Liga Pundits articles

[Beast]

Why didn't you highlight the part about the fat one coming to training still hung over from the night before, Gio?

Cause it's about Raul not Ronaldo

It's Ronaldo man.. it's impossible to hate him

[Abaddon]

It's Ronaldo man.. it's impossible to hate him

I have similar feelings towards Raul

[Beast]

Tell me about it

[Ryan_Cule]

Barcelona`s Finances : What is happening ? (Thought of posting it here , follow the link for full story.)

Just a few weeks ago, everything looked wonderful at Barcelona. They had won La Liga for the second season in a row, once again finishing ahead of Real Madrid. Despite their bitter rivals breaking the world transfer record twice last summer when buying Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, they could not match the talents of Xavi, Iniesta and Lionel Messi, who was voted FIFA World Player of the Year.

Although they could not repeat the previous season’s Champions League triumph, being unable to find a way past the defensive wall built by Jose Mourinho’s Inter in the semi finals, Barcelona did subsequently provide most of the players for the Spanish team that won the World Cup in South Africa.

“Glory days”, as Springsteen once sang.

However, July was not so kind to the Catalan club – at least from the financial perspective. Early in the month came the surprising news that the club had been forced to seek a sizeable bank loan of €150 million in order to overcome short-term problems with their cash flow. Incoming president Sandro Rosell was quick to explain that the credit request had initially been made by the previous Barcelona board under Joan Laporta’s presidency, “knowing that there were insufficient resources.”

Rosell blamed the former regime for this sad state of affairs, “We have taken over a club in debt and with liquidity problems, but we are resolving them.” Worse still, he claimed that the money was needed “to pay the important commitments such as the salaries of the players, coaching staff and employees.” Failing to pay the players is serious stuff, which was highlighted when the club sold defender Dmytro Chygrynskiy back to Shakhtar Donetsk for €15 million, which was €10 million less than they had paid for him only a year earlier, with Rosell confirming that the sale was motivated by financial requirements as well as sporting considerations.

http://swissramble.blogspot.com/2010/08/whats-happening-with-barcelonas.html

http://swissramble.blogspot.com/2010...arcelonas.html

[Beast]

The Flimsy Primera Predictions Part 1
Tim stannard

Monday 23 August 2010 09:00

Almería

Merciful Zeus, this one isn’t going to take long. Over the summer, some players nobody in their right mind has ever really heard left Almería and some more joined.

Manager, Juanma Lillo, is still at the club living in a cottage by the sea surrounded by his books and will try to lead Almería to another survival campaign through the (very occasional) goals of Henok Goitom and Kalu Uche, with Brazilian goalkeeper Diego Alves doing his best to face up to the familiar onslaught of attacks at the back.

LLL Prediction - 16th

Athletic Bilbao

If the yellow-bellied, lilly-livered La Liga Loca is going to stick its metaphorical neck out on a bold bid this year, it’s a Champions League finish for Athletic Bilbao.

Joaquín Caparrós has a cracking starting XI this season, based on the Wolverine-strength spine, dirty so-and-so, fearsome foursome of Gorka Iraizoz, Fernando Amorebieta (who has just decided he is Venezuelan) and the World Cup winners, Javi Martínez and Fernando Llorente.

The two Spanish internationals are attracting interest from all over the place - well, Real Madrid really, according to Athletic’s president - so this might be the last chance Athletic have of combining the powers of this perky pair with some of those on the edge of being quite good such as Markel Susaeta, Koikili, Andoni Iraola and Iker Muniain.

LLL Prediction - 4th

Atlético Madrid

Recent defeats in friendlies against Mallorca and Sporting sees the Atlético knockers in the press already jiggling up and down in a most frenetic fashion.

“The defeat has raised a lot of doubts,” moaned Manuel Esteban in AS on games that produced yet more examples of Atleti’s unorthodox approach to defending.

But this was just the merest of blips thinks the blog (perhaps before Quique’s men are wiped out in humiliating fashion by Inter on Friday night).

A proper back four in front of an increasingly confident David de Gea in goal should see (sadly) most of the mistakes of recent seasons being banished.

Unfortunately for West Brom, those brilliant bungles are now on display around their parts after the free transfer of the hapless Pablo Ibañez.

Tiago is back on loan from Juventus for another season - the nearest thing the club has to ‘a brain’, especially with José Antonio Reyes in the ranks.

Kun Agüero and Diego Forlán are still knocking about - not that they ever, ever considered leaving of course - and the Rojiblancos finally have a decent third striker in the form of Diego Costa, who could almost be described as a Sevilla player such is his love of throwing himself to the turf at the slightest of touches.

LLL Prediction - 3rd

Barcelona

This season La Liga Loca confidently predicts Carlos Puyol being forced to sport a new media-friendly spiky mullet hairdo; Pep Guardiola bursting into tears at some point like a biddy baby either through joy or despair; Gerard Pique going through a 70s Elvis phase and Pedro to suddenly become the Berty Big b*ll*cks of Barcelona.

It also predicts Barcelona to win the title.

LLL Prediction - 1st

Deportivo

And there was La Liga Loca feeling all bright and breezy. The streets of Madrid are clear of the usual proles and crackpots thanks to the traditional August departure for the beaches and hills.

The blog has perfected its risotto. And it doesn’t look like LLL contracted radiation sickness after all despite an unfortunate misunderstanding in Finland.

