16 rounds

GK: Victor Valdes (Barcelona)
CB: Carlos Puyol (Barcelona)
CB: David Prieto (Sevilla)
CB: Gonzalo Rodriguez (Villarreal)
LM: Jose Andres Guardado (Deportivo La Coruna)
CM: Kofi Romaric (Sevilla)
CM: Xavi (Barcelona)
RM: Maxi Rodriguez (Atletico Madrid)
RF: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)
CF: Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona)
LF: Juan Mata (Valencia)

Honourable mentions: David Villa, Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Forlan, Maniche, Kun Aguero, Sergio Asenjo, Jesus Navas, Fernando Llorente, Jonathan Sesma, Achile Emana, Rafa Marquez, Julien Escude, Josepa Llorente, Iker Casillas, David Belengeur, Esteban Granero, Duda.

Lassana Diarra has been on show at the Bernabau after signing his 4 and half year deal. On the back of his shirt, he will be known as 'Lass'.

Also, CSKA Moscow midfielder Milos Krasic is reportedly close to signing with Real.

la liga table at the end of 2008:

Barcelona 41
2 Sevilla 31
3 Atletico Madrid 30
4 Valencia 30
5 Real Madrid 29
6 Villarreal 29
7 Deportivo la Coruna 27
8 Valladolid 23
9 Málaga 22
10 Getafe 21
11 Sporting de Gijón 21
12 Athletic Bilbao 19
13 Real Betis Balompié 18
14 Racing Santander 18
15 C.D Numancia 17
16 Almeria 16
17 Mallorca 14
18 Espanyol 13
19 Recreativo Huelva 13
20 Osasuna 12

Would love to see it finish like that.

I feel Barca, Valencia and Madrid will finish in the CL spots, the fight for the last spot will be a classic.

Almeria have moved swiftly following the sacking of Gonzalo 'Not as good as Emery after all' Arconada and have appointed former Mexico coach [url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_S%C3%A1nchezHugo Sanchez[/url as his replacement.

Sanchez, a former Real Madrid striker (and five-time Pichichi winner), has had a fairly successful career coaching in club football in his homeland and won 14 out of 26 games during a 16-month stint working with the Mexican national team. Finishing 3rd in the Copa America in 2007 is his highlight, though this did not stop him getting the boot in March following a disastrous pre-Olympic tournament.

Karim Benzema reveals it is his dream to play for Madrid.

[urlhttp://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11827_4686956,00.html[/url

Oh please, no more - I'm a diabetic.

?

Would imagine it would be between Villareal and Sevilla for the other CL spot thats if Madrid get one.

I can't stand players who peddle this kind of thing, expecting us to believe its their lifelong dream to play for club xyz. Or at least it is until another club like Manchester City offer them £400,000 a week then its their dream to play there, continued ad nauseum zzzzzz

Enough! I say.

Tbh I agree, but I wouldn't be complaining if he ends up at Madrid.

If Benzema fecks off anywhere he's an idiot (unless Puel keeps playing wide on the left). Either way, anywhere bar El Real. Actually, I don't think Benzema is arrogant enough for El Real. If only he was from the Basque country. Fernando Llorente and Benzema..... That'd be nice

Why would he want to leave while he is by far and away the best player in the league