Chapter 383: Manchester City and Liverpool are the favorites to win the championship

Chapter 384 The favorite to win the championship——Manchester City and Liverpool

However, after renewing its contract with Adidas at a generous price in January this year, Real Madrid's lag in revenue will not last long.

Of course, Barcelona did not stop because of their pride on the court.

This season, Barcelona’s chest advertising sponsorship contract with Japan’s Rakuten Group will come into effect.

The two parties reached a four-year sponsorship agreement of 220 million euros (US$260 million) in November last year.

Deloitte predicts that the 20 La Liga clubs will receive a total of 3 billion euros in broadcast rights in the 2017-18 season.

Although there is a big gap with the Premier League's 5.1 billion euros, La Liga's broadcast revenue distribution has become more fair and each team no longer needs to find a buyer individually.

Previously, La Liga clubs negotiated their own television contracts, which resulted in significant differences in rights revenue between clubs.

Real Madrid and Barcelona pocketed huge amounts of broadcast revenue while the interests of the other 18 clubs were harmed.

For example, when Atlético Madrid won the La Liga title in 2014, their broadcast revenue that year was less than Cardiff City, which ranked bottom in the Premier League.

But now the situation has improved, with 50% of La Liga's TV rights revenue being divided equally among the 20 clubs, with the remaining amount being distributed based on the club's performance over the past five years.

In recent years, La Liga has tried to improve the quality of the competition to increase the commercial value of the league and further enhance its international influence and challenge the Premier League. It has done its homework in Asia and the Middle East: it opened an office in BJ in 2014 and Shanghai in 2016. It also now operates regional centers in Singapore, India and Dubai.

La Liga will also focus its strategy on Asia, aiming to gain market growth in these countries.

For example, in recent seasons, they have delayed the start of games to cater to Asian television audiences.

Looking back on Barcelona's La Liga matches this season, they have been making great progress and are invincible. From the beginning of the season, they were crowded with Valencia and then their lead continued to expand. They established their advantage from the middle of the season and completed a 36-game unbeaten streak in a single season. Unbeaten streak in 43 games this season.

It also achieved a record of 1 win and 1 draw in the two rounds of El Clasico. The only defeat of the season came in an away game against Levante, a 5-4 defeat. Although it did not affect Barcelona's championship, it was still criticized by fans. This is an unacceptable loss.

But taking a closer look at Levante's final stage of the league, they completed their 5th consecutive league victory when they defeated Barcelona.

The 99 goals scored in the league are also down compared to past seasons. But the team has done a good enough job in maintaining the stability of the league and not losing unnecessary points.

The 2017-18 Spanish Primera Division, one of the best leagues in the world, kicks off this weekend.

The start of La Liga brings cheers to football lovers. Below are some of our previews of the new season of La Liga, hoping to warm up the new season of La Liga.

There is no doubt that Real Madrid is the best team in the world right now. After all, they have won the Champions League in the past 2 seasons. Zidane also won 7 championships in 2 seasons.

In this summer's transfer market, Real Madrid did not make many moves. They introduced left-back Theo Hernandez from local rival Atletico Madrid and Dani Ceballos from Real Betis. , and they also transferred striker Morata and midfielder James Ronaldo.

But for this team, their lineup is absolutely strong, and they also have the rising Asensio, which greatly improves their strength.

I hope Real Madrid can win the league championship again in the new season.

First of all, let’s be clear-Barcelona will still be a top 4 team in the league in the new season, because they also have Messi and Suarez.

However, losing to Real Madrid in two consecutive Spanish Super Cup games, I am afraid that their own fans will not be too optimistic about the team's new season.

Neymar's departure is only one aspect of Barcelona's decline. Suarez's injury will cause him to miss a month, and new aid candidates have not yet been arrived.

In addition, the midfielder they were once proud of has also seen a lack of support. Iniesta is another year older, and his replacement has not been available yet.

In the new season, Barcelona will face their biggest challenge in the past 10 years, and their results may also be the worst in the past 10 years. I wonder if Barcelona fans are mentally prepared to weather the difficulties with the team they support?