But then the sorry subject of Deportivo came up and the thought of another ten months having to watch this brutally effective, joy-crushing mob grinding out
1-0 wins up until March before giving up in the final months of the season.

Oh dear.

LLL Prediction - 10th

Part Two to follow on Tuesday...

[10Rivaldo]

Athletic Bilbao 4th?

[Beast]

Athletic Bilbao 4th?

I think i also said something like that to antimilan .. i believe Bilbao is strong and will only get better ahead of Seville-villarreal but it's between them , At Madrid and valencia..for the 2 Cl spots

[La Furia]

Yeah, that's quite a bold prediction. It's highly unlikely IMO but not out of the question. The leadership gap created by the absence of Etxeberria and Yeste could either kick start their now very young core into taking things to the next level or cause them to choke. I personally think they have a serious absence of creativity in the midfield without Yeste, although Athletic isn't exactly known for their free flowing passing football. IMO unless Javi Martinez or Llorente is sold at the last minute, they should be a top tier team, but Europa qualification would be as impressive as it gets. Also let's see how Iker Muniain develops.

I think i also said something like that to antimilan .. i believe Bilbao is strong and will only get better ahead of Seville-villarreal but it's between them , At Madrid and valencia..for the 2 Cl spots

I wouldn't discount Sevilla and Villarreal yet, but Bilbao is probably in the same league as the yellow submarine right now. Definitely not out of the question as on paper only Atleti has really taken things to the next level.

[Beast]

The Rather Rude Primera Predictions: Part 2

Tuesday 24 August 2010 09:00

Espanyol

Just to start this blog on a rare serious point, last season couldn’t really have started much worse for Espanyol having lost Dani Jarque just before the campaign kicked off. So this time around the season to come is bound to be a better one for the Perico fans in the stands, no matter how uninspiring things may look for them out on the pitch.

And in that particular regard it is very much a ‘meh’ shoulder shrug of complete indifference for Espanyol, this year - the kind given to the often invisible blog whenever it tries to order anything in any bar, anywhere in Spain.

The rodent-faced, pouch-possessing, super-sulk Raúl Tamudo has taken his wheel and big bag of bolshiness to Real Sociedad whilst knackered old former prancing pony, Ivan de la Peña, must be on the point of being melted down and turned into glue.

Mirroring last year’s goal-shy campaign, the Espanyol forward line continues to have as much chance as scoring as Mesut Ozil on a bad hair day - although the ‘Pichichi’ from last season, Osvaldo, is still knocking around having scored a titanic seven, last season (although the Argentinean-Italian only joined in the winter window, to be fair).

To remedy this worrying situation, Espanyol have been chasing after Betis forward, Sergio García, with a box of donuts and a copy of Wild Things for a number of weeks now in the hope of luring the fun-loving forward home to his native Barcelona.

LLL Prediction - 11th

Getafe

With the blog having already caught Getafe in action against APOEL in their Europa League qualifier, LLL has a rather worrying multi-leveled dream vision of the future for the Coliseum club: Javier Arizmendi to blast endless chances over the bar until the sun burns itself out. New striker, Adrián Colunga to forever scamper about the pitch in a well-meaning, but utterly pointless manner. Miguel Torres to venture into the opposition half only to have the biggest of wig-outs. And club president Angel Torres and Míchel the manager to squabble over the sale of his son for an eternity.

Then again, la Primera this year is full of the poopiest clubs in its history (see the two teams below) so those brave battlers in Getafe will probably be just fine. But not sixth like last season.

LLL Prediction - 8th

Hércules

One of the most irritating features of la Liga - aside from Diego Capel - is the complete unwillingness of those running it to set kick-off times more than a week in advance. However, this isn’t an issue for newly-promoted Hércules, as their matches are fixed some time in advance.

The summer time scandal which broke which suggested that the club’s owner, Enrique Ortiz, had a helping hand from an opposition keeper in their rise to la Primera last season has been officially ‘archived’ by the league’s Disciplinary Committee who cite a lack of evidence in the case - a most unfortunate decision which leaves the club under a cloud of suspicion and without the ability to clear it with the breeze of justice having, er, blown itself out.

All this sees Hércules fulfilling the Betis madcap club role for LLL that Xerez did so well, last season. And it’s easy to see why with a glance at the squad photographs in the wonderful Marca guide - a selection of images that could easily have been lifted from a redneck school year book.

Whilst Manchester United have chosen to sign a footballer that was once homeless in Bebe, Hércules' ranks include one who still is, with bench-sleeping former Valencia man Rufete returning to la Primera. Also in the Alicante squad is someone called Matias Fritzler - a forward who looks like a mediaeval bumpkin who would have been wearing a hat with bells on some 700 years ago.

Then there’s Javier Portillo, the former Real Madrid reject who is still sporting the same insane mullet that saw him kicked out of the Bernabeu in 2005. But topping of this list of loons is a midfielder of the name of Francisco Femenía Far.

LLL Prediction - 19th

Levante

This is insane. Levante are supposed to be bankrupt. In fact, LLL suspects they are. But as complete financial incompetence and shafting your fellow teams by not keeping up with transfer installments carries the same weight as smoking bans and traffic lights in Spain, Levante limp on and are back in la Primera.

Not for long though.

LLL Prediction - 20th

Málaga

Now this is going to be interesting. Not the idea of a billionaire Sheikh buying a Spanish football team and failing to buy anyone remotely exciting with the cash, but the fact that there is going to be an actual, breathing, woman looking after the affairs of a club in what is an extremely male environment.

