World Soccer - UK (2020-10)

A new era of dominance?

JOAO FELIX

(Atletico Madrid)

Sealed a record move to

Atletico as a replacement

for Antoine Griezmann,

then madeMarca’smost

disappointing team of the

season. Doesn’t turn 21

until November, so has

plenty of time to win over

doubters in 2020-21.

JOAQUIN

(Real Betis)

The 39-year-old club

captain and La Liga icon

is entering the last year

of his contract, and is

expected to finally retire

at the end of the season

• once he’s broken Betis’
  all-time appearance
  record of 378 games.

MARTIN ODEGAARD

(Real Madrid)

Real simply had to recall

Odegaard early from his

loan at Real Sociedad –

he was arguably La Liga’s

best midfielder in 2019-20.

The Norway international

will relish the challenge

of testing himself in the

Champions League.

DARWIN MACHIS

(Granada)

Probably one of the most

underrated attackers in

the Spanish league, the

Venezuela forward will

be crucial if Granada are

to manage back-to-back

top-half La Liga finishes.

Scored seven goals and

assisted five in 2019-20.

GERARD MORENO

(Villarreal)

Struck twice on the final

day of 2019-20 to win the

Zarra Trophy with18 goals

• awarded to La Liga’s top-
  scoring Spaniard. The 28-
  year-old is an outsider for
  Spain’s Euro squad, having
  scored three goals in three
  international games.

W

hile there is more to La

Liga than the top two, the

stats do not lie:15 of the

last16 La Liga titles have

been lifted by either Barcelona or Real

Madrid. Atletico Madrid have pushed and

barged their way into the top three

under Diego Simeone, while we have to

go back to 2004 for Valencia’s last title.

It’s fair to say that Barca owned the

2010s, lifting six of the last ten titles,

but if anybody is going to own the next

decade it is more likely to be Real.

Their ten consecutive league wins

post-lockdown made them worthy

champions, but their superiority over

Barca was well summed up on social

media in the final week of the season.

Before their encounter with Alaves,

the Catalan club posted their usual

first-team squad graphic to Twitter,

featuring just five substitutes, including

two goalkeepers and emergency signing

Martin Braithwaite – misspelt

“Braihwaite”.

In contrast, Real’s tweet boasted

a 22-man squad graphic with eight

attacking players, five of whom aged 24

or younger, and still no room for Gareth

Bale, Eden Hazard orJames Rodriguez.

It marked a stark contrast in the two

clubs’ squad depths, and highlighted the

failure of Barcelona’s transfer policy,

while also suggesting a new era of

dominance could lie ahead for Real.

It is no exaggeration to say that

Barca are in total upheaval. Change

was already on the horizon, but the 8-2

humiliation at the hands of Bayern

Munich exacerbated the need for

radical and immediate action.

Quique Setien was straight out of the

door, replaced by Ronald Koeman, as

was sporting director Eric Abidal. Many

players could follow. Barca have several

stars over 30, including new signing

Miralem Pjanic, plus the likes of Gerard

Pique,Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets, Ivan

Rakitic, Arturo Vidal and Luis Suarez.

President Bartomeu insisted that only

certain “untouchables” would be safe.

What he did not expect was for one

of those untouchables to announce

his intention to leave.

The future of Lionel Messi is Barca’s

most pressing concern. He is still their

Season preview2020-21

SPAIN LA LIGA

Messi...rumours are

rife that Barca’s key

player could leave

the Nou Camp

PLAYERSTOWATCH

It highlighted the failure of Barca’s

transfer policy, while also suggesting

aneweraofdominanceforReal