Viva La Liga
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/573/1/Viva-La-Liga/Viva-La-Liga.html
Phil O'Neill
By Phil O'Neill
Published on 09/12/2006
Ok, you may not know what that means, but if you want to learn more about Spain's top soccer league read on. ASM's soccer guru Phil O'Neill has the preview.
Spain may be perennial underachievers in the World Cup, but at the club level the nation boasts some of the most successful and entertaining teams in the world.
The top Spanish league is one of the best in the world, and FC Barcelona is currently the cream of the crop. The reigning champs of La Liga and the UEFA Champions League have managed to overshadow rival Real Madrid with relative ease for two straight seasons. They have comfortably held off the challenge from an ageing ‘Galactico’ Madrid side to win back-to-back titles, and change isn’t likely.
Barcelona has a squad of players that other managers envy. The defence is superbly marshaled by Captain Carlos Puyol. His composure and tough tackling provide the foundation for the dazzling attacking displays we have come to expect from Frank Rijkaard's side. This defence should prove an even tougher nut to crack with the addition of veteran French defender Lilian Thuram, who arrives from crisis-stricken Italian club Juventus, in a $24.62 million double transfer that also includes Italian international defender Gianluca Zambrotta.
Barca have also boosted their attacking options with the addition of striker/midfielder Eduir Gudjonson for $11 million from European rival Chelsea as a replacement for outgoing Swedish veteran Henrik Larsson. Gudjonson's arrival will boost competition for scarce playing time on a side that already boasts the incredible talents of Messi, Deco, Guily, Eto’o and current world footballer of the year, Ronaldinho.
Keeping all these stars happy may be the biggest challenge for manager Frank Rijkaard and already there are signs of unrest, with striker Samuel Eto’o going AWOL after being replaced by Gudjonson at halftime of a recent match against Espanyol.
Real Madrid, Barca’s closest challenger, will be hoping that these early signs of dissent will help them close the gap on their great rivals in the race to win the league this season. After three trophy-less seasons, numerous managerial changes and a change in transfer policy, supporters of the most famous and decorated club in Europe will be hoping Fabio Capello's second year in charge will bring with it a new era of stability and success.
It is well documented that Madrid supporters will not tolerate anything less than winning either La Liga or the Champions League in any given season, so to go three years without a trophy in either while watching their rivals win both would be tragic.
Madrid may be looking at a rebuilding phase though. The retirement of former world player of the year Zinedine Zidane will hit the club hard. Moreover, superstars David Beckham and Ronaldo may not be part of Capello’s vision for the future, which includes taking advantage of the misfortunes of his former club Juventus. The arrival of Italian World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro, from the much-maligned Italian club, should shore up a defence that has been far from water tight in recent seasons. The additional signing of Brazilian enforcer Emerson from Juventus and midfield dynamo Mahamadou Diarra from Lyon will add some much needed bite to the club’s midfield, dubbed the ‘Warriors’ by Capello.
The summer capture of Dutch international Ruud Van Nistelrooy from Manchester United though will give the Madrid faithful the most hope that they can break Barcelona’s recent dominance. Van Nistelrooy, 30, was a prolific goal scorer both domestically and in European competition for Manchester Utd. and Real will be hoping he can reproduce the form that bagged him 150 goals during his time in England.
Along with Madrid, Valencia appear to have the best chance of challenging for the title this year as they have also strengthened in their quest to improve upon their 3rd place finish last season
The arrivals of Spanish international left back Asier Del Horno from Chelsea and striker Fernando Morientes (disappointing with Liverpool, have given supporters hope that they can repeat their title successes of 2002 and 2004. However, the club’s unsuccessful summer-long pursuit of star Cristiano Ronaldo has been fuitless, even though the club stated that Manchester United could ‘name their price’ for the Portoguese star. Unfortunately for Valencia, the English club’s insistence that Ronaldo won’t be transferred could spell the end of Valencia’s bid to dethrone Barcelona.
The race for fourth and the final coveted berth in the Champions League would seem to be between Athletico Madrid, UEFA Cup champions Sevilla and 2006 Champions League semi-finalists Villareal.
Athletico have appointed Mexican coach Javier Aguirre after being impressed with how he led Osasuna to the Champions League qualifiers and his first action as boss was to secure the services of in-demand Argentine teenage forward Sergio Aguero.