New Málaga owner, Abdullah Al-Thani has appointed Yasmin Al-Sahoud to represent his good, very rich self at the club and look after the institution’s affairs. LLL imagines this also includes attending games and sitting next to the opposition team’s president - a collection of preeners and downright pervs if ever there was one in la Primera.

Former Porto boss, Jesualdo Ferreira, hasn’t really come up with any inspirational zingers since taking over Málaga so don’t expect anything too thrilling on the pitch except basic competence - although this might be called 'Champions League form' in la Liga, this year, come to think of it.

Instead, enjoy the sight of multi-chinned Deportivo president, Augusto Lendoiro, marking the visit of Málaga to La Coruña in red in his diary and slipping into that slinky corset and his pulling pants for the occasion of an actual lady visiting his presidential box.

LLL Prediction - 9th

[Poor_Sunyol]

Ahead of the big kick-off, skysports.com gathered together four of Revista's expert analysts - Guillem Balague, Graham Hunter, Terry Gibson and Gerry Armstrong - to preview the new season.


Who will win the title? Who will go down? Who will bag the most goals? And just what impact will the arrival of Jose Mourinho have at Real Madrid?

Let our experts point you in the right direction...


Champions


GUILLEM


It will be another closely-fought season between Spain's big two, with Real Madrid edging it this time around and the margin of difference might be settled by the head-to-head clashes versus Barcelona. If Javier Mascherano does move to the Camp Nou, it will represent a terrific signing and will certainly make Barcelona more solid, but there is the sense that all is not as well as perhaps it should be behind the scenes. Even if Mascherano signs, Barcelona still have a small squad and they will need a degree of luck with injuries and form if they are to continue riding the crest of the wave they have been on for the past couple of seasons.


GRAHAM


Even though it is a two-horse race, it's hard to claim total certainty about the favourite - but the tip has to be Barça. No disrespect to José Mourinho but it is difficult to imagine that Real Madrid's signings of Angel Di Maria, Sami Khedira, Ricardo Carvalho, Pedro Leon and Mesut Özil have done enough to close the quality gap on the champions. Canales is super-gifted but Madrid still lack a top class left-back. Barça probably lack cover at centre-back and have several players who didn't have a proper pre-season which can often gnaw away at mental and physical stamina in late winter, early spring. But Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta are going to have fun playing with David Villa. Three in a row for FCB.


TERRY


As long as the Spanish players at the heart of the Barcelona team have still got their motivation after the World Cup, I think they can be better than a Real Madrid side which will again take a while to gel. I saw them beat Sevilla 4-0 in the Super Cup and they certainly looked really up for it in that game. They haven't made many changes to their squad this summer but new signing David Villa will strengthen their starting XI, while Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique can both cover the loss of Yaya Toure.


GERRY


Again it is going to be a two-horse race between Real Madrid and Barcelona, who are about 15-20 times better than anybody else in the league. They're even stronger than last year but there's not a lot to choose between them. I think the pressure is on Barcelona and with Jose Mourinho at Real it is going to be even tighter. A lot depends on who is rested properly after the World Cup; I certainly think that'll play a part. However, I expect Real to bounce back this year after Barcelona won two titles in a row. Real will win something this year - I don't know if it will be the league, though. I really can't pick between one or the other!


Champions League places


GUILLEM


Valencia remain a decent outfit, but no team can lose its best players (Villa and David Silva) without it having a negative impact. Sevilla should also challenge for a Champions League place, but a great deal of uncertainty surrounds the club at this exact moment. Atletico Madrid are, perhaps, the best placed to finish third; they have made some excellent signings this summer. However, this is Atletico Madrid we are talking about and the only predictable thing about them is their unpredictability! If they were any other team, I might be tempted to suggest they could even push the top two, but as their poor results in pre-season have shown, you just never know.


GRAHAM


If FCB and Real Madrid finish first and second then there will be a brutal battle for third and fourth. For a club in such debt, Valencia look like they have massive depth of squad and a decent degree of quality in most positions. Unless they are stripped of assets before the end of the transfer market then Valencia will get a good flow of goals from Juan Manuel Mata, Pablo Hernandez, Roberto Soldado, Aritz Aduriz and Joaquin. Top four for Los Ché. Maybe Villarreal will provide a nice surprise after a couple of yo-yo seasons. Carlos Marchena brings experience and leadership, Marcos Senna has had a deserved summer off and should be firing on all guns and you wish little Santi Cazorla a season without injuries.


TERRY


Sevilla took fourth spot last year but, in my eyes, shade Valencia this season, who have suffered big losses in the shape of Villa and Silva. Sevilla qualified with virtually the final kick of last season but I expect them to push Real and Barca this term, while Villarreal and Atletico Madrid will battle it out for the final Champions League place.


GERRY


Atletico Madrid have managed to hold onto Kun Aguero and Diego Forlan, so they've got goals in their locker and I would say they are the third strongest side in the division. Valencia have signed Soldado from Mallorca this summer but he can not replace David Villa - there's only one David Villa. Meanwhile, Sevilla have not really signed anyone but look set to lose Sebastien Squillaci to Arsenal which will weaken them slightly. Villarreal are the other side pushing for a top-four spot. They are a very good footballing side and have got some real quality players.


