This article was produced in partnership with LigaFever.
It’s an interesting fact for those of us who prefer to believe in myths, but for the last ten fixtures in Spain only two of those weekends have seen Barcelona and Real Madrid both winning. I can recall a time when it seemed as though the apocalypse was around the corner when one, or both of them failed to win . It was always news. And although the big two have won the title on seventeen of the twenty seasons since the millennium milestone, it’s suddenly news again that they both won their games this weekend, with those big score margins that used to be par for the course.
The Spanish press in general and the sponsors and advertisers in particular, breathe a collective sigh of relief when this happens, as though all is well with the world again. Maybe it is – I wouldn’t wish to judge – but Barcelona’s various woes over the past year have certainly made good copy for a certain section of the press whose schadenfreude can often go beyond the limits of decency. That said, it was all a bit messy (sorry) and self-inflicted, and although Barça are not out of the woods as yet, it seems that the mere presence of Xavi has enabled some decent signings, a steadying of the ship and most importantly, a recovery of their league position. The return game in Naples, should it prove to be problematic, will at least enable them to say they can concentrate on the league.
Barça’s 4-1 win at Valencia, no mean feat, was described by Carlos Soler as ‘a reality bath’ – a conclusion that pointed more to Valencia’s failings than to the visitors’ virtues, but it’s difficult to disentangle the two. That’s seven games without a win for Valencia now, and the last time they managed it they scraped the city derby with a 4-3 thriller at Levante. The early-season euphoria with the introduction of Bordalás at the helm does appear to be on the wane, but they still have a half-decent squad. Barcelona, on the other hand, looked at times like the side they used to be, or the side that they might become again. Goals two and three had that classic one-touch-and-move mesmeric speed that their great sides practised to such effect, and the fourth by Pedri is a cracker – although he never looks strong enough to shoot from outside the area. In fact he still looks like a schoolboy who has mysteriously wandered onto the park, only to discover that he’s better than everyone else. It must be nice.
The significant point to pick up from this game is that when Soler dived to head in the 1-3, the ghosts of Barça’s recent tendency to throw away healthy leads might have rattled their chains, but they were swiftly exorcised by the introduction of the aforementioned waif, Pedri. Not a bad mucker to have on your bench, and you might say the same about Nico introduced with twenty to go) and Adama, who’ll always terrify tiring defenders. The issue might be the Catalans’ bank balance, of course. Half of Europe has its eyes on Nico, and of course, Pep Guardiola fancies him. Pep still seems reluctant to plunder his old mates’ treasure chest, but the conspiracy theorists have already concluded that his gesture to his old club in allowing Ferran Torres to return was his way of conducting future business. We shall see.
Real Madrid followed up their alleged public humiliation in Paris with a comfy enough win at home to strugglers Alavés (3-0), although it took them until the 63rd minute to ‘open the tin’ as they say here. Lovely one from Asensio too, which forced Alavés out of their shell and the inevitable followed. Football’s a funny game, but like any flexible phenomenon, it’s open to interpretation. Madrid did indeed look like a second division side in Paris, but they only lost 1-0, and PSG, well though they played, will not be looking on the return leg with too much confidence. Moreover, Sevilla’s predictable inability to win at Espanyol means the Merengues now have a six-point lead at the top. It doesn’t look so bad from my sofa, and it doesn’t seem like attack-Ancelotti time just yet. It’s true that the squad might lack depth for the final run-in, particularly if they get past the PSG test, but Modric was the best player on the park against Alavés. Tired? He didn’t look it to me.
The Basque derby? Well it didn’t come at a great time for the visitors (Real Sociedad), with the game sandwiched between the two Europa League games against Leipzig, and the four goals came significantly in the second half. Nevertheless, Athletic’s infamous intensity won the day, although it was fairly obvious that they were going to use it. La Real had no valid reply to it, missing key players like Januzaj and Isak, and Athletic smelled blood. It was their biggest home win in a derby since 1959, but it’ll probably take them another 60 years to repeat the feat. I wouldn’t personally read too much into the result, although it’s true that Athletic are beginning to build a decent side around the wiles of Sancet, Berenguer and Muniain, and of course, the effervescent Yuri. Yeray (who didn’t play) and Martinez are also among the best centre-back pairings in the league, and Unai Simon, despite the odd blooper, is a decent keeper. It never fails to amaze how Athletic manage to do this, to keep competing in the territory of wealthy multi-nationals, but they do. They’ll be working on the memes for the next week, and there’ll be plenty of banter flying around the Basque workplaces, where Real and Athletic fans often coincide. But it’s all fairly good-natured. The rivalry is a healthy one, and despite occasional fallings-out, it’s one of the few games in the world of professional football where the fans can still sit side by side. That’s either depressing or wonderful , depending on your reading of the sentence, but it’s true. A bit more of it wouldn’t go amiss.
Whatever, there are some interesting fixtures next week. Rayo v Real Madrid is always a wonderful essay in contrasts, and Sevilla v Betis will be fairly humungous. If Betis were to win it, they’d be a mere two points shy of their noisy neighbours. It’s a brave guy or gal who’ll predict that outcome. Barcelona v Athletic should be a decent spectacle too. All to play for!
