La Liga: Best 11 Players of Week 28

The top 3 clubs all won so nothing has changed in that respect, however it is clear as daylight that Barcelona are getting better by each passing week and they destroyed Real Sociedad 6-1 at the weekend. The gap to 1st place remains at 4 points.

Karim Benzema is in great form and scored another brace as Real Madrid remain 3rd and they won their 18th game of the season as they beat Celta Vigo. Sevilla drew but it doesn’t matter given that Real Sociedad have lost 2 games in a row and Sevilla now has a 10 point safety net and should claim the final Champions League place.

Let’s take a look below at the players in La Liga who made the team of the week.

Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak- Atletico Madrid 7pts

Jan Oblak now has 14 clean sheets for the season as Atletico got past Alaves 1-0. Oblak had to made 3 good saves in the game and it was on a nervous knife edge for most of the 90 minutes.

Defender: Serginho Dest- Barcelona 8pts

Serginho Dest did help to concede 1 goal as Barcelona beat Real Sociedad 6-1. However Dest had a great confident game as he scored 2 goals. This was a rare occasion for the player and those were his first two goals of the season.

Defender: Kieran Trippier- Atletico Madrid 7pts

Trippier helped to keep a clean sheet as Atletico stayed 4 points clear at the top of La Liga with a 1-0 win over Alaves. Trippier also assited in the winning goal setting up Luis Suarez, to round up a great contribution for the Englishman.

Defender: Aissa Mandi- Real Betis 7pts

Aissa Mandi helped to keep his 8th clean sheet of the season as Real Betis beat Levante 2-0. Mandi who has had one of his best seasons as a player also assisted in the clubs first goal. His value is 6.5m.

Defender: David Garcia- Osasuna 5pts

Not for the first time David Garcia of Osasuna has made the team of the week. Garcia was solid in defence as helped to keep a 9th clean sheet for his club as they drew 0-0 with Huesca. The player now has 30 points overall

Midfielder: Nabil Fekir- Real Betis 6pts

It has been hot and cold with Nabil Fekir’s career ever since he joined Real Betis but it was certainly hot at the weekend as he scored a goal and helped Real Betis to beat Levante with that game ending 2-0. It was Fekir’s third goal of the season and he now has 32 points overall.

Midfielder: Marco Asensio- Real Madrid 4pts

Marco Asensio only played for 20 minutes as he came on as a 2nd half substitution but the midfielder did score Real’s 3rd goal of the game right at the end as they eased to a 3-1 victory over Celta Vigo. That was the player’s third goal of the season.

Midfielder: Alex- Cadiz 4pts

Alex makes the team of the week again and he earned another 4 points as Cadiz lost 2-1 away to Villarreal. It was a disappointing result for his club but Alex did manage to score a goal and he has 4 so far, he also has a total of 31 points.

Midfielder: Pere Milla- Elche 3pts

Pere Milla scored the opening goal for Elche although in the end they could only draw 1-1 with Granada. However it was Milla’s 2nd goal of the season and perhaps will give the 28 year old more confidence going forward as the campaign goes on.

Striker: Karim Benzema- Real Madrid 10pts

There were hardly any midfielders that stood out this week in Spain, but there were strikers- and it was the old brilliant guard. Karim Benzema scored another brace, he has been in brilliant form lately as Real Madrid beat Celta Vigo 3-1 away from home. Benzema now has 17 goals so far and is having another solid season with Real.

Striker: Lionel Messi- Barcelona 10pts

Lionel Messi has been back to his brilliant best in the league especially in the past month. Messi scored another 2 goals at the weekend as Barca destroyed Real Sociedad 6-1 away from home to put the pressure on league leaders Atletico Madrid and they are now only 4 points behind them. Messi is the leading scorer in La Liga this season and has 23 goals so far.

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La Liga: Best 11 Players of Week 25

Atletico Madrid put the title back in their hands again as they went 5 points clear at the weekend and have a game extra to play over Real Madrid. Real could only draw 1-1 at home to Real Sociedad in a disappointing result for them.

Barcelona are on a great run and are also 5 points behind Atletico and they beat Sevilla 2-0 away from home. This was an impressive result from Barca given that Sevilla had been in great form.

Let’s take a look below at the La Liga team of the week, in a 4-4-2 formation.

Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak- Atletico Madrid 7pts

Atletico beat Villarreal 2-0 in the end but dare we say it, Villarreal were the better side who created so many chances but didn’t have that killer touch. Jan Oblak was superb in goal as the home side rained down chance after chance and he really won the game for his side. That’s 12 clean sheets now for the talented keeper.

Defender: Victor Ruiz- Real Betis 5pts

Victor Ruiz has kept 5 clean sheets for Betis and he did so once again as his club beat Cadiz 1-0. That was an impressive result as Cadiz have been good at home. Ruiz only has 10 points this season as he can lose points through too many bookings (4) so far.

Defender: Mario Hermoso- Atletico Madrid 5pts

One of the best defenders in Spain was solid again and Hermoso was a key factor in the backline for Atletico who won and kept a clean sheet to beat Villarreal. Hermoso is valued at just 5m and has earned 56 points so far.

Defender: Jordi Alba- Barcelona 5pts

It’s not always been plain sailing this season for Jordi Alba, but he held firm at the back and grew in confidence as the game with Sevilla went on. That is Alba’s 10th clean sheet of the season in a fantastic 2-0 win over Sevilla.

Defender: Aissa Mandi- Real Betis 5pts

Aissa Mandi was brilliant again for Real Betis and he made our team of the week last week also. Mandi helped to keep another clean sheet and has 25 points so far.

Midfielder: Portu- Real Sociedad 4pts

Portu’s form continues and the midfielder scored against Real Madrid in a game that finished 1-1. Portu now has 7 goals this season and has 53 points in total.

Midfielder: Raul Garcia-Athletic Bilabo 4pts

Raul Garcia scored a penalty which secured a much needed point for Bilbao at the weekend as they drew 1-1 with Levante. Garcia now has 19 points so far this season.

Midfielder: Carlos Alena- Getafe 6pts

Carlos Alena had a terrific game as the midfielder also dropped back to help in defence as Getafe beat Valencia 3-0 and that was seen as a surprise result. Alena then topped off a great weekend’s work by scoring the third goal.

Striker: Lionel Messi- Barcelona 5pts

It’s that man Lionel Messi again who makes the team of the week. Barcelona faced a very difficult side away from home in Sevilla and they won 2-0. Messi scored one of the goals and he now has 19 so far that is good enough to be the top goalscorer this season and is 3 goals in front of Luis Suarez.

Striker: Joao Felix- Atletico Madrid 4pts

Joao Felix scored his 7th goal of the season as Atletico remained top of the league and have a good 5 point gap after they beat Villarreal 2-0. Felix’s value is just 7m and he looks like a bargain for his return this season.

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La Liga: Best 11 Players of Week 20

We’ve officially passed the half way stage of the Spanish football season for 2020/21 and Atletico Madrid look like the favourites to win the league title. Diego Simeone’s side are 7 points in front of 2nd placed Real Madrid and have a game in hand over them, surely it is there’s to lose now?

Barcelona have found good form and won their last 4 games in a row and have climbed to 3rd place as a result. Down at the bottom it could be the Segunda Division awaiting Huesca. They drew at the weekend but are bottom of the league and six points from safety.

Let’s take a look at the best 11 players in a 4-4-2 formation that made the team of the week in La Liga.

Goalkeeper: Bono- Sevilla 7pts

Bono is the 5th best keeper in La Liga this season with the fantasy points and he earned another seven at the weekend to take his total too 35. It was his sixth clean sheet in this campaign and Bono made some very good saves as Sevilla beat Cadiz 3-0.

Defender: Samuel Umtiti- Barcelona 5pts

It has not been a vintage season for Samuel Umtiti so far but he put in a solid display at the back for Barcelona as they impressively kept a clean sheet away from home when they beat Elche 2-0. Umtiti’s value is 6m.

Defender: Estupinan- Villarreal 5pts

Estupinan has helped to keep four clean sheets for Villarreal and at the weekend the club drew 0-0 away to Huesca. It wasn’t a great result for the yellow submarines but a point away from home is always valuable and the player really stood out among the other defenders for his side.

Defender: Jordi Alba- Barcelona 5pts

Jordi Alba has had a slow start to the campaign but is now picking up points and he put in some great tackles and had wonderful vision just to keep Elche quiet. Even if Barcelona were the favourites to win the game which they did 2-0 he still had a job to do to help and keep a clean sheet and that was Alba’s 8th clean sheet of the season.

