They haven’t seen European glory since the days of Messi, Neymar & Suarez… but Xavi Hernandez brought the Blaugrana back to LaLiga glory in the 2022/23 season. The Catalan giants won the title last year by a 10 point gap between them and their bitter rivals Real Madrid. They also were able to beat Real Madrid in the Supercopa de España, their first trophy since 2021. New arrivals like Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde played a huge part in both their league title push and their cup run. However, this league is so much more than just Real Madrid and Barcelona. Let’s get into it.
1. How will Real Sociedad handle Champions League football?
For the first time since the 2013/14 season, Real Sociedad will be playing Champions League football. And this wasn’t no fluke for La Real, they handled business last year. Wins over Real Madrid, Barcelona & Sevilla came in the last month of the season alone. Players like Takefusa Kubo and Brais Méndez came out and had breakout years under manager Imanol Alguacil. Mikel Merino was a pivotal part in the teams success, Robin Le Normand became a top defender in the league and Martín Zubimendi became a player wanted by numerous top clubs.
However, they will be without their top goal scorer from last year in Alexander Sørloth. The Norwegian’s two-year loan deal from Leipzig expired this July and he signed a permanent transfer deal with Villarreal. La Real opted against signing their top goalscorer due to long-term injury concerns about his knees, according to Radio Marca Donostia.
They will also be without another big player. David Silva, although past his prime, was an anchor in the Sociedad midfield. The Spaniard sadly tore his ACL in training in July, forcing him into retirement. Silva was a huge presence in the team and in the dressing room. His absence will be gravely missed in the side, at least he was able to win a Copa del Rey and bring La Real back to Champions League. Despite these two losses, Real Sociedad were able to bring in a couple of good players as well. Hamari Traoré arrived on a free transfer from Rennes & Portuguese striker Andre Silva have arrived on loan with an option to buy from RB Leipzig as well. These players can add on to the already good squad and hopefully help make La Real make a magical European Cup run.
2. Will Real Madrid able to succeed without a Karim Benzema replacement?
After disappointing results in both LaLiga and Champions League Los Blancos look to bounce back this year. And when I say “disappointing”, I only mean disappointing for Madrid fans who are used to only success. Because going to the Champions League semi-finals, winning the Copa del Rey and finishing second in the league would be great seasons for most clubs in the world. However, they were not expecting their Ballon D’Or striker to leave in the summer.
Karim Benzema, the current Ballon D’Or holder, agreed to a mega-deal with Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad this summer. Benzema will reportedly be making €200m per season in Jeddah. Real Madrid responded with signing one of their own former strikers in Joselu from RCD Espanyol on a loan deal with an option to buy. Despite Joselu scoring a bicycle kick against Manchester United, he was not the big summer signing by Madrid that everyone was talking about. Real Madrid had to fork up £113m to secure the services of English superstar midfielder Jude Bellingham. Bellingham comes into a midfield that already has Eduardo Camavinga, Toni Kroos & Luka Modric. His ability to play multiple positions in the midfield, including at the #10 role where he played during pre-season, is something that every team in the world values.
The only concern is that Joselu is not enough of a replacement for Benzema. Yes, Joselu scored 16 goals last year in the league but he doesn’t have the creativity and ability on the ball that Benzema has. Benzema would drop deep in to the midfield to help spring Vini & Rodrigo forward down the wings. His command of the attack was ever so palpable, it’s going to be hard to be able to fill that void immediately. There’s one name on everyone’s mind though. And that name is Kylian Mbappé. Will he be able to manufacture a move out of Paris this summer? As things stand, the Frenchman is currently training separately from PSG’s first-team and is constantly being linked with a move to the Spanish capital. I guess only time will tell.
3. Can the Williams brother bring Athletic Bilbao a trophy?
Whenever you sign a nine-year contract with a club, I think you can be considered a club legend. That’s what Iñaki Williams is to Athletic Bilbao. During Williams’ time in the Basque region, he has scored 86 goals to come along with 52 assists. He has cemented his legacy with the Lehoiak, but he’s not the only Williams that has star power at San Mamés. His little brother, Nico, has superstar written all over him. With blistering pace and a great handle of the ball, Nico has already made quite a name for himself in Spain. Even making the squad for the World Cup in Qatar this past winter, something that his brother never did (Iñaki plays for Ghana at an international level).
After an inconsistent season last year, Bilbao finished just two points away from a European qualifying spot. If the Williams brothers stay healthy and play at their level, expect the Lehoiak to go on yet another cup run like they did in the 2020/21 Supercopa de España.
