Girona have had the biggest rebuild in Spain and a very fascinating window and I wanna talk about that. But before I talk about it, here's what the manager thinks. #Michel Quotes: “The preseason has been bad. We have not been able to have all the players available. Right now I am not clear about the team or the way to play… and we are five days away from the competition.” “I’m impatient. I don’t know how the team will go into the season. There are players who have trained less because they arrived late, but I am convinced that we will have a good week to arrive at the league match in good shape.” “We don’t have to be worried, but we do have to be alert. With work, the team will give a very good version.” “Right now, I don’t have a clear idea of the team, nor the way of playing, injuries, players at the Euros, at the Olympics, signings arriving late... I’m worried about that. About not being able to train together.” #Transfer Incomings: •Alejandro Frances: A great center back I've wanted in the top division for two years now alongside Mika Marmol who luckily got the move last year to Las Palmas. •Ladislav Krejci: A left footed center back who I've seen very little of but looks like a decent ball playing cb and a long term replacement of Blind. •Gabriel Misehouy: Very young and unlikely to make much of an impact in the short term. •Abel Ruiz: A decent young striker who played over Samu at the Olympics. •Bojan Miovski: Very highly talked about by people who know his game, from the little I've seen, I like him dropping deep and connecting play. #Loans: •Pau Lopez: Has a buy option and a much needed second keeper. •Oriol Romeu: Return of the man who never ought to have left. Will probably do fine this season. •Donny van de Beek: Let's see if he even stays fit. •Bryan Gil: Clearly has the talent but seems weak and has failed to make a difference. Tactically would do a lot that Savio did and hopefully can be half as impactful as Savio. #End of loans: •Eric Garcia: Played a lot last season and had his career revived, disappointing to see him leave. •Yan Couto: One of the best fullbacks around honestly, did a spectacular job last year. Big loss but atleast Arnau is around. •Savio: Best player in the team. Too good for Girona tbh. •Pablo Torre: Didn't even play a 1000 minutes, won't be missed. #Sold: •Dovbyk: Atleast got 30m for him. •Aleix Garcia: The heart of the team. Absolutely ran the game and one of my favourite midfielders in Spain. Would have liked to see Kirian Rodriguez as his replacement. Lost for under 20m unfortunately. Irrelevant players left/loaned: •Pau Victor: Wasn't at Girona last season. •Toni Fuidas: 3rd choice keeper. •Sala •Kebe •Gabri •Callens •Borja Garcia #Current Squad: Only 12 players played over 1300 minutes! 5 of which have left, Pablo Torre the only not to have played a big role of the 6 major leavers. Arnau Martinez and Jhon Solis are the only 2 players in the squad who could have an improved role this season. The club and manager still want 3-4 more signings and that makes sense. They relied on just 12 players last year and this year they'll have more games to play. #Further transfer rumours: •Pubill after failed medical at Atalanta (is it me or are far too many deals falling through at medicals this window?) •Sergi Roberto was linked although I thought he was closer to Ajax. •Failed to land Bryan Zaragoza who would've been useful. •Nico Paz and Oroz have been linked as attacking mids while Oroz won't be leaving and Girona look like an unlikely destination for Nico Paz too. Giannis Constentellias is the third and it seems PAOK did not even want to negotiate so unlikely. •Javi Guerra was openly a target for Girona and Atletico cancelled that transfer. Girona might just gk for him again. •Orri Oskarsson and Umar Sadiq were strikers also linked to Girona but 2 have been signed already. Vitor Roque was also linked but I feel thats just a random rumor. •Arnau Comas was a center back linked but with Krejci and Frances already done I don't see that happening. •Petrusenko is a Ukrainian midfielder. Now I don't know how real this link is but Girona need a midfielder and have targeted the Ukrainian league recently. Looks the likeliest of the rumours to me. •Left back Lucas Piton. Not a position the club is targeting. •Unai Lopez is another midfielder although perhaps just not good enough for Girona rn. #Season Prediction At this point Madrid, Barca, Atletico and Athletic Club are the clear top 4. La real are probably the 5th best despite Le Normand and possibly Merino leaving, atleast Zubimendi stays. Betis and Villarreal both seem to think center backs are unimportant in a squad somehow and yet I'd say they still have more of their core intact and would probably end up above Girona. So my prediction would be Girona ending at 8th in the League and being irrelevant in the UCL. And I say 8th only because I pray for the failure of Valencia.

With a 30m sale of Larsen now likely and the 40m sale of Veiga last year, this transfer window should be fascinating. Now I haven't seen many transfer rumours (pls mention any you've seen). I've liked the decisions Celta have made, Rafa Benitez failed but was a reasonable hire considering they wanted to shore up their defence and wanted a manager who'd help develop players, with his cv the hiring decision was a wise one. They then face him a lot of time (which they got a lot of flack for) but again the underlying numbers were good, celta were just underperforming which isn't a tactical issue. But once he was fired they didn't take any manager available but went with Giraldez from the B team which was another good decision, this time one that paid off. Now the issues they had this season were mostly defensive, they simply leaked in far too many goals. Especially late in the game which I presume has been a conditioning issue which I hope is worked upon. The two massive positives of having Giraldez have been the attacking style and the academy players being introduced. *Last seasons signings* (summer signings only): * Carles Peres: failed having played under a 1000 minutes despite coating over 5m. * Manu Sanchez: a very smart free transfer which was ok ig, still expect him to improve as he's a decent player with good potential. * Bamba: Quality player I was shocked went to Celta but has been predictably good, hopefully stays for a long time as he could be key post Aspas. * Dotor: A valuable signing for little money who flirted with being a starter for a few games mid season. A midfielder who I always thought was best at popping into the box as a goalscoring mf at Castilla but wasn't ready for the top division. Obviously never could have replaced Veiga and Vigo should've gotten a starting level cm last year instead but dotor has potential and hopefully can have more of an impact next season. * Starfelt: Another signing that just makes sense but didn't work out, I heard he might go back to Celtic which would be OK ig. Unavailability of the cbs was a massive issue all season. * Douvikas: 13m on this guy. Don't think they should've done so. But he scored as much as Larsen in like half the minutes. Idk if he has what it takes to be a top flight striker but for the sake of celta I hope he does. So onto the holes in the squad. I think this team needs a striker replacement, 2 starting centre backs and a starting midfielder. Unai Nunez is the only cb I trust and I'd rather play Oscar Mingueza as a full back/ wing back since I like his crossing. *So here are some realistic signings I'd like:* Alvaro Rodriguez: Going down the Dotor route and signing another Castilla product. Hes clearly ready for the top division and would be good competition for Douvikas. Likely joining Getafe. Sergi roberto although unsure about this: Despite Hugo Sotelo doing well alongside Tapia (who should be a definite starter) I feel like a good cm is needed, although I'm not sure who. There's quite a few players in the squad who I hope step up and make a cm unnecessary. There's also Damian Rodriguez, as I said loads of cms and loads of academy players introduced. I'd like an experienced guy alongside all these young players. Alejandro Frances: A center back I really like at Zaragoza who could play on the right. Raillo: Mallorca's captain and cb. Probably unrealistic but what a signing that would be! Pablo Ramon: if Frances is undoable. Another Castilla guy. Nico Paz: not needed in the squad but a very talented who could potentially be a bargain signing and a decent market opportunity.

