Liga 季前季後轉會綜合討論
La Liga Season In ReviewIt wasn’t the tension-filled, down-the-wire season many had predicted. But there were still more than enough shocks, surprises, disappointments and the usual controversies to keep everyone strapped in for the emotional roller coaster ride all season long. Goal.com takes a look at the highs and lows, best and worst in the season that was in La Liga.
The 2007/08 campaign began with much anticipation and excitement after the nail-biting, Hitchcockian finish in the last term. It was also expected to be yet another tightly contested battle at the top, if not the tightest, after the league’s superpowers Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Valencia all splashed big during the summer - close to €350 million in total - to strengthen their respective squads. Madrid spent the lion's share,
Even the fast improving sides not normally known for their bulging cheque-books such as Villarreal, Sevilla, Getafe and Racing Santander were making great strides to bring in some heavy reinforcements. But as football goes, things didn’t quite unfold the way many had predicted it would.
Spain Rocked
The season – which kicked off a mere seven weeks after the previous one had ended – began with a few massive shocks, both good and bad. Sevilla had picked up where they left off the previous term by winning the curtain raiser event, the Spanish Supercopa, by beating defending Liga champions Real Madrid 6-3 on aggregate. It was their fifth piece of silverware in 15 months and their rampage didn't stop there. They annihilated Getafe 4-1 in the opening league game but that win would be made insignificant due to the shock death of their wingback Antonio Puerta.
The 23-year-old suffered a cardiac arrest and collapsed on the pitch just 35 mins into that game and consequently died 3 days later, just two months before his son was born. The sad news rocked the country, Europe and indeed football in general and it was hardly the way anyone would’ve wanted to begin the new campaign.
It wasn’t an ideal start either for Real Madrid’s new coach Bernd Schuster, as the knives came out early on him after that Super Cup thumping. But any pre-season fears that Madridistas may have were quickly allayed as Los Blancos won their first four games – including a 2-1 comeback against city rivals Atlético on opening day and a 0-5 masterclass at Villarreal the following week – to put a stranglehold at the top of La Liga, a position that they would never relinquish for the rest of the campaign.
Surprise, Surprise
The surprises continued to roll out on day one. The three newly promoted outfits kicked off their top flight adventures with a bang, all winning their opening games against more experienced opponents. Real Valladolid won 0-1 at Espanyol, Murcia edged Real Zaragoza 2-1 and the biggest surprise of all, Almería walloped Deportivo La Coruña 0-3 at the Riazor.
Those six clubs proceeded to provide the unexpected for the remainder of the season. Murcia were the most impressive of the newcomers at the halfway stage but a horrendous second term saw them plummet straight into the jaws of relegation and they were condemned to the drop with three rounds left to play. Almería, on the other hand, headed the opposite direction - as did Depor. Both sides looked like certain demotion candidates by the end of the first half of the season, but a remarkable fightback not only saw them sprint out of the danger zone completely but they were even genuinely challenging for UEFA Cup places at one stage.
Zaragoza were expected to improve vastly on last year’s sixth-placed finish but never once this campaign were they ever in the European-qualifying spots. The “disappearance” of their two Argentine playmakers Pablo Aimar and Andres D’Alessandro – the driving forces behind last season’s success – was the key factor behind their dramatic collapse.
Aimar was struggling for form and fitness in the early stages of the term, before being forced to undergo a hernia operation in January which would rule him out of action until April. D’Alessandro, meanwhile, was also struggling to find a regular place in the starting XI. A falling out with then-coach Victor Fernández and several of his teammates eventually pushed him out of the club in February and three months later, the Aragóns were relegated.
Espanyol, like Murcia, were one of the very few teams who utterly self-destructed as soon as the year on the calendar changed. They wrapped up 2007 as one of the form sides, going 14 competitive games without defeat, but then they went on to lose 15 times in their subsequent 24 matches in one of the most spectacular freefalls ever seen in the league.
Signs Of Trouble
One club who would know all about extreme nose-diving is Valencia. Los Ché’s troubles began early on, starting with Sporting Director Amedeo Carboni quitting his post before the new season even started and then two months in, coach Quique Sánchez Flores was given the axe. He was replaced by Ronald Koeman but the Dutchman not only failed to turn the tide, he exacerbated the situation. Just six weeks into his tenure, he made the controversial move to expel veterans Santiago Cañizares, David Albelda and Miguel Ángel Angulo permanently from the squad, as Valencia gradually went from a top-six prospect to a mid-table side to near relegation candidates.
