License and Registration: La Liga 2021-2022

bosox4283

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My Catalan-ness will not allow me to fully congratulate Madrid. Even the Espanyol supporters in my family won't go that far. That being said, Madrid were the most consistent team in La Liga this season and deserved to win. I'll give them that. For me, the top teams were weaker than usual but I have enjoyed the overall depth in the upper-middle part of the table (Betis, La Real, surprising Osasuna, Athletic Club etc). It's starting to feel like nobody wants to go to the Champions League next year though with all of the contenders dropping points.

It's both my least favorite and most favorite part of the season. Least favorite because some club I like to root for will get relegated. I do love me a good derby, so Levante going down will hurt. Are there two traditional rivals with separate stadiums geographically closer to one another than Valencia and Levante? Probably in London, but I'm not sure. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Cadiz, despite a little player controversy last season, so I'd love for them to stay up. Ditto Mallorca, where some of my family summers. Granada has great and truly passionate local support. It's hard to describe, but it almost feels like a family connection between the city and the team. But someone needs to go down. I do like Alaves, especially the ruggedness of players like Laguardia, but replacing them with Eibar and their super small stadium keeps level the Basque representation in La Liga, which by my count will still be at four including Osasuna- which is its own controversy. That gets to me what I love about this part of the season, seeing who will be promoted. Eibar is in good shape, along with Almeria. I can't bring myself to say who sits in the playoff positions, but I know others here are even more excited than I am for the possibilities for one Asturian club. Even a table lower, in the newly formed third tier called Primera Division RFEF, Deportivo la Coruna have a chance to return to the second flight, and man would I love to see them back in La Liga.

Segunda games are available on ESPN+ for those curious.
Great write-up. Gracias.

The race to finish in the top four certainly lost a bit of excitement over the last few weeks. In their last four matches, Sevilla have 5/12 points, Atletico 7/12, Betis 2/12, Real Sociedad 2/12, Villarreal 7/12, Bilbao 7/12.

Does 6th place in La Liga go to the Europa League or Conference League? Is there any prize for 7th? I ask because the race for 6th seems to be where the action will be for the last three matches with Sociedad, Villarreal, and Bilbao competing for the spot.

I subscribe to ESPN+ and had no idea I could watch Segunda on the platform. Thanks, again.
 

Zososoxfan

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Great to see Ansu Fati again. He scored a really nice goal against Betis in a 2-1 win that cements Barca a top 4 finish. Now Barca's goal is to finish 2nd to get a place in the lucrative Supercopa. Such is Barca's financial plight that it actually matters.

I also saw that some Atleti fans had a sign at the game that said (paraphrasing): Real Madrid have had a Guard of Honor for 120 Years. Love it.
 

bosox4283

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Great to see Ansu Fati again. He scored a really nice goal against Betis in a 2-1 win that cements Barca a top 4 finish. Now Barca's goal is to finish 2nd to get a place in the lucrative Supercopa. Such is Barca's financial plight that it actually matters.

I also saw that some Atleti fans had a sign at the game that said (paraphrasing): Real Madrid have had a Guard of Honor for 120 Years. Love it.
It was really great to see Fati back on the pitch. He's electric. Here's hoping he can stay healthy and continue to grow for the sake of La Liga.

The full sign was more like "Thanks to the press and the refs, Real Madrid have had a Guard of Honor for 120 years".
 

rguilmar

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Great write-up. Gracias.

The race to finish in the top four certainly lost a bit of excitement over the last few weeks. In their last four matches, Sevilla have 5/12 points, Atletico 7/12, Betis 2/12, Real Sociedad 2/12, Villarreal 7/12, Bilbao 7/12.

Does 6th place in La Liga go to the Europa League or Conference League? Is there any prize for 7th? I ask because the race for 6th seems to be where the action will be for the last three matches with Sociedad, Villarreal, and Bilbao competing for the spot.