Defender: Sergi Gomez- Sevilla 5pts

Sergi Gomez has only started 5 games this season and only has 5 points overall as a result. But Gomez did well when he had the time on the ball as Sevilla were able to overcome Cadiz 3-0 and keep their 4th place in the league standings.

Midfielder: Frenkie de Jong- Barcelona 8pts

Frenkie de Jong had one of those games that Barcelona really needed from him. The Dutch player opened the scoring against Elche and then closed out a narrow game by assisting in the 2nd goal as Barcelona ran out 4-0 winners, de Jong has scored 3 goals and assisted in three this season.

Midfielder: Joaquin Sanchez- Real Betis 6pts

Joaquin Sanchez helped  Real Betis claim a 2-2 draw against Real Sociedad and he did it in style. Real Betis were losing 2-0 and Sanchez came on with just over ten minutes remaining of the game and assisted in a goal to pull the score back. He then scored at the end to claim the draw which for Betis felt like a win, an incredible game for Sanchez.

Midfielder: Eden Hazard- Real Madrid 6pts

Eden Hazard has had long spells of injury at Real Madrid so it was great for him that he did enough to make the team of the week. The Belgian assisted in the clubs 2nd goal and then scored the 3rd one as Real Madrid ran out 4-1 winners over Alaves.

Midfielder: Marcos Llorente- Atletico Madrid 4pts

Marcos Llorente has been one of Atletico’s best players this season and he earned another 4 points at the weekend as the league leaders overcame Valencia beating them 3-1.Llorent was a presence throughout and helped in a goal towards the end for a comfortable win for Simeone’s team.

Striker: Youssef En-Nesyri- Sevilla 14pts

Youssef En-Nesyri has been one of the biggest improvements this season in the league and he earned a huge 14 points at the weekend for Sevilla. It was an amazing game for the forward who scored a fantastic hat-trick and even had a 4th goal ruled out by VAR. The forward now has 12 goals this season.

Striker: Luis Suarez- Atletico Madrid 12pts

Luis Suarez has found a new lease of life at Atletico Madrid and continues to do what he does best and score goals. Suarez helped the club beat Valencia in their latest game as he scored his 12th goal of the season and overall he has been involved in 14 goals.

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La Liga: Best 11 Players of the Weekend: Matchday 8

There is a team in first place in Spain who begin with Real but it isn’t the one you’re expecting. Real Sociedad won their 4th game in a row and the club are a point clear of Real Madrid who hammered Huesca.

Atletico Madrid recorded their third straight win in a row but there was more misery for Barcelona who have gone 4 games without victory as they drew 1-1 at Deportivo, they are in the unlikely place of 12th and this is their worst start to a league campaign in 18 years. This weekend felt like it was all about red cards though and there were 5 shown.

Below are the best 11 players from the weekend in La Liga.

Goalkeeper: Fernando Pacheco- Alaves 0pts

It is an incredibly rare occurrence that a player would get into the team with zero points. But all the keepers linked to fantasy football scored no points or minus. Whilst many scored zero points Fernando Pacheco criheld the mighty Barcelona to a 1-1 draw and gets the nod.

Defender: Fali- Cadiz 5pts

Cadiz were the only club in La Liga to keep a clean sheet as they beat Eibar 2-0. Fali was part of a defence that stayed strong throughout and helped maintain yet another clean sheet for the surprise package team of this season.

Defender: Cala- Cadiz 5pts

Cala makes the best 11 yet again after his fantastic contribution in the Eibar game where Cadiz won 2-0 and he picked up points for a clean sheet.

Defender: Carlos Akapo- Cadiz 5pts

Carlos Akapo has been in our team of the weekends before and he picked up another 5pts in a superb defence display from Cadiz. Akapo now has 18pts and is only valued at 5m. He looks a real bargain.

Defender: Kieran Trippier- Atletico Madrid 2pts

This was a weekend where defenders in La Liga did not really shine and 2 points was enough to get the final 11 cut. Trippier has had a fine season so far with Atletico as they beat Osasuna in an important fixture winning 3-1.

Midfielder: Federico Valverde- Real Madrid 6pts

Real Madrid beat Huesca 4-1 at the weekend and are 2nd in the league. Federico Valverde had a superb game setting up the first goal for Eden Hazard to open the scoring and then scoring the 3rd goal which by then effectively killed off the encounter.

