The transition from third

Today we have a big showdown in the Champions League where the Spanish league has expanded its flag, so is the match between Athletic and Sporting Portugal, but the Spanish derby between Atletico and Valencia will be a clash between two teams that have the same competition with effective and has significant accounts receivable from a couple of years with controversial plays and torn shirts. Not only that: it will be a game between two teams who have or have had with that title invisible third team in Spain behind Real Madrid and Barcelona unattainable. Apart from the two giants are those with larger budgets and greater gain in the television distribution, and an important social mass of followers, however, only endorses Valencia with this condition results. Let's see which teams have taken turns that honorable third place in the Spanish league in the last two decades, where Deportivo Coruna and Sevilla also have much to say.

Although the Athletic Club has always been in first division, is the second team with more Cups and has won eight leagues, recovering two of them in the early eighties the League dominance of the hand of Clement, is Atletico Madrid who has traditionally had the title of third team in Spain. Nine leagues, the same number of drinks, some European titles and can often be seconded to the team that gave him the two giants such honor, especially in the seventies when he won three league titles, one of them and with Luis Aragones on the bench. In the eighties there were more alternate titles with Real Sociedad and Athletic Madrid but the club was still a regular at the top places.

In the late eighties and early nineties, Atletico still possessing that status with a runner-up in 1991 with Tomislav Ivic on the bench, plus the Copa del Rey title reissued the following year and a third in league Luis Aragones again with the bank. Futre was Atletico, Manolo and Schuster. However, the constant changes on the bench and the constant coming and going of players ended up with good results, while a team from the second stunned Spain and began to frequent the noble area of ​​the table even to discuss the title to the great: it was Deportivo Arsenio Iglesias. It would be unreasonable to say that in the nineties, based on the results, the third team in Spain was the Galician side.

The Athletic Súperdépor and Doublet

After a long journey in the silver category, Arsenio Iglesias, who had ascended to the club, Boronat replaced in the first season in the top to save the club from relegation. The following year, and with the signings of Mauro Silva and Bebeto, that marked an era, the club finished third surprising everyone. He was born on Superdépor. The following season, the penalty of Djukic, was about to lift the title against the Dream Team of Cruyff, ultimately finishing second, same as repeated the following year behind Valdano Madrid, winning that Cup final resumed King against Valencia. After three unforgettable years, the club would live another three years of transition with Toshack, Carlos Alberto Silva and Corral on the bench, but the Brazilian coach achieved third place in the season 96-97, with Rivaldo on the lawn of Riazor.

It was in those years when Atletico would claim his third club status with the conquest of Spain Doublet, winning the league after nineteen years. It was a season in which Radomir Antic, newcomer, got together a great team after a fourteenth place last year in which there were four coaches, including Maturana and Alfio Basile. Was a great year, but a year isolated even away from the idea of ​​a project. In the next three years succeeded the fifth, seventh and the thirteenth position, until in 2000 came the descent.

In the late nineties, two teams begin to claim the status of applicant: Valencia and Deportivo de Javier Irureta again. The Galician club started a new project with the technical Basque and new pillars on the stage of Arsenio as Naybet, Flávio and Djalminha. Depor's when he lived the prime of his history with the conquest of the title with the turn of the century. In addition, later managed two second and two third places, a Cup title (the Centenariazo) and good performances in Europe and the semifinals of Champions in 2004.

Players like Makaay, Tristan, Victor, Valeron and Luque signed his name in club history. Fran and Mauro Silva, surviving the first Superdépor, remained pillars of the team, especially the Brazilian. With the departure of Irureta and Caparros arrival in 2005, the club began another stage where financial constraints prevented him from continuing in the elite. Despite the successes for over ten years, financial resources were not up to traditional second group teams such as Atletico and Valencia, with greater mass society and tradition. Deportivo could not survive the aging (Naybet, Mauro Silva) and sale (Luque, Makaay) of the great stars, and the renewal did not bring another winning team.

Valencia will only discuss the title of third team. Success began at the Mestalla with Ranieri in the 98-99 season, with the conquest of the Cup title and fourth place in league. The arrival of Hector Cuper consolidated bases. In the two years of Argentine club won the league in third and fifth place, but mostly made history by reaching the finals two consecutive years in the Champions League, although after the first year players had been sold and Gerard, Farinós and Claudio Lopez. After the departure of Cuper to Inter Benitez came in a controversial decision, but Benitez responded to questions with the league championship, which was not achieved since 1971.

