winter break review- liga sagres

in the last of my season so far reviews, i'm going to take a look at the excellently named liga sagres. for those of you who have never visited portugal, sagres is their main lager, and perhaps the most delicious alcoholic beverage i have ever tasted. anyways, i'm aware that this is probably a lesser-known league to most (well, all) of you, so i'm going to try and assume less knowledge. so this might turn into a more of a lesson than a review, but whatever, education is good for you. here's the table as it stands, after 14 rounds.

1) braga (33 points)

the arsenalistas have been the revelation of the season so far, and if they continue their run of form into 2010, could potentially break a barrier that hasn't been broken in portuguese football since the 2000/1 season, and only twice in the history of the liga. for those of you at the back, that barrier is a team not named sporting, porto or benfica winning the title. previously best known for their gorgeous stadium, braga have based their current success around their rock-solid defence, conceding just 6 goals so far. up front they are less potent (19 in 14), which will probably count against them over 30 games. but more damaging will be the loss of joao pereira to sporting, as the full-back has been crucial. the transfer encapsulates one of the endemic problems in portuguese football, in that no matter how well your current team is doing, a move to one of the big 3 is every player's eventual goal.

2) benfica (33 points)

those of you who took a look at the table before reading this post will have noticed that benfica are 2nd, despite having superior goal difference. that's because in the liga sagres, teams are first separated by their head-to-head record, then goal difference. braga beat benfica 2-0, so there you go. but it has to be said, benfica are superior in every other department. the attack (comprised of oscar cardozo, new signing saviola, winger angel di maria and playmaker aimar) has been on fire (38 goals thus far), and the defence, marshalled by brazilians luisao and david luiz, who i've mentioned in previous posts, has been almost as good, shipping just 9 goals. few would dispute that they've played the best football, but they have also been investing smartly. javi garcia and javier saviola (both real madrid cast-offs) have been superb, and the club have just today wrapped up the purchase of two promising young brazilians. the only question mark is their history of flakiness, which would open the door to...

3) fc porto (29 points)

champions for the last 3 seasons, porto started this campaign looking sluggish, and have yet to fully iron a number of problems. the loss of lisandro lopez and lucho gonzalez to lyon and marseilles respectively was a huge blow for them, and the overall quality of the league. replacements falcao and belluschi have flickered but not found consistency, and the continuing poor form of hulk is a real concern. the midfield also lacks the creativity which lucho previously provided, something that was clear in the recent clasico with benfica. despite all this, porto are still in the hunt, and you recent history suggests they will improve. don't count them out.

4) nacional (24 points)

the above 3 teams are out in front, and the next group of 6 teams is led by nacional. after losing top scorer nene to cagliari, their continuing presence in the top four is a testament to the squad, particularly following the loss of coach manuel machado. combining a europa league campaign (which ended at the group stage) with a domestic challenge is not easy, especially with the limited squad that the madeira side possess, but they have been aided by the good form of a number of key players- ruben micael (who looks set to move on this summer), cleber and edgar have all enjoyed good seasons. with europe no longer a distraction, nacional look well placed to cement a top 5 spot.

5) sporting lisbon (21 points)

after a strong pre-season and a number of (seemingly) promising signings, it didn't take long for things to unravel at the alvalade. all season, sporting have lacked motivation and leadership, and the departure of paulo bento quickly became inevitable. he revealed that he wanted to quit over the summer, but that club president bittencourt persuaded him to stay. his inexperienced replacement carlos carvalhal has done little to reverse the slide, and i wouldn't be surprised if he went within the next month. oh and now liedson, the talismanic number 9, is injured. sporting are a club in need of major change, and there will be a high turnover in players come the summer.

6) uniao leiria (20 points)

leiria provided sporting with perhaps their lowest moment of the season, a 1-0 defeat at the alvalade. it highlighted the commendable progress that the side has made under new coach lito vidigal, following their return (after one season in the second tier) to the liga sagres. after losing manuel fernandes as coach, vidigal was a slightly dangerous choice given his lack of top-flight experience, but he has worked well with the limited resources which are a fact of life for any team in portugal, other than the big 3. brazilian striker carlao has been the main source of goals, and if he stays fit, leiria will remain a top-half side.

