As ESPN’s Phil Ball stretched, circled, crawled, cried with sorrow, at times, as deep as the river Piedra, and squealed with joy as sweet as membrillo or the smile of the beautiful girl from Badajoz, who paints her nails purple everytime “el villanovense” wins, indeed, we invented our path through his now famous “chaos theory” and lived a season that saw Real Madrid successfully defend its title, Barcelona, once again, fail to recapture the glory of years past, Villareal finally live up to its promise and Atletico Madrid grand stand with a style uniquely precise in its beauty and remediable lack of consistency. This was the season that taught lessons from the edges of management and coaching, as laissez faire in Barcelona robbed us all of the “expected” when tradition became a substitute for hard work and fascism spoiled our communal paella valenciana when the “salt of the Earth” single-handedly wrecked a team that could have been a serious European contender. Last season saw the dreaded dance of the handkerchiefs at Espanyol and Zaragoza, when a most valuable player became a team by himself since his absence truly wed the rest of his squad and coaches waltzed to the caprices of the most unstable management team in the world. Then we defended well at Almeria and Racing Santander before capturing the world’s imagination at Getafe: oh what could have been!

The European Cup, which saw an entire nation wrestle with the true definition of the color yellow, an ‘old’ and wise man finally finding salvation and a 4 decades long curse broken, shortened the summer as we all hummed to a wordless national anthem and learned to spell names like Arshavin, Modric and Semih Senturk. We speculated and argued on message boards and forums and anxiously waited for the next transfer rumor to spring up. Then we learned that contractual agreements still matter and that not everything is for sale. In the process, we saw the importance of “soft skills”, as coaches from various teams alienated players before reversing themselves on previous public announcements about players’ futures. Then we persevered because preseason was already here. Teams crossed oceans in their search for synergy. Coaches took chances, tried new tactics, tested old ones, questioned aging players and started the caravan for a horde of vivacious young ones. Will the youngsters drink from the wells of wisdom?

Hence, we should expect great things from Almeria for several reasons. First, this season should be an affirmation party for this team. The team was hampered a bit by injuries towards the end of last season thus depleting their squad, which saw them finish 8^th on the standings. One of last year’s revelations was none other than Negredo, who single-handedly netted 13 goals. We should expect this team to solidify their reputation as a sound defensive force with the ability to quickly transition play to their opponent’s defensive third. Their scoring power is set to increase with the return to health of Kalu Uche and L.P. Natalio, who impressed at Cadiz last season, set to play a greater role this season. This team has the ability to be a spoiler for the title contenders. Although, their preseason form has been a bit tentative with 2 draws and 2 wins, we expect them to seriously challenge for Europe.

 Although, their European league tourney started out with a close loss to Schalke04, we foresee Atletico Madrid to be one of the surprises of the season. With stars Kun Aguero and Diego Forlan combining for a healthy 35 goals last season, we expect Simao, Maxi Rodriguez, Santana and Motta to continue moving the ball fast through midfield and to remain aggressive with their attacking mindset. Florent Sinama-Pongolle was also added to the squad from Recreativo Huelva as an attacking option.  Javier Aguirre, who we think is one of the better coaches in the league, picked up on the fact that defensive reinforcements were needed and provided some during the transfer window. We expect this team to be a better defensive team. The latter combined with last year’s scoring form could seriously challenge for the title. If Atletico Madrid defends better then the sky’s the limit for this team.

Deportivo La Coruna lost one of their rising stars in Fabricio Coloccini to Newcastle but expect this team to have a decent 2008 tourney. The turnaround for this team started midway through the season last year as it slowly but surely left the relegation zone and crept up the standings to finish 9^th on the table. This team has many players capable of being difference makers. Last season Xisco, Sergio, Rikki and Guardado combined for 24 goals. Their football philosophy is based on strength off the ball. They challenge for the ball strongly and sometimes play a bit too emotionally. They are bound to attract unwanted attention from referees around the league thus risking many more penalties than their opponents. Dudu Aoute is a very good goalkeeper and has many times made game winning saves. Their midfield, led by Julian de Guzman and Sergio, is capable but lacks the speed and required expertise to defensively shot down overlapping runs. Offensively, this midfield is very hashed at times and is caught out of position or unable to play well balanced passes into their attackers feet. This team has shown resilience but lacks the necessary punch to seriously challenge for Europe, we expect Deportivo to finish in the bottom half of the table.

Getafe’s Cinderella European run ‘unjustly’ ended with a goalkeeping error that saw Bayern Munich advance at their expense last year. What would be the impact of such an amazing run on the players? First, one of the revelations during last year’s campaign, De La Red, has returned to Real Madrid since he was on loan. In return, Getafe has signed one of the most underrated strikers in the history of football: Soldado.  This team’s elegance on the field is undeniable but how resilient are they? The talent of the likes of Albin, Uche, Juan Fran, Celestini, Polanski, and Cotelo is undeniable but how well will they be coached? Oscar Ustari should be the starting goal keeper for this squad which will give them great quality in front of the net but How well will they mesh defensively? This team is the dark horse this season. Getafe could end anywhere this year.

Malaga will have to battle and battle hard to stay in top flight Spanish football. Their rise to primera was laborious and the opportunity almost missed. They lacked confidence and fortitude in the last weeks of last year’s Segunda campaign. They barely beat a struggling Tenerife to earn their spot with the big boys. Granted their preseason has seen them beat Betis and win the Matau Bautista trophy, we do not foresee this team in La Liga for the 2009/2010 season.

