Real Madrid will escape the searing heat of the capital for the relatively balmy air of Majorca tonight. But the locals of this holiday island will provide the warmest welcome. For Steve McManaman and Nicolas Anelka, this could truly be heaven or hell.

McManaman and the £23 million Anelka are caught up in the passions of the new Spanish season. True, the two imports from the Premiership will be well rewarded for their efforts. Yet Real's mission is formidable: to topple a brilliant Barcelona team being increasingly touted not only for a third successive Spanish title but also for the European crown.

So the heat is on. McManaman may be 27 and Anelka 20 but, for both, footballing life is only just beginning. Both are seasoned enough, though, not to read too much into their long Real contracts. Indeed, after the bitter stand-off with Arsenal, Anelka could be described as football's youngest cynic.

Spanish football is notoriously fickle: ask John Toshack, the coach who has just overseen the £50 million-plus spend on eight new players.

Pressure on the Welshman does not only stem from this peseta splurge. Real's king-sized debt, continuing boardroom backbiting and his conflict with the popular Dutch midfielder Clarence Seedorf all add to the tension.

Toshack knows the score: he was removed at Real not long after winning the championship in 1990 with a record number of goals, 107. In an interview on Sky Sports he said: "I might be here five minutes. I might be here five months. I might be here five years. After 21 years now without stopping I don't really worry too much about anything like that." McManaman, on a reputed £60,000 a week, knows he has to deliver at the highest level; for all the admiration of his talent he has frequently failed to do that for Liverpool and England.

He has arrived as the highest-profile Englishman to move on a Bosman transfer. That, as Seedorf chillingly pointed out, means nothing in Spain. "We all respect Steve, we know he has a great reputation, but when you move to an entirely different country you must start at zero again." The Englishman was signed before Toshack's return to Real in the spring whereas Anelka, sought by the Welshman "three or four months ago", was bought in by the coach. McManaman has played in a few friendly games without drawing eulogies from the critics; some point out that he will be the fifth-choice attacker out of five, with right-wing his only possible position.

McManaman is not intimidated. "It's going to be hard getting into the team," he concedes. "And if there are injuries and people aren't doing it, there are players equal enough to come in and do a good job." Injuries, however, are likely to ensure his debut at Real Mallorca tonight.

He knows that there are "huge expectations here, but that is OK because any top player should have huge expectations of themselves. No matter how long I stay or whatever happens, a lot of positive things will come out of it." Real can only hope that Anelka is as positive. Were Real brave to sign the Frenchman? "No," says Toshack. "I think people who have seen him here think we have something a little bit special." Anelka's immediate problem is his fitness. "He has gone some time without training and he needs time to get himself together," Toshack said when the Frenchman arrived.

Even when Anelka has settled in, the coach cannot rule out the possibility of this striker sometimes being the world's most expensive substitute. Reputations count for little. Toshack has carried out his threatened clearout of big names. Three of Real's "Ferrari Brigade" of last season have been sold - Davor Suker to Arsenal, following Predrag Mijatovic and Christian Panucci out of the Bernabeu stadium. The only survivor is Seedorf.

Things are getting better, says Toshack. "When I came here the situation was pretty desperate. Players weren't talking to the press and there was complete divorce between supporters and players. They won the European Cup (in 1998) and a lot of relaxation set in and a lot of problems arose." Now Spain and the Champions League beckon the new Real; tonight's opener will be a fierce test of their resolve and ability.