I subscribe to ESPN+ and had no idea I could watch Segunda on the platform. Thanks, again.
I'm pretty sure that 6th place will be going to the Europa League. That won't be official unless/until Betis finish fifth as they are already in the Europa League as Copa del Rey champions. I would guess that would have 7th place go in the Conference League. That in essence is what I've been told but I haven't seen anything official.

You're right though, after this weekend there isn't much going on at the top of the table. The Pichichi is wrapped up too with Benzema having a healthy lead over Iago Aspas- man do I love how he just carries Celta- so the real action is at the bottom where all of the candidates for relegation just refuse to die. Cadiz, Granada, and Levante all won and are in the bottom five. Match Day 36 kicks off tomorrow so we might get some more separation this week.

In the Segunda, Eibar lost to third place Valladolid, which tightened things up at the top a bit and allowed Almeria to jump the Basques into first place. I can't bear to watch the potential playoff contenders with four teams fighting for the last two spots (well, Girona has a game in hand that is being played right now). I should note that ESPN+ has maybe 3-4 Segunda games per week, not all of them. They also have a weekly highlight show.

Didn't realize how many clubs are located so close, specifically the Liverpool rivals. Levante-Valencia are less than a mile but it feels a little further because of all of the buildings between the two. Everton-Liverpool are certainly closer for now.
 

bosox4283

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You're right though, after this weekend there isn't much going on at the top of the table. The Pichichi is wrapped up too with Benzema having a healthy lead over Iago Aspas- man do I love how he just carries Celta- so the real action is at the bottom where all of the candidates for relegation just refuse to die. Cadiz, Granada, and Levante all won and are in the bottom five. Match Day 36 kicks off tomorrow so we might get some more separation this week.
With Barcelona and Atletico locking down Champions League spots (yawn), the real drama is now the risk that Sevilla falls to 5th. At this point, Betis needs to win out and Sevilla fail to gain more points for it to happen, but it is something to watch over the next week. Regardless of this outcome, the fact that Sevilla has fallen to fourth and is at dangerous of ending in 5th speaks to the club's massive dip in form in the second half of the season.
 

Zososoxfan

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With Barcelona and Atletico locking down Champions League spots (yawn), the real drama is now the risk that Sevilla falls to 5th. At this point, Betis needs to win out and Sevilla fail to gain more points for it to happen, but it is something to watch over the next week. Regardless of this outcome, the fact that Sevilla has fallen to fourth and is at dangerous of ending in 5th speaks to the club's massive dip in form in the second half of the season.
Based on nothing at all, I wonder if the wind just went out of their sails once Real ran away with the title (they were keeping pace early IIRC) and once they got knocked out of UEL. I mean, you would be pissed too if you're birthright was taken away.
 

rguilmar

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Based on nothing at all, I wonder if the wind just went out of their sails once Real ran away with the title (they were keeping pace early IIRC) and once they got knocked out of UEL. I mean, you would be pissed too if you're birthright was taken away.
One of the big disappointments of the season is Sevilla for me. They started so well and were pushing Madrid. I felt they outplayed Madrid in the first game when the two teams were very close in the standings. Then there was the great first half in Seville followed by the collapse at the Sanchez Pizjuan. But the reality is that Sevilla have only won two out of their last ten La Liga games going back to their derby win against Betis, and four out of the last sixteen. This after the January window where they strengthened the squad and looked to believe they had a shot at La Liga. Martial has been a bust. Tecatito actually was fun to watch for a bit but has run a little colder of late.

I wonder if Lopetegui gets the axe even if they hold on to fourth. Seems like the fans have been critical of him all season long. If Betis somehow passes Sevilla, he's definitely gone.
 

bosox4283

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One of the big disappointments of the season is Sevilla for me. They started so well and were pushing Madrid. I felt they outplayed Madrid in the first game when the two teams were very close in the standings. Then there was the great first half in Seville followed by the collapse at the Sanchez Pizjuan. But the reality is that Sevilla have only won two out of their last ten La Liga games going back to their derby win against Betis, and four out of the last sixteen. This after the January window where they strengthened the squad and looked to believe they had a shot at La Liga. Martial has been a bust. Tecatito actually was fun to watch for a bit but has run a little colder of late.