Ok, you may not know what that means, but if you want to learn more about Spain's top soccer league read on. ASM's soccer guru Phil O'Neill has the preview.Viva La Liga
Spain may be perennial underachievers in the World Cup, but at the club level the nation boasts some of the most successful and entertaining teams in the world.The top Spanish league is one of the best in the world, and FC Barcelona is currently the cream of the crop. The reigning champs of La Liga and the UEFA Champions League have managed to overshadow rival Real Madrid with relative ease for two straight seasons. They have comfortably held off the challenge from an ageing ‘Galactico’ Madrid side to win back-to-back titles, and change isn’t likely.
Barcelona has a squad of players that other managers envy. The defence is superbly marshaled by Captain Carlos Puyol. His composure and tough tackling provide the foundation for the dazzling attacking displays we have come to expect from Frank Rijkaard's side. This defence should prove an even tougher nut to crack with the addition of veteran French defender Lilian Thuram, who arrives from crisis-stricken Italian club Juventus, in a $24.62 million double transfer that also includes Italian international defender Gianluca Zambrotta.
Barca have also boosted their attacking options with the addition of striker/midfielder Eduir Gudjonson for $11 million from European rival Chelsea as a replacement for outgoing Swedish veteran Henrik Larsson. Gudjonson's arrival will boost competition for scarce playing time on a side that already boasts the incredible talents of Messi, Deco, Guily, Eto’o and current world footballer of the year, Ronaldinho.
Keeping all these stars happy may be the biggest challenge for manager Frank Rijkaard and already there are signs of unrest, with striker Samuel Eto’o going AWOL after being replaced by Gudjonson at halftime of a recent match against Espanyol.
Real Madrid, Barca’s closest challenger, will be hoping that these early signs of dissent will help them close the gap on their great rivals in the race to win the league this season. After three trophy-less seasons, numerous managerial changes and a change in transfer policy, supporters of the most famous and decorated club in Europe will be hoping Fabio Capello's second year in charge will bring with it a new era of stability and success.
It is well documented that Madrid supporters will not tolerate anything less than winning either La Liga or the Champions League in any given season, so to go three years without a trophy in either while watching their rivals win both would be tragic.
Madrid may be looking at a rebuilding phase though. The retirement of former world player of the year Zinedine Zidane will hit the club hard. Moreover, superstars David Beckham and Ronaldo may not be part of Capello’s vision for the future, which includes taking advantage of the misfortunes of his former club Juventus. The arrival of Italian World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro, from the much-maligned Italian club, should shore up a defence that has been far from water tight in recent seasons. The additional signing of Brazilian enforcer Emerson from Juventus and midfield dynamo Mahamadou Diarra from Lyon will add some much needed bite to the club’s midfield, dubbed the ‘Warriors’ by Capello.
The summer capture of Dutch international Ruud Van Nistelrooy from Manchester United though will give the Madrid faithful the most hope that they can break Barcelona’s recent dominance. Van Nistelrooy, 30, was a prolific goal scorer both domestically and in European competition for Manchester Utd. and Real will be hoping he can reproduce the form that bagged him 150 goals during his time in England.
Along with Madrid, Valencia appear to have the best chance of challenging for the title this year as they have also strengthened in their quest to improve upon their 3rd place finish last season
The arrivals of Spanish international left back Asier Del Horno from Chelsea and striker Fernando Morientes (disappointing with Liverpool, have given supporters hope that they can repeat their title successes of 2002 and 2004. However, the club’s unsuccessful summer-long pursuit of star Cristiano Ronaldo has been fuitless, even though the club stated that Manchester United could ‘name their price’ for the Portoguese star. Unfortunately for Valencia, the English club’s insistence that Ronaldo won’t be transferred could spell the end of Valencia’s bid to dethrone Barcelona.
The race for fourth and the final coveted berth in the Champions League would seem to be between Athletico Madrid, UEFA Cup champions Sevilla and 2006 Champions League semi-finalists Villareal.
Athletico have appointed Mexican coach Javier Aguirre after being impressed with how he led Osasuna to the Champions League qualifiers and his first action as boss was to secure the services of in-demand Argentine teenage forward Sergio Aguero.
Viva La Liga
Villareal will be hoping to improve on a disappointing 7th place finish last year when Champions League commitments appeared to stretch their small squad to the maximum.
The arrival of Robert Pires from Arsenal had Villareal fans dreaming of challenging at the top of the table once again this season, but knee injuries to Pires and central defender Gonzalo Rodriguez could dash their hopes.
UEFA Cup holders Seville will be looking to build on last season’s success with the captures of Schalke midfielder Christian Poulsen, Stuttgart defender Andreas Hinkel and Monaco striker Javier
Chevanton.
