In the first part of this preview, we took a look to Real Madrid and Barcelona, the top title contenders. In this chapter, we will analyze the chasing pack. Villarreal, Athletico Madrid, and Sevilla are the main contenders, but can they break Barcelona and Madrid's dominance?
1. Villarreal
They had an amazing performance last year, and are considered the main pretenders for the upcoming season. They are a settled side. They have good players in all the lines—notably Capdevilla, Marcos Senna, and Nihat.
They have also added talented players around the field, signing former FC Barcelona defender Edmilson, former Mallorca midfielder Ariel Ibagaza, and former Valladolid striker Joiseba Llorente in the summer—three players with a bunch of experience in La Liga.
They are a big team, but, are they able to repeat their tremendous 2007/08 season?
Absolutely yes.
They have a deep roster, and they can face all the competitions. They will be contenders in La Liga, the Spanish Cup, and the Champions League.
Do not underrate them. Arguably, they have the best roster in the entire League. They have no obvious weaknesses and can reap the rewards of ten years hard work.
2. Atletico Madrid
The other team from the capital are prepared for the challenge. Atletico finished fourth last season, clinching a Champions League spot. They are a talented group of players coached by an under-pressure manager.
Javier Aguirre is entering in his third season as Atletico de Madrid’s coach. He has achieved the team’s objectives in the past two seasons but now, the aim is a title.
They had the most prolific offensive tandem in 2007/08—Agüero and Forlan combined for 35 goals. Agüero had a breakout season, and I expect him to be even better this time around. They have also signed former Recreativo Huelva player Sinama Pongolle, in order to give depth to the bench.
Simao, Maxi Rodriguez, and Luis Garcia complete their offensive weapons, but the problems last year were in defense.
The front office has tried to fix them with two international signings. Tomas Ufjalusi, the Czech team captain, and Johnny Heitinga should provide them with a huge improvement in the centre of the defense. Assuncao will also help the collective defense from the midfield.
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