As LaLiga returns to action, fans around the world will be able to watch on the internet. The top flight of Spain kicks off on Friday with Osasuna hosting Sevilla. Real Madrid will start their title defence against Almeria.
Some players have arrived with a lot of controversy, others have left, and fans are debating whether or not they will score more goals.
The 2022-23 season begins with some of the biggest storylines worth following. Alex, Sam, and Sid look at players to watch in LaLiga, as well as Cesar, who is from Mexico.
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Who are the favorites, who will struggle, who will thrive, players to note.
Real MadridReal Madrid's 14th win in the European Championship in May has not faded. Madrid had just wrapped up a 35th LaLiga title a month before, and the victory overLiverpool gave them confidence. There has been no panic buying or a determination to move only elite players who can add something to the side.
Real Madrid vs. Almeria will be streamed live on Sunday. There is an hour and a half on the Disney+ channel.
Aurelien Tchouameni, who joined from AS Monaco, is a member of that category, as is Antonio Rudiger. The players who won it all last year are the ones Madrid trusts the most.
There's a belief that veterans such as Luka Modric can deliver for one more year, that up-and-coming stars such as Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo have even more room for improvement, and that there's a change underway with Eduardo Camavinga.
They debated if Real Madrid's Benzema or Barcelona's Lewandowski will have the better season.
BarcelonaIt was reluctantly accepted as a success that Barcelona finished second in LaLiga last season, despite the fact that they were ninth in the league. After one of the most remarkable transfer windows of all time, a second-place finish won't be considered highly.
More on Barcelona's mess:
- Lowe: How is the club signing, chasing players?
- Marsden: Explaining who can, can't yet register and why
- Barcelona, reimagined: What if they made no signings after 2016?
Barcelona sold off 25% of their domestic television rights and 25% of their in-house production company for over $600 million after losing Lionel Messi.
The signings of Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha, Jules Kounde and Franck Kessie have been spurred by that money. Joan Laporta says they are not done yet, even though they need to reduce a bloated payroll first. A very competitive squad has been given to Xavi. The team looks exciting in attack, with Ansu Fati, Ousmane Dembele, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang all in the picture. It won't be acceptable to finish 13 points behind Madrid.
Atletico MadridReal Madrid's rivals failed to deliver a proper title race last year. Atlante's attempt to defend the 2020-21 crown fell apart as they struggled to find a balance between defense and attack.
Joao Felix is becoming more important at one end of the pitch, while Reinildo Mandava has brought back some of the old bite at the other. The summer has been limited to the free transfer signing of Axel Witsel and the arrival of a specialist right-back.
There are concerns about Sevilla's readiness for a top four battle after losing Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos and sporting director Monchi looks to be readying a late sweep of the transfer market. Last year's remarkable run to the semifinals of the Europe's premier soccer competition has made Villarreal a strong contender to follow up.
ValenciaValencia represent a different challenge than AC Milan and Napoli did under Gennaro Gattuso.
Los Che are one of the biggest teams in Spain, but it feels like until the continued confrontation between supporters and owner Peter Lim ends, they will struggle to be where they should be in LaLIGA.
Valencia have been struggling to fill their potential due to the tension between the fans and the owner. They have raced through coaches, which has caused stability problems. The past four campaigns have started with a new manager. Their summer has been low-key, with Samu Castillejo and Samuel Lino interesting signings, but there is still uncertainty surrounding two of their best players. Carlos Soler and Jose Luis Gaya are in the final year of their contracts and there is no resolution to their futures at this time.
SevillaSevilla is a club that has made a virtue of departures and has been able to adapt to loss. Sales are happening because they have to rather than because they are planned per se, Jules Kounde and Diego Carlos have left, and they have not been very good for quite a while now.
The signing of Isco and the loan of Alex Telles from Manchester United can help, but there's already a slight sense of loss and distrust that might accelerate problems if things don't start well. There are stalwarts such as Ivan Rakitic, but no new strikers have been found. In a preseason friendly, they gave up six.
Isco says he will give his all for the club and explains why he decided to join.
Athletic ClubAfter two years out of the game following his departure from Barcelona, Ernesto Valverde is back at San Mames for a third spell as Athletic Club's head coach. During his second spell in Bilbao, he led the Basque side into the European competition and never failed to finish outside the top seven. Since he left, Athletic have finished 16th, 8th, 11th, 10th and 8th.
Due to their commitment to signing only Basque players, Athletic will always have their hands tied, but they know how the club works. The club's academy at Lezama continues to produce talent for the first team, and there is talent in the squad in the form of Inigo, Iker, and Inaki.
GetafeThe transfer window led by Ramon Planes has been good. The team lost a record seven games in a row at the start of last season.
After previous coachMichel's struggles,Quiquenchez Flores has been put in charge. The manager who knows how to build a solid, effective team, and who will be hoping for a straightforward midtable finish rather than a fight for survival, is seen-it-all, under-valued.
Barcelona have problems with their new signings.
Let's assume that all of Barcelona's signings can be registered and that there is a satisfactory outcome to the Frenkie de Dutch situation. There can't be any excuses for Xavi and Barcelona this season. It's true that Xavi transformed Barcelona last season, but it's also true that he was given more freedom than his predecessors.
The signing of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was one of the reasons why Xavi was supported in January. Raphinha and Jules Kounde are two exciting Brazilians who have been invested with big money. It's going to be fascinating to see how Ousmane Dembele progresses after signing a new contract and how Pedri and Ansu Fati continue to grow.