I wonder if Lopetegui gets the axe even if they hold on to fourth. Seems like the fans have been critical of him all season long. If Betis somehow passes Sevilla, he's definitely gone.
Sevilla managed to get the point they needed against Atletico, so they have cemented their place in the top four for Champions League. Even with this accomplishment, the season seems to be a disappointment for Sevilla given the mediocre second-half -- and now there are rumors that Lopetegui is on his way out.
 
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bosox4283

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That gets to me what I love about this part of the season, seeing who will be promoted. Eibar is in good shape, along with Almeria. I can't bring myself to say who sits in the playoff positions, but I know others here are even more excited than I am for the possibilities for one Asturian club.
Huge match against Oviedo today. A win gives Oviedo a more comfortable cushion over three or four points over Girona, Las Palmas, and Ponferradina.
 

rguilmar

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Huge match against Oviedo today. A win gives Oviedo a more comfortable cushion over three or four points over Girona, Las Palmas, and Ponferradina.
Game ended in a 3-3 draw. Oviedo travel to Las Palmas next in one of the games of the season.

Back in La Liga, Levante were already relegated and clearly wanted company, and their defeat of Alaves relegated the Basques as well. I’ll miss Levante personally. If my math is correct, they’re currently sixth in goals scored in La Liga, so obviously defense was the issue. 3-2 and 5-3 losses versus Sevilla, a famous 3-2 loss versus Barca, 4-2 loss to Betis, 4-3 Derby loss to Valencia, 4-3 loss to Espanyol. Point is they played a lot of fun games. And Morales is a hell of a player.

Granada, Mallorca, Cádiz. One must go down. All three have winnable games and Cadiz sit in the relegation zone due to a last second goal by local lad Abdon Prats for Mallorca against Rayo. He also scored the winner to secure promotion back in 2019. Pretty much the teams to watch this week.
 

Zososoxfan

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Game ended in a 3-3 draw. Oviedo travel to Las Palmas next in one of the games of the season.

Back in La Liga, Levante were already relegated and clearly wanted company, and their defeat of Alaves relegated the Basques as well. I’ll miss Levante personally. If my math is correct, they’re currently sixth in goals scored in La Liga, so obviously defense was the issue. 3-2 and 5-3 losses versus Sevilla, a famous 3-2 loss versus Barca, 4-2 loss to Betis, 4-3 Derby loss to Valencia, 4-3 loss to Espanyol. Point is they played a lot of fun games. And Morales is a hell of a player.

Granada, Mallorca, Cádiz. One must go down. All three have winnable games and Cadiz sit in the relegation zone due to a last second goal by local lad Abdon Prats for Mallorca against Rayo. He also scored the winner to secure promotion back in 2019. Pretty much the teams to watch this week.
Must be something about the South ;)

I agree with you that I will always root for clubs that go out and attack like Levante. It's why I respect the hell outta Leeds (that and I'm a Bielsista!).

Apropos of nothing, I went to Mallorca when I was living abroad in Barcelona, and it's one of the most fun places I've ever been to in my life. Like all the fun of continental Spain, but amped up for island living and even more laid back.
 

rguilmar

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With the interesting games in La Liga kicking off tomorrow I wanted to note a couple of huge matches today in La Liga SmartBank available on ESPN+. Éibar vs. Tenerife (2nd vs 4th) and Oviedo vs. Las Palmas (5th vs 7th). Both games are at 4 and can be watched later on demand. I know most hearts are with Oviedo, but the possibility of a Canary Islands promotion playoff between Tenerife and Las Palmas down the road is juicy too. The second division has one more match day after this weekend.

Must be something about the South ;)

I agree with you that I will always root for clubs that go out and attack like Levante. It's why I respect the hell outta Leeds (that and I'm a Bielsista!).

