Your thoughts on how most clubs are struggling to register their signings with the league about to start and still this support Tebas in deals like CVC?
Hi Graham, looking forward to the season with your coverage!
What is the realistic expectation for Athletic Club given both domestic and Champions League ( I use that term advisedly)? Is there enough squad depth and patience from within as we always seem to be slow starters.
Furthermore, what is the long term view relating to both Valverde and Nico Williams? 10 year contract not withstanding, how long will he still be at Los Leones? I adore the loyalty we have but it is tempered by a grasp on reality, will he be surrounded by noise again January onwards?
How long will Valverde be at the helm? He is one of the best managers in the world in my view.
Keep on doing what you always have, thank you for the years of coverage and thank you in advance for this season, fantastic and appreciated.
Hi Graham. Great to see you and all things La Liga starting back. I have genuinely missed it, and you. Excited for all you have planned here too. Question about Betis. Do you think they have a plan/contingency in place should things change re: Antony? I understand the €40m plus is impossible for Betis to buy him outright. As a Betis fan I would love to see him back on loan for the full season this time. I’m sure Isco would too 😊. Either way, he needs to go somewhere where he is loved and will play regularly with the World Cup coming up. On a separate note, I’m also excited to see how Real Oviedo do this year (really enjoyed watching them in the play offs) and also the impact Athletic Bilbao will have in the Champions League. Genuinely believe that they will have a big impact. Thanks Graham. Loved all of your updates and videos during the summer but it’s great to see you back talking La Liga.
Darren, good to be in contact again. I find Betis genuinely remarkable. It was so much fun watching them for large parts of last season and they seem to be a club where no matter how much they are , ‘on the ropes“ they still find a way to come out with solutions and remedies. When we had Isco and Lo Celso and Jesús and Abde and Fornals all playing at their best level last season it was genuinely gorgeous entertainment. As for Antony, he was one of the big European stories and I loved watching him rediscover his confidence. Maybe you know that I spoke to Benni McCarthy about the Brazilian because Benni had been his coach for a couple of seasons at Manchester United. The things Benni tol me were marvellous but above all he said that Antony was a ferocious competitor, adored playing football more than he adored being famous or wealthy and that he would find his love for playing beautifully at Betis again. The finances of getting him back are awful, as far as Betis are concerned, but when I was commentating on them the other day it was made clear to me by people around the club that they have been genuinely trying very hard to find a way to persuade United that it remains in their favour to loan Antony Back to Pellegrini‘s team. Obviously that becomes more important now with the Isco injury, and Abde still out, but didn’t Lo Celso play absolutely beautifully the other day? And a big bonus is the way in which the Olympic Stadium suddenly looks like a good home for Football, which it hasn’t done for many many years, and I love the way that the Betis fans packed her out for their first home game. I expect it to be a difficult season and it’s vital that they begin to decrease their injury list which has been consistently horrendous. But I’m going to return to a theme Darren whether you’re a Betis fan or not theyre damn good fun to watch! And that’s something that most of us talk about too infrequently!
Hi Graham. I really appreciate your response. Thank you. That’s a brilliant insight from Benni re:Antony and it proved to be 100% accurate. On a personal level, it was just great to see a talented player and overall good guy rediscover their form and love for the game. I could be wrong on this, but it felt like it was almost immediate, from the moment he arrived. No build up or settling into the culture or environment. Regardless of the pressure he was under, he was brilliant from day one and immediately found an understanding with the team and of course Isco ❤️. We’ve all seen great players go somewhere that’s a wrong fit for them and never, ever rediscover their form, the great Fernando Torres immediately springs to mind when he went to Chelsea. I’ve been really impressed with Lo Celso. Re: the stadium, really good vibe immediately, it really just felt (and looked) like home straight away, even if that stadium does have bad memories for me as a Celtic fan from the 2003 UEFA cup final. Hopefully some good results will help somewhat ease that heartbreak for me. I’m also happy Pellegrini has addressed the GK issue and we have a bit more cover there. We did seem very weak and exposed after Claudio Bravo left. Adrian was always prone to a blunder or two. It will be exciting to watch this season and hopefully 🤞 one or two more of the right type of players coming in before the window shuts.
Hola Buenos Dias! Did you find the video that I did on Barcelona‘s weaknesses and strengths useful or interesting in answering this question? I have been a little bit surprised by how porous Barcelona look defensively – not just as a back four but in terms of how they are keeping the ball, where they lose it and how ragged they look when team‘s tear at them. I honestly believe that the phrase I’ve been using about them is, pound for pound, the most useful and accurate right now. Any opponent, either in LALIGA⚽ or across Europe can easily deduce or learn how to hurt Barça. What very few sides know how to do is to cope with the flurry of counterpunches that this team produces. From the first X1 or off the bench. I think there is extraordinary athletic stamina, extraordinary mental commitment and a ferocious Will to win which, if you add to a squad full of talent is usually a recipe for success or at least being contenders to be trophy winners. Right now I think the most serious weakness is the lack of a left footed centre back. The ripples in the pond from that bad decision, or bad planning, or that Cubarsi is playing out of position and he’s missed at right centre back, Araujo is a faulty player right now and I find it hard to believe that he’s going to dramatically improve either in his distribution of the ball or how he reacts to being pressed on the ball. Teams are going to target this weakness in Barcelona‘s make up. It’s early in the season and therefore I want to sound as optimistic as my nature genuinely is – whether you’re a Barcelona supporter or not right now they are offering us marvellous entertainment every time they go out to play a match. And that ain’t a bad thing.
