BARCELONA // Deportivo La Coruna and Valencia have both won Spain's Primera Liga in the last decade, but this season's winner will again come from Barcelona or Real Madrid.
Spain's big two have by far the best squads and resources which dwarf the budgets of even Champions League regulars like Atletico Madrid, Villarreal and Sevilla.
Optimism is understandably high in Barcelona. A crowd of 94,123 - bigger than the gate for any competitive game last season - watched league champions Barca lose 1-0 to Manchester City in the Gamper pre-season curtain raiser. While debutant and record signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic stressed that Barca are "getting there little by little", fans are confident coach Pep Guardiola can continue to work the miracles of his first season, though they are expecting a greater challenge from Real.
Barca hope for a continuation of the form which won the treble and have made minimal changes. Record signing Ibrahimovic has replaced Samuel Eto'o, who was third in the club's all time leading scorer chart. Officials have taken to praising him now, but Eto'o was pushed out because Guardiola felt his personality did not fit the collective one he was trying to mould - that and he was not as ruthless a finisher as he could be.
Eto'o would argue differently and scored the key opening goal in May's Champions League final against Manchester United, a competition the Swede Ibrahimovic has rarely shone in.
Just days before the transfer window closes, technical director Txiki Beguiristain has admitted there are still "one or two pieces needed to complete the jigsaw" but improving Barca is akin to bettering a top-of-the-range Bentley. The Catalans enter the season from a position of strength and it would take a monumental injury crisis or implosion to destabilise them.
"I'm not worried about signing new signing new players," said Guardiola. "If it's possible some reinforcements will arrive and if not they won't. This is a squad you can rely on. Just as I felt last year, I feel that we will be competitive this year as well."
Barca have a lot of competition. They beat Athletic Bilbao last Sunday night to lift the Spanish Super, before the European Super Cup in Monaco tonight against Shakhtar Donetsk. Only then will their league season commence with an away game at Sporting Gijon on the final day of August.
Real finished last season trophyless, but the Bernabeu side will receive greater attention in the first months of the season. If they fulfil the massive expectations that have come with the stellar new signings like Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Kaka, then Real will be sublime to watch under new coach Manuel Pellegrini. If they don't, there will be no shortage of critics.
Returning club president Florentino Perez claims that he has learned from the mistakes of the indulgences of his last reign. One of those was to lose the Spanish flavour and youthful essence within the club. Real's three biggest signings have not been Spanish, but in Xabi Alonso, Raul Albiol and Alvaro Arbeloa, they have also signed three experienced Spanish internationals.
Stung by Catalan criticism that they are attempting to buy success, Real have also been boasting of the success of their cantera graduates like Esteban Granero, Dani Parejo, Alvaro Negredo and Miguel Torres. Midfielder Granero especially has impressed in pre-season and scored a magnificent goal in the 5-0 demolition of Dortmund.
"I'm pleased because the coach is treating us all as equals," Granero said, allying fears that Pellegrini is being forced to play the biggest names. "I feel that the team is now ready. We know that the season will be a long one, but we have the talents to win trophies."
Alonso agrees. "The team is ready to start the season," said the midfield signing from Liverpool. "I've only been here for two weeks, but I'm already settled and feel like I am in a settled side. I'm confident about the season ahead."
Fans wouldn't expect to hear anything less, but as previous coach Juande Ramos found out last season, it is not only about winning games, but the manner in which they are won.
The tallest orders come at the top of the game and anything less than the league title will be seen as a failure for Barca or Real.
amitten@thenational.ae
Springtime in a Broken Mirror,
Mario Benedetti, Penguin Modern Classics
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Initial investment: Undisclosed
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
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Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
Electoral College Victory
Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate.
Popular Vote Tally
The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.
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More on Quran memorisation:
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Director: Christopher Nolan
Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh
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COMPANY PROFILE
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
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How to join and use Abu Dhabi’s public libraries
• There are six libraries in Abu Dhabi emirate run by the Department of Culture and Tourism, including one in Al Ain and Al Dhafra.
• Libraries are free to visit and visitors can consult books, use online resources and study there. Most are open from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, closed on Fridays and have variable hours on Saturdays, except for Qasr Al Watan which is open from 10am to 8pm every day.
• In order to borrow books, visitors must join the service by providing a passport photograph, Emirates ID and a refundable deposit of Dh400. Members can borrow five books for three weeks, all of which are renewable up to two times online.
• If users do not wish to pay the fee, they can still use the library’s electronic resources for free by simply registering on the website. Once registered, a username and password is provided, allowing remote access.
• For more information visit the library network's website.
Rajasthan Royals 153-5 (17.5 ov)
Delhi Daredevils 60-4 (6 ov)
Rajasthan won by 10 runs (D/L method)
RESULT
Aston Villa 1
Samatta (41')
Manchester City 2
Aguero (20')
Rodri (30')
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