Football Season Guide

2023/24 ended terribly for Rayo Vallecano with only three wins from 19 in the second half of the season. A stronger start was enough to ensure survival, but young coach Inigo Perez knows that his stats of one point per game on average won't be enough this time around. He isn't helped by the fact that the team lost one of their star men in goalkeeper Stole Dimitrievski, while the acquisitions come from two relegated teams and two from lower divisions, leading to criticism about a lack of ambition from the board. The bigger worry is that the team is yet to bring in a goalscorer given that they were the lowest scorers in the league last season with 0.76 goals per game. Adrian Embarba brings creativity, but only scored three for Almeria as they were relegated last season. Their defence does remain intact and second-choice goalkeeper Dani Cardenas looks ready to step up, having previously been a regular for Levante in LaLiga. He will play a big role in ensuring that the team can continue to battle out draws, with three 0-0s from 14 games under Perez. This will be Rayo's centenary year, but the party may not last for long. Two away trips followed by the visit of Barcelona mean that they could face an uphill battle.