7) vitoria guimaraes (19 points)

after a poor 2008/9 season, portugal's 4th team have carried their inconsistency into the new campaign. another new coach (the liga sagres is undoubtedly the most trigger-happy in europe) in paulo brito has been in place since october, and things have undoubtedly improved since then. the veteran jose goncalves has played well, but the side are desperate for goals, and there is no immediately obvious source.

8) rio ave (19 points)

having drawn half their games, rio ave are a frustrating side. another team who are short of a goalscoring forward, they are often let down by their inability to kill games off. having said that, their saving grace has often been their solid defence, which is well marshalled by veteran jose gaspar. for a club of their size (their stadium holds 12,000) to even be in the liga sagres is a great achievement, and carlos brito looks set to guide them to another season of safety.

9) maritimo (19 points)

another club who have been playing the managerial merry go-round, maritimo took a chance by appointing club legend mitchell van der gaag in september, following the dismissal of carlos carvalhal. the dutchman has calmed the often restless fans of the notoriously working-class madeira club, aided in no small part by the young senegalese striker, baba. he looks a promising player, and continuing good form from him should see maritimo climb further into the top half.

10) naval (15 points)

naval are the leading team in the ongoing scrap for liga sagres survival, and are one of 3 teams who have yet to break into double figures in the goals scored tally. for a club whose attendances struggle to top 1000 for even the biggest games, progress is always going to be difficult, and the chronic lack of funds mean that coach augusto inacio has a real job on his hands keeping them up. but naval have become canny players at the art of scraping survival, and i wouldn't be surprised if they repeat the trick this season.

11) pacos de ferreira (14 points)

it's been a turbulent season for pacos, marked by an unfortunate inability to win a game at home. they finally managed it on december 11th, but the mata real has not been a fun place to be this season, for players or fans. another tiny club (capacity of the mata real is just 5100), pacos have been hit with two problems off the pitch as well. winger cassio effectively went on strike, angling for a move to PAOK Athens, whilst paulo sergio ditched them for guimaraes. new coach morais has got a tough task.

12) academica (13 points)

after a dreadful start which saw them rooted to the bottom, academica have begun to find some form in recent games, and andre villas boas (assistant to a certain jose mourinho at porto) won't have been happy to see the winter break. key victories over relegation rivals leixoes and vitoria setubal have lifted them out of the bottom 2, and they should stay there, largely due to the awfulness of the four teams below them.

13) vitoria setubal (11 points)

after a drastic summer of change, which saw every single player from last season replaced, it was always going to be a chaotic campaign for setubal, who survived on the last day of 2008/9. the lack of cohesion amongst the squad is evident, and new coach manuel fernandes has already started trimming the vast 32-man pool of players. one of the bigger clubs outside the big 3, setubal should stay up, provided the experienced fernandes is given time.

14) leixoes (11 points)

another small club living beyond their means, leixoes are a perennial presence around the wrong end of the table. they haven't won since october, and would be my tip for relegation.

15) sporting olhanense (10 points)

winners of the second division last year, much was expected from this algarve side, who have a number of loanees from fc porto. olhanense were particularly enjoyable to watch early on in the season, as you could often hear british holidaymakers keen for a taste of portuguese football, amongst the small crowd. they are very easy on the eye, with technical skills which belong in the top half, but their lack of finishing ability sees them in the relegation zone. but, as their recent 2-2 draw with benfica shows, there is a spirit within the squad that bodes well for their chances of survival.

16) belenenses (10 points)

the same cannot be said for belenenses, who until today were the home of freddy adu, everyone's favourite cautionary tale of young talent. he only played 81 minutes of football during his loan spell, and if a club as bad as belenenses (lisbon's other team) don't need him, that should indicate how far he has fallen. because belenenses are bad. they've mustered a pathetic 7 goals all season, spread between 5 of their 14 games. their solitary win came on august 24th, and they are going down, down, down.

that concludes my winter break reviews, hopefully they've been mildly interesting. potential upcoming post topics- the return of the monday night wars in wrestling, UFC 108, and some other stuff. happy new year and that.

winter break review- la liga

hope you all had a suitably gluttonous festive period. here's an, ahem, feast of la liga action for you, as i review the season so far. oh, and here's the table.