Osasuna collected 9 red cards and over 55 yellow cards last season. They were very aggressive off the ball and lacked discipline at times. Osasuna escaped relegation by 1 point. This squad saved their season with a crucial win against second division bound Murcia. This turnaround came almost too late for them. This team made no significant changes during the off-season. We expect this squad to be in the relegation battle yet again this season.

Real Betis football, when perfectly executed, is the real football lover’s delight. It combines flair, skill and a healthy dose of arrogance that is missing with most football teams around the league. Anyone of the following players can be a game winning goal scorer on any day against any team: Edu, Pavone, Gonzalez, Sobis, Xisco or Capi. So how does one defend against such talent? The truth is that most teams last year decided to attack instead of defending when playing against Betis. Consequently they both suffered goals and scored goals through open play. When their defense stood up to the assault Betis was able to quickly counterattack and score. This team’s Achilles’ heel is its ability to defend well. We expect the arrival of Cameroonian international Achille Emana to help consolidate their defensive efforts in the midfield. Betis will do great things this season. Their ability to play one touch football and operate in tight spaces will more than compensate for their defensive lapses.

Real Madrid will have to be miracle makers this season to win la Liga. The team neither strengthened nor consolidated. In fact, it has lost steam with the endless saga of Cristiano Ronaldo and the unintended consequence of really upsetting the unbelievable talent that is Robinho, who by the way saved their title ambitions last year with his 2 amazing goals against Recreativo Huelva. There was a failure of leadership at the Santiago Bernabeu during the summer and the consequences of this move will be thoroughly felt this season. We do not foresee Raul scoring 18 goals this year. Ruud Van Nistleroy will have to play the entire season for the team to even earn a spot in Europe. Rafael Van Der Vaart has been a great addition but their current formula has its limitations. Arjen Robben has yelled at enough referees and will be kept on a very short leash. As tested during the first leg of the Supercopa at the Mestalla in Valencia, this squad’s defense tottered under constant assault from Villa, Mata and Silva. Fabio Cannavaro’s absence is truly hurting this team’s ability to control the defensive conversation. Iker Casillas is still his usual amazing self but that will not be enough to save this squad from what at this point is unavoidable: a difficult campaign at home and an challenging European tour.

The Departure of Martin Caceres for Barcelona and striker Pongolle for Atletico Madrid will deal a serious defensive and offensive blow to this team. They inspired play and were the defensive and offensive catalysts for this team last season. Recreativo Huelva fought hard to remain in la liga and succeeded. However, We expect this team to move up the standings and possibly even end up in the middle of the table. Huelva has an incredible ability to move the ball fast and score quickly. Their good size in attack makes them a formidable team to defend against on corner kicks. Recreativo Huelva has the ability to prevail and remain in primera.

Sporting Gijon has staying power and we believe that this team will prevail in its desire to remain in Primera. Sporting had a fantastic run last year and was able to win out over Real Sociedad and move up to Primera. This team is solid at home and very difficult to beat when playing away. They do not concede many goals and will seize scoring opportunities when offered to them. The only concern with this team is their lack of roster depth. However, we expect Sporting to upset a few teams throughout the season.

The 2007/2008 Valencia and the 2008/2009 Valencia will be like night and day. Ronald Koeman single-handedly managed this team to ruin last season before exiting through the back door. This team has turned the corner and it is not looking back. All major outstanding issues between players and management have been resolved. Valencia is able to beat any team this season. They have improved their defense and it seems as though Joaquin’s exceptional passing will be one of the centerpieces of this team’s offensive system. David Villa is set to improve on his 18 goals tally from last season and David Silva, the former Celta de Vigo midfielder, will continue to grow as a midfielder/ false forward. We also expect the experience of Angulo and Albelda to come in handy since this team will definitely challenge for champions’ league football. The only concern for this team is Villa and Silva’s propensity for injury. Furthermore, Timo Hildebrand will have to play with a lot more confidence in goal.

First, let’s start by unequivocally stating that it would be a mistake for Marco Senna to leave Villareal for Fenerbahce. We hope that his request for a pay increase will be honored and that he stays. He brings calm and fantastic leadership to this team’s midfield. This cool headedness will be necessary in order for this squad to prevail in Europe and seriously challenge for the title at home. The yellow submarines play absolutely beautiful football when inspired. They are solid in defense, midfield and in attack. We expect them to concede very few goals and to score many more. They have brought in offensive reinforcements in Joseba Llorente from Valladolid, American born Josi Altidore and Argentinian born Ariel Ibagaza. However, we look for Nihat Kahveci to continue being the difference maker for this team, although Rossi is set to greatly contribute again. Manager Pelligrini is famous for flooding the midfield to dominate possession and stifling opponents attempts at attacking. Villareal rarely makes mistakes in the midfield and their sheer dominance of this part of the field minimizes mistakes since they are able to quickly recover goal side to defend. They are consistently precise in their passing and are able to move play quickly from one side to the next. This team has a very deep roster and their fitness level will allow them do well at home and in the Champions’ league.

We are one week from kick off in La Liga. We will experience the entire gambit of emotions from A to Z and then back to A and then back to Z. But as we cheer our favorite teams and praise our star players, let’s remember to always be courteous to each other and remain faithful to the ideals of the game: fair play, sportsmanship, respect and non violence. We wish everyone much success and a wonderful “temporada”.

M. Moustapha Diatta