La Liga season preview
Skysports.com previews the new Spanish season which kicks off this weekend.
The Spanish season kicks off this weekend and Sky Sports has a bumper Bank Holiday weekend of action to usher in the new campaign, showing no less than four live games.
On Saturday viewers will get their first chance to take a look at Valencia as they entertain Real Betis on Sky Sports Xtra, while Sunday boasts two matches; Real Madrid against Villarreal and the Basque derby between Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad, both on Sky Sports 2.
Champions Barcelona will be strutting their stuff on Monday, another Sky Sports 2 offering, as they look to get the defence of their title off to the best possible start.
With the action all set to kick off, skysports.com has produced a comprehensive guide to the new season including predictions on how La Liga's finest might fare.
BARCELONA: 1st
Having won two consecutive league titles it is difficult to see Barca being prevented from making it three-in-a-row. Frank Rijkaard's side have proven that they can perform on the domestic front, while playing at their best in Europe as their UEFA Champions League success proved last term. Henrik Larsson, who returned to his native Sweden to join Helsinborgs, has been replaced by Eidur Gudjohnsen who has already shown in pre-season that he fits into the team's system perfectly. The defence needed bolstering and the club took advantage of Juventus' demotion to Serie B to sign two of the best defenders at the World Cup finals in Lilian Thuram and Gianluca Zambrotta. The duo will give Rijkaard far more options at the back and strengthen what was already a very strong unit. Maxi Lopez was the only first team squad member to leave as he was loaned to Mallorca, while several youngsters were sold or loaned out. Only time will tell if the extra games that the team are going to be asked to play, including the Club World Cup in December, will have any effect on the players on top of three extra games in pre-season. Rijkaard has no fears about resting his star players and introducing youngsters and one up and coming name to watch out for is Mexican teenager Giovani dos Santos.
REAL MADRID: 2nd
If Fabio Capello's team do not finally end Barca's run of success then they will be very close runners-up. Madrid have not won a major trophy for three seasons and the new regime are intent on stopping that streak. The Italian coach is intent on doing things his own way and has already begun to mould the squad to his liking. Capello's first move after taking the reins for a second stint in charge at the Bernabeu was to go back to La Vecchia Signora and buy Fabio Cannavaro and Emerson, two cornerstones of the success he enjoyed during his time in Turin. The forward line also needed bolstering with Ronaldo and Antonio Cassano both suffering from fitness problems and Ruud Van Nistelrooy was signed from Manchester United. Madrid also used their enormous weight to finally persuade Lyon to part with Mahamadou Diarra after a long-running public saga. With a new board in place and the Galactico era at an end, expectation among the supporters will be high and it will be interesting to see what reaction they have when the team suffers a couple of defeats or do not perform to the desired level. Capello is not used to finishing second as a coach, but it will take all his ability and wits to out-manoeuvre the club's arch rivals Barcelona.
SEVILLA: 3rd
For the last two seasons, Sevilla have battled for a top four finish until the final few games of the season, before eventually missing out on both occasions. Last term was tempered, and how, as Juande Ramos guided the team to their first-ever appearance in a European final as the Andalusian outfit won the UEFA Cup. Despite efforts by several of the continent's richest clubs, Sevilla have retained all their star names and reinforced the squad by bringing in several quality players themselves. Daniel Alves and Jesus Navas will once again cause havoc with their speed, while Javi Navarro will marshal the defence and Enzo Maresca provide the steel in the centre of the field. Christian Poulsen has been signed from Schalke 04, Andreas Hinkel has arrived from VfB Stuttgart and Ernesto Chevanton has been given a chance to resurrect this career having joined following an unhappy stint at Monaco. The Uruguayan striker joins an attacking line-up that has pace and strength and, even without Javier Saviola, will once again cause problems for every defence next season. After an amazing first term in charge, Ramos now has a settled squad playing the way he wants and if the last campaign was anything to go by then next term the club could finally achieve their goal of a UEFA Champions League place.
