EURO BITES: LaLiga is anything but boring and uncompetitive
THE WINNERS
For an ‘uncompetitive’ league, LaLiga is pretty damn competitive
We’re not going to engage in the “Who has the best league in the world?” debate again but instead dispel the myth that only two teams exist in LaLiga and beyond those two, it isn’t really competitive or challenging. This weekend naturally saw the main focus of attention fall on El Clasico, between the said two biggest teams, but elsewhere the results were anything but predictable - and that’s because the strength in depth in Spain is stronger than ever this season.
Athletic Club were the only side out of the current top ten sides to walk away with three points over the weekend. Real Madrid drew with Barcelona, Sevilla lost to then-bottom Granada, Villarreal drew away to Leganes, Atletico Madrid couldn’t score past Espanyol at home so took a draw, Eibar lost to Athletic Club, Celta Vigo couldn’t beat 10-man Betis and Las Palmas could only draw away to Deportivo Alaves. Each game, on paper, looked like nailed on victories for the top sides with perhaps the exception of the faltering Las Palmas.
And perhaps due to this rise in competition, it’s even more impressive that Real Madrid remain unbeaten this season. They were ran close on more than one occasion, outplayed in a couple too. Barcelona have lost to Alaves and Celta Vigo and drawn their last three fixtures. It isn’t easy. Atletico Madrid, who have arguably had the most difficult fixtures to date (a lot of big sides away from home) couldn’t find a way past a resilient Espanyol at the weekend and drew against Alaves and Leganes early on in the season.
Winning LaLiga this year won’t be easy as everyone will drop points and that’s great for the future of the league.
A perfect weekend for Athletic Club
Away from El Clasico, Eibar’s trip to Bilbao was the only other clash between two sides in the current top ten - a Basque derby to boot! The visitors, managed by Jose Luis Mendilibar, have started another LaLiga season like a house on fire and raced into contention for the European places. While a team from a tiny town up north with just a 6,300 capacity stadium might be considered outsiders for a tilt in the Europa League, they’re high up in table purely on merit.
For Athletic Club the results against Eibar since they gained promotion have tended to be positive (2W, 1D, 1L). However this was supposed to be the toughest test yet and it was despite the 3-1 scoreline. Beñat’s sublime freekick just before half-time gave the hosts a slim advantage in a feisty opening 45 minutes. Athletic continued to be the stronger side in the second half and doubled their lead soon after through Iñaki Williams, who really needed a goal to settle his nerves, as he ran past his marker and finished at the near post. Shades of Gareth Bale’s goal against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final.
One thing you can’t do this season is expect teams to give up when the chips are down. Eibar responded with a goal through Sergi Enrich to make the last twenty minutes a nervy affair. Williams had another chance to finish the game off but couldn’t beat Asier Riesgo. Takashi Inui nearly forced an equaliser but he too was denied by the goalkeeper.
Williams came off to a standing ovation and was replaced by the latest academy starlet at Athletic, Asier Villalibre. It was the youngster’s debut and he duly provided the cross for Iker Muniain to score the decisive goal in the 90th minute to seal all the points for the home side. It’s worth remembering too that they were without Aritz Aduriz and Raul Garcia. A very impressive victory against a tough, tough opponent.
Victory at last for Granada!
After 13 matches without a win, a change in manager after six of those, it looked like Granada were finally going to end their stay in LaLiga at the end of the season. With no real substance to their play and an amazing ability to self-destruct, a visit from high-flying Sevilla was the last thing they needed. Or so we thought.
Truth be told, Sevilla have become an ‘easy’ fixture for the men from Granada. Last season they were one of only two sides to register a league double over the Europa League champions, those six points actually proving crucial in their battle to survive the drop - again. And maybe they feel they’ve got a jinx of sorts hanging over their more illustrious opponents because the home side dominated for large periods of this game too.
Sevilla are trying to banish ghosts of season’s past when it comes to their away form but this wasn’t the fixture to prove they’ve turned the corner. This wasn’t a rested side ahead of their crucial Champions League tie away to Lyon either, as everyone you’d expect started. However this was probably their worst performance of the season and should they lose in France midweek it might shed their relatively good start to the season in a different light.
Granada were superb and restlessly hounded their opponents at every opportunity. When they countered, they always looked like scoring. The first goal coming via two Premier League loanees as Jeremie Boga, from Chelsea, dazzled the defenders before cutting back for Andreas Pereira, from Manchester United, to sweep home. Granada sensed this could be their day and doubled their lead early into the second half when Sevilla switched off at a corner and Lomban prodded in the hosts’ second.
