La Liga 2020-2021: The year someone else breaks through?

bosox4283

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We're either seven, eight, or nine weeks into the season, and we have Real Sociedad and Villarreal on top. Can they keep up the pace?

Is Barcelona cooked, especially now that Ansu Fati will be out for a few months with an injury that requires surgery?

Are there too many miles on the legs for Real Madrid's core, such as Marcelo, Ramos, Kroos, Modric, Isco, and Benzema?
Nope. Real Madrid and Barcelona are second and third, and while they have played some mediocre football and have outright struggled at times, it seems that they have enough talent and depth to stay ahead of Real Sociedad, Villarreal, and Sevilla. Maybe one of these three will catch fire, but my initial optimism that one of the non-Big 3 will leap ahead of them has turned to pessimism.
 
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Zososoxfan

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Nope. Real Madrid and Barcelona are second and third, and while they have played some mediocre football and have outright struggled at times, it seems that they have enough talent and depth to stay ahead of Real Sociedad, Villarreal, and Sevilla. Maybe one of these three will catch fire, but my initial optimism that one of the non-Big 3 will leap ahead of them has turned to pessimism.
More importantly for you, Atleti looks like a near lock to take La Liga this year. Up 10 points on Real and more than that on Barca, and playing much better than them too. Do you think this is a better iteration of Atleti or more of a reflection of Barca and Real being down? I saw that Atleti has only conceded 8 (!) goals this year, which is batshit. Does this team have a UCL run in them too?
 

bosox4283

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More importantly for you, Atleti looks like a near lock to take La Liga this year. Up 10 points on Real and more than that on Barca, and playing much better than them too. Do you think this is a better iteration of Atleti or more of a reflection of Barca and Real being down? I saw that Atleti has only conceded 8 (!) goals this year, which is batshit. Does this team have a UCL run in them too?
This version of Atletico is both a better iteration and a reflection of Barca and Real Madrid being down.

1) Simeone has found a way to harness the goal-scoring capability of Luis Suarez given his age and weary body. Simeone has apparently excused Suarez from some of the head trainer's more rigorous methods in an effort not to overwork Suarez. In addition, Simeone is playing a 5-4-1 on defense, which reduces Suarez's need to be active without the ball.

2) While Suarez has been fantastic, and a clear improvement over Morata, a handful of players are playing great right now. In particular, Koke, Llorente, Carrasco, and Correa have been fantastic.

As a result of these two items, Atletico's offense this year is probably the best its over been under Simeone. A more effective and efficient offense combined with Simeone's typical solid defense makes the team formidable.

I think Atleti can make a Champions League run if Joao Felix plays his best and if Simeone stays true to this new approach rather than resorting to his ignore-offense-and-park-bus style.
 

bosox4283

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Madrid Derby this weekend. Every Madrid derbi is an exciting match, but this one has the extra reason for excitement since an Atletico win can really open up a comfortable lead at the top of the table while a Real Madrid win will give us a tight race the rest of the way.

Benzema is apparently going to make it back from injury, which is a boost for Real Madrid given their offensive ineptitude without him.

On Atletico's side, Trippier is back after his 10-week gambling suspension and Carrasco returns from injury. Trippier's return in particular is important for Atletico since Simeone has had to use like a a half-dozen players at RB while he was out.
 

bosox4283

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Hay liga.

Now that Atletico has finally played the same number of games at Barcelona and Real Madrid, Atleti is at 62 points, Barca 56, and RM 54.

So, it is not the year a non-Big 3 team breaks through, but it will be an exciting finish. I think all three teams could collapse or could even go on a winning streak -- between COVID, injuries, aging stars, and strange managerial choices, each team has clear weaknesses.
 

Zososoxfan

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Hay liga.

Now that Atletico has finally played the same number of games at Barcelona and Real Madrid, Atleti is at 62 points, Barca 56, and RM 54.

So, it is not the year a non-Big 3 team breaks through, but it will be an exciting finish. I think all three teams could collapse or could even go on a winning streak -- between COVID, injuries, aging stars, and strange managerial choices, each team has clear weaknesses.
If the Barca-Atleti match down the stretch is meaningful, I'd consider this season a success for Barca.
 

coremiller

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Barca have gotten back into the race mainly because Messi has gotten back to playing absolutely out of his mind. Barca won only four of their first 10 matches; Messi had 4 goals and 0 assists in those games. Since then Barca are unbeaten with 16 wins and 2 draws; Messi has 19 goals and 8 assists in those games.
 

rguilmar

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After Barca's 6-1 thrashing of Real Sociedad, do you still feel this way?
I'll let Zoso answer on his own, but I'll say a resounding yes, I do feel that way given how awful Barca looked through much of the season. Not just the results, the actual gameplay. Since the switch to a 3-5-2, looks like a completely different team out there.
 