Apropos of nothing, I went to Mallorca when I was living abroad in Barcelona, and it's one of the most fun places I've ever been to in my life. Like all the fun of continental Spain, but amped up for island living and even more laid back.
I have an uncle who lives in Barcelona who spends his summers on Mallorca in Polenca. It’s a great place for Catalans escaping the heat and tourists. Not to say Mallorca doesn’t get tourists, because they get plenty. It’s just way more relaxed, even in Palma. I have another uncle, an Espanyol fan, who swears he will move to Andalucía should Catalunya ever get independence, with Granada and Cadiz both on his list of places to go (Sevilla is the preferred destination in his hypothetical move). So I’m looking at this relegation battle through the eyes of these two men. I don’t want any of them to go down, but one must go.
 

rguilmar

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So we say “adios” to Granada in heartbreaking fashion. Jorge Molina missed a late penalty that would’ve seen them survive, and he was completely undone when the game was over.

Nothing is set in stone in terms of teams to be promoted. Éibar and Almería look to be in good shape, but neither has clinched a spot (the symmetry of potentially losing and gaining both a Basque team and Andalusian team has been noted). Oviedo sadly lost and now need a win plus help to get into the playoff, and it’s safe to say rival Sporting might not do Oviedo any favors against Las Palmas.

Oviedo is instructive in the plight of teams in La Segunda. They did well and if they aren’t promoted they might loss their top players, in this case Borja Bastón who will likely find a home at a lower level La Liga team.

For La Liga teams, I’ll be interested to see what Real Madrid due in the wake of the Mbappe decision and to see if Barcelona exhibit some financial restraint (spoiler: they won’t). I imagine Sevilla and Athletic Club will be among the clubs looking for managers, so it’ll be interesting to see what they do (along with Espanyol and other clubs). There are murmurs about a manager like Pochettino to Athletic Club given their uniqueness- financially stable, focused on development of young players, less focus on attracting new talent because of their policies. It would be fun to see.
 

rguilmar

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La Liga SmartBank wraps up today. I’m pretty sure all games kick off at 2, many of them on ESPN+.
Two of Éibar, Almería, and Valladolid will get automatic promotion with the third in the playoff. Shaq Moore’s Tenerife are in the playoff already. Two of Girona, Las Palmas, and Oviedo will round out the field with Oviedo needing a win and some help which won’t be coming from Gijón.
 

rguilmar

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We say “hola” to Almería and Valladolid. Almería don’t really do much for me. Newer team without much history, so I really don’t have much to say. One Andulician club down and one up I suppose. Valladolid are even more owned by Ronaldo (the Brazilian one) than they were last time they were in La Liga and are the definition of a yo-yo club. It’s nice to have representation from different parts of Spain though as Los Pucelanos are the main team from Castile and Leon. They have a fun attacking trident of Weissman, Plata, and Morillo.

Éibar, Tenerife, Las Palmas, and Girona are in the playoff. Sadly this means Oviedo miss out. There were heartbreaking scenes in Oviedo as fans and players were clearly getting bad info about results in Burgos, who were hosting Girona. I’m a huge fan of derbies though, so we get a Canary Island two legged playoff derby between Las Palmas and Tenerife this year and two Asturias derbies between Sporting and Oviedo next year, and I hope to get to one of those games.

Anyways, it would be fun for Ray Hudson’s “Mighty Éibar” and their 8,000 capacity stadium to return to La Liga.
 

rguilmar

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The first leg of the promotion playoff semifinals is in the books. The more practical teams both took 1-0 leads, though that title might be unfair to Éibar who did create chances and played more than half the game down a man after one of their players lost his damn mind- two yellows within a minute and the second could’ve been a straight red. Tenerife lead arch rival Las Palmas. Shaq Moore looked really good for the home team. It’s a derby so who knows how this one ends. Éibar took the away win at Girona with an absolute banger/ golazo/ pick your favorite term:

View: https://youtu.be/INCF-hHtxts


Return legs are this weekend. The higher seeds have the advantage of playing at home and with the tiebreaker rules. Away goals don’t matter, and tied ties go to extra time. If they remain tied the higher seed (Éibar and Las Palmas) advance. No PKs.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Barcelona blaming Tebas for not preventing them from making a bunch of stupid signing and giving out a bunch of dumb contracts in the past.

