EURO BITES: Barca win ‘half the league’, Cristiano > Espanyol & Negredo costs Valencia dear

Barcelona’s win “half the league” after heated showdown with Atletico

Some were calling this a ‘La Liga decider’ already or, to be more accurate, that if Barcelona won then the title race was over. Barcelona went into the match level on points with Atletico Madrid but crucially with a game in hand. Under Luis Enrique the team perhaps isn’t as easy on the eye as Pep Guardiola’s one, but they’re perhaps even more efficient.

Efficient is also a good word to describe Diego Simeone’s latest creation at Atletico. A stingy defence that had conceded just eight goals prior to this match has been the foundation on which their league position was built on. Cracks were beginning to show in their midweek loss to Celta, conceding three, but they were pretty solid at the Camp Nou for the most part.

The match itself was probably the clearest example of why Barcelona will be crowned champions at the end of the season while Atletico are not quite ready to topple them. An electric opening 20 minutes was capped by Koke bundling the ball home after fantastic work down the right from Saul Ñiguez. Barcelona were rattled and found themselves outplayed, having to resort to fouls in order to quell the attacks.

Barcelona grew into the game and the tables were turned after Jordi Alba found Lionel Messi who subsequently found the back of the net. Less than ten minutes later Dani Alves lofted a ball over the top, splitting the two centre halves and Luis Suarez’s powerful strike beat Jan Oblak at his near post.

Atletico’s physical style often borders on competitiveness and plain nasty, usually falling into the category of the former, but Filipe Luis’ challenge on Messi was disgraceful. The two had exchanged fouls earlier but that was no excuse for the knee-high, studs-first assault the Brazilian fullback inflicted on the Argentine. As easy a red card as you’ll see in football and one that made a difficult task become a near impossible one.

To most people’s surprise, Barcelona were pegged back at the start of the second half as 10-man Atletico pushed for an equaliser. The best chance fell to Antoine Griezmann, 5 yards out, but the trailing foot of Claudio Bravo kept out his fine strike. Yet once again, it was a self-inflicted wound which did the most damage with just over an hour gone. Diego Godin, booked in the first half for a late challenge on fellow Uruguayan Suarez, took the forward out again and received his marching orders.

Barcelona saw out the tie, perhaps not as convincingly as some fans might’ve hoped, and won “half the league”. There are positives to be taken from both sides’ performances but ultimately the only stat that matters is the scoreline. Barcelona completed the double over Simeone’s men despite not playing great in either match which is exactly what champions do.

Sevilla’s form at the Sanchez Pizjuan keeps them in Champions League hunt

There must be something in the water down in Sevilla as the team powered to its 10th consecutive home victory, disposing of Levante 3-1 at the weekend. In a season which started with two disappointing losses in front of their home faithful, it’s a remarkable turnaround and one that sees them finally end a gameweek in the European places.

Of course, their strength at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium shouldn’t come as too great of a surprise as they went 13 months unbeaten there just last season. Sevilla’s home form doesn’t stretch to only La Liga either as they’ve won 14 of their last 15 in all competitions – the sole loss coming against Manchester City in the Champions League.

In fact, in the 47 matches Sevilla have played at home since the start of the 2014/15 season their record reads like so: 38 victories, 5 draws and just 4 defeats. It’s a highly impressive return for a side that has to deal with losing so many key players year on year but finds a way to remain competitive.

Ever Banega missed the game through injury although his future is about as clear as a kaleidoscope while Yehven Konoplyanka is staking a claim for a starting spot after another impressive cameo from the bench, scoring 12 minutes after coming on. Kevin Gameiro is proving to be an able replacement for Carlos Bacca, the same of which can’t be said of the disappointing Fernando Llorente.

If only Sevilla could replicate some of their home form whilst on their travels, they might even trouble those at the very top of La Liga.

Cristiano’s vintage display the biggest plus point for Real Madrid

It’s strange to say that despite scoring 16 goals before Madrid’s match against Espanyol it’s been a disappointing season for Cristiano Ronaldo. He hasn’t looked particularly happy out on the pitch and in the biggest matches, where he is expected to take the lead, the Portuguese legend has gone missing. There were rumours of a bust-up with former coach Rafa Benitez as well as thinly veiled attacks at club president Florentino Perez.

As is often the case in Spanish football, one man’s misery is another man’s fortune. The Catalan press are often quick to point out that 12 of Cristiano’s now 19 goals have come against Espanyol (8), Rayo (2) and Real Sociedad (2). He also scored against surprise packages Eibar and Levante but failed to do so against Athletic Club, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Barcelona, Villarreal, Valencia and Deportivo. Not good enough for a man of his high standards.

Yet I think we’re beginning to see a change in style from Cristiano, initially against Valencia in Benitez’s last game as head coach but one that’s continued under Zinedine Zidane. There’s a more human side to his game now and perhaps, in part due to him having broken all the individual accolades at the club, a more team-first approach. People have forgotten how great of a winger he was – and still is – and that’s benefited the likes of Karim Benzema and Bale alongside him.

