By David Lee Wheatley
The
beginning of an exciting La Liga campaign is set to get underway this weekend
with the ‘Big Two’ of Barcelona and Real Madrid again the only likely candidates
for the title. There’s two new names installed as head coach at each respective
club and a number of interesting additions to both squads; particularly in
Madrid. It promises to be a very interesting season ahead as the two titans of
Spanish football clash over domestic supremacy.
Barcelona
were taken aback somewhat by the news that championship-winning coach Tito
Vilanova was to step down from his role this summer due to ongoing treatment
for throat cancer. It was a shock to the system for the Barca hierarchy, but
they acted swiftly to replace him with respected South American Gerardo ‘Tata’
Martino.
Martino
has developed a fine pedigree on his native continent, with success in both the
Paraguayan and Argentine leagues complimented by a decent stint in charge of
the Paraguay national side. Though not well-known or well-versed in European
football, the Argentinean knows his profession and openly encourages the fluid
style of play demonstrated by Barcelona in recent years under Pep Guardiola and
Vilanova himself.
A
major signing of the transfer window in Catalonia so far involves Brazilian
superstar Neymar, touted by many to be potentially even greater than the legendary
Pele. The forward cost a mind-blowing £49million from Santos and expectations
are high at Camp Nou that he can be the catalyst for not only a retention of
the league trophy, but also a return to the European pinnacle.
Keeping
hold of Cesc Fabregas in the face of strong interest from Manchester United
allows Martino options and flexibility, with the former Arsenal man capable of
slotting into midfield or a forward role if required. World-class talent
including Lionel Messi, Xavi and Iniesta still remain to pull the strings, but
it’s at the back where Barca look vulnerable.
Revered
centre-back Carles Puyol has serious doubts over his long-term fitness hanging
over him due to ongoing knee problems, while Barcelona have a tendency to rely on midfielders
such as Javier Mascherano and Alex Song to fill in defensively. There’s been
speculation about a Barcelona bid for Chelsea’s David Luiz, but the west London
side seem determined to at least drive a hard bargain over the sale of the
26-year-old. A lack of depth and quality in the centre-back positions must be
addressed sooner rather than later.
However,
Martino has such an array of attacking talent to call upon that most Spanish
teams will struggle to cope with the Blaugrana
in full flow and that might well be enough to see off the majority of
opposition sides, but the panic-level will rise substantially when it comes to
clashes against arch-rivals Real, Valencia, Atletico Madrid et al.
Meanwhile
over in the Spanish capital, Los Blancos set about the mounting of a concerted challenge to Barcelona’s dominance
domestically by firstly appointing top-class coach Carlo Ancelotti, fresh from leading Paris Saint-Germain to French title glory, in place of
the departed Jose Mourinho and then proceeding to recruit a plethora of young guns in the
shape of Malaga attacking midfielder Isco, Real Sociedad’s orchestrator Asier
Illarramendi, skilful Brazilian Casemiro (following a loan spell from parent
club Sao Paulo) and returning right-back Dani Carvajal after only one season
away from the Bernabeu with Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga.
It
all represents a very different direction to the days of the Galacticos, when players firmly
established in the world of football would pitch up for exorbitant fees with
little or no sell-on value after their time with Real came to an end. Now, Ancelotti’s arrival
appears to herald a new approach with a focus on younger talent to spruce up an
already strong squad.
21-year-old
Casemiro has caught the eye consistently during pre-season and looks an absolutely
fine prospect. If, as expected, the club manage to hold on to prize asset
Cristiano Ronaldo they could boast the most promising side in La Liga with an
eye on the future. But, for the present time, it’s a case of wait-and-see
before judging this current crop of youthful Real superstars.
Links
continue in connection with lung-busting running man Gareth Bale, but talks are
said to be stalling due to Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy’s insistence on a
world-record £100m fee. Widespread media reports suggest the best offer the
Spanish giants are willing to put forward is around the £85m mark, which seemingly
isn’t tempting enough for Spurs somewhat surprisingly.
Even
so, Ancelotti has proved himself beyond doubt during hugely successful spells
in charge of Milan, Chelsea and PSG and possesses all the ingredients within the
squad to make serious waves in La Liga and the Champions League during the
forthcoming season. Granted, they don’t have Messi, but they do have Ronaldo
and a set of extremely gifted attack-minded footballers to call upon. Most
importantly when in comparison with Barca, they have a stronger back-line with
stars Sergio Ramos, Raphael Varane and Pepe vying for the central roles, while
Carvajal adds much greater competition at right full-back alongside the
experienced Alvaro Arbeloa.
Where
they may have a slight problem is at left-back should Portuguese Fabio Coentrao
go through with his frequently stated desire to leave, leaving Marcelo as the
only senior player fully comfortable in that position. However, if they do fall
short due to injury or suspension, they can perhaps ask Pepe to step in or
switch to a formation in which Di Maria or another winger takes on the job of wing-back. And, of course, the transfer window doesn’t close until early
September, thus allowing them time to bring in a replacement if Coentrao bids
farewell to Madrid this summer.
Though
the new campaign kicks-off in earnest on Saturday, most eyes will be fixed on
the return to league action of Real and Barca on Sunday evening. Both sides begin at
home, as Barcelona go up against Levante and Real Madrid face a tricky tie with
Betis, who played their way into an impressive seventh spot last season.
It’s
going to be one heck of a battle and it certainly appears both potential champions
are closely-matched; El Clasico ties
will most likely have a massive bearing on the destination of the title, but my
feeling is that we’ll be witnessing a return to the top for Real Madrid come
May.
Twitter: @davewh1980Facebook.com/DLWSports
No comments:
Post a Comment