2010/2011 La Liga Preview - Team by Team

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Last Updated on Monday, 23rd Aug 2010, 

Written by BetRepublic

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Barcelona:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Champions

Best Championship Winner Odds – 1.85

Best Relegation Odds – 7501.00

The 2009/2010 season was a decent, but not excellent, season for Barcelona. They won La Liga with ninety-nine points and dropping just two points at home all season long and they also won the Club World Cup, European Super Cup and Spanish Super Cup. However, they were knocked out of the Copa del Rey at the last sixteen stage and were knocked out of the Champions League at the Semi Final stage by Jose Mourinho’s Inter Milan side. With Mourinho now managing Barca’s rivals Real Madrid what does 2010/2011 have in store for the Catalan side?

Barca have bought in just two players this summer, with Spain’s top scorer at the World Cup David Villa moving from Valencia for €40m and Brazilian defender Adriano Correia leaving Sevilla for €9m. These signings have countered the loss of Rafael Marquez and Thierry Henry to New York Red Bulls and Yaya Toure to Manchester City. As a result of this Barcelona should be equally as good as they were last season, and with Real Madrid they have the opportunity to win their third successive title, something they have not achieved since the early nineties.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position - Second


Real Madrid:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Second

Best Championship Winner Odds – 2.20

Best Relegation Odds – 5001.00

Despite assembling the greatest collection of stars the footballing world has, possibly, ever seen, including Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Xabi Alonso and spending over €250m the 2009/2010 season was a massive let down for Real Madrid as they finished second to Barcelona in the league, were knocked out by Lyon in the last sixteen stage of the Champions League and departed the Copa del Rey to third division side AD Alcorcón at the final thirty-two stage, losing the first leg of the tie 4-0. As a result of the poor return for their investment, the Real owners fired manager Manuel Pellegrini and replaced him with Jose Mourinho. Can the former Chelsea manager change around the fortunes of the Madrid club?

Mourinho has an amazing record, winning the Champions League with Porto in 2004 and 2010 with Inter Milan being the best of his achievements. He has also won the UEFA Cup with Porto, two Premier League titles, two Carling Cups and an FA Cup with Chelsea as well as two Serie A titles and an Italian Cup with Inter Milan. All of these achievements have come since 2003 and this has persuaded the Real owners to offer him the job as manager. The Real job is possibly the second hardest management job in football, after the England manager, with the threat of being fired always hanging over the manager’s head. However, if anyone can make the job and the massive collection of Galaticos it is Mourinho. I feel that the 47 year old Portuguese manager can, and will, be successful in this position and I feel that he will get Real back on the winning track by winning the 2010/2011 La Liga title.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – First


Valencia:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Third

Best Championship Winner Odds – 67.00

Best Relegation Odds – 67.00

Valencia finished in the top three of La Liga for the first time since the 2005/2006 season despite having massive debts, reported to be in the region of €400m. However, despite claiming the final spot to be entered into the Champions League at the group stage with their third place finish, they ended the season twenty-five points adrift of second placed Real Madrid.

Last season they managed to do so well as, despite their massive debts, they kept hold of their star players, but how will they manage this season as David’s Villa and Silva departed the Mestalla for Barcelona and Manchester City respectively, bringing in €70m for the club but leaving them a lot weaker for the upcoming season. They have brought in several players as replacements, but they are not up to the level of Villa and Silva, as well as the departed Nikola Zigic, who moved to Birmingham City for €8m, and I feel that they will struggle this season, with several teams poised to overtake them.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Sixth


Sevilla:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Fourth

Best Championship Winner Odds – 51.00

Best Relegation Odds – 151.00

Sevilla are one of the sides poised to surpass Valencia this season as they have kept the majority of their squad together after last season, with Adriano moving to Barcelona the only major loss for the Seville based team. However, they have plenty of other options in attack so the Brazilian will not be sorely missed this season.