Zososoxfan

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After Barca's 6-1 thrashing of Real Sociedad, do you still feel this way?
The short answer is yes. It would be silly to me to move the goal posts. Last year felt like the wheels coming off a car that had been creaky for 3-4 years prior to that (looking back, it's funny to say that when Barca won B2B Ligas in '18-'19, but Barca measure themselves on European performance as much as domestic). The first half of this season showed some course corrections, but plenty of headscratching managerial decisions and poor player performances to think that finishing top 4 would be the appropriate goal.

Since the new year, Koeman finally switched things up by moving primarily to a 3ATB formation, giving Mingueza extended run, and showing renewed confidence in Dembele (and to a lesser extent Pedri--in that Pedri was already on the road to being a stapled on starter). Koeman's wild use of FDJ also deserves some attention (he's played damn near every position on the pitch). As @coremiller said, getting Messi pumping in goals every match has helped too. However, while Barca may be able to catch Atleti and stave off Real, they were still trounced by PSG. In other words, they may be able to win a weakened Liga, but regaining status as European elite remains another step or 3 away.

Which brings me to the more salient point here that I think the goalposts for Koeman to remain the manager beyond this season have moved (or more accurately they have emerged, to me anyway). When Koeman was hired by the ratfucker, I felt that he was a caretaker. The Presidential candidates all made managerial changes central to their platforms. However, if Koeman can someone snag a Liga title (with even the domestic double still in play), I think Laporta will have some well-earned pressure to keep him for at least another season. Of course, if Laporta feels strongly that Nagelsmann or some other desired manager should lead the club's next project (as opposed to Xavi) and he doesn't want to wait another year for it, he may toss Koeman anyway a la Di Mateo. Even if Xavi is the next major project manager at Barca, it would probably be good for him and the club to have another season as a manager (perhaps in a more competitive environment) before coming home.
 

rguilmar

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We should be talking about a super tight race (assuming a Barca victory tomorrow), El Clasico next week, heck even a little controversy in the Sevilla win today over Atleti.

Instead the talk will be about Valencia-Cadiz. ICYMI, Valencia defender Mouctar Diakhaby walked off the pitch along with several teammates (followed by the whole team) after allegedly being racially insulted by Juan Cala. I get that this is a tricky situation, but surely forcing Valencia to return to the field or face a forfeit and point reduction penalty is not the answer, which is reportedly what happened. This is the same La Liga that threatened Barcelona with the same punishment during some pretty significant civil unrest in Catalunya a couple of years ago (and to play in front of an empty stadium when that wasn't normal). This decision just seems cold and to fly in the face of "Stop Racism" movement. Apparently Diakhaby asked his team to return to the field as he did not want to be responsible for the team losing points, but what a shitty position for the league to put a player and team in. I know some talking heads have said that Valencia should have refused to take the field and forced La Liga's hand, but that seems a bit harsh. So instead we get Diakhaby in the stands because he did not feel comfortable to play while Cala continued to play. I can't claim to know the right thing to do here, but it seems like the absolute wrong decision is the one that was made.

La Liga just can't stay out of its own way. Controversies involving coercing players and teams to play isn't exactly what networks are looking for, and La Liga NEEDS to sign a gigantic TV deal in order for their teams to remain competitive with the likes of the EPL. Spanish law was changed to allow a much larger and longer TV deal the next time around (2022-3 season). Let's call it like it is, the top teams in Spain have taken a step back compared to the rest of the European giants. Most teams are continuously in a financially precarious position. Hell, we have even seen La Segunda teams (which would be included in any new TV deal) essentially collapse mid season and forfeit all of their games because they could not pay their players (like Shaq Moore's Reus). Even Barcelona is having massive and well documented financial woes. Turning potential partners off is not the way to go right now.
 

bosox4283

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Cala, the player accused of using the racist language, has strongly denied that he used a racist term. Cala said that either Diakhaby misheard what he said or made up what he said. The situation is really becoming an an embarrassment and a disaster for La Liga.
 

