LaLiga: Classic Atletico but straight back to square one for Zidane

Barcelona didn’t need to travel far as they took on local rivals Espanyol. It was a match they could afford to drop points in, such is their lead at the top. With Lionel Messi on the bench they did drop points, but could the chasing pack take advantage?

THE WINNERS

1-0 to Atleti

I wonder if Diego Simone feels that his team isn’t getting the credit they deserve this season. The focus seems to centre around their cup failures but that shouldn’t distract people from what is, to date, a wonderful league campaign. They’re nine points clear of third place and have the best defensive record in the division. If Barcelona weren’t on another level altogether, Atlético would be running away with the title themselves.

Atlético’s sole feat in LaLiga didn’t come against one of the big guns either, but struggling Espanyol. A rare blip in what has otherwise been a sensational start for Simeone’s men.

In arguably the biggest match of the weekend, Atlético and Valencia went toe to toe at the Wanda Metropolitano. Second versus Third. For two sides who, on paper, are evenly matched the game played out exactly as you’d expect. Both sides are more comfortable defending these days and very little was on offer for the attackers. It’d need a moment of inspiration to come from somewhere or someone.

READ MORE: Ramos bemoans Real Madrid’s worst year

READ MORE: Espanyol 1 Barcelona 1: Pique plays pantomime villain

READ MORE: Pique motivated by Espanyol tension, says Valverde

The key area in which Atletico pale in comparison to their rivals is in the goalscoring stakes. Antoine Griezmann is finally showing his best form but it wasn’t until Diego Costa arrived that he got going. The only person to show a consistently high level of performances is young Angel Correa. So it felt fitting he would make the difference against Valencia.

If Griezmann leaves in the summer, Atlético needn’t search far and wide for his replacement: they already have him. With little else on the Correa danced through a couple of challenges before unleashing a rocket into the top corner of the goal. That was all Atlético needed to see out the game 1-0.

Iñigo who?

It’s been a rough month for Real Sociedad supporters. After a major slump in form they then saw their captain sign for Athletic Clubb. During Iñigo Martinez’s presentation he hinted at a lack of ambition at La Real. For the player, so often the subject of transfer speculation, his eventual move came across a little anticlimactic. But for his old team, it was the worst choice he could make.

Real Sociedad agreed to exchange any Iñigo shirts for a different player of their choosing. After this weekend’s result, it might be hard to choose just one.

Four straight defeats saw La Real drop perilously close to the relegation zone but the arrival of Deportivo was just what the doctor ordered. The visitors are a bigger mess than most sides in Spain and a 5-0 drubbing turned out to be Cristobal Parralo’s last in charge. I’m not sure he can have many complaints either.

The emphatic nature of the result helped restore a bit of pride to the terraces in San Sebastian. What better way to show they didn’t need their outgoing captain than a clean sheet and three points? It might not mean all their problems are over but, for a brief moment at least, it feels like they are.

Eibar: the little team that could

At what point do we stop being surprised by Eibar’s achievements? It feels like since the Basque minnows reached Spain’s top table they continue to defy the odds. On every logical level, they shouldn’t be able to compete. Their stadium is far too small to generate any real revenue and they can’t even afford to pay high wages. Yet they improve year upon year and are once again in the fight for European football next season.

The one thing which no one can deny is their battling spirit. It’d be easy to roll over and make excuses for losing to bigger, richer sides. The best teams in the sport are the ones with the deepest pockets. Eibar see this as a challenge though, like a red rag to a bull. Teams go up to Ipurua and know they’ll need to fight over every blade of grass if they are to emerge victorious. There are no freebies and – whatever you do – don’t take them lightly.

Reputation

Sevilla’s priority is the Copa del Rey tie against Leganes but in making so many changes it handed the impetus to Eibar. Fabian Orellana was the pick of the bunch for the home side as he continues to rebuild his reputation in Spain. Like the club itself, he only wants to prove he belongs at this level. If Eibar can get these type of performances out of him on a regular basis they could be heading to the Europa League.