This summer looks like a redux of last summer, even without Messi. They've agreed to sign all these players like Christensen, Alonso, and Kessie but they can't actually register any of them. Selling FDJ seems likely but its not clear that will be enough.

View: https://twitter.com/BarcaUniversal/status/1532635362987757568
 

Zososoxfan

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Barcelona blaming Tebas for not preventing them from making a bunch of stupid signing and giving out a bunch of dumb contracts in the past.

This summer looks like a redux of last summer, even without Messi. They've agreed to sign all these players like Christensen, Alonso, and Kessie but they can't actually register any of them. Selling FDJ seems likely but its not clear that will be enough.

View: https://twitter.com/BarcaUniversal/status/1532635362987757568
That's a very fucking dumb statement from Romeu. You can't have it both ways--either Tebas is shitty for hampering the big clubs' model, or he's shitty for letting them ruin themselves. The former is much more accurate.

As for how Barca is doing financially, I think some of their new revenue streams kick in for this fiscal year so they should be able to do some biz. Selling FDJ would help a lot, but I also wonder if Barca will be able to find takers for Depay, Dest, Auba, Lenglet, Puig, Umtiti, Braithwaite, or Roberto. Umtiti and Lenglet are owed $30M each (!!), so a sale of either likely lets Barca spend an additional $10M or so, since FFP basically allows Barca to spend 1/3 of any savings. Dest is owed $24M, Depay $21M, and Braithwaite $18M. So even if there's a small transfer fee, there's still serious loot coming off the books in wages. This can get real tricky with amortization concepts, but I won't go into that (unless we all want to!).

Christensen and Kessie would be free transfers, so I don't think Christensen's ~(E)$5-6M/year or Kessie getting $6-7M wages are going to be a problem. Shit, the majority of Barca's squad makes more than that, and I expect many of them will be coming off the books. Alonso has 1 year left on his deal and him and Tuchel seem ready to part ways. TM has him valued at $15M. So at the end of the day with Alonso it comes down to how low will Chelsea let him go for, how low will Alonso go with wages, and can Barca make the accounting work by spreading out the payments far enough.
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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That's a very fucking dumb statement from Romeu. You can't have it both ways--either Tebas is shitty for hampering the big clubs' model, or he's shitty for letting them ruin themselves. The former is much more accurate.

As for how Barca is doing financially, I think some of their new revenue streams kick in for this fiscal year so they should be able to do some biz. Selling FDJ would help a lot, but I also wonder if Barca will be able to find takers for Depay, Dest, Auba, Lenglet, Puig, Umtiti, Braithwaite, or Roberto. Umtiti and Lenglet are owed $30M each (!!), so a sale of either likely lets Barca spend an additional $10M or so, since FFP basically allows Barca to spend 1/3 of any savings. Dest is owed $24M, Depay $21M, and Braithwaite $18M. So even if there's a small transfer fee, there's still serious loot coming off the books in wages. This can get real tricky with amortization concepts, but I won't go into that (unless we all want to!).

Christensen and Kessie would be free transfers, so I don't think Christensen's ~(E)$5-6M/year or Kessie getting $6-7M wages are going to be a problem. Shit, the majority of Barca's squad makes more than that, and I expect many of them will be coming off the books. Alonso has 1 year left on his deal and him and Tuchel seem ready to part ways. TM has him valued at $15M. So at the end of the day with Alonso it comes down to how low will Chelsea let him go for, how low will Alonso go with wages, and can Barca make the accounting work by spreading out the payments far enough.
Thanks. It is very hard to understand what is going on with this club financially. I read the other day that they owed Pique 50m euro in unpaid wages.