rguilmar

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Cala, the player accused of using the racist language, has strongly denied that he used a racist term. Cala said that either Diakhaby misheard what he said or made up what he said. The situation is really becoming an an embarrassment and a disaster for La Liga.
He could very well have not said anything racist at all, we don't know. I highly doubt it as "leave me in peace" as he claims though. Seems like the mics didn't catch anything one way or another. I do criticize Cala's statement that Diakhaby might have just "made it up". It looks like Cadiz is saying that if Cala is not found guilty, that they want Diakhaby investigated for lying about it. Like, come on, that's a pretty ridiculous statement to make by both the player and team. That was not the reaction of an individual making something up, and to accuse him of fabricating this is just an insult to anyone who hears a racist comment. This is the crap people say to deter anyone from making any sort of claim, real or otherwise.

Overall to me this is more about La Liga and how they responded. Player and team storm off the pitch after an alleged racist comment, and the response by La Liga is to threaten the team with a loss and point reduction. When the game resumes, the player who was allegedly attacked with racist language sits in the stands while the attacker continues to play. Then the accused gives a public statement that Diakhaby misheard him (fine, that's plausible) or made it up (which undermines all claims of racism as potentially just "made up"). All of this in a country that has huge issues with racism. It makes it look like La Liga and Spain in general will pay some lip service to racial equality, but nothing more. Having Cadiz mixed up in this is rough too because as a club they've generally been considered socially more left when it comes to things like race and I get that want to defend their player, but they're not really covering themselves in glory. Like you said, the whole situation is a disaster for the league.
 

Zososoxfan

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The Superclasico is set for tomorrow at 3pm EDT in the Bernabeu (well, at least it's in Madrid, they've played matches at the Di Stefano recently). Atleti lead the table with 66 points, Barca are on 65, and Madrid are on 63, all with 9 matches to play. Barca and Atleti have their second match on 09 May.

This is another iteration where neither club is the best in Europe, but there's still talent all over the pitch for both sides. I didn't see much of the Madrid-Liverpool match but it looks like Kroos and Modric had lots of time on the ball and were able to ping it all over the place, and while Madrid's frontline remains disjointed it's still incredibly talented and clinical. More impressively IMO, they kept the Reds at bay without Ramos or Varane. However, Liverpool didn't start to play until the second half and didn't test Madrid much (1 SOG!). Have to think Barca will be better equipped to create problems for Madrid's shaky backline.

However, the story of this matchup likely boils down to how Barca's reshaped backline deals with Madrid's firepower. So far, Mingueza, FDJ, and Lenglet (with Araujo starting to work in) have been excellent. Mingueza has real speed and has been a huge development this year, who's been overshadowed (understandably) by the development of Pedri and Dest. He'll have his hands full with Vini and that duel will dictate a lot about this match. While Lenglet had a dip in form to begin the season and while Barca transformed from a back 4 to 3, he's found some of his confidence again. While I worry about Barca's left flank more than the right, I worry less about Madrid's RW than their LW. FDJ also plays a lot like a Libero and protects Busi. Seeing how those 2 deal with Benz and the most attacking MF will be tactically interesting. I will begin to panic if Pique is in the starting XI.

Perhaps Zizou will setup more conservatively to protect his CBs. Dembele is on excellent form and his switch to CF has allowed Messi, Pedri, et al. to slot into place. Grizi still doesn't quite fit in perfectly, but his incredible workrate allows Alba to join the attack without sacrificing too much protection for Lenglet.

The MF battle will be fascinating in this match. Both teams have the short passing ability to play possession, but Madrid are much better at being direct and have more explosive attackers. Meanwhile, Barca should have better width with their wingbacks but might get pulled out of shape if they try to match numbers in the MF.

This should be an even matchup and I expect that Barca will win the possession battle. It wouldn't be a terrible idea for Madrid to invite the pressure, try to get Kroos/Modric the outlet ball, and release the front 3 on the counter where Barca's defenders aren't particularly well adapted to 1v1 defending in space. Barca will try to win the ball back high up the pitch and that can open space in a hurry if the press isn't effective. Madrid is very adept at breaking the press. OTOH, Madrid may come out on the front foot since they could very well win the MF battle and the risk of getting hit on the break from Barca isn't too significant. Rather, Madrid's biggest risk will be if they play a high line--it provides an advantage by shrinking space between the lines but also opens up the possibility for Messi to release Dembele in behind. That's been a major tactic for Barca over the last month--Messi drops into MF and plays Dembele in behind for 1 and 2 touch shots.
 

rguilmar

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Nice to have some actual soccer to look forward to.

