La Liga 2013-14 season review

It was another brilliant season in La Liga, and one which will go down in history as the year that Atlético Madrid finally broke the duopoly between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Atlético's success was remarkable, especially given their financial constraints (it is worth mentioning that they had a smaller budget than QPR this season) and the fact that they lost one of their best players last summer in Radamel Falcao.  As well as winning the league, they reached the Champions League final, and, despite losing to Real, Diego Simeone’s side have defied expectation this season.

Although the loss of Falcao was seen as a big blow at the time, it actually benefitted the team. Diego Costa’s influence had often been stifled by the Colombian forward, and this season he was able to spread his wings, scoring 27 goals in La Liga (he had previously failed to score more than 10 in a single league season) and playing a huge part in Atleti’s success.

Likewise, Diego Simeone’s influence cannot be overstated. El Cholo has transformed the club, and the Argentine has cemented his place in Atleti folklore, surpassing his achievements as a player at the Vicente Calderón. He has succeeded in bringing unity to a club which was in a shambolic state when he arrived, and has given players such as Gabi and Tiago a new lease of life. While various names do stand out in this Atlético side, there is no one star player, and perhaps this is testament to the sense of togetherness that Simeone has created at the club. 

The likelihood is that at least some of these names will depart this summer. The trio of Diego Costa, Filipe Luis and Tiago looks set to leave for Chelsea, but this could mean that Atlético get to hold onto Thibaut Courtois for another season.  Koke is being heavily monitored by Barça, while Miranda, one of the stalwarts of Atlético’s defence, has been linked with a move to England. Whatever happens to this group of talented players, they deserve credit for a fantastic season.

For all of Atlético's qualities, Barça and Real underperformed in La Liga. While Ancelotti’s side managed to cover this up by winning the elusive Décima in a tense final against Atlético themselves, ending a 12-year wait for the trophy, Barça were not so lucky. Tata Martino’s side crashed out of the Champions League to Atlético, and lost the Copa del Rey final in the last few minutes thanks to a Gareth Bale dash from the halfway line. Such is the bizarre nature of La Liga that Barça actually had the chance to win the title on the final day of the season against Atlético, but Martino’s fate had already been sealed. The Catalan club have replaced him with Luis Enrique, who seems to be a better fit for them. He is well schooled in Barça's methods, and introduced a number of youngsters into the first team at Celta, his previous club. Expect 2014-15 to be a more settled year of transition for Barça. 

For Real Madrid, this season was only ever going to be about La Décima. Ancelotti was the perfect man for the job, in many ways representing the anti-Mourinho. Los Blancos were still shaking off some of the effects of Mourinho's tenure in the first half of the season, and towards the end they allowed the Champions League to dominate their focus, as they resigned themselves to third place in La Liga. However, Ancelotti did well to calm the team down, and they were largely faultless in the Champions League, barring some nervy moments away to Borussia Dortmund, when the tie had virtually been won. Bale had a good first season after a shaky start, scoring the winning goal in the Copa del Rey final and the goal which put Real ahead in the Champions League final, making that world record transfer fee look slightly less ridiculous. Not bad for someone the Spanish press cruelly labelled 'Forrest Gump' after the first Clásico of the season. 

Athletic Bilbao were reinvigorated by new manager Ernesto Valverde and comfortably secured the final Champions League spot, playing some lovely football along the way. Ander Iturraspe was a vital part of Valverde’s starting eleven, and earned himself a place in Del Bosque’s preliminary World Cup squad, while the hugely promising Aymeric Laporte was one of the best centre-backs in Spain this season. Aduriz experienced something of a resurgence, scoring 16 goals in La Liga, and Susaeta and Muniain were also impressive. Athletic are on the up, and, if they do get through to the group stages of the Champions League, they will be a team to look out for.

