When I was asked to rank my three favourites in next season’s La Liga title race, I didn’t need to study the SBOTOP La Liga 2022 betting odds.
What I did do, however, was go back season-by-season as I simply could not remember the last time that a club other than Real Madrid, Barcelona, or Atletico Madrid finished outside of the top three.
And I went back and back until I eventually found the La Liga table from the 2011-12 season.
It was notable because Jose Mourinho and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Real Madrid gained 100 points and lost just two league games in the process en route to finishing nine points clear of the summit.
It was also noticeable because Barcelona secured 91 points that campaign, which would have been enough to win all bar one of the titles since, only being defeated three times domestically and, even more staggeringly, finishing 30 points ahead of the team in third.
The team in third place was Valencia and, what will surprise you, is that the side in fourth was Malaga – two points clear of fifth-seeded Atletico Madrid who, granted, had been 10th at the halfway point of the season when Gregorio Manzano was replaced by Diego Simeone.
Since then, the Argentine has never finished outside of the top three, also guiding them to two league titles and two Champions League Finals.
The point I am making, though, is that it is 10 years since Atletico ensured the “big two” became an “established three”.
Why then should 2022-23 be any different?
For a start we know the champions Real Madrid aren’t going to rest on their laurels this summer and have already started briskly by bringing in Aurelien Tchouameni and centre-back Antonio Rudiger from Chelsea via a free transfer.
Carlo Ancelotti’s aces possess good players but so much more than that with their collective will to win and spirit seeing them clinch a La Liga and Champions League double in glorious fashion.
They will start next season as the team to beat and both Barcelona and Atletico have ground to make up.
In fairness to Atletico, they continue to punch above their weight and it is only because of the success of Simeone that they continue to be mentioned in the conversations.
Their first major signing of the summer was confirmed by the La Liga 2022 news this week with Axel Witsel arriving on a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund following four seasons in the Bundesliga.
The 33-year-old midfielder, part of Belgium’s so-called golden generation, has been a fixture in international football, earning 124 caps for his country and will improve their midfield.
Alvaro Morata could also be back to lead the line following a spell on loan at Juventus in Italy, despite suggestions he and Simeone have a strained relationship.
Perhaps they have little choice after the club’s sporting director recently warned the days of big signings are over.
It has been suggested this week that Atletico are on the limit when it comes to their accounts as they are struggling to offload expensive wages.
Many will not understand this after 10 consecutive years of playing in the Champions League, a competition that distributes the most money and in which Atletico usually surpass the €70-M mark in annual income.
Yet it’s reported the club is now in a very tough financial situation and needs to find €40-M that top-level signings cannot come to Atletico because the wage bill is already suffocating the club with high salaries for players like Jan Oblak, Koke, and Antoine Griezmann – who even took a pay cut to return last year.
Of course, no transfer policy appears quite as disjointed right now as Barcelona whose financial issues have been well documented.
Only 48 hours ago I pinpointed the reality as they juggle seemingly unending financial balls to bounce back into the big time.
They have made a start by confirming the double captures of Franck Kessie and Andreas Christensen on free transfers.
The Dane’s former teammates at Chelsea, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, are also said to be interesting Barcelona who could use Frenkie de Jong – strongly linked with Manchester United – in discussions.
Either way, Barca need some bigger names to get their fans believing again.
Yes, the mid-season arrival of Xavi as boss saw them improve and they put together an impressive unbeaten run of 15 games between January and April, including a 4-0 thrashing of Real, but it showed what can be achieved.
So, can they push Real closer next term? Yes.
Do I see them winning the league? Probably not.
My top three will be exactly the same three in exactly the same order as last time.
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