Power Ranking 2008/2009

M.L. King

The Preacher
Some of you might be familiar with power rankings or have at least heard of it. But I'll explain it for those who haven't come across this notion. It is a very popular feature for the North American sports. However, I've decided to try and create a power rankings on our own. It's is a great way to be atop of what is going around the league, which teams are the most hot, how have certain teams performed so far, it will also demonstrate how their position in the power rankings differs from the one on the table and most of all it will enable you a closer look into smaller teams and how they cruise through difficult fixtures to ensure their existence among the elite.

The rankings will alter every week and I will make it easy for you to follow the process. For example Valladolid is situated on the fifth place but let's say they ascend even higher to the fourth place, it will be noted like this 4(5). So the place of the previous week will be written within the brackets. But if the position doesn't alter I will just leave it the same 5.

Teams colored in red are on hot streak, those with normal color are neither hot nor cold, and blue denotes teams on cold streak.

CW= consecutive wins
W= win
L= loss
CL= consecutive losses
D= draws
CD= consecutive draws

I will order them according to their form, record, consecutive wins and goal difference. I hope you will enjoy it.
 
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M.L. King

The Preacher
Week 15

1. FC Barcelona 12-2-1; 3 CW
Comment: Barca is with no doubt probably the best team in the Universe at the moment. In last 10 La Liga fixtures Barca drew only against Getafe and won 9 other games. Wicked!!!

2. Sevilla CF 9-3-3; 3 CW
Comment: Sevilla is gathering up the tempo. They have a strong core in some of their young players. The team performed in last matches and drew against Valencia and won Real Madrid and Villareal. Nice run.

3. Valencia CF 9-3-3; 1 CW
Comment: If they represented a broken army of immature players last year at this time, now they represent the army constituted of the same protagonists only in a much healthier manner. Some tough matches to come but they've been pretty solid thus far.

4. Atletico Madrid 8-3-4; 3W
Comment: A strong start in the season, then a little bit slower continuation but they seem to have found the edge some weeks ago. Aguero has found his form again and overcome the fatigue. The schedule is going to get a bit rough on them however and will be a great test to demonstrate where they can aim this season.

5. Valladolid 7-2-6; 1W
Comment: Probably the biggest surprise thus far. Their best player a goalkeeper is injured, but they continued the winning strike with a whooping win over a very solid team of Deportivo. Keep up the work fellas!!!!! They won 4 times in their last 6 matches with the goal difference of 15:5.

6. Villareal 8-5-2; 1 L
Comment: Villareal started this season in the same fashion as they finished the last one. Very strong but they are starting to lose their edge now. A run of some tough matches in the past few weeks has sucked up their stamina. They managed to win only 2 times in their last 10 matches.

7. Deportivo La Coruna 7-3-5; 1L
Comment: Another solid team, with 3rd best defense so far in the season. They let in only 17 goals. Their form is oscillating a bit but they are expected to stay somewhere around the middle of the table by the end of the season.

8. Getafe 5-6-4; 1W
Comment: Getafe is already a traditionally middle table team. They took point away from Villareal, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona.

9. Real Madrid 8-2-5; 3L
Comment: Real Madrid is in one of their biggest crises and after losing El Clascio things went from bad to worse. Although there is a slight ray of hope for them as they appointed a new coach and things can only improve. Real lost 5 in last of their 10 matches.

10. Malaga 6-3-6; 1W
Comment: Malaga has been promoted from the lower division. It will be tough for them to hold this position till the end, but one goal in already accomplished. And I'm pretty certain to say that- they won't be relegated.

11. Real Betis 5-3-7; 1L
Comment: Andalusian giants have managed to fortify their place in the middle with some favorable results. They won 4 games in last seven fixtures.

12. Sporting Gijon 6-0-9; 1L
Comment: After some horrendous results they managed to pull themselves out of this vicious circle and get some very important points for their existence among the elite.

13. Racing Santander 4-5-6; 2 CD
Comment: Racing has a lot of room for improvement; talent is not what should worry them, but a little bit more of discipline I think they could ascend up the ladder. They lack determination.

