A new kid in town

Four games in and, so far at least, the usually assumed positions of first and second place are not occupied by either of their usually bankable inhabitants in southern Europe's so-called SPL, La Liga.

While the 2011/2012 campaign is still proverbially waking up and removing the crust from it's eyes after the summer hiatus, a collective turning of heads in the world of football has witnessed a start which has done away with the all too familiar script, wherein Barcelona and Real Madrid romp to the table summit and remain there until the season end. It's far to early to say whether this will happen or not again this year, nevertheless the ordinary order of things is being shaken up in Spanish football at the moment.

As of writing, Real Betis and Málaga make up the two front runners. Barcelona follow behind in the third position and Real Madrid, perplexingly, find themselves fifth, after stuttering tremendously in their last two games, dropping 5 points and providing the Spanish sports press with a mouth watering supply of reputable behaviour to mull over. In fairness, at this same stage last season neither of the two giants found themselves in the top spot, with Barcelona having to wait an unspeakable 13 games before making the position their home for the rest of the year.

That either Real or Barca wins the title in 2012 is not in question. Of course one of them will. Nonetheless, with the emergence of Málaga as a force to be reckoned with, boasting a squad that (excluding the two favourites) no other team comes close to matching (in terms of quality and depth) the prospect of a new powerhouse in Spain is all of a sudden a real possibility. Despite an unconvincing first game, losing to Sevilla 2-1, the Andaluz project seems to be really hitting exciting form, having won their last three. Obviously Abullah bin Nasser al Thani's seemingly bottomless treasure chest has been the deciding factor in the Rosalda outfit's vast improvement. However, some praise has to go towards Manuel Pellegrini, the man in charge of things on the pitch. Having used the summer transfer window to devastating effect and making some very astute signings (if not frugal ones) the Chilean could be on the cusp of something unheard of this year: breaking into the top two.

Needless to say, winning the league or coming second is not Malaga’s objective just yet. Both the owner and the management team are intelligent enough to know that money can't buy everything, at least not straight away. There's a long way to go and plenty of work to be done before thoughts of clearing room in the trophy cabinet spring to mind. Qualifying for Europe will be a massive achievement for a club of Malaga’s size and trajectory, but with players like Toulalan, Mathijsen, Baptista, Joaquin, Cazorla and Van Nistelrooy available it is an extremely attainable goal.

Of course there are other quality teams in La Liga outside the so-called "Two horse race" and newly rich Malaga. Valencia in particular has hit the ground running. Whether they are able to sustain a whole season challenging for the league remains to be seen, especially when taking their limited resources and distinct inability to hold onto star players into account (over the summer Juan Mata and Joaquin left for pastures greener).

With a master tactician like Unai Emery at the helm Valencia do have versatility, if not depth. This was seen on Wednesday when his side punished Pep Guardiola's decision to play a tight back three in the Mestalla, scoring two early goals. The game finished 2-2, only after the Barcelona coach was forced to change his whole game plan as a result of home team's attacking prowess.

However, despite having a quality manager, attack minded players like Canales, Pablo and Soldado, and a solid defensive pairing in Rami and Victor Ruiz, ultimately the pool of players to choose from is far too limited to really push the bigger/richer teams off their perch.

There is still no denying that Barcelona are the strongest team in the league, having built up their squad from last season, most notably with the acquisitions of Fabregas and Alexis. None of the old guard at the Camp Nou seems to have waned or lost it's hunger for titles either, on current evidence, so it will be a very difficult task to stop them continuing to write history this year.

Meanwhile in the Spanish capital, Jose Mourinho's side has failed to show any real consistency or cohesion since drubbing Real Zaragoza and Getafe in their first two matches. Undoubtedly Real Madrid is still a name that strikes fear into any manager presiding over a La Liga team. However, one can't help but think that last seasons repeated failures to beat Barcelona when it mattered (notwithstanding the Copa del Rey final) has left a psychological imprint on los blancos. Incidents like the Khedira/Di Maria debacle against Levante, along with rumblings in the Spanish media of discontent among the Spanish players in the team, added with Mourinho's declining credibility and increased paranoia, do not bode well for the Chamartin club.

Words like "crisis" and “disaster" have no place being banded around this early into the new season. All the same, unlike other years it seems now Madrid may have more than just Barcelona to contend with. The second automatic Champion's League spot is by no means a given, and Al Thani's experimental project could be the very club to rattle things up at the top of the league.

Who knows, maybe Pelligrini, the man ousted from the Madrid banquillo to make room for Mourinho, may exact his revenge on his former employers by leapfrogging them to second.