4. What will happen with João Félix?
When Diego Simeone signed João Félix from Benfica for £114m in 2019, he was the fourth-most expensive signing in history. Now, after a six-month loan spell in London with Chelsea, the Portuguese international wants to leave the club. In 131 appearances, the former Benfica man has 31 goals and 18 assists. While he’s still a quality player, he definitely has not lived up to his massive price tag.
While he has been linked to a move to Saudi Arabia recently, the belief is that the attacker would like to stay in Europe. And not just in Europe, he wants a move specifically to Barcelona.
The question is, what type of fee will the Colchoneros be able to get for him? I think it’s no question that they will not get anywhere near the fee they paid for him, but will they even be able to find a buyer? Atleti would have to force an overpay if he were to move within the league and that is unlikely to happen due to Barcelona’s already difficult financial situation.
The players relationship with Simeone and the club is reportedly finished, so will other teams take advantage of that and factor it into the price? A sticky situation that currently doesn’t have a direct solution. The beauty & ugliness of the football transfer window in this case will show very soon.
5. Can Barca do it again?
With their first league title since the 2018/19 season, Xavi & Co. were able to put a smile on the faces of Culers everywhere. The arrival of Robert Lewandowski proved crucial, as the Polish striker led the league (23) and club (33) in goals. With his creativity on the ball being backed by a midfield of Gavi, Pedri, and Frenkie de Jong, while Ousmane Dembele and Raphinha took turns on the wing, it was going to be hard for the former Bayern man to fail.
What was just as impressive was the stalwart defense led by Jules Koundé and Ronald Araújo, leading the league in clean sheets (15) and goals allowed (20). The team was perfectly balanced, but like in all sports, there is always going to be some sort of unexpected change.
Club legend Sergio Busquets was the first to go, as he went to join former teammate Lionel Messi at Inter Miami. Later down the road, left-back Jordi Alba also followed his ex-teammates to Miami to takeover America. Ivorian midfielder Franck Kessié also headed out the door with a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ahli to join forces with players like Roberto Firmino & Riyad Mahrez.
While those three were huge losses, the biggest one came from a certain Frenchman. Ousmane Dembélé had been through everything with his time at the Camp Nou. After dealing with injuries constantly since his arrival in the summer of 2017, the former Dortmund star finally a got a great run in the team. From January 2022 to January 2023, Dembélé was injury-free, playing his best football of his Barcelona career.
However, in a match against Girona this past January, Dembélé felt his hamstring pull up and signaled to the bench. He would go on to miss both legs against Manchester United in the Europa League and then 13 games in the league. Despite the lengthy period missed, he still finished second at the club for assists with nine (Raphinha was first with 10). In my opinion, Dembélé is their best creator on the pitch. His speed separates him from any defender, all while the ball remains on a string at his feet. So when new broke that he would be heading back to France to play for PSG, Culers around the world were crushed.
Despite these losses, Barca made a couple of signings themselves, bringing in treble-winner Ilkay Gündogan and former Bilbao center-back Iñigo Martinez on free transfers. We’ll have to see if Xavi can bring the magic back without the power of the Camp Nou, as it is currently under renovation.
YSN 2023/24 LaLiga Predictions
- Real Madrid
- Barcelona
- Atlético Madrid
- Athletic Bilbao
- Real Sociedad
- Villareal
- Real Betis
- Sevilla
- Mallorca
- Osasuna
- Celta Vigo
- Girona
- Rayo Vallecano
- Getafe
- Granada
- Valencia
- Alavés
- Cadiz
- Almeria
- Las Palmas
Yes, they currently don’t have a #9 besides Joselu, but this team is too good. That midfield, that defense and the one and only Don Carlo. They surely can’t lose out on two league titles in a row right? Right?
I do think it’ll be a very tight race to the end though, not like last year where the Blaugrana won the league by double-digits. I really do believe in Bilbao this year. For years they have been just on the cusp of European glory. Last year Sociedad was the team that came out of nowhere to make the Champions League, I think Bilbao will be the surprise team this year. Iñaki Williams dropping 15 goals in the league will bring the boys in the Basque region to the Champions League.
This is the last league prediction article before the new season starts because I can’t be ***** to really give a deep dive on the Bundesliga and Ligue 1. I follow the big players and the young talents but if you think I’m sitting down and watching a match between Augsburg and VfL Bochum, you’re out of your damn mind. Regardless, I love you all, thank you for the continued support and engagement with the website. This is YSN, until next time, signing out.