Relegation


GRAHAM


Only Espanyol scored fewer goals than Deportivo last season and they finished the season with six out of a possible 39 points. They haven't solved their scoring problem over the summer so I expect Deportivo to go down. Levante have a project to be proud of; they have a low budget and are youth based, but they're probably not quite experienced enough to cope. Hercules have suffered such a fuss over their promotion, and whether it was fairly gained, that every single team who plays them will be out to prove that they have given 100%. Too tough a test for them, I'm afraid.


TERRY


Of the promoted teams Hercules will be the most likely to struggle. They have tried to make some signings but I think they will find it tough. I expect Levante to compete - they've impressed me with some of the players they have brought in, such as the experienced Javi Venta - while Real Sociedad are a club that should never have been relegated. Malaga struggled last season but they have had significant investment over the summer so should be stronger, however it will be interesting to see if sides such as Almeria and Sporting Gijon have improved or stood still - they could be in trouble.


GERRY


You have to look at the teams that have come up as contenders for relegation. Hercules have just come up but it looks like they are spending some money in an attempt to stay in La Liga. Real Sociedad have done well in the past and should be OK but Levante have done really well just to get in there. Mallorca, my old club, have sold a lot of their big names and I think their coach, Michael Laudrup, has got the hardest job in football at the moment. To keep Mallorca up would be a fantastic feat.


Pichichi


GUILLEM


No surprises in going for David Villa. Need we say any more? He could do it at Valencia, sometimes on his own, imagine what he could achieve with the service he'll be getting at Barcelona. Even though Messi will play in the number 9 position most of the season and Villa will have to move to the left of the attack, it doesn't matter. He has done it with Spain and ended up top of the goalscoring charts in both the European Championship and the World Cup wins. It still sounds weird to say we have won those last two competitions... weird but wonderful.


GRAHAM


If he stays fit then there is no reason why magical Messi cannot mesmerise all of us, and La Liga's defenders, again. Even though Barça have signed Villa, Messi will play many games as a centre forward. Last season he created so many of the goals himself but, now, he potentially has the brilliant Villa to go and fetch possession from the opposition for him like Samuel Eto'o used to do and also, potentially, Andres Iniesta fully fit and full of inventive passes. Say no more.


TERRY


It is so easy to go for Lionel Messi! I didn't go for him last year, thinking 'he can't do it again' but I'm reluctant to go against him this year. He scored a hat-trick in the Super Cup playing in a central role, even with Villa in the team. Barcelona will score the most goals this season and he will be their top scorer so I will go with Messi. Cristiano Ronaldo will play in a wider position this year, like he used to for Manchester United, so I think that might curtail his goal scoring a little bit.


GERRY


You look at the big two sides and you know they are going to score more than anybody else. However, with David Villa and Lionel Messi in the same team I don't know if that's a good thing for their Pichichi chances because they will split the goals between them. But I would never back against Villa; he is going to get more chances and he is a potent finisher, so I will go with him.

[Poor_Sunyol]

Ones to watch


GUILLEM


The obvious answer is Sergio Canales. He made a name for himself last season and now he is in the spotlight at Real Madrid, every goal and exquisite pass is guaranteed maximum exposure across Europe. If we are looking for names who barely got a mention last term, then there are a couple of players I really like who are breaking into the first team at FC Barcelona: Oriol Romeu and Jonathan dos Santos.


GRAHAM


Iker Muniain is tough, talented and growing in experience. He'll be Athletic's jack in the box. Diego Alves, Almeria's keeper, is wildly under-appreciated and shows brilliant reflexes. Ivan De La Peña is an exceptional Espanyol player whose final seasons hopefully won't be ruined by injury. Luis Felipe was a buccaneering wing back of immense power and style until a crippling injury in January. If fit, his displays will give Atlético's fans back the price of their season ticket. Antoine Griezman is still young, still small but fresh from a good (winning) summer with France as they lifted the European U19 Championship. Can he hack it at the top level yet? We'll find out with Real Sociedad. Jozy Altidore possesses immense power and showed skill last season for the USA and Hull. Villarreal's creativity and speed can feed the big man. Ander Herrerra is gifted, tough, wins the ball and uses it with lots of smartness. Potentially top class, he helped save Zaragoza last season.


TERRY


Iker Muniain from Athletic Bilbao is certainly one to watch. He is only 17 but he played a few games last year and I expect him to play more this season. He is a really exciting player; he is quick, a great dribbler, just 5'4" tall and built in the typical Spanish mould. He is tough and athletic and is a real star in the making. He prefers to play through the middle and reminds me a lot of Messi. He loves taking players on and is a real gutsy player who I would love to see do well this year.


GERRY


There are always young players coming through but we won't know until three months into the season who the stand-out players will be. Mallorca will bring at least four players from their B-side through and they always impress. Sporting Gijon are another side who have some good young players, and so do Sevilla. You are probably more likely to see these players emerge from those sort of clubs rather than Real Madrid or Barcelona who go for the more experienced players.


The Special Effect


GUILLEM


I have a feeling that Mourinho will somehow get the better of Guardiola this season, but it's not a foregone conclusion as there are many unanswered questions and unknown quantities when it comes down to this new era at Real Madrid. However, Madrid now have options that they were missing last season. The defence is stronger, they have brought in wide players and added a couple of footballers - Canales and Ozil - who can prise open the most static of defences. If it comes down to the head-to-head results between Mourinho and Guardiola, we all know that Jose has the blueprint for beating Barcelona and the current champions will not quite have the upper hand in the way they have in recent seasons against their old enemy.


