Across the Pond 2000-01 European Preview

Soccer Digest, Oct, 2000 by Scott Plagenhoef

Across town, Inter continue to struggle with injuries and age. Laurent Blanc is in to secure the defense and Hakan Sukur and Robbie Keane were shock transfers to join Ivan Zamarano in attack.

Spain

OK, quick: Who was the La Liga champion last year? No, not Barcelona. Not Real Madrid either. Deportivo La Coruna captured the first championship in club history last year, breaking the strangehold that the richest few teams have had on the title in recent years.

In the offseason, Real and Barcelona scrambled to outdo each other. Much of the hostility was stoked by Luis Figo's surprising move from Barca to Real. The Portuguese midfielder emerged as one of the world's best players last season, going from an underrated Catalan fan favorite to being recognized as one Europe's most creative forces. Figo's arrival at Real Madrid likely means that Champions League Final hero Steve McManaman will eventually depart, but there is plenty of talent here to for Real to make a run at both the domestic title and defend their European crown.

In Barcelona, things are topsy-turvy. The departure of coach Louis Van Gaal also means the departure of many of the team's Dutch stars, as well as former Ajax fixture Jari Litmanen. Of Van Gaal's crew, only Patrick Kluivert, Frank DeBoer, and Boudewijn Zenden seem set to remain in Barca's plans. Moving in are the Arsenal duo Overmars and Petit, who will solidify the midfield alongside Josep Guardiola and Luis Enrique.

The key to Barcelona's season, of course, is Rivaldo. The Brazilian winger remains the team's deadliest player and, with a new contract worth over $6 million per year, will be expected to carry Barca to a title.

The Deportivo championship was spearheaded by Dutch striker Roy Makaay, who scored 22 goals. The dual pressure of playing in La Liga and the Champions League should prevent La Coruna from pulling any more surprises this year.

More prepared to extend their surprising form is Valencia, The Champions League runners-up finished third last year, securing another trip back to Europe's top club tournament, and this year will have Didier Deschamps and Zlatko Zahovic to aid the effort. The central midfield pair will team with Gaizka Mendieta and Gerard to provide a formidable attack, while goaltender Santiago Canizares and Yugoslav central defender Miroslav Djukic will head the defense. Lazio-bound striker Claudio Lopez will be missed.

Germany

After finishing in the top three of the Bundesliga standings for two consecutive years, it appeared as if Christophe Daum's Bayer Leverkusen would finally capture the crown. Entering the final day of the season, Leverkusen needed only a draw against lowly Unterhaching. They lost, and Bayern Munich, who entered the day three points behind, won its final league game to pull even on points and win the championship on the basis of a superior goal differential. Leverkusen is desperate not to suffer the same heartbreak this year.

Daum is returning for a final season before he takes the helm of the German national team with only one goal: the title. In an attempt to do so, Leverkusen brought in Swiss international Pascal Zuberbuehler as the new goaltender and Pascal Ojigwe arrives from Kaiserslautern to attempt to plug holes in the midfield caused by the losses of Emerson Stefan Beinlich.