TEN THINGS WE LEARNED from LaLiga this weekend
Ronaldo’s new man rescues Real Valladolid, Ousmane Dembele’s injury is a GIFT for Man United ahead their Champions League showdown with Barcelona – and it’s make or break for Raphinha at the Nou Camp… the 10 THINGS WE LEARNED from LaLiga
- Barcelona extended their lead at the top of LaLiga as Real Madrid dropped points
- Carlo Ancelotti’s side lacked a goal-scorer and were held 0-0 by Real Sociedad
- Struggling Elche are on course for the worst ever points tally in a LaLiga season
Barcelona weren’t great but ended up extending their lead at the top – Real Madrid and Real Sociedad were both brilliant and ended up slipping further behind. It was that sort of strange weekend.
There was a new injury for Ousmane Dembele, which means he won’t face Manchester United. There was a stellar display from Takefusa Kubo against one of his many former clubs. And Saul was amongst the goals for Atletico Madrid.
Elsewhere, Canada’s all-time top scorer Cyle Larin got off the mark for Ronaldo’s Real Valladolid, Inaki Williams’ record finally came to an end, and Elche threatened to set a new one. Here are the 10 things we learned from La Liga this week.
Carlo Ancelotti lost crucial ground in the title race as Real Madrid drew 0-0 with Real Sociedad
The third force changes in Spanish football.
It’s been Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Deportivo, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad over the years; and sometimes the third force finishes on top.
Real Sociedad won La Liga in 1981 and ’82. They probably won’t win it this season but, having matched Barca and Madrid in the cup and league inside five days, they are very much back as the third strongest side in the competition… with eight home grown players finishing in their 11 in last night’s draw at the Bernabeu.
Sociedad boss Imanol Alguacil has marshalled his side to third place in LaLiga so far this term
Take Kubo has finally arrived
The 21-year-old Japanese international has led Real Sociedad at the Camp Nou and the Bernabeu in the space of five days and shown the world that he’s ready to justify the hype that once surrounded him.
The kid that Barca signed as a 10-year-old and then had to let go because FIFA decided that they had broken the rules in doing so, was then signed by Real Madrid but never given a chance, loaned out to Getafe, Villarreal and Mallorca twice, before finding a home at Real Sociedad.
He was their best player on the pitch against Madrid on Sunday and could easily have been the match winner.
Ex-Real Madrid winger Takefusa Kubo gets stuck in as he slides into keeper Thibaut Courtois
Crucial weeks ahead for saleable asset Raphinha
Barcelona have already decided that Raphinha can leave next summer if there’s a Premier League club prepared to match the 58m euros they paid for him from Leeds.
The reasons are threefold: he’s underwhelmed; Barca needed the money; and they have winger Abde Ezzalzouli impressing out on loan at Osasuna who can return and fill his place for nothing.
If Raphinha wants to change their minds then now would be the perfect time – with Dembele out injured, the Brazilian could be the man to step up.
Dembele injury a gift for United
Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele had gone 14 months without injury, playing 49 of a possible 51 games, but just as those numbers were being heralded he pulled up against Girona and now faces a month on the sidelines.
With Betis, Sevilla, Villarreal, cup semi-finals, and Manchester United on the horizon the timing is awful.
Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele limped off versus Girona and is set for a month on the sidelines
Xavi’s false front three, but it’s Madrid in need of goals
Pep Guardiola loved a false nine but Xavi went a step further with a ‘false’ front three against Girona. It was not by choice: he ended the game with Gavi, Pedri and Alejandro Balde up front after Dembele’s injury.
Ferran Torres and Robert Lewandowski will be back from suspension against Real Betis this week.
It’s Madrid who really appeared to lack firepower, however. There is no alternative for Karim Benzema and despite superb displays from Vinicius Jr, Rodrygo, Eduardo Camavinga and Dani Ceballos, what they really needed on Sunday was a finisher.
Vinicius Jr was unable to break the deadlock despite his impressive display against Sociedad
Pedri tops Iniesta
Barcelona’s 20-year-old midfielder played his 100th game for the club at the weekend and scored his 15th goal.
The comparisons with Andres Iniesta are never too far away and it will be a while before a measured judgment can be make – but one thing can’t be denied: after 100 games Iniesta had only scored five goals for Barcelona.
Midfield star Pedri (L) is continuing to draw comparisons to Barcelona icon Andres Iniesta (R)
Goals are gold at the bottom too
It’s usually cheaper to sack a manager than sign a striker when you’re struggling, but Valladolid president Ronaldo Nazario has kept faith with his coach and given the okay for the club to go out and sign Canada’s all-time top scorer Cyle Larin.
He scored the 90th minute winner on his debut to lift his team out of the bottom three and pile more misery on Valencia and their boss Gennaro Gattuso.
Ronaldo’s new signing Cyle Larin netted late as Real Valladolid climbed out of the drop zone
Elche on course for unwanted record
They have six points with half the season played, so they are on course for what would be the worst season ever since Spanish football switched to three points for a win.
Sporting Gijon finished with just 13 points in 1998 but their 25-year record is seriously under threat.
Elche, on track for a record low tally, have only recorded six points in LaLiga so far this season
After 251 consecutive league appearances, Inaki Williams finally missed a game on Sunday when Athletic Bilbao were beaten by Celta Vigo.
The striker last missed a match in April of 2017.
After five years of avoiding injury and suspension, he sat out this defeat with a muscle strain – not that it stopped him travelling to watch his team-mates go down 1-0 without him.
Inaki Williams made 251 successive league appearances before missing this weekend’s match
At last something for Saul to smile about
He got the winner for Atletico Madrid on Sunday with his first goal for the club since January 2021. It’s easy to forget how he once looked like being the motor in both the Spain and Diego Simeone’s midfield.
He had a career blip at Atletico and the bold move to get back on track at Chelsea never came off.
He’s only 28 still, and this winning goal can only help him on the road back to where he was just a few seasons ago.
Saul bagged Atletico Madrid’s winner at Osasuna – having endured a tricky spell in his career
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