As if that wasn’t enough for the fans in the Valencian community, another club from the region, UD Levante, were going through an equally traumatic season, if not worse. Los Granotes were basically rooted to the foot of the table since day one but their real problems lay off the pitch. The club had been in dire financial turmoil and it was first made known that the entire squad had gone for months and months without pay. Only towards the final few weeks of the season, as the players called for strikes and protests to be staged, was it revealed that they were actually owed close to €18 million in back-payments stretching as far back as last season. So grim was the situation that some players have had their houses repossessed and their bank accounts frozen and had to resort to selling their cars just to survive.
One club who do not have to worry about such monetary issues is Barcelona. With the emergence of Giovani Dos Santos and Bojan Krkic and the arrival of Thierry Henry from Arsenal to accompany Lionel Messi, Ronaldinho and Samuel Eto’o, the Catalan giants looked set to begin an era of total domination in total attacking football. That wasn’t the case, however. Frank Rijkaard’s side sputtered and stammered all season long and the so-called “Fantastic Four” turned into the Fantastic Flop even before it had a chance to take flight.
Despite clinging on to second spot in the standings for the majority of the term, the blaugrana were never at any point a serious threat to Real Madrid’s throne. There was one stage in February where they came to within two points of usurping their arch nemesis at the top but a major blip in form at the worst of times put an end to their title challenge as quickly as they had mounted it.
By then, all their dirty blue-and-maroon-coloured linen had been aired in public. The boardroom had lost confidence in Rijkaard, some of their star players were being ratted out by others as dead weight in the squad, their three heroes from yesteryears Ronaldinho, Eto’o and Deco had disappeared into oblivion, Henry was struggling to adapt to life in Catalunya, Messi had a long spell out injured, and just like that in the blink of an eye, Barça had become the new Los Galácticos.
The Big Winners
In the end, the new and improved, anti-galactic Real Madrid wrapped up their 31st La Liga crown fairly comfortably. They effectively won it at the back of a near impeccable first half of the season, where they strolled to 12 consecutive home wins and tallied an amazing 47 points from a possible 57, winning 15 out of the opening 19 league games. The sweetest one was ofcourse on the 23rd of December in El Clásico when Schuster’s Madrid outsmarted Rijkaard’s Barça to claim a famous 0-1 win at the Camp Nou.
It was no less satisfying four months later when the two sides met again at the Bernabéu, just three days after Los Merengues had clinched the title and the Barcelona contingent were forced to perform the pasillo to honour the newly crowned champions.
Villarreal surprised everyone, including themselves, to come in as the league runners-up, eight points behind Madrid but a whopping ten ahead of the blaugrana. It would be the Yellow Submarines’ best ever season in top flight football, in terms of final position and points tally, and all without the services of playmaker Juan Román Riquelme and top striker Diego Forlán.
The Uruguayan’s new club Atlético Madrid also had an impressive campaign, although it wasn’t all plain sailing. They had the privilege of scoring the first league goal of the 2007/08 term through Sergio Agüero, less than 60 seconds into the opening match against city rivals Real. That strike turned out to be the platform that would springboard El Kun’s sensational season and although his team huffed and puffed all the way to the finishing line, their struggles were well worth it as they eventually sealed a ticket to the Champions League for the first time in 11 years.
Another Madrid outfit, Getafe, also had a breakthrough year. They qualified for Europe for the very first time and they charged their way through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup and came literally within 15 seconds of eliminating continental giants Bayern Munich, before being succumbing on away goals rule. They made plenty of friends and admirers that evening and were given a chance to redeem themselves six days later in the Copa del Rey final. But for the second year in a row, they choked when it mattered most, this time losing 3-1 to Valencia.
And let’s not forget about Sevilla. The club not only had to cope with Puerta’s death but they also lost trophy-happy coach Juande Ramos, who swapped West Andalucia for North London in late October when he decided to join Tottenham Hotspurs. Reserve team coach Manolo Jiménez took over at the helm and despite a rocky start, he weathered the storm, restored the morale and spirit in the dressing room and the Andalucians bounced back strongly to finish fifth and claim a UEFA Cup berth. They will be joined by Racing Santander who enjoyed their best La Liga season ever by finishing sixth and thus, qualified for Europe for the first time in their club’s history.
All in all, it was a decent fare but not one that would have caused too many heart-attacks or chewed up fingernails. But the footballing cycle continues to turn in La Liga and as the clubs continue to spend, expand and rebuild, the competition will get tougher and the rivalries will intensify. Consider this season an opportunity to replenish those heart muscles and damaged nails.
