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Pablo Box (25 y/o, ESP, M RC): 17(15) apps, 6 goals, 6 assists, 3 MoMs, av. rate: 7.03: I think he will be destined to only be a squad player at Cartagonova, which is a pity for the fans that supported him throughout his career. Unfortunately, he doesn’t quite fit into the mould of the central midfielder that I like to play, but he isn’t quite good enough to find a niche on the right of midfield. But when he does have the chance, he usually does something with it, so he isn’t under any pressure to demonstrate to me that he is worthy of a place in the squad.<P>Paulo Miranda (25 y/o, ARG, AM RLC): 11(7) apps, 2 goals, 3 assists, av. rate: 7.33: A player with plenty of potential for Cartagonova, I hope he can step up and take the position from Cristian �lvarez as the creative midfielder. He will battle it out with Fernando Morán and Jurica Vucko for that attacking midfielder role just behind the front two strikers. I think he has been well worth the £1 million transfer fee we paid for him last season, and I hope he can kick on this season.<P>Fernando Morán (28 y/o, ESP, AM RLC): 107(3) apps, 29 goals, 24 assists, 7 MoMs, av. rate: 7.37: I thought that I would have to sell him in the off-season because he refused to sign a new contract. But we were all gratified to see him put pen to paper on a new three-year contract that will tie him to the club until he is in his 30s. Again, there is nothing that really marks him out from the crowd as a player who can take the game by the scruff of the neck, but he is a tremendously strong player who just keeps going as the minutes tick by. Not only that, but he has a flair for play that makes him a man who stands out on the pitch, and there are plenty of Cartagonova fans wearing his number ‘10’ on their backs. Got off to a great start this season, creating two goals in our 4-1 victory over Spartak Moskva, and unquestionably the arrival of Jurica Vucko will spur Fernando onto bigger and better things.

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Rufete (27 y/o, ESP 1 cap, AM R): 33(1) apps, 13 goals, 9 assists, 3 MoMs, av. rate: 7.38: Once again, I shake my head when I remember that the winger was suspended for nine matches last season. What could he have done if he participated in those games, I wonder? Definitely at the peak of his abilities last season and if the first game of the new season is any yardstick to measure him by, he is going to have a ripper this one, too. Like several of his teammates, he enjoys playing for the club, and I hope that this enjoyment will translate to on-field heroics as I give him free reign to maraud down the right of midfield. Normally one of the first players on the teamsheet for each match.<P>Jurica Vucko (27 y/o, HRV 10 caps, AM/F RC): A new boy who enjoys the distinction of being the highest-paid player in the squad. But I’m not too sure where to play him. I really don’t see him as a right winger, because his crossing isn’t quite up to scratch. But then again, Fernando Morán has been a marvel in the hole behind the two strikers and it would be difficult to justify dropping the Spaniard for the Croat. Further, his three practice matches at the start of the season haven’t demonstrated anything that would prompt me to make the shift. But I’m sure that I’ll be able to make use of the Croat midfielder at some stage during the season. It’s always good to have plenty of good creative, attacking midfielders in the squad.<P>Jofre (24 y/o, ESP, AM L): 38(3) apps, 8 goals, 8 assists, 3 MoMs, av. rate: 7.03: He needs to demonstrate to me this season that he is worth pursuing our development in. He came with big wraps from Barcelona, but I think that he has really failed to kick on at Cartagonova. His biggest asset is his pace, but I sometimes think that once he reaches the attacking third of the opponent, he has difficulty finding somebody with a good pass or cross. There are signs that he is maturing into a quality winger but time is fast running out for him.<P>Michel (28 y/o, ESP, AM L): 88(3) apps, 15 goals, 22 assists, 2 MoMs, av. rate: 7.32: An excellent acquisition for the club and he has continued to attract attention from other clubs. But he is in the peak of his powers at the moment, and I have no attention of letting go our best left-winger at the club. Quite possibly our most innately creative player, he doesn’t mind having a shot at goal when the opportunity presents itself. He was one of the better players last season and I hope that he can continue that form in the new year.

