La Liga Preview- Granada, Sevilla, Valencia, Mallorca, Real Zaragoza

How will Real Mallorca fair?

For Real Mallorca, the upcoming season presents an extreme challenge – one that will test the true spirit and worth of the club and its playing staff. At the end of last year, Mallorca found themselves clawing their way out of a late relegation battle, finishing the season just a solitary point above the drop. Indeed, at one moment on the final day, Los Bermellones, as the club are known, were just a goal away from relegation.

The main fear coming out of the island, then, is that the fans can only expect more of the same this season.

In truth, such a lowly position doesn’t tell the entire story of Mallorca’s season; the lower half of the table was packed so tightly that three more points would have seen the islanders up to ninth. They were the only team able to make it through the first half of the fixture list unscathed by Real Madrid and Barcelona, and highlights came in the form of dramatic away victories against Valencia and Sevilla. But it was a season of two halves, and Mallorca’s good early start gave way to a dismal second half, which saw their comfortable niche in mid-table slip out of their grasp. And what a difference a year makes…

This time last year, Mallorca were optimistically prepping for a season in the Europa League after finishing the preceding campaign in fifth. But their fall from grace was completed when UEFA expelled them from Europe due to their financial issues, a blow that still reverberates around the island to this day.

Mallorca’s financial troubles have had a knock-on effect to this summer’s transfer policy, which has involved little spending and somewhat of a sell-before-we-buy system. Last season’s top-scorer, temperamental striker Pierre Webó, has headed through the exit door to ply his trade in Turkey. Fortunately, his replacement, Israeli international Tomer Hemed, looks like a promising addition. The loss of Webo has been seen by many fans as a sign of the clubs intentions and the feeling is that the once ever exuberant ambition of European Glory has faded to mid table consolidation and relegation paranoia. Others who have departed include left-back Ayoze, goalkeeper German Lux and centre-back Ruben. But Palma airport has been extremely busy, and has seen right-back Gianni Zuiverloon, left-back Pablo Caceres, centre-back Chico and goalkeeper Juan Catalayud head through arrivals – many on free transfers. Perhaps the most promising signing, however, was wrapped up just a few days ago, as Mallorca confirmed the arrival of Alejandro Alfaro from Sevilla in a deal thought to be worth €700,000. Big money, as far as Mallorca are concerned but Alfaro could prove to be a top signing if Michael Laudrup can get the best out of him, but the key player for them next season is the supreme prospect of young Sergio Tejera and whether he can build on last season and come up trumps for Laudrup.

They are in the proverbial mill financially no doubt about it but with a manager with such ambition and loyalty, Laudrup, they truly could not have a better man to guide them safely through this storm of uncertainty and financial worry. Even if De Guzman does leave the club for Villareal, as expected, the ambition of the manager and his ability to overcome should see Mallorca finding an adequate replacement for the Canadian be it from the academy or from the never reaches of European domestic football. There have long been rumours linking star winger Gonzalo ‘Chori’ Castro with a move, and this has been complicated further by an amateurish administrative error that set his release clause at just €18,000 instead of €18 million. Though he is on the record as saying he won’t honour this, one can never be too certain.  However, with a release clause of €12 million De Guzman does look like he could stay given Villareals reluctance to match the clause and has previously told fans on the Island that he wishes to stay and honour the clubs loyalty to him so we shall see.

Mallorca have brought in a few promising new faces, and, in contrast to the last few years, the management at the helm of the club seem to have brought a little more stability to the financial department. But the club’s aims for the season are modest, and with a squad that is, on paper, perhaps a little weaker than it was this time last season, the challenge is obvious. The hope for Laudrup and the fans is that the team will have gelled a little more than last year, and will be ready for the problems lying in wait when the season finally commences. With solid players like Ivan Ramis and captain Jose Nunes at the back, and exciting talents like Emilio Nsue and Michael Pereira flirting between midfield and attack. But like so many other struggling teams the lack of depth is a major concern amongst commentators/fans, if they get hit with a couple of injuries early on in the season to key players you feel Laudrup’s men will struggle to come back from that.