Sevilla scored another injury time goal but it wasn’t enough and the final whistle blew seconds after. Granada move off the bottom of the table.
Honourable mentions: Real Betis vs Celta - as good of a game as you’ll see anywhere this weekend. Awful defending but a joy for everyone who saw it. Sporting Gijon - they needed a win badly and did just that. Crucial they follow it up next week against Espanyol. Malaga - with just one loss in their last eight, Juande Ramos’ men are in great form.
THE LOSERS
One point from a possible nine for Villarreal
The Yellow Submarines have hit a little bump in the road and they can’t seem to overcome it at the moment. They’ve won just once in their last five matches, picking up three losses, and the latest result was a poor draw away to Leganes. It was a really strange performance from Villarreal as the match had the feeling of a preseason encounter more than a competitive fixture and it played out as you might expect, to a 0-0 draw.
Alexandre Pato and Nicola Sansone didn’t look like causing any type of damage in the final third and once Cedric Bakumbu regains full fitness, he’ll certainly replace one of those two. Not to mention Roberto Soldado who hopes to return to action after Christmas. The lack of cutting edge was really evident against Leganes and the loss of Samu Castillejo to injury further dents their ability to get in behind and create chances.
The fact all of those above them failed to earn three points represents another missed opportunity for Fran Escriba’s charges and while they remain in a strong position, fifth, they might come to rue these dropped points come the end of the season.
Problems continue at Valencia
Oh, Valencia. Six matches without a win and the fans remain divided but universally angry. It’s frustrating to watch but the fundamentals for a side to succeed, or at least be efficient, are still missing. A pathetic transfer window which left the club with no recognised striker, and the sale of their key defender to Arsenal, has meant there are major issues at both ends of the team.
It’s embarrassing to think Los Che haven’t recorded a clean sheet in LaLiga since April 2016. In fact it’s just one clean sheet in the last 12 months. Malaga’s opening goal was admittedly a world class finish but to concede first again is hardly the ideal way to begin matches, and less so when you have a forward line devoid of purpose and ideas.
The response from Valencia was admittedly good. Dani Parejo’s freekick was met by an unmarked Rodrigo Moreno and all was forgiven in the Mestalla. Ten minutes before half-time and Parejo again turned provider, his cross deflecting into the path of Alvaro Medran who made it 2-1 to the hosts. A half-time lead, the first Valencia has had all season.
Yet it was in the second half where it all went wrong. There was no ambition from the hosts to kill the game off despite Malaga’s ineptitude at the back gifting them chances to do just that. The decision to take off Parejo for Fede Cartabia left everyone scratching their heads, especially as they needed an extra man in midfield as opposed to taking away your only creative player and sticking with two up front. Then Santi Mina came on for Munir but again, it didn’t make a lot of sense.
Malaga’s endeavour paid off in the end as a cross was controlled by En Nesiry and up stepped Pablo Fornals to score his second of the game in the dying seconds. This was the third time Valencia have conceded in stoppage time and dropped points. No one wants to talk about relegation but when you defend this badly and have no idea in attack, perhaps it’s time people did.
Oh-sasuna lose again
Is there any hope left for Osasuna fans? A poor start cost Enrique Martin his job at the club but his successor isn’t having any better luck. Joaquin Caparros, a respected figure in Spain, has overseen three consecutive losses - two against sides expected to fight against relegation themselves. They’re such a poor side to watch that you can’t even find a small crumb of hope to suggest they’ll get themselves out of the mess they find themselves in.
The sacking of Martin seemed harsh considering three of his six losses came against Real Sociedad, Real Madrid and Villarreal. Either way the change hasn’t produced that new manager boost so many chairmen feel it does. Sporting Gijon were the better side from the first minute and Osasuna only threatened once the contest was effectively over. Maybe they need time to adjust to a new manager but the one thing they don’t have is just that: time.
Honourable mentions: Antoine Griezmann - seven matches without a LaLiga goal for the Frenchman. Atletico need him to start scoring again. Booking players for showing support to Chapecoense - the response from the footballing world has been fantastic but cautioning players for showing a message of support requires common sense, regardless of ‘the rules’. Las Palmas - despite a bright start to the season they’ve only won twice in their last ten matches. They face Atletico and Barcelona in two of their next three fixtures.