Last season, they had reasonable form at home but away from home they won nine and lost ten of their nineteen games. They eight points off Valencia in third place and they will need to stop losing so many games on the road to move up the table this season. Can they do so? I’m sure that under the management of Antonio Álvarez Giráldez, who took over the position in March and has led Sevilla to seven wins and four losses in his eleven games in charge, they can do and will be pushing hard for third place behind Barca and Real this season.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Third


Mallorca:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Fifth

Best Championship Winner Odds – 751.00

Best Relegation Odds – 10.00

The 2009/2010 season was a great season for Mallorca and they only finished fifth after Sevilla claimed a dramatic win to claim fourth place by just a single point. After that, things got worse for Mallorca as they were denied entry into the 2010/2011 Europa League due to their poor financial situation. As well as this manager Gregorio Manzano left the club at the end of his contract and now Mallorca will start the new season with Danish legend Michael Laudrup in charge.

Last season Mallorca’s top five finish was build on their home form as they won fifteen of their nineteen home games, however they were poor on the road, winning just three matches. After their summer of turbulence will Mallorca be able to repeat last season’s performance? They were expected to be relegation fodder last season, but exceeded all expectations, but this season will be tougher for them and I expect them to slide down the table this season.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Seventh


Getafe:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Sixth

Best Championship Winner Odds – 751.00

Best Relegation Odds – 13.00

The sixth placed finish for Getafe last season was their best ever finish in the top division of Spanish football, and the first time that they qualified for the Europa League via the league and only their second ever time of qualifying for the competition. Can they build on that this season and move up the table?

Getafe have been fairly quiet on the transfer front this pre-season, but they have made themselves some cash so far with the sale of Pedro Leon to Real Madrid for €10m and have had four free transfers coming into the club. However, they have stability on their side and I feel that this season will be much of the same for the Madrid based club.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Eighth


Villarreal:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Seventh

Best Championship Winner Odds – 201.00

Best Relegation Odds – 34.00

After a terrible start to the season to finish seventh and get a spot in this season’s Europa League due to Mallorca’s financial issues is a very positive result for the Castellón based side. Villarreal started poorly and failed to win a game prior to October and at the end of October they sat bottom of the league having won just a single game from their first eight matches. The end of the season went well for Villarreal and they will be hoping to continue that form into this season, but can they do so?

The pre-season has seen very little in transfer activity, with just four players coming into the club and four leaving. They have also appointed Juan Carlos Garrido Fernández as manager after he oversaw the reserve side since 2002, and he will know the squad and the workings of the club bringing more stability to the team. I expect progress for Villarreal this season.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Fifth


Athletic Bilbao:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Eighth

Best Championship Winner Odds – 501.00

Best Relegation Odds – 17.00

Eighth place for Bilbao was their best finish in La Liga since the 2003/2004 season, where they placed fifth, and was an excellent finish for the Basque side that only uses players from the Basque regions of Spain and France. They also had a very consistent season, falling no lower than eleventh (and that was just for a single week) and spending 75% of the season between sixth and ninth place. They will be looking to continue with that level of consistency this season, but will they be able to?

The omens look good for the Basque side as they have continued the services of manager Joaquín Caparrós for a fourth season and have kept their transfer dealings to a minimum and I see another top ten finish for Bilbao this season.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Ninth


Atletico Madrid:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Ninth

Best Championship Winner Odds – 81.00

Best Relegation Odds – 151.00

Atletico are another side that started the season off poorly and by the time that 2010 had come around they had won just three of the fifteen games that they had played and sat mid-table after spending a large portion of 2009 in the relegation zone. However, they turned things around and ended the season with a reasonable ninth place finish and a trophy, courtesy of defeating Fulham in the final of the Europa League.

Over the summer Atletico have strengthened their team and, as long their domestic form is not affected by the Europa League again, I feel that they will be pushing further up the table, possibly even for a Champions League spot – a position that they had finished in for the two seasons prior to last season.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Fourth


Deportivo La Coruna:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Tenth

Best Championship Winner Odds – 501.00

Best Relegation Odds – 15.00

Unlike Atletico Madrid and Villarreal, Deportivo started the season off well and then ran out of steam at the end of the season. By the end of November they had won eight of their first twelve games and sat fifth in the league, however from February onwards they won just three of their final eighteen games and slipped to tenth at the end of the season.