In other Pique news, there is a story going around that he did a Delonte West with Gavi's mom. Probably BS, but funnier to think it might be true.
 

67YAZ

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In other Pique news, there is a story going around that he did a Delonte West with Gavi's mom. Probably BS, but funnier to think it might be true.
He's been with Shakira for a dozen years! Guess everyone at Barca is dumping their superstars for mediocre replacements.
 

rguilmar

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Segunda playoff final is set. Tenerife will take on Girona in a two legged final starting on Saturday.

Tenerife survived against arch rival Las Palmas, winning 3-1 on aggregate in a testy tie. Spanish authorities labeled this game a "high risk" event and had the same preparation as they have for a Clasico, such were the stakes in this one. Shaq Moore is playing for Tenerife and playing well, and it would be nice to have another Yank in La Liga. Moore did get minutes for Levante several years back when he first moved to Spain. Tenerife were last in La Liga in 2010, and most Barca fans remember them fondly back in the 90s for taking points off of Madrid in back to back seasons allowing Barca to win La Liga. Rafa Benetiz managed them back in 2000 before taking the Valencia job, and the rest is history. Tenerife did make a UEFA Cup semifinal back in the 90s as well. If promoted, they would provide what must be one of the longest in-league travel days in Europe as the Canary Islands are a pretty long distance from mainland Spain.

Poor Eibar had a roller coaster end of the season. Just a minute from clinching automatic promotion, they conceded a late goal to already relegated Alcorcon, dropping the Basques from first to third. They took a 1-0 lead into the home leg against Girona, who waited a full 49 seconds to score the equalizer (another golazo), then got the winner 49 seconds into extra time. Girona is a beautiful city in northeastern Cataluna. They are a City Football Group team, bought back in 2018 just after they got to La Liga for the first time in their history. They were relegated at the end of the 2018-19 season, and notably Chisthian Stuani is still on the squad and I thought played pretty well the last time they were in La Liga. Girona have lost this final the last two seasons, so maybe third time's a charm?

Going down even another division, my heart is warmed by the potential return of Deportivo la Coruna to the Segunda. They host Albecete at the Riazor on Saturday with the winner getting promoted.
 

rguilmar

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First leg of the promotion playoff was Saturday, and it was a cagey 0-0 result in Girona. Second leg is in Tenerife on Sunday. If the game ends in a tie, there is extra time but no PKs. Tenerife would win based on final league position.

In other news probably better suited for the 2022-2023 thread, Valencia have replaced Bordalas with Gennaro Gattuso. The club has been a mess with leaked tapes from a former president, unpopular ownership, and the need to clear about 40 million Euros from their books to balance the budget for 2021-2022. Bordalas was always an awkward hire to me, but he conducted himself with class. Sevilla are keeping Lopetegui on as manager which is a touch surprising given the second half of the season- not that he’s a bad manager (I think he’s really good) just that the squad looks like it can benefit from new ideas. Now the fight to keep Kounde is on, but I imagine he follows Diego Carlos to England. Espanyol have hired Diego Martinez as their manager. He has been a hot commodity in Spain and I thought maybe Sevilla would grab him. The question now is whether they can hold on to RDT, but he looks to be gone.

Oh, and Depor lost their promotion final against Albacete. They’ll remain in the third tier unfortunately .
 

rguilmar

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La Liga SmartBank wrapped up with Girona securing promotion by winning 3-1 at Tenerife. Third time is a charm as they lost the last two finals against Elche and Rayo. I think I preferred to see Tenerife get promoted, but it’s nice to see Cristhian Stuani back in La Liga. He could’ve bolted Girona for more money when they were relegated but chose to stay and fight for promotion.

Speaking of goal scorers for teams relegated from La Liga, I’m a little sad to see Jose Luis Morales (El Comandante) leaving Levante for nearby Villarreal. Obviously it’s the right choice for him professionally, but I’ll always think of him as the heart and soul of Levante.