La Liga Season Preview: All you need to know about the title fight, European race and relegation battle | OneFootball

Barcelona have a title to defend, four more teams will be with them in the Champions League and we welcome back Elche, Levante and Real Oviedo from Segunda. Several teams will try to outrun the spectre of the drop, and about ten more between will be looking over their shoulder just as much as they are looking upwards. Here’s your one-stop guide to La Liga this season.

The Title Race – Xabi Alonso is in the ring and Atleti rebuild again

Barcelona

The reigning champions are coming off the back off a remarkably successful season in which they returned to the Champions League semi-finals after six years of absence and a domestic treble. That came almost completely against the current, and Hansi Flick will have to wrestle with increased expectation this season and will be without a surprise element.

Based on last season, Joan Garcia is the best goalkeeper they could have signed, and Marcus Rashford gives them more depth in the final third, both of which were issues last season. A major challenge for Flick is to ensure the hunger, so vital to their pressing efforts last year, remains in place every three days with the focus increasingly on the Champions League if you listen to Lamine Yamal.

On the flipside, Flick has continuity, and last season his side was imperfect defensively. The German manager might have felt confident about tidying up some of those flaws, but must now reckon with the loss of his defensive leader Inigo Martinez, requiring one of Andreas Christensen or Ronald Araujo to step up with consistency and availability neither have shown for two years.

Lamine Yamal continues his meteoric rise, and may need managed differently as a result. In Gavi, he has extra competition in midfield, but also a battleaxe that wasn’t at full speed for much of last year. Last year Flick and Barcelona bet on themselves in each battle, this year, they would like it to be less of a gamble.

Real Madrid

The arrival of Xabi Alonso has let a fresh breeze and oxygen into an increasingly stuffy Santiago Bernabeu. There is more to be optimistic about than would furrow a Madridista’s brow, but with margins set to be increasingly fine this year, his room for error and experimentation is reduced.

As adequately shown by their summer. Alonso will improve Real Madrid’s base level, and we expect to see Los Blancos look much more machine-like, both in their approach and consistency. An innovator, Alonso is also expected to vary his approach more, giving his side more tools to pick apart those dastardly low blocks away from home. The arrival of Franco Mastantuono and the increased game time for Arda Guler should help that.

Image via Diario AS

It will be a more balanced side too, with Alonso placing more emphasis on collective solutions, but as a result he must shoehorn two of the world’s best solo acts into a more conventional team too. Ultimately, Carlo Ancelotti could not find a happy coexistence between Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and the rest of the team: item one on Alonso’s agenda.

Further back, Real Madrid have a new-look defence including Dean Huijsen, Alvaro Carreras and Trent Alexander-Arnold. They should help Los Blancos defend higher up and with the ball. Last season Real Madrid struggled to deal with long spells out of possession, and that is a a question mark that remains. The third concern is one that was brought up last year, and has again been ignored. Can Aurelien Tchouameni, Fede Valverde, Guler and Jude Bellingham stand up to the best midfields in Europe?

Real Madrid will be improved, different, refreshing, and likely playing at a different tempo. It is for once the big occasions that are the biggest doubt about Los Blancos though.

Atletico Madrid

Another busy summer and €175m, Atletico Madrid look like a different side for the second August in a row. Headlining those additions is Alex Baena. If Antoine Griezmann’s nadir last season was eye-opening for Director of Football Carlos Bucero, he has reacted by bringing in one of La Liga’s top five creators, a player ready to challenge on the biggest stage.

What will make Diego Simeone smile is the presence of Johnny Cardoso though, who finally represents a solid, physical and positionally responsible midfielder he can keep in front of his defence. It was only five years in the making. David Hancko looks another solid signing at the back, but like Robin Le Normand last year, must show he can make the step up.

Left-back has been another problem position that Matteo Ruggeri in theory addresses, while Thiago Almada and Giacomo Raspadori mean Atleti have depth up front. On paper, Atletico have made a lot of smart-looking additions, and filled a lot of positional needs.

If most of the talk has been about the arrivals, let’s have a word for the departures. Both in the last year of their contracts, the exits of Rodrigo de Paul and Angel Correa made fiscal sense. Almada and Raspadori are being asked to replace arguably the best attacking substitute in La Liga history though. De Paul was many things to many people, but scanning through Atletico’s midfield options, it is apparent why he played so much. Unless Baena comes deeper, or Barrios and Cardoso add things to their game, Simeone will struggle for de Paul’s understanding and vision demanding the ball from the defence.

