Ones To Watch: La Liga
Photo Credit: Linnea Rheborg/Getty Images
Written By Kieran Crook
With two days to go until the La Liga campaign begins we take a look at some things to keep your eye on this season.
Raphinha
It is no secret that Barcelona winger Raphinha took a huge step in quality last season under Hansi Flick with the German even saying “I’ve never had a player like Raphinha in any of my teams” high praise for a player who at one point during his Barcelona tenure looked destined for the back door.
Raphinha totalled 27 goal contributions in La Liga alone adding another 21 in the newly formatted Champions League this tremendous output saw Barcelona stroll to a domestic treble & the brazilian win player of the season, blowing away the pre season certainty that the Kylian Mbappe led Real Madrid would be too much for the Blaugrana.
The statistical output reads very similar with Raphinha ranking in the highest percentile for non-penalty xG+xA among other wingers in Europe’s top 7 leagues and also ranking higher than teammate Lamine Yamal, Real Sociedad star Takefusa Kubo and Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr in key passes per 90 and accurate crosses per 90 in La Liga last season.
Expect his output and overall performances to remain at a similar level in his relentless pursuit for the coveted Ballon D’or in a race that is sure to go down to the wire against Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah, Barcelona’s title defence begins away from home against Mallorca on Saturday.
Athletic Bilbao
Athletic Bilbao ended last season in their best league position since 2013/14 when they were guided to Champions League qualification by Ernesto Valverde, 11 years later history has repeated itself with the club finishing a tied century high of 4th place and after more than a decade away from the competition a return to the Champions League.
At the helm once again is Valverde who returned to the club in the summer of 2022 and has been building towards a top 4 finish over his time back at the club, a Europa League qualification in his second campaign back led them to the semi-finals of the competition last season which they ended up losing to runners-up Manchester United.
Their progress in the league and in European competition was largely down to the impressive attacking display from brothers Nico & Inaki Williams with a combined 24 goal contributions from the wing paired with breakout campaigns from Oihan Sancet and Mikel Jauregizar with experienced Alex Berenguer rounding out the team at the top.
The club have not lost any significant members of the previous campaign & have only really added fullback Jesus Areso who ranked in the top 5 in possession won in the final third and is a very strong crosser of the ball he will most likely play a starting role eventually with both Bilbao starting right-backs aging over 30 for the coming season.
With the strength they have retained from last season’s campaign and only really adding to it i would expect Bilbao to be well in the fight for a top 4 finish maybe even pushing the established three at the pinnacle of the table.
Real Betis
For the most part last season Betis went through purple patches and then had a few lacklustre results on a repeating cycle until the season ended, the club have not finished outside of the top 7 now for 5 straight seasons enjoying various amounts of success in the resulting European competitions.
Last season saw the club make the Europa Conference League Final which they ended up losing 4-1 to a very strong Chelsea team all this should point to another great year for the club and it’s fans but personally i don’t think so.
Betis struggled to get lift off from results before Christmas and the only thing keeping them afloat was their progress in continental competition until January hit and the Verdiblancos went on a superb run to solidify their European credentials for the following season, this was in large thanks to January acquisitions Antony from Manchester United and Juan Hernandez from Columbus Crew who combined for 10 goals and 3 assist between them.
With Antony leaving at the end of his loan and the club nowhere near the financial position necessary to bring him back he leaves a hole of around 15 goal contributions in all competitions that Betis have simply not filled alongside losing American talent Johnny Cardoso to fellow La Liga outfit Atletico Madrid the club will begin the season significantly on the back foot.
The current strength of the team this season is weaker than the season before they will be heavily relying on players like Isco having a similar campaign to last season alongside youngster Abdessemad Ezzalzouli realising his potential going into his third season with the club.
Trent, Bellingham, Rashford
Two of the three players here are making their first trip from England to play in a foreign league which has it’s own challenges the other is coming off a significant drop in quality compared to the season he had before picking up 10 less goals and only a couple more assists in three more games played in the league.
For Jude this season will be a chance to get back to his incredible debut campaign on Spanish soil during which he was hailed as one of the best players in the world and England’s future, Whilst these expectations may have weighed a little heavy on him last season he will be determined to get back to his best and with his fellow Englishman joining him I would expect he has very little issues.
Now for that new Englishman Trent Alexander-Arnold not so fondly known in a specific part of the North-West of England nowadays but his move to Madrid was just what they needed after a disappointing campaign being pipped to the title and everything else by Barcelona’s “kids” Trent joins a team determined to build on the disappointment of the season before.
His quality is no secret registering 87 assists during his 354 appearances for Liverpool and holding the record for the most assists by a defender in Premier League history at only 26 years old, he is undeniably an incredible asset for this Madrid team and will be a key watch for fans expecting to see him carry the England team through the World Cup next summer.
Last but not least Marcus Rashford despite it feeling like he’s played a 20 year career because of how long he’s been in the spotlight Rashford is only heading into his peak entering this season and luckily for La Liga neutrals this season he will be playing for the defending champions in Barcelona.
Rashford who’s quality has often been questioned over the last few years had a loan spell with Aston Villa to finish the second half of last season during which he put up 9 goal contributions in 17 games, Manchester United allowed him to explore options away from the club and Barcelona swooped in to take him on loan this season.
Once again England fans will be hoping his output is good enough to bring him into the fold for the 2026 World Cup surrounded by Lamine Yamal and Raphinha Rashford could have one of his strongest season’s in recent memory all at a club where the pressure should be off I think away from the chaotic nature of Manchester United Rashford will really find his feet this campaign and get right back to his best.