Now I don't have the data but it feels like the other 3 nations (England, Germany and Italy) can just buy away players from Spain. Maybe I'm wrong hut I think there's a larger ratio of outgoings than incomings. The league has still maintained it's status thanks to all the local talent produced and great academies. OK maybe Germany, Italy and Spain are on similar footballing level and so buy from each other whole everyone has to sell to the EPL. (Minus a club or two) We seem to have more incomings from south america (maybe bc Spanish makes it easier for Argentinians) but no other reason I can think of (climate maybe??). The league rules don't particularly make it anymore easy or difficult I don't think. Perhaps it's just a bias of mine, I can't be certain until I find the data. There are 493 Spanish players in the top 5 leagues compared to 390 for France who are the runner ups. 320 for Italy. 303 for England. 299 for Germany. 107 for Brazil! Non European team with 100+ players. 75 for Argentina. 71 Portugal. If it said top 6 leagues they'd be higher. 62 Netherlands. 57 Belgium. 49 Senegal! 47 Côte d'ivoire! Both small nations with massive numbers and over the likes of Serbia, Croatia, Denmark etc. Spain let's a lot of players go. But part of it is just the ability to produce talent within the country.

Aleix Garcia, Savio and Dovbyk are likely all gone next season to Leverkusen, Man City and Atletico (direct Rival). These are the 3 best players at the club. Noone knows if Pablo Torre and Eric Garcia stay. Even if Pablo Torre stays he's a depth player. Also are they staying on loan or a permanent move. Yan Couto and Miguel have been linked with moves away. Blind and David Lopez are on their last legs both turning 35. They'll have European games next sesson making a much heavier game load and they don't have any quality depth rn anyways. Not to imply all these players will leave, the best 3 look most likely to leave. I think this is a serious dent to the Girona project. I genuinely don't think they'll end up in the top 7 next year. No matter who joins and I know everyone wants to say the city group will send x or y but they really can't do much. Can't wait to see how they replace these players. Even Tsigankov and Ivan Martin are potentially leaving. Absolutely ends the project. All they have for sure is Yangel.

##Manager Garcia Pimienta is a great manager and his style would perfectly fit the intended philosophy of the club. Now Flores deserves all the credit in the world for stabilising the mess that he inherited and it feels unfair to let him go, but that's just not the way the club want to play football. ##Salaries Sevilla have the 4th highest salary expenditure in the league, which in the long run tends to be the most directly proportional factor in regards to performance. Now Rakitic was the highest earner and he's off the books. But Sevilla are still one of the most underperforming clubs in the world. (Thank you Monchi 🙄) ##Exits There's a hell lot of rumours about who stays and who leaves. * Navas will _play_ for another 6 months then move to a non playing role. * Ramos seems to be leaving to the MLS. * Acuna a target for West Ham. * En Nesyri wanted as always. * Joan Jordan a possibility for Alaves. * The way the Veliz and Mejbri loans have gone, they won't stay. * Soumare is too expensive to finalise a deal. * A few loan deals that ideally turn into permanent moves away. * Lamela to Besiktas seems done. * Rafa Mir might be of interest to Valencia. * Most remaining players are welcome to leave. Not all exits are bad tho, I'd welcome a squad clearance. As would the board. ##Chance Creation Desperately need someone like, hmmm, let me think now - Isco! Imagine having someone like that. Couldn't imagine it. There's needs to be more energy in the side. I'm sick of the stupid cross and inshaallah approach. Its the worst possible method of chance creation and smth no big club ought to do. Absolutely wasting possession this way. ##Defence It's been quite an issue recently, smth Flores helped with but the team is still unable to keep a clean sheet and with the back line clearing out, there's a serious need for some defensive solidity and will need some new signings. ##Philosophy * Heavy possession ✅ * Crossing ❎ HATE IT * Wide turnovers ✅ has worked well but need to do more than just cross it then. ##Starting XI I think the future ought to be a midblock possession heavy side with maybe a 442 building on the partnership of Romero and En Nesyri (if he stays). Suso and Ocampos on the wings is salvageable if consistently healthy, although Suso is the only creative one of the two, Ocampos stills offers some value with his off the ball movement. With Juanlu Sanchez the only one I trust in the back 4 now even he'd need a second with Jesus Navas only around for 6 more months. I could imagine a world where Ocampos turns to a right back. If Acuna stays he's a starter, if not I'd love to see if Reguillon might return. The CB partnership is what I have no clue regarding. Loic Bade would likely continue to start but I'd like a new cb alongside him since Salas plus Bade isnt a starting pair to me rn. Gudelj and Nianzou could be valuable backups too. Marcao is a signing I always hated. Kirian Rodriguez, who I desperately hope arrives ought to be partnered with anyone Pimienta trusts since there's a lot of players in the squad already. Nyland also looks to be a starter although I'd love Valles from Las Palmas who is one of my favourite keepers around. ##Development I love the breakthrough prospects this season and hope we see a few more next season. It will be interesting to see how they add to their games and if they can become absolute starters and whether someone else breaks through into the first team squad. I thought Mejbri showed energy and directness in his fee minutes and could've been a player who could add value. Manu Bueno is on the fringes of the team and might be the next guy to come in. Beyond that Lulo Dasilva and Xavi Sintes could be around the squad, let's hope for the best during preseason. ##Incomings * Raid Las Palmas: Kirian Rodriguez, Valles, Alberto Moleiro, Mika Marmol and Sergi Cardona. All players I love and would fit right in especially with Pimienta. Although impossible, if this happens Sevilla are back in the race for top 7. None of these players ought to be too expensive, Moleiro might be around 20mil at most and be the costliest of the lot. *Arribas from a relegated Almeira looks like a possible deal to pull. * Dani Ceballos, he's a high peak player but has struggled with injuries and when he's struggling for form, he STRUGGLES. Still a great player but would want a big salary. * Fabio Silva is linked although I don't like 20 mil for him, Fati is linked with a loan and again has very high salary demands. Greenwood linked and don't want a rapist here. Stefan Bajcetic was linked and I'm on the fence, on one hand he's 15mil on the other he's a great player and a rb is needed. Thiago Alcantara linked too but too injury prone for too long. ##Conclusion I guess we can just hope for the best and it looks like some good decisions are being made. I'm happy with the direction the club is moving in, just pls start creating with smth other than crosses. Disclaimer: This I wrote 2 months ago in case anything isnt up to date.

