Ahead of the 2022/23 season start in La Liga, let’s take a look at how the big teams are shaping up.
By Ben Hayward, La Liga expert
Barcelona’s financial levers
During his time as Barcelona coach, Pep Guardiola once said: “There is nothing more risky than not taking any risks.” The Catalan club have certainly taken plenty of risks this summer and only time will tell whether those pay off. Barça have sold off 25 per cent of their domestic television rights for the next 25 years and almost a quarter of their in-house production company in order to raise much-needed funds now – despite their huge debts – and strengthen their squad by activating ‘financial levers’. It has allowed the Blaugrana to assemble an impressive roster ahead of the new season and an enviable forward line, with Robert Lewandowski signed from Bayern Munich, Raphinha brought in from Leeds and Ousmane Dembélé renewed for a further two seasons at the request of coach Xavi Hernández.
Xavi arrived as coach in the middle of last season. There was huge excitement and anticipation at Camp Nou, with comparisons drawn to Guardiola’s spectacular spell in charge between 2008 and 2012. But Xavi found a club in extreme debt, struggling in mid-table and inherited a squad with serious shortcomings. Some of those were addressed in the winter window. This summer, they have been addressed for real and the feeling is that the 42-year-old now has a group of players who can embrace his methods and thrive under his tutelage. If it works – and there was a genuine intention about his Barça last season, with many signs of improvement en route to a second-placed finish – and if all of the new signings are registered in time to feature in La Liga, then this hungry FCB can be considered favourites to win the competition for the first time since 2019.
On the flip side, failure to register those players – the five new signings plus Dembélé and Sergi Roberto who have penned new contracts – due to La Liga’s strict FFP-type rules – would cause chaos and unrest at institutional level and would seriously harm the club’s hopes of winning the competition. Time is running out ahead of Saturday’s kick-off at home to Rayo Vallecano, but Barça remain confident it will all be done in time and if it is, Xavi’s side should provide the fireworks in 2022-23. As Guardiola said in his first press conference as Barça boss: “Fasten your seatbelts, because it’s going to be fun.”
Madrid’s stability under Ancelotti
Fans of Real Madrid might be a bit bemused on reading the above. After all, their team won La Liga at a stroll last season, added the Champions League title in May and just opened their campaign by claiming another piece of silverware – the UEFA Super Cup.
Madrid are in a good place right now, no doubt. Coach Carlo Ancelotti has brought stability, along with experience and tactical nous. The Italian is popular with everyone at the club and has led Los Blancos to four trophies in 2022. And while the summer transfer window has been much more low-key than Barcelona’s, that is partly because big changes were not needed at the Santiago Bernabeu. Missing out on top target Kylian Mbappé in May was a big disappointment, but Madrid claimed the Champions League in Paris a few days later. So far, only two players have been brought in this summer: Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco and Antonio Rüdiger from Chelsea. Both appeared as late substitutes in the 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Super Cup on Wednesday and should go on to become key players at the Bernabeu. Tchouameni, along with Eduardo Camavinga and Fede Valverde, will be part of a dynamic and more modern midfield as Real look to ease the burden on their veteran trio of Luka Modrić, Toni Kroos and Casemiro.
Madrid won La Liga last season with 86 points, but are likely to need many more this time around following Barcelona’s big recruitment drive and Ancelotti – despite being the only coach to have won titles in all of Europe’s big five leagues – is more renowned for his record in cup competitions in a long career spanning over 25 years.
“Every year it’s difficult,” Casemiro said on Wednesday night. “We have to recognise that they (Barcelona) have strengthened really well with players of great quality. We want to do better as well and we will work on ourselves. The best team will be the one out front.”
Big changes at Atleti
Atlético Madrid won La Liga in 2020-21 and Diego Simeone’s side were expected to be strong again last season, but the Rojiblancos mounted a disappointing defence of their title and only sealed Champions League qualification right at the end of the campaign. Atleti ultimately finished third and appear unlikely to improve upon that position in 2022-23.
Luis Suárez has left the club to return to Uruguay with Nacional, while on-loan Antoine Griezmann has only just been registered ahead of La Liga’s kick-off. Experienced midfielder Axel Witsel has joined from Borussia Dortmund and should play an important part, while right-back Nahuel Molina has arrived from Udinese as a replacement for Kieran Trippier, who left for Newcastle last January. Striker Álvaro Morata has also returned following a loan spell at Juventus and could be key. Simeone will also hope for a big season from the club’s record signing, João Félix, who has only shown his best form intermittently since a €126 million transfer from Benfica in 2019.
The chasing pack
Sevilla finished fourth in 2021-22 but seem set to find life more difficult this term following the departures of centre-backs Diego Carlos (to Aston Villa) and Jules Kounde (to Barcelona), although it will be interesting to see how Isco fares back in southern Spain following his move from Real Madrid.
Elsewhere, former Barcelona boss Ernesto Valverde is back for a third spell in charge at Athletic Club and his return to San Mames should see the Bilbao side challenge for the European places – even if their policy of signing Basque-only players means it will be essentially the same squad as last season.
Espanyol could be a team to watch under former Granada coach Diego Martínez, so impressive during his time at the Andalusian club. Mexican coach Javier Aguirre is always good entertainment and is staying at Mallorca after keeping the islanders up against all odds last term. It will also be good to see Girona – and the evergreen Cristhian Stuani – back in La Liga after three seasons in the second tier.
(Images from IMAGO)
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