EURO BITES: Villarreal lead the way while Cristiano and Martinez fire blanks

The Winners

Villarreal

A lot is made of La Liga not being competitive enough but after Celta blew away Barcelona midweek and took top spot off them, we have new leaders this weekend and once again, it isn’t one of the usual suspects but Villarreal. Marcelino’s men have quietly gone about their business this season - one of only three teams that remain unbeaten - and deservedly find themselves at the top of the tree.

Early form was dictated by the influence of new forwards Roberto Soldado and Bakambu but both were missing through injury as they beat Malaga midweek, as a much changed side came away with victory thanks to an own goal by Malaga’s Tissone. It was no more than they deserved though as the largely second-string side dominated large parts of proceedings.

Then this weekend was the first real challenge for the Yellow Submarines as they welcomed title-chasing Atletico Madrid to El Madrigal. Bakambu wasn’t available but Soldado was and he played a key part in Villarreal’s winner, scored by Leo Bapistão, as they reached top spot for the first time in their 92-year history. It’d be unfair to suggest the 1-0 score line meant the match was a tight one as on the pitch Villarreal showed their superiority over an Atletico Madrid side which weren’t’ allowed to get a foothold in the game.

Of course being top of the table at the end of September counts for little in the grand scheme of things but it’s yet another indication of how strong the league is this time around and that the fear factor we saw in previous years has disappeared. Those surviving well below the breadline of the last season’s top five are displaying much more self belief and it’s rattled the big guns, who have perhaps been used to sides coming to defend and hope for a point at best.

Villarreal, Celta, Deportivo and Eibar will only inspire more sides to follow their lead and realise that the biggest challenge is a mental one, and one that if they overcome could make the this season’s La Liga the most competitive yet.

Bakkali

The atmosphere around Valencia has certainly changed from that which we saw at the back end of last season. The fans, team and management held a united front and you would often find the streets surrounding the Mestalla full hours before kick-off, lost in a sea of orange. Fast-forward to this season and it’s turned unnecessarily sour but there has been one ray of light for Valencia: Zakaria Bakkali.

The tricky winger arrived on a free transfer from PSV after almost a year without playing due to a combination of a groin injury as well as being banned from even representing the reserves at the Dutch club. Bakkali impressed throughout preseason with small cameo appearances and despite struggling for fitness, as to be expected with close to 12 months without competitive football, he showed the confidence and ability which caused the world to take note of him back in 2013.

Already working hard to improve his Spanish, he can often be seen cursing in Spanish (everyone learns the bad words first) when something doesn’t quite come off. But he’s one of those players that when they receive the ball, the entire stadium rises to its feet in expectation. They’ve all come to see the ‘Bakkali Show’ and more often than not, he delivers.

He started the season near the bottom of the pecking order, seen as someone that could make a difference in the second half once he had fully got up to speed but this kid had other plans. Despite being left out of the Champions League squad he never wasted his brief appearances in a Valencia shirt. His breakthrough moment came against Sporting Gijon when, with 82 minutes of the clock, he was thrown on to prevent Valencia slipping to another draw and he produced a wonderful cross for Paco Alcacer to nod in a 90th-minute winner.

He’s started the last two games and looked the most dangerous player in each of those. Nuno might have found his beacon of hope in young Zakaria, but the Belgian won’t be able to bail him out in the Champions League.

Ruben Castro and Luis Suarez more vital than ever for their sides

Two of the most in-form strikers in La Liga continued their exploits this week as Luis Suarez bagged a brace against Las Palmas while Ruben Castro scored one of the goals of the season to ensure Real Betis took all three points away at Sporting.

Ruben Castro, at the age of 34, is the man Betis’ survival hopes rest on. His three goals this season have all been crucial ones and when he doesn’t get the scoresheet the team hasn’t won. He netted the crucial equaliser against Villarreal on the opening day of the season before scoring the winner against Real Sociedad. After drawing a couple of blanks in the next sets of fixtures he found his shooting boots again at the weekend as he assisted the first for Joaquin, providing a deft header for Spain’s universally loved winger to nod home. The second was all him though. Latching onto a long punt upfield from Adan he got around his marker and despite being 30 yards away from goal unleashed an unstoppable rocket into the top right hand corner to secure the victory.

It’s not easy making the headlines at a club like Barcelona when your strike partners are Neymar and Messi but Luis Suarez adds something special to this Barcelona side and his two goals at the weekend against Las Palmas ensured the Catalan giants bounced back from that midweek crushing courtesy of Celta. Both finishes were exquisite – first the header directed perfectly beyond the reach of Javi Varas and the second he smashed into the roof of the net after th cross came through a crowd of bodies. In the absence of Leo Messi, it’s time for Luis Suarez to take the lead in this Barcelona frontline.

Deportivo

Deportivo were cruising in the league until the wheels spectacularly came off at home against Sporting Gijon last week, as a combination of poor defending and wasteful finishing condemned them to their first defeat. It was the first test of character for this new look Depor and they responded with back-to-back victories, finishing the weekend back up in 6th place.

A trip to the Benito Villamarín isn’t a prospect most teams would relish on the back of a disappointing result, especially as key players needed rotating, but Deportivo showed their fighting spirit by coming away with a very much deserved 1-2 victory over Betis thanks in part to a wonder goal from Fede Cartabia.

