Today’s confrontation between Betis and Valencia opens the 76th championship of Spain, from the formal point of view - the strongest in Europe (both owners of Eurocups come from here) , and from all the others - possibly, too. Louder than others, from the transfer window rushed about the restructuring of Real Madrid, almost drowning out the rest. But SPORT Today counted at least 9 more clubs that benefited from the summer of 2006.
Yuri DOVNAR
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| "REAL" |
Significant acquisitions: Fabio Cannavaro, Emerson (both Juventus, Italy), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United, England), Mamadou Diarra (Lyon, France). Tangible Losses: Zinedine Zidane (completed his career).
Place last season: 2nd.
Ambition: Championship.
Off-season impression: Now the team has someone to take the ball away.
Summary: In “Real” they are so tired of reproaches that all its troubles are from the lack of people who can play in the selection that they were staffed to the eyeballs. Now there is no shortage of them, and in friendly matches the teams even recorded their first attempts to take the ball away from each other. The bet is made on a pair of Diarra-Emerson oporniks. The Mali, by design, should turn back the days of Makelele, who alone carried the royal piano and had the smallest salary in the club. Emerson is a longtime favorite Capello, playing with him for the third time in a row. What the duet of former Juventus stars will give to the game of Real Madrid will be shown by time, but it has already given a lot to the management of the Madrid club. The new president of “Real” Ramon Calderon in the recent election beat four competitors, promising with three boxes. In Madrid, they took the word - six years ago, Florentino Perez managed to steal Figo from Barcelona. Only none of the "three whales" of Calderon - Fabregas, Kaka, Robben - were not interested in the proposal of "Real". And the Real Madrid fans would still be tormented by nostalgia for Zidane, if not for the Turin sale.
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| "VALENCIA" |
Significant acquisitions: Joaquin Sanchez (Betis), Fernando Morientes (Liverpool, England), Francesco Tavano (Empoli, Italy), Acier Del Orno (Chelsea England).
Tangible losses: Pablo Aimar (Zaragoza), Fabio Aurelio (Liverpool, England), Mista (Atlético), Amedeo Carboni (ended his career).
Place last season: 3rd.
Ambition: Championship.
Off-season impression: Lost the main characters.
Summary: The operation to cultivate from Kike Flores new Raphael Benitez successfully continues. The launch pad and the temperament of Flores really turned out to be similar to the platform of the predecessor: Benitez came out in people, dragging the humble Tenerife with his coaching talent, and the current helmsman managed to keep the frail “Getafe” afloat before moving to Valencia. Having finally mastered, Flores started an ambitious reconstruction in Valencia, parting with several significant figures - Mista, who lost her rate of fire, was too susceptible to injuries by Aimar, and Amedeo Carboni (41-year-old Italian, after nine seasons for Valencia, switched to administrative work). The trump cards of the new “Valencia” are on the flanks: a pair of Vingente – Wojing winges in the imagination gives one hundred odds to all the rivals, and the extreme defenders Miguel and Del Orno have the habit of applying to the opponents' penalty box at least half a dozen times per match.
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| VILLARREAL |
Significant acquisitions: Nihat Kahvedji (Real Sociedad), Cani (Zaragoza), Robert Pires (Arsenal, England), Leandro Somosa (Veles Sarsfield, Argentina).
Tangible Losses: None.
Place last season: 7th.
Ambition: Top 4.
Off -season impression: Squandered own youth.
Summary: The submarine really did not suffer sensitive losses. In her arsenal is no longer yesterday's "golden youth". Hector Font, Santi Cazorla, Cesar Arso, Carlos Alcantara, Xisco - they patched holes in the composition at the moments when Villarreal was experimenting with ultimate strength. With a meager application, “Villarreal” managed to break through the Intertoto sieve into the UEFA Cup, proudly parade through the tournament (once before the semi-finals) and at the same time build up speed in the national championship. The best - they say, the enemy of the good. In the summer of 2006, in the satellite city of Valencia, they forgot about their zealous and provincial approach and tried to complement the scope of European top clubs. More or less, it turned out. But those who left the team are still sorry ...
