Football Season Guide

Quique Sanchez Flores returns from the Premier League to coach Espanyol this season having previously impressed in La Liga in spells at Getafe, Valencia and Atletico Madrid. He has never really had time to settle at a club in Spain but the former Real Madrid full-back could immerse himself in an exciting new project in El Prat at the start of a new era under the new ownership of Chinese businessman Chen Yangshen. Sanchez Flores’s dismissal from Watford was quite harsh given that he kept them in the Premier League. He will be under pressure to achieve immediate results at the RCDE Estadi as well, of course, as for the first time in their history, it appears that Espanyol have the sort of financial backing to push on and become a force in the Primera Division. There has been a buzz of excitement in the southern suburb of Barcelona as the club’s summer signings are just the sort to get pulses racing in Cornella. Joining Quique in Barcelona are veteran La Liga stars Jose Manuel Jurado, Jose Antonio Reyes and Roberto Fernandez, all of whom are known to the manager from his time at Atletico Madrid (Jurado was also at Watford with his mentor). Just as exciting is the recruitment of attacking stars Pablo Piatti and Leo Baptistao, while the Pericos have also resisted the sale of star striker Felipe Caicedo thanks to their newfound financial solvency. Caicedo didn’t score as many goals as expected last season but he has added pressure with Baptistao and the technical Gerard Moreno competing for places so he will have an extra incentive to put the ball away. The team definitely looks stronger on paper than it did last term under first Sergio Gonzalez, then his successor Constantin Galca, neither of whom really inspired the Pericos to their best form as they laboured to a 13th place finish. If there is one hole which has to be filled, it is that of the exquisite Marco Asensio, who has returned from his loan spell to Real Madrid. However, with Piatti, Reyes and Jurado joining, it is clear that the Catalan club has already organised a contingency for his loss. This term, the objective is to secure top flight status as early as possible and the best way to do that is to be competing in the top third of the table for the European places. Espanyol have come agonisingly close to Europe on a couple of occasions in the past decade, most notably under now Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino. Given their signings and the stability they hope to find under Sanchez Flores, finally breaking into the top six is a realistic target. One of the manager’s principle aims will be to start playing attractive football at the RCDE Estadi, where they were below par last year. If they can turn their ground into a fortress again and win the majority of home fixtures, it will stand them in excellent stead.