There are a couple of added layers to this Clasico, specifically around how RM play with this game being sandwiched between the 'Pool matches. Does Zidane rest Modric or try to limit his running? Does he changed much tactically? As a Barca fan, I am most worried about the speed threat of Vini. Does Dest play a little more defensively to offer support to Mingueza? I thought our boy Sergino did well in the last Clasico against Vinicious Jr. (hell, I thought he was the best Barca player on the pitch). Since then there has been the switch to the 3 ATB, more of a 3-4-2-1, which completely changes the match ups. If Barca are intent on keeping this formation, and there is no reason to think otherwise, then they could be very exposed on the counter. In my mind, it comes down to whoever deals better: RM against Messi/Dembele or Barca against Vini/Bemzema, which of course means some other players will make the difference.

I think most people think that this is will be a tactical and cagey game. So it'll be 5-3 or something. It's a Clasico, who knows?!?!
 

Zososoxfan

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[snip]

However, the story of this matchup likely boils down to how Barca's reshaped backline deals with Madrid's firepower. So far, Mingueza, FDJ, and Lenglet (with Araujo starting to work in) have been excellent. Mingueza has real speed and has been a huge development this year, who's been overshadowed (understandably) by the development of Pedri and Dest. He'll have his hands full with Vini and that duel will dictate a lot about this match.
Mingueza was awesome and kept Vini mostly in check, even with Dest playing high.

While Lenglet had a dip in form to begin the season and while Barca transformed from a back 4 to 3, he's found some of his confidence again. While I worry about Barca's left flank more than the right, I worry less about Madrid's RW than their LW.
Welp, most of Madrid's offense came down Barca's left, and Alba had a terrible match. Props to Valverde who proved a game changer, carrying the ball for the MF while Kroos and Modric dictated from deeper.

Perhaps Zizou will setup more conservatively to protect his CBs. Dembele is on excellent form and his switch to CF has allowed Messi, Pedri, et al. to slot into place. Grizi still doesn't quite fit in perfectly, but his incredible workrate allows Alba to join the attack without sacrificing too much protection for Lenglet.
...
This should be an even matchup and I expect that Barca will win the possession battle. It wouldn't be a terrible idea for Madrid to invite the pressure, try to get Kroos/Modric the outlet ball, and release the front 3 on the counter where Barca's defenders aren't particularly well adapted to 1v1 defending in space. Barca will try to win the ball back high up the pitch and that can open space in a hurry if the press isn't effective. Madrid is very adept at breaking the press.
Yeah, this is pretty much exactly what happened. Dembele is doing a good job moonlighting as a CF, but he can't play against deep defenses. His value comes from running in behind. This was a match where Barca needed a true striker, and decided against starting Martin or trying Grizi there.

Rather, Madrid's biggest risk will be if they play a high line--it provides an advantage by shrinking space between the lines but also opens up the possibility for Messi to release Dembele in behind. That's been a major tactic for Barca over the last month--Messi drops into MF and plays Dembele in behind for 1 and 2 touch shots.
Zizou did a tactic! Props to Madrid.

Barca played much better in the second half and made it interesting. Encouraging that a young team 2-3 pieces away could hang with Madrid, even if this version isn't great. Barca still need a new LB, DMF (or CB), and Striker this summer.

For the Liga race, Atleti drew with Betis and I think it will be hard for them to recover. I'd handicap the trophy as:

Real = 50%, only real threat is fatigue due to UCL and injuries (they need Ramos and Varane back)
Barca = 30%, should be able to handle the rest of La Liga if they continue to improve. Showdown with Atleti looms.
Atleti = 20%, trending down at the wrong time. Showdown with Barca looms.

Sevilla = locked into 4th UCL spot.

Sociedad, Betis, and Villareal in a fun race for top 6 and the 2 UEL spots.

