SPAIN

Jose Mourinho's arrival at Real Madrid adds another dimension in their battle with Barcelona for the Primera Division crown. The Portuguese, who has moved to the Spanish capital from Inter Milan, got the better of Barca in the semi-finals of the Champions League last term as he guided the Nerazzurri to the treble. Mourinho will have to hit the ground running, with reputations counting for little among a Madrid hierarchy notoriously impatient with under-performing managers. How his defensive tactics will sit at a club accustomed to exciting attacking football remains to be seen. However, if Mourinho can bring the best out of the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Gonzalo Higuain then even the Catalans will be hard-pushed to stop Madrid from reclaiming the title. And if he cannot, then surely no-one can.

ITALY

Former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has the unenviable task of following in Mourinho's footsteps at Inter. Inter have won the last five Serie A titles so anything less than another league crown - something Benitez was unable to deliver in his six years on Merseyside - will be deemed a failure. Benitez is likely to have a fight on his hands to keep hold of the likes of marauding right-back Maicon, so some rebuilding may be necessary before the season gets under way. Inter's city rivals AC Milan also have a new coach at the helm, former Cagliari boss Massimiliano Allegri, but expect Claudio Ranieri's Roma, just pipped to the title last term, to again provide the sternest opposition.

GERMANY

Steve McClaren will aim to continue to rebuild his reputation in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg. Having transformed himself from England failure to title winner with FC Twente in Holland, he has been tasked with helping the Wolves, Bundesliga winners in 2008-09, challenge for honours again. His hopes of success in his debut season are likely to hinge largely on whether striker Edin Dzeko stays or, if not, how good a replacement can be found. But it will take an almighty effort to stop Bayern Munich, double winners and Champions League runners-up, from taking another league crown with a host of World Cup stars, like Bastian Schweinsteiger, Thomas Muller, Philipp Lahm and Arjen Robben in their ranks. Bayer Leverkusen's bid will be strengthened by the capture of Michael Ballack.

HOLLAND

Having prevented manager Martin Jol leaving to join to Fulham, Ajax look all but nailed on for their first Eredivisie crown since 2004. They may have missed out on the title to Twente last term by a point but they ended in the season in extraordinary goalscoring form. The Amsterdammers scored 106 goals in 34 league games, including 50 in the last 14, and finished the season with a remarkable goal difference of 86. Striker Luis Suarez will command a hefty transfer fee should he leave after impressing for Uruguay in the World Cup. It is hard to see Twente repeating their heroics from last season, while PSV Eindhoven still look a shadow of the force they once were.

FRANCE

Jean Tigana has succeeded new France boss Laurent Blanc at Bordeaux who will be aiming to reclaim the Ligue 1 title from Marseille. They faded to sixth last season as their Champions League campaign took its toll on their league form, meaning former Fulham boss Tigana will have no European distractions this term. OM, convincing champions in the end last season, will take some stopping, though, while Lyon - who want Bordeaux and France midfielder Yoann Gourcuff - Lille and Auxerre are bound to be in the mix.