VILLARREAL: 4th
Having finished third in the league at the end of the 2004-05 campaign, the fact that a seventh-placed finished last term was seen as disappointing is testament to how much the team and the club have grown. A late penalty miss did for the Yellow Submarine's hopes of a place in the UEFA Champions League final, as they exited at the semi-final stage, but their European exploits made the club's sought-after players think twice before demanding a move to one of the continent's more fashionable sides. Coach Manuel Pellegrini has trimmed his squad as players such as Anontio Guayre, Hector Font, Roger, Antonio Valencia and Santi Cazorla have all been allowed to leave, but some real quality has been introduced. Nihat Kahveci arrived from Real Sociedad, Cani was signed from Real Zaragoza and Leandro Somoza opted to ignore the offers from more wealthy teams to sign for Villarreal. In pre-season the club suffered two huge blows as newcomer Robert Pires and defender Gonzalo Rodriguez both incurred knee ligament injuries within 24 hours of each other and both will be out for the majority of the campaign. Despite that, with Juan Roman Riquelme and Marcos Senna staying along with the nucleus of the side, another top four finish looks within their capability.
VALENCIA: 5th
The talent that has left Mestalla this summer must mean that coach Quique Sanchez Flores has a game-plan up his sleeve and considerable confidence in the squad that he is still refining. Pablo Aimar has joined Real Zaragoza, Mista has left for Atletico Madrid, Fabio Aurelio has moved to Liverpool, Marco Di Vaio has signed for Monaco and Rufete is now playing for Espanyol. While several other players have also been shipped out on loan, only four new faces have been brought in. Fernando Morientes is back in Spain after an indifferent time with Liverpool, Asier Del Horno has also been brought back from the Premiership, while the impressive Jaime Gavilan has arrived from Getafe and highly-rated striker Francesco Tavano has been signed from Empoli. However, the Che are on the verge of clinching what would be a club-record transfer, with Joaquin primed to join from Betis for a whopping ‚é¼24 million (£16 million). The capture of the Spain international would certainly add extra quality to the squad, while fanning the expectation of fans. The home form last season was good, but too many draws in Mestalla and six defeats on the road prevented Valencia from making a real challenge for the title as they finished 13 points behind Barca. This term has started well, though, as Valencia returned to the UEFA Champions League after overturning a first-leg defeat to beat Salzburg in the qualifiers as Sanchez Flores completed the first part of his plan to take the club back to the big time. If Valencia can improve their away form then a challenge for the top two places could become a reality once again.
REAL ZARAGOZA: 6th
While several new players arrived during the summer to bolster the squad, the most important signing the club have made since the end of last term could well be coach Victor Fernandez. Born in the city, Fernandez guided the club through one of the most successful periods in its history between 1991 and 1997. Four top ten finishes and a Copa del Rey win during his first spell was only capped when Zaragoza lifted the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1995, thanks to a last-minute wonder goal from Nayim. Fernandez may not have been a success at Betis or Porto, but his performance in charge of Celta Vigo was outstanding as the Galician outfit qualified for Europe in all four of his seasons in charge. His new task is to revitalise Zaragoza and the acquisition of such luminaries as Pablo Aimar, from Valencia, and Alessandro D'Alessandro, on loan from Wolfsburg, will help him in that task. Former Celta players Juanfran and Sergio have both joined to work again with their former boss, while Gerard Pique will finally taste regular first team football during a year's loan from Manchester United. While a number of players have left, including Savio, the core of the squad is still very strong and the team could be once again challenging for a European place.
DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA: 7th
All good things must come to an end and Depor's incredible run in both the league and Europe did just that in Javier Irureta's final campaign in charge two seasons ago. Despite the fall from grace, expectations at the club did not lessen and Joaquin Caparros knew that he was taking on a huge task when he took over last summer. Following a disappointing season, the Andalusian coach has begun to rebuild the squad and has allowed several of the old guard to leave for pastures new this summer. Pedro Munitis, Cesar, Enrique Romero, Victor and Hector have all left, while goalkeeper Jose Molina has retired. The large number of players leaving has been compensated by an even larger amount joining the Galician outfit. Israeli keeper Dudu Aouate has come from Racing, while Rodolfo Bodipo, Albert Lopo, Riki Antonio Barragan and Fabian Estoyanoff have all been signed. Youth also features as Depor have taken Rodri, Joan Verdu and Cristian Hidalgo from Barca B and Alvaro Arbeloa from Real Madrid Castilla. Caparros can now claim that the squad is truly his and, if his achievement in building the current success at Sevilla is anything to go, a return to the big time will not be far away.
OSASUNA: 8th
The Pamplona-based outfit exceeded all expectations last term when former Mexico coach Javier Aguirre guided the team to fourth place in the league and a crack at the UEFA Champions League. The coach's success also led him to pastures new as he departed to take over at Atletico Madrid, leaving Osasuna to promote former player Cuco Ziganda from within. After such a fine campaign, the new man at the helm recognised that large-scale changes would be a mistake and has made only subtle changes to the squad and the playing style. Roberto Soldado has been loaned from Real Madrid, while Juanlu comes in from Betis to replace Moha, the only first team regular to leave over the summer. Iranian midfielder Javad Nekounam has also joined along with Hector Font, while promising defender Ignacio Monreal has been promoted from the B team. The core of the side is solid with Savo Milosevic in attack, the outstanding Rual Garcia joined in midfield by David Lopez, Ludovic Delporte and Francisco Punal and at the back Carlos Cuellar and Javi Flano are vital. Despite missing out on a place in the UEFA Champions League group stages after losing on away goals to Hamburg, last term may not be a one-off and with Ziganda being a familiar face the change may be seamless as the club continue to grow.
ATLETICO DE MADRID: 9th
Every summer Los Colchoneros make wholesale changes to their squad and often appoint a new coach - a move that, for the majority of the past decade, has failed to live up to expectations. After winning the domestic league and cup double in 1995-96, the club set off on a downward spiral that they are only just recovering from. Finance is rarely a problem, but splashing the cash has meant that there has not been one set of players playing for more than a season at the club to gain familiarity. A tenth-place finish last season was poor and new coach, Javier Aguirre, is expected to at least push the club back into Europe. The new names this summer include Mista, Mariano Pernia, Sergio Aguero, Ze Castro, Giorgios Seitaridis and Costinha, but one key signing could really impress. Jose Manuel Jurado was one of the jewels in Real Madrid's B team, but he was allowed to move across the city in a surprise transfer to Atletico and a lot is expected of the talented youngster in midfield. Things will improve under Aguirre, but the end result may not come at the end of his first season in charge. During his spell at Osasuna the team grew in stature, but only in his fourth and final season did all the pieces of the jigsaw come together. Atletico are used to waiting, however, and a good cup run and a fight for a UEFA Cup spot will do for this term.
CELTA VIGO: 10th
Following a stint in La Segunda in 2004-05, the Galician team were expected to struggle upon their return to the Spanish top flight. Coach Fernando Vazquez guided the team to promotion and bolstered several positions last summer, but even he could not have expected the side to end the season by qualifying for the Uefa Cup after a sixth-placed finish. The secret to their success was the fact that they drew very games at home and, while being defeated on six occasions, Celta won 13 of their 19 matches at the Balaidos. Several players emerged as stars as the team continued to impress, including goalkeeper Jose Manuel Pinto, Liverpool misfit Antonio Nunez and Fernando Baiano up front. The strongest newcomer though was Borja Oubina in midfield whose performances have now earned him a call-up to the Spain squad. With Diego Placente having been the best signing made by the club last summer, this time the club have brought in several new faces including Nene from Alaves, Sebastian Tamas from Spartak Moscow, George Lucas from Gremio and Antonio Guayre from Villarreal. The bar may have been raised, but the club knows that aiming for the top seven once again is a realistic ambition, but question marks remain over the quality of the signings and whether coach Fernando Vazquez, who has a mixed track record at his former clubs, can produce the goods again.
