EURO BITES: Celta march on while alarm bells begin to ring at Valencia and Sevilla

The Winners

Celta claim another scalp, this time at the Sanchez Pizjuan

Another week goes by and Celta rack up yet another impressive performance, this time away at one of the toughest home sides in La Liga. A lot of people keep predicting that the bubble will burst for the team in northwest Vigo but this group of players have other ideas.

They finished last season as the form side and have picked up right where they left off but arguably turned in their best performance to date at the San Pizjuan on Sunday morning. They blew Sevilla away in a frantic opening 45 minute period, showing no fear as they carved open their more illustrious opponents with consummate ease time and time again.

The opening goal came through man of the moment Nolito, who was afforded the time and space to come inside and unleash a rasping shot that squeezed inside Sergio Rico’s near post. Mariano was making his first start for Sevilla but should have known how deadly Nolito can be when he’s allowed to cut inside onto his favoured right foot.

Just over 10 minutes later and Celta doubled their lead, this time through the equally impressive Wass. Nolito played a cross field pass to the onrushing Hugo Mallo, who got a little lucky with a deflection but then did extremely well to poke it back into the path of Wass who beautifully stroked it home into the far corner.

Sevilla improved after the break but the Celta backline stood firm and despite an early setback when Fernando Llorente scored, it absorbed everything else Sevilla had to throw at them. The likes of Augusto Fernandez showed another facet to this well-drilled Celta side. The attacking threat it carries is one thing but, the Las Palmas result aside; it’s got a defensive steel about it as well. Everyone works hard to get back into position when not in possession and they needed to remain focused as the home side gathered momentum.

Celta host Barcelona on Wednesday and the Catalan giants won’t be looking forward to making the trip. It’s a huge test for Eduardo Berizzo’s men and one they’ll approach like all the rest, without any fear and as a chance to prove they deserve to be up there with the big boys.

First victories for Sporting Gijon, Getafe and Rayo

This weekend brought rest bite for three sides that have struggled early on this season, catapulting them away from the bottom of the table.

Getafe held the title of the worst side in La Liga after losing all three of their opening fixtures but they bounced back against another struggling team in Malaga on Friday night. It wasn’t a pretty game by any stretch of the imagination as both sides showed why they were at the wrong end of the table with a lack of confidence evident throughout. The only goal of the game came after two minutes when Victor Rodriguez crossed for Serbian forward Stefan Scepovic to power home a header from 8 yards. Chances were at a premium for either side and Malaga weren’t helped as Amrabat failed to appear for the second half are complaining of discomfort at the break.

Sporting Gijon have formed quite the reputation as a solid defensive outlet early on this season but their lack of goals was a concern. Thankfully for Gijon, Deportivo were on hand to basically gift them three at the weekend although Barcelona’s on-loan midfielder Alen Halilovic played a key part. The first two goals were almost identical as they both came from a cross by right-back Lora and were headed in by Sanabria. The second of which was only made possible as Halilovic chased down a lost cause to keep the ball in play before beautifully backheeling it into Lora’s path and his cross was met by the unmarked striker to head home the second.

Depor were sparked into life after that and took control of the game, getting back one back through Juanfran as he flicked on a corner. Luis Alberto, one of the star players of the league early on, raised the roof at the Riazor stadium as he brought the home side level with just 27 minutes on the clock. But it was perhaps that buoyant enthusiasm which shot Depor in the foot as a sweeping Sporting counter resulted in Menendez placing a shot past Lux and restoring Gijon’s lead.

The second half was a chance for Sporting to demonstrate their defensive prowess as they kept a relentless Deportivo side at bay and hold on to a precious first 3 points of the season.

Rayo were another side that had started the season poorly, with many beginning to question whether Paco Jemez was capable of working his magic and keeping Rayo in La Liga for another year. A win away at Las Palmas will have done them the world of good. Despite having to weather the storm for most of the game, they showed grit and determination to hold onto a valuable victory.

Las Palmas will be frustrated with themselves, especially after their impressive display last time out away at Celta. They dominated large periods of the game but Javi Guerra’s goal was a sucker punch they failed to recover from. One thing they might need to try and sort out is the state of their pitch. For a team which loves to play nice, flowing football they aren’t helped by a substandard playing service.

Villarreal keep firing despite losing their two main strikers

Villarreal hosted a much-changed Athletic Club side this weekend in their biggest test to date but showed no signs of slowing down as they expertly dispatched of their opponents, this despite losing Bakambu and Soldado after the first 45 minutes.

A Bruno penalty got them going before Mario Gaspar produced one of the goals of the season in the second half to double their lead. Adrian and Leo Baptistao, Soldado and Bakambu’s replacements, linked up well as Leo put the game beyond doubt with a tidy finish. There was still time for Aduriz to come off the bench and grab a late, trademark header but that was all she wrote as Villarreal maintain their unbeaten start to the season and sit equal second in the table.

Honorable mentions: Granada - their performance at the Bernabeu was sensational, despite falling to defeat. Betis - their 10-men held off non-stop Valencia attacks. Bartra - while Messi took the headlines the young Spaniard produced one of his best performances in a Barcelona shirt.