Joan Laporta is the president of the club and he says success is a requirement. It's up to Xavi to stop Madrid from retaining the title. The top of the table will be up for grabs in the upcoming Clasico battles.
Kylian, who? Since Madrid missed out on their long-term top target when Kylian Mbappe signed a new contract at Paris Saint-Germain, they've always said that. The timing of the U-turn, a week before the final, looked awkward at first but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. It has been amazing how quickly the saga has left the scene.
Vinicius Junior would have been shifted from his preferred left-wing spot just as he'd established himself if Mbappe had arrived. Madrid are in agreement with Vinicius now. He scored 17 goals last season. With no forward expected to arrive, it will be down to him and Rodrygo to score goals.
Hazard is hoping to join MLS and play for Real Madrid.
Three LaLiga sides will be hoping a change of face on the touchline will improve their fortunes after appointing a new coach. It was true for Cadiz and Mallorca, who stayed up after making changes.
Athletic Club, Valencia and Espanyol will have higher ambitions. The ex-Barca boss is going to help Athletic return to European football. Gennaro Gattuso will have to do that as well at Valencia. Jose Bordalas was the coach of AC Milan and Napoli.
DiegoMartinez is an appointment at Espanyol. The Barcelona-based side will want the same success as he did when he took Granada to theEuropa League. Between the battle for survival and the hunt for European places, they will struggle to break free.
The owners of all three teams are curious. The majority owner of Girona is the City Football Group. Yes, modern football.
It's been a year since Real Valladolid were last in the top flight so they've had the most low-key summer. In Spanish football, a team outside the top four can spend over 15 million dollars. The 18-year-old Brazilian defender Kaiky was spotted by Barcelona and was one of their key signings. The sign of the club's wealth is that they have so far resisted offers for Umar Sadiq, a Nigerian international with over 40 goals in his two years at the club.
Girona had a great summer on paper. David Lopez is a member of a squad that already has veteran strikers. The City Football Group has used its network of clubs to make some interesting additions, none more so than Valentin "TAty" Castellanos, who joins on loan after winning Major League Soccer's Golden Boot in 2021.
Two more people have been added from Manchester City. It's important to keep an eye on the young, versatile defender, as well.
Carlo said the hunger was the last thing he was concerned about. It feels like Madrid should be the strongest side again if they can maintain the basis of last year and integrate Rudiger and Tchouameni.
Barcelona should compete all the way to the finish this time, given the way they finished last season and how they have changed in the summer.
Not being a defending champion could be a good thing. They probably won't be as good as they were. Fourth place should be for Villarreal because of the resources. Look for Real Sociedad to finish in the top five and qualify for the playoffs.
I'm looking for a revelation, how good might Athletic Club be with the return of the coach? What about Getafe, who seems to have signed well too, after the new leader?
Robert is a big fan of Real Madrid's Benzema, but he doesn't want to compete with him.
There's no better way to get people's attention than a head-to-head Golden Boot race. That's been missing since the departure of Lionel Messi and the arrival of Robert Lewandowski, but that's about to change.
Benzema scored 27 goals last season, nine more than second-place Iago Aspas and 17 more than third-place Vinicius Junior. If anyone can beat Benzema in the Ballon d'Or, it's him.
Aspas will retain his title as Spain's top- scoring player. The future of De Tomas depends on whether he's still at Espanyol come the end of the transfer window, as well as three other players who disappointed last season.
If both clubs were not owned by the City Football Group, the signing of Taty Castellanos would have been more out of left field. The Argentine forward's move to Catalonia has the potential to be one of the most exciting deals of the summer.
Castellanos, who won the MLS Golden Boot last year and was leading this season's race before leaving, has Girona fans excited after two preseason goals. If you have goals in your side, you have a good chance of staying in LaLiga, and with Castellanos and the rest of the team, you should have a lot of them.
One of the most fun-to-watch players at Levante was the player known as El Comandante. The best efforts of Jose Luis Morales couldn't keep them up last season, and his tears of frustration on the pitch were hard to watch.
He shouldn't be judged too harshly for his change of heart, even though he initially wanted to stay at Levante. A late-career crack at European football would be ideal for the man. It's possible that his quality will help the team break into the top four.
For the 2022-23 season, there will be a number of representatives from the two traditional powerhouses.
Luca de la Torre is the newest USMNT player in LaLiga and he is moving to Celta Vigo. In his third season with Barcelona, fullback Sergino Dest should see more playing time. The three appear to be on the US team for the World Cup.
Luca Koleosho is an Espanyol player who is 17 years old. Koleosho was the youngest American born player to play in Spain's top flight. Koleosho has yet to make a decision regarding his national team future.
The USMNT's Luca de la Torre is going to the World Cup in Spain.
Jesus "Tecatito" Corona is the most notable name from the El Tri contingent. In the preseason, the 29-year-old has looked promising with two goals. Mexico captain and veteran Andres Guardado will be entering his sixth year with Real Betis, helping the team win the trophy last season.
Jonathan Gomez will try to break into the first team after playing in the Real Sociedad B last season. Gomez has represented both the United States and Mexico at various levels, but last played for El Tri in April. He has yet to make a decision.
Both Corona and Guardado are going to the World Cup. Gomez is unlikely to be included due to his national team status being up in the air, but a lot could change if he establishes himself with the first team.
Three new entrants in Spain's second division are of interest to Mexico. Real Oviedo have brought in Daniel Aceves, while Gijon have brought in Jordan Carrillo.
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