Midfielder: Portu- Real Sociedad 4pts

Portu has been one of the outstanding players in the league so far. He has acquired 28pts so far and at the weekend added another four as his side beat Celta Vigo 4-1. What was amazing is that Portu only came on in the 46th minute and then assisted in a further 2 goals.

Midfielder: Lucas Torreira- Atlteico Madrid 4pts

Lucas Torreira is settling in at his new club from his Arsenal move well and they are in brilliant form winning their last 3 games in a row. He scored the final goal as his club overcame Osasuna 3-1.

Midfielder: Sergio Canales – Real Betis 4pts

Real Betis beat Elche 3-1 and that was largely thanks to the underrated Sergio Canales. The midfielder set up striker Cristian Tello twice to finish off the game, and Canales now has 16pts in total.

Striker: Cristian Tello- Real Betis 10pts

Cristian Tello was on form has he scored 2 goals for his club Real Betis as they beat Elche 3-1. Tello’s value is just 6m and he has scored 4 goals already this season.

Striker: Karim Benzema- Real Madrid 10pts

He may be getting older but Karim Benzema has been a rock for Real Madrid throughout the years. He was easily the man of the match as Real Madrid beat Huesca 4-1. Benzema not only scored 2 goals putting his season total to 3 he also assisted in a goal also.

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What is Brazilian legend Ronaldo’s ultimate goal with Real Valladolid?

In 2018 when Ronaldo, the 1990s Brazilian version became the majority owner of Spanish club Real Valladolid it certainly raised eyebrows.Why would Ronaldo become president of a club who were used to either being relegated or fighting in a relegation dog fight? The answer is the challenge and of course the affordability of the club, Ronaldo now owns 82% of the team, but is his project go after 2 years?

In Ronaldo’s first season of ownership Valladolid came 16th and just 4 points was the difference between staying in La Liga and playing their next season in the Segunda. Everyone at the club was obviously relived. They also made it to the quarter finals of the Copa del Rey which was no mean feat but all in all it was a season with a few highs and one to forget.

The next season saw an improvement in the league when they finished 13th but they had only ironically finished with 1 more point than the previous season and had only won a lowly 23% of their games.

This season marks the clubs 90th in existence. The objective of course is to improve and keep moving forwards. The club lost Mohammed Salisu to Premier League side Southampton but got a small fortune for him 12m euros. Transfers in and have been mostly free ones, though Fabian Orellana from Eibar catches the eye.

The project this season is to try and reach 50 points and finish in the top 10 and then for the season after qualification for the Europa League- this would be the best case scenario. But when Valladolid aren’t playing well one could just imagine that Ronaldo would love to rip off that suit, go back in time 20 years and get on that pitch pronto. The club lose a lot of games and that includes home ones, and this will be a frustrating role for Ronaldo before it gets better, and the fact is football can be cruel, it may never get better, especially if the club are relegated.

Valladolid played four pre-season games losing 2 of them but gained a decent 2-2 draw away to Portuguese side Braga in their last game before the La Liga season kicked off on September 12th.

In the league the club have played two games, starting with a 1-1 draw against Real Sociedad at home and then a defeat away to Real Betis losing 2-0. Michel, the attacking midfielder has scored the clubs only goal so far.

It will be a long and testing season for the club with such limited funds, their next game is on September 27th when they will play Celta Vigo at home. Home games will be so important for the club, and they must pick up points here, that is going to be key for survival for the 3rd time in a row under Ronaldo.

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La Liga: Best 11 Players of the Weekend: Matchday 2

About half the teams in La Liga have played 2 games but matches are still being staggered and Barcelona for example will not play their first game until September 27th. Real Madrid, the champions did open their account and it was in disappointing fashion as they could only draw away 0-0 against Real Sociedad. But did any of their players make the final cut?

Check below to see if you’re fantasy players made the best 11 in Spain at the weekend.

Formation: 4-4-2

Goalkeeper: Remiro- Real Sociedad 7pts

There were a few goalkeepers who kept a clean sheet and got 7pts but we will give the nod to Remiro of Real Sociedad who helped to keep Real Madrid at bay as the game ended 0-0. His value is 6m.

Defender: Aissa Mandi- Real Betis 5pts

Aissa Mandi makes the best 11 team for the 2nd week in a row. Mandi earned 5pts as his Real Betis team beat Real Valladolid 2-0 and he helped to keep a clean sheet and is becoming a stalwart of the Betis defence.

