Levante can only challenge for as long…

The ‘Big Two’ in Spanish La Liga is well-known even before a season kicks off, but predicting the champions, especially for the current campaign can only be as tricky as thinking of the fact that Levante can even be talked about as contenders. The Valencia-based club, running on one of the smallest budgets in the division deservedly enjoy a one-point lead at the top of the league table standing after nine rounds of matches. It’s definitely still too early, but no one can deny the modest outfit their right to even dare to think of themselves as title contenders, remote as that thought may sound, but we’re talking about football here where unimaginable things have happened and keep unfolding. Only Levante, Seville and the champions Barcelona are unbeaten this season, the former having won the same number of games as second placed Real Madrid (7), one more than Barca in third place and two points off the pace. Ideally, people would dismiss Levante’s early intentions—especially that they finished the season in 14th position, avoiding relegation by just two points, but a neutral will say, the league leaders can only challenge for as long as no one takes them serious. Champions League campaigners, Villarreal, who are currently occupying the last relegation position, would snap your hand off if given the opportunity to swap for Levante’s position, even in these early days. But of course, yes, this is La Liga where it’s even unthinkable to look beyond Barca and Real Madrid to win the title—just like in the English Premier League where Manchester United and Chelsea are the usual suspects. perhaps, now that there is United’s ‘noisy neighbors’ making up the grounds super fast, people can start to think of a shift in power. Predicting who will win the league between Barcelona and Real Madrid has never been harder, in fact, if the season started with the champions as the bookmakers’ favorites to retain the title, a host of them must be reconsidering their position. You would be hard-pressed to choose between Guardiola and Mourinho’s teams as both have started the season showing the usual intent, but the team from the Spanish capital looks the more threatening, both on paper and on the field. While Barcelona are finding it hard to break down the opposition, Real Madrid are scoring goals at will, all their forwards, Ronaldo, Higuain, Benzema and now Kaka are all looking sharp. At the Nou Camp, Messi has not scored in the last three matches and, by his standards, this is almost a crisis—it’s taking team mates to come in his defence. It’s ironical, but just like Zidane, during his days with ‘Les Bleus’, an on-form Messi makes Barcelona tick and vice versa. But in the meantime, Levante are enjoying their spell in the limelight, and, to them, and anyone connected to the club, long may it continue because they’ve received more coverage in the first nine games of the season than the whole of last season. nku78@yahoo.com