Atletico Madrid haven't done anything in the transfer market this year (because they can't), but the Iron Legion, guided by Diego Simeone, will still be the most stable force in La Liga in the new season.

But judging from the starting lineup, this team is still very strong, so much so that they may have the strength to compete for runner-up or third place in La Liga. Also in the Champions League, they are still very competitive.

This season's La Liga has become the only league among the five major leagues with a net output of players. Real Madrid and Barcelona, ​​as representatives, have sold many big-name players. Stars such as Morata and Ronaldo in Real Madrid are unwilling to sit on the bench. Switched to a new owner, and Barcelona was forced to poach star Neymar by Paris, and MSN completely announced its disintegration.

Real Madrid announced the end of their summer signings a week before the transfer window closed. After a successful season, Zidane did not make many changes to the main lineup.

During the summer transfer period, Real Madrid reduced the thickness of its substitute lineup and purged veterans such as Pepe and Coentrao. Last season's important rotation players Morata and Ronaldo left the Galaxy because they could not get satisfactory playing time.

In terms of transfers, Real Madrid only spent money to purchase two people. They brought in Dani Ceballos from Betis for 17 million euros and Theo Hernandez from Atletico Madrid for 30 million euros. The other transfers were all players who returned from their loan. .

In the first two rounds of the league that have ended, the new players have not officially played, and among the returning players, only Mayoral made a brief appearance as a substitute.

Real Madrid made a profit of nearly 100 million euros in this summer window. Zidane should, based on the team's performance in the first half of the season, introduce one or two more players who can be rotated during the winter break to prepare for the championship schedule at the end of the season. Be prepared.

Zidane is determined to win the league title this season. On the one hand, his main competitor Barcelona suffered a heavy blow during the transfer period, and Atletico Madrid was unable to make a move due to the transfer ban. On the other hand, players such as Asensio and Casemiro are in the league. The outstanding performance also shows that Real Madrid has sufficient talent reserves in the next five years.

Neymar's transfer to Paris is an earthquake-level transfer in this summer window. Although Barcelona immediately signed Ousmane Dembele from Dortmund, there is still a big question mark whether the French youngster can replace Neymar well.

Now Barcelona has a lot of players waiting to be purged. The team hopes to sell Turan, Vermaelen and many other players before the transfer window closes. At the same time, Barcelona is also actively contacting Liverpool star Coutinho. If this transfer If the meeting can be achieved, then the transfer fee is likely to exceed 160 million.

Among other transfers, Barcelona signed Paulinho from Evergrande in order to strengthen the midfielder, and at the same time signed old player Deulofeu from Milan as an important rotation player on the front line.

Although Barcelona earned a large amount of transfer fees from Neymar's transfer, other teams now know that Barcelona has a huge amount of money and want to make a killing. Barcelona's signings are now running into obstacles everywhere. The impact of Neymar's poaching will be huge.

Atletico Madrid did not make any substantial signings during this transfer window due to the transfer ban. The team did not have any main players transferred out, and the new blood they added were all players returning from loan.

Last season's standings, Atletico Madrid was left behind by Real Madrid and Barcelona's first group by 12 points. Without any strong support, it may be difficult to pose a threat to Real Madrid and Barcelona this season.

Due to the large strength gap between them and other teams, Atletico Madrid and Sevilla should occupy the other two Champions League qualifications.

Other La Liga teams invest around 10 million in transfers, and their expenses and income are basically the same.

Predictably, the standings this season should not change much from last season.

The Bundesliga is the team least affected by the football market premium. Except for the 150 million transferred by Dembele, the transactions of other teams are basically in line with the actual value of the players. After Bayern spent more than 100 million euros to sign James Ronaldo, Tolisso and other strong players, their league dominance has been further consolidated.

The Bundesliga giants are progressing smoothly in this transfer window, signing important players in various positions that need reinforcement, and the prices are quite affordable. After two rounds of the Bundesliga, with Boateng injured on the back line, Sule seized the opportunity to score his first goal for Bayern, the new Bundesliga season, and himself. The person who assisted him in scoring was a transfer from Huocun with him. Rudy of Bayern.

