NO CLEAR FAVOURITES
La Liga wide open as Real, Barcelona, Atletico stumble
SPAIN’S biggest three clubs, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, find themselves in the bizarre situation of having made poor starts to the campaign by their usual high standards while not losing any ground in the La Liga title race.
Champions Barca dropped points for the third game in a row on Saturday when they salvaged a 1-1 draw at home to Athletic Bilbao with a late equaliser.
Even after drawing at home with Girona and sliding to a shock 2-1 defeat at minnows Leganes during the week, Barca remain on top of the standings on goal difference.
That is because Real Madrid failed to win for the third time in four league outings, drawing 0-0 with Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
“Leaders, despite everything,” said the front page of the Barcelona-based newspaper Sport.
Real have the same number of points as they did after seven games last season.
Yet whereas they were seven points adrift of Barca at this stage of the last campaign, which they finished an astonishing 17 points off the pace, now they are locked on 14 points with the Catalans at the summit.
No team has led the La Liga standings with such a low number of points after seven games since the 1993-94 season.
Real and Barca’s twin struggles contrast with their ruthless form of a few years ago, with Real sweeping to the 2011-12 title with 100 points and the Catalans racking up a century of points the following season.
Atletico, the only serious challenger to the duopoly of Real and Barca in the last 14 years and who won the title in 2014, have made their worst ever start to a season under coach Diego Simeone in taking 12 points from seven games.
They remain, however, only two points behind their usual rivals, sitting fourth.
Sevilla have benefited the most from the stumbling form of the usual suspects and are currently third after winning three games on the bounce, including thrashing Real 3-0 last Wednesday.
Real coach Julen Lopetegui remained calm despite his side’s worrying form in front of goal, scoring only twice in four games. Daily Marca remarked that the European champions have “forgotten how to score.”
“The season is going to be very tough and very long,” said Lopetegui after the 0-0 draw with Atletico.
“We don’t focus on our rivals, we focus on ourselves. We’re only seven games into the season and everything is to play for. I’m happy because the team showed pride, personality and played good football.”
• MILAN: Spanish midfielder Suso scored a brace to end his Serie A goal drought as AC Milan got back winning after three consecutive draws with a 4-1 success which thwarted Sassuolo’s bid to go second in Serie A on Sunday.
Champions Juventus had maintained their perfect start to the season on Saturday with a 3-1 win in their top-of-the-table clash with Napoli who remain in second place.
Juventus, with a maximum 21 points after seven games, are six points ahead of Carlo Ancelotti’s team as they target an eighth consecutive Scudetto.
AC Milan needed to win to avoid losing further ground on their rivals, with Inter Milan, in fourth, after a 2-0 win over Cagliari, and Roma, in eighth, after a 3-1 derby win which halted the four-match winning streak of city rivals Lazio.
“This result can help us gain confidence,” said Milan coach Gennaro Gattuso.
“When you wear the Milan jersey and work at a glorious club like this, which wants to get back to the top, there is pressure.
“People aren’t so much interested in performances as results and the table, but I knew this team had promise and just needed some time to grow.”
Despite the win Milan remain tenth in the standings, four points off Inter Milan, who occupy the final Champions League berth.
• PARIS: Former champions Montpellier risked losing all three points due to unruly fans who forced two stoppages in their 3-0 Ligue 1 win over local rivals Nimes on Sunday.
The first ‘Languedoc derby’ in 25 years had promised plenty of drama, but neither players nor officials were quite ready for the incidents that threatened its cancellation and the points to be awarded to struggling Nimes.
The incidents could lead to sanctions for Montpellier, who are now nine points behind runaway leaders and champions Paris Saint-Germain, who saw Neymar hit a brace Saturday in a 3-0 win at Nice.
• BERLIN: Iceland international Alfred Finnbogason marked his return from injury with a hattrick as Augsburg eased to a 4-1 win over Freiburg in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
Having been sidelined with a knee injury since August, Finnbogason delivered a sparkling performance in his first appearance of the season to fire Augsburg up to eighth in the table.
“I wanted to play only when I felt fully fit, and I was obviously very excited because I knew how important this game could be,” Finnbogason said. “We wanted to show that we are difficult to beat at home.”
Earlier on Sunday, Ante Rebic scored one goal and created another to inspire Eintracht Frankfurt to a 4-1 victory over bottom club Hanover 96.