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| ATLETICO |
Significant acquisitions : Mista (Valencia), Mariano Pernia (Getafe), Sergio Aguero (Independiente, Argentina), Coshtinha (Dynamo, Moscow).
Tangible Losses: None.
Place last season: 10th.
Ambition: Top 4.
Off-season impression: The most balanced summer in recent years.
Summary: Jesus Gil ceased to be the president of the "mattresses" a long time ago, but his work lives on - or at least lived until very recently. Atletico’s corporate transfer style always gave away something very childish: every off-season was spent on the wholesale purchase of toys that turned out to be on the shelf in exchange for the old, still new ones. A year ago, the successor of Gil Enrique Cereso managed to lease to other clubs eight football players who were quite competent. This season, this stream should have rushed in the opposite direction, if not for the main strengthening of “Atletico” - the Mexican mentor Aguirre. In his previous club - “Osasuna” - he was remembered for a simple trick: every off-season the team eagerly took air in the coach’s homeland, in the highlands. Having descended to mortal land, the players “flew” (though sometimes they fell). In the list of summer acquisitions, “Atletico” - completely “offended” players aimed at rehabilitation. The exception is the 18-year-old Aguero nugget, bought on the principle "so that others do not get it" even before the arrival of the Mexican entrenador.
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| SARAGOSA |
Significant acquisitions: Pablo Aimar (Valencia), Andres D'Alessandro (Wolfsburg, Germany), Juanfran (Ajax, Holland), Sergio Fernandez (Celta), Carlos Diogo (Real Madrid).
Tangible losses: Ruben Cani (“Villarreal”), Savio (“Flamengo”, Brazil), Alvaro Luis (“Levante”).
Place last season: 11th.
Ambition: UEFA Zone.
Off-season impression: A taste for life has appeared.
Summary: For three consecutive seasons, Aragonese cannot find the proper motivation for the third decade of the championship distance: parting with the elite does not threaten, and more successful rivals are farther. Perhaps this is the destiny. “Zaragoza” is reputed to be a purely cup fighter: in its collection there are already five national trophies. Last spring, the sixth could have happened - if not for the loss in the final of “Espanyol”. The Aragonese also have a victory in the Cup of Cups, which was celebrated 11 years ago, and they remember it as yesterday: Naim in extra time from an unimaginable distance from the right edge raised the ball for the collar to poor fellow David Seaman. Victor Fernandez, under whose leadership that triumph happened, is again in Zaragoza. That's only since then he is constantly lagging a step. For three consecutive seasons, he stopped at the turn of the “Champions League zone” with “Celta”, while his successor Lotin took the top straight away. Unsuccessfully bursting into the quartet of the best with “Betis”, and who replaced Serra Ferrer conquered the target again with a swoop. Something similar is possible this season. Zaragoza is ready to jump, but hardly to a soft landing. And the question with the owner of the conductor’s baton is open: two eminent (and reevaluated - there is an opinion) Argentine, D'Alessandro and Aimar, are ready to get used to the role.
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| Betis |
Significant acquisitions: Damia (Barcelona), Enrique Romero (Deportivo).
Tangible losses: Joaquin Sanchez (Valencia), Fernando Varela (Mallorca).
Place last season : 14th.
Ambition: UEFA Zone, or at least a place above Seville.
Off-season impression: Awaiting Joaquin sale.
Summary: Fun for the fans of the team - to count to 22 and weed out the extra. There was no other Iruuret who headed the “white-green”. During the heyday of his “Deportivo” in the team there were exactly two people for each position of his only game scheme - like in an old computer simulator that does not allow improvisation. A year of inactivity has not changed anything, and the windy Betis is waiting for a quality rise. It is inevitable - there is simply nowhere below. Once the Sevilians allowed themselves a world transfer record, having bought Denilson, and together with the Brazilian head over heels flew into the second division. Now, on the contrary, without a twinge put up for auction leader Joaquin. Iruureta's scheme requires a power tip and until the end of the summer transfer period, there is no doubt that the coach will be in his search. With a dream, after Romero, to intercept from his former club Diego Tristan.
