When Atletico Madrid incredibly won La Liga last season, which also culminated in them reaching the champions league final, which they ultimately lost, many predicted it was a flash in the plan and that La Liga’s status quo would be duly restored this season.
However, current happenings in the league suggest otherwise as other teams seemed to have taken a leaf out of Los Colchoneros book to also put up incredible fight to challenge for the title. Current standings in the league amply testifies to this fact as only two (2) points currently separate league leaders Real Madrid, from the fifth placed team, Sevilla. Only a week ago Barcelona was the log leader but is now fourth after their surprise defeat to Celta Vigo.
Teams like Sevilla and Valencia, which a couple of seasons ago were stuck in mid-table mediocrity, have come into their own this season and are really putting up a fight so far. Both teams are playing some wonderful football and its being backed up by equally impressive results. Sevilla, which had lost only once in seven games prior to their game against Atletic Bilbao, could have gone on top had they won that match. The club from Andalusia seems to be building on from their Europe league win last season and credit must go to Unai Emery for making some shrewd purchases like Krychowiak and also making permanent the loan move of Stephane Mbia. Both men have being really impressive so far in the league. Their only blemish so far this season was the whitewash they suffered under current champions, Atletico Madrid.
Valencia on the other hand after reeling for some years now under debt have being given a new lease of life under new owner, Peter Lim. The cash provided by the Singaporean businessman has lifted the gloom and uncertainty that surrounded the club and this has had a knock on effect on the playing field. For me the club’s biggest buy this season has to be their new Portuguese coach Nuno Esprito Santo, who worked wonders in Portugal with Rio Ave last season. The 40 year old former goalkeeper of the Portuguese national team has now transferred his magic touch onto Los Che. The team has being mightily impressive this term with Sofiane Feghouli and young Spanish attacker Paco Alcacer being key architects. Their impressive form this season was even more evident when they made light work of Atletico Madrid’s notoriously mean defence by dashing into a 3 goal lead within a quarter of an hour on their way to an impressive win earlier in the season.
It might be early days yet to predict whether any of these two sides (Atletico Madrid might be suffering from a mini hangover from last season) can truly disrupt the apple cart this season just like Atletico did but unlike the premier league, which is constantly being hailed as the best by a certain school of thought, which has Chelsea gradually pulling away, La Liga is proving to be highly competitive this season. It must be noted that it is to the great credit of the team’s bar the two glamorous clubs in La Liga to stay competitive as revenue from TV are greatly skewed in the favour of Real Madrid and Barcelona. I sincerely hope and pray that the early season form shown by the pace setters particularly the gate crashers, Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Valencia in La Liga is maintained as we might have one of the most intriguing season’s in the history of La Liga ahead of us( maybe even more dramatic than last season’s).
Follow me on twitter: @BaanNaab
Source: DSG
