EURO BITES: El Clásico fallout, Depor win the derby & Valencia continue to struggle

Last weekend’s La Liga was primarily dominated by one fixture but we’ll also delve a little deeper into those results that went under the radar.

THE WINNERS

Barcelona rule supreme

Any debate as to who the better side was came to a crunching halt at the weekend as not only did Barcelona beat arch rivals Real Madrid, they gave them a pounding reminiscent of the one Ronda Rousey received at UFC 193. It was brutal from the get go as Real Madrid’s set-up bordered on arrogance and much like Rousey they paid for it.

Barcelona displayed caution when Messi was left on the bench and Sergi Roberto, a centre midfielder/right back, was played off the right wing. Well, it looked cautious on paper but in reality his moment down that side caused Marcelo all kinds of problems. While it’s been the season of break-through stars, Sergi Roberto stands above the rest. It was his run, one that even Messi himself would’ve been proud of, that ripped open the fragile Real Madrid defence before he slotted Luis Suarez in to score the first. The Uruguayan has escaped the attentions of Sergio Ramos and one-on-one, simply doesn’t miss.

Barcelona lost Mascherano to injury but still continued their onslaught. Neymar is the best player in the world right now and when Iniesta played him in, he squeezed his shot under Keylor Navas. The Costa Rican international probably won’t be too happy with that one.

Real Madrid responded after half-time and actually put Barcelona under pressure but it didn’t take long for the third goal to come. Iniesta played a lovely one-two with Neymar before powering his effort beyond Navas. The defence all over the shop, the midfield.. well.. people are still trying to find the Real Madrid midfield.

Luis Enrique decided to bring on Messi and he played his part in the fourth goal. Drifting inside he found Jordi Alba in the traditional no.10’s position, his deft flick allowed Suarez a free run at Navas again. He paused, waited for the goalkeeper to move, then dinked it over him to rubber stamp an emphatic performance.

Iniesta rolled back the years and put on one of his best displays in recent memory. He ran the show in the absence of any real competition in the middle of the park and it could’ve been 6-7 by the end. Claudio Bravo pulled off some wonderful saves towards the end of the match but Real Madrid created very little on the whole. He deserved his clean sheet and Barcelona thoroughly deserved their victory.

Depor are kings of Galicia

Lost in the fallout of El Clasico, Deportivo de la Coruña outclassed Celta Vigo in the Galician derby. Neither side came into the match in great form as Celta had lost 1-5 to Valencia before the international break whereas Depor had failed to win in any of their last five fixtures.

Deportivo started much the better of the two sides despite Victor Sanchez making a raft of changes to his usual starting XI. While some of the names on the teamsheet might have been surprising, the first goalscorer wasn’t. Lucas Perez has been a breath of fresh air and he popped up to score, to coin an old cliché, a real striker’s goal. Alex Bergantiños’ first touch wasn’t the best but as the Alvarez came out, the ball fell into the path of Lucas to score his 8th goal of the season.

Celta weren’t dead and buried yet as Fernando Navarro, one of the stars for Deportivo this season, brought down Iago Aspas in the box and gave Celta the chance to level. Nolito stepped up and sent it low towards the bottom corner but Lux guessed right and kept the Spanish winger’s effort out. Riazor erupted. It felt like it was their night.

And their night it was as in the dying embers of the game Jonny, guilty of a huge mistake against Valencia, popped up with another clanger. Without looking he played a pass back to Alvarez but, if he had looked, he’d have seen Alvarez had come rushing out to clear the danger himself. Instead the ball rolled straight down the middle of the goal to give Depor bragging rights – and all 3 points.

Levante rise up

Not much was said when Rubi was named as the new head coach of Levante. In fact, it’s even suggested he was the Valencia based club’s third choice to succeed Lucas Alcaraz. After previously being a member of the late Tito Vilanova’s coaching staff at Barcelona he failed to get Real Valladolid promoted last season and was subsequently relieved of his duties.

One thing that can’t be denied though is the transformation that can be seen at Levante in the short time since he took over. They might have lost 0-3 to city neighbours Valencia but could’ve easily drawn or even won if Jaume Domenech hadn’t been in the form of his life. The fought back from a goal down against Deportivo before the international break and were very unlucky not to claim 3 points then either.

Sporting weren’t so lucky as the other two. Levante blew away their usually solid opponents with 3 first half goals. Deyverson poked home a cross to give Levante the lead before Feddal was quickest to react after Morales’ free kick has been saved, having the simplest of tap-ins. Another goalmouth scramble towards the end of the first half fell to Deyverson who made no mistake from 2 yards out.

Sporting earned their first penalty of the season in the second half but Ruben saved Jony’s effort - the less said about the follow-up from Carlos Castro the better. Spoiler: It wasn’t very good.

Honourable mentions: Granada – a 9-game winless streak came to an end as they beat arguably the form side of the division, Athletic Club. Marco Asensio – he racked his 7th assist of the season against Malaga. Real Sociedad – back to winning ways in the post-Moyes era as they brushed aside a poor Sevilla team. Las Palmas - played some delightful football at the Mestalla.

THE LOSERS

Real Madrid play the blame game

While Barcelona walked away with all the plaudits from the match at the Santiago Bernabeu the criticism intensified with each passing minute for Rafa Benitez & co. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say there isn’t a single positive to be taken from the game for Real apart from that they don’t need to play Barcelona again until April.

