[chucka]

Nice post, personally i don't see Seville getting that 4th place, to me they don't seem to have enough and teams around them look stronger, also as you said Fabiano is really inconsistent and with Kanoute aging you can't really exspect Kanoute to do it all.

I see them getting 5th

[FCB-Mo]

yo Nolan, do you want me to hook u up with access to the new site so you can put that article and other previews of the season on there?

[LaFuriaBlaugrana]

Sure, I'd be glad to contribute.

[FCB-Mo]

cool. go to the homepage and log in and click the site control link at the bottom of the page.

[LaFuriaBlaugrana]

VILLARREAL CF
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Villarreal_CF_logo.svg

When we last left the Yellow Submarine they just missed out on 4th place after a series of injuries lead to disappointments in both Spain and Europe. Injuries hurt them in all areas of play, though to their credit even in failure they remained balanced - they scored less goals than everyone in the top 6 except Sevilla, while their defense was on par with Valencia and Real Madrid, which could be considered slightly above average by league standards. Their suffering was most notable on the road, with half as many wins and less than half as many goals scored than at home, where they were capable of beating virtually anyone.

While the last of Champion's League football could actually be a benefit as they try to avoid injuries, this is definitely a transition stage for the Yellow Submarine as many club mainstays are either on the decline or gone alltogether, and they will need to find some stability among their constantly revolving door of talented South Americans and Spaniards if they want to make the most out of this transition period. The biggest adjustment will be life without Manuel Pellegrini, after the most successful coach in club history was unable to resist the calling of Perez and his Real Madrid.


Manager: Ernesto Valverde
Chairman Fernando Roig continues to show why he is the best club president in Spain by selecting the best possible candidate to replace Pellegrini. Valverde was the victim of his own overachievment in Espanyol. After taking Bilbao to 5th place and Espanyol to a UEFA Cup final, he is partially to blame for Espanyol's implosion in 2008, but he did everything he could with a squad of players itching to jump at the bonanza that was the Premiership; this was the peak of English dominance when La Liga was being gutted of talent, and at Espanyol the likes of Riera already had their mind elsewhere. Valverde left the turmoil at Espanyol only to win the Greek Championship with Olympiacos in Greece.

While he is expected to continue Villarreal's attacking football philosophy, he is known for tighter defenses and a slightly greater emphasis on physical play; this is one area where he could actually prove to be a step up from his predecessor, who would often push the midfield and fullbacks up too far, leading to the occasional massive loss. Already Villarreal players are noting a greater emphasis on conditioning in training, with more running.


Squad
Defense
While mistake prone, the young South American centre backs Diego Godín and Gonzalo Rodríguez have all the potential in the world, as both are technically gifted, hard working players whose biggest concern is injuries. Fabricio Fuentes has done a respective job as a backup and the highly rated Iván Marcano has been brought in to provide competition on the left side of the defense, but Godín and Gonzalo remain the ideal starters. On the left Joan Capdevila is getting no younger, but the Spanish international should remain a reliable contributor to both the attack and defense, while Ángel López and Javi Venta will fight it out for the right back position. Diego López will be trusted in the goal, and he is one of the top 5, if not top 3, keepers in La Liga.

Midfield
Captain and club icon Marcos Senna, is on the decline and played the least amount of minutes since the 03/04 season last year, but his game reading skills should continue to make him the midfield anchor when he's healthy. The likely first choice to join him in the central midfield, depending on the formation, is Sebastián Eguren, whose box to box physical play has made him one of Villarreal's biggest bargains, though he has a habit of picking up cards, while the decent Bruno will back up both of them. Playmaker Ariel Ibagaza will likely get a lot of time as a central attacking midfielder in the hole, especially without Matías Fernández for competition. Matigol might have been a disappointment, but he was an effective super sub last season and his creativity will be missed, though without the distraction of trying to develop him the more proven attacking midfielders will get to compete based on their merit over potential. The other three attacking midfielders of note, Santi Cazorla, Robert Pirès and Damián Escudero will likely start on the flanks, with the hope that Escudero can live up to his potential and allow the ancient Pirès to save himself for big occasions. Paraguayan wonderkid Hernán Pérez might be loaned out, though with Villarreal's feeder club Recreativo de Huelva in the Segunda, they might keep him around. As of right now it's unknown if the Yellow Submarines will call up any of the co-owned players they have scattered around South America.

