Forty goals. That's how many were scored in 10 opening Primera Liga matches over the weekend, games which were spread over four days as the league aims for more global coverage.
England’s Premier League saw 22 goals, France’s Ligue 1 had 25 and Italy’s Serie A had 32. Not only were the goals in Spain numerous, many were of a very high quality.
It is subjective as to whether so many goals is a positive or negative. If Real Madrid and Barcelona destroy teams every week then it will do little for the perception of Primera Liga when England's Premier League is considered more competitive, but there were goals all over Spain at the weekend.
Espanyol's new manager Quique Sanchez Flores could see little positive from conceding six at Sevilla in their 6-4 loss.
Sevilla’s new Chilean manager, Jorge Sampaoli, likes his sides to take risks and his radical attacking tactics should lead to lots of goals.
More Primera Liga
• Andy Mitten: Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi share limelight, but Sergi Roberto subtly emerges as Barca key
• In pictures: Gareth Bale strikes early in Real Madrid win while Atletico Madrid suffer late draw
Sevilla’s tactics might even lead to an away win in the league, something they did not manage in the whole of last season, but his side surely cannot afford to concede four goals at home on a regular basis.
While the Europa League winners scored six and won, Sevilla’s neighbours Real Betis conceded as many as they went down 6-2 at Camp Nou against Barcelona.
Their new manager Gus Poyet was equally brave, playing three at the back against the champions. His team played well, but both sides incorporated several new players and the lack of understanding was a reason for the eight goals.
Barca’s squad is stronger than last term, where Luis Enrique relied on too few players, who then looked jaded for the vital big games in March. It was to their credit that they recovered to retain the league.
Enrique and his sporting director Robert Fernandez have gone for younger players, while the side’s oldest performer, goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, 33, will join Manchester City.
Unlike in past years, Barca did not have sufficient quality in their own ranks beyond Sergi Samper to promote players, but Portuguese midfielder Andre Gomes, 23, from Valencia could end up replacing Andres Iniesta, French full-back Lucas Digne, 23, from Roma, is there to cover Jordi Alba, while French central defender Samuel Umtiti, 22, who joined in the summer from Lyon, was the best defender against Betis.
The attention will rightly remain on Barca’s three stellar forwards and Luis Suarez remains the most in-form striker in world football with 17 goals in his last six games.
Lionel Messi continues to stand out, to evolve, to dominate and change matches. His passing improves with age, the Argentine appears happier with Neymar and Suarez than any previous striking partners, with a better understanding.
Neymar will be back after a short holiday following his gold medal win with Brazil at the Rio Olympics, yet the trio cannot be expected to play as often as they did last season without cover.
Arda Turan enjoyed his best week for the club with three goals in two games in the absence of Neymar. The Turk only scored only two in his first 25 games for the Catalan club.
Striker Munir El Haddidi, 20, also showed why so many Barca fans want him to stay in the Super Cup first leg against Sevilla, but Barca remain interested in Valencia’s Paco Alcacer.
So far, so good for Barcelona, but Real Madrid also cannot rely on their “BBC” front three. Rather than buy a superstar, as in recent years, Zinedine Zidane’s side have boosted their squad by bringing back forwards Alvaro Morata and Marco Asensio, the 20-year-old Mallorquin who spent last term on loan at Espanyol.
Asensio can play behind the attack or on the left wing. He scored against Real Sociedad as he continues to impress.
There were surprises, too. Valencia conceded four at home in a defeat to Las Palmas, while all three promoted sides avoided defeat.
Atletico Madrid had 27 shots at goal at home to promoted Alaves, who had two. Neither team scored until the 92nd minute, when Kevin Gameiro scored a debut penalty which had been won by Fernando Torres.
Atletico thought it was the winner, until Alaves equalised two minutes later in their final attack. Atletico did not have their best player, Antoine Griezmann, and they missed his creativity.
They need that to complement their obdurate style. Griezmann will be back, Atletico too, while the Primera Liga is already back.
If the first week is an indicator, it is going to be brilliant.
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Primera Liga has best package, but as vile abuse directed at Inaki Williams shows, there is still work to do
Primera Liga are keen to promote around the world, to counter, what they see, as the threat of England's Premier League.
Spain's top flight knows that there's far more money in England, but they are not lying down without a fight. Primera Liga have opened up offices in North America, the Middle East, Asia and London. They have enlisted the help of top PR companies, although disconnects remain. Last month, The National was offered an interview with a former Real Madrid player acting as an ambassador for the league. He didn't show for the interview.