Defender: Marc Bartra- Real Betis 5pts

More points for Marc Bartra who played well alongside Mandi and there is a good relationship between the two players as Betis once again kept a clean sheet. Bartra is valued at 6.5m.

Defender: Fali- Cadiz 5pts

Fali came on in the 2nd half and helped his team shore up the defence and he kept his head as Cadiz beat Huesca 2-0 and kept a very important clean sheet away from home against the odds.

Defender: Djene- Getafe 5pts

Djene is a good defender who popped up in the best 11 players a few times last season and could be worth adding to your team. He helped his side Getafe keep a clean sheet as they beat Osasuna 1-0 at home at the weekend.

Midfielder: William Carvalho- Real Betis 6pts

Real Betis won their game 2-0 and William Carvalho scored a goal for the club to have a very good weekend. He was always a danger in midfield and seems to have hit it off with Nabil Fekir. It should be a good season for Betis.

Midfielder: Nabil Fekir- Real Betis 5pts

Nabil Fekir assisted and scored a goal but lost some points as he was booked. A very good player, his passing his sublime at times and he is valued in the fantasy team at 10m and has started the season very well.

Midfielder: Filip Malbasic- Cadiz 4pts

Malbasic might not be a house hold name but he helped his side Cadiz to a win at the weekend as he assisted in the 2nd goal which ended up being the winner towards the end of the game, he has started the season positively.

Midfielder: Adnan Januzaj- Real Sociedad 2pts

Just 2 pts has seen Januzaj make the selection in a weekend which was hardly vintage for La Liga, plus we are not back to a full schedule. He did well and held his own though in  midfield against the champions Real Madrid in a game that ended goalless.

Striker: Iago Aspas- Celta Vigo 8pts

Aspas is another player who kept finishing in the best 11 players of the weekend and he is becoming a real legend for his club Celta Vigo, Aspas scored both of Celta Vigo’s goals as they beat Valencia 2-1. He is worth so much to the club but you can add him to your fantasy team for just 8.5m.

Striker: Gerard Moreno- Villarreal 6pts

Moreno earned 6 pts at the weekend as Villarreal won their game 2-1. Moreno scored and assisted for the winner, and he had a goal disallowed so it was a very busy afternoon for the striker who deserves his place in the best 11 of the La Liga weekend.

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La Liga Best 11 Players of the Weekend: Matchday 1

The new Spanish season kicked off last weekend and with Lionel Messi deciding to stay at Barcelona, Real Madrid may have a real challenge this year. We should not forget about Atletico Madrid too who always remain a danger. However this first batch of games did not involve any of these teams. The games were reduced from the usual 10 to 7.

So which players made the difference on the opening weekend, do you have them in your team? Did they impress so much that you would consider getting them? Let’s take a look.

Formation: 4-4-2

Goalkeeper: Claudio Bravo- Real Betis 7pts

A few goalkeepers got the same points but we will give this to Claudio Bravo for Real Betis who made some important saves but also because Betis were away from home and kept a clean sheet in beating Alaves 1-0. It was a solid display and a good result.

Defender: Oier Mate-Osasuna 7pts

Oier Mate not only helped Osasuna keep a clean sheet as they beat new comers Cadiz away he also helped assist in Adrian’s goal which was Osasuna’s first of the night in a 2-0 win.

Defender: Domingos Duarte- Granada 5pts

Granada beat Athletic Bilbao 2-0 and Duarte was everywhere, shoring up the defence and having an all round great game in helping his team secure a clean sheet.

Defender: Rafa- Eibar 5pts

This wasn’t an easy game for Eibar who drew 0-0 at home against Celta Vigo and finished the game with 10 men. However Rafa was a stand out defender for the club and earned his points as he helped keep a clean sheet.

Defender: Aissa Mandi- Real Betis 5pts

Aissa Mandi is becoming a veteran with Real Betis and a real stalwart with the club throughout the years. Betis did well winning 1-0 away to Alaves and Mandi did his job perfectly to help keep a clean sheet.

Midfielder: Ruben Garcia- Osasuna 6pts

Ruben Garcia can be snapped up for just 4.5m and last weekend he earned the most points as a midfielder in the league. He scored a goal for Osasuna as they won their game 2-0 and earned 6 points in the process.

Midfielder: Sergio Canales- Real Betis 4pts

Sergio Canales has been playing in La Liga now for some time and is still a great player to watch, really catches the eye. Canales assisted in Real Betis’ goal as they grabbed all three vital points.

