Towards the end of last season, it appeared no one wanted to win the Spanish league. Sevilla, who were admittedly impressive, were punching above their weight, and didn’t have the consistency to take hold of La Liga. Real Madrid were coasting through what seemed like another lost season, losing embarrassingly to teams like Recreativo at home. The airy, drunken bliss of double glory in Europe and at home was still enveloping Barca, who appeared to lack motivation and were just getting Samuel Eto’o and Lionel Messi back from long layoffs. Valencia had settled for Champions League qualification after their squad was decimated by injuries.
But then Real Madrid narrowly failed to beat Barca at the Nou Camp, thanks in part to the individual brilliance of Messi, and the Merengues suddenly looked like a typical Capello squad. This remained true until the end of campaign. They managed to squeeze out tough victories with gritty displays which saw them eventually overhaul Barca and Sevilla and claim the title on the last day. Looking back, Real certainly did not resemble champions for most of the season, but Capello’s touch was unmistakable. The squad finally had something they had lacked for four years: character. In one especially difficult match, they were losing 3-1 to Espanyol at home at halftime, and I just can’t imagine any previous Real Madrid team (after Del Bosque) coming backing from that, but Capello’s men did just that. As Gonzalo Higuain ripped off his jersey after scoring the fourth goal in injury time, giving Real a deserved 4-3 win, I had the sneaking suspicion that the championship was on its way to Madrid.
So what do Real do in the off-season? Yes, you guessed it: they fire Capello. After four years in the wilderness, they’re back right where they started. In 2003, they discarded Vincente Del Bosque after he delivered the Liga title, and proceeded to sign David Beckham, the current host of E! Entertainment News. Now they have replaced Capello with Bernd Schuster. I like Schuster as a coach; he did well with little Getafe, and little Levante before that. And he has an array of new talent at his disposal: Dudek, Pepe, Metzelder, Heinze, Drenthe, Wesley Sneijder, Robben and Saviola. The heart of the team that won last year’s title, namely Iker Casillas, one of the top three keepers in the world, Sergio Ramos and Ruud van Nistelrooy are still around, although Emerson, an over-the-hill Roberto Carlos and David Beckham, who was one of the main contributors to last season’s triumph, are now gone. All in all, Real have a strong, deep squad (although they could use another striker) and a good coach, but I feel that they lack the stability necessary to retain their title. Schuster will need to produce results fast, or the pressure will be intense. Atletico pose a tough opening fixture.
Which brings me to Barca, who I believe will take that title. They suffered from a malaise last year brought on by too much playing and too much winning. They were like a beautiful woman suffering from gastritis: it’s difficult to focus on her stunning physical attributes in the midst of all the flatulence. Eto’o was injured, the defense was disorganized, and Ronaldinho, well… despite his 21 league goals, which included a breathtaking bicycle-kick against Villarreal, Dinho, to stay with the simile, just stunk up the joint. By his own high standards, he seemed lethargic and disinterested. But Barca have responded well in the off-season. The arrivals of Gabriel Milito, Eric Abidal and Yaya Toure (Toure Yaya?) should solve their defensive problems, while Thierry Henry will provide yet another world-class option for Frank Rijkaard in what is undoubtedly the most lethal strikeforce in the world on paper.
There are still some potential problems for Barcelona: Victor Valdes is prone to idiotic gaffes. Frank Rijkaard missed the tactical nous of former assistant coach Henk Ten Cate last season; for all his masterful manipulation of the media and man-management skills, Rijkaard was never a tactical genius. In fact, some of his mistakes over the years have been downright elementary (witness how Jose Mourinho baited him in the CL two years ago). Oleguer, possibly the worst athlete in the history of athletes, is still with the team. Oleguer’s inability to bend his knees is reminiscent of Glenn “Big Dog” Robinson’s failure to ever bend at the waist. In addition, Oleguer’s face looks like a very hairy thumb. Still, if Rijkaard can mold the pieces he has at his disposal into a cohesive unit, they should win La Liga with relative ease. Also, this would help:
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=392882
In theory, one player should never completely affect the fortunes of a club, but I hesitate to predict how Sevilla’s season will go until Daniel Alves’s situation becomes clear. The marauding right-back was very close to a move to Chelsea, but the two clubs could not agree on a price, and Chelsea subsequently signed the useless Juliano Belletti from Barcelona. I hardly think Belletti is the answer to Mourinho’s right-back problem, so Alves could still move to Stamford Bridge, or, alternatively to Real Madrid, although I see him staying put for one more season at this point. It’s strange to see a team built around a right-back, but that’s what Sevilla were last season, and they produced some devastating football at times. Alves and left-back Adriano provided excellent service from the flanks for Frederic Kanoute, who nearly nabbed the Pichichi award. This season marks Sevilla’s debut in the Champions League, but the back-to-back UEFA Cup champions are used to handling a busy schedule, so if Alves stays, they should threaten the top two and at least secure another top-four finish.