Taking a look at Las Palmas' window so far: Losing Pimienta was incredibly unfortunate, but atleast they replaced him with Carrion and the signs there are good. Fuster, Ivan Cedric, Park, Cilessen, Mata, Ivan Gil, Horkas, Alex Munoz, Viti have been signed/ made permanent already. Of these I feel like Viti is the only starting level player in the top division. Although I do like Fuster he isn't half the player Moleiro is and doesn't even show similar potential. If he's been brought in as a potential replacement for him, it would be disappointing. Araujo, Perrone are both on loan and I'm not sure of their future. Would love to hear if anyone knows. I think Araujo is less certain than Perrone but I don't know. Cardona was one of the nest players this season and hes leaving on a free, a terrible terrible loss. Valles, Kirian and Coco have all been linked with moves away. I love all 3. Valles is the worst of all since he might run out his contract and leave on a free next season if he isnt sold, meanwhile Betis have offered 4m to the 13m demands. I actually think Valles is good enough to demand 13m even with a contract running out. Hope they can cash in on him atleast. Marmol and Moleiro are the other 2 great players at the club. Surprise surprise Las Palmas would sell Moleiro for 20m and Atletico are rumored to be interested. Might help financially but he's the most talented player to come out of their academy for a while. Luckily Marmol hasn't been linked with a move away. I thought he'd be a perfect signing for Girona but they went for Krejci so it appears he'll stay for now since I haven't seen rumours as of now. Overall it appears Las Palmas want to fix their financial troubles, not take any risks and settle back into the second division. There seems to be very little ambition at the club. I think there has been some very smart recruitment, a great team was built and they played great football. I admire their principles and I like a lot of their players. I feel like LaLiga is better with Las Palmas and want them to stay. But even with these shrewd signings I don't know if they can stay up. They don't have a single top division attacker imo.

Folks my mom bought a phone with the volume and power buttons on the same side and drops the phone every time she tries to get a ss. What alternate methods are there to get a ss. It is a Samsung A05s I believe. Would appreciate any help, thank you folks.

OK, here’s a great one. You may know the name Vaduz. You may even know it’s the capital city of Liechtenstein. But as there’s no national division in that country, teams from there play in the Swiss league system. Vaduz are…not great. They are in the second tier and this year finished third, but a massive 27 points behind second, which is the promotion playoff spot. And yet they’ll play in Europe, again. Why? Because while there’s no Liechtenstein league system, there is a Liechtenstein Cup. And guess what? It carries a Europa Conference League qualifying place for winning it, basically guaranteeing Vaduz a place every year. They’ve failed to win it only seven times since 1984 and have tallied 50 cup wins overall, a world record!

Funny relegation story from France. Imagine the scenario: You’re in the bottom two, two go down, third-bottom is a relegation playoff. You trail by three points and have a goal difference seven worse, but your rivals above you lose their last game 2-0. You’re winning 4-0…and then, in the 90th minute, score the fifth. Level on points, level on goal difference, and you’ve scored more goals. But you’re still relegated. That’s the situation encountered by Lorient in Ligue 1 this year and the reason isn’t even their head-to-head record, either. Lorient and Metz both took three points in head-to-head games, both had the same goal difference in games against each other and the same goals scored in those matches too. But they are relegated because while they won 2-1 on the road in February, they lost the home encounter 3-2 in November. In France, the sixth deciding factor on separating teams is away goals scored in head-to-head matches, then it’s goals scored across the whole season. So Lorient are down, Metz have one final chance to save themselves…as a result of an 83rd-minute penalty scored six months ago!