At the bottom:

Getafe = 30
Huesca = 27
Valladolid = 27
--
Elche = 26
Alaves = 24
Eibar = 23

Pretty tight, and it would be a shame if mighty Eibar finally fall after a very impressive run in the top flight. I wish Getafe would get relegated, fuck those guys.
 

bosox4283

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Is anyone else rooting for Sevilla to take the league? The margin of error is slim, but Sevilla would have a chance to overcome Atletico, Barcelona, and Real Madrid if they win out, especially since Sevilla still has Real Madrid on their schedule.
 

rguilmar

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Is anyone else rooting for Sevilla to take the league? The margin of error is slim, but Sevilla would have a chance to overcome Atletico, Barcelona, and Real Madrid if they win out, especially since Sevilla still has Real Madrid on their schedule.
After the shenanigans this week, I'm on board. They have a bunch of players I like to watch play- Kounde, Ocampos, Suso, Papu Gomez, Jordan, Rakitic. If they had a more consistent goal scorer, they'd be a legit threat.
 

Zososoxfan

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Big weekend of results! Grizi had an outstanding match against Villareal and scored both of Barca's goals in a 2-1 win. His first was a nice run in behind finished with a very skillful outside of the boot chip, and his second was a hyper aware picked off backpass to the keeper he intercepted. Villareal pulled back a beautiful goal before HT that I legit stood up and clapped for.

Atleti lost to Bilbao Baggins on a late goal to make it 2-1. Real drew 0-0 against Betis, but Varane and Hazard (!) both saw the field. All of this leaves the table here:

Team Points Matches Played Goal Differential
Atleti 73 33 38
Real 71 33 32
Barca 71 32 47
Sevilla 70 33 23


This week Atleti visits relegation candidate Elche, Madrid host Chelsea on Tuesday for UCL before hosting midtable Osasuna on Saturday, Barca host frisky Granada on Thursday to make up their game in hand, then host lowly Valencia on Sunday, and Sevilla host midtable Bilbao. Style points don't matter now and it's all about results.
 

bosox4283

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I'm officially nervioso.

I think Simeone found a bit of luck the previous two matches with what one could call his "B" Team. He rode this hot-hand against Bilbao, but Atletico clearly missed having more minutes from Luis Suarez, Joao Felix, and Thomas Lemar (no Gimenez also hurts, too). I mean, Suarez > Correa, Felix > Saul, Lemar > Herrera, and Gimenez > Felipe.

Fortunately, Atletico still controls its own destiny. If the team wins its remaining five matches, it wins the league...which includes a match against Barcelona.
 
Big weekend of results! Grizi had an outstanding match against Villareal and scored both of Barca's goals in a 2-1 win. His first was a nice run in behind finished with a very skillful outside of the boot chip, and his second was a hyper aware picked off backpass to the keeper he intercepted. Villareal pulled back a beautiful goal before HT that I legit stood up and clapped for.

Atleti lost to Bilbao Baggins on a late goal to make it 2-1. Real drew 0-0 against Betis, but Varane and Hazard (!) both saw the field. All of this leaves the table here:

Team Points Matches Played Goal Differential
Atleti 73 33 38
Real 71 33 32
Barca 71 32 47
Sevilla 70 33 23


This week Atleti visits relegation candidate Elche, Madrid host Chelsea on Tuesday for UCL before hosting midtable Osasuna on Saturday, Barca host frisky Granada on Thursday to make up their game in hand, then host lowly Valencia on Sunday, and Sevilla host midtable Bilbao. Style points don't matter now and it's all about results.
You missed the most amazing part of the current La Liga table: the club in 5th place in the table, Real Sociedad, is 20 points behind the club in 4th. So we already know Spain's four clubs in the Champions League for next season, with six matches still to play for the club in 5th.
 

bosox4283

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You missed the most amazing part of the current La Liga table: the club in 5th place in the table, Real Sociedad, is 20 points behind the club in 4th. So we already know Spain's four clubs in the Champions League for next season, with six matches still to play for the club in 5th.
What's most striking about the gap from 4th to 5th is that teams like Real Sociedad and Betis (if my memory is correct...) started off really hot and absolutely faded.
 

bosox4283

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This week Atleti visits relegation candidate Elche, Madrid host Chelsea on Tuesday for UCL before hosting midtable Osasuna on Saturday, Barca host frisky Granada on Thursday to make up their game in hand, then host lowly Valencia on Sunday, and Sevilla host midtable Bilbao. Style points don't matter now and it's all about results.
Well, you were right -- Granada was certainly frisky!