Sevilla also played some very attractive football under Unai Emery and won the Europa League, with Ivan Rakitić in particular having a brilliant season. They fell short in qualifying for the Champions League, and their hopes next season will rest on whether or not they can keep Rakitić this summer, with a number of potential suitors lurking. Villarreal finished in sixth place after bouncing back up from Segunda, and were inspired by their manager Marcelino. Sadly Real Sociedad couldn’t repeat their achievements from last season, as they failed to juggle the challenges of domestic and European football.

As always, it was a tense battle at the bottom end of La Liga. Paco Jémez’s Rayo Vallecano did brilliantly to avoid the drop, even though they looked destined for relegation. Betis had a horrendous season, as they sacked first Pepe Mel and then Juan Carlos Garrido after just 47 days in charge of the club, finishing bottom. Valladolid were also relegated, and Juan Ignacio Martínez’s tactics won his side few admirers. Osasuna waved goodbye to La Liga following 14 seasons in Primera Division, and it was a shame to see such a proud club go down. A special mention should go to the newly promoted sides Elche, Almería and Villarreal, who all stayed up this year.

Unfortunately the ugly side of La Liga did rear its head again, with a number of racist insults and jibes coming from the stands. It tarnished what was otherwise a brilliant season for Spanish football, and the LFP (the league’s organisational body) have to do something about it.

Despite this, it was a great season for La Liga, and we can expect an equally competitive league next season. In the often overused words of Marca, ‘hay liga’. There is a league.

@tomas_hill

Why this Clasico could decide La Liga

On Sunday, Real Madrid and Barcelona meet in a game that could decide the outcome of La Liga, and Barça coach Tata Martino’s fate. For Madrid, it is a chance to cement their place at the top of La Liga, while for Barça it represents their last realistic shot at mounting a title challenge. Such is the crazy nature of Spanish football that despite a 7-0 win against Osasuna last weekend, the vultures are circling around the Camp Nou, and if Madrid were to inflict a heavy defeat on the Catalans, it would be the final straw for the directors of the Catalan club, who are said to be looking for a replacement for Martino already.

When these two sides met back in October, it was a very different story. Ancelotti was just finding his feet in the capital, and Madrid succumbed to a limp 2-1 defeat, barely threatening Victor Valdes’ goal. The Italian manager had named a defensive line-up, including Sergio Ramos in midfield, and it was clear that he didn’t yet know his best eleven. Star signing Gareth Bale paled in comparison with Neymar, and the general consensus was that Barça could have scored more. It seemed as if Tata Martino’s side were on the up, whereas there was still a lot of tinkering to do for Ancelotti.

What a difference five months can make. For now, talks of crisis have been subdued after Barça secured their passage to the last eight of the Champions League against Manchester City, but recent defeats against lowly Valladolid and Real Sociedad have put Martino’s position in jeopardy. Madrid, meanwhile, look a different team to the side that played against Barcelona in October. The attacking trio of Bale, Benzema and Ronaldo has finally clicked for Ancelotti, while the team’s defence has improved drastically. Diego López has conceded 26 goals in 28 games, putting him third in Marca’s Zamora rankings for the best Spanish goalkeeper in La Liga, and, while his heroics cannot be understated, this is also down to the solid back four that he has had in front of him.

But there is another reason that this Clásico has taken on so much importance. There is a third team involved. Traditionally Madrid and Barça have occupied the top two places before this clash, but this time the outstanding Atlético Madrid are ahead of Barcelona, in second place. Up until recently, Atlético could rightfully have considered themselves as the best team in Madrid this season, and they have certainly been more impressive than the Catalans. A glance at the points totals in La Liga shows why some have labelled this a three-team Clásico. Real are top with 70 points, while Atlético are second with 67 points, only one point ahead of Barça in third place. The margins for error are extremely tight, and, if Atleti were to win against bottom side Betis on Sunday, and Real Madrid lose against Barça, then they would go top again.

While some have predicted a heavy defeat for Barça, they still remain formidable opponents when it matters the most, as demonstrated in the recent performances against Manchester City and Osasuna last weekend, and they will certainly be no pushovers. However, Ancelotti was right when he said that his team ‘arrive in a really good moment’, and we can expect a Real Madrid performance far removed from the tentative display in October. This promises to be an intriguing Clásico.