REAL BETIS: 11th
A year ago the club were celebrating winning the Copa del Rey and preparing for their first ever crack at the UEFA Champions League. The problems, though, soon became evident once the new campaign started. Not enough high-quality players were attracted to the club for what was going to be a long and demanding season. Coach Llorenc Serra Ferrer stepped down in June and Javier Irureta, who spent 12 months out of the game, was drafted in to see if he could wave the same magic wand that he did over Deportivo La Coruna for so many seasons. Trouble has already reared its head during the pre-season, however, as Ricardo Oliveira returned late from a loan spell in Brazil and has been made persona non grata by the club. The striker damaged knee ligaments in the home game against Chelsea last term and was allowed to join Sao Paulo on loan to recover, but his late show has cast a doubt over his future. Local hero Joaquin is also heading for the exit door with Valencia set to land the exciting right winger. If these two are not going to be at the club, then they should have been replaced, but it appears that, once again, no real quality has been brought in. Damia Abella from Barcelona, Tati Maldonado and Fernando Vega - who have returned from Lorca - and Enrique Romero from Depor are not names that suggest that club will finish near the European places.
GETAFE: 12th
The Madrid-based club were not expected to survive their first season in the top flight, but two years on they are no longer seen as favourites to go down. Bernd Schuster replaced Quique Sanchez Flores last summer and the German coach led the club to ninth place in the league. After establishing themselves in La Primera, several players attracted the interest of other clubs and this summer has seen influential midfielder David Rivas, star striker Riki, and defender Jaime Gavilan all leave. While there may have been an exodus leaving, Schuster has been quick to bolster the squad with even more new faces coming in. The club's South American scouts have been busy as Argentina's number one goalkeeper at the World Cup, Roberto Abbondanzieri, has arrived from River Plate, Lucas Licht from Gimnasia de la Plata and Juan Angel Albin has signed from Nacional. Those players have been joined by several players from the Spanish league, including Francisco Casquero, David Cortes, Manu del Moral, David Sousa, Nacho and Alexis Ruano, while former West Bromwich Albion defender Cosmin Contra has made his move from Atletico Madrid permanent. If Schsuter can mould all the newcomers into a cohesive unit and keep the club well away from the bottom three, then his name could once again be linked with the likes of Real Madrid.
ESPANYOL: 13th
After finishing fifth at the end of the 2004-05 campaign, Los Periquitos fought a battle against relegation for the majority of last term as their eyes were taken away from the league by their cup adventures. Once safety had been assured, the club were really able to breathe a sigh of relief despite taking time out to celebrate winning the Copa del Rey for the fourth time in their history. Qualification for the Uefa Cup should also have given the side a boost, but appeared to put a strain on what is a modest squad. Coach Miguel Angel Lotina decided to step down at the end of the season, despite pleas for him to stay, citing differences of opinion with the club, and was replaced by former player Ernesto Valverde. The new trainer has proved that he is adept at lifting players and helping them perform as he demonstrated at Athletic Bilbao in a two-year stint when the club twice finished in the top ten. Valverde has made few changes to the squad, as Albert Lopo had already agreed to leave, while the likes of departed Didier Domi, Jofre and Martin Posse were all fringe players. To bolster the defence Jesus Maria Lacruz has rejoined his former boss after coming from Athletic, while Rufete, Moha and Brazilian midfielder Jonatas Domingo have all joined. The club may touch the top ten, but relegation should certainly not be a concern this time around.
ATHLETIC BILBAO: 14th
Athletic have the proud tradition of being one of only three clubs never to have tasted relegation from the Spanish top flight, the other two being Barcelona and Real Madrid. That record, allied with the fact that only Basque players can appear for club, is an incredible achievement. Last term, though, the club looked to be heading for the drop under Jose Luis Mendilibar and it took the return of an old hand to turn things around in the final weeks of the campaign. Javier Clemente stepped into the hot-seat at San Mames for the third time in his career and steered the club away from the choppy waters of the bottom three. His reward should have been the backing of the board and another season to push the club towards the top ten. Instead, Clemente left under a cloud after being sacked. The board have since denied the allegation, but the fiery coach believes that he was ousted after stating on radio that none of the summer signings were players he wanted. Felix Sarriugarte now has the job of lifting the club after he took over as coach, but it will not be easy. The majority of the club's budget was spent when they paid ‚é¼6 million (£4 million) for Osasuna teenager Javi Martinez, while Alex Garcia arrived from Racing Santander, Igor Gabilondo from Real Sociedad and Josu Sarriegi from Alaves. There will be not top ten slot, but staying up should be guaranteed.
REAL SOCIEDAD: 15th
Having struggled against relegation for the past three seasons, the San Sebastian-based side should be rebuilding this summer. Instead, only a few changes have been made to the squad as Diego Rivas, Gerardo, Fabio Felicio, Juanito and Claudio Bravo have joined. Of those that have left, one player will be missed more than any other as Nihat Kahveci finally had enough of scoring goals for a team that was continuously fighting at the wrong end of the table. The Turkish striker signed for Villarreal and will be a hard act to follow. While Darko Kovacevic was injured for the majority of last term, Nihat continued to lead the front line, but with poor service he was only able to net seven league goals. In 2002-03, Sociedad came within a fortnight of winning the league under Frenchman Raymond Denoueix, but the following year the club finished in 15th spot and the fall from grace had begun. The star names have gone and the club are looking to home grown and cheap signings as a crippling financial struggle is fought against. A fully fit Kovacevic will give a boost to the squad, while in midfield Mikel Alonso, brother of Liverpool's Xabi, will help pull the strings and Gari Uranga on the wing will supply the frontmen. After taking over with six games of the season remaining, Jose Mari Bakero has had the summer to hammer what he wants home. Another struggle against the drop beckons, but once again it should be successful.
RACING SANTANDER: 16th
It has been a very busy summer for the Cantabrian outfit that started when they were forced to look for their second coach in as many weeks as former Real Madrid trainer Juan Ramon Lopez Caro jumped ship to join Levante after only a fortnight in charge. Racing went back to the Bernabeu and appointed Madrid's B team boss, Miguel Angel Portugal. Having finished in 17th place last season, the club knew that changes were needed during the summer break and no less than eleven players have been allowed to leave, including highly-rated goalkeeper Dudu Aouate and the two Dalmat brothers, Stephane and Wilfried. In bolstering the squad, a few old faces have been brought back as Pedro Munitis returns along with Gonzalo Colsa and Luis Fernandez. Momo and Ruben have signed from Depor on loan, while Juan Calatayud will play in goal following his move from Malaga. Ruben Gonzalez and Javier Balboa have come from Real Madrid, but is up front where Racing believe that they have made their best signing of the summer. Brazilian striker Rafael Sobis was being watched by a number of Europe's biggest clubs, including Internazionale, after he was top scorer in the Copa Libertadores which his club Internacional de Porto Alegre won. All these new faces look good enough to keep Racing's head above water for another campaign, allied with strength, or lack of it, of the teams around them.
