Thiago is the real deal, Fabio Coentrao is Mourinho's utility man - what we learned from Barcelona and Real Madrid's preseason campaigns

Barcelona and Real Madrid are back in Spain and ready for more serious matters. The two Spanish giants have traveled far and wide this summer as they prepare for the coming season. Jose Mourinho's men played in the US, China, England and Germany, while Pep Guardiola's side took in Croatia, Germany and the United States. "We used to have preseason; now we have tours," the Barca coach commented.

But those tours are now over and the two sides have returned to their respective bases to prepare for Sunday's Supercopa clash at the Santiago Bernabeu as the season kicks off with a much-anticpated Clasico, with a second hot on the heels at Camp Nou three days later.

So what can be expected from the big two in 2011-12? Below, Goal.com takes a look at the lessons that can be learned from the two sides' respective preseason campaigns.

Thiago is ready to step up - even if Cesc arrives

Impressive against Internacional and imperious versus Bayern Munich, Thiago Alcantara showed exactly why so many clubs are chasing him this summer - and just why Barcelona won't be letting him leave any time soon. Thiago scored three of his side's four goals in the Audi Cup, including a stunning second against the hosts to firmly stake a claim for a first-team place next term - whether or not Cesc Fabregas arrives.

Thiago also netted a fine strike in his side's 2-1 defeat against Manchester United and continues to enjoy a superb summer, having been instrumental in Spain's win in the Under-21 European Championship before signing a new, long-term deal with the Catalan club. Thiago is easily Barca's biggest success story in a preseason campaign which has left a few doubts along the way. One of them is this: why do the Catalans need Fabregas when they already have Thiago?

Benzema proves 'cats' can make excellent hunters

When Gonzalo Higuain was sidelined last season, Mourinho appeared reluctant to use Karim Benzema. "If I can't hunt with a dog, I will hunt with a cat," the Portuguese said. "With a dog you hunt more and you hunt better, but if you have not got a dog and you have a cat, you hunt with the cat."

That came after Kaka's condescending assessment that Benzema could 'do rather more' and Mourinho had agreed. But given the chance to hunt and buoyed by Mourinho's motivational mantras, Benzema purred for the rest of the campaign.

The Frenchman hit 26 goals in all last term and has continued in that same vein in preseason, finishing as the club's top scorer with eight in total. Two goals against Tianjin Teda, Guangzhou and Hertha Berlin, and single strikes versus LA Galaxy and Leicester have seen him earn praise from Mourinho and should be enough to see Benzema beat off competition from Higuain - and any new prospective striker - for the starting spot up front this season.

Barcelona aren't invincible after all
While Madrid won all of its preseason games, Barca's record was less impressive. The Catalan club may boast the best side in world football and a host of trophies to prove it in the last three seasons, but fans will nevertheless be concerned at how the team folded in the 4-1 defeat to Chivas in Miami.

A goal up and looking comfortable in that match, Barca was pegged back by two stunning strikes from Chivas' midfield maestro Marco Fabian and conceded two more late on after Guardiola had made changes.

While not too much can be read into meaningless preseason fixtures far away from home and playing with experimental sides, a 4-1 loss still hurts and it will offer hope to Barca's future rivals as they sense the Catalans may not be invincible after all. Defeat to Manchester United, plus unconvincing draws against Hajduk Spilt and Internacional, will only reinforce that belief.

Mourinho and Ronaldo remain ultra-competitive

While Guardiola chose to send out young and experimental teams on tour, Mourinho opted to field strong sides in all of Madrid's matches.

It may only have been preseason, but Mourinho showed he remains ultra-competitive as he set out to win all seven games, building morale, confidence and a winning mentality ahead of the coming campaign.

And nobody represented his compatriot's ethic more than Cristiano Ronaldo. The Portugal forward once again demonstrated his insatiable appetite for goals, scoring seven in all, one less than teammate Benzema, including a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Chivas and a stunning free-kick against Hertha Berlin. Together, Mourinho and Ronaldo will lead Madrid's quest for trophies in the coming campaign - and there will be no let-up for smaller sides along the way.

With Carles Puyol out, Guardiola still needs a central defender

Barcelona have signed just one player so far this summer and if Guardiola is to be believed, only one more is likely to arrive before the transfer window closes later this month.

Barca's much-publicized pursuit of Cesc Fabregas goes on, with Guardiola claiming the Arsenal captain is his only transfer target after wrapping up a deal to bring in Chile winger Alexis Sanchez from Udinese.

With Thiago emerging, competition for places in midfield will be fierce at Camp Nou, but Guardiola has insisted Cesc will be needed and has pointed to possible injuries as well as his side's six competitions in the new season.

Surely, however, the same argument is even more relevant to the defense. Captain Carles Puyol missed half of last season with a serious knee injury and is yet to reappear since undergoing an operation after his side's Champions League victory over Manchester United in late May, while Eric Abidal's fitness is still in question following a liver tumor last term.

With Gabi Milito returning to Independiente, Barca is desperately short in central defense. An injury to Gerard Pique as well would leave Guardiola without a recognized center-back and the Barca coach may have to count on Javier Mascherano and Sergio Busquets to fill in once again, as they did last term. Such a situation could be avoided.

Coentrao is the world's most expensive utility player

When Madrid signed Fabio Coentrao for an elevated fee of €30 million earlier this summer, eyebrows were raised. The Portuguese had played as a left-back at Benfica and Mourinho appeared to boast one of the best in the business in that position: Marcelo.

Spending so much money on a player to compete with one of the best footballers currently in the squad seemed illogical, but preseason showed that Mourinho has different plans for his countryman.

Coentrao's role on tour saw him play in a number of positions for his new side, but never at left-back. The Portuguese began as a left winger, often switching to the right and even starting a couple of games as a central midfielder. He will be Mourinho's jack of all trades; a joker in the pack for 2011-12.

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