MerengueBites

Mark, Ryan & Kaushik gather to look back on La Undecima -- the game and the season -- and look forward to what lies ahead for Real Madrid's squad going forward. 

Mark, Ryan and Rahul gather to look back on Real Madrid's league season and how it has been impacted by the mid-season coaching change.  This episode saw us discuss a wide variety of issues including back-up striker options, the need (or not) for a midfield signing and the tough decision the club faces concerning the futures of Pepe and Rafael Varane.  We also start looking forward to the Champions League final versus Atletico Madrid, discussing the tactical keys to the game and pondering the awesomeness and cruelty of yet another Sergio Ramos headed goal.   Hala Madrid! 

Mark, Ryan and Kaushik discuss Real Madrid's weirdly low-key semifinal vs Manchester City and narrow home victory over Valencia. The guys also address your questions about lesser lights Danilo and Kovacic, and discuss the talking points surrounding Alvaro Arbeloa's farewell. Hala Madrid!

It's a full house on hand as Mark, Kaushik, Rahul and Ryan discuss the first two games of the Zinedine Zidane era. The guys discuss Zizou's early impact on the team, and what his appointment means for the squad and certain players.  Also in today's episode, why Madridistas shouldn't be too anxious over the FIFA transfer ban. That and a whole lot more on this episode of Merengue Bites. Hala Madrid!!

The two Rs of the Merengue Bites team Ryan & Rahul discuss Real Madrid's 2-0 victory over Eibar and various talking points after what has been an eventful and traumatic period at Real Madrid. The guys get into the Kroos vs Casemiro debate, ponder the reasons behind the ineffectiveness of the BBC, ask how the team will cope with a raft of defensive injuries and wonder if there is room for optimism between now and the end of the calendar year.  Hala Madrid!!

Merengue Bites is back for Season 3 in a new format. Due to real life, messed up time zones and other factors, the podcast crew is unable to deliver weekly episodes but have still commited to a new style of once in 3-4 week-ish larger picture analysis and reviews of Real Madrid. In this episode, Mark Ryan and Kaushik take a look at the first few games of Benitez' Real Madrid and share their tactical observations, their first impressions of the new setup, new players and much more.  Thank you to each of our fans for supporting us through the days, and we hope you enjoy this new season. Kindly reach out to us with any feedback. Hala Madrid! 

Mark, Kaushik and Rahul sign off for the season by conducting a post-mortem of the 2014-15 campaign and discussing the performances and prospects of every single player in the Real Madrid squad. The guys also discuss the seemingly imminent departure of Carlo Ancelotti and his most likely replacement at the time of writing, Rafa Benitez. Hala Madrid!!

On this episode of Merengue Bites - Mark, Ryan and Kaushik discuss the disappointing end to our Champions League campaign at the hands of the old lady Juventus and give their views of the match. In addition to this they take a pilot's view of how the season has been and ponder on the important questions of whether Ancelotti should be allowed to continue, whether the squad needs to be rebuilt and much more. 

Mark, Rahul and Kaushik discuss Real Madrid's exciting 3-2 victory over Sevilla at the Sanchez Pizjuan. The guys discuss Ramos' new midfield role, Bale's encouraging substitute appearance and ponder whether Casillas should've taken James Rodriguez's penalty kick-saving advice. The panel also talk about the challenges that will be posed by Juventus in the Champions League semi-final first leg, and how Real Madrid should set up for the win. And finally, in the wake of the Mayweather-Pacquiao fight, the guys discuss which footballers like they'd to see step into a ring together!  

Mark, Ryan and Kaushik bring you a pre-clasico edition of the podcast where they analyse the victory against a team in blaugrana (yes Levante wear the same colours. The crew is really excited about the fact that Modric and Ramos are back, and gives their opinion on the spoilt Bernabeu public booing their own players. In part 2, the panel looks forward to the big game next weekend and analyses Barca's strengths and weaknesses, along with discussing how Madrid could potentially set themselves up. Before parting, Mark and Kaushik also reminisce the best parts of the recently retired Real Madrid Football Blog. 