For some of the local press they don’t need an excuse to criticise Benitez after not wanting him in the first place, but he has to be held partially responsible for the result and non-performance. There were rumours of pressure from the boardroom, notably Florentino Perez, to start the biggest names regardless of their condition or form. That may or may not be true but it doesn’t excuse the tactical no-show.

There didn’t even seem to be a formation either. You had the back four shielded by Modric and Kroos, then James basically playing on the right wing and the front three holding hands around the centre circle. In recent weeks Rafa has preferred Casemiro in there to do the dirty work, or to at least help stifle the opposition. Modric and Kroos simply weren’t up to the task being demanded of them. And when they did get the ball, there was no outlet either. It was truly astounding.

Florentino Perez faced chants to resign and the pressure continues to grow on him. The promise of trophy-laden seasons with his Galactico format has fallen miles behind expectations. And when a man did bring that elusive 10th Champions League trophy to the Bernabeu he was promptly sacked the following season. It was then that a lot of die-hard Perez fans began to question his leadership.

His public spat with the Madrid media hasn’t helped him, his manager or his players’ causes. Bale was the first to be picked on due to his image of being Perez’s favourite, the heir to Cristiano’s throne. Then came Rafa Benitez’s turn as his appointment was greeted with scepticism – not helped by the fact he’s considered a defensive-minded coach or that he was seen as an improvement on Carlo Ancelotti in Perez’s eyes. Florentino also took up war against the Ultra Sur, the voice of the Bernabeu, and you sense he doesn’t have too many battles left in him. When Rafa leaves at the end of the season it might be a good idea for him to go as well.

It’s sometimes a thankless task being the manager of a club like Real Madrid but you need to be able to handle the outrage just as much as the over-egged lovefest a good result brings. Someone needs to come in and steady the ship because Real Madrid looked a million miles off the pace of Barcelona and that doesn’t, nor should it, sit right with their fans.

They have a reputation for being demanding but that’s quite a common trait amongst Spanish fans. Look at Barcelona under Luis Enrique when they started poorly or what is happening at Valencia right now. What happened last year, last month or last week doesn’t matter if you fail to perform in the present day. Rafa’s ship isn’t sinking but there are a lot of holes up plug, not all of which rely on him.

Valencia continue to fluff their lines

You could’ve been forgiven in thinking that a 5-1 hammering of Celta Vigo would give you some respite from the boo boys but that wasn’t the case again for Nuno at the Mestalla. Even after Andre Gomes had raced down the line and crossed for Paco Alcacer to give Valencia the lead some fans were whistling. If it’s not enough to be leading, you know you’ve got a tough task on your hands.

There are a lot of agendas at play in Valencia at the moment and a lot seem to have short memories. I was lucky enough to attend most fixtures last season and there weren’t many games where Valencia played fantastically well, or displayed the flowing football some appear to be demanding. Second only to Atletico Madrid in goals scored from set pieces they found it hard to break down sides or really generate a rhythm but they were effective.

The biggest issue is the lack of leadership. Dani Parejo isn’t a bad player by any stretch of the imagination but he’s a poor choice as captain. He doesn’t lead by example or bark orders. He disappears. Diego Alves is a huge miss at the back despite Jaume matching him in the performance stakes, he doesn’t command his area or organise the defence like the Brazilian did. Nicolas Otamendi was fantastic at the back and is beginning to find his feet at Manchester City but he also led the line alongside his deputy Mustafi. Those two brought invaluable experience to a very young side.

This year it’s even younger team but who is there to take command out on the pitch? When they concede a goal they just turn, head down, and walk towards the centre circle. Where is the guy going over to his teammates, slapping them on the back and saying they can still win this, to not give up? Too many are going through the motions and sacking Nuno alone won’t solve it – although he isn’t helping his case by keeping the likes of Negredo and De Paul on the outside.

Fans will no doubt demand big signings in January but I don’t think that’s necessary. They need experience. Diego Alves should be back by then but in defence and midfield a wiser head would be much more valuable than another €20m prospect right now.

Sevilla’s back up brigade not doing the business

What has happened to the Champions League sides? Sevilla can’t find any kind of consistency and back up every impressive performance with a shoddy one. The prospect of facing a side with a new manager is never easy but let’s be honest, Sevilla should be beating Real Sociedad regardless.

The rotation policy from Unai Emery is something we’ve grown accustomed to but he’s in danger of shooting himself in the foot with it. There are no natural replacements for Gameiro, Banega and Konoplyanka in the current set-up. Immobile is improving but doesn’t have the movement or finishing ability of the Frenchman. Banega pulls the strings whereas Iborra is more of an awkward customer, arriving late to the opposition’s box but hardly creative. Jose Antonio Reyes no longer terrorises defenders whereas Konoplyanka does.

You can’t even excuse the selection due to their involvement in the Champions League as they won’t qualify from their group bar a minor miracle. Real Sociedad wanted it that little bit more and in the end it was the usually dependable Krychowiak that gifted them both goals. The injury to Andreolli just compounded the loss. Next up for Unai’s men? Valencia at home. Tastey.

Honourable mentions: Malaga – another abject display and another loss. Rock bottom of La Liga. Villarreal – they’ve only won 1 in their last 6 games. Real Betis – 4th consecutive home loss.