GRAHAM


Mourinho has already caused an avalanche of media coverage. Beyond his exceptional previous career, the way he bullied Barça out of the Champions League last season has made Madrid fans salivate. Because he's talented and brings intensity of work he will be good for the Madrid squad, he will lead the media a merry dance and Barça will have a relentless rival. But Barça's players tell me that they are already bored of being asked about him every 10 minutes. Success will be a trophy - any of the three they play for and he's a good bet to bring Madrid their first Copa Del Rey for 18 years. Everything else would be a massive bonus.


TERRY


Mourinho brings so much to La Liga and he is the perfect match for Real Madrid - it was inevitable he would manage them eventually. I'm sure he will be successful at the Bernabeu - he wins trophies wherever he goes. At Real he will be judged by their performance in the Champions League and in the matches against Barcelona - and I expect him to improve Real's recent fortunes in both of those contests. The Madrid fans will love him and so will the Spanish press - he'll give them a headline every day. Barcelona fans and most of the rest of Spain won't be so impressed but that won't bother him in the slightest.


GERRY

Mourinho seems to put confidence into the players who play under him. Real Madrid will be a lot more defensive than their adventurous rivals Barcelona but Mourinho has the Midas touch and I wouldn't bet against him winning the title or the Champions League this year. He will definitely win something - he proved that at Porto, Chelsea, Inter Milan and he will do it now at Real. Mourinho is good for the public, fantastic for the press, and great for the game. I love him.

[Poor_Sunyol]

Ideologies clash as Barcelona and Real Madrid prepare for La Liga duelBarcelona will again look to rely on graduates of their academy to repel the threat of Real Madrid in the coming La Liga season - Sid Lowe (27/8/10)

A tiny stone farmhouse conquered the world, according to Joan Laporta. "Barça," he insisted after Spain's success in South Africa, "won the World Cup. It's just that they were wearing the wrong shirts". The outgoing president of FC Barcelona, a vociferous Catalan nationalist, provocateur and campaigner, now embarked upon a bid for the presidency of the Catalan Generalitat, Laporta would say that. But here's the thing: he may just have a bit of a point.

Spain's coach, Vicente del Bosque, is from Salamanca and played for Real Madrid, while the captain, Iker Casillas, was born in the Spanish capital and still does. So does Sergio Ramos, who is from Seville, and Xabi Alonso, from the Basque country. Joan Capdevila is Catalan but plays for Villarreal. Counting the Asturias-born David Villa as a Barcelona player before he had been unveiled at the Camp Nou is pushing it. But still, six of the starting XI that defeated Holland were Barcelona players.

Although not all Catalan, Carles Puyol, Gerard Piqué, Sergio Busquets, Pedro Rodríguez (from Tenerife), Xavi Hernández and Andrés Iniesta (from Albacete) did come through the Barcelona system. So did one of the substitutes, Cesc Fábregas. Also in the squad were Víctor Valdés and Pepe Reina, the club's current goalkeeper and one who spent seven years at Barça before leaving for Villarreal and subsequently Liverpool. And the world's, if not the World Cup's, best player came through Barcelona's youth system too: Leo Messi joined aged 12.

Like more than 500 kids over the years, Messi lived at La Masía, the Barcelona residency and spiritual home of their youth system – even those who never actually lived there are presented as 'La Masía graduates'. A traditional Catalan farmhouse, dwarfed by the Camp Nou, La Masía is a kind of football indoctrination centre. It is not just that it has produced very good players, it is that it has produced a certain type – a Johan Cruyff-inspired production line of clever, technical footballers, determined to play "the right way".

Barcelona's football identity is clear. Advantageous too, with José Mourinho noting: "They could play blindfolded." It runs through the club, making that final, frightening leap for young players a little easier. Many have been coached by Pep Guardiola when he led the B team. "The philosophy of the youth team is the same as the first team," Jonathan Dos Santos says. Mourinho admits that Madrid by contrast must still find an identity.

Barça are not the only beneficiaries. Spain's success has been attributed not only to Barcelona's players but to their identity. "Tell me who your central midfielder is and I'll tell you what kind of football you play," runs the phrase. Spain's is Xavi, bringing La Masía to la selección. That too was what Laporta was getting at. Creating special players almost creates a moral superiority. "Madrid buy European footballers of the Year," Laporta says, "we make them."

As the new season gets under way this weekend, the feeling is stronger than ever. The World Cup reinforced the Masía model. That fact that Barcelona face Mourinho has an impact too; he has become a cartoon baddie for Catalunya. A candidate for the Camp Nou job, Laporta eventually opted for Guardiola, saying: "We chose a philosophy, not a brand."

This season's face-off has become a caricature. On one side, the committed club man, "suckled from the teat of Cruyff" as one colleague puts it, and all his team of apprentices, artists and world champions. On the other, the arrogant, preening manager and his expensive mercenaries. The arrival of Mesut Ozil, Madrid's sixth signing, provoked the inevitable cover. The Catalan newspaper Sport declared this campaign "cantera versus cartera". Youth team versus wallet.