KS Leong
http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=705561
[ 本帖最後由 Fantasista 於 2008-5-2204:34 AM 編輯 ] 咁快討論:icon101: 原帖由 天才守門員 於 2008-5-2204:29 發表 http://www.hkcmforum.com/images/common/back.gif
咁快討論:icon101:
已改:icon032: 只怕潛艇過多1,2季後會步塞維利亞後塵...
但佢地個"礦石場"相對於人更就...... Emery下季執教華倫西亞
傳聞佢會帶埋卡路士加西亞安同迪亞高艾華斯過檔
[ 本帖最後由 Fantasista 於 2008-5-2206:27 PM 編輯 ] Omar Bravo 最快今晚攬掂
http://img.skitch.com/20080522-8be7baah4gxxepx3j417gmt8e4.jpg 原帖由 Fantasista 於 2008-5-2206:23 PM 發表 http://www.hkcmforum.com/images/common/back.gif
Emery下季執教華倫西亞
傳聞佢會帶埋卡路士加西亞安同迪亞高艾華斯過檔
希迪布蘭真係咁差?:icon102: 薩拉哥薩有冇貨散r? 原帖由 小妖 於 2008-5-2219:44 發表 http://www.hkcmforum.com/images/common/back.gif
Omar Bravo 最快今晚攬掂
係拉科識唔識入波呢
另外艾蘭蘇比亞都應該會去拉科了
[ 本帖最後由 Fantasista 於 2008-5-2208:54 PM 編輯 ] 原帖由 Fantasista 於 2008-5-2208:52 PM 發表 http://www.hkcmforum.com/images/common/back.gif
另外艾蘭蘇比亞都應該會去拉科了
拉科終於搵到個好龍門:icon112: 原帖由 Fantasista 於 2008-5-2208:52 PM 發表 http://hkcmforum.com/images/common/back.gif
係拉科識唔識入波呢
幫助Xisco成長就可以了 :D 原帖由 講野無point的人 於 2008-5-2208:18 PM 發表 http://hkcm.hkehost.net/images/common/back.gif
希迪布蘭真係咁差?:icon102:
係:icon082: 原帖由 熱刺#29戴維斯 於 2008-5-2206:50 AM 發表 http://hkcmforum.com/images/common/back.gif
只怕潛艇過多1,2季後會步塞維利亞後塵...
但佢地個"礦石場"相對於人更就......
希望唔好...
其實Sevilla都唔係話好差je今年, 話曬走左Ramos... OT
美斯將出席奧運
MADRID, May 22 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi on Thursday put playing for Argentina at the Olympic Games in August ahead of Barcelona's Champions League third qualifying round tie.
'It is up to me to decide and the Olympic Games are something I will never be able to play in again. I am very excited at the prospect,' Messi told a news conference on Thursday.
The 20-year-old forward said he had not officially told the club, but did not expect there to be any problems with his decision.
'We don't know who we are going to be playing yet (in the qualifier) but Barcelona don't depend only on me to win games. I think the club and the fans will understand,' he said.
Barcelona finished third in the Primera Liga championship that ended last weekend, missing out on automatic qualification for Europe's elite club competition.
The 2006 winners will have to play a qualifier on Aug. 12/13 and 26/27 to make the group stage. The Olympic football tournament, which Argentina won at the Athens Games four years ago, takes place from Aug. 6 to 23. 原帖由 孫中謝拉特.奧雲 於 2008-5-2312:46 PM 發表 http://hkcmforum.com/images/common/back.gif
OT
美斯將出席奧運
MADRID, May 22 (Reuters) - Lionel Messi on Thursday put playing for Argentina at the Olympic Games in August ahead of Barcelona's Champions League third qualifying round tie.
'It is ...
去屈機?? Kaka真係唔去? 無得抗衡渦:( messi下季將會好沉:icon101: 原帖由 Fantasista 於 2008-5-2208:52 PM 發表 http://www.hkcmforum.com/images/common/back.gif
另外艾蘭蘇比亞都應該會去拉科了
:eek: no!:icon099: 原帖由 hehe0114 於 2008-5-2302:55 PM 發表 http://hkcmforum.com/images/common/back.gif
messi下季將會好沉:icon101:
Olympic既aftermath冇Euro 08咁勁既:icon101: 原帖由 euellnreina 於 2008-5-2301:25 PM 發表 http://hkcmforum.com/images/common/back.gif
去屈機??
Messi X Kun:icon112: