Primera Division. Tough from bottom to top.
Racing Santander lost the battle for survival – 18th with 23 points.
Celta Vigo – 17th with 24 points. They scored least goals in the league – 27. Standing from left: Capo, Atilano, Mina, Sanchez, Lemos, Canosa;
First row: Ruben, Gomez, Andres, Mercader, Amoros.
UD Las Palmas – the third relegated, 16th with 25 points.
Valencia CF – nasty surprise: 15th. Barely escaped relegation on goal-difference or head-to-head record.
Atletico Osasuna – 14th with 26 points.
UD Salamanca – 13th with 28 points.
Real Valladolid – 12th with 29 points.
Real Betis – 11th with 30 points.
CD Malaga – 10th with 30 points. Standing from left: Fernando Peralta, Popo, Brescia, Canillas, Urdaci, Regenhardt
Front: Juan Carlos Pérez Frías, Recio, Totó, Martín, José
RCD Espanol – 9th with 32 points.
Sporting Gijon – 8th with 33 points. They tied most matches in the championship – 15.
One expected more from Real Sociedad – 7th with 36 points. A dynasty nobody envisioned, but dropping down so fast was not quite right either. The second weakest attack in the league – 29 goals, only Racing scored less, but also second best defensive record – 27 goals.
Real Zaragoza – 6th with 40 points.
Sevilla FC – good season, 5th with 42 points. Francisco Buyo making his way and eventually getting Real Madrid interested.
Barcelona – no end of disappointment. 4th with 44 points.
Atletico Madird – 3rd with 46 points. Fought for the title, surely, but the competition was tougher. A relatively rare look of the team dressed in their reserve kit at the time. Higo Sanches and Mirko Votava – somewhat strange foreign pair: the Mexican rapidly becoming superstar, the German more or less on his way down.
Real Madrid finished 2nd , which was a bit of a surprise – the team fought to the very end of the season for the title and lost it on single point difference, finishing with 49. They lost the fewer games than anybody – only 5 and also had the best defensive record in the championship, receiving just 25 goals. May be too much defense cost them the title, but such approach was even strange – their coach, the legendary Di Stefano, was known for attacking football and high scoring as a player.
Athletic Bilbao were almost surprise champions – 22 wins, 6 ties, 6 losses, 71-36, and 50 points. One point was very little advance, but they kept it and triumphed with the title. It was fantastic year – the Basques won their 7th title, but had to wait for it 27 years. And by now, it was increasingly looking mission impossible and futile dream – Athletic had no way competing with Barcelona and Madrid clubs in terms of money and their strict policy of using only Basque players further decreased their chances for having a squad comparable to the ones the big clubs had. Of course, this handicaps produced specific approach long time ago and to a point this vintage was no different than previous successful outfits: Xavier Clemente organized tough, even mean spirited team, always ready to battle. Not a flashy and highly entertaining team, but one who depended on collective play, based on defense. Somewhat like a terrier. Of course, there were good players and the squad was fairly equal, so there was no big problem replacing one player with another. There was significant daring by Athletic president appointing unknown Clemente to coach the team in the previous season – he was 3 years younger than the captain Rojo, who retired at the end of the season in which Athletic finished 4th. Clemente was not afraid to make Andoni Zubizarreta number one goalkeeper – he was 21-years old and nobody saw them as more than reserve, for Cedrun was the obvious choice for a regular. There were strong players – Goicoechea, Salinas, Dani, Urquiaga, Gallego, Sarabia – but it was not star-studded squad; it was mostly a squad of sturdy workers. Having vicious defense, Athletic used it in unusual way – since the opposition was preoccupied with trying to find way to Athletic’s gate, speedy and active midfield, commanded by Dani, organized many attacks in less populated opposition’s half and scored many goals. Every goal opened new opportunities, for now the other team had to go ahead in earnest, which immediately opened larger empty space. The title was earned in real workmen-manner, and the joy in Bilbao had no end, but the victory was also a big problem. Not a new one, but painful now, when the club was champion – how to keep their best players at home. Every small club has this problem, but Athletic’s was unique – they could not recruit not only foreigners, but Spaniards. Only Basques. It was not going to be easy… repeating the victory was even smaller problem than the one just to stay among the better teams: it all depended on keeping their stars.