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Keith O’Neill (28 y/o, IRE 24 caps, 4 goals, AM/F LC): 3(7) apps, 1 goal, av. rate: 6.80: Has struggled to adapt to life in Spain and even with the influx of fellow Englishmen into the club over the summer, he still complains about the difficulty in particularly talking to his teammates. Not really going to command a regular first team spot and he may need to move elsewhere to find regular football. But he is a good player to bring off the bench as his blinding pace can cause his opponents plenty of trouble later in the game.<P>Oliver (25 y/o, ESP, AM L): 6(2) apps, 2 assists, av. rate: 7.13: Gee, if I didn’t have Michel at the club, I’d be very happy to have Oliver here instead. Possibly a more stereotypical winger in that he has a lot of pace and knows how to cross a ball into the box. But also like, for example, Ryan Giggs, he can slot a goal or two when he wants to – although he is yet to get off the mark in competitive fixtures for the club. He is willing to fight for his place in the team and given his talent and technique there is no reason why he won’t someday take over Michel’s position in the first eleven.<P>Juan Eduardo Esnáider (31 y/o, ARG 2 caps, 1 goal, AM/F C): 16(6) apps, 5 goals, 6 assists, 3 MoMs, av. rate: 7.50: Not likely to be playing that often from kick-off, but he still adds excellent value to the club’s fortunes when he comes off the bench and begins hitting those pinpoint passes to teammates. Also packs a mean set-piece shot and I’m sure plenty of goalkeepers will wish they were facing somebody else when he lines up from 20-30 yards out.

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Forwards<P>Mauro Esposito (25 y/o, ITA 1 cap, AM/F LC): While he is capable of playing in midfield, I think that with his comparatively poor passing skills and high finishing and dribbling skills, he is better suited for playing in the front line along side Redondo. Not likely to command a starting eleven spot, at least this season, but I think that he will be very dangerous if I need to throw somebody into the mix towards the end of the game – and he has already shown that in the friendlies we’ve played so far this season.<P>Dennis Bergkamp (35 y/o, HOL 79 caps, 38 goals, AM/F C): Signed within a whisker of the closing of the transfer deadline for the summer months, Dennis is an important addition to the club. He brings bags of experience – almost 500 matches in a career spanning almost twenty seasons – and plenty of talent. He has kept himself in remarkably good shape and his exceptional ability will undoubtedly be useful to us in the long season ahead of us. Takes over the legendary role recently vacated by Iván Zamorano. I look at him in training and wish I could have signed him when he was 30 – he is still that good.<P>José Manuel Redondo (28 y/o, ESP, S C): 87 apps, 54 goals, 28 assists, 15 MoMs, av. rate: 7.99: I’m surprised that he wasn’t named in Spain’s squad for Euro 2004. He had a stellar first season in the Primera Liga with us, scoring 25 goals in the league and 28 overall. Won the Supporters’ Player of the Year award in consecutive seasons and if he remains fit, there is no reason why he won’t achieve the hat-trick of personal awards. An undeniably wonderful goalscoring record so far in his two seasons, but he also manages to set up other players for their goals, too. Without him, we wouldn’t have come close to finishing fourth in the league and reaching the Copa del Rey final. Definitely the talisman, and if there are plenty of fans wearing Morán’s number ‘10’ guernsey on their backs, there would be double the amount of fans wearing Redondo’s number ‘9’ on theirs. At 28, he should be reaching the pinnacle of his powers and I’m looking forward to seeing him smash home plenty of goals this season. Hopefully he can strike up the type of partnership with Kokmeijer that he did with Collymore over the last two seasons, but Redondo is the type of player I think who could work with just about anybody.

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Neils Kokmeijer (24 y/o, HOL, S C): 1 app, 2 goals, av. rate: 9.00: Scoring a brace on your debut in a crunch fixture must go a long way to paying off a large chunk of that big transfer fee. It will no doubt help push the cynicism of the departure of Stan Collymore a little further away for all Cartagonova fans. To tell you the truth, I didn’t think I had made a good purchase because he did little in the friendlies to indicate his obvious talent – well, obvious when it came to playing Spartak Moskva.<P>Romário (38 y/o, BRA 76 caps, 54 goals, S C): Not likely to play this season, as I’m more interested in his coaching abilities rather than his diminishing playing talent.<P>Roberto Sosa (29 y/o, ARG, S C): 4(2) apps, 5 goals, 1 assist, 1 MoM, av. rate: 7.67: There isn’t much wrong that Roberto has done in his season with us, but I feel that he isn’t the player that I need to ensure success. Mainly his lack of pace is the big handicap that I don’t like. Further, adding his non-EU status to that problem then you can understand why I’m not likely to play him often this season. That’s not fair to the player, so he’s on the list (though he doesn’t like it). Has attracted some interest from his native Argentina, but not enough to set up the deal.<P>Next up, a brief preview of all twenty clubs in the Primera Liga for 2004/05!<P>Keep smiling! [IMG]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif" alt="smile[/IMG]<P>Dixie Flatline