It is hard to say that Atletico have not had a good summer, and they are probably moving in the right direction, improving overall. Yet there are a lot of moving pieces for Simeone to corrale into a starting XI at once, and it feels like they might be a couple pieces short of a full jigsaw, with Real Madrid and Barcelona likely to put up higher points totals. Like Barcelona, they will want to live less in the margins this season.

Predictions

Feargal Brennan: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid

John Menzies: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid

Ruairidh Barlow: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid

Champions League race

Athletic Club

On the face of it, Ernesto Valverde has had a great summer. Los Leones extended star man Nico Williams on a ten-year deal, and added a reliable right-back in Jesus Areso. If they can get Aymeric Laporte over the line, it’s a successful transfer window. Athletic do have mounting issues though too. Last season again saw Athletic lacking punch in the final third, and Oihan Sancet, their most decisive player, will miss at least the first month of the season through injury.

Image via EFE

Returning loanee Unai Egiluz is out for the season, and Yeray Alvarez is banned, leaving him with just two centre-backs currently. Yuri Berchiche, Inigo Ruiz de Galarreta and Inaki Williams are a year older too. Valverde personally will also have to find a way of keeping the message fresh in his fourth season, unable to refresh his squad in the transfer market.

Villarreal

It’s been a curious summer for Villarreal, aside from their efforts to make themselves one of the most unpopular clubs in Europe. Alberto Moleiro, Rafa Marin and Santiago Mourino are all hallmark Villarreal signings: young, hungry and with room to improve. They are yet to address the exit of Thierno Barry though, and while Moleiro is a logical Alex Baena successor, it would be unfair to expect him to become one of the best players in La Liga overnight.

‘I wish had 10 of you’

Their defence looks a little thin after Willy Kambwala and Logan Costa were ruled out for four and eight months respectively. In front of them, Dani Parejo is now 36. Looking at last season, Ayoze Perez is very much their most reliable player, and beyond that, there is potential and talent that Marcelino Garcia Toral is tasked with getting more out of.

Real Betis

On the whole, we’re quite enjoying Real Betis’ summer window. Granted the loss of Jesus Rodriguez is a sore one for viewers and Manuel Pellegrini alike, and Cardoso was a lynchpin last season. If Nelson Deossa can hold things together in the middle though, Betis have addressed their chronic issues at left-back and in goal with Junior Firpo returning and Alvaro Valles finally arriving. Valentin Gomez and Rodrigo Riquelme are cost less than €15m, together, and have nice upsides.

Image via Real Betis

Betis were the best of the Champions League contenders from February onwards last season. IF they can get Antony back in,  then this is a good summer for Pellegrini, who will be telling his side they have the recipe, and the must adapt to a few new ingredients. It would be fair to expect to see more of Cucho Hernandez too, which could make a big difference. No doubt though, Isco’s injury hurts Betis badly.

Predictions (4th)

FB: Athletic Club

JM: Athletic Club

RB: Real Betis

The European race – or free-for-all?

Starting with Celta Vigo, they will have a tough job balancing their Europa League duties with La Liga, but the return of Borja Iglesias is excellent news for another side seeking continuity from the start of what was something pretty special for Claudio Giraldez last year. Ferran Jutgla and Bryan Zaragoza give them plenty of options up front, and all funded by Fer Lopez’s €23m exit, who wasn’t even a key part of the side last year. They will be low-key hoping for either a Europa League run or to be competing in the top half again.

Rayo Vallecano Sporting Director David Cobeno does excellent work (see Luiz Felipe on a free at centre-back), but if he has a blind spot, it is up front. After years of Radamel Falcao and Raul de Tomas off the bench, they haven’t brought in a striker thus far. Rayo are against the odds here, and must mitigate ambition with not running Inigo Perez’s intense style into the ground early on, with a squad that isn’t blessed with great depth.

Image via Europa Press

Osasuna have appointed Alessio Lisci, and signed Valentin Rosier and Victor Munoz from Real Madrid to replace Areso and Zaragoza. It’s a summer based on the idea of getting more of what they have, after a bizarre series of peaks and troughs last year. The concern is whether their Croatian hitman Ante Budimir can remain as brilliant once more.