Key Players-

Defence:

Ivan Ramis will yet again be the stalwart in the Islanders defence, he will need to remain fit and keep the backline steady because you feel alot of inexperienced full backs will be used given Mallorca’s position financially and lack of depth in that area so he will need to be there to keep the backline assured and give the inexperienced/new guys in there some guidance.

Midfield:

Sergio Tejera will be the key to Laudrups vision of creating a fluid midfield with an attack minded youthful prong to deal with spearheading the attacks. He has shown in spells that he is capable and I get the feeling this year may well be his year. Akihiro Ienaga is a new face at Mallorca having signed from Osaka and he is fairly experienced and if he can get a good start to his career in Spain I can see him making a significant impact on whether Laudrup’s team finishes above expectations or below expectations. He comes with a nominal fee and a small reputation which will help him, we will see how it works out for him as the season develops.

Attack:

Emilio Nsue is sure to be Laudrup’s main man, if he can show consistency and stay injury free then you feel the Islanders will secure a top half finish whereas if he does not build on his experience and consistency you get the feeling that they will struggle. Perreira and Nsue have the ability to be La Liga star forwards but when they do not fire the Islanders are often found wanting…

Prediction: 8th

I think Laudrup’s influence on his team and the undoubted youthful quality that runs down the spine will be enough to see them through. I do have concerns over their goalkeepers and the aforementioned lack of squad depth. Providing this team stays injury free early on I can see RCD Mallorca coming 8th at the very least.

How will Real Zaragoza fair?

With Javier Aguirre taking charge and attempting a revolution to the clubs structure, buoyed by Mourinho at Real no doubt, the club is embroiled in a power struggle between Aguirre and Iglesias (The club director) over transfers and who has control of them. They have such a rich heritage in Spanish football and speaking as a Spanish football fan it is always nice to see Zaragoza in the top flight. Aguirre has made several demands, some heeded and some not so…

The Mexican coach was clear on a few things; fewer languages in the dressing room and younger players with resale value.

It’s a shame that Gabi and Ander Herrera have left, it’s too bad that Zaragoza couldn’t come to an agreement with Palermo over Nicolas Bertolo and Carlos Diogo however Aguirre was always reluctant to sign those players in particular and was rather glad they fell through. Marco Perez, Guirane N’Daw, Florent Sinama-Pongolle have ended their loan spells neither of those players were able to make an impact on the team. Jorge Lopez and Jiri Jarosik have left the club, Matteo Contini has left on loan to Siena and Roberto has signed from Benfica.

The only time, in fact, I have seen Zaragoza hit the headlines was Robero’s controversial transfer from Benfica which involved a third party paying 98% of Roberto’s 8m euros+ fee and still retained rights to the player despite his supposed ‘transfer’ to Zaragoza. Expect to hear more about that as the season progresses…

Abraham Mineiro , Edu Oriol, Juan Carlos, David Mateos and Efrain Juarez  have been signed for the next campaign. In addition, Raul Goni has returned from loan, and Victor Laguardia is finally ready to play football again after being injured for a long period. Alot of ‘lost prospects’ have come in, and funnily enough the majority of players now at Zaragoza speak Spanish which is what Aguirre’s clear goal is.

The club also has big problems financially and earlier this summer, Zaragoza had to make themselves bankruptcy. The court was ruled that due to it being a voluntary bankruptcy Zaragoza’s debt to creditors would be halved. (Convenient)

With Aguirre at the helm there can be no doubt that Zaragoza will be a tough team to beat especially at home, it’s an interesting project in itself to see how all of these ex Spanish youth players come together because we all labelled them talents a few years ago before they wandered into the proverbial footballing abyss…

Key Players-

Defence:

Fernando Meira will be crucial in acting as a solid foundation at the back, the guy has alot of experience and has dealt with pressure situations plenty of times throughout his career. He has the cool calm head needed to keep this team clear of relegation, if he can be kept fit and man managed properly he could save Zaragoza 10-15 points for the season by himself. A top drawer player who can help the youngsters around him much like Carvalho’s role at Real Madrid.