Midfielder: Miguel Alfonso Herrero- Real Valladolid 3pts

Earning just three points wouldn’t normally put you in a team of the week but it has for Miguel Alfonso Herrero who would cost you 7.5m to add to your team. His team Valladolid drew 1-1 with Real Sociedad and he got the goal. However he was then booked five minutes after goal which penalised his points.

Midfielder: William Carvalho- Real Betis 2pts

Many defenders got 2 points but Carvalho played a good game with Betis in their away victory and made some vital interceptions, so he makes this team.

Striker: Jose Luis Morales- Levante 8pts

Jose Luis Morales had a strange game as he opened the scoring against Valencia which was a shock for Levante and he scored later in the game to get register two. But Valencia came back and won the game 4-2. So a bad game for his team but for him personally he had a good game and in fact scored the most points of any player in the league this weekend.

Striker: Maximiliano Gomez- Valencia 4pts

Gomez was involved in the same game as Morales and they take the strikers awards this week. Gomez was of course on the winning side as Valencia beat Levante 4-2 and he scored one of the four goals.

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La Liga is back and will kick off with the grand derby when Sevilla take on Real Betis

It’s taken 3 months but La Liga is finally returning after Covid-19 and the first match will take place this Thursday when bitter rivals Sevilla take on Real Betis.

The match between the two teams is called ‘The Grand Derby’ and it is sure to be a good encounter. Of course the edge will be taken off the game given that the league will play out the season behind closed doors with no fans. However the Bundesliga has proved that even without fans games have still been intense. For example goals are still being scored, with plenty of attacks and players are still being booked and cautioned. Of course without the fans it will never be the same, but at the end of the day many fans will be watching the games on television and getting back into the drama of football.

Currently Sevilla are in 3rd place with 47 points and whilst a top two position looks out of reach the club will have to continue to win games to qualify for next seasons Champions League. There is just 2 points between Sevilla in 3rd and Atletico Madrid in 6th position and it is clear that Sevilla have no given right to a top 4 place. As for Real Betis they are in 12th place with 33 points and 9 points behind a Europa League place and losing pace so they will probably need something from this game.

Betis come into the match with mixed form with just 1 win from their last five games although they did win their last match before the pandemic put an end to proceedings. However that victory was a fantastic 2-1 win over Real Madrid. As for Sevilla they are on a 4 game unbeaten run and have lost just two games at home this season.

And who will win La Liga? Only Barcelona and Real Madrid can win the title now and Barcelona have 58 points whilst Madrid are just two points behind on 56. At the weekend Barcelona will be away to Real Mallorca whilst Madrid will take on Eibar at home. Of course both teams will be favourites to pick up all three points but they could also be rusty. However what has been impressive in Germany has been Bayern Munich who have actually looked sharp and fantastic as if the break had never occurred so it will be interesting to see how the two giants in Spanish football react.

The first games back in La Liga will be spread over four days starting on June 11th until Sunday June 14th. The league has another 11 games left to play.

 

 

La Liga: Best 11 Players of the Weekend: Week 24

Real Madrid were shocked as they could draw at home against Celta Vigo 2-2. With Barcelona getting past Getafe with a 2-1 win it means that Barca are just one point behind Madrid with 14 games left to play. From the top 6 teams only two won in Barcelona and Villarreal and that has also made Champions League finishing positions more open and interesting.

Let’s take a look below at who performed the best this past weekend.

Formation: 4-4-2

Goalkeeper: Joel Robles- Real Betis 7pts

Only two goalkeepers in La Liga earned 7 points and it happened in the same match as Leganes took on Real Betis. The game ended 0-0 but Joel Robles deserves this one being the away goalkeeper and Levante had 11 goal attempts.

Defender: Oier Mate- Osasuna 8pts

It was a perfect match for Oier Mate who not only kept a clean sheet for his club but also scored the only goal and winner as Osasuna beat Athletic Bilbao 1-0 away from home.

Defender: David Garcia- Osasuna 5pts

Garcia alongside his team mater Oier Mate helped to keep a clean sheet away from home and earned 5 points. That is his 7th of the season where he has helped his club.

Defender: Aissa Mandi- Real Betis 5pts

Aissa Mandi has been good at collecting yellow cards which has hampered his points total, but at the weekend he did a perfect job for Real Betis and he has helped the club keep 4 clean sheets this season.