After a year of inconsistency and a strange lack of clarity for a Jagoba Arrasate side, RCD Mallorca are looking for a reset. Pablo Torre looks a strong addition from Barcelona, while Jose Copete is a loss at the back. It’s a similar story to Arrasate’s former team, with more expected from veterans Sergi Darder and Vedat Muriqi.

Meanwhile for Real Sociedad, the new era under Sergio Francisco looks a little underwhelming thus far. Goncalo Guedes has shown how good he can be in the past, but they still don’t have a centre-forward, and it’s hard to look at Duje Caleta-Car as an upgrade on Nayef Aguerd. Watch out for Jon Gorrotxategi as Martin Zubimendi’s replacement – but he’s not Zubimendi. A lot of hope in Donostia-San Sebastian rests on Francisco’s fresh message hitting home, and a chance to work with the players without European distraction.

Predictions (5th, 6th, 7th)

FB: Villarreal, Real Sociedad, Real Betis

JM: Valencia, Real Betis, Villarreal

RB: Athletic Club, Villarreal, Celta Vigo (coin flip with Valencia)

Anything could happen if you’re a fan of…

Valencia! Los Che have finally managed a transfer window that doesn’t sew seeds of doom. Although they have lost Yarek Gasiorowski, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Cristhian Mosquera, the contract renewals of Cesar Tarrega, Diego Lopez and particularly Javi Guerra feel like major transfer coups. Copete, Baptiste Santamaria, Filip Ugrinic and Julen Agirrezabala are all solid additions to replace outgoings, and new General Manager Ron Gourlay has taken a gamble on Dani Raba and Arnaut Danjuma.

Maybe lacking a goal or two, but Gourlay has said the base is in place to build something, and if Carlos Corberan can inspire similar to last season, then Gourlay might be right about Valencia for the first time since Marcelino left.

Image via Marca

More concerning are Sevilla. Despite the heat in Andalusia, Los Nervionenses find themselves plodding through a misty marsh, with no clear route out. New manager Matias Almeyda and new Sporting Director Antonio Cordon both have records of doing good things for the most part, but with what resources? Alfon Gonzalez is a good free addition, but it seems until Juanlu Sanchez, Dodi Lukebakio and/or Loic Bade exit, they will be unable to do more business. And then they have to replace three of their best players. Hopefully Almeyda likes a challenge…

It is clear Michel Sanchez does, but he might be asking Quique Carcel if couldn’t be a little easier at Girona. Axel Witsel and Thomas Lemar have both come in from Atletico Madrid, and Hugo Rincon performed well at right-back last year in Segunda. Regulars Arthur Melo, Oriol Romeu and Bryan Gil have left after loans, but none of their additions are certainties.

If star left-back Miguel Gutierrez does leave, Michel will be banging on the door for more goals and more creativity, because so far he has a lot more gambles than certainties.

Safety first please

Getafe have spent €1.8m on Mario Martin, Adrian Liso, Yvan Neyou, Alex Sancris, Javi Munoz, Abdel Abqar, Kiko Femenia, youngster Davinchi and Juanmi. Abqar is a man of size, but it’s a great big hole left by Omar Alderete in defence. Truth is, none of their incomings or outgoings look like game-changers – the money has to be going to manager Jose Bordalas, whose job keeps getting tougher. You wouldn’t back against him though.

Without getting overly excited about an Espanyol side that lost their most decisive player in Joan Garcia and starting defender Marash Kumbulla, it looks an astute window from Fran Garagarza. Los Pericos were a different team with Roberto Fernandez, and his deal has been made permanent. He will be joined up front by the 15 goals of Kike Garcia and captain Javi Puado, who has rejected bigger offers to stay. Jose Salinas, Marko Dmitrovic and Ramon Terrats are nice additions.

Image via Carlos Mira / RCD Espanyol

Manuel Gonzalez will hope to field a more rounded side. Their manager has ear of the fans and by the looks of it, the players too. Espanyol probably have comparable if not better quality than their rivals, and a good motivator behind them. Following their summer takeover, it’s a time for optimism in Cornella.

Not only did Alaves lose Mourino, Abqar and top scorer Kike Garcia, but also decided to sell Joaquin Panichelli – admittedly at a very profitable €16.5m. So far that hasn’t been reinvested though, with Youssef Enriquez from Real Madrid costing €3m, and Carles Alena coming in from Getafe for €1m. Chacho Coudet kept Alaves up last season, but not by much, and has lost three key players without much in the way of replacement thus far – oh, Mariano Diaz, that Mariano has signed on a free.