Valencia have been a very dangerous team for almost a decade. David Villa, David Silva, Joaquin and Morientes provide quite a punch, and the arrival of lanky striker Nikola Zigic, who almost single-handedly guided lowly Racing Santander to a best-ever tenth place finish last year, adds to their impressive attack. Steel in midfield is provided by David Albelda, Ruben Baraja and Edu, and the defense has always been strong. But Valencia have not replaced the great Roberto Ayala, the heart of the defense. Helguera, Alexis and Raul Albiol are capable, but Ayala will be sorely missed.
Three clubs look able to capitalize on Valencia’s vulnerability: Zaragoza, Villarreal and Atletico Madrid. Zaragoza have added the defected Ayala to fill the gap left by the Barca-bound Gabriel Milito, so Zaragoza have addressed the loss of one of their best players. Rumors have been circulating about the imminent departure of Diego Milito, Gabriel’s brother, but if Zaragoza manage to keep him, they will be difficult to beat, especially if Pablo Aimar and Andres D’Alessandro continue to impress. Villarreal have a good squad, especially now that Robert Pires and Nihat are healthy, but Diego Forlan will be missed. Forlan has gone to a revamped Atletico side, who have spent the bloated fee they received for Fernando Torres wisely, having recruited Forlan as a direct replacement, as well as Simao Sabrosa, Luis Garcia and Jose Antonio Reyes. Sergio Aguero should develop into a major star, and I think Atletico just might finally qualify for the Champions League.
Predictions:
Best Goalkeeper (Zamora): Roberto Abbondanzieri (Getafe)
Relegated: Almeria, Murcia, Levante
Top Scorer (Pichichi): David Villa (Valencia)
Champions: Barcelona
Champions League Qualifiers: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Atletico Madrid
UEFA Cup: Valencia, Villarreal, Zaragoza
August 25, 2007 at 8:55 pm
u write from your heart, not your head. u know barcelona are unstable. the fantastic four can never play together, and there will be a lot of fighting. by christmastime eto will have left. henry will fail to impress since all he seems to be able to do is make long dashes down the left, something that is not needed when u have ronaldinho feeding the passes. the only player whom i truly think will shine for barca is messi. without him last season, barcelona would have had a terrible time trying to compete for 3rd or even 4th place.
madrid, on the other hand, have strengthened all lines. i know they are not ready yet, but even at this early stage when the team may not even be complete yet, they managed to beat atletico madrid. i think 3 or 4 weeks from now we will see a solid team with great wingers (drenthe, robben) supported by diarra and guti in the center. the defense is incredible, and the forwards…well, we could use another striker, but van goal, saviola and raul should do the trick.
but only time will tell. we’ll see what happens
October 25, 2007 at 11:37 pm
Good shit Tariq!!! Thanks for commenting on my article. Your blog is always entarining
-Cats
October 30, 2007 at 7:43 pm
am i the only one who reads this?
October 31, 2007 at 8:27 am
Looks like it, unfortunately!
October 31, 2007 at 8:19 pm
Tariq, i think i read on slam on line that u are in Saudi, how can i get in contact with u, i have a few qestions for u.
November 1, 2007 at 12:18 am
Oh I read it,this league doesn’t interest me though,if I wanted to see people fall down constantly I’d just trip my friends