European football correspondent
For a league generally perceived to be uncompetitive because of the vast imbalance between the riches of Barcelona, Real Madrid and the rest, Spain’s Primera Liga is currently confounding its critics.
European champions Barcelona have lost their past two away games, and sit fourth, the latest defeat coming at a previously out-of-form Sevilla on Saturday. That was only the Andalusians second league win in seven and they are still behind promoted neighbours Real Betis in the table. In the round of games before the league halted for the international break, not one of Spain’s top six managed a win.
Unbeaten Real Madrid have been held in three of their seven games, most recently in Sunday’s Madrid derby, against Atletico. Despite losing at neighbours Levante, Villarreal remain top. And while Celta Vigo hammered Barca 4-1 only two weeks ago, they were unable to score against Getafe in a 0-0 draw.
The results should not surprise anyone: this is the lowest scoring Spanish league season for a decade.
Madrid’s famed front three are not clicking as their coach, Rafa Benitez, might have hoped and Cristiano Ronaldo, who did not enjoy a good outing against Atletico, has scored in only one of their seven league games.
In fairness, he did score five in that game, at Espanyol.
Karim Benzema is the top scorer in Spain with six goals but he has been substituted in five matches, with Benitez stating that the Frenchman needs to convert more chances if he wants to play a full 90 minutes.
Benzema, 27, was angry after being taken off against Atletico with his side a goal up thanks to his eighth-minute header that keeps him top of the Pichichi.
But Benitez went for a more defensive approach as he tried to hold out for a win. That was understandable given Madrid had failed to score in four games at the Calderon last season.
They had a lead.
They wanted to keep it.
In hindsight, Madrid fans think their team should have killed off their lacklustre neighbours, and Benitez’s tactic failed when new Atletico signing, Luciano Vietto, grabbed an 83rd-minute equaliser. Two dropped points and an unhappy player brought scrutiny and speculation about Benitez’s deteriorating relationship with Benzema, but Madrid’s coach acknowledged that while Benzema may be angry, the pair get along fine.
“I consider him a great player. I challenged him to reach 20-25 goals. If I were him, I would be angry as well,” Benitez said.
The draw against an Atletico team still finding their way this season was not a bad result for Madrid, given that none of their immediate rivals won, but Benitez is showing that he is in charge, he is exerting his authority in his new job and standing up to players, even those who are most popular with Florentino Perez, the club president.
Benitez is viewed as hard working, tactically astute and meticulous, but he also has the best players in the world at his disposal, players capable of destroying any opposition.
Defending a lead is not Madrid’s traditional style and will draw criticism.
Madrid managed just two shots on target and were again saved by the in-form goalkeeper Keylor Navas.
They are still unbeaten this season, but as with all of Spain’s leading sides, they have yet to play to their potential.
Barcelona, without the injured Lionel Messi, are not at their best. Barca fans hope, and expect, him to return in time for el clasico on November 21.
Messi vacating the spotlight has provided the opportunity for other players to shine, yet La Liga’s leading individual lights are stumbling, just like the teams they play for.
NEVILLE WORKING HARD TO IMPRESS WITH VALENCIA
Valencia’s 1-0 Uefa Champions League win at Lyon last saw their assistant manager Phil Neville tweet a celebratory message in Valenciano, a dialect of Catalan. Such small details go down well with fans who appreciate it when an outsider tries to understand the nuances of the culture surrounding his new club.
Neville is working hard and impressing everyone there, throwing himself into learning Spanish. His family is also loving life in Spain, but Neville is at a club perennially at war with itself.
Prompted by the local media, fans have even criticised manager Nuno this season – that’s the man who led them back into the Champions League at the first attempt last term.
Nuno was charismatic with supporters; he brought a new wave of enthusiasm to the Mestalla stadium, which was spruced up in Valencian orange to look like more like home. Results were good, but all along in the background, power struggles and personality clashes persisted.
In the summer, club president Amadeo Salvo departed, as did sporting director Francisco Rufete and his head scout Roberto Ayala, both of them former Valencia players and idols. Their exits were not popular as the power at the club is all held by non-Spaniards, but outside intervention was vital a year ago.
Financially, Valencia were on their knees when Singaporean businessman Peter Lim and Portuguese agent Jorge Mendes got involved in 2014. Valencia had been selling their best players for years; their half built new stadium has stood idle for five years on the outskirts of Spain’s third biggest city, a microcosm of the property crisis and economic crash which engulfed Spain.
Lim’s money was appreciated, as were Mendes’ players and his client, Nuno. But Valencia is an ideal platform to showcase emerging talents, one where the biggest clubs could buy with confidence.
Nicolas Otamendi, their best defender last season and another Mendes client, was the latest in a long line of expensive – and unpopular – sales.
Valencians have huge demands of their leading club. They have seen their team win the league and European finals, but continued high expectations can be corrosive and discontent has been quick to surface this season.
Nuno was booed after the 0-0 draw at home to Real Betis recently. Then, only 28,000 showed for Valencia’s Champions League game against Zenit, a 3-2 home defeat. That brought more angst, though the win at Lyon puts them second in their group.
Valencia are ninth in La Liga, having scored only four goals in seven games, the second worst tally in the league. They also lost 3-1 at Athletic Bilbao at the weekend. An improvement is needed quickly; otherwise the criticism will intensify further.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Keylor Navas continues to be Real Madrid’s best player. The Costa Rican, who had agreed to join Manchester United as part of the David de Gea deal a month ago, conceded only his second goal of the league season. He made two vital saves to prevent his side losing to Atletico at the Vicente Calderon.
GAME OF THE WEEK
With no Primera Liga fixtures due to Spain’s matches against Luxembourg tomorrow and Ukraine on Monday, some attention will switch to the second division. Former top-flight stalwarts Osasuna are the league’s early leaders, though they face a tough game at nearby promoted side Alaves.
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