La Liga Lowdown, Jornada 7: Brilliant Barcelona comeback knocks Valencia off top spot

News in Spain last week was dominated by the drama at Barcelona between current president Sandro Rosell and ex-president Joan Laporta. Rosell had called a general assembly to look into Barça’s accounts and Laporta’s alleged “financial mismanagement” during his reign in charge. So it turned out that Rosell had a case, a case which will now end up in court.

But for the manager and the players, there was a more important matter at hand at the weekend – a tough game against league leaders Valencia at Camp Nou. The game saw the return of two key midfielders for both sides; Xavi for Barça and Éver Banega for Valencia.

If ever there were a ‘game of two halves’ this was it. Valencia started off well in the first-half, and were on top throughout. They kept the ball well, were intense and pressed superbly…almost in the Barcelona way. Another key to their play was the accuracy of their counter-attacks, and that’s exactly how the first goal came about. The ball was worked well down the left; Jeremy Mathieu (playing an advanced role ahead of Jordi Alba) broke free and eventually pulled it back into the path of an onrushing Pablo Hernández. A goal they totally deserved. It should’ve been 2-0 when Pablo once again found himself with a clear shot on goal, but he could only manage to fire it straight at Víctor Valdés; a simple shot to the left would’ve certainly gone in.

It was a chance they were made to rue. Barça came out flying in the second-half and equalised almost immediately through Andrés Iniesta. He linked up with Xavi who, in true Xavi fashion, picked out a smart through ball for Iniesta to slide in. It was game on, but it was increasingly looking like there was only going to be one winner. That winner came in the 62^nd minute when Xavi picked up his second assist; a wonderful cross for Carles Puyol to power home with his head. Barça were in control, Xavi was in control.

Valencia put up a fight but they were simply no match for their opponents in the second-half. As David Albelda put it: “We had a good feeling but in the end we were left with nothing…they have great quality, and against the quality of Barcelona, you cannot do anything.”

Pep Guardiola expressed his delight after the game: “We won a very important game against a tough opponent. They have shown that no one can doubt them.”

Boring Mourinho?

Six goals scored last week against Deportivo, four this week against Málaga. Real Madrid’s total of 16 goals scored so far is the highest in La Liga. That doesn’t strike me as too boring. Though it is true that Madrid started off quite slowly, they’ve since put in a number of displays featuring some excellent attacking moves, but remaining efficient and controlled all over the pitch. It’s classic Mourinho.

As well as Mourinho, the praise this week goes to Cristiano Ronaldo. He was outstanding, picking up two goals and creating two goals for his buddy Gonzalo Higuaín. Madrid’s general director, Jorge Valdano, agrees with me. He also labelled Ronaldo’s antics at La Rosaleda “outstanding”. Mesut Özil was also in fine form once again, Málaga were unable to deal with his movement and intelligence.

Málaga will bounce back though; they have been one of the most attractive teams in La Liga so far, scoring more goals than the likes of Barcelona and Valencia. The Rondón, Quincy, and Eliseu (when he’s not getting red cards) trio can be a tricky test for any team to defend against. They just need to sort their defence out.

• Espanyol picked up an important and impressive away win at Mallorca, despite having a man sent off in the first-half. The only goal of the game came when Luís Garcia was brought down in the area by young full-back Kevin García. A penalty was awarded and the Espanyol forward got up and converted it himself. Maurcio Pochettino said he felt “very, very proud” after the game. “I have a group of players here who give everything” he remarked. Things looking good for them then, as they sit nicely in sixth place.
• Great result for Sporting Gijón as they beat Sevilla 2-0 at El Molinón. Goals from Diego Castro and Gastón Sangoy ensured the win for the Asturians. A slight dent in Gregorio Manzano’s impressive start to life in Sevilla, but he stressed that although Sporting were better, his team will “continue to work with faith”.
• Fernando Llorente carried on his fantastic form as Athletic beat struggling Zaragoza. The big striker is already a key player for his club and is becoming more and more important for his country under Vicente del Bosque, taking the place of an out-of-form, injury prone, Fernando Torres. Rumours of him joining Real Madrid are getting stronger by the day, and Mourinho is supposedly still intent on finding a striker. One important thing: Llorente fits Mou’s criteria perfectly. Although I’m sure he has plently of other admirers.
• As for Zaragoza, things are looking gloomy for them. Seven games into the season, bottom of the league, without a single win to their name. It’s surely just a matter of time before José Aurelio Gay is given the chop?
• I’m starting to feel sorry for Deportivo fans, as they watched their team draw 0-0 yet again. The Riazor must be the most depressing place in Spain right now.

Results

Atlético 2-0 Getafe, Barcelona 2-1 Valencia, Málaga 1-4 Real Madrid, Racing 1-0 Almería, Deportivo 0-0 Osasuna, Levante 2-1 Real Sociedad, Mallorca 0-1 Espanyol, Athletic 2-1 Zaragoza, Sporting 2-0 Sevilla.

Goal of the Week

Pedro Munitis (Racing 1-0 Almería)

Andres Iniesta, Athletic Bilbao, FC Barcelona, Fernando Llorente, Malaga, Real Madrid, Real Zaragoza, Spanish Primera Division, Valencia, Xavi