The best teams in the Spanish league

• Meet the strongest teams in the Spanish league.
• They are Real Madrid and Barcelona.
• But they could surprise you.

The Spanish league begins next week, but the only teams that could reach the championship are the usual ones, Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as Atlético de Madrid. They have always been the same. This time without Ronaldo or Messi, anything can happen in the tournament.

Barcelona is currently on a pre-season tour in the United States. It opens the campaign receiving Rayo Vallecano on August 13. Xavi Hernández can already take another goal off his wish list after the acquisition of Koundé. The French international reinforces a block of centrals that still has Gerard Piqué, 35, as leader. The others are the Uruguayan Ronald Araújo, 23, and Eric García,21.

WHO IS THE STRONGEST?

Barcelona also signed midfielder Franck Kessie and defender Andreas Christensen, who arrived as free agents this summer. In addition, the attacker Ousmane Dembélé renewed his contract. «Sevilla is a great team, but Barça is one more step in my career, especially at a sporting level,» Koundé said in a video released by the club, where he appears wearing a polo shirt with the colors of Barça.

Xavi, who took over as Barça coach last November, had lost club president Joan Laporta to acquire a prestigious striker and a guaranteed defender to be able to fight for titles. Koundé pointed to Xavi’s role in signing him. “He has a large part of my arrival… I have spoken with him several times, his speech has excited me a lot. We see football in the same way,” he reported on the Spanish League.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN?

Quick in defense and an attacking threats from set pieces, Koundé has been considered one of the most promising young players at his position in the Spanish league since joining Sevilla in 2019 for €25m ($25.4 million) from the French club Bordeaux.

«The French central defender, who can also play as a winger, is very difficult to beat one-on-one and is comfortable defending away from his goal, since he relies a lot on his speed to run backwards,» Barcelona said in a statement. “Koundé is a true aerial game specialist. His impressive jumping ability makes height not an issue when contesting aerial balls.” Filed Under: Spanish League

WHAT DOES THE COACH THINK?

The coach of FC Barcelona, ​​Xavi Hernández, said on Friday in New York that Frenchman Jules Koundé, is everything he is looking for in a central defender and he can also play as a winger, something that he summed up in «competition». This was stated by the coach at a press conference prior to training this Friday at Red Bulls Arena in Harrison, New Jersey where the fourth and last friendly match of the club’s tour of the United States will take place tomorrow.

“I am very happy with the arrival of Jules, I think he will give us a good start on the ball. He is fast, he is aggressive, he divides very well, he beat opponents, which is what we want from a Barça centre-back, he helps counter-attack situations and transitions. He is a very good athlete,” he explained. “He can play as a full-back, Ronald (Araújo) can also play as a full-back… and that means competition, competition that is being very good for us, we see it already in the rhythm and intensity that there is, everyone wants to give their best yes,” he added. Filed Under: Spanish League

WHAT’S NEW?

Koundé, who will be at the Catalan club for the next five seasons, joins a series of signings that the coach does not rule out expanding, assuring that «everything that is strengthening is good» and advocating having «two players per position» to be able to cover incidents. In general, Xavi was optimistic about the level of the team, especially judging by the last dates of the American tour: the balance is tilting on the winning side thanks to two wins, against Real Madrid and Inter Miami, whom add a tie, against Juventus.

“It’s a very positive tour, tomorrow’s game is missing but everyone has participated with a good level. I’m liking what I see on the pitch, although it’s early days and there’s a long season ahead. I think we are on the right track”, said the coach. Asked about another of the recent signings, the Polish Robert Lewandowski, he maintained that he is «adapting very well and making a difference» without losing the ball, in the correct position and with many opportunities to score, so he trusted that he would score early. Filed Under: Spanish League