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La Liga 1 - Match Day 21
FC Barcelona are top of the league for at least the next couple of weeks. They won their 18th match of the season with their fifth straight league victory. They have 56 points and are still eight points above second placed Real Madrid. Real Madrid played Elche on Wednesday (the extra day’s rest was given to Real Madrid as they were involved in the Club World Cup which they won). As was to be expected against the side that has been bottom of this division from the start of the season, Real Madrid comfortably won the game 4-0.
Real Sociedad, after their slip-up last week, got back to winning ways and took all three points away at Espanyol, although they were given a real scare and almost threw away their three goal lead as the home side scored two late goals, before having a player red-carded, which ended any chance of a dream comeback. Real Sociedad are in third position with 42 points.
Atlético Madrid are in fourth with 38 points and are now unbeaten in their last five matches (three wins and two draws), after their 0-1 away win at Celta Vigo. But they did it, as Atlético Madrid usually do, the hard way. The game was heading towards a goalless draw when the visitors were reduced to 10 men in the 70th minute after defender Savic was red-carded. It was ‘backs to the wall’ from then to the end, but somehow, in the last two minutes, Atlético ‘nicked’ a goal to take all the points.
Real Betis also got back to winning ways after two defeats on the bounce. They took all three points with a hard-fought match away at Almería, before running out 2-3 winners. This victory moves Real Betis back up to fifth place with 34 points one point above Rayo Vallecano (33 points in sixth position), two points above Athletic Bilbao (32 points in seventh) and eighth placed Villarreal who have 31 points. Osasuna, who have now gone three games without a win (after starting the season really well), are down to ninth with 30 points after their 0-0 away draw at Valladolid.
Real Mallorca are the midtable team at this stage. They are in 10th position and, as you would expect from a mid-table side, tend to blow hot and cold. This week it was their ‘cold’ week, as they were beaten 2-0 away at Sevilla. Mallorca have 28 points.
There are three sides all in joint 11th position with 24 points - Girona (lost 0-2 at Cádiz), Sevilla (won 2-0 against Mallorca) and Valladolid (0-0 at home to Osasuna), are all just below the mid-table places. Girona are unbeaten in five games, winning their last four matches. Sevilla are unbeaten in four games, whilst Valladolid are unbeaten in their last three outings. Despite their mid-table positions, these three clubs are on a roll at the moment, which shows how badly they started their respective campaigns.
Celta Vigo are in 14th spot after going down 0-1 at home to Atlético Madrid. Having won their previous two matches and looking as if they had finally turned their season around, they were somewhat unfortunate to lose this game. They have 23 points and are one point above both Almería (lost 2-3) and Cádiz (won 2-0). Both clubs are in joint 15th position with 22 points, with Espanyol just above the relegation places in 17th with 21 points, following this week's home defeat by Real Sociedad.
Valencia drop into the relegation places for the first time, after their latest defeat, this time at home against Athletic Bilbao (1-2). To say the home supporters at the Mestalla stadium are unhappy is putting it mildly. Four defeats and a draw from their last five matches is relegation material.
Getafe are in 19th place with 19 points, after their home draw against Rayo Vallecano, although Getafe did well to earn a point as they were a goal down when they had a player redcarded, yet still managed to get an equaliser. The bottom placed side is, once again, Elche. They had a tough match as they travelled to the Bernabéu stadium to face newly-crowned World Club Champions, Real Madrid. The 4-0 scoreline to the home side means Elche stay bottom of the group with nine points from their 21 matches played.
Results for Match Day 21 (February 10-15)
Cádiz 2-0 Girona Almería 2-3 Real Betis Sevilla 2-0 Mallorca Valencia 1-2 Athletic Bilbao Getafe 1-1 Rayo Vallecano Celta Vigo 0-1 At. Madrid Valladolid 0-0 Osasuna Villarreal 0-1 Barcelona Espanyol 2-3 Real Sociedad Real Madrid 4-0 Elche Fixtures for Match Day 22 (February 17-20)
Girona v Almería
Real Sociedad v Celta Vigo Real Betis v Valladolid Real Mallorca v Villarreal Osasuna v Real Madrid Elche v Espanyol
Rayo Vallecano v Sevilla At. Madrid v Athletic Bilbao Barcelona v Cádiz Getafe -v Valencia
La Liga 2 - Match Day 27
Just the four red cards issued at the weekend in this division and, it has to be said, all four could have been avoided as they were strictly not purely football related (ie. not bad tackles, etc.). Even the red card issued to Huesca player Rubén Pulido in the 86th minute of their game at Gijón was rather harsh and definitely not a bad or dangerous tackle.