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For the last time this weekend!<P>So now that we’ve looked at my squad for the coming season, it’s time to briefly appraise the fortunes of the rival clubs in the Primera Liga. We’ll start with Alavés who, under Wim Jansen, have performed impressively over the past few seasons, despite being a small club struggling with poor finances. An entry into the Inter-Toto Cup should bring them success in that they lead St-Etienne by a goal in the final. Jansen has been unable to spend much money over the summer, but he has made some impressive captures, including the promising Polish full-back, Tomasz Wisio who joins compatriot Jerzy Dudek at the club. Scoring goals has been a problem for Alavés over the past few seasons and Jansen has tried to remedy that by bringing in a couple of experienced strikers. Unlikely to finish much higher than they did last season – a creditable 8th position – but should be a good bet for a mid-table finish.<P>Athletic Bilbao continues to stand by its policy of signing only Basque players this season and although the squad was good enough to win the league a couple of seasons ago, the sale of plenty of important players resulted in Bilbao finishing a lowly tenth last time out. But Luis Fernández has a couple of superstars in Joseba EtxeberrÃ*a, who was undoubtedly the best player of Euro 2004, and Jorge Pérez, while the defence will be anchored by former Real Madrid player, Aitor Karanka. With Alkiza and Idiákez supporting the forwards, Athletic Bilbao could be looking at a top five finish this season.<P>Just six wins from 38 league matches is relegation form and indeed, Atlético Madrid was extremely lucky to escape the drop at the end of the season, finishing seventeenth by the skin of their teeth. The notorious president, Señor Jesús Gil, fired plenty of managers last season and there is no guarantee that Txetxu Rojo will last this season, either. There are no real stand-out players in the Atlético Madrid squad and a lot of the work will have to be carried out by Salva up forward. The manager has added some experience to the backline in ex-Alavés defender, Dan Eggen, who arrives on a Bosman free transfer. But there is little to indicate that this won’t be a long, long season for the long-suffering supporters.

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Barcelona was extremely unlucky not to claim the league title from arch-rivals Real Madrid as they stormed home to the end of the season with a stunning run. In compensation, Señor Lorenzo Serra Ferrer managed to guide his team to European Champions’ League success and in a thrilling match, overcame a 3-1 deficit to defeat Cartagonova 4-3 in the Copa del Rey. This season, the manager has concentrated on adding depth to the squad, but spending £12.75 million on Fabio Cannavaro seems to suggest that the manager knows that his defence is beginning to age. Xavi looks to be the logical successor to Guardiola, while Verón and Donati are just as important to the midfield as Rivaldo ever was. And in Patrick Kluivert, Barcelona possesses the most effective striker in Spain, not to mention Europe, and he is sure to continue his scintillating form in front of goal. There would be few who would bet against Barcelona adding the Primera Liga to its already glittering trophy cabinet by the season’s end.<P>Real Betis is a club that has lofty ambitions but its previous few seasons have not been up to scratch for its chairman, Señor Manuel Ruiz de Lopera. Bouncing between the top flight and the second division is not something that the chairman of the Seville-based club’s fans like, and it will be the job of Rafael BenÃ*tez to first stabilise the club and then build its glory back up to the heady days when the club boasted talent like Antonio Prats, DenÃ*lson, Alfonso, Oli and Finidi George. Defence should be Real Betis’ biggest asset, with David Rivas and Iván Campo in the centre. But Real Betis may struggle to break down their opponents, with only José Gálvez a truly recognisable forward. Betis has spent cautiously on the market so far, with transfers like Michael Ballack from Bayer Leverkusen and Youssef Chippo from Arsenal the only high-profile signatures.<P>Cartagonova surprised many with a magnificent first season in the Primera Liga last time out. Señor Dixie Flatline did well to guide his team to fourth place in the league and a shot at the Copa del Rey which ended in disappointment as Barcelona’s extra-time goal completed a remarkable comeback from 3-1 down to 4-3 victory. The biggest loss over the close-season is the mercurial Stan Collymore, who holds the all-time record for most league goals at the club. He formed a tremendous partnership with José Redondo over the last two seasons. It will be interesting to see how Flatline and his club will handle combining Champions’ League football with the pressures of domestic football. But he has shopped well on the transfer market over the summer, with Niels Kokmeijer, Jurica Vucko, Dennis Bergkamp and Kew Jaliens the pick of the bunch. Cartagonova should do well enough to escape relegation, but whether they can repeat last season’s remarkable results again is another matter.

