11 minute read
THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE UGLY
Barcelona continue along their unsteady path of readjustment and Atletico put their metaphorical eggs into the Champions League basket. Lopetegui wants a straight shootout with Ancelotti in the coming weeks to ensure the challenge remains one dimensional for his players, and also that Real Madrid underestimate Los Nervionenses. Keeping hold of Diego Carlos and Jules Kounde in the winter transfer window was a crucial step in the right direction for Sevilla, as their 13 goals conceded by the start of 2022 was the lowest in the division, with the defensive pair crucial to that solidity. Their miserly back line has provided a base for Sevilla to build from, but loan signing Anthony Martial needs to hit the ground running at the other end of the pitch to ensure Lopetegui’s challengers are not outgunned by their all-star rivals. Old habits do die hard in La Liga, and Ancelotti’s calm experience means Madrid will be tough to hunt down. However, Sevilla sense this as a nowor-never chance for glory, as they aim to land their second Spanish title, with their only other triumph coming all the way back in 1946. On the flip side, Ancelotti knows this road well, having won league titles in Germany, Italy and England during his glittering coaching career. The lack of a La Liga title was a noticeable asterisk against his name during his first spell in the Spanish capital, but he has a great opportunity to put that right this time round. That extra strain of motivation will be a genuine factor for the Italian coach as his battle-hardened squad look to click into title mode in the latter stages of the season. While Sevilla do look poised to o er a more streetwise challenge to Madrid, Ancelotti has a squad packed with seasoned winners. The presence of Thibaut Courtois, Luka Modric, Casemiro, Toni Kroos, Karim Benzema and others puts Real on a di erent level of title nous, despite the summer exits of defensive lynchpins Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane. Ancelotti has a significant card to play with his team’s experience and enduring worldclass talent, particularly with Modric and
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ABOVE: Diego Simeone admitted his Atletico Madrid side may have peaked last season
TOP RIGHT: Atletico Madrid's defender Mario Hermoso (R) celebrates with teammates after scoring
RIGHT: Suarez aims to bounce back after a great season last year
BELOW: Carlo Ancelotti is looking to land his first La Liga title in his second spell at Madrid
Benzema, and it is an ace up the sleeve that is not available to any other coach in Spain. As the title race tightens up and Sevilla look to cut the gap, Madrid’s April trip to the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan could decide it, with Ancelotti holding a head-to-head edge as it stands. If, as expected, the race for the title and the top four create a two-tiered battle from March onwards, Ancelotti versus Lopetegui will have the eye-catching undercard of Simeone versus Xavi in the final weeks of the campaign. Both managers have admitted to growing frustration over their respective campaigns, with Simeone acknowledging that maybe he did extract the last fight from the bulk of his squad in last season’s title win and Xavi battling against both a financial and an identity crisis in Catalonia. Atletico and Barcelona will be confident of sealing a Champions League spot via La Liga in 2022, despite the latter su ering an embarrassing group stage exit in this term’s competition, but there could be a crucial summer ahead at both clubs. Simeone and Atletico have been synonymous with each over for over a decade, but the Argentinian will want solid guarantees over his ability to redevelop the squad ahead of next season. Xavi’s hands have been freed to bring in new faces, with Ferran Torres, Adama Traore and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all arriving at the Camp Nou in January, but there is still a sense of the club drifting in an unclear direction, despite the green shoots of a new generation of La Masia stars emerging. The final months of the La Liga 2021-22 season promise to be intriguing at the top of the table.
ABOVE: Barcelona legend Xavi needs time to rebuild the team
BELOW: Julen Lopetegui is dreaming of snatching the title away from the club he briefly coached
BOTTOM RIGHT: Barcelona spent big on Ferran Torres in January
SURPRISE SPENDERS
After appearing short of funds in the wake of Lionel Messi’s departure, Feargal Brennan points out Barcelona’s significant spending in January
Barcelona were the highest spenders in La Liga during the January window, with Xavi bringing in four new faces at the Camp Nou as part of his ongoing legacy development at the club. Ferran Torres’ £49m move from Manchester City was the only outlay though, with a six-month loan deal for Spanish international Adama Traore and free transfers for Dani Alves and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Torres and Traore both have real potential to develop into world-class players for Barcelona, but the other moves continue the idea of a scattergun approach from the Catalans, with ageing stars Alves and Aubameyang both somewhat risky investments for Xavi - despite the lack of a transfer fee. Real Madrid opted against any moves in the market, with Ancelotti showing confidence in his current squad in the title race. Atletico, meanwhile, brought in full-back cover in the shape of Reinildo Mandava and Daniel Wass, following the departure of Kieran Trippier to bigspending Newcastle United. Anthony Martial’s arrival on loan at Sevilla was Lopetegui’s big incoming move and the former AS Monaco star needs to justify the move goals in Andalusia after falling out of favour at Manchester United. The rest of La Liga was littered with shrewd loan moves rather than big-name arrivals, as the race for the Europa League hots up in 2022. Midfield pair Giovani Lo Celso and Bryan Gil both waved goodbye to north London and Tottenham Hotspur for a La Liga return, with short-term loans to Villarreal and Valencia respectively, as Antonio Conte looks to reshu e his options at Spurs. In the relegation battle, Getafe boss Quique Sanchez Flores weaved his magic in the loan market with deals for Borja Mayoral and Oscar Rodriguez, while veteran striker Lucas Perez joined Cadiz on deadline day.
