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Guillem Balague's La Liga review

Generic Guillem Balague image 10/08/2016

The La Liga season came to a glittering end for Real Madrid as they claimed their first title in five years while ending Barcelona's stranglehold on the trophy.

As the curtain falls on the 2016/17 campaign, Guillem Balague returns for one last time this season to cast his eye back over a campaign which delivered plenty a twist and turn...

Zidane still silencing doubters

Zinedine Zidane has surprised many. Let's start with Real Madrid president Florentino Perez, who was not convinced he was the man to take charge following Rafa Benitez's exit, so much so that Jose Mourinho was contacted regarding his availability.

MALAGA, SPAIN - MAY 21:  Zinedine Zidane, Manager of Real Madrid celebrates with his players after being crowned champions following the La Liga match betw
Image: Zinedine Zidane ended Real Madrid's five-year wait for the La Liga title

But Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo agreed it was a good idea to have Zidane, having seen him work alongside Carlo Ancelotti they thought he could copy the Italian in allowing the players to run the team while he managed the squad.

Ramos and Ronaldo have since been vindicated, with Zidane doing an exceptional job at the Bernabeu. He's got 20 players that have played more than 1000 minutes, he is the first coach to successfully lighten the demands on Ronaldo - resting him for recent away games - and has even replaced him during games.

What's changed for Ronaldo?
What's changed for Ronaldo?

How Cristiano Ronaldo has found his best Real Madrid form at the right time

He has also made Ronaldo realise he needs to change his approach to football to prevent burnout at the end of the season.

All this has been achieved in an atmosphere of happiness, and Zidane is at the heart of that insisting everyone thinks positively, while he reaffirms to every member of his squad they are valued and would each have their moments. Of course, we've had the Marcelo moment, the Ramos moment, the moment for the second-string players like Marco Asensio.

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Everyone at Real, from top to bottom, has had their moment in this run-in and this has been the key to their long-awaited title success.

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Highlights of Real Madrid’s title-winning 2-0 victory against Malaga in La Liga

Back to basics for Barca?

It's remarkable how Luis Enrique managed to guide Barcelona to the final day of the season with a chance of winning the title, despite so many poor decisions being made throughout the season. The moves Luis Enrique made in the summer, which were taken with the view to him leaving the club, took their toll on the squad.

The players he purchased last summer were not capable of challenging the established players and that resulted in the manager having weak options to call upon from the bench, in stark contrast to Real Madrid. As a result, the top players have not been challenged or replaced when they needed replacing.

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Highlights of Barcelona's 4-2 win over Eibar in La Liga

Even so, they got to the end of the season with a chance of retaining the title and that tells you if things had been done right, they would have won the league. Defeats away to Alaves, Deportivo, Malaga and Real Betis were unexpected but signified the team needs new impetus.

There are five players that are going to be over 30 in the summer, they will eventually need to be replaced and Barcelona need to find players who can get into the line-up immediately. This is a key summer for Barcelona.

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Real Madrid celebrate their 33rd La Liga Title with fans in Madrid

Diego's new-look Atletico

Diego Simeone once again tried to change things at Atletico Madrid but the impression from the club, and the media, was that they could have performed better, dominated games more and had more possession.

He tried but when something goes against the essence of your approach to football, problems soon arise, as we've seen this season. Playing Koke in the middle didn't work, trying to play in the final third against their big rivals didn't work - Atleti are much more comfortable when they defend deep and counter attack.

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Guillem Balague shares his five contenders for La Liga Player of the Year, with a notable exception

With the exception of Antoine Griezmann, Atletico's goalscorers have been disappointing, while the inconsistency of key players like Felipe Luiz and Diego Godin, despite coming strong towards the end of the season, left them exposed.

Jan Oblak and Griezmann are the two stand-out players for Atletico but Simeone did not succeed in building a new-look side. However, going into a new stadium with Simeone at the helm, and with Griezmann still at the club - Atletico think he will stay - they expect to get results next season.

The debate about their negative style is now over though. Simeone clearly wants his team to play in the way he believes in. With Kevin Gameiro up for sale, if Simeone manages to add the striker he wants - Alexandre Lacazette is the preferred choice - to this team, they have every chance of improving on this season's showing, although that rests on whether their FIFA-imposed transfer ban is rescinded.

Diego  Simeone has expressed his desire to stay at Atletico Madrid
Image: Diego Simeone has expressed his desire to stay at Atletico Madrid

Success for shell-shocked Sevilla

After their elimination from the Champions League at the hands of Leicester, which showed that luck counts as much as team performance, Sevilla's collapse in the following games was disappointing.

In the league, the club had suggested they had a squad capable of challenging further up the table, and their brave early-season form backed that up. But, towards the end, a hangover from their Champions League heartache, complacency in finishing fourth and doubts over Jorge Sampaoli's future saw things unravel at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 14:  Steven N'Zonzi of Sevilla reacts after seeing his penalty saved by Kasper Schmeichel of Leicester City during the UEFA Cham
Image: Sevilla's Champions league dream was dashed by Leicester City

Samir Nasri's dip in form left Sevilla short of players capable of pushing further up the table and the club finished the season short of the expectations openly discussed throughout the campaign. However, given their budget, fending off Villarreal to finish fourth is a great achievement.

Spanish surprise packages

Away from the top four, Leganes and Eibar have really captured the imagination. Leganes spent just €2m (£1.7m) on two players after winning promotion to La Liga, the rest of their acquisitions were loans and free transfers. They have only won eight games this season but that's been enough for them to avoid relegation.

They only scored 36 goals - only Granada have scored fewer - so the foundations of their survival was a solid defence. They have conceded just 55 goals, the fewest of the bottom 10 sides, and eight points out of the last 12 has saved them. In football terms, their survival is nothing short of a miracle.

Revista De La Liga

Eibar are the other success story after what's been the best season in their history by miles. Even though they ended the season poorly with just four points out of a possible 24, which ended their hopes of qualifying for the Europa League, they've continued their improvement following promotion to the Primera Division in 2014/15, where they finished third from bottom but Elche were relegated for financial irregularities.

To put their achievement into perspective, Eibar have an average home attendance of 4,837 - just 24 more than relegated Port Vale averaged in Sky Bet League One this term. The highlight of their season was a 4-0 victory away at Valencia, with the smallest club from the smallest town ever to compete in La Liga upstaging one of Spanish football established heavyweights.

Eibar's Japanese midfielder Takashi Inui (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal during the Spanish league football match FC Barcelona vs SD Eib
Image: Eibar gave Barcelona a real run for their money in their final game of the season

Asier Garitano and Jose Luis Mendilibar deserve a lot of praise but, more than that, the clubs deserve credit. They haven't spent beyond their means and that logical, considered approach has paid dividends.

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