Forward
Villarreal probably had the weakest striker partnership of Spain's big 6, but this isn't as bad as it sounds considering the competition they faced. They have gotten rid of Nihat, whose ability was counteracted by his constant injuries, having scored 0 goals in 2 of his 3 seasons in yellow. Giuseppe Rossi needs to stay for Villarreal to maximize their potential; he is really the only striker they have with star potential. While the New Jersey native only scored 12 goals last season, many of them were vital and his contributions to the general play show that the kid has what it takes to bring his game to the next level; his biggest disadvantage is that it's only a matter of when, not if, a big Italian club snatches him up. Last season's highest scorer, Joseba Llorente, isn't a star but he has proven in the past two years to be a La Liga quality, reliable striker who will score goals with the right service, he has also formed a better partnership with Rossi than Nihat was able to, as he doesn't require the ball as much to be effective. However he will have to fight for a starting place due to the acquisition of Nilmar, the most expensive signing in Villarreal history. This is a move I am very wary about, a 25 year old Brazilian poacher who flopped during his one previous season in Europe sounds to me like a player to be wary of....


Key Signing: Nilmar Honorato da Silva
Supporters will say he was young and didn't get enough chances at Lyon, however despite being highly rated and effective his goal to game ratio in the Brazilian league isn't outstanding for a player who does little more than score goals. Villarreal will be hoping he proves me wrong and becomes the off the ball poacher that will be the perfect compliment to Rossi; if this gamble pays off it could make the Yellow Submarine a genuine title challenger.

Main Man: Giuseppi Rossi
With Senna and Pires in the twilight of their careers, a lot depends on the young American/Italian to really grow up in what could be his last season in Spain (If he's not snatched up before then). Although primarily a second striker, he will need to increase his scoring ability to really take Villarreal to the next level.

Wild Card: Escudero
The highly rated Argentine remains somewhat of an unknown factor despite his move to Spain being considered somewhat of a coup for the Yellow Submarine. If he can be more consistent than Pires and Ibagaza, which is a major if, Villarreal could have an unstoppable attack.


Last Chance Charlie: Marcos Senna
Villarreal has more or less gotten rid of all their deadwood and disappointments, with Matigol, Nihat, and Cygan no longer among us there really isn't anyone fighting for their career, as even the lesser players are valuable role players who know their place. While Villarreal might be changing, those players who aren't established are mostly kids who cannot be expected to make an immediate impact. If anyone's back is against the wall it is the player who will likely be remembered as the most important in the club's young history, Senna, who will likely continue to try and take Villarreal as far as he can before the window closes for him.


Conclusion
With a new coach and a squad that alternates between being too young and too old, Villarreal seems to be in the middle of a transition and is unlikely to be good enough to be serious title contenders. However the best run club in Spain cannot be counted out completely; they appear safe from the type of financial collapse and infighting that every Spanish club not named Villarreal seems to love, and this internal stability can more than make up for the lack of any true star players; think of them as the anti-Valencia. Another 5th place finish seems likely to me, but this team has too many skilled players and capable management to be counted out.

[LaFuriaBlaugrana]

I should be finished with these, but I've been more busy than I expected. I'll probably post them on the site when I'm settled back in Montreal, especially now that it looks like there won't be any major transfer surprises right now.

Club Atlético de Madrid

Last season looked to be more of the same for Patetico, mostly thanks to a hilariously bad defense that was more on par with relegation fighters (in fact of the three relegated teams, only Numancia allowed a notable number of goals more), and a miserable first half cost coach Javier Aguirre his job, though his unpopularity with the Madrid based media didn't help things. They remained among the top tier however thanks to an excellent attack (the third best in the league), spearheaded by Sergio "el Kun" Agüero and Diego Forlán, possibly Europe's finest striker partnership. While the former, also known as the 500th "New Maradona", started the season with all the attention, the real reason Atleti will be playing in the Champion's League next year is Forlan, whose end of season form almost single handedly sparked a winning streak than allowed Atleti to end their season on a high note. This year Los Colchoneros will once again look to strike a greater balance, in hopes they can remain among the top 4 even if Forlan doesn't score 32 goals.