Arguably though, Seville’s biggest success of the summer was keeping star midfielder Daniel Alves out of the clutches of English giants Liverpool, which may give them the edge in the fight for fourth place.
The battle to avoid relegation will be equally as close as the fight at the other end of the table, especially if last season is anything to go by.
Traditionally, newly promoted clubs struggle to cope with the step up in class that goes hand in hand with promotion and the difficulties in attracting the calibre of player that can help them cope with the transition. That spells trouble for the just-promoted Gimnastic Tarragona, Recreativo Huelva, and Levante, who will surely be the favourites for relegation this season.
Recreativo Huelva and Levante will be hoping that their recent adventures in the top division will have them better prepared for survival this time around, however Gimnastic Tarragona are making their first appearance in the top flight for over 50 years and could find the going tough.
Real Betis struggled last year and will be hoping for a much better season this time around. However rumours continue to persist about the imminent departures of star winger Joaquin and striker Ricardo Olivira,losses that could spell trouble for the coming season.
Racing Santander and Espanyol also look set for another fight against relegation, having experienced last season’s battle should see them escape for another year.
LA LIGA 2006-07 PREDICTIONS
TOP OF THE HEAP (WELCOME TO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)
1. Barcelona – Expect Ronaldinho and Co to serve up the hat-trick of titles, albeit by a slimmer margin that last season’s 12 points.
2. Real Madrid – Lots of goals with a strike force including Raul, Van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo, but in transition and need time to gel.
3. Valencia – The purse strings have been loosened in the transfer market, but still a couple of players short of catching Barca.
4. Sevilla – Expect them to take advantage of Villareal’s early-season injury woes to snag the last Champions League spot.
ROCK BOTTOM (DREADED RELEGATION)
18. Levante – May be the best equipped out of the newly promoted sides to stay up but I think they will just miss out.
19. (r) Recreativo Huelva – Relegation looms for the newly promoted side as they struggle to attract the quality needed to stay the course.
20. (r) Gimnastic Tarragona – 56 years since last appearance in the top flight, and it’s going to be a short stay. Expect relegation.
The arrival of Robert Pires from Arsenal had Villareal fans dreaming of challenging at the top of the table once again this season, but knee injuries to Pires and central defender Gonzalo Rodriguez could dash their hopes.
UEFA Cup holders Seville will be looking to build on last season’s success with the captures of Schalke midfielder Christian Poulsen, Stuttgart defender Andreas Hinkel and Monaco striker Javier
Chevanton.
Arguably though, Seville’s biggest success of the summer was keeping star midfielder Daniel Alves out of the clutches of English giants Liverpool, which may give them the edge in the fight for fourth place.
The battle to avoid relegation will be equally as close as the fight at the other end of the table, especially if last season is anything to go by.
Traditionally, newly promoted clubs struggle to cope with the step up in class that goes hand in hand with promotion and the difficulties in attracting the calibre of player that can help them cope with the transition. That spells trouble for the just-promoted Gimnastic Tarragona, Recreativo Huelva, and Levante, who will surely be the favourites for relegation this season.
Recreativo Huelva and Levante will be hoping that their recent adventures in the top division will have them better prepared for survival this time around, however Gimnastic Tarragona are making their first appearance in the top flight for over 50 years and could find the going tough.
Real Betis struggled last year and will be hoping for a much better season this time around. However rumours continue to persist about the imminent departures of star winger Joaquin and striker Ricardo Olivira,losses that could spell trouble for the coming season.
Racing Santander and Espanyol also look set for another fight against relegation, having experienced last season’s battle should see them escape for another year.
LA LIGA 2006-07 PREDICTIONS
TOP OF THE HEAP (WELCOME TO THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE)
1. Barcelona – Expect Ronaldinho and Co to serve up the hat-trick of titles, albeit by a slimmer margin that last season’s 12 points.
2. Real Madrid – Lots of goals with a strike force including Raul, Van Nistelrooy and Ronaldo, but in transition and need time to gel.
3. Valencia – The purse strings have been loosened in the transfer market, but still a couple of players short of catching Barca.
4. Sevilla – Expect them to take advantage of Villareal’s early-season injury woes to snag the last Champions League spot.
ROCK BOTTOM (DREADED RELEGATION)
18. Levante – May be the best equipped out of the newly promoted sides to stay up but I think they will just miss out.
19. (r) Recreativo Huelva – Relegation looms for the newly promoted side as they struggle to attract the quality needed to stay the course.
20. (r) Gimnastic Tarragona – 56 years since last appearance in the top flight, and it’s going to be a short stay. Expect relegation.