Hi Steve. As a football romantic I’d love to be able to immediately say ‘yes they’re staying up!’ But I think that the odds are against. I’ll explain my reasoning. First of all, it helps a lot, I think if you have a club, not just a squad where the resources are already tuned to LALIGA⚽ football and the intensity of demands which are placed on everybody. The romanticism of the Oviedo story, first time in the top division for nearly quarter of a century, can, sadly, be turned around and looked at as quite a disadvantage. When the team is struggling, as inevitably Paunovic‘s squad will do, because this is such a new and testing experience, what I have found in other clubs in previous seasons helps a great deal is where the coach and his staff and the players and the fans look around– to the media to the people who run the club to the administrators, even to the kit man, and understand that the tough times are not reasons to panic or to lose faith. Right now almost everybody at the club is going through our first experience and while that is a lovely story, and thrilling for a small shareholders like you who did such a good job of keeping this famous and proud Club alive it’s debilitating. What is patently in your favour is the fact that ordinarily you look around and you say – where are there two or three teams which are weaker than the three promoted sides… And it’s hard to find them. Right now, I would say, Oviedo still look a little bit naive whereas Elche and Levante less so. But then there is Girona. They are in a terrible state, confidence is low, there is division, and I think there might be a change of coach coming, sadly, (hope not) which means that until they get things right and until we see whether the market debilitates them further I think Girona become Oviedo’s objective. Target them, hunt them down, beat their results, and start estimating that finishing fourth bottom is possible.
Yes, Girona look like the ones to target, Elche and Levante look a bit more streetwise, but Oviedo have had a tough start in their first two fixtures, Villarreal and Real Madrid. They’ll be judged on the home form and that’s where the business has to be done against the mid to lower teams in the table.
Your thoughts on how most clubs are struggling to register their signings with the league about to start and still this support Tebas in deals like CVC?
Hi Graham, looking forward to the season with your coverage!
What is the realistic expectation for Athletic Club given both domestic and Champions League ( I use that term advisedly)? Is there enough squad depth and patience from within as we always seem to be slow starters.
Furthermore, what is the long term view relating to both Valverde and Nico Williams? 10 year contract not withstanding, how long will he still be at Los Leones? I adore the loyalty we have but it is tempered by a grasp on reality, will he be surrounded by noise again January onwards?
How long will Valverde be at the helm? He is one of the best managers in the world in my view.
Keep on doing what you always have, thank you for the years of coverage and thank you in advance for this season, fantastic and appreciated.
Martin H
Hi, your thoughts on Thomas Partey to Villareal 🇪🇸
Hi Graham. Great to see you and all things La Liga starting back. I have genuinely missed it, and you. Excited for all you have planned here too. Question about Betis. Do you think they have a plan/contingency in place should things change re: Antony? I understand the €40m plus is impossible for Betis to buy him outright. As a Betis fan I would love to see him back on loan for the full season this time. I’m sure Isco would too 😊. Either way, he needs to go somewhere where he is loved and will play regularly with the World Cup coming up. On a separate note, I’m also excited to see how Real Oviedo do this year (really enjoyed watching them in the play offs) and also the impact Athletic Bilbao will have in the Champions League. Genuinely believe that they will have a big impact. Thanks Graham. Loved all of your updates and videos during the summer but it’s great to see you back talking La Liga.
Darren, good to be in contact again. I find Betis genuinely remarkable. It was so much fun watching them for large parts of last season and they seem to be a club where no matter how much they are , ‘on the ropes“ they still find a way to come out with solutions and remedies. When we had Isco and Lo Celso and Jesús and Abde and Fornals all playing at their best level last season it was genuinely gorgeous entertainment. As for Antony, he was one of the big European stories and I loved watching him rediscover his confidence. Maybe you know that I spoke to Benni McCarthy about the Brazilian because Benni had been his coach for a couple of seasons at Manchester United. The things Benni tol me were marvellous but above all he said that Antony was a ferocious competitor, adored playing football more than he adored being famous or wealthy and that he would find his love for playing beautifully at Betis again. The finances of getting him back are awful, as far as Betis are concerned, but when I was commentating on them the other day it was made clear to me by people around the club that they have been genuinely trying very hard to find a way to persuade United that it remains in their favour to loan Antony Back to Pellegrini‘s team. Obviously that becomes more important now with the Isco injury, and Abde still out, but didn’t Lo Celso play absolutely beautifully the other day? And a big bonus is the way in which the Olympic Stadium suddenly looks like a good home for Football, which it hasn’t done for many many years, and I love the way that the Betis fans packed her out for their first home game. I expect it to be a difficult season and it’s vital that they begin to decrease their injury list which has been consistently horrendous. But I’m going to return to a theme Darren whether you’re a Betis fan or not theyre damn good fun to watch! And that’s something that most of us talk about too infrequently!
