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After the summer that Real Madrid had, it is little wonder that they have been touted as the team to beat for this season's La Liga. Naturally they are always considered amongst the favourites for any competition, history and reputation dictates it, but even by their own standards the summer of 2009 was a bold and expensive one.

For approximately 215m Real Madrid purchased four high-profile players: Kak, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso. The most lavish spending spree in football history has put Real Madrid on a pedestal once again.

Many have argued that whilst it's not unusual for big clubs to spend vast amounts of money, for Real to have splurged such figures in the space of one transfer window and during a global recession is verging on tasteless. That may be so, but it doesn't stop the majority of fans in awe of the team that they have built, and it doesn't necessarily guarantee success.

What is certain is that Real's new manager Manuel Pellegrini is in a pressure cooker situation. This isn't unusual when you consider how even winning La Liga hasn't saved the job for previous incumbents such as Vincente del Bosque and Fabio Capello. The only difference this time is that Pellegrini has even less time to lose to secure trophies (if that's possible).

This is inevitably where Barcelona comes into play. The historical rivalry between the Catalan club and Real Madrid is all the more fierce when considering the political implications of old. Realistically it will be up to Josep Guardiola and company to stop 'Los Blancos' from re-claiming La Liga from them.

As things currently stand, not too much has changed from last season. Eight games into the new season and Barcelona are top of the pile with Real Madrid chasing them from second spot. The Champions League holders have negotiated the league without suffering a defeat and have dropped points just the once, after a 0-0 draw away at Valencia on October 17th.

Real meanwhile have flattered to deceive. They are only three points behind Barcelona due to their 2-1 away loss to Sevilla at the beginning of the month, but they haven't steamrollered opponents. They did start the season with seven straight victories in the league and Europe, but since their reverse at Sevilla the club's form has taken a nose-dive.

They failed to get a result when AC Milan came to the Santiago Bernabu in the Champions League recently. The 3-2 defeat was justified on the balance of play, and it may well have given Leonardo some breathing

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