The Losers

Sevilla slip to last place in La Liga

It’s been a very disappointing start to the season for Unai Emery’s charges and their loss at home to Celta, coupled with Rayo’s victory, meant they finished the weekend in last place. It’s hard to pinpoint what has gone wrong for Emery and co. but their performance in the first half against Celta was as abject as anything else we’ve seen from them so far.

Many of last season’s stars have underperformed and while N’Zonzi and Krychowiak offer protection they offer little in terms of creativity. Ever Banega came into the side for that very reason but it was a car crash performance from the Argentinian and the side looked much better when Llorente replaced him.

Emery must also start to show a bit more faith in Konoplyanka and have the Ukrainian winger replace club captain Jose Antonio Reyes in the starting XI. The tricky winger offers a much greater attacking threat than Reyes and, after scoring midweek against Borussia MG, deserves an extended run to prove his worth.

There are injury concerns at the back for Sevilla and that hasn’t helped, but some of the mistakes they are committing are schoolboy stuff. It’s imperative they start getting more points on the board in the league before the tougher Champions League fixtures kick in. First real test for Unai at Sevilla – time to see those famous man management skills of his.

Malaga continue to struggle

Malaga are in real, real trouble this season. The fans are already on the chairman’s back after they failed to score for the fourth week running and the upcoming fixture list doesn’t do them any favours at all - Villarreal and Real Madrid the next two.

It’s been a very tough start for Malaga, arguably the toughest one in La Liga on paper, so there needs to be a little bit of caution when it comes to their position but the lack of goals is a serious concern. It’s plain to see confidence is running low and the chairman has already taken to Twitter in defence of his love for the club despite sections of the crowd getting on his back and asking him to leave. He responded by saying, “I put €290m into this club and I haven’t taken €1 back from it. I love the club more than anyone else.” It might get a lot worse before it gets better.

David Moyes finding it tough at Real Sociedad

Another man coming under increasing pressure is David Moyes. His Real Sociedad are one of five sides yet to record a victory this season and with rumours of dressing room discontent, it’s a major test for Moyes to get this side up and running.

Sociedad actually played quite well at the weekend against Espanyol but the game turned on its head once Sociedad goalkeeper Rulli was sent off. Leading at the time and cruising, it damped the mood inside the Anoeta stadium just before the break. It didn’t get much better as Enzo Roco produced a wonderful header beyond the reach of Oier who was perhaps guilty of reacting a little late. Jonathas finally got off the mark for Real, given the time to bring the ball down before powering the ball home for his first - but certainly not last - of the season. It counted for nothing though as Real failed to clear a corner in the 90th minute and Hernan Perez was on hand as the back post to head home a vital goal, although again, Oier should be doing better.

Carlos Vela has already talked up the possibility of leaving the club in January, mentioning the fact he considered leaving in the summer as well. The radical change in training methods from the previous regime has rubbed some players the wrong way and the poor results only encourage them to leak things to the local press. It’s a huge moment for Moyes’ time in Spain. He couldn’t have asked for a better fixture than Granada next up but anything less than three points and the questions will continue to be asked.

Some Valencia fans turn on Nuno

Big things were expected from Valencia this season after qualifying for the Champions League, then spending over €100m in the summer but it hasn’t quite worked out that way. Many thought they’d overawe a Real Betis side which has struggled on its travels but despite playing against 10 men for practically the entire second half they couldn’t find the breakthrough.

Nuno is at a point where he can do no right in the eyes of some fans. He was caught up in the apparent boardroom struggle for power which saw fan favourites Salvo and Rufete leave while Jorge Mendes and Nuno were seen as the victors. I think there is an agenda at play here as there is at many clubs in Spain- the local media carry a lot of weight with fans who are easily swayed by their articles. It’s no coincidence to me that the same said publications are the ones which enjoyed a close relationship with ex-president Salvo.

The calls for Nuno to leave can’t be placed purely at the feet of the media though. His insistence on including Rodrigo Moreno mirrors that of Erik Lamela’s situation at Spurs where a clearly talented player can’t quite find his place in a rigid set-up. Both Tottenham and Valencia employ a variation of 4-2-3-1 and neither side shines when it comes to creativity. Inverted wingers need to carry a goal threat and if not, at least have the pace to get in behind the fullback. Feghouli has started the season well but his contract is up next summer and talks appear to be at an impasse. It’d be a disaster to lose him on a free.

Then there’s young Bakkali who, like Feghouli, loves to cut inside but is also able to get past his man and cross. He provided a wonderful cross for Alcacer to score Valencia’s winner last week against Gijon but wasn’t even included in Valencia’s Champions League squad amidst rumours he’ll be loaned out in January.

Nuno’s position is secure at Valencia but results saved him from a lot of flack last season for his rumoured off-the-field influence, but if they dry up now he’s a sitting duck and that isn’t good for Nuno nor Valencia’s long-term future.

Honorable mentions: Ever Banega - his performance against Celta was lamentable, lucky to survive 45 minutes. Rulli - the Sociedad keeper’s sending off cost his side three points. Valverde - left Raul Garcia and Aduriz out of the starting XI and paid for it with another loss. The Las Palmas pitch - not good enough for a top tier side to play on.