14. Athletic Bilbao 4-4-7; 1W
Comment:A home ground has proved a crucial factor for them. I expect them to move up the table.

15. Almeria 4-4-7; 1D
Comment: Probably the most underrated team in La Liga. And honestly speaking they've deserved denotation according to their performances. I really expect them to finish the table somewhere in the middle

16. Espanyol 3-4-8; 1L
Comment: After a bitter loss over their arch rivals FC Barcelona nothing has gone their way. Some heavy losses in recent weeks has brought them to this spot on my table.

17. Numancia 4-2-9; 1L
Comment: A new campaign for newly promoted team in La Liga started brilliantly with a win over Barca, but they soon found the crude reality of La Liga.

18. Recreativo de Huelva 3-4-8; 2W
Comment: When they sold some of their best players before the season it immediately became clear they won't be able to compete for any better position on the table. What they need is points and things are not looking bright for this young team. They need to scoop up all the talent they have and try to take the most out of it.

19. Mallorca 3-4-8; 3L
Comment: Mallorca is yet to hit the hardest rock this season. The team is not so mediocre as the table might indicate. They have lost some very important matches in the recent weeks. It will be a tough task for them to dig out from this hole.

20. Osasuna 1-6-8; 1L
Comment: One of the biggest disappointments so far. The crisis has been prognosticated for this fairly inexperienced team. They were bound to hit the relegation zone and will probably stay there. However, I fully anticipate this team to come back more alive after a second division expedition. But I hope they prove me wrong because La Liga would seem barren without them.

M.L. King
 

M.L. King

The Preacher
Thanks, this table will be updated every week a few days after the games. Cause it takes some time to analyze all the teams.
 

M.L. King

The Preacher
Will be updated tomorrow as I have some work to do today,,, and La Liga continues in one week so you won't miss anything.
 

M.L. King

The Preacher
Week 16

1 (1) FC Barcelona 13-2-1; 4CW
Comment: Almost half way through the season and Barca is nailed at the top of the standings. Another great win over their arch rivals Villareal has increased their aspirations towards the La Liga trophy. Can other teams sustain with Pep’s dream team? From what we have seen so far, I don’t think so.

2 (4) Atletico Madrid 9-3-4; 4CW
Comment: Los colchoneros are probably the hottest team in La Liga at the moment if we count out the currently leading team. Aguirre found a working formula that has instilled some hope to the fans. They have a hellish schedule ahead of them which will test their maturity and quality. With some luck they could cruise very to a very high spot at the end of the season.

3 (2) Sevilla CF 9-4-3; 1D
Comment: Mallorca proved for them a hard nut. They stumbled yet again when they shouldn’t. Despite the latest slip they’ve gained quite some momentum in the last month. I’m pretty sure they haven’t thrown in the sponge yet.

4 (3) Valencia CF 9-3-4; 1D
Comment: Valencia's fans have at least something to look forward to after their loss against Real Madrid. David Silva is back which should prove for them as a very valuable fact in the next few weeks. Their all around game hasn't got enough flow. Their pace should be worked on in order to improve their general picture.

5 (7) Deportivo La Coruna 8-3-5; 1W
Comment: Lotina regenerated the squad before the season and things worked out perfectly for Depor. With 4 wins in their last 5 La Liga fixtures they sit comfortably in the upper half of the table. They seem very composed and relaxed and will be a very difficult challenge for any team, even for the big fishes like Barca, Valencia, Villareal, etc. We’ll see if this team is capable of growing even further on in the continuation of the season.

6 (5) Valladolid 7-2-7; 1L
Comment: Experience, experience and once again experience. Five minutes from time, it all pointed to new three points for this solid team. However, exactly five minutes was the same amount of time that Numancia needed to overturn the result in their favor and pounded the Castilian on the solid ground.

7 (9) Real Madrid 9-2-5; 1W
Comment: Los Merengues have finally notched a victory against a decent team. With a hard-won three points they finally brought the new fresh wind blowing… the players are optimistic and assured in their new-born possibilities of capturing Barca. However optimistic they may be, reality utters against them.