After Lahm and Alonso retired, Bayern successfully found two legendary successors. New aid Rudy and Tolisso are both capable of supporting Bayern's midfield, and they have stronger physical confrontation and defensive capabilities. Kimmich also hopes to take over Lahm's mantle. In the previous season, the German The local youngster has proven his ability.

Bayern has bought out French winger Marco Coman, and the team hopes to focus on cultivating this young player as Robery's successor.

Bayern also loaned Colombian king Ronaldo from Real Madrid. This talented player who was frustrated at the Bernabeu is expected to return to the top under his mentor Carlo Ancelotti.

During this summer transfer period, key player Dembélé was poached by Barcelona, ​​and Dortmund quickly found a replacement.

The American teenager Pulisic in the team is expected to occupy the position left by Dembele. At the same time, after receiving Dembele's high transfer fee, Dortmund quickly signed Ukrainian winger Yarmolenko.

In other positions, Dortmund has also signed some rotation players familiar with the Bundesliga from other Bundesliga teams. The overall strength should be similar to last season.

Apart from Dortmund, the only one that can challenge Bayern is Leipzig. Leipzig's transfers in and out are basically the same, and there should be little change in strength.

Hoffenheim, which finished third last season, was hit hard. Many players in the main lineup were poached. I am afraid that the new season will not reach the previous heights.

Schalke focused on strengthening the midfield and backcourt, investing nearly 50 million in transfer fees, but the specific effect still needs to be proven by time.

Under the 50+1 rule of the Bundesliga, it is difficult for any team to compete with Bayern. Bayern's dominance will continue for a long time.

The Premier League this season is led by the Manchester City duo, with other teams following closely behind. After the halfway mark, Blue Moon City have a strong lead, and the championship is within easy reach.

Although La Liga is only halfway through, it seems that the championship situation has ended. Barcelona's strength and Real Madrid's sluggishness have made the La Liga absent this season. The rise of black bat Valencia is eye-catching.

Serie A is no longer the only one. The strong return of Inter Milan has made old fans excited. The current competition is extremely fierce.

The Bundesliga is still dominated by the southern king Bayern, and the recovery of miners Schalke has added some excitement to the league.

Neymar from Ligue 1 joins Paris, and the attention continues to increase. PSG is inhumane, Monaco has been hollowed out, and the past has become a cloud.

This season, a blue car has conquered the Premier League's powerful players. The battle for the top four is particularly fierce. The relegation teams are full of resilience. The game is already halfway through, and the game is still going on. Let's take a break and look back at the past half.

Real Madrid and Villarreal were the first two La Liga teams to reach the semi-finals. Real Madrid even narrowly eliminated the defending champion Chelsea, avenging the last four semi-finals. They will then join forces with the two Premier League teams Manchester City and Liverpool. Compete for the championship.

When it comes to the favorites to win the championship, they must be Manchester City and Liverpool, but Real Madrid have finally won the championship despite being not favored, and the most recent one was in the 2017/18 season.

In the 2016/17 season, Real Madrid won four championships, including La Liga and the Champions League, and became the first team to successfully defend the Champions League after its restructuring.

However, due to the success of the season, many powerful substitute players in the team left the team, such as Morata, Pepe, etc., and a number of new players included Theo Hernandez and Dani Ceballos. The mediocre performance, coupled with the unstable performance of the "BBC" combination in the first half of the season, resulted in Real Madrid's performance in the 2017/18 season being quite weak. La Liga fell sharply behind early, and it was basically certain that there was no hope of defending the title, and the Copa del Rey quarterfinals "graduated".

In the Champions League group stage, they lost to Tottenham for the first time in European history and could only qualify in second place. They were also drawn by Paris Saint-Germain, who beat Bayern to qualify first in the group stage. Most outsiders were pessimistic about the "Galactic Fleet"'s chances of advancement.

Round of 16 vs. Paris

However, in the knockout stage, Real Madrid showed its profound knowledge and kingly temperament in the Champions League. In the first round against Paris, Real Madrid relied on their home court advantage to continuously put pressure on their opponents. Unfortunately, to no avail, their opponents even relied on counterattacks to open the scoring. Real Madrid won a penalty kick before the first half, and Ronaldo scored the equalizer.

