Barcelona and Real Continue to Dominate La Liga
Who is More Likely to Emerge as Champions?
Oct 23, 2009
Barcelona and Real Madrid, perennial champions of La Liga find themselves firmly ensconced at the top of the table. After seven games the two Spanish giants are separated by only one point. Barcelona, with six wins and a draw sit atop the pile with 19 points, closely followed by their archrivals, whose recent 2-1 defeat to Sevilla provides the Catalan’s with their current margin for error. Boasting global superstars of the calibre of Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo the teams attract and polarise fans in equal measure. Yet which of them will claim the La Liga title in June?
The season, while only in its infancy, has already provided a number of tantalising glimpses into the resources, strengths and potential weaknesses of the two outfits. In looking at the personnel, results, managerial manoeuvrings and playing styles of each side it is possible to extrapolate how the season might pan out.
Guardiola Versus Pellegrini
Having swept all before him in a breakthrough debut season Pep Guardiola heads into this season brimming with confidence. Adored by the fans and idolised by his players the former club captain appears to be incapable of putting a foot wrong. He recently showed his back room clout when he finally secured the signature of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, a player he has long coveted. He appears to be as secure in his post as any manager currently plying their trade today.
Pellegrini, who secured his berth as manager after sterling work with Villarreal, is in a somewhat different position. The managerial position at the Bernabeu has become something of a merry-go-round in recent years, with no less than nine managers since 2003. This is a shocking statistic for a club with pretensions towards world domination and speaks volumes concerning the inherent instability at the club.
Guardiola enjoys the luxury of having grown into his role. Last year’s unprecedented success on the field will have given him valuable breathing space as he strives to further polish what is clearly already a potently effective outfit. Pellegrini knows he has to hit the ground running as public opinion, Madrid’s voraciously caustic press and a plethora of former players and coaches will all too swiftly jump ship if results start to elude him.
The World’s Greatest Players
Both sides feature star studded rosters, replete with many of the world’s greatest talents. Messi, Iniesta, Xavi and Pujol represent the heart of the Catalan’s homegrown players policy. They are proven La Liga performers; their trophy cabinets bulging with medals and their scrapbooks filled with the florid approbation of the press. In Ibrahimovic (at 69 million Euros the world’s second most expensive player) Guardiola has taken a risk in the hope of adding to Barcelona’s already bewilderingly diverse options in attack. Should the experiment backfire then those who questioned the transfer of Samuel Eto’o will howl their derision long into the night. Ibrahimovic has started well though; displaying a deftness of touch while scoring five goals in six La Liga matches so far.
Madrid by comparison have sent their bank balance soaring into the red in laying out almost 250 million Euros to secure the transfers of Europe’s most highly regarded players. Xabi Alonso has come in to the side to strength the midfield, though doubts persist as to whether his more prosaic style will prove more effective than the forward thinking (though often injured) Dutchman Wesley Schneider.
However, it is in attack that Madrid have pinned their hopes for this season. In resurrecting his former Galactico policy, new president Florentino Perez has signed World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo as well as French striker Karim Benzema and Brazilian ace Kaka. Goals will undoubtedly flow, though the coach has to solve the potentially troublesome headache of how to fit the likes of Raul and Higuain (scorer of 23 league goals last season) into this new look attack.
Style and Substance
Barcelona’s approach is one of proven success. Their game is built around ball retention, hard work and precise passing. Their players, superstars almost to a man, appear happy to sublimate their gifts to the team dynamic. Madrid, who last season mixed potency up front with comical mishaps in defensive, appear to be more a team of supremely gifted individuals. Compelling in attack, the fact they have already conceded six goals suggests they remain vulnerable defensively. Sevilla, in handing them their only defeat literally tore them apart and could have ran up a cricket score were it not for the continued brilliance of Iker Casillas. Madrid fans will also be hoping that new signing Raul Albiol can finally prove the solution to their long-term search for a dominant centre-back.
However, Barcelona in recent weeks have displayed a worrying tendency to over complicate matters, especially in attack. Indeed some see the team’s florid passing style, reliant as it is on a patient probing for openings, as potentially fatal to their chances this term. Barca have recently struggled to kill of both Malaga and Almeria, proving over elaborate and at times down right profligate in front of goal. Madrid’s shoot on sight forward line, on the other hand is anything but reticent when it comes to pulling the trigger.
A Contest That Looks Sure to go Down to the Wire
Both teams represent the cultural, political and sporting concerns of their localities. Due to a somewhat Machiavellian arrangement regarding the distribution of television rights they possess, by some considerable margin, the largest operating revenues in Spain. Despite a resurgent Sevilla’s excellent start to the season they appear sure to be the two teams contesting the La Liga title at the end of the season. Much may depend on how they perform in the two cataclysmic head to head encounters, as was the case two years ago, when Madrid last won the league. One thing appears inarguable; whoever takes the title this season will be nervously looking over their shoulders until the referee blows his whistle on the final day.
