La Liga is going to start in less than a month. And, as a football fan, it’s the only European league I’m eagerly waiting for. Even though I don’t support any specific team in La Liga, I was happy with the fact that Barca hammered Real Madrid with exceptional football last season.
Also, a major reason why I like La Liga so much is that, besides the EPL (English Premier League), it’s one of the most competitive and unpredictable European competitions.
For instance, it was unimaginable to think that Real Madrid, even with superstars like Mbappe, Vinicius Jr., Modric, and Bellingham, and managed by a veteran manager, Carlo Ancelotti, would lose the league.
Having said that, there are no favorites in La Liga, as it’s anyone’s league. But, how about we analyze some Spanish giants and predict how they’re going to perform in the next season?
So, let’s start!
Starting with the reigning champions, I’m pretty hopeful that Barcelona can repeat last season’s extraordinary performance. Yes, it’s a fact that Robert Lewandowski has gotten older, but the prolific striker can still score on a rotational basis.
Having said that, if there’s any La Liga player, I’m most excited to watch, it would be the young prodigy, Lamine Yamal. I’ve even bundled my Spectrum Internet with cable TV to live-stream Barca’s matches in high quality, so I don’t miss out on Yamal’s exceptional performances.
He’ll be donning the number 10. Jersey in the next season. And, though a bit early to predict, if Lamine tears his opponents again like he did last season, stopping Barca would be a hard nut to crack.
Talking about Lamine Yamal, he was Mbappe, Vinicius. Jr, and Bellingham’s biggest competitor. And, to say that he was the ultimate difference between Real Madrid and Barcelona wouldn’t be wrong. However, I believe Real Madrid might have found a way to deal with Yamal by signing Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Also, how can I forget about Xabi Alonso? He now has access to some of the most talented players in the world. And for some teams, it might be frightening to think what he would achieve with Real Madrid, considering he won the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen a couple of years ago.
Anyway, Real Madrid has worked really well to cover all the bases this season. Apart from the semi-final against PSG (Paris-Saint Germain) in the FIFA Club World Cup, they really played well.
Diego Simeone’s men have always been a dark horse in La Liga. And while Atletico may have won a few trophies in the last several years, they’re always a worthy opponent that every team would watch out for.
Having said that, I believe Atletico is going to focus more on Copa Del Rey, rather than the La Liga or the UCL. It’s because Atletico’s city rivals, Real Madrid, always prefer the UCL over every other competition.
On the other hand, Barca’s track record in La Liga in the last decade has been exemplary. While Hansi Flick and Xabi Alonso would also be focused on CDR, they might rest the big guns and save them for major European fixtures.
For that reason, Diego Simeone might prefer going all out for CDR as his men have realistic chances to bag the Spanish domestic trophy next season.
Sevilla might not be very successful in the Spanish league or domestic competitions. However, they’ve won the Europa League more than any team in the world. And it’s a major reason why writing off this team is never a good idea.
However, Sevilla’s last few seasons have been disastrous. They’ve failed several times to finish in the top three. Apart from the Europa League, their performances in CDR and UCL have been average, at best.
Having said that, I still believe that Sevilla has the potential to upset formidable opponents like Real Madrid and Barcelona. But, to say that they’d clinch the La Liga trophy next season would be an overstatement at this stage.
For me, Athletic Club is one of the most improved teams in La Liga. They defeated the likes of Sevilla, Real Sociedad, Real Betis, and Girona last season to earn a UCL spot. Additionally, they’ve also been qualifying for other European competitions over the past couple of seasons.
However, I’d say that finishing in the top three had been quite the challenge for them. It’s because, even Girona clinched that spot from Atletico Madrid in the past.
Anyways, with a limited transfer budget and resources, I’d say Athletic Club has performed exceptionally well. Plus, I believe it’s only a matter of a couple of seasons till this club pulls off a miracle win in La Liga like Leicester City did in the EPL.
To wind up, we’ve got all the reasons to be hyped up for La Liga. Also, football fans should keep in mind that right after the upcoming season ends, the FIFA World Cup will start. So, we might get to witness some really exciting and quality matches as every player would try to book a spot in their national teams.