So far this summer they have only brought in players for free and they have released or loaned out six players and sold Filipe Luis Kasmirski to Atletico Madrid for €12m. Without the services of the versatile Kasmirski Deportivo are arguably a weaker side than last season, and whether they can retain a place in the top half of the table will depend on the strength of the sides below them and if these sides can mount a decent charge towards the top ten.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Eleventh


Espanyol:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Eleventh

Best Championship Winner Odds – 751.00

Best Relegation Odds – 16.00

The 2009/2010 season for Barcelona’s second club was an up and down season as they started poorly, losing their first two matches and sitting bottom of the league, then improved and sat eighth for a time before bouncing around the mid-table before finishing eleventh. What does the new season hold for Espanyol?

They have kept stability with their manager and the majority of the squad, with just one player released, and have added further quality to their squad through the loan system. Espanyol will hope that this mixture of stability and new faces will help them improve their away record which saw them lose twelve of their nineteen games on the road last season. I see another mid-table season for Espanyol this season.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Fourteenth


Osasuna:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Twelfth

Best Championship Winner Odds – 1501.00

Best Relegation Odds – 5.00

Despite scoring an average of less than a goal a game, Osasuna made a massive leap forwards from their 2008/2009 result, where they miraculously stayed up on the final day by coming back from a goal down to beat Real Madrid 2-1. They finished fifteenth courtesy of that win and they moved a further three places last season, although they were another side with a poor away record. They lost thirteen of their nineteen games on the road and won four of the other six games, but lost all of their last five away games.

This summer has seen the departure of seven players, with six going on either a free transfer or a loan deal, and only three players arriving into the club. They spent €2.5m on Dejan Lekic to solve their goal scoring problems, and they may have found an exceptional talent as he has scored almost one goal per two games since 2003, with eighty-two goals in 172 matches. They will hope he can adapt to the Spanish league and if he does Osasuna will make further progress up the league this season too.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Tenth


Almeria:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Thirteenth

Best Championship Winner Odds – 1001.00

Best Relegation Odds – 4.80

Last season was the third successive season in the top flight for Almeria and they dropped another couple of places from their previous season’s finishing place. Their first season in 2007/2008 saw an eighth place, and then 2008/2009 gave them an eleventh place, with last season seeing their lowest ever finish in the top flight at thirteenth. Can they reverse their fall towards relegation this season?

2010 is just the twenty-first year that the club has been in existence and this pre-season has seen them release two players and bring in two players, and have added to the strength of the club. However, with just the equivalent of three wins separating Atletico Madrid in ninth and Racing Santander in sixteenth last season a couple of extra wins or losses this season could make a massive difference on whether they improve or get relegated.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Thirteenth


Real Zaragoza:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Fourteenth

Best Championship Winner Odds – 751.00

Best Relegation Odds – 8.00

The 2006/2007 season saw Zaragoza finish sixth in La Liga after a buy-out and a massive injection of cash, however the following season them relegated from the top flight despite having a fairly unchanged side. They spent just one season in the Segunda División and on their return to the La Liga they placed a respectable fourteenth position. Will they build on that this season and move towards the top ten?

The summer has not seen Zaragoza release or sell any players and invest in several new players to improve the club. They needed to do this after they finished with the worst defensive record of all the teams that were not relegated having conceded sixty-four goals in their thirty-eight matches. They have drafted in two goalkeepers and a defender to rectify this situation, but will they be able to lower the amount of goals they concede this season and finish higher up the league table? I don’t feel that Zaragoza have added enough quality to make the changes necessary and this season will see much of the same.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Seventeenth


Sporting Gijón:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Fifteenth

Best Championship Winner Odds – 1501.00

Best Relegation Odds – 3.75

After being relegated from La Liga in the 1997/1998 season, Gijon spent ten seasons in the Segunda División before being promoted back to La Liga 2008/2009 season and finished fourteenth, then last season they finished three points and one place worse off. Will they slip further down the table this season?

