Internationals and Champions League shake up LaLiga
The international break saw Spain record a mixed bag of performances and results.
A short trip across the border to play Portugal brought a diplomatic if hardly enthralling goalless draw before both countries announced a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
If the tournament is awarded to the Iberian Peninsula, let’s hope there’s some better entertainment on show than in this virtual non- aggression pact friendly.
That game was followed on Saturday by a Nations League victory over Switzerland. Again, the game was hardly a fascinating spectacle, but the single goal by Real Sociedad’s Mikel Oyarzabal was enough to give Las Rojas the all- important points.
The final game of the trio always looked like a potential bananaskin moment. Sure enough, despite dominating much of the game with Adama Traoré looking a potent force and fast enough to give both Flash Gordon and Usain Bolt a decent race, Spain fell to a late goal away to Ukraine. Las Rojas still top the group, but the path looks a little less smooth than it did.
The opening games in the Champions League group stages had an effect on the fixtures in matchday six of La Liga and, arguably, the internationals had an effect on the results.
It’s often the way that the perceived ‘ big clubs’ are separated over a weekend’s fixture run making matchday six’s Saturday games an unusual occurrence when Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and Atlético Madrid all played on the same day. With all four clubs involved in European matters across Tuesday and Wednesday however, the situation was unavoidable.
Although offering those clubs the maximum ‘ rest and recuperation’ time before the Champions League games, it also limited the recovery time from the exertions of international games with the inevitable linked travel, with perhaps the consequences that occurred.
Only Atléti bucked the unwelcome trend delivering 0- 2 victory in Vigo and establishing them as La Liga’s only unbeaten club this season.
Suárez scored early and Carrasco late in a typically robust display by El Cholo’s team. With Sevilla already having suffered a reverse in the opening game of the day, and similar fates awaiting both Los Blancos and Barça, the day got even better for Simeone.
Sevilla had made the relatively short trip to Granada and, with two wins and 1- 1 draw in the Camp Nou already secured, would have been confident of taking the points from the Nuevo Los Cármenes.
Diego Martínez continues, however, to perform minor miracles with the Nazaríes as they continue to establish themselves in the top tier. Perhaps there was an element of fatigue among the Sevilla players, but Yangel Herrera’s late goal hardly flattered the home team and the points stayed in Granada.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day occurred at the Estadio Alfredo
Di Stéfano in Madrid, where the league leaders entertained newly promoted Cádiz.
It’s the sort of game that should, by most if not all pundits reckoning have been a ‘ banker’ home win – but it was anything but. Again, shorn of the services of Eden Hazard, Zidane had chosen to leave Casemiro on the bench and was rewarded with the sort of display from his team that would have had him pulling his hair out – that is if it hadn’t already all been shaved off !
By half- time, the visitors were a goal up and, it would hardly have been overstating things to say that a three or four goal lead would have flattered them. Alvaro Negredo cast off the years and his rumbustious play disrupted the home backline on numerous occasions, with his neat flicked header providing the opening for Lozano to score just past the quarter hour mark, with Sergio Ramos woefully out of position.
The skipper had played in all of Spain’s internationals, and it showed. The coach’s ire was illustrated by the four changes made at the break. Lucas, Modric, Isco and Ramos – although the latter may have been because of injury – were all removed at the break and, when Kroos followed in the second period, it meant that none of the starting midfield finished the game.
It made little difference though and Cádiz continued to look dangerous with Real Madrid’s efforts to salvage a result having all the incisiveness of a blunt instrument.
The result in Madrid offered an excellent opening for Barcelona to prosper with the season’s first El Clásico arriving in matchday seven.
For the day, Getafe were relabelled as Fe FC, using the Spanish for ‘ Faith’ to register their
support for people across the world suffering in the pandemic. Koeman had tried another variation of shuffling his cards up front.
This time, Messi was nominally the lead striker but, with Griezmann and Dembélé maintaining their peripheral form, it meant that the team’s talisman was often isolated and rarely influential.
A clumsy challenge by De Jong ten minutes after the restart allowed Mata to score from twelve yards and, as with Los Blancos, the Blaugrana will go into El Clásico on the back of an embarrassing reverse.
After the game Koeman appeared both rattled and annoyed by media questions about Griezmann and where he should be played. Not in El Clásico may be the answer, Ronald, although football’s contrary nature may mean he turns in a virtuoso performance and rediscovers his form. Who can say?
O n Sunday, Athletic Club finally got a win as goals from Álex Berenguer and Iñaki Williams saw them over the line against Levante.
In Valencia, the local derby was settled by a winning goal from Dani Parejo. For the first time ever though, it meant a defeat for Valencia, rather than a victory as the fan favourite had become part of Valencia’s ‘ fire sale’ transfer policy in the summer, and the win took Uni Emery’s team, briefly, to the top of the table before Real Sociedad’s 0- 3 victory at Betis, usurped the position.
Elche and Huesca kept the promoted teams heading in the right direction with the former impressing with 0- 2 victory at struggling Alavés, and the latter earning a point after a 2- 2 home draw against Real Valladolid.
Next week, I’ll be paying particular attention to the outcome of the season’s first big match ups when the champions visit the Camp Nou but, with La Real topping the league, and Villareal, Getafe, Cádiz and Granada all in the top six, there’ll be plenty to talk about. Keep it Costa Blanca News and I’ll catch you then. Hasta luego, mis amigos!