Almeria 4/10 The Eastern Andalusians have come down with a fairly typical case of second season syndrome. With Unai Emery gone they have been unable to replicate last season’s form, resulting in the sacking of Gonzalo Arconada in December. New coach Hugo Sanchez is under pressure, only the goals of Alvaro Negredo keep them out of the bottom three.
Athletic 6/10 Athletic Bilbao’s season has ebbed and flowed. A bad start has been rescued by the goals of Fernando Llorente, who has 8 for the campaign. Andoni Iraola at the back has also impressed. 8 points from the drop zone, Joaquin Caparrós’s men look safe for another year, anchored as they are by a formidable record in the San Mames
Atletico Madrid 6/10 A poor start to 2009 has brought back the chants of ‘Go Home Javier’ to the Vicente Calderon, undoing much of the Mexican’s good work before Christmas which saw them go 15 games unbeaten in all competitions. That defence is still massively vulnerable despite the expensive additions. On the plus side, they’ve got a good chance of progressing to the Champions League last 8, Maniche looks a player re-born, Maxi Rodriguez is leading superbly and Forlan & Aguero will always bring goals. Top four still the overriding priority.
Barcelona 10/10 What can you say? No-one will catch them, they are simply too good. Messi’s on another planet, Eto’o’s scoring for fun, even Eidur Gudjohnsen looks interested. Iniesta, Xavi and Puyol do not seem to be tired like some of the other Euro 2008 winners. Guardiola’s intense, strict approach is performing the impressive feat of applying discipline to the players’ minds while giving them the freedom to express themselves physically. Aside from the opening day, they’ve not put a foot wrong – Phenomenal.
Deportivo La Coruna 8/10 Fans in Galicia should be very happy with the first half of this season’s exploits. In the mix for a UEFA cup spot (and possibly better – who knows?), Lotina’s young side, powered by the go-forward of Angel Lafita, Verdu, Andres Guardado and Rodolfo Bodipo, have played some lovely football but we’ll see whether they can keep that up. Money worries persist which may reverse some of this progress, however.
Espanyol 1/10 Oh dear. Espanyol fell away after Christmas last season but they can’t do a whole lot worse this time around. With Riera and Zabaleta gone and Raul Tamudo increasingly brittle, Los Pericos have struggled both at the back and up front leading to Tintin Marquez being sacked in November. His replacement, Mané, went without a single league victory during his tenure before being fired this week by Daniel Sanchez Libre, to be replaced by Mauricio Pochettino. The Argentine will find himself up against it in his first managerial role – relegation beckons if points are not picked up at home (2 wins at the Montjuic from 9).
Getafe 5/10 A mixed bag from Los Azulones. Víctor Muñoz’s side beat Real Madrid and drew away at the Camp Nou but are also prone to horrendous displays. The days of EuroGeta seem far away but they should still aim for a top half finish. More is needed from the likes of Granero, Uche and Manu for that to happen, though.
Malaga 9/10 The best of the promoted sides, Malaga sit improbably in 7th thanks largely to a disciplined, balanced defence and the goals of their Portuguese stars up front, Duda and Eliseu. I expect them to step off the gas a little and finish around 10th – Nonetheless, a great job so far from Antonio Tapia in his first season in charge as well.
Mallorca 2/10 One cannot help but feel sorry for the Islanders’ fans. Shorn of their three best players in the summer – Ibagaza, Guiza, Gutierrez – without sufficient replacements, Gregorio Manzano has been unable to inspire his depleted side. The property crash claimed an early victim in the club, who are still desperately trying to find a buyer. On the pitch, their soporific form combined with no likelihood of transfer window wheeler-dealing leaves them relegation candidates. Their sole saving grace? The tireless Venezuelan Juan Arango.
Numancia 5/10 A team I predicted to come straight back down, Numancia have defied my expectations not least by holding the honour of being the only team to beat Barcelona, on matchday one. They lie 5 points above the drop with the influential Jose Barkero having a great deal to do with that. However, don’t expect them to pull away from trouble.
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