Hi Graham. I really appreciate your response. Thank you. That’s a brilliant insight from Benni re:Antony and it proved to be 100% accurate. On a personal level, it was just great to see a talented player and overall good guy rediscover their form and love for the game. I could be wrong on this, but it felt like it was almost immediate, from the moment he arrived. No build up or settling into the culture or environment. Regardless of the pressure he was under, he was brilliant from day one and immediately found an understanding with the team and of course Isco ❤️. We’ve all seen great players go somewhere that’s a wrong fit for them and never, ever rediscover their form, the great Fernando Torres immediately springs to mind when he went to Chelsea. I’ve been really impressed with Lo Celso. Re: the stadium, really good vibe immediately, it really just felt (and looked) like home straight away, even if that stadium does have bad memories for me as a Celtic fan from the 2003 UEFA cup final. Hopefully some good results will help somewhat ease that heartbreak for me. I’m also happy Pellegrini has addressed the GK issue and we have a bit more cover there. We did seem very weak and exposed after Claudio Bravo left. Adrian was always prone to a blunder or two. It will be exciting to watch this season and hopefully 🤞 one or two more of the right type of players coming in before the window shuts.
As a Barcelona fan how do you see Barcelona shaping up concerning defending their titles and fighting for the Champions League?
Hola Buenos Dias! Did you find the video that I did on Barcelona‘s weaknesses and strengths useful or interesting in answering this question? I have been a little bit surprised by how porous Barcelona look defensively – not just as a back four but in terms of how they are keeping the ball, where they lose it and how ragged they look when team‘s tear at them. I honestly believe that the phrase I’ve been using about them is, pound for pound, the most useful and accurate right now. Any opponent, either in LALIGA⚽ or across Europe can easily deduce or learn how to hurt Barça. What very few sides know how to do is to cope with the flurry of counterpunches that this team produces. From the first X1 or off the bench. I think there is extraordinary athletic stamina, extraordinary mental commitment and a ferocious Will to win which, if you add to a squad full of talent is usually a recipe for success or at least being contenders to be trophy winners. Right now I think the most serious weakness is the lack of a left footed centre back. The ripples in the pond from that bad decision, or bad planning, or that Cubarsi is playing out of position and he’s missed at right centre back, Araujo is a faulty player right now and I find it hard to believe that he’s going to dramatically improve either in his distribution of the ball or how he reacts to being pressed on the ball. Teams are going to target this weakness in Barcelona‘s make up. It’s early in the season and therefore I want to sound as optimistic as my nature genuinely is – whether you’re a Barcelona supporter or not right now they are offering us marvellous entertainment every time they go out to play a match. And that ain’t a bad thing.
Hi Graham, thanks for your content over the years, always something new to learn…
As one of the many small owners of Real Oviedo and having watched a few games last term, do you think they’ve got a realistic shout of staying up?
Hi Steve. As a football romantic I’d love to be able to immediately say ‘yes they’re staying up!’ But I think that the odds are against. I’ll explain my reasoning. First of all, it helps a lot, I think if you have a club, not just a squad where the resources are already tuned to LALIGA⚽ football and the intensity of demands which are placed on everybody. The romanticism of the Oviedo story, first time in the top division for nearly quarter of a century, can, sadly, be turned around and looked at as quite a disadvantage. When the team is struggling, as inevitably Paunovic‘s squad will do, because this is such a new and testing experience, what I have found in other clubs in previous seasons helps a great deal is where the coach and his staff and the players and the fans look around– to the media to the people who run the club to the administrators, even to the kit man, and understand that the tough times are not reasons to panic or to lose faith. Right now almost everybody at the club is going through our first experience and while that is a lovely story, and thrilling for a small shareholders like you who did such a good job of keeping this famous and proud Club alive it’s debilitating. What is patently in your favour is the fact that ordinarily you look around and you say – where are there two or three teams which are weaker than the three promoted sides… And it’s hard to find them. Right now, I would say, Oviedo still look a little bit naive whereas Elche and Levante less so. But then there is Girona. They are in a terrible state, confidence is low, there is division, and I think there might be a change of coach coming, sadly, (hope not) which means that until they get things right and until we see whether the market debilitates them further I think Girona become Oviedo’s objective. Target them, hunt them down, beat their results, and start estimating that finishing fourth bottom is possible.
Thanks for the detailed reply.
Yes, Girona look like the ones to target, Elche and Levante look a bit more streetwise, but Oviedo have had a tough start in their first two fixtures, Villarreal and Real Madrid. They’ll be judged on the home form and that’s where the business has to be done against the mid to lower teams in the table.