SINGAPORE -- There were many stories from the 2012/2013 La Liga season, allow us to recap some fine memories as all the action came to a close last weekend.
First up, Barcelona and their record equaling tally of 100 points in the league was particularly impressive, having said that, the strength in-depth of the league always came into question when we are talking these sorts of numbers. Barca got off to a flying start under Tito Vilanova and effectively killed the season off in the opening third of the campaign. With the whole team purring in the league, the focus was on the Champions League where they met an immovable object in Bayern Munich which led to plenty of frustration amongst the fans.
Vilanova really cannot be judged on what he has achieved this season because he spent long periods on the sidelines due to throat cancer. Barca failed to win an El Classico this season, another failing as far as the fans are concerned but there is no doubting that a campaign which saw 12 wins on the bounce at the start has been a successful one. The big concern for Barcelona now is to bring in some of the more talented youngsters, keeping Lionel Messi fit and integrating new signing Neymar into the team.
Real Madrid may well have had a trophy-less end to the season but at times their play has been brilliant. Jose Mourinho did well at the beginning of the season to gel a side that seemed to lack cohesiveness. Cristiano Ronaldo stated that he was sad while there were factions in the group once Iker Casillas was dropped in favour of Diego Lopez. Real Madrid will always be competitive but they need Ronaldo to stay and be a strong, firm leader off the pitch.
Real Sociedad won the hearts of many with their enterprising play and dominant home record. Valencia will be deeply upset that they did not make the Champions League and Sociedad had Sevilla striker Alvaro Negredo to thank for that. Sociedad fans were in ecstasy when Antoine Griezmann side-footed the winner against Deportivo.
The 22 year-old was bought by the Txuri-urdin in 2009 when they were struggling in the second division. The philosophy has been simple for the Basque side: get back to basics. Sociedad put their faith in youth from the region, in local promise while being particularly tight on the purse strings. And against all odds, it paid off and Sociedad will play with the elite in Europe next season. It is some story indeed.
The juxtaposition at the Riazor was perfect as Deportivo sank to their knees, knowing that Celta had won and their place in the second division was confirmed. 10 years ago, Deportivo were battling it out at the top of the league rather than trying to avoid the drop.
Deportivo is relegated a season after they won promotion and it has been a year to forget, with administration and severe financial difficulties. What was remarkable was their fight and tenacity in the closing weeks. 5 wins and three draws in their final eleven matches pointed to a great escape of some proportion but alas, as gifted midfielder Juan Carlos Valeron said his goodbyes to the crowd, so did Deportivo to Spain's top tier.
This summer is bound to be fuelled with plenty of transfer speculation over who will replace Philippe Montanier, Manuel Pellegrini and Jose Mourinho. A lot of the Spanish clubs have little in the way of money to spend so expect plenty of outgoings, especially to the Barclays Premier League who covet the Spanish stars so much. Alvaro Negredo, Roberto Soldaldo, David Villa, Iago Aspas and Isco to name a few. Barcelona and Real Madrid, meanwhile, need to strengthen once again if they are to take the vice-like grip that the Germans now have on Europe’s elite club competition.
Andy Penders is the host of ‘The Verdict – La Liga’ programme and a football expert with FOX SPORTS.