I had this La Liga post in the pipeline a few weeks ago, after the first two rounds, but never quite got it done. The season’s three rounds old now, but not much has changed so here goes:
Ah, La Liga! After last season’s exciting finish, I think we can look forward to another superb season. All eyes, as usual, will be on Real Madrid and Barcelona, but Sevilla will be pushing them all the way again, even if they haven’t added many new faces like the big two.
Barcelona were my pre-season favorites for the title, but Real have made the more convincing start. The Catalans have lost Samuel Eto’o to injury for a couple of months but even that disappointing news has only made coach Frank Rijkaard appear to be something of a genius. His summer signing of Thierry Henry had everyone wondering how he would fit his four star forwards into three starting positions, but with the Cameroon striker out, Henry will partner Ronaldinho and Leo Messi in the meantime. Problem solved- at least in the short term. Of course, Barca have added more personnel elsewhere too and they should be more resilient than last season. Yaya Toure will be a useful addition in central midfield and Eric Abidal already looks a great buy at left back. Then there’s Gaby Milito, the Argentina centre back, who will provide much needed cover for Carles Puyol and the aging Lillian Thuram. Beyond that, Rijkaard has to restore team spirit, after the soap-opera-like spats of last season, if Barcelona are to return to their all-conquering form of 2006.
Unlike last season, Real Madrid – under new coach Bernd Schuster - have got off to a flying start. Not that they’ve had an easy start either. A local derby against arch-rivals Atletico Madrid, which they won 2-1 on a last-minute winner, was followed by an amazing 5-0 trouncing of Villareal at the dreaded Madrigal. It’s early days yet, but Schuster’s team has played with the swagger and style of a championship winning side. Where Fabio Capello moulded a pragmatic, effective but unexciting team last season, Real’s new arrivals have transformed this side into an attacking machine built on a solid defensive base. The German Christoph Metzelder is proving an able replacement for the departed Helguera in defence, and veteran Guti is excelling in his attacking midfield role. It’s the Dutch boys that are making all the difference though. Royston Drenthe, the dreadlocked U-20 star has been a revelation at left wing back while Wesley Sneijder, the oft under-rated former Ajax player as been the star so far with 3 goals and 4 assists from 2 games. If Ruud van Nistelrooy can keep scoring as is his wont, Real look a good bet for another title.
The good news for Sevilla is that they have managed to keep coach Juande Ramos and the bulk of their pretty solid squad. Newcomer Seydou Keita, the Mali international, should add depth and a creative edge to a midfield anchored by the energetic Christian Poulsen. The two-time UEFA Cup winners will also be looking to make an impact in the Champions League but I don’t think they’ll push the big two out of the top positions. Watch out for Atletico Madrid though. After letting star striker Fernando Torres leave for Liverpool, they have added loads of quality in the shape of Luis Garcia, Simao, and Diego Forlan, and they already have Argentine starlet Sergio Aguero on the books. If only they had been able to lure Juan Riquelme from Villareal…..
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