Espanyol were a much easier opponent as they wilted after conceding an early own goal. Lucas Perez maintained his fine form in front goal with another double. The first a smart finish one-on-one, the second reminiscent of a goal you hate conceding on FIFA. He’s only one goal behind the current Pichichi yet very little has been made of his contribution which is disappointing, especially as he’s been largely played in an unfamiliar centre forward role.

Honourable mentions: Getafe, Sevilla and Real Sociedad - first wins of the season for the sides last week. Agirretxe - scored a hat trick midweek after ousting Jonathas from the Real Sociedad side. Celta - I’ve spoken about them a lot already this season but their win against Barcelona was superb.

The Losers

Athletic Club

While Eibar are doing the Basque Country proud the two more established names continue to struggle and while Real Sociedad picked up a win midweek, Athletic Club are really struggling to get going this season. Most expected them to hit the ground running after a fantastic two-legged victory over Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup but they’ve been majorly disappointing in the league and it continued this week.

Most could probably forgive losing to Real Madrid but perhaps not when they sacrificed any chance of beating Villarreal a few days earlier with a weakened side. They then followed up that loss to Real Madrid by producing a snore fest against David Moyes’ men and with only one victory in six games, questions are rightly being asked. Out of the two games, Villarreal was the most winnable yet focus was on the Real Madrid one. The euphoria of the Cup win has suddenly vanished and the club needs to start picking up points sharpish or Valverde’s position might start to look unstable.

Back-to-back losses for Sporting and Granada

Sporting and Granada had a week to forget as they both failed to earn a single point over the last two gameweeks.

Sporting couldn’t capitalise on the momentum after their first win of the season against Deportivo and slumped to defeat against Rayo Vallecano and then Real Betis. The former was perhaps harsh on the boys from Gijon as they appeared to be in control until Bernado was sent off for two bookable offences in two minutes, the second resulting in Rayo being awarded a penalty which they duly converted. Guerra added a second before Jonny pulled one back but they couldn’t force an equaliser. The loss against Real Betis will hurt more as they took the lead before Betis scored just after half time. It was a fairly even game but Castro’s strike put an end to Sporting’s resistance.

Granada were given one of the worst starts to the season but there’s a growing worry that with every loss their confidence begins to ebb away. Comprehensively outclassed by Real Sociedad midweek, losing 0-3 at home, they followed it up with a good display against Valencia but with ultimately nothing to show for it. Their leaky defence must be a cause for concern as they’ve already shipped 12 goals in just 6 games. High-flying Depor are the next visitors to the Los Cármenes stadium.

Cristiano Ronaldo continues to misfire

Now it might seem a bit harsh to put Cristiano in the ‘losers’ section of the column while he’s the current joint topscorer in La Liga but let’s not forget all of those came in just one game while he’s failed to score in the other five despite taking more shots than ever. It’s a concern as, without Bale and James to help him out; it’s Benzema that has taken over the mantle as reliable goalscorer in this Real Madrid side.

He’s made 49 attempts on goal and scored only 5 of those, meaning his goal-to-shot percentage stands as a measly 9.8%. This is a figure way down on his 21.5% average last season. And it’s not just his inability to convert chances which is affecting him as he’s failing to hit the target as often also.

Is Raul’s record causing a mental block, or is he simply missing the help of James and Gareth Bale? At the moment it’s only a mild concern but one to keep an eye on. With Messi out for a few weeks at least, it’s a great chance for Cristiano to stamp his authority on the race for the Pichichi. If he doesn’t though, even the most hardened Real Madrid supporters might begin to question his influence on the side.

Atletico Madrid fail another big test

Diego Simeone’s men were flying until they came up against Barcelona and tasted defeat. They responded well to that setback by beating fast-starters Eibar and struggling Getafe at home but came unstuck against Villarreal. The doubts as to whether this Atleti side could launch a title bid rose up again as in the only two big tests of the season so far they’ve come away with nothing.

It’s reasonable to expect a new-look side to take time to adjust to one another, to bed in the big signings while getting points on the board. Things don’t get any easier for Simeone as they welcome Real Madrid next weekend and won’t be helped by the fact the new boys are struggling to make an impact. Torres and Griezmann have been the preferred partnership up front and will no doubt be tasked with leading the line against their city rivals.

Luciano Vietto found the level of fitness required by Simeone hard at first but appears to be getting there, so it’s hard to really judge him. But Jackson Martinez was trusted in the first game of the season against Las Palmas and has since featured in every other since. There is a worry about Jackson though. He’s started two games and been replaced at half time in both of those. He was awful against Villarreal at the weekend. He should get a chance midweek against familiar foes Benfica, but he needs to improve his performances in the league or the pressure will continue to build.

Another loss for Atletico against Real Madrid next week and they can probably forget about being billed as contenders for La Liga this season.

Honourable mentions: Real Sociedad vs Athletic Club - contender for the worst game of the year. Sevilla’s defence - conceded 4 in the last 2. Levante - lack of confidence evident, destroyed by Getafe last weekend. La Liga - after Leo Messi was ruled out for up to 8 weeks.