The grueling Spanish F League season is now over, almost a month after the English Women's Super League came to an end on May 18 due to having four fewer teams, and it was no surprise to see Barcelona and Real Madrid finish in the first two.
Barcelona (88) won its fifth Spanish title with plenty of time to spare at the beginning of May and only lost two points (against Levante) all season. Their closest rival, Real Madrid (73), did not pose much of a challenge and failed to surpass the 75 points they achieved last season, but still finished second by a clear 12 point difference.
The race for third place and the final league spot in the UEFA Women's Champions League was more open. Atlético Madrid (61) finally did enough to overtake Levante (60) and return to Europe's top club competition after three seasons away, but the quality gap between the top five, which also includes the independent team Madrid CFF (50), and we could maybe add Athletic Club (50, with one game left), as they exceeded expectations this season, and the rest remains.
With former champions Atlético, Levante and Madrid CFF establishing themselves as potential European contenders, the battle to be Spain's third best team could be intriguing next year. Here's what you need to know about them.
Madrid's first team at the start of the professional era (having taken over from an all-conquering Rayo Vallecano that fell into obscurity after 2011), Atlético became a position of security following their promotion to the top flight in 2006 and built from there.
In fact, it was Atlético who kept Barcelona away from the title for three consecutive seasons between 2016 and 2019. But it has been five long years since they lifted the crown, and the rise of Real Madrid (after their merger with CD Tacón in 2020 ) increase. professionalization in Spain and gave Atlético tough competition.
As a result, Atlético has stumbled over the past three seasons, changing coaches at a rate rarely seen in women's soccer. Since the end of the 2018-19 season, The Red and Whites He has changed coaches seven times, notably three during the truncated 2019-20 season. And, as coaches changed, key players also looked for the exit door as the team's form faltered.
It was enough to secure three fourth-place finishes ahead of this season, and he now hopes for a return to the UWCL under Óscar Fernández. after beating relegation-threatened Villarreal 1-0 on the final day. But things are not necessarily going to be rosy for Atlético next season with reports that Ludmila, Sheila Guijarro, Leicy Santos and Eva Navarro (who scored 28 goals between them this season) will leave the club this summer, indicating even more player rotation. and issues to resolve.
Having finished third four times in the previous five years (barring a relegation to sixth place in 2021-22), there are few clubs in Europe who would have been so happy to see the UWCL expand to include Europe's third-placed team . The six best leagues of 2021. This season they finished fourth, although they beat Madrid CFF 3-0 on the last matchday to finish 10 points ahead.
Having established themselves as the biggest team outside of Barcelona and Real Madrid in recent seasons, Levante have remained competitive since their first season in the top flight (under the original name San Vicente, before becoming Levante UD in 1998) . And although in recent years it has seemed like a kind of subsidiary club, it has seen many outstanding Spanish players pass through its doors, such as Alexia Putellas, Vanesa Gimbert, Adriana Martín and Ona Batlle.
A key part of Levante's ability to compete with Spain's best this decade is their ability to score goals, whether spread throughout the attack or thanks to a single Golden Boot chaser. In years past, that burden fell in forwards such as Laura Del Rio, Pamela Conti, Alexia, Charlyn Corral and Esther González, with Alba Redondo (16 goals in 26 league games) currently at the helm. But that also means that as soon as a star striker leaves the club, the team has to look for those all-important targets elsewhere. And following Mayra Ramírez's then world-record €450,000 transfer to Chelsea in January, it looks like Redondo will be the next to leave in the summer.
However, the problems for Levante do not end there, as the club is in a precarious financial situation that has seen the women's budget cut to prevent them from going under. Although the funds from Ramírez's transfer to Chelsea were channeled back to the women's team, there is a clear question about what the next few seasons will be like in Buñol, how many players Levante will have to part with and whether they will be able to remain at the top. end of the table after doing so.
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Spanish seasons are long (there are 16 teams, unlike most other women's leagues in Europe which have 12) and leave little room for error, but Madrid CFF consistently punches above its weight thanks to smart signings and good common sense to the old one.
Founded just before the 2010-11 season and in just their seventh season in the top flight, Madrid CFF often has to look outside the box for their signings, but like many independent teams in women's football, they make do with a strong team. moral principle.
Madrid CFF have taken on European rivals this season, knocking on the door of a Champions League spot, but the independent side from the Spanish capital are constantly struggling to improve on their mid-season form and generally finishes one step behind the rest. That was the case again this campaign, as they were one point out of third place with 10 games left, but finished 10 behind.
Like Levante, they lost a star player mid-season when NWSL side Bay FC paid a world-record €735,000 to sign Zambian international Racheal Kundananji in February, with compatriot Grace Chanda also heading to the United States for Orlando Pride this summer. An additional concern for Madrid CFF is that their backbone is made up of players past their prime, such as Brazilian defender Mónica, 37, and midfielder Karen Araya, 33, or younger stars, such as Teen. the midfielders Sandra Villafañe and Cristina Librán who could be captured by larger clubs.
This season, Arsenal loanee Giovana Queiroz has made a huge impact and, as well as scoring nine goals in 16 appearances since her signing in January, she has revamped the attack and given Madrid CFF fresh impetus following the departure of Kundananji . But he won't be there next season and, like Levante and Atlético, it is likely to be a summer of change for Madrid CFF with little indication that the team will stop pulling any time soon.
