With LaLiga kicking off tomorrow night, here is the first half of our season preview. We begin with last season’s top ten, analysing the state of their squads and assessing their chances for this campaign.
Barcelona
Last season: Champions
Selected ins: İlkay Gündoğan, Oriol Romeu
Selected outs: Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba
Player to watch: Ansu Fati
The expected Leo Messi summer saga never materialised, but instead Ousmane Dembélé took up that particular mantle. Xavi’s side will look to defend their title and win consecutive crowns for the first time since 2018/19, but will be without the experience of Sergio Busquets and their iconic Camp Nou home. In recruiting Gündoğan, Xavi has a ready-made replacement fresh off a season in which he heavily influenced Manchester City’s treble. Romeu will also provide class and composure in the midfield. The doubts are around depth in defence and in wide areas: who will be the providers for Robert Lewandowski and are the existing options strong enough?
Real Madrid
Last season: Runners-up
Selected ins: Jude Bellingham, Fran García
Selected outs: Karim Benzema, Marco Asensio
One to watch: Jude Bellingham
After seeing their LaLiga crown taken from their grasp by bitter rivals Barcelona, Real Madrid will be going all out to bring the league title back to the Santiago Bernabéu. The marquee signing of one of Europe’s brightest stars, Jude Bellingham, adds more quality to a midfield already bursting with world-class talent. Academy product Fran García is back at the club and will allow a grateful Eduardo Camavinga to move away from his unfavoured left-back position. Karim Benzema’s decision to swap Spain for the riches of Saudi Arabia raises questions surrounding Carlo Ancelotti’s forward line. Fresh from winning the Zarra trophy, Joselu has arrived in the Spanish capital in fine form, but can he continue to rack up the goals with the added pressure of playing for one of the world’s biggest clubs?
Atlético Madrid
Last season: 3rd
Selected ins: Javi Galán, Caglar Söyüncü, César Azpilicueta
Selected outs: Matheus Cunha, Renan Lodi, Geoffrey Kondogbia
Player to watch: Rodrigo Riquelme
Atleti have enjoyed a stable summer. Diego Simeone’s future was in doubt last season, but their form in the second half of the season won back the faith. With João Félix still at the club, there could be problems given the tension with Simeone, but the defence has been strengthened, and the rest of the team was working well at the back end of 22/23. Can they challenge for the title? Neutrals certainly hope so. In the absence of his compatriot Karim Benzema, Antoine Griezmann is surely the established MVP of the league, and he will be the star around which the rest must orbit for Simeone’s side.
Real Sociedad
Last season: 4th
Selected ins: André Silva, Hamari Traoré
Selected outs: David Silva (retired), Alexander Sørloth
One to watch: Umar Sadiq
After achieving their best league finish since 2012-13, Real Sociedad are looking forward to their first Champions League campaign in ten years. While they now have the privilege of playing among Europe’s elite, they also have to contend with increased expectations as they attempt to replicate their top-four finish. Imanol Alguacil can no longer call upon the masterful David Silva after an anterior cruciate ligament injury forced the 37-year-old to call time on a glittering career. Norwegian marksman Alexander Sørloth left at the end of his loan spell, but La Real have been boosted by the return of Umar Sadiq, who is working his way back to full fitness after spending the majority of the 2022-23 campaign on the sidelines with a serious knee injury.
Villarreal
Last season: 5th
Selected ins: Ben Brereton Díaz, Alexander Sørloth, Denis Suárez
Selected outs: Samu Chukwueze, Nico Jackson, Pau Torres
Player to watch: Ramón Terrats
Like Atleti, Villarreal improved as last season went on, and Quique Setién has had time to fully incorporate his playing style. However, if the pre-season results are anything to go by, the waters could be getting choppy for the Yellow Submarine. Generating significant money through sales to Aston Villa, Chelsea and Milan, they have re-invested some of it by bringing in Sørloth. Fans will be hoping the Norwegian can perform a similar role to last season, when he helped fire Real Sociedad into the Champions League. Villarreal are a small club who are dreaming big, and should be a fascinating watch this campaign.
Real Betis
Last season: 6th
Selected ins: Isco, Héctor Bellerín
Selected outs: Sergio Canales, Diego Lainez
One to watch: Isco
Having finished in the top six in each of the last three seasons, Betis will be dreaming of kicking on and qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since 2004-05. The loss of Sergio Canales’s creative talents will dampen their attacking spark, but Betis have made some promising additions. After spending a year trying to find his way back to Betis, Héctor Bellerín has finally returned to the Estadio Benito Villamarín. Over seven months after leaving Sevilla, Isco is now preparing to wear the green-and-white jersey, reuniting with his former Málaga boss Manuel Pellegrini. Can ‘The Engineer’ halt the Spaniard’s decline and restore him to the glory days of his past?
Osasuna
Last season: 7th
Selected ins: Alejandro Catena, Johan Mojica
Selected outs: Ez Abde, Manu Sánchez
Player to watch: Aimar Oroz
Los Rojillos have spent most of their summer in the courts, successfully overturning UEFA’s ban on their participation in the Conference League. After such a positive campaign last time out, this one will be tougher, and Jagoba Arrasate will be fully aware of that. With greater expectations and optimism comes higher pressure, and their squad appears weaker too. Their loan stars have left, and while the new additions are shrewd and smart, they lack the spark that players like Ez Abde brought to El Sadar. Consolidation in mid-table should be seen as a decent season, with any European run a bonus.
Athletic Club
Last season: 8th
Selected ins: Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta
Selected outs: Iñigo Martínez, Oier Zarraga
One to watch: Nico Williams
Ernesto Valverde may have felt short-changed with Athletic’s eighth-placed finish last term. The season offered promise at times, but a failure to consistently deliver positive results left Los Leones just short of the top seven. European qualification will be the aim once again for Athletic’s experienced coach, who will try to eke out improvement from a squad that has changed very little. Nico Williams will be a key attacking outlet, and the precocious talent will be aiming to build upon an encouraging 2022-23 campaign, where he registered six goals and four assists in 36 league appearances.
Mallorca
Last season: 9th
Selected ins: Cyle Larin, Manu Morlanes
Selected outs: Kang-In Lee, Iñigo Ruiz de Galarreta
Player to watch: Vedat Muriqi
Losing Kang-In Lee to Paris Saint-Germain was undoubtedly a significant blow, but it was to be expected. The acquisition of Larin to partner Muriqi looks like tremendous business and will guarantee goals for Javier Aguirre’s side. Morlanes will help to plug the creativity gap, while the defence will remain solid and resolute. After changing divisions for five campaigns in a row, the Bermellones enjoyed stability last season. They will be content to stay established in the middle of the table, but might eye a run for the European spots if things click.
Girona
Last season: 10th
Selected ins: Artem Dovbyk, Pablo Torre
Selected outs: Oriel Romeu, Taty Castellanos
One to watch: Pablo Torre
Girona were undoubtedly one of the standout sides last season, surpassing all expectations as Míchel guided the newly-promoted outfit to the brink of Europe, playing an attacking brand of football that made them one of the most watchable teams in the top flight. However, there will be no surprise factor for Girona this time around and the second season usually proves to be a tougher experience. The level-headed and highly-skilled Oriol Romeu has left for Barcelona, leaving Girona with a significant hole to fill in midfield. Pablo Torre has travelled in the opposite direction, and the Barcelona youngster will be determined to impress his parent club during his loan spell. In the attacking third, Artem Dovbyk has the tough challenge of replacing the goals previously provided by Taty Castellanos, but can link up with Ukranian international team-mate Viktor Tsygankov.
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Hasta muy pronto,
The La Liga Lowdown crew