Hello from the self proclaimed resident LaLiga expert. I wrote an end of season analysis here for the top 6 clubs in LaLiga. Looking at the positives and negatives of how the season went and what they have to look forward in the upcoming window and next season. I have previously made posts when the season began and at the halfway point of the season analysing the state of the whole league. I hope you find this post of value. I might just make a few more posts about the rest of the teams in LaLiga and a post on a couple of teams in the leagues below. Lmk if that is smth anyone is interested in. Oh maybe I'll pick a team of the season too. **Real Madrid**: **Positives**: * Squad for next season; Endrick, Mbappe (boo) join. Potential addition of Yoro/ return of Rafa Marin and Alphonso Davies (unnecessary and IMO unlikely) as Ferland Mendy is very highly regarded by the coach and squad and Fran offers the offensive threat that is occasionally needed against smaller teams. * Contract extensions: Vazquez, Carvajal, Modric remain at the club. The last remnants of the threepeat. * ACL returns. Alaba, Courtois, Militao. The players around whom the defence was setup all went out for the season (yet Madrid are winning the double somehow!). Courtois already back to form, militao gaining match fitness and Alaba to be ready for next season. * Squad Vibes: Not a single bad personality or ego at the club, noone demanding more gametime or anything. All hail Ancelotti. No idea what happens once the turtle arrives. **Negatives**: * The loss of the greatest midfielder ever, the player that dictates the style of play for the club and is the most consistent player in the world. Kroos retiring is perhaps as bad is it could get. Am I biased bc he's my favourite player ever; I actually don't think so. You cannot replace Kroos, it simply isn't possible. I would gladly replace Vini + Jude if I could get 10 more years of Kroos. All the money in the world can't buy another kroos bc there is no other Kroos. What a man, what a player. I might cry over a player retiring for the first time in my life. * Nacho leaves, his performances this season were disappointing but he was never meant to be a starter but a 4th choice cb and a valuable dressing room presence. The club captain and a team leader departs. * Pitch Condition. The retractable pitches aren't working as well as hoped. I believe the repeated ankle strains are caused due to the bad pitch. Last season the reason was the dust settling due to construction work, now there's no excuse. NEEDS to be fixed in the off season, this is unacceptable at Madrid. * Handling the minutes with this incredibly deep squad could be an issue, although the departure of Kroos now opens up a lot of minutes and a starting position. I expect a return to 433 with Jude moving deeper and Mbappe taking the starting spot then available. **Barcelona:** **Positives**: * Academy production; the most valuable players for Barca in recent years have come from the academy and the trend rose this year. Hector Fort, Pau Cubarsi, Fermin Lopez and Lamine Yamal are the inclusions of this season. I do not believe Fermin has what it takes but the rest are valuable players. I would not mind a big money sale of an 18yo to help with the financial issues but the board don't seem to want that. * Contracts: Renewals of youth contracts with massive release clauses and good value for salaries. * UCL run; Reaching the Semi Finals is as good as Barca could've hoped for. They simply aren't good enough for any better. This run would also be a financial uplift, but need to be consistent in the UCL thereon. * Potential signing of Aleix Garcia, whoever manages to sign him has made the decision of the summer. Leverkusen the other interested party. **Negatives**: * Managerial situation: Xavi flip flopping like the flip flop that he is. A person I STRONGLY dislike. Decided to leave but right then I knew the flip flop wouldn't. Took back his decision. NOW the board after begging him to stay (or so its reported) are firing him. Ruined his own legacy thanks to his lack of grace. The reasons the board is unhappy are ridiculous tho (mentioning roque being unhappy with playing time and talking about financial issues, very well kept secrets previously /s). Now that the board think they can replace him they are happy to kick him away. * Financial situation: What can I say that hasn't already been said. Shouldn't be aiming for Bernardo since his wages would be a burden and ought to allow Frenkie to leave for he is the leagues top earner. Selling everything until they have nothing to sell. Deals falling through, this club is a mess. * Squad disharmony: There always seems to be some issue amongst the squad. Christensen unhappy with his position, Roque and his game time, Gundogan unhappy with teams playing level. There have been other cases too. * Wage bill: The biggest part of the financial crises. * Injuries: The terrible playing time management of young players in recent years has been terrible. Fati, Gavi, Pedri and Balde have all suffered thanks to it. Need to not ruin young talents, is that so hard? Don't Rooney them. * Bad transfers: Might not be able to afford Cancelo. Felix a disappointment, Oriol Romeu not well utilised, been over the Inigo Martinez issue. The recruitment at the club is weak and wthe decision making has been terrible. * Copa Del Ray run: The one tournament they could've made smth out of and failed to. * Deco: Really dislike his influence and decisions. Bad transfer decisions, leaking player info to the media. At the very least I'd like his influence reduced. "For me the mistake is making hasty decisions because football is very changeable from Sunday to Sunday. The next debate is whether Xavi has to be the coach of Barcelona. I distrust the project that Deco can make. For me, the Messi of the offices for Barça was Mateu (Alemany)." Quote from Canizares I agree with. **Atletico Madrid:** **Positives**: * Set to sign the spectacular Sergi Cardona. An incredible left back. More signings likely according to Simeone. Although Lino seemed to be one of two exceptional players for them this season and plays the same position. * Vermeeren: Signed a young player I have long admired, hope he has more of a role next season. Although unsure about what Simeone feels about him. * Goodbye Depay: A player I have long admired but failed to make his mark at the club and never reached heights he could and should have. * 12th consecutive UCL under Diego Simeone! All his seasons in charge. That's some achievement! * Griezmann still elite, one of the best players in the league without a doubt. Glad to see him do well. But Atleti have managed Griezmanns playing time terribly and run him into the ground this season. * Samuel Dias Lino a revelation and a near certain starter next seasonand Pablo Barrios a spectacular emergence. * Great season for the most one footed player ever, Rodrigo de Paul and a personal favourite Mario Hermoso. Both players with gaps in their games nonetheless. * Signing Samuel Omorodion, a great value signing I look forward to see at Atleti next year. * Can't seem to get rid of Joao Felix, but the Vitor Roque proposed trade would be perfect for them. Although unlikely I believe. * Attacking mentality for the first time in forever! Still not great at it due to lack of the correct player profiles. A Morata/ Depay hybrid needed in attack. **Negatives**: * End of season 4-1 loss to osasuna, just a terrible terrible performance at home against a midtable side where Simeone and the squad were clueless and passionless. "It takes something special to turn an end of season dead rubber into a complete embarrassment, but Atlético are managing it. There’s more intensity in walking football." — Sam Leveridge * Lack of Character, not much to expand on an intangible factor. The players just seem to have no drive or motivation, just walking around the pitch with no energy (not due to game time management either). * Lowest league position since Simeone's first season, partially due to Gironas spectacular rise. Desperately need a squad overhaul. * Terrible away performances. No pattern I see. Lose all sorts of game for all sorts of reasons. One of those intangible factors that I'm sure Simeone can fix. Smth to do with intensity and personality I suppose, the opposite of Real Madrids UCL mojo. * Inconsistent formations and unclear ideas. Simeone would like to add more control to his team but can't seem to do so. The team is consistently in situations of chaos and isn't good enough to capitalise at it while not being trained to do so either. They have several styles of play none of which they are good enough at. Are we sitting deep against this European team or are we here to play like Barca against this relegation side, there is no clarity. Can't change gears against different level of teams and don't have the quality to not need to. * They are unable to beat the teams that load up in midfield, with their 532 formation any team with an extra midfielder (particularly an extra man out wide) can take away control from atleti and they are then incapable of regaining control and unable to perform without control. * The squad quality isn't at the