Perennial duopolous title contenders Barcelona and Real Madrid both kicked off with victories in the season opener last weekend in La Liga.

Reigning champions Barca battered hopeless Levante 7-0, while Madrid overcame a spirited Real Betis side with a late winner from Isco.

However, the 2013/2014 season offers plenty of intriguing, novel elements to the Clasico rivalry, starting with the arrival of two new managers in the form of Tata Martino and Carlo Ancelotti.

Martino’s appointment at the Nou Camp in place of Tito Vilanova, who was forced to resign through illness, will not change a great deal.

The experienced Argentine is an open admirer of the Catalan club’s tiki-taka methods, and is focusing his training-ground efforts on restoring the team’s ability to pressurise opponents deep inside their half and therefore gain possession as close to goal as possible.

Ancelotti’s tactical impact at Madrid will be far greater. Under predecessor Jose Mourinho, the Bernabeu side adopted a counter-attacking style based on organisation, pace and power.

It was never a particularly popular approach with a demanding set of supporters who are used to a greater degree of flair and flamboyance and Ancelotti has already spoken of his desire to instil a more exciting brand of football.

Perhaps more exhilarating than the identity of the managers, however, is the fact that both squads contain a number of promising young players who are aiming to freshen up the Clasico rivalry by making their mark at senior level.

The most high-profile example is at Barcelona, where Brazilian boy wonder Neymar has arrived from Santos to a great fanfare as he attempts to lessen the burden carried by Lionel Messi both on the pitch by distracting opposition defenders and off it with his ability to act as the face of the club’s ambitious marketing strategy.

But Neymar will not be allowed to think for one second that hecan come anywhere close to matching Messi in terms of star billing.

Perhaps his greatest challenge even bigger than adapting to his new team’s playing methods or the faster pace of the European game is his need to strike the right balance between serving his continental cohort and finding room for self- expression.

Understandably, Barcelona’s strategy is arbitrarily based on getting the best out of Messi.

They believe he is the best player in history and therefore everything they do is directed at maximising his opportunities to score goals and win matches. For all his undoubted individual ability,

Neymar will have to fit into that line of thinking and accept a support role. As you would expect from a club boasting such a rich recent history of developing its own players, Neymar isn’t the only talented youngster hoping to make an impact, with a batch of homegrown talent on the cusp of becoming key performers for Martino’s side.

For starters, Neymar is likely to .....Read more http://allsoccerplanet.com/new-faces-to-spice-up-el-clasico-rivalry-in-20132014-la-liga-season/