La Liga: Xavi's Barcelona Embarks on a New Era Following the Departure of Legends

 

Two months down the line from bidding farewell to club icons Sergio Busquets and Jordi Alba, and unsurprisingly falling short in reacquiring the ultimate legend (the also Miami-bound Lionel Messi), a feeling of transformation is palpable within Barcelona.

As the Spanish giants gear up to safeguard their title, they are set to hold their home matches at the city's Olympic Stadium during the Nou Camp's renovation period, all while facing the looming specter of financial uncertainty.

Barcelona's midfield has received a boost with the addition of Ilkay Gundogan, who arrived on a free transfer from Manchester City. Furthermore, Oriol Romeu, a former Southampton player, has returned to the fold. He initially emerged from Barça's youth system before joining Chelsea in 2011, and he has been recruited to provide defensive coverage and tenacity.

The swap of Romeu for Busquets is emblematic of coach Xavi's surprisingly pragmatic approach. The newly acquired player may not possess the refined passing abilities of the legend he's replacing, yet Romeu offers considerably more agility compared to the notably sluggish Busquets. The latter often struggled to keep up with opposing counter-attacks once possession was lost, frequently leading to vulnerable openings in the midfield.

During this season, Barcelona will be hosting their home matches at the city's Olympic Stadium as the Nou Camp undergoes refurbishment.

The dynamic Romeu, who shone brightly last season at Girona, possesses the ability to cover much more ground at a considerably swifter pace than Busquets. His arrival appears to uphold the trend established under Xavi's management – a figure celebrated as a principled purist during his playing career – of rendering Barcelona a tougher opponent to contend with, without necessarily sacrificing their aesthetic appeal.

This characteristic was pivotal to Barca's conquest of the title, and Xavi's current challenge involves sustaining defensive solidity while concurrently cultivating a more fluid team than the intermittently monotonous squad that secured victory through eleven 1-0 scorelines in the previous season.

An intriguing aspect of this evolution revolves around the impending departure of Ousmane Dembele to Paris St-Germain, a move that will rob Xavi of his most creative player. However, it could also result in a less one-dimensional team, potentially affording Raphinha, Ferran Torres, and Ansu Fati greater opportunities to showcase their talents.

However, a concerning footnote accompanies these developments. At the time of writing, ongoing financial woes have prevented Barcelona from officially registering their fresh signings or current players who have inked new contracts. Consequently, Xavi might commence the season with some of his crucial assets relegated to the stands.

Despite the addition of Bellingham, pressure mounts on Ancelotti at Real.

In the Spanish capital, Real Madrid's manager, Carlo Ancelotti, finds himself grappling with considerable pressure following a lackluster conclusion to the previous season and an unconvincing pre-season performance.

Specifically, Ancelotti is haunted by the looming prospect of assuming the role of the Brazilian national team's manager. He is poised to accept that position next summer when his contract with Bernabeu expires, or potentially even sooner if Real decides to part ways with him beforehand. The latter remains a viable scenario.

Unlike managers at many other clubs, Real Madrid's coaches seldom enjoy the luxury of resting on past successes. The urgent necessity to swiftly and seamlessly reshape the team becomes paramount for Ancelotti's survival.

The most pivotal question centers around whether Kylian Mbappe will ultimately be recruited to address the void left by Karim Benzema in Real's attacking lineup. As of now, the squad's lone center-forward is summer acquisition Joselu. However, despite his aerial prowess and hold-up capabilities, the former Stoke, Newcastle, and Espanyol striker is arguably ill-equipped to shoulder the primary goal-scoring burden.

In anticipation of the potential absence of Mbappe, Ancelotti has utilized pre-season friendlies to shift the influential left-winger Vinicius Jr into a more central role.

Nonetheless, this tactical adjustment failed to impress during losses to Barcelona and Juventus. Real Madrid unquestionably needs to secure a top-tier striker – even if not Mbappe – before the conclusion of August.

The team's most pronounced strength resides in the midfield, now further enriched by the addition of English standout Jude Bellingham. This amplifies an unparalleled assemblage of talent that already features luminaries such as Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Fede Valverde, Eduardo Camavinga, and Aurelien Tchouameni.

With this exceptional collective governing the heart of the pitch, Real should encounter no difficulties in asserting their dominance in possession and orchestrating the tempo of matches.

Ancelotti's challenge lies in harmonizing attacking impetus with the midfield's excellence, all the while upholding the team's overall equilibrium. The Italian coach is also banking on the prospect that the problematic left-back position can be rectified with the reacquisition of former youth academy product Fran Garcia from neighboring Rayo Vallecano.

Real Madrid might not even mount the most potent title bid from the capital city, as Atletico Madrid concluded the previous season as Spain's premier team with a tally of 13 victories from 19 games in the latter half of the campaign.

This triumph was profoundly influenced by the scintillating form of Antoine Griezmann, who found his stride following the temporary departure of Joao Felix. Griezmann finished the season with the highest combined goals and assists in La Liga – 15 goals and 16 assists, whereas Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski trailed with 23 goals and seven assists.

Releasing Felix – who has yet to truly thrive under Diego Simeone – remains a pivotal objective for Atletico in the imminent weeks. Furthermore, with Alvaro Morata also expected to depart, a significant opportunity is poised to emerge for former Manchester United and Barcelona player Memphis Depay to validate his capacity to spearhead the forward line for a title-contending team.

Who else is in the race?

In other quarters, Real Sociedad encountered a setback during the summer as they aimed to build upon their fourth-place finish from the prior season, with David Silva's retirement due to a severe knee injury.

Nonetheless, astute manager Imanol Alguacil still commands an abundance of talent, and striker Umar Sadiq might emerge as this season's breakout sensation as he returns to full fitness after largely missing out on the previous campaign.

Nevertheless, launching a genuine title challenge will likely remain beyond Real Sociedad's reach, particularly in light of the heightened demands of the Champions League. It's challenging to identify anyone else who could genuinely pose a significant threat to the traditional powerhouses of Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Atletico Madrid.