OPENSEASON
THE GOOD
The poor first half of 2021-22 for Barcelona and defending champions Atletico Madrid has opened the door for other title challengers. Carlo Ancelotti’s return to Real Madrid has provided a renewed solidity at the Estadio Santiago Bernabeu, with Los Blancos in pole position at the start of the calendar year. However, a mixed run of results in January has hinted at a vulnerability within Ancelotti’s experienced squad, with Julen Lopetegui’s Sevilla primed to pounce. The Andalusians have failed to smash the Real, Atletico and Barcelona dominance of the Spanish top flight since 2001, but they have stepped up a gear this season. Sporting director Monchi continues to be an enigmatic figure in the background, with former Madrid coach Lopetegui turning the team into a winning machine on the pitch. Consistency in the second half of the campaign will ultimately decide their fate, but some crucial moves in the January transfer window have provided an insight into their plans. Lopetegui has previously been forced to sell certain players if a big money o er landed at the doors of the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Defensive duo Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos were both linked with moves away from the club during the most recent window, with the latter the subject of two bids from Premier League side Newcastle. However, Monchi and Lopetegui withstood the pressure to sell either player, with the pair forming a solid centre-back partnership so far this term. Alongside the retention of Kounde and Carlos, Lopetegui has also addressed his side’s lack of goals, with Sevilla the lowest scorers in the top four at the start of 2022. The loan arrival of Manchester United star Anthony Martial could prove to be the spark Sevilla need in their battle with Real Madrid, as the Frenchman arrives in Spain with a point to prove.
STORY LINES
Real Betis’s 4-2 away win at Levante was the ninth time they won a match by scoring at least four goals in LaLiga this season, more than any other campaign for them in the competition ever. Barcelona have now gone 24 games unbeaten in a row vs Espanyol in La Liga (W18 D6) and they recorded the best unbeaten run by any team in any type of derby in the competition’s history (23 games for Real Madrid vs Atlético between 2000 & 2013). 21-time Grand Slam champion Rafael Nadal reveals he watched Real Madrid for the first time in Mallorca. Nadal, ranked at No. 5 in the world, is a huge football fan and Real Madrid is his favorite team. Nadal’s uncle was playing for Mallorca, but he appeared at the arena wearing the famous whites of Real.
Valencia’s end to the 2020-21 season saw them clinch their lowest La Liga finish since 1988, as an ongoing civil war between the fans and owner Peter Lim looks set to explode. Supporters have called for Lim to sell his stake in the club in recent years, after growing frustrated by his declining leadership at the Estadio Mestalla. However, Lim has refused to even consider a departure from his role, with head coach Javi Gracia the eventual fall guy for their 13thplace finish last term. Lim turned to Getafe’s Jose Bordalas as Gracia’s replacement at the start of 2021-22, with the Alicante-born coach developing a strong reputation for maximising tight resources during his time in Madrid. But despite some early optimism over Bordalas’s disciplinarian approach providing much-needed solidity for Los Che, they have struggled to even break into the top half this season. Despite an initial bounce under Bordalas, and a positive end to 2021, Valencia are way o the pace to secure a Champions League place this season, as discontent bubbles up behind the scenes. A strong run before the end of the campaign could see Bordalas deliver a Europa League spot at the end of his first season, but that will not save him from real scrutiny this summer. Los Che’s fanbase is one of the most demanding in Spanish football, with an insistence on keeping pace with their rivals in the capital and Barcelona. Despite their star clearly falling of late, Bordalas will be held to the same unrealistic standards, despite the evidence of the club only managing three top-four finishes in the last nine seasons.
FAR LEFT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Julen Lopetegui’s Sevilla are in the title race
RIGHT (OPPOSITE PAGE): Sevilla's Oliver Torres celebrates scoring a goal
RIGHT & ABOVE: Valencia players celebrate scoring
FAR RIGHT: Many Valencia fans want Peter Lim out of their club ‘VALENCIA SUPPORTERS HAVE UNREALISTIC EXPECTATIONS’
Presidents of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain came together at one of the best restaurants in the world, a day before their teams' Champions League clash in Paris. The battle for Kylian Mbappe has created unprecedented tension between the clubs, but a dinner before the match is part of Champions League protocol, so Florentino Perez and Nasser Al-Khelaifi shared a table for a few hours on Valentine's Day at the Restaurant Guy Savoy, voted the world's best restaurant in 2020. Barcelona boss Xavi was forced to apologise after Ronald Araujo directed insults towards Espanyol players in their 2-2 draw at the RCDE Stadium. Araujo, who had been substituted at half time through injury became involved in a confrontation with Nico Melamed as Espanyol midfielder left the field. Araujo appeared to shout and indicate ‘two’ to Melamed as a provocation over Espanyol’s potential relegation to the Segunda Division in 2022 and Xavi was not impressed by the Uruguayan.
