First day fumbles

chuu

And they're off!

Robinho: Overvalued by Real, despite them now knowing he is not Schuster's son.



Even before the Sunday games got under way for this, the openingweekend of the new Spanish season, Real Madrid's out-of-favourBrazilian Robinho, left behind in Madrid as the team travelled toCoruaña to play Deportivo, announced that he would tell the press 'thescandal of the century', or words to that effect. Inthe end, he told the mass of flashing light-bulbs that 'Schuster isn'tmy father' - which the German probably already knew. So instead of apaternity suit to start the new season with, last year's champions lostagain to Deportivo, making it eighteen years in the Riazor without awin. Van Nistlerooy (who else?) scored Madrid's 4,999th goal inprofessional competition since 1929, but it is almost certain thatRobinho will not be the scorer of the 5,000th.
This shouldhardly matter to Real Madrid anyway, who secretly have littleconfidence in him, but who nevertheless have tried to extract themaximum amount from Abramovich's pocket before the deadline. Chelseawould be mad to pay any more than £10m for him, but logic has longsince departed the European football scene. Arjen Robben is a farbetter player, and Madrid know it. Chelsea don't seem to, but that'stheir problem. You just feel that they might try to go about things ina slightly less absurd manner to begin the season - accusing Chelsea ofexactly the same conduct of which they were guilty throughout thesummer in 'Ronaldogate'.
Whatever, when was the last time thatthe season got under way with the big two both losing? Aw gawd, that'sa tricky one at midnight on a Sunday, so I'll shirk the question bysimply suggesting that it's a long time. Barcelona, as you may havegathered, also came a cropper up in the wilds of Soria at Numancia(1-0), to get Pep Guardiola off to a less than auspicious start.
Then again, other teams will also struggle at Los Pajaritosthis season, where Sergio Kresic has taken over a solid ifunspectacular squad for a renewed attempt to stay in the top flight,their last attempt having been in the 2004-05 season when they wererelegated back straight away. Not too much should be read into theirbeating of Barça, since it was always going to be a tough call for theCatalans on the opening day at a stadium in every aspect a millionmiles removed from their own - but it won't do Numancia's confidenceany harm and it does confirm what many commentators have been saying -that they are much more likely to stay the course than the other twopromoted clubs, Sporting and Málaga.
Next week they visit RealMadrid, which should prove more than interesting. But talk about abaptism of fire. From the third week onwards, it's all downhill forthem.
The inevitable question for the opening column of theseason concerns, as ever, whether any team is capable of sustaining areal challenge to the big two. Villarreal were magnificent last season,and looking at their squad for the present one you have to say that themidfield they have put together is probably the best in the league, atleast on paper.
Deportivo's second goal goes in at the Riazor.



It remains a mystery how a side on their relatively limited resourceshave managed to pull off this feat, but pull it off they have. Spain'svictory in the Euro 2008 would have been unlikely without the backbonethat this team provided, and the further miracle in the wake of thatfantastic competition is that Marcos Senna and Santi Cazorla are stillthere. Senna was tempted to join Dani Güiza at Fenerbahce but decidedagainst it in the end, and Cazorla was briefly tempted by Real Madridbefore also concluding that it might be better to stay put. ArielIbagaza has joined them from Mallorca, and whilst he has been aninconsistent performer over the years, he is nevertheless a fineplayer. The deceptive and tricky Joseba Llorente has been added to thestrikeforce from Valladolid, and Llorente has always scored goals. Whathe lacks in pace he makes up for in guile, and it will be interestingto see how he fares with Nihat, once the Turk recovers. Meanwhilethe interesting signing from the USA, Josmer Altidore, may well getsome games in if Rossi also fails to recover. Perhaps the distractionsof the Champions League will prove their undoing, but at their lasttime of asking they made the semi-finals. A draw up at Osasuna seemed adecent enough start, but they'll want the three points againstDeportivo next week to really get back last season's feel-good factor.
AtléticoMadrid? Sevilla? Valencia? Atlético got off to a great start, beatingMálaga 4-0, but Málaga are the least likely of the promoted clubs tostay the course. Atlético are also in the Champions League this seasonbut have made no real significant additions to their squad - SinamaPongolle being the only real signing of note - but in Kun Agüero theyhave a potential great, as we now know. The only problem for the clubis that if he really does have the great season that he is promising,he'll sign for Chelsea at the end of the campaign and Atlético willrevert back to being their usual messy selves.
Sevilla seemintent on a long and agonising period of deconstruction, whose aim isanyone's guess. Dani Alves has gone to Barça, but that was always onthe cards. Keita has also gone to the Camp Nou and Poulsen, so oftenthe anchor man of the side, has gone to Juventus. Luis Fabiano has notgone to Tottenham after all, but if he stays the entire season it willbe a surprise. Aldo Duscher, Beckham's old friend, has been signed tofill Poulsen's place in midfield, but he's hardly the stuff that atitle challenge is made of. Capel, Duda, Navas and Fabiano are stillthere, as is Kanouté, but it's difficult to see them having a betterseason than the last one, despite their late showing.
Valenciahammered Mallorca 3-0 to dispel some of the gloom that was still aroundin the summer, but at the time of writing Real Madrid were stillinsisting that they would attempt to sign David Villa before the Mondayclose of business. It makes you wonder why they didn't simply begin theprocess post-Euro 2008, instead of flirting so ridiculously withCristiano Ronaldo, but there you go. Villa and Silva are still at theMestalla, Albelda is back, as is Angulo, and their young manager UnaiEmery is clearly a bit of a star, but there are still boardroomdisputes to settle, an unclear new stadium project and the weight oflast season's traumatic events still hovering in the air. This seasonshould be less disastrous (it would be difficult to surpass lastseason's collective farce) but a serious challenge in the league looksunlikely.

Samuel Eto'o was not one of Barcelona's departures. He shows the pain of loss at Numancia.



Racing and Almería, last season's surprise packages, should be fineagain this season, but Mallorca, who also had a more than decentcampaign, have been weakened over the summer and may struggle. Ingeneral, the happy events of Euro 2008 have cast a golden sheen onceagain on La Liga, after England's Premier League threatened toovershadow it with its dominance of last season's Champions League. Themass export of players has not happened, and Deco remains the only realloss of genuine talent for this campaign - but he's Brazilian/Portugeseanyway.
Real Madrid have only signed Van de Vaart, and ifno-one else is forthcoming, they will have to hope that their ageingstrikeforce stays the course.
Another failure in Europe thisseason may spell the end for Calderón and Mijatovic. Barça have lostsome significant names (Ronaldinho, Deco, Oleguer, Edmilson, Thuram,Zambrotta) but have signed two wonderful players in Hleb and Alves. Theonly question is whether Hleb, particularly, will fit in - given thatIniesta is a very similar player.
Hleb is the type of playerReal Madrid should have bought, but they were far too busy on a wildgoose-chase. If they stutter this season, people will look back on thesummer of 2008 and begin to point the finger.