Manager: Abel Resino
Easily the least inspiring of the top 6's managers, the former Atleti goalkeeper finds himself continuing what was believed to be a caretaker position after Atletico's great end of the year run that had more to do with Forlan than any inspiring tactics; in fact Resino's career in the hotseat started with an attempt to play Aguero as a lone striker, an experiment that didn't last very long after Kun openly spoke out about his preference to play with another striker. While Resino can't be faulted for doing anything wrong when you consider the improvements in results under him, his career as a manager so far has been unexceptional and will need to prove this season that he is good enough for the job.

Squad
Defense
First the good news - New keeper Sergio Asenjo is one of Spain's finest young keepers and is less likely to flop than Coupet did last year, and so in theory Atletico finally can have some confidence in their goalkeeper. The addition of Betis veteran Juanito won't hurt; the Spanish international is experienced and consistent. The bad news is however, he is not the quality to compensate for the inconsistency of the rest of the back line. Left back Antonio López was granted the captaincy and will therefore be first choice over Mariano Pernía; the former might lack the latter's free kick ability but is a better defender and an overall more balanced choice. The next three spots can all be filled interchangeably between a few players who can all play both right back and centre back, but who are all incredibly inconsistent and likely to make serious mistakes. Juanito will probably be the first choice CB along with Tomáš Ujfaluši, who has been overall much more reliably than John Heitinga or Luis Perea, who will probably compete for the RB position.

Midfield
Atleti's central midfield is probably on the underrated side, even if it isn't exactly Barcelona quality. Brazilian Paulo Assunção was last season's first starting defensive midfielder and will likely continue the role, as he is a balanced player who has proven to be much more reliable than the dearly departed and still overweight Maniche. The other first choice central midfielder should be Raúl García, a box to box midfielder who can do everything. The highly rated Ignacio Camacho will compete with the two of them for a starting place. On the wings will most likely be Simão Sabrosa and Maxi "Wishes he was as Sexy as Maxi López" Rodríguez. Simao's Atleti career has been respectable, and while he might not have the same quality as a certain other Portuguese winger playing in Madrid this year, his experience, dribbling skill, and free kick ability will remain vital to the Rojiblanco. Maxi was unable to handle the captain's armband, but even with his choke job of a season last year, remains a quality midfielder whose success could help bring Atleti to the next level. Another, although unpredictable option is José Antonio Reyes hoping to revive his career after two miserable seasons in Spain and then Portugal, but he has a lot of work to do if he hopes to win over the fans.

Forward
As said before, the best thing about Atleti is Diego Forlán and Sergio Agüero. The former is a two time European golden shoe winner who seems to get better every year, while the latter, although yet to achieve anything to live up to his hype, is nevertheless an extremely gifted second striker with uncanny technique and a good deal of strength despite being so small. European giants are desperate for Kun, but Atleti seems like they are going to hold on to him for at least one more season unless an outrageous offer is made. Although if either of them are seriously injured Atleti is essentially finished for the season, they can afford to miss a few games due to a decent backup option in Florent Sinama-Pongolle. The pacey Frenchman scored a few goals early on, though he spent most of the season playing as a right winger due to injuries and suspensions to Maxi, a role he took on nicely.


Key Signing: Sergio Asenjo
Atleti hasn't had a reliable keeper in ages, and Asenjo should be a step up from Coupet and Leo Franco, both of whom are now gone. Asenjo, also linked with Barcelona, is only 20 yet was Valladolid's starting keeper for the past two seasons, though he missed a few months last year with a knee injury. If he can stay healthy and focused, he could at least partially make up for the disaster that is the Atleti backline.

Main Man: Diego Forlán
A complete striker who can score from anywhere. Finally earning some respect by the English media after his European career started poorly at Manchester United, the Uruguayan hitman has transformed himself into one of, if not the best strikers in Spain. Since moving to Villarreal in 2004, the only two strikers whose records can compare are David Villa and Samuel Eto'o. Although his age should begin to be a concern, last season was his best ever, and while it's unlike he will score 32 goals again, as long as he is given a decent amount of support there is no reason to believe he won't score at least a goal every other game, if not many more.