While David Villa cost Barcelona €40m, even more youth team players are coming through. Dos Santos, Thiago Alcántara, Oriol Romeu and Sergi Gómez have all played significant roles in pre-season and Bojan Krkic's position has been reinforced. None was born before 1990. "When it comes to strengthening the team we'll always look at the youth teams first," the new sporting director, Andoni Zubizarreta, says. The counterargument comes from the Spanish Super Cup: with four Barça B team players in the starting XI, they lost 3-1 to Sevilla; in the second leg, with none, they won 4-0.

But Barcelona will press ahead anyway. The policy is presented as a moral imperative, but it is an economic one too. "If Barcelona signed their own home-grown players, they could do so for a billion euros," former player Hristo Stoichkov says. It is meant as a boast. It is also a reality. Last year Barcelona lost €70m. Their total debt tops €440m. A year after arriving Dimitro Chygrynskiy was sold, at a loss, to recuperate cash. Yaya Touré has left. Fábregas, the youth teamer they tried to sign, was beyond their reach. Under the new president, Sandro Rosell, they have spent only €9.5m. "We can't compete with Madrid for zeros," Guardiola says.

The hope is that they will not have to. After all, Guardiola adds: "I have lots of faith in the players coming through." Why would he not? If Barcelona's farmhouse could conquer the world, conquering Mourinho to win the title should hold no fear.

[Beast]

José Mourinho represents Real Madrid's last throw of the dice
Real may have a galáctico in the dugout but excitement is tempered by a sense of apprehension at the Bernabéu

Sid Lowe

Free in Marca: your very own poster of José Mourinho. If anyone needed proof that Real Madrid's coach is unique, here it was. By the end of last season, the country's best-selling newspaper could hardly bare to look at Manuel Pellegrini, let alone produce a poster of him. Much the same could be said of the men who preceded Pellegrini, from Carlos Queiroz to Mariano García Remón, Vanderlei Luxemburgo to José Antonio Camacho. Coaches, as the former Madrid manager Juande Ramos said this week, "are useful to have around – as someone to burn".

Mourinho is different; Mourinho is someone to pin on your wall, an idol. And because Mourinho is different, everything about this Real Madrid is different too. For the first time, the superstar is on the bench. Mesut Ozil claims he joined Madrid to work with "the best coach in the world". No one ever said that about Juan Ramón López Caro. The club's president, Florentino Pérez, has certainly never said this about any of his coaches before: "This year's galáctico is Mourinho."

On the morning Mourinho officially signed, he was taken round the stadium, finishing up before the trophy that obsesses Madrid. "When we got to the last European Cup [which Madrid won in 2002], Pérez said he missed it," Mourinho revealed. "I said: 'I only won my last one 10 days ago and I already miss it.' We both want the same thing. Madrid have an incredible history in the European Cup and an incredible negative history in recent years."

He could not have summed it up better. In the competition that defines them, they have not won a knockout tie in six attempts. By their own measure, the biggest club of all are not a big club at all. They went three years without a trophy of any kind at the end of Pérez's last presidential reign and, despite spending €258m (£212m), ended his comeback season empty-handed. Meanwhile, Mourinho achieved with Internazionale what Madrid so desperately want to achieve: he won the European Cup and he defeated Barcelona.

That is why Madrid invested almost €100m (£82m) in paying off Pellegrini and signing Mourinho and his staff. Talk of beautiful football, occasional gripes by the very few dissenters are largely a red herring. Nothing else matters: Madrid must win, they must be a European force. Forget former talk of fantasy, when he announced Mourinho's arrival Pérez said simply, and quite accurately: "Madrid's identity is winning."

No one guarantees results like Mourinho. Madrid bought the best players in the world, now the best coach – and everything that comes with him. A change of model, a shift in the balance of power. There have been no superstar signings, no bombastic presentations, and the first thing the director general Jorge Valdano did when he presented Mourinho was to offer a very public apology for having once likened some of Mourinho's football to "shit on a stick". A boss begging forgiveness from his employee; a coach on top. This time, the manager manages. In return for one thing: success.

"What's beautiful, beautiful, beautiful isn't working for Real Madrid," Mourinho said. "What's beautiful, beautiful, beautiful is winning for them."


As Madrid's season gets under way in Mallorca, the question is, will he? On Madrid's terms, that is. Pellegrini insisted that his successor would have to get 100 points and considerably more than 100 goals. As one first-teamer puts it: "We weren't the problem, Barcelona were." And the truth is that, despite Barcelona's internal disputes, economic crisis and short squad, despite a media campaign that appears to be trying to get Mourinho beatified, despite the obvious enthusiasm for his methods from players and staff, there is less optimism now than the day the Portuguese arrived.

Even Mourinho has been cautious, realistic. He has been strikingly downbeat, noting that Madrid have had a "difficult pre-season", warning that there will be "problems" if the club cannot sign an additional striker and Karim Benzema or Gonzalo Higuaín suffer injury, admitting that he does not have a traditional "leader", and underlining Barcelona's continuity and clarity. Madrid, by contrast, still need time and Mourinho claims he has none. Madrid, he says, are not yet ready.

The European draw – Milan, Ajax and Auxerre – is tough, but even a not-ready Madrid should be too good for the rest of the Spanish league: last season they finished 25 points clear of now-weakened Valencia, who were third, and 33 points above Sevilla. They do not face Barcelona until late November. Early in their Champions League campaign, Inter were resoundingly beaten by Barcelona last year. No one recalls that now.