Two years later, in 2004, would achieve the double of League and Cup UEFA , When Benitez decided to leave Liverpool after three years at the Mestalla. They concluded then two stages of success for two great teams like Depor and Valencia Irureta Cuper and Benitez. However, Valencia remained in the upper area with Quique Flores after a bad year with Ranieri, who had replaced Rafa Benitez. Meanwhile, Atletico had returned from the second after two years of hell but again found no place in the nobility of the Spanish league with irregular periods. Then emerged two clubs with the ambition to be great: Sevilla and Villarreal Pellegrini.

Sevilla and Villarreal, two new alternatives

Sevilla, following up, consolidated in first hand Caparrós before it was to Riazor, coming to regard the club for UEFA . The best would be the two following years when, with Juande Ramos on the bench, got a fifth and a third in league, giving access to the Champions League and, above all, rose for two consecutive years Cup UEFA , And a Copa del Rey. After the controversial departure of Juande, Jimenez kept the team on top with a fifth and a third in league. Later, after the dismissal of Jimenez, Antonio Alvarez raised a Cup, but the best time in the history of Seville began to wane with the sale of the stars and staff turnover.

Despite the successes, Sevilla did not have the same economic capacity of Atletico and Valencia, but in the last five years had been one of the best teams in the league: between 2006 and 2011, the club Seville was 5 °, 3 °, May 1 º, 3 º, 4 º and 5 º, in addition to the aforementioned successes. A regularity that made him one of the greatest persecutors of Madrid and Barcelona. But not alone: ​​Villarreal Pellegrini, who spent five years at the club, achieved great results despite not winning a title. In its first year (04-05) was third, with 7 and 5 in the next two years to reach the runner-up in 2008 and was 5th in his last season before heading to the Bernabeu. To make matters worse, in their two Champions League semi-finals and reached a room on both occasions being defeated by Arsenal.

And Atletico and Valencia? Quique completed two seasons in which he was 3 and 4, with a Champions League quarter-and a deletion in the group stage the following year. The critics never got worse and was removed in 07-08, being replaced by Koeman in a chaotic year that nevertheless ended with the conquest of the Copa del Rey. Emery later came amid the economic crisis of the club with the waste of Juan Soler and his board in ruinous signings and building a new stadium. However, Emery has established the club, despite the ongoing sale of its best players, in third place in the Spanish league. However, the technician has not fallen off Guipuzcoa never criticism of the fans. Valencia are currently third in the history of the league and Atletico Athletic followed, but not forget that, until 1995, the victory was two points.

Regarding the club mattress, regained some regularity with the arrival of Javier Aguirre and reached fourth place in 2008, returning to the club at the continental showpiece. Following the dismissal of the Mexican came Abel Resino, who repeated fourth, but the next year was dismissed following a poor performance in the league and Champions. However, again this year securities with Calderon Quique's hand, making the Europa League and European Super Cup. An oasis in the desert red and white. The traditional third team of Spain fails to third place since 1992 with the sole exception of Doublet year despite having next to Valencia, with the third budget in the league and the best part, also next to the club che, television cast, ignoring of course the big two. Good players like Vieri, Aguero, Forlan, Falcao ... but a very poor balance sports club opportunities. For some time now Atletico Madrid ceased to be the third team in Spain.

The seat would fall to Valencia today, after having shared in the past five years with Sevilla. Valencia, with a significant debt has been reduced in recent years and the pending construction of the new stadium next to Atletico has the largest budget of the League of death, and both collect 42 million euros in the television distribution, more than Villarreal, 25, and Sevilla, 24. It is worthy of all the Valencian, because despite having to devote much of the income to alleviate the debt has continued to receive a very competitive team that finished third in the last two leagues. Meanwhile, Sevilla, with lesser means, is struggling to maintain the privileged place in recent years, in which the sale of players and the eye of the technical secretariat on signings kept the club at the top, but it is frankly difficult to maintain that level of success.

Atletico, Deportivo, Valencia and Seville, with Villarreal as a guest any, are the teams that took turns honorary third place in the Spanish league in the last twenty years, which has the firm intention of aiming the Malaga of petrodollars. Atletico and Valencia are now facing in the Europa League as two years ago, and it seems that sporadic exceptions Cuper as Valencia, Irureta Depor or Villarreal Pellegrini, only Madrid and Barcelona are able to do something important in the continental showpiece. Keep an elite team requires a great economic effort that few can afford, and now it seems more difficult than ever to see another champion in the league, even a runner other than white and Catalans. Although it is difficult, at least in the short term, hopefully soon again be a league with more diversity in the top places.