Wild Card: Raúl García
While Nacho Camacho will be hoping to prove me wrong and steal the spotlight, Raul Garcia is in my opinion the difference between a good and great Atleti team. An all action midfielder that can playmake with great vision and passing skill, shoot from a distance, and get his hands dirty with a tough tackle and cynical Pampalonan edge, Raul Garcia failed to consistently show his best form last season due to early injuries, but still remained a key player. One of Spain's best young midfielders, I don't doubt he will be good but we have yet to see just how good. If it was up to me, Barcelona would be pursuing this man, not Cesc, but that's another story...

Last Chance Charlie: José Reyes
Reyes could be fighting for his career after his stupidity caused most of us to forget about how good he could be when his attitude didn't get in the way. With the maturity level of a child, Jose Antonio Reyes forced his way back to Spain despite a bright career at Arsenal, first with a loan spell at Real Madrid that was inconsistent, mostly unexceptional except for a few moments of brilliance (including the one on the final game of the season that allowed Real Madrid to win the league). Winning the league was not enough for Real Madrid to meet Arsenal's asking price, and instead ended up across town, where he was instantly reviled by fans for forcing his way to Real instead of Atleti the year before. Their opinion of him was not to change, as a great pre-season for Atleti turned into a horrible real season, where Reyes failed to score a single goal, leading to him being shipped to Benfica on loan, where his form slightly improved, but remained as inconsistent. He now returns to Atleti promising to be a different man, but it's actions and not words that will determine his fate.

Conclusion
History has shown it's hard to expect great things from Atletico, and there are still enough questions that could lead to this season going either way for them. The squad has a promising core that seems to be finally maturing, and a top 4 place is likely with such a good attack, but their defense is still one giant question mark at best making 4th or 3rd place much more feasible than 1st or 2nd. That being said, this is Atletico de Madrid, and so anything from 1st to 20th is possible.

[yusuf423]

nice nolan, keep it going

[Impeh!]

yeahhh nice man

Atlético are always good too watch, and they've managed to keep their big players so hopefully they will be again

[Los_Merengues]

LaFuriaBlaugrana, on 18 August 2009 - 02:38 PM, said:

Maxi "Wishes he was as Sexy as Maxi López" Rodríguez

Quote

Nice post, personally i don't see Seville getting that 4th place, to me they don't seem to have enough and teams around them look stronger, also as you said Fabiano is really inconsistent and with Kanoute aging you can't really exspect Kanoute to do it all.

Think they will finish 3rd

[LaFuriaBlaugrana]

Los_Merengues, on 19 August 2009 - 01:36 AM, said:

Think they will finish 3rd

Really? I was wrong about that team last year and they are certainly good enough for 3rd but I still don't have much faith in them, they seem to hit an ambition wall every other season, the fans want the coach out, and the attack has very limited creativity.

[yusuf423]

i dont think seville will get third unless fabiano has a good season. kanoute has been carrying them but he cant do all teh scoring. even if fabiono is inconsistant, their D is still one of the best in the league and that should nick them some extra points that pathletico will not get. i see valancia finishing 3rd with pathletico, seville and villareal fighting for the last CL spot.

[chucka]

yusuf423, on 19 August 2009 - 07:38 AM, said:

i dont think seville will get third unless fabiano has a good season. kanoute has been carrying them but he cant do all teh scoring. even if fabiono is inconsistant, their D is still one of the best in the league and that should nick them some extra points that pathletico will not get. i see valancia finishing 3rd with pathletico, seville and villareal fighting for the last CL spot.

That's what i reckon.

[LaFuriaBlaugrana]

Speaking of third....

VALENCIA CF


After a bright start, Valencia's season soon collapsed thanks to their mediocre defense and midfield, though even without CL revenue Valencia managed to end their season with guarded optimism, showing promise all around despite an ongoing soap opera going on in the administration end, with financial woes threatening liquidation over the summer. The worst case however, was not to be, as they have managed to survive the summer with only one notable sale, hometown defender Raul Albiol.

Last year they had the fourth best attack in the league, mostly thanks to their "holy trinity" of Spaniards lead by David Villa, the most complete striker in the world. Together with a young and exciting coach, and finally some young hungry players, Valencia stands a good chance returning to their former glory as long as the ownership situation remains stable, which is a pretty big if. This could also be the final season at one of Spain's most storied stadiums, the Mestalla, if everything goes right for Los Che.