Mark, Rahul and Ryan discuss Real Madrid's toothless performance in a 0-1 reverse at Athletic Bilbao and the implications of the result on the title race. The guys discuss the BBC's recent ineffectiveness and the impact of playing without Modric and James and look forward to Real Madrid's Champions League Round of 16 second leg. On a lighter note, this week's IsraQM segment has the guys contemplating a doomsday scenario involving Real Madrid players. Hala Madrid!!

Madridista Mac is back and has Kaushik and Ryan with him to review the Elche match in La Liga and Schalke from midweek. The crew discusses Lucas Silva's impressive integration to the team, Isco lovefest from everywhere, the impact of Pepe's return and other topics. Also, as always, listener questions ranging from how important Marcelo is to us to would we trade CR for 3 good young players. Also, Oscar fever has spread to the podcast as well, also Freaky Friday. Yes, Freaky Friday! Enjoy this fully loaded show to go with a nice 4 point lead at the top of La Liga.

Kaushik and Ryan review the Deportivo win which lifted the spirits of the squad and fans lightly after the derbi debacle. They focus on Bale's impressive performance, and Illarra's equally disappointing show. The crew also discusses Lucas Silva's debut and answers some excellent (as always) listener questions such as - What is the best and worst Real Madrid debut we have seen? What would our squad players be in life if they weren't footballers.. Yup, what a question! And of course.. CL is back, so some predictions are in the show as well. Enjoy! 

Mark, Rahul and Ryan gather to discuss Real Madrid's 0-4 capitulation to Atletico Madrid in the worst performance under Carlo Ancelotti's tenure. The guys analyze Real Madrid's failures in every area of the pitch and discuss the perceived lack of desire and sacrifice from the players. The panel also asks what Real Madrid need to do to regain the upper hand in derby encounters, and consider the implications of this result for the team's upcoming fixtures and title ambitions.  As ever, please send in your questions and comments so we can feature them in next week's episode. Hala Madrid!!  

Mark, Rahul and Ryan discuss the talking points surrounding Real Madrid's 4-1 home victory over Real Sociedad, including yet another early goal concession, more missed sitters from Bale and more excellent play from Benzema. The guys also look forward to Real Madrid's possible line-up for the midweek game vs Sevilla, and look back at the most memorable and forgettable football commercials over the years! Hala Madrid!!

This week, Mark, Kaushik, Rahul and Ryan address the talking points surrounding Real Madrid's disappointing performance against Cordoba, including Ronaldo's poor performance and behaviour and a questionable defensive display. We also look ahead to a tricky series of games and discuss how best to cope in Ronaldo's absence. The guys also look into the Merengue Bites crystal ball and ponder what exciting new signings Martin Odegaard and Lucas Silva could bring to the team in coming years, and what their signing means for Asier 'Batman' Illarramendi.  

Kaushik returns to the podcast after his vacation, and has Mark explain to him just what he has missed in the last few weeks. The panel then discusses the Getafe victory - touching topics like Toni Kroos' fatigue, Gareth Bale's form, etc and also answers some great listener questions about Modric's return, Castilla, 3-5-2 formations and more. Oh yes, we have the IsraQM segment as well, this time about cult leaders. We've been gone a week, but we're back, loaded. #HalaMadrid

Mark, Rahul and Ryan discuss a less-than-happy start to 2015 for Real Madrid, as Los Merengues end their winning streak just three victories short of a Guinness World Record. The guys discuss Gareth Bale's underwhelming performance and the team's general rustiness and plead for perspective and calm among Real Madrid fans rattled by the defeat.

On a very special edition of Merengue Bites, the crew is joined by a very special guest - Phil Kitromiledes of Real Madrid Television of The Spanish Football Podcast Fame in part one where he answers a few of our questions. In part two, the panel takes a look back at an excellent half-season so far and discusses who their half season MVP is. The crew also answers listener questions ranging from - Which former RM player would you like in the team? to Which Real Madrid player would make the best James Bond villain. You couldn't have asked for a more loaded podcast to end the excellent 2014. #HalaMadrid