I definitely think Garay is more than ready to start in the Premier League for a club like Man United. He's not the quickest of defenders, but his reading of the game and positional sense is top-notch. He's one of the classiest defenders in Europe at the moment: Strong in the air, strong in the tackle, and composed in possession.

It'll be extremely difficult to replace a defender of Garay's quality, but I'm confident that Benfica will find a quality replacement. We are reportedly after a 26-year-old Portuguese-Canadian defender named Steven Vitoria. I've watched quite a bit of his club (Estoril) and I've been really impressed with him. In fact, I think he deserves a call-up to the Portuguese national team. He's also quite similar to Garay in terms of his playing style, so the acquisition would make a lot of sense.

It's still hard to tell. Both Porto and Benfica place ridiculously high transfer clauses on their most prized assets, so they make as much $ as possible. From Porto, I wouldn't be surprised if Moutinho, Fernando, and James leave this season. Jackson Martinez, Alex Sandro, and Mangala have also been linked with moves, but the first three are likely leaving.

For Benfica, Garay and Gaitan are probably the most likely to leave. Garay has been our best defender this season so he'll be a huge loss. Gaitan can be brilliant on his day, but he's the most inconsistent player on the squad. He's also been doing well recently, so Benfica will want to sell him quickly before his value drops again. Matic has been our MVP this season, so it'll take a monster bid to prize him away.

Hi Leonardo. To be honest, I've gotten used to the lack of coverage of the Portuguese League. We consistently produce top-class players and the majority of our teams exhibit attractive, technical football, but we're almost always overlooked.

The Porto-Benfica match was extremely tense, and a very even tactical battle. I'm obviously frustrated with the result as a Benfica fan, but technically we can still win the title next weekend. Porto is currently a point ahead of Benfica, but must play third-place Pacos de Ferreira away, and extremely difficult ground to get a result (even for the biggest teams), whereas Benfica host bottom dwellers, Moreirense, at home.

With regards to who has the upper hand, it all comes down to this summer's transfer window. Both Benfica and Porto have many wealthy suitors scouting their most talented players. Sporting and Braga could also challenge for the title next year, but at the moment, Benfica and Porto are still in a league of their own.

Really!? Maradona over Pelé?

Hi Leonardo,

Here is the last part of my season review:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1126415-la-liga-end-of-season-awards#comments

Hope you enjoy. :-)

Hi Leonardo,

I am doing a comprehensive review of the La Liga season this week. Here is my first article covering the 50 best players of the season:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1152250-the-top-50-players-in-la-liga-this-season

I hope you enjoy. I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Hey Leonardo,

Here is my article about Spain's Euro 2012 roster:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1176903-spain-euro-2012-predicting-la-rojas-starting-xi

I would love to hear your thoughts.

Hey Leonardo,

La Liga weekly review:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1165803-barcelona-malaga-and-7-points-from-la-liga-this-week

Hey Leonardo,

Here are a few things to cheer us up after La Liga's Champions League losses this week. La Liga is far from over!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1162594-cristiano-ronaldos-pichichi-and-10-reasons-la-liga-is-not-over

-Michael

Hi Leonardo,

Here are some lessons from La Liga this week:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1136364-pep-guardiola-real-madrid-and-malaga-10-things-we-learned-in-la-liga

I hope you enjoy. Feel free to comment.

Best,

Michael