If the Supercopa de Espana first leg was an accurate guide, then the status quo in La Liga will remain as it had last season.
Though it was far from vintage from both Barcelona and Real Madrid, don’t be fooled by the notion that this was just another ‘summer friendly.’ The manner in which the Catalans eventually succumbed to their visitors 3-1 will give new coach Ernesto Valverde a few sleepless nights, with worse likely to follow in Wednesday’s second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.
The former Athletic Bilbao coach has an unenviable record of having only beaten Real five times in 21 attempts and nothing that was seen in Sunday’s first leg suggests that he will reverse that anytime soon.
Losing Neymar on the eve of the season has been, of course, a bitter pill for the Blaugrana to swallow. Gerard Deulofeu clearly isn’t the answer but to blame many of Barca’s ills on the night on a player that had a preference for staying at AC Milan is inherently wrong.
That’s because Barcelona are once again a team in transition. Ousmane Dembele and Philippe Coutinho are not only needed, they are essential, whatever the price. Both would bring a sense of balance to a team that are stuck firmly in Real’s slipstream at present.
Zinedine Zidane wasn’t overly happy with his side’s pre-season results but the performances from his players had given him cause for optimism. Against both Manchester United and Barca, when it mattered, Real were clearly the better side and fully deserved both victories.
The only problem the Frenchman is likely to face again in 2017/18 is how to keep everyone happy. Marco Asensio showed once more in a brief cameo just what a world class talent he is, and remember too that we haven’t yet been treated to the best of Dani Ceballos and Theo Hernandez in a Real shirt. Luka Modric was suspended and Marcos Llorente not picked!
Cristiano Ronaldo’s expected lengthy ban could certainly open the door for someone in the season’s early stages, his unnecessary red card a blot on the Portuguese’s copybook after a magnificent goal to silence the Camp Nou.
From a league standpoint, Celta Vigo, now coached by ex-Barca assistant Juan Carlos Unzue, have looked magnificent in pre-season, demolishing Roma 4-1 in their last game. Diego Simeone will be similarly impressed with his Atletico Madrid squad, though the Rojiblancos may find the Fifa ban hits hardest in these next few months.
If they can remain competitive until January when Vitolo and, potentially, Diego Costa as a minimum join the Atleti ranks, then there’s every reason to expect they’ll be there or thereabouts again come the business end of the season.
For now, only a fool would look past Zidane further cementing his legend. Welcome back La Liga … we’ve missed you!
— The author is an expert on Spanish football