LEVANTE: 17th
While the other promoted clubs have been more modest in their summer acquisitions, Levante have spelt out their intention to stay in the top flight for longer than one season by bringing in some good-looking signings. Damiano Tommasi has been persuaded to quit Roma after ten seasons, while Laurent Robert left Benfica to move to the Ciutat de Valencia stadium. Albert Meyong Ze was top goalscorer in the Portuguese league last term, but could not prevent Belenenses from going down, and has joined along with veteran French defender Frederic Dehu from Marseille. Further defensive reinforcements have been added in the form of Cesar from Deportivo and Alvaro from Real Zaragoza. Another coup came in the club persuading former Real Madrid coach Juan Ramon Lopez Caro to leave Racing and take over as coach, despite being in charge at the Cantabrian club for just two weeks. After winning promotion to the first division in 2003-04, the Valencia-based side went straight back down a year later. Several players from that relegation season are still at the club, including Irish defender Ian Harte, and the experience will make them stronger this time around. Life will certainly be difficult against the country's best clubs, but if Levante can pick up enough points from those teams around them near the bottom then they could well last longer than one season in the top division.
MALLORCA: 18th
Since coming up from the second tier nine seasons ago, the Balearic Island club have had mixed fortunes as they have reached the final of the now defunct European Cup Winners' Cup, appeared in the UEFA Champions League, where they beat Arsenal and won the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. But that all seems like a distant memory now as financial restrictions and some inconsistent performances have seen the team struggle over the past few years. Survival was only assured last season after Hector Cuper, the coach who led them in the glory days in the late 1990's, found fortune more difficult to come by in his second stint and was replaced by, another former coach, Gregorio Manzano in February. Two defeats in their final 15 games ensured that they moved clear of the bottom three, but new faces were definitely required this summer. While several players have left, including Alejandro Campano, Yordi, Yoshito Okubo, Borja, Alessandro Potenza, Javier Farinos and David Cortes, the newcomers may not have enough quality to ensure that another campaign of struggle is avoided. Maxi Lopez did not fit into the quick pace of Barcelona's system and has joined on a one-season loan, while Fernando Varela, Jordi Lopez, Hector and Javier Dorado are not names that invoke great confidence. This could be the year that the team finally descend.
GIMNASTIC DE TARRAGONA: 19th
The Catalan club appeared to be as surprised as everyone else that their form in the second half of last season propelled them into the top three, where they held their nerve and returned to the Spanish top flight for the first time since 1950. In the past 20 years the club has spent the majority of their time in Spanish third tier (La Segunda B) and has even had stints in the fourth division. After a seventh-placed finish in 2004-05, Nastic spent last summer looking to consolidate their place in the top half of the table, but even that looked to be a task when they went into the Christmas break in 11th place. The turnaround in the New Year was remarkable and, after moving into the promotion places in mid-March, they did not slip back out again. The celebrations in the former Roman capital of the region were wild, but once they were over the club had to begin rebuilding for their return to the big time. Javier Portillo arrived from Real Madrid, Anibal Matellan from Getafe, Ariza Makukula from Sevilla and Alejandro Campano from Mallorca as the club looked for players with first division experience. Brazilian Gil also joined from Cruzeiro and Uruguay international Julio Cesar Caceres came from Nantes. It is difficult to see the club surviving with the big boys, but they will be back soon if they go down.
RECREATIVO DE HUELVA: 20th
The Andalusian outfit are Spain's oldest club and have a long and proud tradition. Despite that they are rarely in the spotlight as neighbours Sevilla and Betis are the famous names in the region. The club's return to the top flight has seen them cast back into the public eye, but the aim for the forthcoming season, at least, will be to stay put. Recre ended last term as La Segunda champions and their form has led coach Marcelino Garcia Toral to keep the nucleus of the squad together, while adding several new faces for the challenge ahead. The eight players that were allowed to leave have all moved on to clubs outside of the top flight, while the majority of those coming in have first division experience. Villarreal have helped out by loaning Cesar Arzo and Javier Vallejo Lopez for a year, while Poli has come in from Alaves, Mario from Barcelona and Iago Bouzon from Celta Vigo. One player who could attract the eyes of the more glamorous clubs if he has another good season is Recre's star striker Ikechuckwu Uche. The Nigerian scored 20 goals in 28 league games last season and his speed and vision will be a huge asset. Despite the anticipation at the club, the difference between the first and second division could prove too much and an immediate return to the lower tier seems likely.