1) barcelona (39 points)

they aren't hitting the glorious heights of last season, but barcelona are still the best team in spain, by a fairly comfortable distance. that doesn't mean the season has been comfortable, mind. the loss of eto'o has been softened by the arrival of ibra, who despite foolish assertions to the contrary, was always going to score goals in a team this good. barca are rightful favourites to retain their la liga title. but long term, there are a few problems beginning to emerge. principally what to do if guardiola leaves in june...

2) real madrid (37 points)

there are those who would argue that no success will ever justify the vast sums of money which are thrown at real madrid on a seemingly annual basis. on the other hand, they have been doing stuff like this, and have the 2nd best defence in the league. after a shaky start, pellegrini has found a formation which suits most of the players, which is no mean feat. also, they are starting to convince, which is half the battle in the spanish media. they'll still come up short over a season, but this is looking more and more like a team built to win the champions league.

3) sevilla (30 points)

silly sevilla. but for some woeful home performances against valladolid, getafe, espanyol and malaga they would be top, and well placed to mount a serious challenge to the barca-madrid duopoly. diego perotti has developed into the best winger in la liga, and fabiano is still scoring, although he is also still talking about leaving. overall, they have much to be pleased about (especially their champions league performance, as clinical a qualification as i can recall), but there is that nagging sense that this season needs a jump-start. atletico madrid away should do nicely.

4) valencia (29 points)

after the financial meltdown of the past 18 months, it's a wonder that valencia are still a going concern. how they have held onto david villa (the best striker in the world, bar none) and david silva is beyond me, but los che are looking good for 3rd place right now. they are still reliant on the aforementioned pair, but pablo and joaquin have been playing well, and the team looks settled under unai emery. much like sevilla they lack consistency, but i would make them favourites to win the first europa league, and secure champions league football for next season.

5) mallorca (27 points)

how the hell did this happen? no seriously, how? mallorca, put simply, are rubbish. they have no fans, no decent players, and a board more interested in siphoning than investing. yet they are 5th. i predicted them for relegation. the only comfort is that cleverer minds are just as baffled. they have had a nice fixture list thus far, but already safety is not far off, and mid-table obscurity looks like an achievable target. which is more than anyone was expecting in august.

6) deportivo la coruna (27 points)

what a horrible football team. la liga is the best league in the world, but it's no thanks to depor. in 15 games they've mustered a pathetic 19 goals, and their biggest home win is 1-0. however, an inability to score from open play hasn't held the boys at the riazor back, and they look a decent bet for some sort of european berth. which, quite frankly, makes me want to cry. so i'll move on.

7) athletic bilbao (26 points)

to athletic, a far more attractive proposition. that anyone could call athletic attractive is quite remarkable, but they are not half bad these days. fernando llorente is a number 9 that most english clubs would benefit from, fran yeste is a tidy playmaker, and young iker muniain (born 19th december 1992, yes you read that correctly) is a 17 year old bundle of energy. i don't want to inflict the bojan curse on him, but he does look rather promising, and has been a key part of their advance into the knockout rounds of the europa league.

8) getafe (24 points)

mallorca apart, getafe are the most overachieving side in la liga. despite the fans hating the majority of the squad, they've been putting together some assured performances, most notably a 2-1 away win at sevilla. key to their success has been roberto soldado, rejected by real (as is the case with many getafe players, the club being in the suburbs of madrid) and booed regularly, he is nevertheless playing well, with 10 goals in 15 games. this despite not actually being very good. the whole success-without-ability formula is symptomatic of the club, and i am clueless as to the cause.

9) villarreal (21 points)

oh dear. 2nd a couple of years ago, villarreal have since struggled to cement their position amongst the la liga elite. their woeful start has been mainly attributed to losing manuel pellegrini after 5 years, but the poor form of signings such as ibagaza and (joseba) llorente has been at least as damaging. ernesto valverde has turned a corner, and the board deserve credit for sticking by him, but the europa league is the best villarreal can hope for this season. sadly, that seems to be the price of being the best run club in spain...

10) sporting gijon (20 points)

another team overachieving in a league full of them. gijon probably should have gone down last year, but their endearing inability to draw (securing 1 in all) and their superb fans made them one of the most entertaining teams in spain. this season, the draws are coming but the goals ain't. their solid defence (only barca, madrid and sevilla have conceded less) is keeping them afloat, but unless bilic and barral start producing, sporting are in for another relegation battle.