Yet the air of caution blowing through the Bernabéu has raised an uncomfortable question: what if Madrid still don't win anything? Even with the world's best coach. Even with a model founded wholly on success. If Mourinho fails like Queiroz, Camacho, García Remón, Luxemburgo, López Caro and Pellegrini did, where does that leave the club, the project? Then where do they go? Will they be patient? Will they be allowed to be? Will the fans? Will the media?

Beneath the intense excitement surrounding Mourinho's appointment, the conviction that here, at last, is a coach worthy of the galácticos, a special one for a special club, there is a disquieting realisation, an apprehension. In signing Mourinho, Madrid could be betting everything on a solitary hand. Still, at least it is a hell of a hand.

[La Furia]

Zlat's all folks: Barcelona finally get their man ... but at a price

After all the spending, bickering, name-calling and posturing, Barça have got David Villa – and offloaded Zlatan Ibrahimovic


The first day of a brand new season and the excitement is growing. So too is the crowd – hotter, sweatier and more expectant by the minute. There are cameras everywhere. TV crews are providing breathless updates, radios and websites live commentary. Refresh, refresh, refresh. No one wants to miss a second. Deep down they think they know what's going to happen in the end but still they're desperate to see how this one plays out. No, not at the Rico Pérez, the Rosaleda or the Ciutat de Valencia. Like Nelson, even the commentary teams at those stadiums, the stage of the opening three games of the 2010-11 campaign, have got an eye somewhere else. Like everyone else, they've got an eye on Carrer d'Aristides Maillol, Barcelona.

They're holding out for a hero but it's not Hércules that Spain is waiting for, returning to the first division 13 years later and, somehow, not in the midst of a scandal – and that's the biggest scandal of all. Or Málaga, where Abdullah bin Nasser al-Thami is the first Sheikh to buy a Spanish club and the first to sack his underachieving staff, director general Yasmin al-Sahoud getting the chop less than 12 hours after her team's opening-day defeat to Valencia. And it's certainly not Levante – with depressing inevitability, their return to primera, which they departed two years ago amid threats, strikes, and broken promises, is played out about before empty stands. No. It's the Tall Man and the Fat Man.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Mino Raiola.

Zlatan and Raiola, his agent, have become the stars of the summer, after the Spain squad and José Mourinho. Comic book bad guys who have confronted the world, taking on FC Barcelona and the one person you're just not supposed to take on – coach Pep Guardiola. The same Guardiola who Ibrahimovic said has "spoken to me only twice in six months", that Raiola attacked so bitterly Barcelona switched on Spain's default setting and announced legal action – to which Raiola declared: "No one tells me to shut up … except Zlatan." The same Guardiola that Raiola said, "should be in a mental hospital", "has a problem with himself", and would "leave the Camp Nou before Zlatan does". After all, he added: "It's simple maths: Zlatan has four years on his contract, Guardiola just one."

He's about to be proven wrong. But although they're going to lose, by God, they're going to take them down with them. Although they're going to lose, although Guardiola is ultimately going to get his way, they're going to win too. Those who called Raiola an idiot, the world's worst agent, are as wrong as those who call Pedro López the world's worst serial killer. Look at it his way: he's the best. Yes, he's a clown and a big mouth, a walking parody, but he's a ludicrously rich one, feisty as hell and successful too. Ibrahimovic has now commanded €140m in transfer fees. You've got to admire their balls. Just don't let them catch you doing it.

It's hours now since Ibrahimovic strolled past and announced with a sarcastic grin "I'm here to renew my contract" and everyone's gathered by the back door to the Camp Nou offices, desperate for a glimpse of something, someone, behind those glass doors – reporters with their fingers in their ears panting: "Yes, yes, a lady just came by with a bottle … hang on, I think I saw a secretary carrying a stack of papers."

And then at last, it happens. Beyond the glass, Zlatan strolls through the metal turnstile. Ahead of him Raiola, chunky, bruising; jeans, trainers, and a scraggy checked shirt, looking like he'd just arrived at the wheel of a lorry, and Milan's general manager Adriano Galliani. It's official at last: Zlatan Ibrahimovic is leaving. Milan will take him on loan; next season they will be obliged to sign him for €24m. As for Ibrahimovic, he has taken a step back for the first time in his career and will also take a pay cut. But still, he has joined Milan on €8m a year.

"The 'philosopher' has kicked me out," spits Ibrahimovic as he strolls into the scrum. "I don't know what his problem with me was. Whenever I walked into a room he walked out again … maybe he was scared of me."

Scared? Who'd be scared of a 6ft 3in, 13st Swede with a deathly stare and a mean temper who Raiola says "could slap me into next week"? No, Guardiola wasn't scared of Ibrahimovic, he was sick of him. Disappointed by his contribution and his attitude. As one insider puts it: "Zlatan thinks he's Messi and he's not." For all that the coach was seduced by the idea of having a Plan B, it hadn't worked when they needed it most. When Barcelona made a final, hugely impressive push for the title, they did so without Ibrahimovic and with Bojan Krkic. The group mattered most so at the end of the campaign he insisted on Barcelona selling the Swede – no matter what the cost.

