Real Madrid vs Barcelona: El Clasico Revamped!

MADRID — Real Madrid’s ambitious plan to dislodge Barcelona from the perch of world soccer begins with the start of the La Liga season, where an exciting title contest between classic rivals is likely to have all eyes focused on the Spanish league this year.

Returned to the club presidency, Florentino Perez has spent over $350 million on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso as Madrid returns to its galactico ways following a barren season where it came near to competing with its Catalan rival.

Barcelona remains the favorite to repeat since coach Pep Guardiola’s team is relatively unchanged from last season — when it became the first Spanish club to win the league, Copa del Rey and Champions League in one campaign.

Guardiola swapped Samuel Eto’o for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Serie A’s leading scorer, because of a gut “feeling.” But Lionel Messi, Thierry Henry, Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez return to provide the backbone to seductive, one-touch soccer that characterized Guardiola’s incredible rookie season.

“We want to win everything again, we’ve got the same motivation and belief,” Argentine winger Messi said. “I think the team should go step-by-step like last year, which worked out well.”

Not only has Perez recruited the world’s best players, but he also brought coach Manuel Pellegrini from Villarreal where the Chilean was known for his conducive style and ability to get results.

Although the new signings are settling, questions have been raised over whether a team of superstars can jell when the original galacticos teaming of Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham and Luis Figo fell apart after a good start.

“The galacticos were great football players, but they’re gone. We’re a new team with a new mentality: we want to win,” said Ronaldo, who was presented to 80,000 Bernabeu fans after a three-year chase for his signature ended with a record $135 million transfer from Manchester United. “I think La Liga is going to have more quality because of the players that are arriving.”

Gerard Pique said Barcelona is welcoming the chance to prove its mettle, again.

“We know that (we will be the team to beat), because we won all the titles last year,” the Spain defender said. “It is something you have to live with now when you play for Barcelona because it is a big club and you always play with pressure.”

Sevilla believes it can challenge the top two after signing striker Alvaro Negredo to add to a strike force that already includes Luis Fabiano and Frederic Kanoute.

But another third place finish looks likely as most clubs accept that the league is unattainable this season, leaving the final two Champions League spots as the top prize for the other 18 teams.

“Real Madrid and Barcelona are very, very far from the rest of the other Spanish teams in terms of economic power,” Atletico Madrid coach Abel Resino said. “After them, there are a group of five or six, including us, Valencia, Sevilla, Villarreal. And then the rest.”

Atletico Madrid finished fourth again last season and has a largely unchanged squad, with Spain defender Juanito Gutierrez joining from relegated Real Betis and Spain Under-21 goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo arriving from Valladolid to bolster a leaky defense.

But strikers Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero remain the key figures for shaping Atletico’s season. The two South American internationals, who combined for 49 goals last season, have already started well in Champions League qualifying play with a goal each.

Ernesto Valverde takes over at Villarreal after winning the league and cup double at Olympiakos of Greece and is expected to lead Pellegrini’s former club into the Champions League fight along with coastal neighbor Valencia, which spurned offers from Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona to hang on to striker David Villa.

But Villa could be gone by Christmas, depending whether the Spain striker bears any grudge at team management for thwarting a move to Madrid that appeared sealed.

Mauricio Pochettino saved Espanyol from relegation and now the young Argentine coach — much in the mold of crosstown rival Guardiola — gets a full season to show just what he is capable of.

Espanyol moves into a new 42,000-capacity stadium and has added Japan midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura to its ranks, although the team will have to recover from the unexpected death of captain Daniel Jarque earlier this month.

“We have been through moments of great anguish and despair but we are going back to our routine now,” Pochettino said. “We hope that we can find a remedy within the team to alleviate the pain we feel.”