Defender: Martin Valjent- Real Mallorca 

Real Mallorca beat Alaves 1-0 and Valjent was a big part of that success and earning 3 points in the heart of defence. He has helped to keep 4 clean sheets this season.

Midfielder: Suso- Sevilla 6pts

Suso rescued a point for Sevilla who were losing 2-1 at home to Espanyol but with just minutes left Suso was able to get a very important goal for the home side. It was only his 2nd goal of the season but such an important one.

Midfielder: Toni Kroos- Real Madrid 4pts

It was a disappointing result at the weekend for Real Madrid who could only draw 2-2 at home to Celta Vigo. But Toni Kroos put in a good shift at home and also scored a goal to put his team back in the game after they conceded first.

Midfielder: Moises Gomez- Villarreal 4pts

Moises Gomez got the winning goal as his side Villarreal beat Levante 2-1 in a very close game. He has been involved in 7 goals this season and that was his 3rd of the season.

Midfielder: Thomas Partey- Atletico Madrid 4pts

Thomas scored only his 2nd goal of the season to help Atletico draw 2-2 with Valencia in an entertaining draw. The league is over for the club but they need to maintain a Champions League berth.

Striker: Gerard Moreno- Villarreal 6pts

Gerard Moreno had a brilliant game for Villarreal as he opened the scoring and then set up the winner as his side won 2-1. Moreno has scored 10 goals this season and created 3 further goals.

Striker: Lucas Ocampos- Sevilla 6pts

Lucas Ocampos also earned 6 points and did the same job as Moreno scoring his teams first goal and then setting up the assist for the 2nd as Sevilla drew 2-2. It was Ocampos’ 7th goal of the season.

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Barcelona sack Ernesto Valverde but the situation turns into a farce

Barcelona have sacked coach Ernesto Valverde but the handling of the affair ended up turning into a farce. Instead of the club making a professional decision the story ran out of control when former player Xavi rejected taking the job.

The Catalan giants ended up exposing themselves early, Valverde knew he was out of a job as the Barca board scrambled to appoint someone after the club were beaten 3-2 by Atletico Madrid in the Spanish Super Cup semi-finals out in Saudi Arabia. The timing though seems off. It is ended with Barcelona fans having a Valverde for a domestic league game, only to see him and the team go halfway around the world to play in the Super Cup and the team coming back with Valverde gone and a new manager in place.

But why now? Why did Barcelona make this decision? Valverde after all becomes the first Barcelona coach in 17 years sacked mid way through the season. The last was Louis van Gaal. It has been reported that Barcelona panicked when they witnessed the Atletico game. The club were 2-1 up with 10 minutes to go and lost 3-2. It reminded them of the Champions League collapses against Roma and Liverpool when the club spurned a 3 goal lead, each time with Valverde in charge.

It’s odd in a way that the club have finally said goodbye to him given that they are top of the league in Spain and qualified for the knock out stages of the Champions League. If they were going to sack him surely it would have come days after going out of the Champions League in embarrassing fashion to Liverpool, or at the end of last season, but he was liked by the board, well until now.

So who will be replacing him? It should have been Xavi and that would have been the natural decision. But the former Barca great actually did the most decent thing and declined to leave his current managerial position at Al Sadd during their season. It was reported he could take over in the summer but Barca wanted someone now. That someone is Quique Setien.

Setien’s last job was coach of Real Betis where he recorded some great results including beating Barcelona. He has long been an admirer of the clubs playing philosophy and could be the perfect replacement, only time will tell on that, but he has never had a win rate above 50%, at the same time he has never coached one of the elite teams and at 61 his dream has finally come true.

As for Valverde, well once you have managed Barcelona it is like winning an Oscar and he will be high demand, with no problems to find another job, although he will more than likely take the next 6 months off. The one shame is the way Barcelona handled it all for a man who probably should have gone this summer. Having said that one could question if he has been a failure for Barcelona? Sure their performances collapsed in the Champions League but Barcelona won 2 league titles under him and two cups. Week in week out they did a job on Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid to win La Liga.

Former Barcelona great Andres Iniesta called the handling of Valverde’s sacking ‘a bit ugly’, and he was right to say that. It’s interesting how loyal figures at the club are usually shown the back door or the handling for their exits is not done let’s say with the best of etiquette in mind. But what is done is done and Setien will be thrown in at the deep end, his dream has finally arrived and he will be hoping that it isn’t a nightmare.

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