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Celta Vigo had a comparatively disappointing season last time around. They seemed on course for a Champions’ League place but in the end had to be satisfied with a spot in the UEFA Cup. The squad was severely disrupted by the unhappy Brazilian striker Edú who to the massive relief of every Celta fan, left the club in the summer for Borussia Dortmund. VÃ*ctor Fernández spent £7 million on bringing in new players, including defender Christian Wörns and Arthur Numan. But there have been no big signatures to add to the club’s roster and a lot of the flamboyant play will rest upon the shoulders of Uruguayan midfielder, Andrés Olivera, and strikers Benni McCarthy and Diego Ribera. Celta will be there and thereabouts, but whether they can take the next step and push themselves into a European Champions’ League spot at the end of the season is another question.<P>This time last season, there were serious questions being asked about the viability of Deportivo La Coruña as the club owed some huge debts. A new board took over the administration of the club and appointed Señor Miguel Ã�ngel Casquero to run the football side. He did a magnificent job despite needing to sell the club’s best players to clear the debts. Deportivo seemed on course to add to its trophy cabinet only to be overtaken by Real Madrid and Barcelona, but third spot at the end of the season was good enough to put themselves into the Champions’ League. But there are still debts to be cleared away, and that was the motivation behind the sale of Roy Makaay to Feyenoord over the summer. The spending has been rather cautious, with only the arrival of defender Boris from Real Oviedo making any type of headlines – he cost Deportivo £5.25 million. Most of Deportivo’s play will be channelled through Spanish international Juan Carlos Valerón, who hopes to feed veteran striker Turu Flores and star man Diego Tristán. Repeating last season’s achievements would be wonderful for the club, but a more realistic assessment of where they stand is a top six or seven finish.

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Elche is a club looking to move up the ladder this season and as a result, Señor Asier De la Cruz has spent over £11.25 million on new players - £4.8 million goes to Hearts to capture attacking midfielder, Juanjo. But Elche has also strengthened the defence, with money spent on full-back Gianni Guigou, centre-half Iván Javier Cuadrado from Lens and £3 million on Oviedo’s goalkeeper Pedro José Dorronsoro. With only £750,000 recouped from the sale of players, the money spent by the manager represents a significant investment in squad strengthening and Elche’s fans will want to see a big improvement on last season’s 16th place. As usual, the goalscoring focus will be upon Argentine Pedro Guede and his partner in crime Nano, who has impressed in the pre-season friendlies. A mid-table finish is not beyond Elche this season, but the form-guide isn’t encouraging.<P>Last season, Espanyol struggled to make an impact upon the Primera Liga, eventually ending the campaign in a lowly 15th place. Still in shadows of cross-town rival, Barcelona, Espanyol struggles to attract high-profile players and Señor Ramón DÃ*az spent less than £7 million in the off-season, most of which went to Celta Vigo for midfielder Sergio. But the club is plagued by disharmony, mostly from the stars like captain Mauricio Pochettino, MartÃ*n Posse and Nacho, who all want improved contractual terms. It shapes up to be another difficult season for Espanyol and one wouldn’t be surprised to see them in the lower reaches of the table come the end of the season.<P>Málaga again supports the notion between the rich and the poor clubs in the Primera Liga with the manager, Señor VÃ*ctor Manuel GarcÃ*a Ruiz being unable to spend a lot of money strengthening the squad. But the capture of Uruguayan international striker, FabÃ*an O’Neill from Udinese should provide the firepower up forward to supplement Ismael and Ronald Gomez. Unfortunately, Málaga failed to qualify from the Inter-Toto Cup for the UEFA Cup, so it can completely focus on domestic success. In the last two seasons, Málaga has finished ninth in the league and there is certainly enough quality within the squad to achieve that result again. Finishing above that position, however, is less certain.

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Juande Ramos needed to play the Bosman free transfer market rather cannily to improve his squad in the island resort club of Mallorca. But he has managed to add considerable experience to the squad, with players of the calibre like Jean-Paul van Gastel, Goran Djorovic, Mauricio Hector Pineda and Dietmar Kühbauer all joining the squad over the summer. But again, the focus of Mallorca’s play will be star striker Alberto Luque. Goals were difficult to come by last season as Mallorca only scored 35 in the league – one less than Patrick Kluivert’s personal tally for Barcelona. It might be difficult for Mallorca to finish in a European position at the end of the season.<P>Numancia finished first in the Segunda Liga last season, but a lack of influx of quality players to freshen the squad will worry the club’s fans that it may make a quick return to the second division. A lot will rest upon the shoulders of creative midfielder, Chilean international Clarence Acuña, while goalkeeper �lvaro Núñez may be facing a long and difficult season. The leading front-runner for relegation unless Numancia spends money on new players when the transfer window re-opens in the winter.<P>Osasuna defied the pundits last season to finish comfortably in mid-table’s eleventh place. Señor Miguel �ngel Lotina has wasted no time spending money to strengthen the squad, bringing in proven performers like Finidi George from Mallorca, Albert Ferrer from Newcastle United and Pablo Coira from Celta Vigo. But a lot of the work last season was shouldered by the defence, which conceded just 44 goals in 38 league matches, and much the same will be expected from players like José Mateo and Ibán Pérez.