The league’s highlights package from this weekend is selective, too. It’s a plus that match highlights are easy to obtain online and for free, though.
See also:
• 2016/17 Primera Liga preview: Outside of Big Three, how will the best of the rest fare?
• Raining goals in Spain: Deeper Barcelona, improved Sevilla attack just part of Primera Liga scoring binge
• Andy Mitten: Athletic hotshot Inaki Williams has attention of Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City
In the highlight of the match between Sporting Gijon and Athletic Bilbao, there’s no mention that the referee stopped play in the first half. He did so because of racist abuse from Sporting fans in the direction of Athletic’s exceptional young black forward Inaki Williams, who was good enough last season to be called up for Spain.
The 22-year-old striker became the first black player to score for the Basques, in 2014, and home fans have taken the Spanish-born forward of Ghanaian and Liberian parents to their hearts. That, in the eyes of some Sporting fans, warranted monkey chants towards Williams. After appeals from the club over the public address system, the vile noises stopped, though, shamefully, Williams continued to be booed.
The scenes in Asturias did nobody any favours. Sporting’s El Molinon Stadium is one of Spain’s most atmospheric. But a racist fringe damage the reputation of fans and Sunday wasn’t the first time, with Sporting fined in 2008 after a Getafe player was racially abused.
Sporting won the game by beating their rivals from Spain’s northern Atlantic coast for the first time in 25 years, but the day was marred and Athletic were right to issue the following statement: “Worse than the result has been the fact that the referee has had to halt the game during the first half after insults and racist chants directed at Inaki Williams.”
Primera Liga has many virtues. They rightly claim to be the league with the best players and the best teams. Spanish sides continue to dominate European competitions and Spanish fans are largely friendly. Watching football in the country remains a pleasant experience and Athletic manager Ernesto Valverde was right to state: “I consider it an isolated case and not something their whole fan section took part in.”
Spanish authorities continue to crack down on racism and xenophobia and, two years ago, Primera Liga’s president, Javier Tebas, stated that the sections of stadiums from where racism emanates should be closed. Such measures would also punish fans who have done nothing wrong, but as events showed in Gijon, they still have work to do.
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Game of the week
Athletic Bilbao v Barcelona
The Catalans won 1-0 in the new San Mames on the opening day of last season thanks to a Luis Suarez goal. They are favourites to win again, but the Lions are hard to defeat in their den.
Villarreal v Sevilla is intriguing, while Real Madrid should have no problems at home to a Celta Vigo side who lost their opening game at home to promoted Leganes. It was Celta’s first defeat at home in nine matches.
Player of the week
So many candidates. Luis Suarez, Lionel Messi, Sergi Roberto and new signing Samuel Umtiti were excellent for Barca. Gareth Bale scored twice in the absence of Cristiano Ronaldo for Real Madrid.
Sevilla’s new signings Paulo Sarabia, a Madrileno who came from Getafe, and Franco Vasquez, an Argentine who arrived from Palermo, both scored and assisted in their six-goal haul. Alaves goalkeeper Fernando Pacheco was the standout as he kept Atletico at bay for so long.
What else?
• Barcelona introduced a singing section to a Camp Nou which is too often flat. It may be the biggest football stadium in the world in regular use, but too many ageing fans have no inclination to make an atmosphere and too many football tourists only come alive when Lionel Messi gets the ball.
That has frustrated younger Barca fans but after talking to their club, a solution appears to have been found. Though only 300 fans stood behind the goal for the singing section’s debut, an impressed Luis Enrique said that they sounded more like 3,000. Enrique understands fan culture and used to stand with Sporting Gijon’s ultras as a kid. Barca plan to double and then triple the size of what they call the “animated zone” before the end of the year.
• It wasn’t just Sevilla’s first team who played in a high scoring match. Their B team, Sevilla Atletico, were promoted to Spain’s second tier for this season, the only B team to play at such a high level this term. They drew their opening match 3-3 against a fancied Girona side who did part of their pre-season training at Manchester City. Girona came from 3-0 down and scored two goals in time added on. There were other late goals for Catalan second tier sides, with Reus getting an 89th-minute winner at Mallorca in their first ever second tier game – 107 years after the club was formed.
Levante got a first away win since last November. They would rather it wasn’t in the second division, but the Valencian side aim to go straight back up.
• Fran Merida, 26, scored for Osasuna on his debut. The former Arsenal midfielder has endured a roller-coaster career and considered quitting football last year when he didn’t have a club. At one point, he trained with a fourth division side near his Barcelona home.
Merida spent last term playing for struggling Huesca in division two, impressing against Osasuna, who signed him after going up.
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