The cost was high. Some newspapers splashed their covers with a little round sticker like it was Tesco Value Thick Slice, declaring "double saving: Barcelona make €24m and save €60m in wages". Or screamed: "Good riddance Ibra". Others pointed out that Barça had lost €40m on the deal.* They were right. Last season, Barcelona bought him for €45m plus Eto'o, formally valued at €20m. It looked like a ridiculous deal then: it looks like even more of a ridiculous deal now. It also underlines an uncomfortable truth: Guardiola wanted David Villa but – for reasons of finance, football and 'feeling' – he wanted shot of Eto'o more. It became an obsession. It was largely the fact that Inter would take him that forced their hand and finally ensured it would be Ibrahimovic that signed instead.

Now, at last, Barcelona have the player they really want. But it has cost them €40m to sign Villa – the same price a year later. In the meantime, they have effectively paid €20m to send two players to Milan. Embarrassingly, Eto'o went and immediately won a second successive treble; it would not be a huge surprise if Ibrahimovic is successful too: he has won seven successive league titles, after all. He hasn't been a failure at Barcelona. Not really. He got 21 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, scored the winner against Real Madrid, and averaged a goal every other game in the league. He even scored in the Champions League – twice, against Arsenal. Only Gonzalo Higuaín was directly responsible for securing his side more points in La Liga.

"You don't buy a Ferrari and just leave it in the garage," Raiola complained.

You do if you've already got a Skoda. Or a Villa, a Messi, a Xavi or an Iniesta – the man who, minding his own business on holiday, responded to intense media attention after scoring the winning goal in the World Cup by shrugging: "I don't mind the paparazzi following me about but having a go at my swimming trunks is a bit harsh."

And that's the thing. When the dust finally settled, Barcelona went into the opening game of the season and destroyed Racing Santander with two wonderful finishes from Messi and Iniesta. There was also – and you should get used to this phrase – a goal from Villa. It may have been costly, painful and hugely embarrassing, it may still come back to bite them but now, at last, after all the bickering and the shouting and the name-calling; after the accusation and counter-accusation, the chest-puffing and posturing, Raiola has finally got what he wanted – a huge great big lorry pulling into his drive loaded with cash – but so have Barcelona. The harmony Guardiola demanded and the perfect addition to an already fantastic side, a striker who should have joined a really, really big club years ago. "This team is even better than last year," the Racing coach Miguel-Ángel Portugal sighed.

That's not all they have got. For Barça, better yet was the news coming in from Palma. Last year Barça dropped just 15 points all season; they already have a two-point lead over Real Madrid after Mourinho's side could only draw 0-0 with Mallorca and have started off where they finished last season – without The Tall Man and top of the table. "Zlatan was the centre of attention on Saturday," Guardiola said. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd quite like my team to be."

*See if you can guess which papers went for which reading.

Talking points

• José Mourinho nailed it. Maybe not when it came to last night's result – and, in a title race that is likely to see both sides racking up huge points totals, even draws such as last night's could prove very costly – but certainly in terms of the season as a whole. No one doubts, for now at least, that Barcelona are a better side than Madrid but that's not really the point if Madrid are still better than everyone else. If they don't slip up too many more times. "We only play Barcelona twice," Mourinho said. "Well, or four times if we meet in the Champions League or the Copa del Rey."

• The press box was empty even though they claimed it was full, but the stadium – for once – was packed. Son Moix made a hell of a noise for Real Madrid's visit and afterwards Michael Laudrup said he hopes the result can keep fans coming back. Much of the atmosphere was whipped up in protest at Uefa's decision to deny them the chance to compete in European competition after finishing fifth last season. "Puta Platini, puta Platini!" and attacks on Villarreal occupied them much of the time – as well as calls for Nando Pons, the club's sporting director to resign. There was also a banner showing Platini and declaring him a "Godfather". The day before the Villarreal president Fernando Roig had said he thought it was entirely justified for Mallorca to be denied the chance to play in the Europa League after going into administration. It just so happened that his Villarreal side would be the beneficiaries. Mallorca then attacked him for being ungentlemanly in an official communiqué on their website and accused Villarreal of having the least realistic economic policy in the whole of the league. The thing is, while their Europa League exit stings it is also quite right. As was Roig. Mallorca are using administration to resolve their financial crisis – and under new ownership, the long-term future looks more stable – but there are football penalties to be paid for doing so. Which they knew perfectly well. It may also help in the long run – Laudrup has admitted that, with a short squad and a tiny budget, European football could have dangerous consequences for the league campaign, while a sense of injustice, however skewed, can on last night's create atmosphere and unity at last.

• Malaga may have sacked their general manager but their opening day performance was not as bad as the decision suggests. Yes, it was anarchic and disorganised but there is real pace and aggression about their front three or four and they should easily avoid relegation this year – and more. Great atmosphere at the Rosaleda, too. As for opponents Valencia, they've lost Villa and Silva but they should still easily chase a European place. Their stand-out performer was Joaquín.

• He looks like some sort of weird drag queen but Osvaldo scores plenty of goals. He was on target again as Espanyol won 3-1 against Getafe. Could Pochettino's side be the one to surprise this season?

• Deportivo in 0-0 draw shock. Bet you never saw that one coming, did you. Eh? Oh.

• And, the season's first goal was scored by World Cup winner Fernando Llorente.

Results Herculés 0-1 Athletic, Málaga 1–3 Valencia, Levante 1-4 Sevilla, Real Sociedad 1-0 Villarreal, Deportivo 0-0 Zaragoza, Osasuna 0-0 Almería, Racing 0-3 Barcelona, Mallorca 0-0 Real Madrid, Espanyol 3-1 Getafe, Atlético v Sporting, tonight.

[yusuf]

great article