Las Palmas stay top after their comfortable 3-0 home against struggling CD Lugo. Las Palmas now have 52 points, two points above Levante in second position, who have 50 points after their latest win (1-0) at home against an Andorra side who have now lost their last five matches.
Alavés (1-4 winners away at Zaragoza) climb into third position with 49 points, above both
Eibar and Granada who are on 47 points after the weekend matches. Granada, 2-0 winners at home against Tenerife, have won their last four matches whilst Eibar were beaten for the second time on the spin, this time suffering a tough 0-3 home defeat at the hands of FC Cartagena.
Albacete are in sixth after what was a hard-fought 3-2 home win against a Málaga side that has been in the relegation places all season, but were rather unfortunate to end up beaten in this game. Málaga were forced to play with a player less from the 37th minute, when they had Luis Muñoz red-carded. At the time they were actually 1-2 ahead. The two yellow cards issued to Muñoz (the second one for protesting to the referee for his first yellow card) almost certainly cost Málaga the match. The win leaves Albacete in sixth position with 45 points.
Burgos, for so long this season in the top four, are currently in seventh place after their first win in the last five matches. Their 0-1 away victory at Oviedo means they now have 43 points. A 51st minute headed goal was enough to give the visitors all the points, although it has to be said that up to that point, Burgos were by far the better of the two teams. As crazy as it sounds, Oviedo had a player sent off in the 54th minute (a yellow card followed seconds later with a second yellow for arguing with the referee - will players never learn?) and from that moment on, they were unfortunate not to win the game!
Burgos are one place above Leganés (38 points in eighth position), who were beaten 2-1 away at Racing Santander. Leganés got back into the game having gone 2-0 down, with a goal in the 68th minute but the away player Yvan was red-carded for what looked like a slight off the ball push against one of the home players.
Leganés are one point and one place above FC Cartagena who managed the best result of the weekend, winning 0-3 away at Eibar, with two goals in the first five minutes and a third in the 70th minute. Cartagena are in ninth place with 37 points. They are one place above Huesca who managed a 1-1 away draw at Sporting Gijón, although they too picked up a red card in the 86th minute.
Three sides are in joint 11th position and all on 34 points. Tenerife (lost 2-0 at Granada), Oviedo (lost 0-1 at home to Burgos) and Villarreal B who lost their second game on the spin, this time 2-1 away at Mirandés. Sporting Gijón are in 14th position with 33 points, the same points tally as Mirandés and Zaragoza who lost heavily (1-4) at home to Alavés.
As we look at the bottom seven places, Andorra are in 17th position and really struggling. They have lost their last five matches, this weekend away at Levante (1-0). They stay on 32 points with Racing Santander, after their win this week, in 18th place on 30 points.
In the four relegation places, we see the ‘usual suspects’. Ponferradina are 19th with 28 points, having drawn four and lost one of their last five matches played. In fact, none of the bottom four sides have managed a single win between them in the last four matches. Málaga and CD Lugo are level with 22 points each after their matches, which they both lost. Ibiza are still at the foot of the table on 19 points, with two defeats and three draws from their last five played.
Results for Match Day 27 (February 10-13)
Granada 2-0 Tenerife Zaragoza 1-4 Alavés Mirandés 2-1 Villarreal B Levante 1-0 Andorra
Las Palmas 3-0 CD Lugo Albacete 3-2 Málaga Oviedo 0-1 Burgos Eibar 0-3 FC Cartagena Sporting Gijón 1-1 Huesca Ibiza 1-1 Ponferradina R. Santander 2-1 Leganés Fixtures for Match Day 28 (February 17-20)
FC Cartagena v Oviedo CD Lugo v Eibar Ponferradina v Levante Leganés v Las Palmas Tenerife v Mirandés Huesca v Granada Andorra v Sporting Gijón Alavés v Ibiza
Burgos v Albacete Villarreal B v Rac Santander Málaga v Zaragoza