level of Barca and nowhere near Real Madrid. Need better starters and better squad players to compete in Europe. * Defensive Shambles: They've managed to score quite a bit but can't seem to find the defensive solidity thanks to the lack of control. The team didn't know what version of the team that are on any given day. Very weak defensively out wide in particular, desperately need signings. * Goodbye Savic: Long term defensive stalwart who many thought had had this contract automatically extended leaves the club. 23rd in atleticos all time appearance list! * Players who have been great at a different time for the club are no longer suited to the way they wish to play and the squad is a mishmash of players with traits that don't suit the required roles. This squad was built for a different Simeone. Depay funnily should have been a good signing. * Koke needs cover from those around him. A spectacular player and a club legend, but perhaps no longer the player atleti need. Should let him go but looks unlikely. * Morata out again. May end up being a positive depending on the fee they receive. * Profe Ortega, the club’s fitness coach who arrived with Diego Simeone and has become symbolic of everything that represents Cholismo with his up-hill runs in pre-season, also had a fond farewell before kick-off, joined on the field by his family as the whole squad and staff united to say goodbye. * Failure to climb to third. 73 points isn't good enough. They had the chance to leapfrog girona at one point and failed to do so. 77 last year and a potential 76 this year, but they can't seem to get better than that. * Oblak looks like he has lost his edge, no longer the player he once was. Might leave this year which would be sad to see but probably a good call for both club and player. Would be interesting to see Mamardashvili at Atleti, not a person I love but a realistic signing. * Unclear future of Angel Correa, Oblak and a few others. **Girona**: **Positives**: * League position: Never were gonna win the league obviously but top 3 is still a spectacular achievement. * Player development: Improved the players at their disposal in a very well oiled playing style. * Player recruitment: Thanks to being a part of the city group they've managed to sign some spectacular players at great value. * Young stars: Have incredibly valuable younflg stars in high demand. While it would be best if they stayed, a sale or two would do financial wonders for them too. * Departing Savio has been one of the best players in all of Europe, I'm afraid Pep will strip him of his magic as he's completed the most dribbles by a player u21 since messi in a season. First professional season in senior football! * Dovbyk and Aleix Garcia have been ELITE. As in starters for UCL teams. Would be shocked to see them stay. **Negatives**: * Too good for their own good: How do you manage to keep these players who are now wanted by the best around. Savio was the best player of the season and will be going to man city now. Aleix Garcia, Yan Couto, Dovbyk, Eric Garcia and Miguel all likely to leave. These are the players the team is built around! Hopefully no more than 3 leave, oriol romeu returns and they can add quality depth for a longer upcoming season with a european run in sight. * Michel wanted: How do you keep Michel when much like players, everyone and their mother is out to get him. Girona need to try their best to keep him. * Ownership issue: City Football Group cannot have more than a 30% ownership in a club if they wish to compete in the UCL. Currently own 47%. I'm sure they'll manage some work around. Not sure what the red bull ownership have done but would be interesting to see how this plays out. Last year, these rules on multi-club ownership sparked investigations into Toulouse and AC Milan, Aston Villa and Vitoria, and Brighton and Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium. * Ageing core players: Blind, David Lopez and Gazzaniga are vital players who are approaching the end of their careers and might need to be replaced soon. (Strongly recommend Mika Marmol from Las Palmas as a Blind replacement) **Athletic Club:** **Positives**: * Ernesto Valverde has been Ernesto Valverde, what a manager. One of the best in the world. Glad to see him redeem himself post Barca. Has just signed an extension! Hope he stays LONG term and retires in Bilbao. Was being looked at by Liverpool and wouldve been great there, thank God he stayed. * Won the Copa Del Ray! A massive accomplishment and their first trophy in 40 years! * Incredible talents coming through the system and being developed very well as athletic club always have. * B team strength and promotion: Just won the 4th division and have some talent that is expected to make an impact next season, nothing I've seen but will report back after their upcoming preseason. * Attacking quadrent of Sancet, Guruzeta, Inaki and Nico is one of the best and most well rounded attacks in Spain. Each player complements the other and noone steps in each others way. Valverde has found the best roles for Guruzeta and Inaki finally. * Prados a great breakthrough: Now who would've thought he'd perform at this level? Certainly not me! * Rock and Roll energy with great technical control: We now have Spanish teams playing fun football for the first time in a long time. * A style they can play against anyone: Unlike Atletico who shift bw styles depending on opponents, Athletic are certain of what to do. Might be a bit more control heavy against bottom half teams but nothing drastic. * Great profiles working together: how every players role perfectly helps the team achieve its goal is rare to see. There's 3 teams in the league with that balance! (Madrid, Girona, Athletic club) * Berenguer likely to stay: Contract extension looks likely. * Cesar Palacios of Castilla a target. A player I'd love to see in the top division. * Djalo signing, need depth in attack. Might end up being a starter if Nico leaves. * Aitor Paredes and Vivian: One of the best cb partnerships and while Vivian was always gonna be spectacular Aitor Paredes has emerged as an unbelievable talent and a very valuable player for the club. * Even still Athletic are linked to Laporte returning to Europe and what a signing he could be (if affordable, uninjured and willing to return). * Full game intensity: They don't turn it down as the game comes to a close. They are a high pressing high turnover side and manage to do it at an elite standard for 90 mins. **Negatives**: * Deserved a top 4 finish but couldn't quite get there. * Might lose Nico Williams with a paltry 55 million release clause and many interested clubs. * Goodbye Raul Garcia and Iker Munian: Two legends of the club end their time at the club, Munian the captain and Raul Garcia the player with the second most appearances in the Spanish league ever (couldve gone top if he wanted to). * Likely Last season of Oscar de Marcos coming up. Was going to retire according to reports but has extended for a season and is now club captain. * Ander Herrera future unclear: Do I stay or do I go. With Valverdes future now certain this is an important decision to make. * Need upgrades at fullback and more involvement from their fullbacks in their game. Their recruitment limitations limit this but hope there is someone coming through rn. * Post CDR slump: Once they won the copa del ray, their league form deteriorated. * Mild struggles against deep blocks, not a massive talking point but smth to look at. * Lack of depth for their intense football. Maybe a few more starting quality players for an upcoming European run are needed. **Real Sociedad:** **Positives**: * Kubo and Zubememdi elite and have a good chance to stay at the club. * Javi Galan (mid season) and Hamari Traore have been successful and very necessary fullback signings. * Have managed to cope with the loss of David Silva. * Imanol Aguacil continues to show his talents as an elite manager. * Playing attacking football while being INCREDIBLY solid in defence. * Incredible game time management with the entire squad being very well used. * Benat Turrientes although not yet ready looks to be another decent prospect for the future and perhaps more capable of first team football than he was this season. * With the squad at hand, the underlying numbers have been unbelievably impressive. The team has been better than the sum of the parts; the parts mainly being Kubo, Zubimendi, Merino and Brais Mendes. **Negatives**: * Missed out on Sorloth who's now the leading candidate for the pichichi. * Could do with more quality in depth. A few signings are needed not just promoting from the academy, although they've done very well with academy talents in recent years. * Signing with high hopes,Zakharyan, failed to impress in his first season. Hope for the best in his second. * Tierney's loan spell has been a disappointment and plagued with injuries. * Oyarzabal has been disappointing and no longer seems to be the player he once was. * Kubo has to carry the attack far too often. Meanwhile Umar Sadiq, Andre Silva, Carlos Fernandes and Barrenetxea have all looked like replacement level players instead of starters. * Traore had a dip in form as the season progressed.

