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Managing Madrid Writing Staff Predictions: La Liga 2012-13

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Now that the Liga is underway, I decided to poll all of our writers and editors here at MM and coerce them into sticking their necks out on predictions for this exciting season of soccer we have ahead of us. Feel free to leave your own thoughts and predictions in the comments section, and, of course, to mock us relentlessly when we're hilariously wrong at the end of the year.

I asked them to predict the following metrics for this season:

1. The top six teams in the La Liga table at the end of the season, in order

2. The three teams that will be relegated at the end of the season, in order

3. The winners of the Copa del Rey

4. The winners of the UEFA Champions League

5. The winners of the UEFA Europa League

6. The winner of the Ballon d'Or

7. The winner of the Pichichi award for top scorer in Spain

8. The winner of the Zamora Trophy for the goalkeeper with the best goals per game statistic

9. The player of the season

10. The young player of the season (under 21)

11. The manager of the season

12. The first manager to be fired in Spain

13. The best signing of the season in Spain

14. The worst signing of the season in Spain

Gabe Lezra

Top Six: 1. Barcelona; 2. Real Madrid; 3. Valencia; 4. Atlético Madrid; 5. Osasuna; 6. Sevilla

Relegation Zone: 18. Granada; 19. Celta; 20. Zaragoza

Copa del Rey: Real Madrid

Champions League: Real Madrid

Europa League: Napoli

Ballon d'Or: Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

Pichichi: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Zamora: Victor Valdés (Barcelona)

Player of the season: Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Young player of the season: Iker Muniain (Athletic Bilbao)

Manager of the season: José Mourinho (Real Madrid)

First manager to be fired: Manolo Jimenez (Zaragoza)

Best signing: Santi Cazorla (Arsenal) [not strictly within the rules, but I'll allow it. -Ed.]

Worst signing: Alex Song (Barcelona)

Josh Zeitlin

Top Six: 1. Real Madrid; 2. Barcelona; 3. Valencia; 4. Atlético Madrid; 5. Athletic Bilbao; 6. Levante

Relegation Zone: 18. Rayo Vallecano; 19. Granada; 20. Celta

Copa del Rey: Barcelona

Champions League: Real Madrid

Europa League: Tottenham Hotspur

Ballon d'Or: Cristiano Ronaldo

Pichichi: Cristiano Ronaldo

Zamora: Victor Valdés

Player of the season: Cristiano Ronaldo

Young player of the season: Iker Muniain

Manager of the season: José Mourinho

First manager to be fired: Manuel Pellegrini (Málaga)

Best signing: Jordi Alba (Barcelona)

Worst signing: Alex Song

Lucas Navarrete

Top Six: 1. Barcelona; 2. Real Madrid; 3. Atlético Madrid; 4. Valencia; 5. Sevilla; 6. Espanyol

Relegation Zone: 18. Real Betis; 19. Valladolid; 20. Granada

Copa del Rey: Barcelona

Champions League: Real Madrid

Europa League: Napoli

Ballon d'Or: Lionel Messi

Pichichi: Lionel Messi

Zamora: Victor Valdés

Player of the season: Cristiano Ronaldo

Young player of the season: Iker Muniain

Manager of the season: Diego Simeone (Atlético Madrid)

First manager to be fired: Marcelo Bielsa (Athletic Bilbao)

Best signing: Andrés Guardado (Valencia)

Worst signing: Jordi Alba

Dennis J. Seese

Top Six: 1. Real Madrid; 2. Barcelona; 3. Atlético Madrid; 4. Valencia; 5. Mallorca; 6. Athletic Bilbao

Relegation Zone: 18. Rayo Vallecano; 19. Celta; 20. Valladolid

Copa del Rey: Barcelona

Champions League: Real Madrid

Europa League: Newcastle United

Ballon d'Or: Cristiano Ronaldo

Pichichi: Lionel Messi

Zamora: Iker Casillas

Player of the season: Mesut Özil (Real Madrid)

Young player of the season: Iker Muniain

Manager of the season: José Mourinho

First manager to be fired: Manuel Pellegrini

Best signing: Jordi Alba

Worst signing: Wakaso (Espanyol)

Kousha Azimi

Top Six: 1. Real Madrid; 2. Barcelona; 3. Valencia; 4. Athletic Bilbao; 5. Málaga; 6. Atlético Madrid

Relegation Zone: 18. Granada; 19. Zaragoza; 20. Celta

Copa del Rey: Barcelona

Champions League: Real Madrid

Europa League: Atlético Madrid

Ballon d'Or: Cristiano Ronaldo

Pichichi: Lionel Messi

Zamora: Victor Valdés

Player of the season: Lionel Messi

Young player of the season: Álvaro Morata (Real Madrid)

Manager of the season: José Mourinho

First manager to be fired: Mauricio Pellegrino (Valencia)

Best signing: Jordi Alba

Worst signing: Carlos Vela (Real Sociedad)

Jared Dublin

Top Six: 1. Real Madrid; 2. Barcelona; 3. Valencia; 4. Atlético Madrid; 5. Athletic Bilbao; 6. Málaga

Relegation Zone: 18. Real Betis; 19. Valladolid; 20. Celta

Copa del Rey: Barcelona

Champions League: Real Madrid

Europa League: Atlético Madrid

Ballon d'Or: Cristiano Ronaldo

Pichichi: Lionel Messi

Zamora: Victor Valdés

Player of the season: Cristiano Ronaldo

Young player of the season: Isco (Málaga)

Manager of the season: José Mourinho

First manager to be fired: Luis Garcia (Getafe)

Best signing: Andrés Guardado

Worst signing: Joan Capdevila (Espanyol)

Laila Ujayli

Top Six: 1. Real Madrid; 2. Barcelona; 3. Valencia; 4. Atlético Madrid; 5. Sevilla; 6. Athletic Bilbao

Relegation Zone: 18. Rayo Vallecano; 19. Valladolid; 20. Celta

Copa del Rey: Barcelona

Champions League: Real Madrid

Europa League: Napoli

Ballon d'Or: Lionel Messi

Pichichi: Lionel Messi

Zamora: Victor Valdés

Player of the season: Cristiano Ronaldo

Young player of the season: Iker Muniain

Manager of the season: José Mourinho

First manager to be fired: Manolo Jiménez (Zaragoza)

Best signing: João Pereira (Valencia)

Worst signing: Alex Song

Ireland26

Top Six: 1. Real Madrid; 2. Barcelona; 3. Valencia; 4. Deportivo La Coruña; 5. Athletic Bilbao; 6. Sevilla

Relegation Zone: 18. Rayo Vallecano; 19. Málaga; 20. Valladolid

Copa del Rey: Real Madrid

Champions League: Real Madrid

Europa League: Schalke

Ballon d'Or: Cristiano Ronaldo

Pichichi: Lionel Messi

Zamora: Victor Valdés

Player of the season: Ángel di María (Real Madrid)

Young player of the season: Fabrice Olinga (Málaga)

Manager of the season: José Mourinho

First manager to be fired: Diego Simeone

Best signing: Jordi Alba

Worst signing: Fernando Gago (Valencia)

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