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| MARTA G. BREA |
The new La Liga season is almost upon us,
one that promises so much for the Celtismo. Despite a few small hiccups and the
lack of discipline early on in preseason, Celta finished off in style against
Genoa with a resounding 4-0 victory at Balaídos. It is no wonder that there is
so much optimism going into the new campaign but that will be of little use
come Sunday when it all kicks off.
As things stand, we have put ourselves in a
fantastic position to make a real push for European football with our dealings
in the transfer window. At times last season the lack of a top striker was
evident to see and i believe it turned out to be the decisive factor for us
missing out on 7th place. Therefore, bringing back Iago Aspas to the South of
Galicia shows a real statement of intent from Carlos Mouriño. He has been one
of our standout performers in preseason with 5 goals and has fitted back in to
the team as if he had never left. It is easy to forget that El Genio De Moaña
scored 12 goals in the 2012/13 season whilst playing in a far inferior team to
the one we have now and as a result, I'm confident that he will be able to
score 12-15 goals this season providing he plays as the number 9 which I feel
he is most suited to.
Elsewhere, Miguel Torrecilla has improved
the options that are available to Toto Berizzo. Losing Michael Krohn Dehli in
the summer was a massive blow and although it is too early to say for sure, it
seems that Daniel Wass is more than capable of filling the void judging by his
early performances. John Guidetti also has the ability to challenge Aspas for
the striker position and presents a big upgrade to Charles who found it
difficult to adapt as the number 2 striker. It is too soon to judge Dejan
Drazic considering he has only played 20 minutes in preseason but from the
little we have seen he looks like a player who is not afraid to take on the
defenders, something that Bongonda lacks at times.
Despite all of the good work by the club
during the summer, we all know that the difference between us being a
comfortable mid-table team to genuine Europa League challengers is Manuel Agudo
Duran "Nolito". 13 goals and 13 assists last season whilst creating
96 goal scoring chances, more than anyone else in the league, shows how vital
he is to this team. Losing Santi Mina unexpectedly was a blow and it only
reinforces our need to keep Nolito out of the hands of his former club
Barcelona. It is not only his fantastic footballing abilities that we are
fighting for, but also his humility, dedication and affinity with the fans. We
already know that he has rejected financially advantageous offers in the last 2
seasons from Everton and other clubs due to his kindhearted nature that allows
him to appreciate what he already has. 99% of players would have moved on a
long time ago so we can only be gracious for his abilities as a person as well
as a footballer despite whether he decides to stay or leave.
If we do indeed tie Nolito down to a new
contract i think we are right to be optimistic about the upcoming season. I
have never felt this good going into the new season, one that has the potential
to be the best in the last decade. However, for a team such as ourselves it is
vital to reach 40 points as quickly as possible and only then can we start to
think big. Overall we have been impressive in preseason but that good form
needs to be maintained and improved come the start of the season. The Ciudad De
Valencia can be a tricky place to win so we mustn't take anything for granted.
A victory on Sunday however would set us up perfectly for the new season and
allow us to generate some early momentum and confidence ahead of what could be
exciting times ahead for the best team in Galicia.
¡Saludos y Hala Celta!
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