In the second half, the two sides were in a stalemate, and because they lost an away goal, Zidane made decisive changes at the end of the game, including withdrawing midfielder Casemiro and letting a pair of fast wings Lucas Vazquez and Asensio went into battle, but the latter made two attacks from the left and indirectly assisted Ronaldo and Marcelo to score, giving Real Madrid a 3-1 victory in the first round.

In the second round, the performance of the two teams reflected the closeness in strength and state, but Real Madrid was more capable of grasping the opponent's mistakes. Daniel Alves made a pass error in the half-court position, causing Lucas Vazquez to There was space to assist Cristiano Ronaldo to score, and then both sides scored another goal. Real Madrid finally eliminated Paris 5-2 and advanced.

Quarterfinals vs. Juventus

Real Madrid's opponent in the quarterfinals is a "replica" of the finals of the 2016/17 season, and they will meet Juventus again. In the first round, Real Madrid played away from home and took the lead in the early stages thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo's goal. Even though the "old lady" created a lot of offensives later on, Real Madrid's defense performed solidly, and even staged an unforgettable scene in the middle of the second half, when Cristiano Ronaldo scored a shocking goal The goal was scored upside down, and even the Juventus fans gave him warm applause.

Subsequently, Dybala's red card and Cristiano Ronaldo's assist Marcelo's delicate goal became the embellishment of this game.

Just when they thought they were ahead in the first round, Real Madrid's spot in the semi-finals was already certain. However, in the second round, Juventus' high-altitude bombing made Real Madrid's defense uneasy, especially Mandzukic, who guest-starred on the left wing, repeatedly successfully targeted Carvajal. Two goals gave the "Old Lady" a 2-0 lead in the first half. A mistake by Navas in the second half allowed Juventus to successfully regain lost ground.

But just before the end of the game, Lucas Vazquez won a penalty kick in the penalty area. Buffon was even ejected from the field due to violent protests and frame-ups. Cristiano Ronaldo resisted heavy pressure and scored, leaving Real Madrid in danger. After advancing to the semi-finals, Ronaldo's high spirits and Buffon's bleak departure were once again in sharp contrast.

Semifinals vs. Bayern

Real Madrid's opponent in the semi-finals is Bayern. The player Ronaldo loaned to Bayern by Real Madrid has become a serious problem for the "Galaxy Fleet". He surrendered one goal and one assist in the two rounds, but Real Madrid successfully defeated Marcelo in the first round at the Allianz Arena. , Asensio's goal reversed the victory over Bayern, and Zidane's use of Asensio at halftime became a masterstroke.

Real Madrid played at home in the second round, and the two sides tied 2-2. Real Madrid once again eliminated its opponent 4-3, including Joshua Kimmich's opening goal again in the first round and Bayern goalkeeper Ulreich's mistake. Zema's goal helped Real Madrid reach the final for the fourth time in five consecutive years.

Final against Liverpool

The final hurdle for Real Madrid to defend its title again was Liverpool. The two sides had no records in the first half, but the "Red Army" was the side with the upper hand, putting great pressure on Real Madrid on both offense and defense and organization.

But Liverpool then had Salah injured first, and then goalkeeper Karius made a serious mistake. Benzema once again benefited from the German goalkeeper's mistake and scored after the semi-finals.

Although Liverpool once tied with Mane's goal, Zidane's dispatch of Bale had an immediate effect. He scored twice to help Real Madrid seal the 3-1 game. Only two minutes into the game, he scored another wonderful goal for Real Madrid. Taking the lead enabled Real Madrid to complete their "three consecutive Champions League titles".

Looking back at Real Madrid's promotion path at that time, the performance in many games was just average, and players made mistakes or were strategically targeted from time to time. However, both Real Madrid and Zidane responded quickly to the mistakes of the other players. Real Madrid players There are gaps that can form an offensive gap, and the coach's multiple key transfers are one of the keys to Real Madrid's ability to defend the title.

Therefore, even though Real Madrid is weaker than Manchester City and Liverpool, Real Madrid is definitely capable of achieving great results.