The La Liga football season gets under way again on the 24th August this year in Spain and with plenty of activity in the transfer market in both directions, it will be interesting to see how the sides line up for their return to domestic football in just under a month’s time. Below La Liga Blog makes five bold predictions plus their explanations as to why for this year’s highly-anticipated La Liga campaign.
Ronaldo to yet again out-score Messi
Despite all eyes being on Argentine Lionel Messi last year it was his Portugese rival Cristiano Ronaldo who won the goal-scoring plaudits by netting a record-breaking forty goals in the domestic season of 2011. Messi’s lacklustre performance in this year’s Copa America once again highlighted how much he relies on the services of his team mates to score goals. Whilst Ronaldo is technically less gifted, he seems to have a better knack of creating his own chances which is why yet again Ronaldo will score more than Messi this season.
Malaga to qualify for European football
Van Nistlerooy, Demichelis, Baptista, Cazorla and Joaquin are just some of the names that have been added to Malaga‘s star-studded squad this season and with an experienced manager in Peligrini to boot, Los Boquerones have a great chance of qualifying for European football. Whether they have to settle for Europa League or go the whole way and grab a place in the Champions League is a different question but one things for sure, Malaga will be mixing it up with the big boys in the upper-echelons of the La Liga table this year.
The Title Race to go right down to the wire
Whilst Barcelona possess very much a squad in it’s prime, Jose Mourinho has set his stall out to build a Real Madrid side for the future with such notable youngsters as Angel Di Maria and Mesut Ozil expected to accomplish big things over the next few years. His youthful Real Madrid side will come back a year stronger and wiser after their Champions League and La Liga setbacks and will no doubt push Barcelona all the way in pursuit for the La Liga championship this season.
Atletico Madrid to finish in the bottom half of the La Liga table
With Sergio Aguero signing the dotted line at Manchester City, Atletico Madrid will surely now be lacking severely in the goal department with Diego Forlan now acting as the club’s only experienced striker. On the back of a disappointing 7th place finish in the league last season and with no real formiddable signings of which to boast, things could go from bad to worse for the red side of Madrid this year.
Fernando Llorente to finish La Liga top scorer outside Ronaldo and Messi
This Basque goal machine has really come into his own ever since he broke into the Spanish national team back in 2008 and after netting 18 league goals in the 2010/2011 season, La Liga Blog expects the 26 year old to have his best year yet for club side Athletic Bilbao this season. Whilst surpassing the goal tallies of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi is an impossible feat, we wouldn’t be surprised to see Llorente sitting behind in a close 3rd in the top goalscorer standings come the end of the season.
Comments
andym
Founder and chief editor of La Liga Blog, Andy fell in love with Spanish football after a university placement year in the Costa Del Sol. His favourite Tapas is Albondigas and on Saturday afternoons, Andy can regularly be found trying to emulate his hero Carles Puyol for his amateur football team.
Unlike Ronaldo, Messi’s mission is not limited to scoring goals. Messi has a substantial lead in La Liga assists over everybody else, including Ronaldo. His passing is incredibly precise and superbly timed, like placing the ball in a platter for his team mates to score. He’s light years ahead of Ronaldo in that category, yet he scores his share of goals, himself; Pichichi in 2009/2010 and second in 2010/2011. Messi strives to make others score; Ronaldo wants only to score himself and screw the others, not allowing anybody to take a penalty kick, but himself. That’s totally self centered and egotistic. There’s a reason why Messi has won the last two Ballon D’Or…and not Ronaldo.
One more thing. Your statement “Messi’s lacklustre performance in this year’s Copa America once again highlighted how much he relies on the services of his team mates to score goals” is, simply, not correct and unfair. Messi plays at a much higher level than the rest of that national team. He provided an immense number of scoring opportunities to several Argentinean strikers who could not finish the work, over and over. He tried quick and precise one-two’s entering the penalty area in the manner that he does with Danny Alves, Villa or Xavi, but his teammates were always “sleeping” and could not complete the play. That is NOT Messi’s fault, because it is no different than if they placed him in a U-17 team: he would still generate his usual fantastic plays, but the inexperienced teammates response would not be there because they play at a lower level. And, finally, just think about how much would Barcelona rule without Messi. Simply put, the Argentine team pulled Messi down, whereas Barca’s higher level CAN score the La Liga standard setting Messi assists.
All very good points there Renaldo. I think your right that it is infact Ronaldo’s selfishness that is the main reason behind why he scored more last season but whilst Messi creates more chances I still feel Ronaldo is that bit more clinical in front of goal. And I think in the Copa America with less experienced team-mates (although only in comparison to Barca) this was the perfect time for Messi to be more selfish on the ball than he infact was, because he clearly has the abillity to do so. I think it was more the case of the Argentinian whole team including Messi didn’t gel as a unit during the tournament. For example, Ronaldo was on a different level to his team mates when he was at Man United and it was this selfishness that became the only reason Manchester United were so succesfull with the exception of losing to Barca in the Champions League final in 2009. I actually think the Pichichi is a lot more important to Ronaldo than it is to Messi but it will no doubt be a very close two-horsed race.
All very good points though, thank you very much for your input.