LaLiga is back. A new season is about to kick off under uncertain circumstances, but with some very attractive teams to keep an eye on due to the signings they made throughout the summer. On the other hand, there are also a group of clubs that have done the opposite and have sold their most valuable player, which will make them to struggle this year to get by. What will the 2020-2021 LaLiga hold for us?
On top of the table, the battle for the tittle will be tighter than ever. If last year it was clearly between Real Madrid and Barcelona, now it looks like the distance between them and the rest at European spots has decreased. Either Barça or Madrid have done outstanding signings. After saving Messi´s match ball, the most notable move at Barça, even though it is not a surprising one, will be Suárez joining Juventus, which will become official in the next few days. Depay will more than likely substitute him forward, At Zidane´s squad, Odegaard has returned from the loan at Real Sociedad and will fill in at an overbooked midfield that is kicking out some players such as Ceballos, Brahim and James.
The alternatives to the monopoly have strengthen more, apart from Atlético de Madrid, which will mostly keep the same roaster. One of the the teams that stood out the most, Monchi´s and Lopetegui´s Sevilla, have added to their squad Ivan Rakitic, who returns home six years later and will form a great midfield along with Óscar Rodríguez a young star and one of the best shooters from LaLiga.
Other very attractive teams with the ball like Villarreal or Real Sociedad have also done their homework. The Yellow Submarine have taken advantage of Valencia´s chaos and have added Parejo and Coquelin in the middle. They will both protect Japanese Kubo to show off his talent. If that was not enough, take a look at their defense with Albiol and Pau Torres, and their attacking players like Samu Chukwueze, Ontiveros, Paco Alcácer and Gerard Moreno, all of them under coach Unai Emery.
Real Sociedad are doing things well too. They have signed World Champions David Silva from Manchester City, which will expand their level potentially. They are getting use to play European tournaments more and more often and will also count on their best players from last year such as Mikel Merino, Oyarzabal, William José and Isak. No doubt they will both represent Spain at the Europa League the right way.
However, there are still several clubs that are rebuilding themselves. Betis are one of those. After a very disappointing season, they will try to redirect their course with Pellegrini as their new boss. Valencia are on a very complicated situation, as they are sunk on a very deep institutional crisis that will not bring anything positive. Their only light might be Javi Gracia, their new coach, as he is an expert on saving teams with few resources.
Granada have a huge challenge ahead this year, as they will play in the Europa League for the first time in history, and they pulled that off with a very average team. This way, coach Diego Martínez will have to come up with a new plan in order to overcome multiple sales that the club has made of their best players, such as Carlos Fernández and Domingos Duarte.
Getafe ended up not making it to Europe in their last game and so they will try to return to top of the table with coach Bordalás´ formula. They did not sign too many players, being the most remarkable one Enes Unal in order to substitute Jorge Molina, who has signed for Granada.
Last but not least, the excitement of the three teams that went up from the second division: Cádiz return to LaLiga fifteen years later under coach Cervera. They really knew how to get by at “Segunda”, but we will have to see how they adapt themselves to one of the best leagues in the world. Negredo´s signing can provide them with the experience required.
The Champions are back just a year later. Huesca now have to learn from their mistakes in the past in order to avoid relegation, which will be another thrilling battle. Last, Elche, which just went up a couple weeks ago, will try to keep their dream alive. It will be a season for the books. Let´s get started!