Midfield:

Franco Zuculini, having just signed on loan from Hofffenheim, if crucial to Aguirre’s plans of having a young Spanish speaking midfield. He has always showed great potential but never quite lived up to it, a very interesting player to watch next season. He will either be sensational and prove a revelation of flatten out and be in a relegated team, he is crucial to Aguirre’s team especially enacting a holding role in the midfield.

Attack:

Edu Oriol will be very interesting to watch, having joined from Barcelona B the feeling around Zaragoza is the guy still has potential even at the age of 23/24 and he could be another outstanding bit of business by Aguirre.

Prediction: 14th

I suspect they will be safe from relegation and have a reasonably sensible finish in the table. Alot of young, talented footballers but it is certainly a risky tactic to rely on them to keep Aguirre’s team up and to gel straight away.

Where will Udinese B finish?….Whoops, I mean Granada.

Having been labelled as Pozzo’s second team and nothing more than Udinese Calcio’s feeder club you can understand Granada fans frustrations at their prospects/accomplishments so far being written off so harshly. Despite this there is geat excitement in Granada as the club returns to the top flight for the first time in 35 years. Coach Fabri has brought in a number of new faces and will once again lean heavily on loan players from Udinese, with whom the club have a partnership agreement, but still needs to strengthen in certain areas. With not many instantly recognisable names among his squad Fabri has tried to put together a blend of youth and experience. However, he will need to foster great team spirit if Los Rojiblancos are to survive, with most pundits predicting they will struggle to reach 30 points which is a reasonable expectation given their current squad of youngsters/loanee’s.

So far the only signings of note have been experienced right-back David Cortés, 29, who has been picked up on a free transfer from Hércules to provide competition for the highly-rated Nyom, and 23-year-old Ikechi Anya from Celta Vigo. The latter is an interesting case. Born in Glasgow of Nigerian and Romanian parents he was picked up by Sevilla from the Glenn Hoddle academy in southern Spain and, having made his debut for Southend United to become the club´s youngest-ever player aged just 16, had spells at Wycombe Wanderers, Oxford City, Halesowen Town, Northampton Town, Sevilla B and Celta Vigo before getting his top-flight opportunity. As far as funds go Granada will have an operating budget next season of €22m, of which €14m will come from television rights compared to the €2m received last year, and are finally emerging from the financial mess in which they found themselves two years ago. Pina has also reached agreement with the tax and social security departments to reduce money owed, which is now down from €12m to less than €6m, which will need to be paid over five years. However, it will take an extraordinary effort for Granada to survive next season. In many ways it may well turn out to be a watershed and will similarly test Pina´s resolve to see how far he is prepared to go before moving on to pastures new. Their survival undoubtedly depends on the signings made, most of which loans from Udinese, and Pina’s commitment is crucial to this football club going into next season.

Key Players-

Defence:

Manual Lucena, the hometown boy, is vital to Granada holding their own in the top flight next season. You will always get a fully committed player in Lucena and with all the youngsters/new players surrounding him his role on and off the field will be absolutely crucial to Granada managing to beat the drop. He is a player Hercules lacked last season…

Midfield:

Yohan Mollo, having signed from Monaco Pozzo has really taken a gamble (Although at 1m euros you could argue not that much of a gamble) taking Mollo to Granada. He has always been touted as being a future French star at international level but always lacked consistency/a level head at crucial times and I get the feeling that like many other signings by promoted/bottom half clubs this could either be a move of genius or likewise a move of stupidity to bring this sort of player into the dressing room of a team that will be scrapping for it’s La Liga life come February.

Attack:

Alex Geijo is clearly the main man for Granada next season, the Swiss-Spanish forward will need to work hard to replicate his impressive 24 in 34 goal tally from last season at Granada. If he gets firing then he could propel them up the table, but I feel an injury to him and Granada will slide badly. He is arguably their most important player next season, their goal scoring/attack is spearhead and relied upon Geijo scoring.

Prediction: 17th

They just have enough to escape the relegation zone. But it will be a closely ran thing and if Geijo goes down then I seriously fear for Granada’s survival chances next season.

How will Sevilla fair?

