"Maldini" On The Money / Julio Maldonado / 10 October 2008 / Leave a comment

Top Spanish presenter and pundit Julio Maldonado, the man they call "Maldini", talks us through the burning issues in spanish football at the moment from Barca's dependance on Lionel Messi to whether a Spain recall for Raul is on the cards.

It was quite a risk by the Barcelona board to appoint Guardiola given his lack of experience in management. What had he been up to since he retired as a player and is he the right man for the job?

Guardiola was bound to be linked with the manager's job at Barcelona sooner or later. He is a part of the club's history thanks to the key role he played in the so-called Dream Team, which won the first European Champions Cup for the club, and he has always showed his strong sense of Catalan national identity, which is a very important aspect of the club's culture.

His experience as a coach before taking on the first team was very limited: he had managed to promote the youth team from the Spanish equivalent of League 2 to League 1, and that was it. In a team full of stars such as Barcelona, the coach needs to earn the players' respect from day one. You can only achieve that by having an impeccable track record (Benítez, Wenger, Mourinho), or if you are a legend at the club. For this reason, I think he is the right man for the job. It doesn't always work, Barcelona tried doing the same with Kubala in the sixties and it turned out to be a failure.

It's a team of superstars at Barcelona, especially up front, but when Messi isn't around they seem to struggle. Isn't it dangerous to be so over-reliant on a single player, specially one so young?

It is, but I think Barcelona can perform without Messi short to mid-term. Last season they suffered due to his absence but they also missed Etoo, who was injured for a while and was also away at the African Cup.

One could say that Real Madrid have the same problem with Van Nistelrooy. Schuster says he wants two players for every position but as an out-and-out striker it's just him really. Time for Schuster to go shopping in January?

Definitely, Real Madrid need to get one or two more strikers, and probably a right midfielder. A lot of names have been thrown around, but there's nothing set. Word has it that the management intends to go all out after Benzema, currently playing for Lyon.

Real have won the last two titles and are currently tied on 13 points so why are Barcelona [2.16] and Real [3.25] on Betfair?

The odds that Betfair offers for Barcelona make sense and are backed by very sound arguments. Offensively, Barcelona is superior to Real Madrid. Their pace is higher, they know how to widen the field and create more scoring situations. Two seasons ago Barcelona handed the championship to Real Madrid, after squandering a big lead in the table when they pretty much had it in the bag, partly because of tension between its stars but also because they lost motivation. Last season, injuries hit them hard. This year they should be favourites to take the title.

If we assume that Real and Barcelona will finish in the top two, who is the best bet to finish top three alongside them - Villarreal ([2.02]), Atl Madrid ([2.14]), Sevilla and Valencia ([2.4])?

That's a tough question. Out of the teams you mention, Atlético has the strongest offensive presence through the Agüero-Forlán partnership, but their midfield is not consistent enough, they are lacking a player who can dominate matches. Villareal has a very strong defence (Godín and Gonzálo Rodríguez can compete with any two full-backs in Europe) but scores less goals. Sevilla and Valencia will benefit from not playing the Champions League. Right now my money's on Sevilla to finish 3rd

We're treated to at least two La Liga matches on Sky Sports every week over here in the UK. We're familiar with most players from the biggest clubs but who are three or four players we should look out for amongst the so-called "smaller" clubs?

Alvaro Negredo from Almería, who will be called to play for Spain anytime soon. He's powerful, has good heading skills and very good ball-handling skills. He would do really well in the Premier League.

Javier Casquero, from Getafe. Probably the Spanish player with best long range shot, he can shoot tremendously well with both feet. It's a pity he's already 32 years old.

Andrés Guardado, midfielder at Deportivo de La Coruña. Left-footed, he can do well in any area of the midfield. One of the best Mexican footballers of his generation.

Eliseu, striker for Málaga. Incredibly fast, he will be a serious threat up front.

Vahid Nekounam, midfielder playing for Osasuna. Currently the best Asian midfielder (he's from Iran). He's a skillful playmaker who can also score. He hardly played last season due to a serious injury. He is extremely good.

Raul has been left out of Del Bosque's side again for the two upcoming matches against Estonia and Belgium. Is that the end of the road for him in terms of his Spain career?

I'd say it is. Spain won Euro 2008 without him, playing a style of football that doesn't really work for him. It wouldn't make sense for Del Bosque to reopen that debate by calling him up. We will increasingly see him starting on the bench at Real Madrid. Higuaín is performing really well at the moment.

Editor's Note:If you wish to ask "Maldini" a question on any aspect of Spanish football please post a comment to this article with your name, city of residence and the question you want to ask.