LaLiga: Barcelona stumble so is the title race back on? Cristiano's hat-trick and Valencia derby controversy

Going into last weekend’s fixtures a lot of people were already beginning to feel that the title race was over. But if there’s one team capable of matching Barcelona’s consistency this season it’s Atletico. With the gap closing week on week, can Barcelona cope under pressure?

Is there a title race in Spain?

There are common questions which follow us throughout our short time on this planet. From ‘What is the meaning of life?’ to ‘If you finished the last bit of milk, why did you put the carton back in the fridge?’ Over in Spain there’s another which is just as common as those two: “Hay Liga?” Loosely translated it’s asking whether there’s a title race or not. And the answer, after weeks of it being ‘no’, is ‘maybe’.

Whenever people were talking about the title picture in Spain, there was a strange need to point out the gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid. In most years that would make sense as the two would be fighting it out for the league crown. However, when Los Blancos most pressing concern is pulling away from Villarreal for the last Champions League spot the argument is irrelevant. While one side of Madrid is way, way off the pace the red and white side isn’t.

Atletico Madrid are a well-oiled machine and continue to pick up vital wins with minimal fuss. Just last week I pointed out how Simone’s men impressive form was almost going under the radar. However after Barcelona drew for the second consecutive week, suddenly Atletico are earning some much deserved recognition.

Seven points is still a significant lead but with the two facing each other at the beginning of next month, it might make crank up the pressure for Valverde and company.

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With nine wins out of their last 11 LaLiga fixtures, Atletico are showing title-winning form. Barcelona aren’t playing badly either but only have seven victories in the same stretch of matches. This means the gap is doable for Atletico, especially with Champions League football about to start up again. It’ll be interesting to see how Barcelona react to being put under pressure for the first time this campaign.

Cristiano rediscovers his ‘smile’ ahead of the PSG match

It’s hard to really gauge where Real Madrid are at this season. From the preseason ecstasy of steamrollering everyone in sight to being out of the title race by October. It feels like a needlessly experimental season when the team – and fans – only wanted to see more of the same. Last weekend saw them welcome a Real Sociedad side struggling for their own identity, and there were flashes of the ‘old’ Real Madrid again.

Cristiano Ronaldo may or may not be the best player in the world but it’s imperative that he believes he is. And since the winter break his LaLiga form is definitely worthy of a player aiming for that status. Seven goals in his last four matches only underlines how important Cristiano is to Madrid’s chances of success. When he is misfiring, so often is the team. And it’s why replacing the Portuguese superstar makes sense in theory but in reality is a lot more difficult.

Another sign of Cristiano’s growing confidence is the decision to question the Bernabeu crowd. He wasn’t happy at the boos and whistles for Karim Benzema and asked for the fans to support the Frenchman, not get on his back. This received a mixed response but they need Cristiano to perform if they want to win the Champions League. Right now he is and that should be PSG’s biggest concern.

Forget VAR, officials need regular eye tests

Whenever a match is secondary to the officials’ performances, you know there’s a problem. The Valencian derby is always full of passion, quality and a desperate desire to get one over on their neighbours. The atmosphere is generally friendly but bragging rights are a nice bonus. With Valencia in freefall and Levante looking to avoid relegation, there was plenty on the line. Unfortunately no one is actually talking about the match itself.

Valencia were by far the superior side. Marcelino’s men don’t want to see their fine opening six months fade away now their Copa del Rey hopes are over. They’ve gone from being at one-time title contenders to now worrying about qualifying for the Champions League. In football, everything can change quickly. Optimism turns to trepidation and worry. A local derby is, in many ways, the perfect solution.

However the crucial 2-1 victory for Valencia will get lost in the wave of controversy surrounding the officials. There were some poor calls for both sides but two decisions stood out more than others. At 1-1, Levante had the ball in the back of the net.

As their players started to celebrate their joy quickly turned to utter disbelief as the referee saw a foul in the box. And he was right, there was a foul. What he got wrong was somehow deciding a Levante player pushed Jose Luis Gaya when he it was in fact his Valencia teammate Gabriel Paulista. VAR or Specsavers?

The second major decision was a late penalty for Simone Zaza. This reminds me a little bit of the Lamela-Van Dijk decision a week ago. From one angle it looks like Zaza is the one committing the infraction and the decision to award a penalty in his favour is absurd. Yet from another angle, despite the way Zaza falls, the Italian is caught behind his knee. Valencia score the resulting penalty and take all three points.

And that’s ignoring the potential penalty shouts for Valencia early on when at least one had a strong case. Plus if Rober Pier gives away the penalty, why isn’t it a second yellow? Maybe Medié Jiménez simply isn’t very good.

Getafe are deserving of more credit

Whenever a big side drops points, the focus seems to be on what they got wrong. We almost ignore the set-up, preparation and the execution of said game plan from the smaller team. Getafe’s draw at Barcelona might seem like a shock result but since the opening day of the season they are showing how tough they can be to break down.

To date they are yet to concede more than two goals in a single match and have only lost by more than a one-goal margin once. This suggests they know how to successfully shut down teams and it’s why they are 12 points clear of the relegation zone.

Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi, scoring for fun in 2018, couldn’t break down Getafe’s defensive wall. Djené Dakonam is one of the signings of the season in the heart of Getafe’s defence. Suarez didn’t get the beating of the Togo international all game.

For Jose Bordalas, too, there’s a bit of redemption. After guiding Alaves to LaLiga as champions of LaLiga 1|2|3 he didn’t manage a single game the following season. A clash with the men in charge saw him leave just three weeks after gaining promotion. The club felt he wasn’t the man to see them to safety. At Getafe, without any doubt, he’s proving what a good coach he truly is. And if Getafe dare to dream even higher, a Europa League spot isn’t totally out of sight either.

Are Eibar going on a European tour?

We are starting to run out of superlatives to describe Eibar’s incredible rise to the top. They are the ultimate overachievers, from just reaching LaLiga to now competing with sides who have budgets they can only dream of. And with European football a very real possibility, who would dare argue that they couldn’t achieve that as well?

An away trip to Leganes, another tactically sound team, wasn’t going to be easy but they did it again. Eibar were the stronger team but couldn’t quite seem to find a way to break through. With time ticking down, former Wigan man Ivan Ramis rose highest in the 94th minute to give Eibar a vital three points.

Since the beginning of November, Eibar have only suffered defeat once in their last 12 league fixtures. Barcelona are up next but if the visitors had any intentions of saving personnel for the Chelsea game, they better think twice. Eibar should not be taken lightly by anyone anymore.

Stat Zone

68.29% – Iago Aspas and Maximiliano Gomez are responsible for nearly 70% of Celta Vigo’s league goals this season

19 – Since Abelardo Fernández took over at Alaves, the club has taken 19 points from 30 and they now sit seven clear of the relegation places

7 – No goalkeeper made more saves than Sergio Rico in LaLiga last weekend. This includes saving an Aday Benitez penalty