La Liga is under way

The football season is barely underway in Spain, with only one round of matches having been played so far, and with the break for World Cup qualifiers, we already have a chance to reflect on the early signs. After a summer of relative inactivity for some of the big clubs, compared to a year ago, it will be interesting to see who has spent the smart money.

Of all the La Liga teams, Barcelona invested the greatest amount on new players, as a reaction to the past two seasons of underachievement. A new manager and a new attitude was the indication, but in the opening day defeat at Numancia, the only new face in the starting lineup was that of star signing Dani Alves. Much of last season’s frustrations seemed to resurface as dominance in possession could not be transferred into goals. The squad as a whole may be stronger than a year ago, but much work will need to be done to replace the magic that is now missing in the absence of Ronaldinho and Deco. Leo Messi will have his work cut out, especially if Eto’o and Henry fail to perform.

And what of the reigning champions, Real Madrid? Traditionally among the biggest spenders, not only in Spain but in the whole of Europe, the team from the capital has kept spending to a minimum this time around. Rafael Van der Vaart is the only new member of a squad which also welcomes back Euro 2008 champion Ruben de la Red from a loan spell at Getafe. This comes as a surprise after a summer long saga involving the possible arrival of Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester Utd ended in failure, which would have suggested that the club had money to spend. Coach Bernt Schuster feels his squad may now lack depth in attack, particularly after the departure of key Brazilians Robinho and Baptista. Robinho’s absence may be the most keenly felt, as he has been arguably Madrid’s most decisive player over the last two league campaigns.

Real’s big city rivals, Atletico Madrid could finally be set to mount a serious challenge this year. An ambitious sporting project set under way two seasons ago with the arrival of Mexican coach Javier Aguirre and some big money signings, looks to be paying off as qualification for the Champions League was secured in style with a victory over Schalke a week ago. A convincing opening day victory sees them as the early league pace setters and the long suffering Atletico fans will hope this is not just a flash in the pan. Strength in defense in the shape of Dutchman Heitinga and Czech Republic captain Ujfalusi have been added to give balance to an already frightening attack, which includes Sergio ‘Kun’ Aguero and the prolific Diego Forlan. Aguero comes into this season on the back of Olympic gold success with Argentina, and is seen as one of European football’s hottest properties.

These three teams should make the top of the table their own. However, there are always one or two surprise packages in Spain, and of the other potential challengers three or four stand out.

Villareal, renowned for their entertaining brand of attacking football will hope not to be distracted by their return to the Champions League, in order to mount another challenge. Not a big spending club, they will hope that manager Pellegrini has invested well to build on a very strong unit.

Sevilla, who themselves suffered last season from the distractions of Europe’s elite competition, as well as the loss of their manager Juande Ramos, will once again be able to concentrate on mounting a challenge for the league. Their policy of selling high and buying low will once again offer some surprises.

Valencia, the last team outside the ‘big two’ to win La Liga, have not been busy in the transfer market, with reported debts that looked as though they would be forced to part with their greatest assets. Happily for all at Valencia, the two Davids, Villa and Silva will be plying their trade at for least one more year at the Mestalla. Following their impressive performances for Spain at Euro 2008, it appeared as though these two stars would be snapped up by the biggest teams in Europe. The ability to keep them will boost squad confidence and keep the fans happy.

Although any of these three teams would love to find themselves challenging for the major honours, a top four finish and entry into next seasons Champions League would be seen as a major success.