Be afraid, Barça, be very afraid.

This article first appeared on Sabotage Times. 

By Tomás Hill López-Menchero

Spanish sides are favourites in Round of 16 ties

Could Ancelotti deliver La Decima?

Last year saw Barcelona and Real Madrid humiliated in the Champions League semi-finals, but will the teams from La Liga have the last laugh?

Atlético Madrid

Before this tie was announced, Sulley Muntari had suggested that Atlético Madrid were the weakest team still left in the Champions League, saying that he would be happy for Milan to draw Los Rojiblancos in the round of 16. Muntari got his wish, but Atleti will certainly be no pushovers. They have been one of the best sides in Europe this season, but a combination of injury, fatigue and squad rotation has culminated in a series of uncharacteristic performances from Diego Simeone's side recently, including a loss to lowly Almería and two humbling defeats to city rivals Real in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey. In contrast, Milan started the season awfully and are only just beginning to show signs of improvement under new coach and ex-player Clarence Seedorf. Needless to say, Simeone will pick his strongest eleven for Wednesday's game against Milan, and will give Seedorf little breathing space in his first Champions League tie as manager. Atlético were brilliant in the group stages, collecting 16 points, a total only matched by Real Madrid this season. Many have touted them as dark horses for this competition, and, while this may be going a step too far, El Cholo will relish the chance for his team to progress to the latter stages of the competition. 

Real Madrid 

Despite his unrivalled credentials and calm exterior, some Madridistas had doubts about Carlo Ancelotti at first. They felt that his style of play was 'boring' compared to last season under Mourinho, and pointed to a limp Clásico defeat in which Ancelotti had named a defensive lineup, with Los Blancos rarely threatening the Barcelona defence . Any of these doubts have now been completely dispelled. Ancelotti's side are in imperious form, scoring goals for fun in La Liga and arguably reclaiming their status as Madrid's best team. La Décima has become an obsession for Real Madrid in recent years, and there is the growing sense in the capital that Ancelotti could be the manager to deliver the mythical tenth European cup, perhaps even this season. Schalke, for all of their qualities, should not represent too much of a test for Madrid, but the greater challenge will lie in the next two rounds, in which Real Madrid could find themselves facing another German team, the dreaded Bayern Munich. Pep Guardiola has moulded the Bavarian team into an even more formidable outfit than last season, and, if any team can stop the likes of Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, it will be them. Real Madrid have bad memories of Bayern, and Ancelotti will be hoping they do not come up against the Germans in the next round. 

Barcelona

Barça are in equally devastating form. Tata Martino was another manager who had his doubters when he was put in charge of Barcelona last summer, but on Saturday his side evoked memories of Guardiola's dream team, thumping Rayo Vallecano 6-0. It is just as well that the Catalan team are at their best, as they are up against none other than Manchester City. Manuel Pellegrini has transformed City into a formidable attacking force, and this will be Martino's toughest assignment yet. Barça are far from invincible, and the loss against Valencia a few weeks ago demonstrated that. However, while there are still weaknesses at the back, Barcelona have more than enough firepower themselves to eliminate City. It promises to be a mouth-watering tie.

By Tomás Hill López-Menchero

Champions League perfectly poised

The winners of this year's Champions League will be no fluke. 

Just when Europe's top clubs had breathed a sigh of relief after Milan looked to be in cruise control against Barcelona, the inevitable happened. Milan were beaten 4-0 at the Nou Camp and eliminated 4-2 on aggregate, with Barca now favourites to lift the trophy.

But the destiny of the much coveted Champions League title remains very much in the balance. Barcelona's frailties were demonstrated in their 2-0 loss to Milan in the first leg, and in successive defeats against Real Madrid, which left the team looking in a very sorry position. Even they are not invincible.