Gk- Alvaro Valles: The way Las Palmas players have not only adapted to the top flight but dominated is clear stronger bw the sticks than anywhere else. Valles hasn't just been the best keeper, but the most complete - by a MILE. Lb- Miguel Gutierrez: The Real Madrid academy is the best in the world, having produced reguillon, miguel and fran in a position where its tough to find quality players. Miguels role can be understood if you watch the youtube link I posted a few weeks ago on Gironas style of play. Cb- Rudiger: Madrid lose 2 cbs to ACL injuries and 3rd choice cb Rudiher comes in and does more than just fill a role, the man dominates. Much was made of him being a role player unable to play beyond a left sided cb in a 3 at the back system. Safe to say theres no doubters left. Rb- Carvajal: I've been the biggest Carvajal fan forever, but gave up on him as a starter last season as most had for the last 3 years. Yet Madrid didn't - and my god he's played the best of his life. And with a system where he has to do a LOT more than in a 433. Cb- Mika Marmol: A favourite of mine in the 2nd division for a whole thanks to fm. But watching him at Andorra you could see him be more than a ball playing center back, he could be the most creative plauer on the field from cb. And its translated well at las palmas. He's somehow held his own defensively too (mostly). Atleast much more than I expected from him. Mid- Fede Valverde: The most underrayed player in world football. The fact that be isnt talked about for the ballon dor is a crime. If you watch him once you'd think oh this was his day seeing as how he dominated but watch him all season and you get desensitized to his insane quality. Mid- Aleix Garcia: Girona lost Romeu and there was a gap in the squad they couldn't fill. Garcia decided he'd play the role of 2 players at a ucl level week in week out casually and all anyome can do is look in awe. The highlight of the season alongside well you know who... Mid- Jude Bellingham: Need I explain this? Comes into a team without a striker, gk and cb and takes the greatest team in history on his back and carries the club to (probably) another league title. First galactico personality in a while. Frw- Inaki Williams: After years of being a consistent role player with some outstanding attributes lile his ball carrying and (famously) pace he finally performed at an elite level consistently this year alongside his brother taking athletic to more success than I had anticipated. Frw- Griezmann: Positionless player allowed to do whatever he needs. Hit his peak laat season and has managed to maintain it this season too. Frw- Take Kubo: Creative supernova, another player Madrid decided not to invest in for long enough despite clear elite talent. Sociedad have bought the best out of him and the squad created space for him to shine at just the right time. Honorable Mentions: * Kroos: Victim of his insane consistency over the last decade. * Savio: Lots of well desweved praise everywhere for him. * Cardona: Another impressive Las Palmas player. How are they so good??? * Isco: Return to the disco isco. * Nico Williams: Lighting up the league as well as he could hope. * Kirian: Returned from cancer this season and suddenly an elite player in the top division! How? * Ivan Martin: I dont know what hes supposed to do but hes doing it and then some. * Dovbyk: Came in from Ukraine and became one of the rare reliable strikers in the league. * Zubimendi: Theres a reason barca and arsenal want him. * Tsigankov: Another great signing from Ukraine. Advantage of sharing information for thes multi club owning model (city group). * Blind: The least complete player of the lot but personifies girona very well. * Sancet: Shockingly good imo. Surprised everytime I see him. * Juanlu Sanchez: Sevillas silver lining. * Gavi: He's out for the season but I feel bad for not putting a barca player anywhere. * Cancelo too I suppose.