A 5-1 thrashing of Champions League Round of 16 contenders Sevilla shows they have the ability to mix it up with Europe’s best. Most teams would’ve sat back on a 3-1 lead at half-time but not Eibar. It’s a ruthlessness so many underdogs fail to exhibit on a regular basis. At Eibar, everyone needs to muck in or they’re ushered to one side. That close bond, that togetherness, is something you simply can’t underestimate.

THE LOSERS

One step forward, two steps back for Zidane

Zidane must have felt like the tide was turning for his Real Madrid team this season after back-to-back victories. It was the first time they had managed to do that since last October. With the ‘BBC’ at his disposal, nothing could stop his side from building up confidence ahead of the matches against Paris Saint Germain. Nothing except Levante, it seems.

The excuses for not scoring enough made sense at first. Without Cristiano, then Bale, then Benzema Zidane needed to restructure his forward line. But now, with an almost a full squad to choose from? The same problems exist.

It was a familiar story for Madrid as they dominated the vast majority of the match against Levante, as they should I might add. But once again they couldn’t find that knockout blow. Letting their opponents get back into the match, then removing one of his key forwards made more than a few scratch their heads.

You could argue his decision was correct as Isco, Gareth Bale’s replacement, put Los Blancos ahead again. But with Bale being the star man in 2018, why remove someone who actually poses a regular threat in the opposition’s half? The most logical solution would’ve been to take off Toni Kroos who was having one of his worst matches in a Madrid shirt.

Zidane later replaced Cristiano with Asensio, feeling the game was all but over. Then disaster struck as Levante punished Madrid in the final few minutes of the second half, just like they had in the first.

When something happens once or twice you can call it a coincidence, but when it happens repeatedly you need to provide answers. Right now Zidane’s decisions end up creating more questions than providing answers.

Are Valencia crumbling under the weight of expectation?

The early season optimisim which swept over the Mestalla is slowing unwinding. The new year, new Valencia motto isn’t keeping with the script which the team read from at the end of 2017. The chance to win silverware has seen Los Che’s points advantage for the Champions League places completely disappear.

No one can question a club which prioritises winning a trophy over coming runner up in a title race. Valencia can’t catch Barcelona. They aren’t in Europe this season either so the only winnable competition is the Copa del Rey. However to pin the entire blame on the cup competition would only be telling half of the story.

Marcelino repeatedly made the point of wanting a smaller squad to work with. Less quantity, more quality. It makes sense with so few competitions available to the club as well as the financial re-balancing going on. But it’s in times like these, when one or two key men are missing, that we realise just how thin this squad is. Without Goncalo Guedes, the team’s attacking threat is so much lower.

To combat his side’s temporary lack of firepower, Marcelino is working on his side’s defence. This means the football on show, on an aesthetic level, suffers. The playing for a draw routine might make sense away at the Camp Nou and Wanda but fans’ expectations are high after such a good start. A start they feel was based on the team’s attacking prowess. If they don’t rediscover their shooting boots, it could be a long second half of the season for Valencia.

Athletic Club are still searching for their own identity

Bragging rights are vital for local supporters and stealing your rival’s captain is something rarely seen up in the Basque Country. Athletic’s fans couldn’t contain their excitement at bringing Iñigo Martinez into the club. This was just the type of confidence boost they were after.

Their new defender was thrust into the team straight away, of course he was. Like the man who stole your girlfriend taking her to what used to be the two of yours’ favourite restaurant. Rub salt into that wound, make the opposition suffer. But the only suffering on hand in Athletic’s match against Girona was their own.

José Ángel Ziganda continues to experiment, this time using five at the back, but the results remain mixed at best. There’s a lack of identity at the club and it feels like Ziganda is throwing everything at the wall and hoping something sticks. Right now it looks like a team going through the motions.

For all their gesturing this week about ambition and not being content with a midtable finish, that’s exactly the level they’re at right now. Oh, and they sit just one point ahead of La Real.