la liga loca...
So it's finished, then. The last matchday is over, Barcelona won the league with a record of 99 points after a 4-0 victory against the now relegated Valladolid.
Granted, it's no small accomplishment, and considering the fact that they've been ahead of every other Spanish team for quite some matchdays, it's probably deserved. So, congratulations. But when I think of the atmosphere after the glorious end of last season and the beginning of this one, all the reinforcements, and the things I read in the entries and comments of some Barcelona fans on LJ, I imagine that winning the league and nothing else this season must be a small disappointment to some.
Especially when a team of lower quality in depth and major problems at the beginning of the season is set to win a double. Congratulations, Atlético Madrid. I might not like you much, but winning the Europa League with a team like this is impressive.
Real Madrid might not have played a successful season in the eyes of people who measure success with trophies only, but I think there are more important things than silverware. For instance, it's true that Lionel Messi won the Pichichi with 34 league goals, but in my opinion it's even more admirable that that Gonzalo Higuaín and Cristiano Ronaldo scored 53 times in the league together. The rivalry that some pundits and journalists tried so hard to establish between Real Madrid's top strikers (whose personalities couldn't be any more different) was not there - quite the contrary! Thanks to their efforts and the collective effort of the entire team, Real Madrid finished only three points behind Barcelona with 96 points, the best forward line in the league (102 goals) and the second-best defense (35 goals). And all this despite the major overhaul in summer. If you remember, the new season brought a new president, a new management, a new coach, and a ton of new players. There were high expectations from all sides and a lot of pressure. But Manuel Pellegrini did his thing, and this, I think, is Real Madrid's biggest success this season. Pellegrini formed a team out of the rather heterogenic mix of hard workers and solo artists that most people believed could never play together as a team. He filled them with the will to fight, with discipline, and most importantly with team spirit. That this takes time is self-explanatory. That it doesn't always work out is a fact. But Pellegrini made it work, and a lot faster than I would have thought. If they continue in that fashion next season, I'm sure their hard work will finally be rewarded with silverware.
Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao missed the Europa League spots in the end, which is sad because the European competition is basically the only chance I have of seeing them play on TV, but I mustn't be selfish. ;) A season where they can both focus on the league on the Copa without the additional distraction/exhaustion won't hurt them. And who knows, maybe they'll play in Europe again in the 2011/12 season. I shall be optimistic. And in any case, the missed Europa League qualification is nothing compared to the fact that Villarreal will play without Robert Pirès and Javi Venta next season, two "veterans" who have given so much for the club and will be sorely missed. Or compared to Joseba Etxeberria's emotional farewell to Athletic Bilbao after 15 years of faithful, dedicated service, during which he played 444 league games and scored 87 goals. He retired together with Armando Ribeiro, Athletic's second goalkeeper, who also received a grand farewell from the team and the fans.
***
Gracias por todo, chicos. Nunca os olvidaremos.
Granted, it's no small accomplishment, and considering the fact that they've been ahead of every other Spanish team for quite some matchdays, it's probably deserved. So, congratulations. But when I think of the atmosphere after the glorious end of last season and the beginning of this one, all the reinforcements, and the things I read in the entries and comments of some Barcelona fans on LJ, I imagine that winning the league and nothing else this season must be a small disappointment to some.
Especially when a team of lower quality in depth and major problems at the beginning of the season is set to win a double. Congratulations, Atlético Madrid. I might not like you much, but winning the Europa League with a team like this is impressive.
Real Madrid might not have played a successful season in the eyes of people who measure success with trophies only, but I think there are more important things than silverware. For instance, it's true that Lionel Messi won the Pichichi with 34 league goals, but in my opinion it's even more admirable that that Gonzalo Higuaín and Cristiano Ronaldo scored 53 times in the league together. The rivalry that some pundits and journalists tried so hard to establish between Real Madrid's top strikers (whose personalities couldn't be any more different) was not there - quite the contrary! Thanks to their efforts and the collective effort of the entire team, Real Madrid finished only three points behind Barcelona with 96 points, the best forward line in the league (102 goals) and the second-best defense (35 goals). And all this despite the major overhaul in summer. If you remember, the new season brought a new president, a new management, a new coach, and a ton of new players. There were high expectations from all sides and a lot of pressure. But Manuel Pellegrini did his thing, and this, I think, is Real Madrid's biggest success this season. Pellegrini formed a team out of the rather heterogenic mix of hard workers and solo artists that most people believed could never play together as a team. He filled them with the will to fight, with discipline, and most importantly with team spirit. That this takes time is self-explanatory. That it doesn't always work out is a fact. But Pellegrini made it work, and a lot faster than I would have thought. If they continue in that fashion next season, I'm sure their hard work will finally be rewarded with silverware.
Villarreal and Athletic Bilbao missed the Europa League spots in the end, which is sad because the European competition is basically the only chance I have of seeing them play on TV, but I mustn't be selfish. ;) A season where they can both focus on the league on the Copa without the additional distraction/exhaustion won't hurt them. And who knows, maybe they'll play in Europe again in the 2011/12 season. I shall be optimistic. And in any case, the missed Europa League qualification is nothing compared to the fact that Villarreal will play without Robert Pirès and Javi Venta next season, two "veterans" who have given so much for the club and will be sorely missed. Or compared to Joseba Etxeberria's emotional farewell to Athletic Bilbao after 15 years of faithful, dedicated service, during which he played 444 league games and scored 87 goals. He retired together with Armando Ribeiro, Athletic's second goalkeeper, who also received a grand farewell from the team and the fans.
***
Gracias por todo, chicos. Nunca os olvidaremos.