Manager: Unai Emery
An unremarkable player who immediately showed management ability, the Basque tactician's coaching career has had an ascent almost as rapid as Josep Guardiola's, who Emery is a few months younger than (making him the league's second youngest coach behind Espanyol's Mauricio Pochettino). Emery is known for his meticulous planning, having his players study even the most simple plays. Some fans have criticized him for questionable substitutions and over managing, with a habit of constantly playing people out of position, though others admire his attacking style which is more positive than what Valencia is used to. It will be a test for the notoriously inept Valencia ownership to have the patience to stick with Emery's project, which shows plenty of promise.


Squad

Defense
Valencia seem to have finally found a solution to the black hole in the goal caused by the retirement of Canizares, in the form of Mallorca's very good keeper Miguel Àngel Moyà, who will compete with the old but still very good César Sánchez for a starting role, though Valencia would be foolish to not give the much younger Moya more leeway as Cesar's 37 years will eventually hit him. In front of the keeper remains a much improved but still questionable backline. The loss of Albiol is significant but "Own Goal" Albiol has been coming off of a terrible season, and never seemed to recover the awareness lost when his partnership with a defender as great as Ayala ended. Valencia's other young promising defender, Alexis, has been injury prone so far but by the end of last season showed why he was so hyped when Valencia bought him, and while he lacks Albiol's technical skill he makes up for it with greater intelligence. Valencia would be best off starting Alexis in the middle along with Hedwiges Maduro, one of last seasons revelations. Maduro can still be inconsistent but has proven to be much more reliable in the defense as opposed to the midfield, and is one of La Liga's best sweepers. Captain Carlos Marchena has been better in the midfield than defense, but either way his reckless, violent style can be both a huge asset and a liability; as dedicated as he is he cannot be used in every situation. A new addition is Ángel Dealbert, a Segunda veteran who is probably not starter quality but has shown promise to be a very capable squad player who is still young enough to get better. Starting left back will be either Alexis or Jérémy Mathieu, formerly one of Ligue 1's finest fullbacks. Mathieu is an attack orientated player who might struggle to adjust to defending in Spain, but he was picked up for free and has the potential to be a bargain and a step up from last years options on the left. On the right Miguel is returning after being linked with a return to Portugal, but he will struggle to keep a starting spot ahead of Bruno Saltor, who might have the same name as a Sacha Baron Cohen character, but has in pre-season looked to be even better than Miguel, the Almería being a better defender who can still contribute to the attack.

Midfield
Valencia's weak link last season still has a lot of questions, but the return of Éver Banega could be a major turning point, though not a guaranteed one. The Argentine definitely has the talent to be a world class playmaker, and if he can adjust his attitude his partnership with Manuel Fernandes could be one of Spain's best central midfield; the two of them have a lot in common though Fernandes, Valencia's best midfielder last season, is a bit stronger, though Banega is capable of some brutal tackles himself. He will certainly be a step up from the currently injured Rubén Baraja, the wily old man surprised me last year with some moments of brilliance but he's not capable of keeping up the pace for an entire game and I've heard a strong argument for Baraja being used as a 20 minute super sub, a role I believe he could adjust to very well. Although younger, David Albelda has less to offer at this point due to his reliance on physical play, and at this point Albelda is nothing more than a liability, with Marchena being better suited to the all action defensive midfielder role. Meanwhile there is an abundance of talent on the side, if anything there is too much talent there, whose first victim could be club icon Vicente. He's still one of La Liga's best wingers when healthy, in fact he's better than his competition, but he remains fragile and is rumoured to be on the way out, though kicking him out could be management suicide and Valencia is better off if Emery continues to use him as a super sub. On the right we could see the return of Joaquín, a player as inconsistent as Vicente is injury prone. He looked to be on his way out after a mediocre season last year, but he has been one of Valencia's most dangerous players in the pre-season and looks prepared to fight for a starting spot against right midfielder Pablo Hernández who has appeared out of nowhere to become one of Valencia's most valuable midfielders. On the left Vicente will compete with future captain David Silva, who Valencia has refused to sell for obvious reasons. Like Andrés Iniesta, Silva's international team mate and the player he's most compared to, the attacking midfielder isn't a true winger but he's one of Valencia's few consistent players, whose toughness, pace, and technique make him a guaranteed starter, who will likely spend most of the season on the wings despite also being a very good second striker, if only because he's not as prolific in front of the goal as the other two members of the holy trinity...