8 (6) Villareal 8-5-3; 2CL
Comment: Playing Barca at this time of year is what no one wants in order to reduce any night terrors. Pellegrini’s team is on a cold streak and it is imperative for them to raise their level of game and gain some points. They haven't played bad, but there is something missing in the puzzle; some particle which seems to be crucial for them to hold the level of their performing on a higher scale. Maybe another play-maker which would disencumber Senna?

9 (8) Getafe 5-6-5; 1L
Comment: Still situated in the first half of the table. But for how long; will Santa Clause bring them luck and help them climb out of the crises.

10 (10) Malaga 6-4-6; 1D
Comment: Malaga drew against Racing Santander, what could easily be a win for them. They are playing very well but seem to be in a scoring drought. With certain improvements in their offense line I’m pretty sure that they can interfere in the upper half of the table.

11 (14) Athletic Bilbao 4-4-8; 2CW
Comment: Bilbao is a very pleasant surprise this season. Many experts categorized them as a team that would most probably end up in the Segunda Liga. However, for now they are safely out from the danger zone. But the question is can they keep this pace up?

12 (12) Sporting Gijon 7-0-9; 1W
Comment: This team is taking breath away from every neutral viewer with their fighting spirit. With yet another win they enlarged their chances to stay among the top flight.

13 (11) Real Betis 5-3-8; 2CL
Comment: When was it the last time they toppled their city rivals… I cannot quite remember it and it was so long ago. Things haven’t gone the proper way for Real Betis. The board seems disinterested in higher ambitions; to be realistic they don’t have a good team, at least not enough to fight equally for the top places. It seems the middle of the table suits them, but it wouldn’t to me if I were a season ticket holder.

14 (13) Racing Santander 4-6-6; 3CD
Comment: No one knows, what is wrong with this team. They have a solid core of young players, but the chemistry seems to have been lost somewhere… things can get only better for them.

15 (17) Numancia 5-2-9; 1W
Comment: A win, win, win… bravo Numancia. They were the greatest underdog before the season and look at them now, probably the most motivated team in La Liga… they will make a life miserable for some teams in the weeks to come.

16 (15) Almeria 4-4-8; 1L
Comment: Another loss against a very solid Gijon. Things however won’t get any easier for them as they await some very hard schedule… in the future they will need to be more consistent and show a little bit more determination if they want to cope better with the pressure that will be put upon them. That will be their key to success to win their “stay in La Liga” ticket.

17 (16) Espanyol 3-4-9; 2CL
Comment: The Catalan team is in one of the biggest crises since their inception. They lost twice in a row and things aren’t looking any better from any perspective you observe. Serious measures will have to be be given a chance if they want to run away from the relegation zone and thus avoid the possibility of being relegated at the end of the season.

18 (19) Mallorca 3-5-8; 1D
Comment: They managed to chip away two very valuable points from Sevilla for their fight to survive in La Liga. They will play against Barcelona after the rest, can they seriously pose and danger to the Cataln team?

19 (18) Recreativo de Huelva 3-4-9; 1L
Comment: After winning twice in a row they were thrashed against Deportivo. Still there are some games ahead of them that can prove essential; namely games ahead of them can provide many points that could prove very valuable for them in the struggle to scale up the ladder. This is their last train to catch.

20 (20) Osasuna 2-6-8; 1W
Comment: Osasuna seems to love Getafe; metaphorically of course. They won three times so far this year. Twice in La Liga and once in Copa del Rey. And guess three times who they knocked out from the Copa del Rey… surprise, surprise, you’re right, Getafe… this tells something about this team’s mentality… they can win when they find themselves in a must-win situation; it seems Getafe is unfortunate to come across them precisely at that kind of time.

M.L. King
 

Barcaman

Administrator
Staff member
Cheers for the nice recap of the last round, old sport. I`m very happy for Atleti. Hope they`ll maintain their good form.
 

hendryrusli

New member
Atletico Madrid is a good team, they have decent players and manager. They should finish top 3 at the end of the season.
 

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