They have kept all of their squad together and have added strength in all positions of the field this summer, with former Rangers striker Nacho Novo being the most high profile signing. Having scored just thirty-five goals last season they will hope that Novo, and Gaston Sangoy the other striker they signed, will supply the goals to fire them further up the league table. I feel that they will do so and that Gijon will have a more comfortable season that last time out.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Twelfth


Racing Santander:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Sixteenth

Best Championship Winner Odds – 1501.00

Best Relegation Odds – 5.50

Last season was the eighth successive season in La Liga for Racing and it was a return to form for them as they placed sixteenth after thirty-eight games. The first four seasons that they were back in La Liga saw Racing finish either sixteenth or seventeenth, but they followed that up with tenth, sixth and twelfth placed finishes, but last season saw the Santander based club avoid relegation by just three points. Will they improve this season?

To improve this season, Racing will need to improve their home form. They picked up just seventeen points at home with four wins and five draws from their nineteen games and this was the lowest amounts of points scored at home by any La Liga side. They picked up twenty-two points on the road, which was fifth best of all La Liga teams, and if they can improve their performances in front of their own fans then Santander can be competitive, but will they be able to lift their game? Whether they stay in the top flight will depend upon now poor the promoted teams are.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Eighteenth


Malaga:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Seventeenth

Best Championship Winner Odds – 1001.00

Best Relegation Odds – 5.50

After finishing bottom of La Liga in the 2005/2006 season, Malaga were relegated to the Segunda División and they spent two seasons there before being promoted back to La Liga. In their first season back in the top flight they finished in eighth place, but last season saw Malaga avoid relegation by one point, having won just seven matches all season. They drew sixteen times, but can they change some of those draws into wins this season to ensure their safety?

After many of last season’s best players returned to their parent clubs following the end of their loan periods Malaga needed to bring in several players to fill the void. However, they have brought in just two players and they may struggle unless new manager Jesualdo Ferreira can motivate his new playing squad. Ferreira has just left FC Porto, where he was successful – winning three league titles in his first three seasons and the Portuguese Cup and the Portuguese Super Cup in his final season – and he may be the man to lift Malaga out of the bottom quarter of the league.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Fifteenth


Real Sociedad:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Champions of Segunda Division

Best Championship Winner Odds – 1501.00

Best Relegation Odds – 9.00

Sociedad were relegated from La Liga at the end of the 2006/2007 season and spent three years in the Segunda Division before claiming the title last season with a three point advantage over the rest of the field. They excelled at home last season, winning fifteen and drawing five of their twenty-one league matches. However, they were poor away from home and they registered just five wins on the road and being just the eighth best away team on the road. They will have to be much better away from home this season or they will be relegated, but will they be?

They had added striking talent to their side for this season in the hope that they will be able to re-establish themselves as a top flight side. Prior to being relegated Sociedad had spent forty years in La Liga, but they will find it difficult to remain in the top flight this season and they will be in a relegation fight for the season.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Sixteenth


Hércules CF:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Second in Segunda Division

Best Championship Winner Odds – 2501.00

Best Relegation Odds – 1.73

After thirteen years away from the top tier of Spanish football, Hercules return to La Liga after placing second in last season’s Segunda Division, finishing just three points behind champions Real Sociedad. Like Sociedad they had a poor away record – winning just three games on the road – but were excellent at home. They won sixteen and draw one of their twenty-one home matches, but their downfall was that they could not turn any of their thirteen away draws into wins.

They have released one player and brought in just one player also this pre-season and with that amount of inactivity I feel that Hercules will struggle in the top flight this season. Unfortunately for the Alicante based side I see them returning to the Segunda Division this season.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Twentieth


Levante UD:

2009/2010 Finishing Position – Third in Segunda Division

Best Championship Winner Odds – 3501.00

Best Relegation Odds – 1.67

Ever since Levante finished third in La Liga in the 2005/2006 campaign things have gone from bad to worse for the Valencia based team. In 2006/2007 they avoided relegation on the final day of the season, but were relegated the following season with several games of the season remaining. As well as this the players were not getting paid and by the time they had been relegated there was more than €18m owed to the players in wages. After two seasons in the Segunda Division Levante won promotion back to La Liga with a third place finish, but how will they fare back in the top division?
Like Hercules, they have been quiet in their pre-season transfer dealings with just one player coming in on loan. They are clearly attempting not to repeat the same mistakes that caused them so many financial issues prior to this, but I feel that they have not added enough quality to the squad and that they will be relegated at the end of the season.

Predicted 2010/2011 Finishing Position – Nineteenth

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