Fútbol Español 2010-11

[Guest]

Vamos once more to another season of thrills and spills in La Liga, with presumably the country having been given a bit of a lift with events of last month...

The complete list of summer transfers is here as of today with AS, with the standout feature, as we all know, of Mourinho making his mark by kicking out Raúl and Guti. I'd pick out these five as interesting ones to keep an eye on:

1. Pedro León to Real Madrid - cracking tricky right winger over the last few years with Getafe. Could be a great player, but will he be allowed a look-in, never mind a chance to shine?

2. Borja Valero to Villarreal - Sevilla were very interested in him, but it didn't happen. Seemingly very highly rated as a playmaker, though presumably West Brom to La Liga is a step up, and it remains to be seen whether he can respond.

3. Diego Godín to Atlético - was impressed by him at the World Cup, a seemingly stereotypically rock-solid Uruguayan centre-back. Will Atléti turn him into a jibbering wreck by Christmas?

4. Raúl Tamudo to Real Sociedad - with Rick Derris et al no doubt heartbroken at seeing their longstanding hero finally fly the nest, how will he respond away from his Yol comfort zone?

5. Fran Mérida to Atlético - is this guy truly what he's cracked up to be, or is he just a flaky 'puny dribbly' type?

[Anton Gramscescu]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

How will Sevilla do? And how on earth have they been able to hold on to Luis Fabiano for so long?

[Guest]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

Sevilla follow once more their financially prudent policy of buying 'interesting' players, potentially for the future rather than cracks, whilst flogging someone for a really good price - this year, Adriano to Barcelona. Interesting that no-one's made a big move for Navas despite his psychological breakthrough and WC Final appearance...

Presumably in goals, Palop is still the man, though Javi Varas has been making noises about a certain impatience waiting for a chance.

Just Dabo bought in defence, ostensibly to replace the slightly unfortunate Stankevicius, packed off back to Sampdoria. However, Konko has been class pre-season, apparently, so he may not have the right-back slot quite so easy. Apart from that, one supposes Navarro at left back, and I'd guess the experienced, if slightly disappointing Squillaci-Escudé duo get another season together in the centre. That's unless Fazio finally stakes a claim for a centre-back spot. And lord knows what state poor old Sérgio Sánchez is in, and whether he can play at all...

Midfield's where the uncertainty and overbooking is, apart from Jesusito on the right flank. One of Capel and Perotti have to 'explode' this year down the left - really I'd just pick one of them and stick with it, even if it means selling the other. Otherwise, they'll both continue to flatter to deceive a bit...but central midfield is any two from Zokora, Romaric, Renato, Guarente and Cigarini (Duscher having got the push, it seems). Not sure what the best combo is - Zokora was good last year, and I'm a big admirer of Renato, but the Italians have to have been bought for something (any comments or views on Cigarini?), and if Romaric hasn't been sold after the last two lumbering seasons, then the management must see something in him that I don't...

Up front, you'd have to imagine that Negredo, Luís Fabiano and Kanouté are going to rotate all season long, the forever 'gurny' Fabiano having swung wildly between 'please please please buy me Milan' and 'Te quiero mucho, Sevilla' all summer...

So probably it's going to be something like: Palop - Navarro, Squillaci, Escudé, Dabo - Capel, Guarente, Zokora, Navas - Kanouté, Luís Fabiano...Very similar to the last two, slightly frustrating, years. Presumably finishing in the top two is out of the question, though they're capable of third if they really put their minds to it and Antonio Alvarez can inspire them...Would be nice to give FCB an early season bloody nose in the Supercopa too...

[Guest]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

I think, ultimately, TG, that no top Serie A club really really truly fancied Luis Fabiano, or else, and possibly quite likely, Sevilla were asking for too much for him. For sure they would have sold him if a big money offer had come in, but the president's a hard nut to crack over prices...

[Guest]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

Oh, and this is the best new club song I've picked up over the summer, penned for The Yol's move to Cornellà. Enjoy!

[ursus arctos]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

Kaka out for four months.

Is he the new Gigi Lentini?

[Taylor]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

Who the hell are Villarreal actually planning to play? Half their team's just left or retired, including almost their entire first-choice defence from last season. I know they had a few kids coming through at the end of last season - Kiko, Musacchio, Marco Ruben - but really. They look OK in attack, I suppose, but the further back you go the thinner it gets. Even Valencia have lost fewer important players (and they've managed to stock up on half-decent cheapies).

If Sergio Busquets does his cruciate in the first week of October, Barca's season could be interesting. How likely are they to sign Javi Martinez?

[Mumpo]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

We're off to Mallorca next week, which means we'll be leaving just before their first home game of the season - against Real Madrid. I might be praying to the great god of Icelandic ash clouds.

[Guest]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

Villarreal have just signed Carlos Marchena (in his day, at Sevilla, dubbed 'the new Franz Beckenbauer') to plug gaps at the back...Haven't heard anything at all about Javi Martínez to Barcelona...