Sevilla have been one of the best teams La Liga in recent years, and will have high expectations once again heading into the upcoming season. Looking to improve on last year’s fifth place finish, Sevilla named Marcelino its new coach and has added to their squad in the transfer market. Winning the title may be a bit unrealistic, with Real Madrid and Barcelona likely hogging the top two spots, but Marcelino has already signaled that he expects them to challenge for a spot in the top three and a berth in next year’s Champions League. They will look to do that while they also battle domestically in the Copa del Rey and across Europe in the Europa League, a competition they won in 2006 and 2007. Sevilla have looked good in the preseason, but the honeymoon period for the new look squad and its new coach will end abruptly if they stumble to begin the year. Their first match is against fierce local rivals Betis. With the fans expectant can Sevilla deliver what their fans demand?

Sevilla have brought in a few new players, most notably Piotr Trochowski a two-footed central midfielder from Hamburg. The 27-year-old has been a mainstay in the Hamburg midfield and featured in four matches for Jogi Loew’s national side at the 2010 World Cup. Piotr may not do anything excellent, but he does almost everything very well and don’t be surprised to see him have a go from distance. His ability to track back and put in a winning tackle will be extremely valuable to a Sevilla side desperate to improve on a leaky defense that gave up over 60 goals last season. On the opposite side people are optimistic that extremely talented Spanish winger Jesus Navas can remain fit next season and avoid injury, having had most of his 10/11 campaign written off due to injury. As a La Liga fan to see Navas in action once again would be an absolute joy to watch, when firing he is the best right winger in the league bar Barcelona’s. The lightning quick Navas should immediately slot into Marcelino’s starting eleven, and Sevilla will rely on him to create plenty of goal scoring chances.

Having sold Luis Fabiano last year, and with rumors persistently linking iconic striker Frederic Kanoute away from the club, Sevilla may have a very new look this year. But there is still plenty of quality all over the squad and the expectations will be high. Playing on three different fronts may prove difficult, as their squad depth is a major question mark, but with the right breaks, they will fancy their season ending with some silverware. Negredo has perhaps the biggest season of his career ahead as with Fabiano gone and Kanoute developing a new role the emphasis is very much on him to deliver Sevilla silverware/respectable league position through essentially his goals alone. Rodri Rios Lozano may be a name to watch who has impressed coaches at the club with his performances for the B team, expect to see him introduced to the fold early on in the season.

Key Players-

Defence:

Martin Caceres/Fazio, both players have been scouted and rated extremely highly by Europe’s elite clubs but have, with all due respect, had fairly atrocious seasons for the past 18 months. They both have the talent when on form to hold out any team and the prospect of them two playing together at CB makes the mouth salivate with expectation and excitement. Sevilla’s defence solidifying from the leaky perception of the past 2 years all depends on how well these 2 form a partnership. On paper they are an ideal pairing and could be the difference between mid table and Champions League.

Midfield:

Jesus Navas, when fit Navas can terrorise defences no matter what level and with Negredo up front he certainly has a guy who is not afraid to run in behind and attack crosses. If Navas get’s firing then I can only imagine the potential of this Sevilla side, especially alongside Rakitic who has shown over the years to be immensely capable at creating/scoring from midfield. Alongside Perroti you can see why Sevilla fans are so expectant of this team, undoubtedly it has the quality to be amongst the top 5 come next February.

Attack:

Alvaro Nedredo, he has proven himself in the league with Almeria and has had one of the best footballing educations available at Real Madrid. We all know his capabilities as does Marcelino, his strike rate is fairly sensational given the difficult circumstances he has been working under for the past 2 seasons.

Prediction: 5th

I think Marcelino’s side will be tougher to score against but I just think that they lack the depth in the forward areas to really sustain a top four challenge. If Negredo/Navas get hit with injuries early in the season I really fear for them.

How will Valencia fair?