Forward
Silva, David Villa and Juan Manuel Mata are Valencia's holy trinity of Spaniards and the three players that Valencia will live or die through. Mata has emerged to be an equal to the Davids with possibly even more potential, and now that it looks like he will stay he could potentially be Valencia's best player, regardless if he plays on the wing or up front. David Villa meanwhile is one of the best Spanish strikers of all time and is a strong candidate for the world's best striker right now. While he has had a poor pre-season and there are still doubts about his heart still being in Valencia, the last time he has scored less than 15 goals a season is 2001 and remains Valencia's club icon. Nikola Žigić returns and while the club has previous lacked faith in him, the big Serb is a target man who has a proven history of getting goals when given the chance and give Valencia another option up front.

(To be continued later today)

[LaFuriaBlaugrana]

Key Signing: Éver Banega
Well he's technically not a new signing, but he's someone Valencia could have used last year considering their woeful midfield. "The Webcam" rapidly rose to fame as Boca Junior's replacement for Fernando Gago, quickly eclipsing his predecessor. Technically a more attacking player than Gago, he first got attention because of his passing ability, though his willingness to get his hands dirty and his positioning allowed him to thrive in a more defensive role too. His career in Europe has been held back however, because of his immaturity, first through his webcam antics and then through a series of unncessary red cards while on loan at Atletico. If he can work on his temper, he could potentially form a potent partnership with Manuel Fernandes, the two of them sharing attacking and defending work. Recent news is linking him to Everton, a story I'm extremely skeptical of and a move that would be complete stupidity on Valencia's part.

Main Men: The Holy Trinity
While the obvious choice here is David Villa, and he can't be left out, I'm expecting a relatively low key season for Maravilla. He's not going to suddenly stop being the worlds most complete striker, but he has had a poor pre-season and while I don't see him scoring less than 15 goals, Valencia needs to learn to rely on other players to take things to the next level, and it will benefit Villa as well as Valencia if the goal scoring is shared more evenly, with Zigic (not likely to shine, but I wouldn't be surprised if he plays a role similar to what Morientes did a few years ago) and Juan Mata especially suited to take attention from Villa. Mata is still lower profile than the Davids, but not for long, and I can see him slowly taking over Villa's role. Meanwhile David Silva, a player more than capable of getting a fair share of goals himself, will continue to play a more subtle but equally important role in keeping the offense moving. Capable of filling every attacking role without losing a step, the Canary Islander was considered untransferable this summer even before the financial crisis was allegedly resolved.

Last Chance Charlie: Joaquín Sánchez
Although his maturity level isn't quite as low as Reyes, Joaquin is similar in that he's another once highly rated winger that has fallen through the cracks in part due to his own stupidity. A temperamental, inconsistent performer with a limited number of tricks, Joaquin is still very dangerous on his day and while at this point he is no longer considered an elite player for either club or country, his crossing ability and dribblin skill still has the potential to individually win games for Valencia. A good season and he could return to being a key player on a CL-calibur team, a bad season and he's likely to be pawned off where his legacy will be cemented as just another good Spanish winger.


Conclusion
Like Atleti, this is a team capable of anything. Valencia has a better squad than either Sevilla or Villarreal but is run inversely; Los Che no longer appears to be the worse run club in Spain, but old habits die hard and like always conflicts in both the boardroom and locker room are just around the corner; no club is better at self destructing like Valencia. However this summer they have appeared to done everything right, holding on to virtually all their key pieces and spending their limited budget wisely, with the defensive additions of Bruno, Matthieu, and Dealbert looking like the kind of moves needed to take Valencia exactly where they need to go. With the terror reign of the Soler family finally over, if the board sticks to their promises, Valencia could be back among Europe's elite in the near future. Until then however, 3rd place is probably the best they can hope for.

[yusuf423]

nicely down nolan