This is one of the few videos of a non english club by a non tifo channel thats actually well researched. Definetely recommend giving it a listen.

1. Girona doing the impossible. 2. Sevilla predictably disappointing, knew they had a bad overpayed squad. 3. Villareal, thr departures and manager choices have hit em hard. 4. Vigo, unlucky so far. 5. Cadiz, Mallorca, Granada, appear to be falling 3 positions but essentially where they ought to be. 6. Osasuna still overperforming compared to their wages but not as muxh as last season. 7. Vallecano, fuck defence, lets attack brrrrr. 8. Almeria :( 9. Las Palmas' wage bill will grow as they stay up for a few seasons.

Forget Newton’s Law and Murphy’s Law; have you heard of Rafa’s Law? It’s a macabre melding of the two that has Celta Vigo in the relegation zone after 13 games of the La Liga season. Rafa Benítez’s start to life at Celta has not gone well. In fact, of all the nightmare scenarios the former Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid manager might have concocted in his head before taking the job, he is currently living one of the worst; the one where his team just can’t catch a break. *If football games were 80 minutes long, Celta Vigo would have beaten Barcelona, Las Palmas, and Sevilla this season and drawn with Real Madrid, Mallorca, Girona and Athletic Bilbao too*. Instead, Benítez’s Celta sit in the relegation zone and the Spanish manager has come out swinging in press conferences to defend the club in the face of recent bad luck and controversial refereeing decisions. Benítez even asked how many Newtons of force it takes a player to be forced to the ground in order for Celta to win a penalty. Against Atlético Madrid, goalkeeper Iván Villar was sent off 25 minutes into a game they started well before ultimately losing 3-0. Villar failed to catch a routine cross and bundled Álvaro Morata over as he tried to recover the ball. And then, on the first weekend of November, everything was going smoothly until Rafa’s Law reared its ugly head. They led Sevilla 1-0 before Renato Tapia was sent off after 65 minutes, receiving a second yellow for a needless sliding tackle on Dodi Lukebakio. Galicia is known for its long, wet and cold winters, but it’s November now and Celta Vigo are reaching boiling point. Iago Aspas slammed the VAR monitor to the ground in disgust when the VAR team watching the replay decided the penalty awarded late on against Sevilla – which prompted Benítez’s questions on Newtons – was not a foul by Jesús Navas on Tasos Douvikas. The Celta captain might have just as easily grabbed Tapia and thrown him to the ground because this isn’t the story of VAR versus Celta; it’s a tale of bad luck, bad decisions, marginal refereeing calls and a bend-it-until-something-breaks style of play working against them and compounding into a story for the sadists. If it wasn’t for bad luck, Benítez would be out of luck entirely. Benítez has managed some of the biggest football clubs in the world including Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid. He’s also famous for his rant against Manchester United’s then-manager Sir Alex Ferguson when the Spaniard was in charge at Anfield. So, let’s look at the “facts”. On the face of it, Celta are bad. Seven points from 13 games is the kind of form that earns you a one-way ticket to the second division. They are 18th in La Liga and just four points from bottom. They have scored 14 goals; only Las Palmas, Alavés, Mallorca and Cádiz have scored fewer, but they sit sixth with 18.45 expected goals (xG). At the other end of the pitch, they’ve conceded 24 goals from 21.3 expected goals against. It’s just 13 games but Celta’s 1.35 expected goals per game under Benítez is the best mark of any of the last five Celta managers dating back to 2019. They have only scored 0.92 goals per game, which is the second worst behind only Fran Escribá, who lasted just 12 games before being sacked. The 42% share of possession is the lowest among any of the last five Celta managers and they are conceding 1.85 goals per game, which is also the club’s highest average during the last five seasons. But they’ve also played all four of the league’s best teams and took a two-goal lead in one of those games. They should have taken the lead against Girona too, only for VAR to rule out what looked like a perfectly good goal. They also played – and drew with – Real Sociedad, one of the best teams in Europe on current form. *Celta have given up 13 points from winning positions; only Villarreal (14) have lost more points once in front.* *If they could hold their nerve, they’d be three points outside of the European places now. Instead they’re in the doldrums, with our expected points model suggesting this is comfortably a mid-table team who are underperforming.* La Liga Expected Points So that’s the what of their current malaise. But why is it happening? Crisis in Vigo The story of Celta Vigo in recent years is one of extremes. From Eduardo Coudet’s gung-ho high press to Rafa’s more conservative, defensive approach. The thinking, it seems, behind Rafa’s appointment was that Celta, with him in charge, would be able to build a sustainable identity and improve on the club’s position from last season. He has been asked to do that with a significantly worse squad than last term. They finished 13th in 2022-23, just three points outside the relegation zone, needing a final day win over Barcelona to ensure their top-flight status. The goals in that 2-1 victory came from Gabri Veiga. Veiga played 2,308 minutes in the league last season (sixth-most in the team) and provided 15 goal involvements (11 goals, four assists). The Spanish attacking midfielder was one of the biggest names during the summer’s transfer market with links to Liverpool, Manchester United and Napoli. He ended up leaving the shores of Galicia for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ahli and was not replaced. Rafa also lost Javi Galán in the summer, a left-back who played 3,162 minutes last season and one of the main catalysts in Celta’s attack. Hugo Mallo, another starter, also left after more than a decade’s service at right-back, where he dutifully soldiered up and down the field. One look at their attacking sequence involvements from last season and you see that four of the players in the top seven are no longer with the club (Veiga, Galán, Óscar Rodríguez and Mallo). The players who have replaced them haven’t contributed enough, as we will see, and Rafa has been forced to adapt to make things work. Celta attacking sequence involvements, 2022-23 The player at the top of the attacking sequence involvements last season, Aspas, has been forced to dilute himself to the point where he isn’t the same sharp-shooter Celta have come to rely on over the last seven years. What’s Wrong with Aspas? You can’t spell Celta Vigo without Iago. Going into Friday night’s game in Bilbao, there was no player with more expected goals (3.81) yet to score across Europe’s top five leagues than Aspas. Aspas left for ill-fated spells at Liverpool and then Sevilla before returning to Celta Vigo, where he became the axis upon which everything at the club spun around. Since then, his form has been the only constant at Celta as they cycled through managers after the 2017 exit of Eduardo Berizzo, who brought them to the cusp of a Europa League final before losing to José Mourinho’s Manchester United. Aspas has scored 134 league goals since returning to the club in 2015; only Lionel Messi (188), Luis Suárez (163) and Karim Benzema (151) have netted more often in La Liga since then. One of those came on Friday as he ended the longest drought of his career, but he went on to miss a penalty later in the game, just in case anyone was getting excited about Celta’s luck turning. Benítez’s Celta play in a 4-4-2 with Aspas as the second striker. His role hasn’t changed drastically since last season either. The argument is that Celta, this season, sit back and soak up possession and work on the counter instead of proactively trying to hurt teams, with their 29 direct attacks this season being the most in La Liga. That might be not sound like the place for Aspas to flourish as an attacker but his numbers haven’t necessarily been hurt by Rafa’s arrival; he’s touching the ball in the opposition penalty area the same amount as last season, he’s taking more shots and having slightly more touches. His chances created are 1.4 higher on a per-90-minute basis than last season, with more of a focus on creating than finishing but he is still getting plenty of opportunities. Aspas has the second-highest combined expected goals and expected assists total in La Liga this season (8.3), only marginally behind Antoine Griezmann (8.4), who is considered the star of the league since his return to form upon re-joining Atlético. Aspas looks physically fine, his luck is just out. The detractors will point to how Celta Vigo play. Only ultra-defensive Cádiz, Getafe and Mallorca have a lower share of the ball than they do (42%). As mentioned earlier, they use a 4-4-2 shape out of possession; Benítez did experiment with 5-3-2 after the first couple of games of the season before reverting. *However, he’s never truly settled on a midfield pairing – in Celta’s last four games, he has had four different partnerships in the middle of the field: Carlos Dotor & Fran Beltrán, Tapia & Hugo Sotelo, Tapia & Dotor, and Beltrán & Luca De La Torre.* *They have comfortably the highest PPDA in the league (17.0), meaning on average they allow their opposition more time on the ball before engaging with a defensive action, and they’ve recorded the third-fewest high turnovers (74). The style of play might not be particularly exciting to watch, which is where much of the criticism lies, but it’s not relegation-level bad in terms of the underlying numbers.* Four of Celta’s 14 goals have come from set pieces, and with nine open-play goals they’re tied for the fourth-lowest total in the league, but Rafa recently spoke about Celta having more shots than Manchester City. He was referring to totals despite not playing the same amount of games (at the time) as Pep Guardiola’s side. Even if his statistics were portrayed in a way that made his side look better, the general sentiment of what he was saying was true; they do take a lot of shots, but converting them is a struggle. They have taken 130 open-play shots, which is fourth in La Liga, and 175 non-penalty shots in total. They’ve converted just 8.0% of those into goals, however, the fourth worst in La Liga this season. In the absence of Aspas’ goals, nobody has stepped in to fill the void. Last season, Veiga played an incredible supporting role and without his production Celta would have been relegated. This season, Jonathan Bamba is the only midfielder to have scored a goal. Three defenders, Unai Núñez, Óscar Mingueza and Carl Starfelt, have scored one each but Rafa’s midfield haven’t been able to provide goals at the same rate as last season. Luca de la Torre, who has nominally replaced Veiga creates chances more regularly – 1.3 per 90 compared to Veiga’s 1.1, but his goalscoring and shot-taking is much lower, leaving a greater burden on the likes of Jørgen Strand Larsen and Aspas to finish moves, which they haven’t been able to do. The players aren’t available but Rafa will have to find a way to get more from his midfielders in terms of goals before it’s too late. They play another five games before the winter break in La Liga, and three of those are against teams in the bottom half of the table – Valencia (9th), Cádiz (16th), Rayo Vallecano (10th), Granada (19th) and Villarreal (14th). According to the Opta Power Rankings, it’s the easiest run of fixtures of any team in the next five weeks. There’s a big chance here for Celta to climb above some of the teams they’ve performed better than, but there’s also the risk of slipping further into the abyss. Benítez has been unlucky since taking over Celta, and if they can just hold their nerve, he could steady the ship. The only good thing you can say about Celta’s first 13 games is that their bad luck surely couldn’t continue. Or could it?

