EURO BITES: LaLiga goes goal-crazy and Prandelli starts with a win at Valencia

After what feels like an absolute age domestic football returned to our screens at the weekend. International fixtures had threatened to ruin the joy the opening games had given us but thankfully we can forget about national teams now - until the middle of November at least - and focus on the serious matter at hand: LaLiga.

THE WINNERS

Atleti-goal put seven past sorry Granada

The opening two draws in LaLiga seem a long time ago for Diego Simeone’s side as they’ve found their groove since then, scoring 20 goals in the process and conceding just two. The idea Atletico are simply a defensive, boring or even aggressive side is outdated and they’re establishing themselves as one of the best teams not only in Spain, but in Europe also.

Granada started the better of the two sides and rightfully took the lead after 18 minutes - and what a goal it was from Isaac Cuenca. Definitely try and find a video of it, you won’t be disappointed. All they did was wake the beast though and it took the form of Yannick Carrasco. The former Monaco man scored a hat trick and then set up another two goals as Atletico flexed their goalscoring muscles.

So what’s changed since those first two matches? Well, Simeone has removed the shackles of having two defensive midfielders in there. Now he’s happy to have an endless runner alongside Gabi which shores up the middle of the park while allowing the wide man to get up and support Kevin Gameiro and Antoine Griezmann. Only Leganes have managed to shut them out this season and the only side to deny them three points since that game has been Barcelona at the Camp Nou.

Relief for Zidane as Betis roll over and Real take full advantage

After three consecutive draws the more cynical nature of the business reared its ugly head and questions began to surround Zinedine Zidane’s ability to coach Real Madrid. Was he able to show his tactical nous without key players at his disposal? Or was he just a lucky manager blessed with a self-motivated squad that really call the shots? Well, Betis found out that Zidane won’t do anybody any favours this season.

The opening 45 minutes should’ve come with a parental advisory warning as Real stepped up the pace and scored four. Toni Kroos was pulling the strings, having one of his best games in the famous white shirt, and Betis were offering as much resistance as Jose Aldo against Conor McGregor. It was one of those games that if you were having it on FIFA you’d forfeit and take the default 3-0 loss. Men against boys or a man with a plan versus one without.

Cristiano Ronaldo continues his transition into a lone striker, similar to the one he performs for Portugal. He showed no intention of getting back to help out the midfield and was often the furtherest player forward in the opposition’s half. We saw an unselfish side to his game, something which doesn’t come natural to him, but he deserves credit for getting his head up on more than one ocassion. He claimed a goal of his own before the game was over although I don’t think he looked fully fit after playing 180 minutes for Portugal. A return to winning ways nonetheless.

Perfect start for Prandelli

The Valencia hot seat is arguably the most difficult job in LaLiga right now and it takes a brave or confident man to try and achieve what so many have failed to do before him: drag Valencia back to the top of the table. Now while I wouldn’t suggest putting your house on them finishing in the top four, or even top six just yet, there were a lot of positives to take from Cesare Prandelli’s first game in charge of Valencia.

Key to Los Che’s immediate and future success relies on getting the best out of Dani Parejo. Often the player to be made the scapegoat for poor performances in recent months, sometimes rightly, he is a cut above the rest of the midfielders at the club. Parejo ran the show against Sporting and if his teammates had been more ruthless in front of goal the result itself would’ve been a lot more comfortable.

There were some shaky moments in defence and the goal Sporting scored featured some comical defending from Aderlan Santos, but it appeared better than in recent weeks. Ezequiel Garay offers a calmness which is desperately needed and the influence of Diego Alves can’t be understated either. Mario Suarez grabbed both goals to fire Valencia out of the relegation places.

Honourable mentions: Sevilla - for a side yet to really get going this season they find themselves just one point behind the two Madrid teams. Lionel Messi - scored immediately after his brief injury hiatus, no sign of rust. Athletic Club - they might be slow starters but once they get going they’re as tough as they come in LaLiga. Villarreal - ruthless display against Celta Vigo.

THE LOSERS

Poyet looks like a dead man walking

A manager shouldn’t be judged on whether he loses to Real Madrid or not but there’s so much wrong about Betis at the moment it appears something has to change - and fast. Gus Poyet was in a talkative mood ahead of the clash with the early pace-setters but his inability to correct his errors and instead pass the blame onto the media is a worrying sign that the cracks are much bigger at the club than they first appeared.

Ruben Castro is one of the best strikers in the country yet he’s been pushed out wide. Why? I understand having faith in youth, and Alex Alegrias could be a real gem, but he isn’t as good as Castro. And not only is it bizarre to use your main striker so poorly but it also takes up a place in the side that could go to someone like Charly Musonda, a winger who has already delighted the home crowd on more than one occasion.

“You journalists have a lot of power,” Poyet told Radio MARCA Sevilla. “People believe what you say and they take it as the truth.” It feels like he’s on borrowed time and results such as losing 6-1 at home, the worst home defeat in their LaLiga history, make it easy to put him out of his misery. Time is running out for Poyet to turn this situation around but I fear it might already be too late.

Five losses on the bounce send Sporting into the relegation zone

Fans of the plucky club from Asturias might have started to believe they’d have a better season, or a less stressful one at least, this time around. Two victories and a draw in their opening three matches saw them fly up to third in the table, a magnificent feat for a team who only survived relegation on the final day of last season. Since then it’s all begun to unravel and they’re back in the bottom three.

On the face of it, the fixture list hasn’t been kind to them. Trips to Atletico Madrid and Celta Vigo aren’t easy, nor is welcoming Barcelona and the under-new-management Valencia. To see them lose those four shouldn’t cause too much panic but the late and painful defeat at the hands of Deportivo showed they can’t afford to throw away points to teams likely to be in the relegation mix.

They don’t create enough chances which is a shame as they’re quite good at taking them when they do. However that lack of creativity will hurt them, as it did last season, and a team that fails to score goals is always going to find themselves near the bottom of the league. Next week sees them travel to Granada and three points are a must. Another loss and, well, it won’t look good.

Granada continue their decline, shipping goals for fun

Paco Jemez lost his job after a disastrous start to life at Granada. The blame can’t lie at just one man’s feet but it’s easier to sack the coach than it is an entire squad. However I have no doubt that if the owner could he’d have sacked them too. Granada are an absolute mess.

The fact they’re conceded 23 goals in just eight matches is alarming. You can have the odd bad day at the office, it happens to everyone, but the entire balance of the side is wrong. They’ve let in at least two goals in six of their opening eight matches and show no sign of plugging those gaps. Sometimes the loan market can go against you and when so many of your squad won’t be there next season it’s hard to motivate them when things start going wrong.

You’d imagine money will be there to spend in January but they might be too far gone by then to attract anyone decent. The visit of Sporting is a six-pointer, even at this early stage of the season, and should they lose it’s hard to see them coming back from the psychological damage a defeat could cause. Right now, no ones seems to care.

Honourable mentions: Celta Vigo - from defeating Barcelona to being steamrollered by Villarreal. It’s not good enough to just be motivated for the big matches. Real Sociedad - didn’t really turn up against their neighbours in the Basque derby, even after taking an early lead. Las Palmas - they controlled Espanyol for large periods of the game but have to take their chances if they’re to challenge the European spots at the end of the season.