Expert Premier League and La Liga predictions from Mark Langdon: Barca are back

The Premier League sack race market was decided before the end of August with 14-1 shot Scott Parker 'winning' and the chances are it won't be long before another top-flight manager will be sent packing.

Brendan Rodgers can't have long left at Leicester - he seems to have blamed everyone bar himself for the Foxes' slump - and his former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is having an absolute shocker at Aston Villa.

Whether Bournemouth, in the case of Parker, are any better off for going in a different direction remains to be seen, but it was wrong to criticise the club in the way he did.

You can only spend what you can afford and I would argue it is much more sensible to be cautious with the Premier League windfall rather than blowing the lot trying to gamble on safety.

Parker had to go the moment he disagreed with the club's desired direction of travel, and he might not have been the best person to keep them up in any case.

His Fulham team which meekly surrendered two seasons ago look a lot better in hindsight than perhaps they first appeared.

A team with Alphonse Areola in goal, Joachim Andersen at the back, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa in midfield, Ademola Lookman on the wing and Aleksandar Mitrovic up front should have done better than five wins and 28 points.

Bournemouth will probably get relegated either way, but at least the new manager will presumably be on the same page as the board and that is usually a better recipe for long-term sustainability.

Whether the Premier League parachute payment structure is correct is another matter and there is a strong argument that money should be spread more evenly across the EFL. But while it is in place, Bournemouth are being sensible.

There was nothing sensible about the way Barcelona mortgaged their future on potential success this season and it's a major issue with the short-term tenures of La Liga presidents.

Barca president Joan Laporta can try to become a more popular figure in the here and now, bringing in Robert Lewandowski et al, but at some stage the club will pay for loaning the family silver.

That won't be Laporta's problem, though. He is focused on the present and the arrivals of Lewandowski, Jules Kounde, Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and Raphinha makes them a serious side this term.

The betting markets might not have fully caught up with the potential of Xavi's squad - let's not forget they already had Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Gavi, Ansu Fati and Ousmane Dembele - and there is a fair opportunity to back Barca to shine at Sevilla this weekend.

Barca have already scored four in an impressive success away to Real Sociedad, while Sevilla have been hit hard by summer departures, including losing Kounde to Barca and his centre-back partner Diego Carlos to Aston Villa.

Sporting director Monchi is known for his transfer wizardry and yet even his magic may have run out to such an extent that a top-four finish could be a struggle.

Best bet

Barcelona to beat Sevilla8pm Saturday
1pt 4-5 general

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