No one is going to get carried away based on his performance(s) against Espanyol, who were frankly pathetic, and proclaim, “Cristiano is back!” due to his beautiful second goal. Nor do I believe his overall performance was a signal to Zidane that he should be given a free role even once Bale is available again. This is a Ronaldo that reminds me of the one we saw at Manchester United. It could still be the final act of Cristiano’s tenure at Madrid but he’ll want to bow out with a trophy, and to do that he’ll need to put himself second and the team first.

Honourable mentions: Real Sociedad – crucial victory against rivals Betis. Much needed boost for Eusebio. Malaga – just two losses in their last ten matches. En racha. Antonio Sanabria – 10 goals already this season which is a fantastic return for a 19-year-old. Iñaki Williams – if Aduriz has an off day, Athletic know who they can turn to.

THE LOSERS

Espanyol’s horror show leaves them just one point above the drop zone

The conspiracy theorists out there will tell you this result was as predictable as Pep Guardiola taking over at Manchester City next season. “Espanyol never show up against Real Madrid and always roll over, just to irritate Barcelona fans.” My favourite is the idea they’d show the same level of commitment and enthusiasm against Madrid as they would Barcelona, failing to realise that teams always put it a level in local derbies.

However their non-performance against Real Madrid has nothing to do with rolling over but a growing indication of how poor they are. I doubt many Espanyol fans are feeling overjoyed this morning as they sit just one point above the drop zone. They changed their coach but that’s changed very little in terms of results.

Espanyol have lost 6 of their last 10 fixtures in La Liga, drawn 3 and won just one. Make no mistake about it, that’s relegation form. It’s hard to see where they are going to improve either. The sides below them have picked up wins in recent weeks while they appear to be going backwards. Real Sociedad are the visitors next week and another performance like the one against Madrid will set the alarm bells well and truly ringing.

Celta Vigo’s slide without Nolito continues in the league

I feel bad for putting Celta in this section week after week but they keep making it impossible to ignore them. They made the trip across the Balearic Sea to face a Las Palmas side that had put La Liga survival ahead of a Copa del Rey run midweek. The Canaries fielded a weakened side against Valencia which was in stark contrast to Celta who picked their main XI to overcome Atletico Madrid at El Calderon. And while the Cup run might be something to saviour, Celta’s form in the league continues to be a worry.

The absence of Nolito is plain to see. The influential wide man has been out since Christmas and the team have lost five of the six matches without him in that time. Augusto Fernandez helped keep the opposition out but Nolito was the one to unlock defences and in those five losses they have only scored once – yesterday, against Las Palmas.

Theo Bongonda scored that solitary goal and it was one that Nolito himself would’ve been proud of. An early goal to settle the nerves and give them a strong foothold in the game soon fizzled out as Las Palmas responded well, Jonathan Viera coolly slotting home a penalty after Gustavo Cabral handled in the area. Willian Jose then popped up in the final minute to toe poke the ball past Sergio Alvarez and move Las Palmas out of the relegation zone.

Celta started the year dreaming of Champions League football but now have a fight on their hands to even get a Europa League place.

Alvaro Negredo is at the point of no return

Another week passes and with it another poor result for Valencia. Gary Neville can’t seem to find the right combination to get his underperforming side to turn their form around. After disposing of Las Palmas in the Copa del Rey it was the perfect time to register his first La Liga win and he probably would have done it – if Negredo could stop squandering easy chances.

Talking with a few Valencia fans yesterday after the loss, most acknowledged that the side played much better but there remains concern about how long this poor run of form is lasting. The defeat to a valiant Sporting Gijon side brought an end to a 14 month unbeaten run at the Mestalla, one of the few positives to take from this season. Fans are understandably angry but aren’t calling for Gary’s head - not yet at least.

Some could say the turning point for Nuno Espirito Santos was the defeat away to Athletic Club. Los Che started the game really well and at the start of the second half had a chance to take the lead for the second time in the match but Negredo dribbled around the keeper before missing the target. Athletic would soon equalise and eventually go on to win 3-1.

Negredo was also the culprit against Real Madrid as he missed a golden chance one-on-one in the final minute. That was nothing compared to the horror show against Sporting though. He had three really good, ‘easy’ chances to score but fluffed every single one of them. Jose Luis Gaya and Zakaria Bakkali found him time and time again but the Spaniard striker couldn’t take advantage, even missing an open goal to compound his misery.

Gary Neville has been a loyal supporter of Negredo during his short time at the club but that faith hasn’t been repaid. He spoke to the media afterwards which shows his strength of character, holding his hands up and acknowledging he must do better. That’s all well and good but the damage has already been done.

Honourable mentions: Real Betis - they can’t afford to start losing away, considering their home form is even worse. Getafe - struggled without Pablo Sarabia against Athletic Club. Filipe Luis - terrible, dangerous and unnecessary tackle on Messi. Eibar - missed a good chance to pull away from Celta with a surprise home loss to Malaga.