This season at the Mestalla promises to be an even more action packed, adrenaline pumping and much more enthralling than ever before. With the rising tides in Andalucia on the back of heavy investment from middle-east oil tycoon for Malaga, and Sevilla, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal all making some bargain deals to improve on their squads, the competition in the league seems to be on the ascendency. But much like recent seasons and what has now almost become a norm, it is Valencia who pose a more realistic challenge than any of the above teams, to challenge the Barcelona-Real Madrid hegemony that has ruled the Spanish shores. The policy of financial consolidation last summer has proved fruitful this summer with promising signings such as that of French International defender Adil Rami and Spanish sensations Dani Parejo and Sergio Canales amongst others, has surely ushered a sense of belief in their set of fans. If Juan Mata is still a Valencia player come September 1st you feel they will genuinely be the best placed team to challenge the hegemony t the top of Spanish football no doubt about it.

Last season,  the club finished as the ‘best of the rest’ in 3rd place in the league. The season was overall a fairly successful one for Valencia as they made it through to the knockout rounds of the Champions League and also finished some way ahead of nearest competitors for 3rd and the final direct Champions League qualifications slot.   And as a result of them not having to play early Champions League qualifiers, there has been a lot more room to maneuver  around with their new signings in the pre-season friendlies to develop a better understanding within the team. Diego Alves from Almeria for the price they signed him at has fixed a problem that has been ever present and visible since Canizares retired, they have lacked a consistent top class goalkeeper and in Alves they have one of the most talented and consistent goalkeepers of the past 3 seasons. Another Almeria signing Pablo Piatti will prove to be, in my opinion, the bargain of the summer and I can see him showing his talent on the world stage for a long time to come. Absolutely superb bit of business by the clubs management…

4-2-3-1 has been the formation of choice for Valencia coach Unai Emery (despite all the tinkering that he does with his player selection every single week), playing the lone striker up front on his own, flanked by quick, tricky wingers. Villa, Aduriz and Soldado have all carried out the striker duties but with his imperious season-ending form, Soldado would once again be heading the Valencia attack.

Despite the arrival of Piatti, the first choice wingers would be set to stay the same with Mata and Pablo being two of the team’s leading players. Sergio Canales and Dani Parejo would both lay claim for a central attacking role but Parejo might edge it, atleast during the early part of the season, due to more experience. The only other moot point in the selection would be that of the goalkeeper between Vicente Guaita and Diego Alves. The former is a Valencian through and through and has performed admirably over the past one year and earned rave reviews for his saves versus Man Utd in the Champions League,  while the latter has been one of the most consistent goalkeepers in the league in recent seasons.

If Valencia can win the crucial games versus Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atleti you do feel that they could mount a serious challenge to the top 2. Consistency, solidity at the back and a strong head in the big games are the things to look out for with Valencia. They have tightened up the defence and have added quality to the midfield, some fans claim they need a new forward and that with the inevitable departure of Banega they may be a central midfield player short but we can not fully assess that until the window closes September 1st. Overall their prospects are extremely good going into the next season…

Key Players-

Defence:

Adil Rami, since Marchena Valencia have lacked a strong minded centre back with ability and I do feel that Rami is the ideal man to step into the helm and lead from the back. He will need to learn the tempo of the Spanish game but he will be a crucial player in the big games next season for Valencia, his experience and attributes will be just vital in stopping the likes of Messi, Villa etc baring down at will on Alves’ goal.

Midfield:

Juan Mata for obvious reasons is the main man in the Valencian midfield, he will need to front the supply line to Aduriz/Soldado and provide them with alot of chances if Valencia are to stand any chance of competing for the title. In Piatti and Timo Costa (Massive season for him) he does have a source of help in that department but all of the pressure will be on Mata to deliver for Valencia from fans, scouts and pundits alike. This is all dependant on him staying in Valencia of course and not moving cross continent to another league…

Attack:

It was hard to choose between Soldado and Aduriz because both surprised everyone last season with their performances but I would have to choose Soldado as Valencia’s main man next season. His experience and eye for goal will be tested severely and the apparent need for more forwards during the last campaign when Soldado and Aduriz were injured in the same period and Valencia struggled. Alcacer will possibly step into the 3rd striker role and may get an opportunity mid season to show whether he is ready to step up or not but Soldado will be Valencia’s main man next season no doubt about it.

Prediction: 3rd

I have an inclination they will come closer than last year but the lack of quality in the fullback areas I feel will let them down ultimately. Their midfield/attack will be a joy to behold- That I have no doubt whatsoever about.