11) real valladolid (16 points)

valladolid caught my attention preseason by signing manucho, you know, the one who was on loan from united at hull. not so interesting, you might think. well, at his presentation, manucho pledged to score 40 goals this season. he must have thought he was signing for the other real, because valladolid will do well to muster 40 goals between them over 38 games. relegation looks unlikely, in part they have players who are capable of this, but mainly because there are enough teams worse than them. oh and manucho has managed 2 so far.

12) osasuna (16 points)

another heartbreakingly ugly side, osasuna will kick, spit, and fight their way to safety. but no one outside pamplona will be pleased for them. that they rely on the comically inept walter pandiani for guile up front should tell you everything you need to know.

13) espanyol (16 points)

speaking of heartbreak, save a thought for shunsuke nakamura. the man responsible for some of the loveliest free kicks in recent memory. since his move from celtic, the japanese playmaker has struggled to adapt, to put it mildly. of course, the fact that espanyol are useless hasn't helped much. after finally securing a move to a new ground, they seem to have forgotten how to play, and are once again in danger of going down. rubbish.

14) tenerife (15 points)

nobody likes tenerife. an away game where the round trip runs into the thousands of kilometres is perhaps the only advantage that the small island side possess. whilst the team are capable of some neat football, they will stand or fall by their home form. methinks they will stand.

15) atletico madrid (14 points)

oh god, where to start. atleti's ability to conjure crisis from serenity is legendary, but this season they have outdone themselves. rioting fans, a pair of owners who use the club as a weapon in their long-running war, no defence, no midfield to speak of, a golden boot winner who can't get any service, an argentine wonder kid who can't wait to leave, 9 coaches in 6 years, a club where the ultras are allowed into training sessions, over £271m in debt. atleti are a shambles, an utter, utter shambles.

16) racing santander (13 points)

santander are a strange team. in their last 6 games, they have beaten espanyol 4-0 away, then gone and lost 1-0 at home to depor. having sacked the talented juan ramon lopez muniz after last season ended, the team has slipped if anything, and look resigned for a relegation fight. the one bright spot is sergio canales, a talented midfielder in the mould of andres iniesta. if racing can just survive this season, the cash they will make from him this summer will allow them to rebuild.

17) almeria (13 points)

there's always one. in fact in spain there's usually more than one. a board who lets a manager lose his best players, provides no funds for replacements, and then sacks him when the results don't come. in the case of almeria, the loss of alvaro negredo and his goal tally were always going to do for hugo sanchez, and the only surprise is that it's taken this long.

18) malaga (12 points)

after stunning everyone by finishing in the top half in 2008/9, malaga looked well placed to at least consolidate, after welcoming back juan ramon lopez muniz as coach. however, the loss of eliseu (thus far a flop at lazio) has been a tough one to adapt to, whilst players such as duda and apono have struggled to replicate the form of last season. despite that, i feel that there is sufficient quality remaining to get out of their current predicament, but then i think that duda should start at left-back for portugal. what can i say, he takes a good free-kick.

19) real zaragoza (12 points)

bloody rubbish. were it not for the efforts of atletico, zaragoza would be this season's comically inefficient spanish club story. not to say that they've flown under the radar. the fans are in no doubt as to where the blame for the current state of the club lies, clue: it ain't the players or the coach. any manager who begins his pre-match press conference by saying that he feels "sentenced" is managing a club with problems. question is, can zaragoza pull it together in time to stay up? on paper, they have the squad, but then they had the squad in 2007/8, and look what happened then.

20) xerez (7 points)

good god. having finished 14th in 2007/8, somehow xerez managed to get promoted from la segunda last season, despite a trigger-happy (literally, scroll down) chairman. as it stands, they are on course to be the worst side la liga has seen since, shudder, levante. 15 games, 6 for, 28 against. xerez are the reason that the bottom half of la liga still feels optimistic about survival.

i'd like to thank sid lowe for his unwitting, but nevertheless crucial, help in the production of this mid-season review. seriously though, his weekly roundup is superb, as is la liga loca. along with my musings, they form your go-to trio for all things la liga.