It is fair to say that the best team in Europe based on form are Bayern Munich. The Bundesliga leaders had been characteristically efficient in dispatching top teams, and, bar the shock defeat to BATE Borisov in the group stages, looked very comfortable in Europe's top competition. They tore apart Arsenal in the first leg of their tie at the Emirates, but not everybody was satisfied, and Bayern's defending of the set-piece from which Arsenal scored was an omen for the second leg. On Wednesday their weaknesses were highlighted again, as they lost 2-0 and looked very much overawed by a second-string Arsenal side including the likes of Fabianski, and without their usual saviour Jack Wilshere. Jupp Heynckes admitted that it had been a poor performance, and this above all demonstrated that the Bundesliga outfit are far from impregnable. On his day goalkeeper Manuel Neuer does indeed, as one German newspaper said, resemble a 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle' in his fluorescent green gloves, but when the side defend as they did yesterday, he is reduced to a mere human. This should be a wake-up call to Bayern.

For Real Madrid, this Champions League campaign represents everything. After winning La Liga in stunning fashion last season, this year has been an entirely different story, except in the Champions League, where business has largely been as usual. Getting through a tricky group consisting of the champions of England, Germany and the Netherlands was quite an achievement in itself, but this was to be expected of a team of Madrid's calibre. Despite only squeezing past the mighty Manchester United with the help of a dubious Nani red card, Real Madrid were briefly bookmaker's favourites. There is also the sense that this is a mission for the collector Mourinho, who is looking to add another Champions League to his CV, and break another record. It is true that the atmosphere in the Bernabeu dressing-room was toxic at one point, but the coveted 'Decima' might just materialise this year after successive wins against Barcelona and the win at Old Trafford restored confidence in the team.

Dortmund and Juventus seem to have points to prove. Whilst last years German champions Borussia Dortmund have trailed to Bayern domestically, they unnervingly clinched top spot in the 'group of death' containing Madrid, Ajax and Manchester City, to set pundits purring at their superb style of play. After their 2-2 draw against Shakthar in the first leg of their tie, Dortmund stayed focussed and took apart the Ukrainians at home 3-0, no easy task and a testament to their efficient style of play which is also easy on the eye.The Germans seem intent on proving themselves in Europe after a poor showing in last year's competition. Juventus, on the other hand, are back after a brief hiatus, and have nothing to lose. Having dominated Serie A bar a few hiccups, the Italian champions have an impressive team and could go all the way. They will be looking forward to fully testing their mettle against a strong Bayern side after strolling past Celtic in the last 16.

At the moment the two weakest teams look like Galatasaray and Malaga. Having said that, Galatasaray have acquired two European heavyweights in Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder. And, whilst their best years may be behind them, no team will relish having to come up against the veteran duo. Let's not forget the immense fire-power of Turkish front-man Burak Yilmaz, who has largely been overlooked after the signing of Drogba, but who is very much in his prime and was the main reason why the Turkish side progressed during the group stages. Before the knockout stage, Yilmaz was responsible for 6 out of Galatasaray's 7 goals, and the Turkish side's chances of going further in this competition will hinge on the striker.

Malaga are this year's dark horses. Enjoying Champions League football for the first time in their history, the team from the Costa del Sol have had no end to problems off the pitch, including debts and a future one-year ban from the competition, but Manuel Pellegrini has kept his eye on the ball, and has stirred his team to achieve great things on the field. Malaga owe their success to the Chilean manager and the positive atmosphere he has instilled at the club, as well as star man Isco, who has looked increasingly mature as Malaga's most exciting player. This season seems like 'all-or-nothing' for Malaga in Europe, and who knows how far they could go?

So far this year's edition of Europe's top competition has proved that even the likes of Bayern and Barcelona are not invincible. The supposedly weaker teams, Galatasaray and Malaga, should take heart from this, as anybody is capable of causing an upset. The draw for the quarter-finals has been made, and all the ties look tantalising. The closing stages of the Champions League promise to be mouth-watering.

By Tomas