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| ESPANIOL |
Significant acquisitions: Francisco Rufete (Valencia), Mokha (Osasuna), Jose Maria Lacrus (Athletic).
Tangible losses : Alberto Lopo (“Deportivo”), Juanfran Torres (“Real”, the end of the lease).
Place last season: 15th.
Ambition: Slurred.
Off -season impression : It would be better not to have it.
Summary: Last summer, the fall of Hispaniola was predictable, as it is now taking off. In the career of Lotina, a steady breakthrough was always followed by a fiasco. Having captured an unofficial prize for the “most progressive team” (plus eleven positions), the team rained down already in the offseason. They preferred not to pay attention to the results of friendly games, because Lotina is known as a powerful finisher. Visually, it turned out that way, because for “Espanyol” there was no need for a break. All club acquisitions were made in response to losses. As a result, the Catalans in the transfer market even bargained for some gain, which Ernesto Valverde (ex-Athletic) has to manage.
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| REAL SOSEDEDAD |
Significant acquisitions: Diego Rivas (Getafe), Gerardo (Malaga).
Tangible losses : Nihat Kahvedji (“Villarreal”), Igor Gabilondo (“Athletic”), Jose Viafara (“Portsmouth”, England, the end of the lease), Oscar De Paula (“Cadiz”).
Place last season: 16th.
Ambition: Become the first team of Euskadi.
Off-season impression: There is no one else to sell.
Summary : Three more seasons ago, the Basques played in the Champions League, and before that they stamped in the championship victory with a minimal advantage. Opponents, however, did not have the temptation to get hold of local players - due to their age and less significant reasons. Only Khabi Alonso and Nihat, who was finally sold, always were on the wish list. Should a transfer happen a year ago, Real Sociedad now probably would stand in the way of Athletics, equipped exclusively with Basques. Fortunately, Jose Maria Amorrortu, discharged from yet another Old Believer club of the Basque Country “Eibar”, took on the job. Following the results of last season, he proceeded to the third division, and the patriotic idea in San Sebastian gradually came to naught.
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| HIMNASTIK |
Significant acquisitions: Javier Portillo (Brugge, Belgium), Ariza Macucula (Sevilla), Anibal Mateljan (Getafe), Generelo (Zaragoza), Alejandro Campano (Mallorca), Albano Bizarri (Valladolid) ), Julio Cáceres (Nantes, France).
Tangible losses: Alex Perez (Real Madrid -V, end of lease), Juan Bolo (Numansiya).
Place last season: 2nd (D2).
Ambition: Follow the Getafe path.
Off-season impression: Dizzy with success.
Summary: Three previous seasons of the Catalans in the elite have passed more than half a century ago. But someone in Tarragona decided that there was plenty of knowledge and skills. However, in Spain this happens - the team keeps afloat solely at the expense of qualified strikers. The latest example on the personal account of “Malaga”. He is a warning. The Andalusians, with good intentions, changed the entire attacking squad, rolled down 10 tabular steps and the next season will begin not in an “example” ...
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| LEVANTE |
Significant acquisitions: Cesar Martin (Deportivo), Alvaro Luis (Zaragoza), Frederic Deuuil (Marseille, France), Albert The Mayong (Belenense, Portugal), Damiano Tommasi (Roma, Italy), Olivier Capo (Juventus, Italy), Laurent Robert (Benfica, Portugal).
Tangible Losses: None.
Place last season : 3rd (D2).
Ambition: Royal.
Off -season impression : Transfer hapun.
Summary: The club is sponsored by the terrific European amusement park Terra Mitica. Its subjects are legends and myths of the peoples of ancient Rome, Egypt, Greece, Iberia and the Unknown Land. There is speculation that Levante is made part of this dramatization. The team has a record number of foreign players for Spain, Africa is widely represented, there are even people from nowhere (read - from the Unknown Land). The manager of the carnival was appointed by the former coach of Real Madrid Lopez Caro, who had already encountered something similar in Madrid. In terms of sporting results, it didn’t work out very well. But at least it was beautiful.
+ Announcement of the championship of England-2006/07. Part 1
+ Announcement of the championship of England-2006/07. Part 2