I made this quick post at the beginning of the season and wanted to offer an update with a third of thr season gone. As I said Girona and Las Palmas have played beautifully and surprisingly ended up high up on the table. Girona top La Liga atm and Las Palmas are 8th. They're both overperforming their numbers but it's tough to see Girona fall out of the top 4 and Las Palmas out of the top 10. Squad depth will be an issue for both later in the season. Las Palmas has been one of my favorite sides forever and i'd urge everyone to watch a game or two of theirs this season. Garcia Pimienta has been exactly what youd expect him to be. Girona are part owned by the city group like troyes in france, yet they are not economic powerhouses. Yes theres probably some knowledge share and apparently the cancelo move allowed Garcia to Girona. Other tham that they have 5 ex city group players, like savio from troyes. Incredible rise and decent squad depth but probably not good enough to end up top 3. Madrid have had an odd season losing Militao and Courtois to long term injuries, not replacing Militao and suddenly starting the season without 3 key players from last season (benz the 3rd). Yet Jude has been SPECTACULAR and one of the most decisive players in Europe. Madrid might win the league with pure talent and a weird structure. Carvajals return to form woth his diet change has been shocking. Barca are more interesting off the field than on it yet with Pedri and all the academy players they allow into the team they might just figure smth out. Xavi hasn't been tactically spectacular by any means but he's getting the job done in a tough spot. Atletico are even better than last season and might just be title contendors. The Joao Felix hate is ... bizzare. Shoutout to Lino and Barrios for the impact theyre having this season. Athletic Club are gonna drop points I can feel it, despitr guruzeta suddenly becoming an effective striker out of nowhere. The William brothers doing great, Nico leaves next season for good money no doubt. Sociedad have had a lot of players stepping up, Kubo in particular, as was predicted, with their thin midfield I think they could risk slipping out of the top 6 if injjries come at the wrong time. Betis, what a damn season, loads of new players being handed new and important roles but all that needs to be talked about is Isco. This was a massive gamble by Pellegrini and Betis and could be the kinda transfer that ends up getting the manager sacked but Isco has performed spectacularly every game. Jose shouldnt be starting, maybe give Ayoze Perez a chance there since they got the winfs covered anyways. Ofc why Borja Iglesias is being overlooked is anyones guess, I heard it's bc Pellegrini wasnt happy he retired from the national team. (Idk if thats true) Sad to see Valencia in the top half, wish they were relegated. Vallecano, agents of chaos, this is old school Vallecano. Love Palazon amd garcia, espino has been a very capable signing. Getafe and Osasuna are around where they deserve to be. Greenwood seems to be getting back on track. This is more Osasunas level, they overperformed last season. Great season for Mojica too, was part of the lb musical chair this season like espino. Most of those lbs have done well. Sevilla don't know who they are. They have way tpo many players who arent good enough or completr enough, one day its oliver torres the next its suso, there's no thought, rhyme or reason behind them. Had one good game vs madrid but are incapable of being a top side any time soon. Juanlu Sanchez the one bright spot as I mentioned earlier. Villareal, I did think they'd drop down with all the talent drain, but the fact that their exostimg talent has dropped a level is what's made them a bottom half team, 14th is bad. Setien, Pacheta and now Marcelino. Raul made a wise decision not to go to Villareal. Alaves, still like blanco, hope he has a good career ahead. Rafa Marin has done better than I had expected. Omorodion showing a lot of promise. Cadiz, hope they end up relegated. Mallorco, sadly they managed to get the incredible Darder who turned down barca for them. With him plus a few other players doing so well its incredible that theyre as terrible as they are. Shoutout to Muriqi, Samu, Prats and Antonio Sanchez. Vigo, how are they in the relegation zone???? Playing much better than their position suggests. Inconsistent and lack quality in midfield post Veiga. Cb has been an issue too with aidoo out, starfelt and nunez are not good enough starters, if they can get one decent dm amd one cb they could be a top 10 team. They also underutilize their depth and lose games in the last 10 mins all the time. Bamba doing well enough, still overrelying on Aspas but I like their counters. A team that shouldnt be relegaged. Dotor is not good enough to be a starter as he appears to be in recent weeks. Granada, bryan zaragoza is far too good for them, as a team theyre almost certainly a relagation side. Almeria wtf. Spent a lot of money, seemed to make wise choices tho overpayed for some players. And yet they have actually been the worst side in the league. Unfortunately think they might go down despite having a decent project starting.

Idk how unpopular this opinion is considering how popular they are generally and how accepted oil money has become, but I really really dislike PSG and every loss they suffer fills my heart with happiness. Part of it is the way they treat their players, they're just an incredibly toxic club. And it's annoying how they sign a new 11 every goddamn year.

I don't want to use bixby or any other assistant. But I want to use the button and was wondering how one could repurpose it. Is there a ideally foss app that allows me to change its job, I couldnt find any way to change it in my settings.

Let me preface this with the confession that I was the one person who supported the Super League. But hot take and this in not a likely prediction or anything, but very much a hot take. If a major change in the football landscape is incoming it's the fifa club world cup gaining relevance. I say this bc if Saudi Arabia can have 6 teams stacked with top players and a decent league around that you have another massive league, meanwhile Qatar and the MLS are attracting top players too. If there can be 5 Non European leagues which have 2 teams that are UCL level an expansion would make sense. But if that happens, quality players will be spread across even more leagues and the bottom half teams across the European clubs will get worse and worse, clubs like Werder Bremen, Rayo Vallecano, Empoli cannot compete at a decent level in such a world. Best case scenario, the domestic season becomes an 18 game season with 10 teams in the top division with the fifa club world cup in whatever way its formatted being the primary revenue generator for top clubs. This could make the UCL either another competition or it could make it the lower tier competition. Perhaps smth like the Euros even.

Now I don't know how closely people tend to follow a single league, but if you've followed La Liga over the last decade I think you'll agree how sad the state of La Liga is. Theres about 5 clubs that play attractive football at a decent level and 3 that try but have the quality of a midtable championship side. Ignoring the non footballing issues, from consistent racial abuse to sexism etc (Rubiales and Vini cases are only the tip of the massive iceberg). There's terrible refereeing and more time wasting than any other of the top 7 leagues. The football being played is just sad, Spain is still thought of as a league with highly technical sides playing one touch passes and building complicated structures. Well other than Barca and Madrid(who arent *defined* by their possession play anyways), not a single club does this at a European level. Sociedad, Villareal and Betis come close but have lost key players this season since they have no financial power either, despite being top 6 clubs in the league. Also lost players to injuries thanks to too much football being played. Simeone and Atletico have ofc evolved over the years, but barring Griezmann theres not a single player in la liga that is a star outside of Madrid and Barca. Girona and returning Las Palmas play with their defined style and do a good job but clearly lack the quality and talent to be a top side, they can't attract even half decent players and nor can they afford it. Watching them play against top 7 sides is sad. Athletic Club are interesting in so far as they play mostly academy players due to their self imposed Basque players only rule and then lose any player who outgrows them anyways, they havent had a player who could finish off chances in my living memory. Celta Vigo and Valencia used to be top 7 sides competing for European spots. Peter Lim has suceeded in destroying Valencia meanwhile Celtas philosophy for 5 years has been Aspas and InshaAllah. Tho I'm hopeful with the arrival of Benitez, Bamba and hopefully Larsen improving. Watching Getafe is the saddest thing in life. (Noone will disagree here, not even Bordalas. And yes they just got Greenwood). Mallorca, Cadiz, Deportivo and Granada aren't even worth talking about. Almeria would be there if they hadn't just spent good money this season and nabbed Arribas! Vallecano have Isi Palazon and Alvaro Garcia, if one of them leaves they are a relegation team. Sevilla have been destroyed by Monchi. Osasuna have managed a spectacular 7th last season but with terrible underlying numbers. I'd say theres 5 clubs in Spain that would not be relegated if they were in the EPL. Barca, Madrid, Atletico, Sociedad and Villareal. This is a massive decline in quality in the league. Everyone but Madrid is a selling club now. I'd be happy to see La Liga be reduced to 18 teams. The only other top 5 league with a bottom half this weak is Italy. (Atleast the french league produces great talents and are a young league).