I myself am off to Palma on the 25th, Mumpo, to take up a position there for the next two years...perhaps I'll see you there?...will be spending my first week searching for a flat...irritatingly, RCD Mallorca do not sell season tickets online, so I'm reduced to waiting until I'm on the ground before exploring that avenue to see if it's possible...Real Madrid individual tickets start at €60, I see from their website...

[Sundeporino]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

I was at WHU V Depor yesterday and both sets of players wouldve retired by the time a goal was scored if the ref had insisted on a "next goal wins" ending.
Valeron came on with ten mins to go and Manuel Pablo with three. The rest couldnt make up a proper footballer if all their strengths were morphed into one body. Guardado will never be worth the £12m the sky reporter writing in the programme was insisting on.
WHU won the silverware (SBO Cup)!!!! with a 5-3 penalty shootout! Valeron missed his, he's never scored a penalty for Depor according to a Spanish kid in the crowd.

I think Depor scored less than a goal a game last season and all of the relegated clubs scored more. Itll be more of the same next season.
They'll finish 10-12ish I reckon.

[Jon]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

Good luck in Palma, Lodz. It's a lovely city and I've got a soft spot for the football team too.

Real Madrid - I'm hopeful Khedira will be a good signing, less sure about di Maria though. But the real problem for me is that I really really can't stand Jose Mourinho. However, I'm as fickle as the next football fan and I'm sure if he gets us a decent run in Europe I'll be singing his praises.

"Borja Valero to Villarreal - Sevilla were very interested in him, but it didn't happen. Seemingly very highly rated as a playmaker, though presumably West Brom to La Liga is a step up, and it remains to be seen whether he can respond."

West Brom to La Liga might be a step up but in fact Valero already has plenty of Spanish league experience, including last season, where he helped Mallorca nearly gain Champions League qualification.

[Guest]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

SFC apparently in negotiations to sell Luís Fabiano to Marseille, but it seems that the club's valuation hasn't been met...the only name surfacing as a potential replacement appears to be one Bryan Ruíz, who, I must confess, I had to google to find out anything about. Any views on him?...also, unsubstantiated rumours of a potential Fabiano-Higuaín swap deal with Real Madrid going around...

[ursus arctos]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

Ah, you're getting provincial in your old age, Lodzu.

Can't keep up with Costa Ricans who play in the Eredivisie?

Ruiz is a very useful player (if very different in style from Fabiano) and could probably do a job for Sevilla. He's discussed a bit here.

[Antepli Ejderha]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

Looking forward to seeing how Valencia cope without Villa and Silva, can they survive?

[Guest]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

They've signed Aritz Aduriz from Mallorca and Roberto Soldado from Getafe to plug some gaps up front. Solid players, both of them, though not galácticos. Would be very surprised if they actually got relegated; I'd imagine they'll finish about 6th/7th.

[Guest]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

Sevilla losing 0-1 at home to a Barcelona side full of youngsters at half time at the RSP. Generally poor showing from the home side and impressive stuff from what is, a bit depressingly, effectively a Barcelona reserve team. Cigarini warming up, and will really be needed second half. Zlatan apparently wilting in the August Andalusian heat, according to the Radio Marca commentators...

[Antepli Ejderha]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

Sevilla 2-1 up. Great news.

Thanks for the Valencia news, a possible Europa League place would be good news but they must still have massive debts.

[Guest]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

3-1 it finishes, so the vibes a lot more positive than at half time. Cigarini, promisingly, instrumental in creating the first for Luís Fabiano; good old Freddy Kanouté weighing in with the other two. All to play for next Saturday night in the Camp Nou.

[Guest]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

Oezil signs for Real Madrid, presumably a way for Mourinho to 'motivate' Kaká into performing this coming season. Van der Vaart got to be on his way out - would be a great buy for any other La Liga club...

[matt j]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

As mentioned on the transfer thread, I really don't get the purchase of Khedira and Ozil by Real Madrid. Guess I'll wait to see what Mourinho is thinking.

[Guest]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

I would have thought Khedira will play plenty of games alongside Xabi Alonso in the heart of midfield, and that the two Diarras and Gago will be marginalised or sold. Perhaps Granero in there if they're at home and he progresses adequately.

Then probably Kaká, Ronaldo and Di María behind Higuaín, with Oezil, Canales and Pedro León being replacements for the first three, and Benzema for Higuaín.

[ursus arctos]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

I'm not sure that "motivation" is what Kaka needs, given that he is out for four months and reasonably likely to have an injury that he will never fully recover from.

[Guest]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

Quite - you and I know that Kaká needs no 'motivation'. What I meant by the inverted commas was that probably Mourinho, by buying Oezil, wants to give him absolutely no comfort zone for not playing well whenever he does come back.

[ursus arctos]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

I'm quite afraid that he's never going to be the player he was.

The knee is bad enough, but the groin injuries are showing every indication of being chronic.

[matt j]

Fútbol Español 2010-11

Looking at the Real Madrid squad, and I realized that Diarra cost more than both Ozil and Khedira.

I can see your point about Khedira partnering Xabi Alonso, and I can see it working. My bigger concern is Ozil & Ronaldo. I'm not sure I see that combination working.