3 Talking Points Ahead of the 2024/25 La Liga Campaign

In the famous words of English commentator Martin Tyler, “The wait is finally over. The world’s most captivating sport returns for another year of drama, intrigue, beauty and suspense. Football is back!”

After what seemed like an eternity, European club football is back, and fans are buzzing with excitement. It's not just the Premier League—Serie A and La Liga are also kicking off their seasons this weekend. While the start of the Premier League season has intrigued most fans, La Liga might have some surprises in store as well. The 2024/25 La Liga season could turn out to be one of the most fiercely competitive in recent memory.  

With several new signings, the long-awaited debut of Kylian Mbappe and many more compelling narratives, the 2024/25 La Liga season will surely be an exhilarating watch. So, here are my three talking points ahead of the 2024/25 La Liga season. 

1) Can anybody catch Real Madrid? 

Real Madrid is a club of dreams. Many footballers grow up idolizing the superstars who have donned the famous white of Real Madrid. This creates a positive loop for Los Blancos, as the next crop of superstars dream of playing for Real one day. As a result, Los Blancos have stockpiled copious amounts of talent on their roster. Madrid’s midfield and attacking options, featuring stars like Vinicius, Rodrygo, Valverde, Modric, Camavinga, Brahim Diaz, Arda Guler and many more, are the envy of most European clubs.  

Last season, Real won the La Liga title by 10 points, accumulating 95 points. And if that doesn’t impress you, they did it without key players like Thibaut Courtois, Eder Militao, and David Alaba, all of whom missed most of the season due to ACL injuries. Furthermore, they defeated Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final to clinch their 15th European title. Since that triumph, Los Blancos have further bolstered their already stacked squad by bringing in Kylian Mbappé, arguably the best player in the world, along with 18-year-old Brazilian prodigy Endrick. 

Real Madrid’s success in recent years has been amplified by the failures of their rivals. Barcelona look a shell of their once formidable former selves. Terrible financial mismanagement and the cost of building a new stadium has severely hampered their squad building abilities. Then there’s Real’s cross city rivals, Atletico Madrid. Los Colchoneros have endured a rough few seasons. Their squad is nowhere near good enough to compete for the La Liga title.  

However, the power balance in Madrid could be about to shift, as the Atletico's hierarchy have recruited smartly during the summer transfer window. They have signed the likes of Robin Le Normand, Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez in this transfer window. Furthermore, Conor Gallagher could also join the Red & Whites, but this proposed transfer is stuck in limbo. A revamped Atletico Madrid could be Real Madrid’s closest rival this season. And don’t be surprised if Los Colchoneros pip Real to the 2024/25 La Liga title. 

2) Will Hansi Flick rise to the occasion at Barcelona? 

Rebuilding Barcelona could easily be the hardest job in world football right now. The effects of Josip Bartomeu’s infamous tenure as Barcelona president are still being felt to this day. His inexcusable financial mismanagement has forced the current president Joan Laporta to sell Barcelona’s 10% of TV rights for next 25 years to US firm Sixth Street. They have agreed a deal to sell 10 per cent of their La Liga TV rights for the next 25 years to global investment firm Sixth Street Partners. 

Despite this, the financial situation of the Catalan giants is still dire. That’s why Barcelona were pushing for the formation of the infamous European Spur League. Barcelona’s involvement in the transfer market has been limited to a minimum. However, they have signed Dani Olmo for 60-million euros in this transfer window. But Barcelona still haven’t registered his name, which means that for the time being, Dani Olmo can’t participate in La Liga games. 

Amidst this chaos, new Blaugrana head coach Hansi Flick is expected to guide Barcelona to Spanish and continental glory. The German coach comes into this job with little to no experience of Spanish football. Additionally, Hansi Flick’s Bayern Munich defeated Barcelona 7-2 during the 2019/20 Champions League campaign. Therefore, fan sympathy and support could be pretty low. And if Barcelona underperform this season, things could get ugly for Flick. It would be an understatement to suggest that Hansi Flick will endure a baptism of fire in his first season as Barcelona head coach. 

3) Can Girona cope with Champions League football? 

 The small Catalan club of Girona surprised everyone last season when they pushed Real Madrid for the top spot. However, as the season progressed, Girona’s form dropped. But they still qualified for the Champions League, finishing 3rd with 81 points. Head Coach Michel created an exciting side, who were fun to watch. However, finishing third in the La Liga attracted unwanted interest from some of the elite clubs of European football. 

They’ve already lost some of their best players from last season. Midfielder Aleix García has joined Bayer Leverkusen, LaLiga's top scorer Artem Dovbyk is now with AS Roma, and loanees Sávio and Yan Couto won’t be coming back—they’ve moved to Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund, respectively. While there have been efforts to reinvest that money, new signings like Oriol Romeu, Bryan Gil, Donny Van de Beek and Abel Ruiz are nowhere near good enough to replace the talent that Girona has lost this summer. 

Girona’s head coach Michel lamented their poor preseason preparations in a recent interview. He said, “It's been a bad preseason. We haven't had everyone available and right now I am not sure what the team will be or how we will play -- and we're five days out from the competition starting. It's been difficult because I don't like having the feeling that I am not in control of what's happening with the team."  

All the early signs suggest that Girona might struggle to compete on two fronts. Playing in the Champions League could be a double-edged sword; facing Europe’s elite teams on a weekly basis might impact their La Liga performances. At the moment, it looks like Girona and its fans are in for a challenging season. 

Also Read: Transfer News: Martin Zubimendi Rejects Liverpool Transfer in Order to Stay at Real Sociedad