Welcome back to…

Levante won Segunda last year under Julian Calero, who makes his debut in La Liga. Undeniably he is here on merit though, having worked his way up to and through Segunda, and Los Granotas have padded their squad with useful additions like Kevin Arriaga, Jeremy Toljan and Jon Ander Olasagasti. We’re excited to see more of Carlos Alvarez in La Liga, and it’s pleasure to welcome back Jose Luis Morales, El Comandante.

Leganes found themselves in a similar situation last year though, and we fear similar issues. Morales and Roger Brugue were top scorers with 11 each last year, and unless they bring more threat, it’s asking an awful lot at the other end.

Ex-Barcelona assistant Eder Sarabia is back in La Liga, and in similar fashion to Garcia Pimienta at Las Palmas, has won plenty of plaudits for the fine football on display at Elche. Expect a slightly more direct approach from Elche, but there are concerns after losing creative Argentine duo Nicolas Fernandez Mercau and Nicolas Castro. Pedro Bigas (35), Matias Dituro (38), Josan (35) and Alvaro Rodriguez are the only players with serious La Liga experience, and Sarabia is being given a rather large task from the outside looking in.

Finally, last in the door, but welcomed with a roar, it’s Real Oviedo. Los Carbayones grace La Liga for the first time in 24 years, and with the Pachuca group behind them, have been a little more aggressive thus far in the window. Salomon Rondon returns to La Liga too, and creative midfielder Luka Ilic has been brought in from Crvena Zvezda. Alberto Reina was also a useful central midfielder too for Mirandes, their play-off final opponents.

Speaking of, play-off hero Francisco Portillo has filed out the door with Sebas Moyano, Paulino de la Fuente and significantly target man Alemao. Veljko Paunovic pushed them through the play-offs, and there will be momentum behind them in Asturias, as Santi Cazorla rides the crest of a wave. There are useful players in the middle alongside in Kwasi Sibo, Santiago Colombatto and experienced centre-halves Dani Calvo and David Costas. Once Oviedo are back on earth though, they won’t have quality or a settled identity to fall back on.

Image via Real Oviedo

Relegation Predictions

FB: Espanyol, Real Oviedo, Elche

JM: Levante, Real Oviedo, Elche

RB: Alaves, Levante, Elche

Individual Awards

Pichichi

Kylian Mbappe was top scorer last year with 31 goals, and leads the running again. Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Ferran Torres, Marcus Rashford; do Barcelona have too many mouths to feed for this award? Julian Alvarez and Alexander Sorloth are the outside shouts for this one.

Predictions

FB: Kylian Mbappe

JM: Kylian Mbappe

RB: Kylian Mbappe

Player of the Season

FB: Lamine Yamal

JM: Lamine Yamal

RB: Lamine Yamal

Breakout Star

FB: Alberto Moleiro

JM: Pablo Garcia

RB: Jon Gorrotxategi

Surprise of the Season

FB: Villarreal to make the Champions League knockout stages. Despite the exits of Baena and Barry, Marcelino has recruited smartly in the market, and the Yellow Submarine don’t have that sinking feeling.

JM: Franco Mastantuono. I can see him having a very big impact in his first season at Real Madrid, especially if rumours are true that he will be considered a regular starter.

RB: Valencia to be in the European race, although clearly not as much of a surprise as I thought, given JM has them fifth! Corberan did a really good job, and while they will miss some of their exits, they’ve replaced well, and if they get something out of Arnaut Danjuma, they could be very awkward to deal with. Also keep an eye on Rayo in the Conference League – Perez’s approach could work a treat in Europe.

Image via El Desmarque

Surprise of the Season – for the wrong reasons

FB: Marcus Rashford to score under 15 goals in all competitions. Feels like the Barcelona move has come a little too late, Marcus looks fit and revived, but breaking into that starting XI is tricky.

JM: Real Sociedad. Maybe it won’t be much of a surprise given they were poor last season, but I cannot see them finishing in the European places.

RB: Originally this was Sevilla to be in the relegation battle – but then realised they finished 17th last season… So Mallorca to be dragged in with them. Arrasate didn’t really click with the squad last season, and they struggled down the stretch last year.