With the top four even in matches, we have: Atletico - 73, Real Madrid - 71, Barcelona - 71, Sevilla - 70.

Next week is the biggest weekend, with Barcelona hosting Atletico and Real Madrid hosting Sevilla. It's going to be a fun finish.
 

Zososoxfan

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Well, you were right -- Granada was certainly frisky!

With the top four even in matches, we have: Atletico - 73, Real Madrid - 71, Barcelona - 71, Sevilla - 70.

Next week is the biggest weekend, with Barcelona hosting Atletico and Real Madrid hosting Sevilla. It's going to be a fun finish.
Pique and Umtiti were so bad on the second goal. 10 yards between them, in the box, with only one other attacker to worry about who was being marked. SMH.
 

rguilmar

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Pretty good week for Sevilla. Still need to pass three teams, but they all just got a little bit closer.

Battle for Europa League (Sociedad, Villareal, Betis) pretty interesting as is the fight to avoid relegation. Eibar need a miracle or two, but one point separates 16-18.
 

Zososoxfan

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This coming weekend in La Liga is one for the ages. 1 (Atleti) vs. 3 (Barca) and 2 (Madrid) vs. 4 (Sevilla). Sevilla have a match in hand that they play today against Bilbao.

Atleti - 76 points
Madrid - 74 points (H2H tiebreaker over Barca)
Barca - 74 points
Sevilla - 70 points (match in hand)

Sociedad - 53
Villareal - 52
Betis - 51
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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This coming weekend in La Liga is one for the ages. 1 (Atleti) vs. 3 (Barca) and 2 (Madrid) vs. 4 (Sevilla). Sevilla have a match in hand that they play today against Bilbao.

Atleti - 76 points
Madrid - 74 points (H2H tiebreaker over Barca)
Barca - 74 points
Sevilla - 70 points (match in hand)

Sociedad - 53
Villareal - 52
Betis - 51
I think Atleti-Barca decides La Liga if either side wins. Real has three tricky matches remaining even after Sevilla and I don't think their offense is consistent enough to avoid dropping points somewhere. Barca has the easiest final three matches and no European distractions. If they win this weekend, I think they win out. If Atleti wins, they basically bury Barca and are two points and GD ahead of Real. If Atleti-Barca ends in a draw, it gets really interesting.
 

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Looks like Valencia sacked their manager again and are only 6 points from relegation. Really hope that situation can be fixed Lim is really running that club into the ground
 

Zososoxfan

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I think Atleti-Barca decides La Liga if either side wins. Real has three tricky matches remaining even after Sevilla and I don't think their offense is consistent enough to avoid dropping points somewhere. Barca has the easiest final three matches and no European distractions. If they win this weekend, I think they win out. If Atleti wins, they basically bury Barca and are two points and GD ahead of Real. If Atleti-Barca ends in a draw, it gets really interesting.
Shiiiiiit, I didn't even look beyond Sevilla for Real's schedule. You're right--those are all potential dropped points. If Barca wins vs. Atleti, they should be able to win the league. Great races this year in Spain!
 

Morgan's Magic Snowplow

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Sevilla has ten minutes to find a goal against Athletic Bilbao. A draw here really drops them out of the mix.

Edit: 1 - 0 Athletic Bilbao after a counter. Oh well.
 
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bosox4283

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Sevilla has ten minutes to find a goal against Athletic Bilbao. A draw here really drops them out of the mix.
How about a loss?

I'm not sure what qualifies as "managerial malpractice", but I think it may be "using three of your five substitutions at/after the 81st minute, with one of the switches being a double-switch at the 85th".

I'd love to know if there are any statistics that highlight the impact, or lack thereof, of players that enter the game after the 80th minute.
 

bosox4283

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Any predictions for tomorrow's Barca-Atleti? I don't think Simeone has ever beat Barcelona at Camp Nou, so the logic is that Barcelona will take the match. Griezmann is in solid form, and Messi is still Messi. But I'm an optimist and I feel as if Llorente, Carrasco, and Suarez will have big games. I'm going with a 3-2 Atletico win.
 

67YAZ

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Have to think Suarez is chomping at the bit, so to speak, for the chance to win this one.
 

Zososoxfan

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I think regardless of the outcome this will be an exhilarating match. Barca have become much more aggressive switching to 3ATB and while the offense has come alive as a result, the defensive vulnerability still hasn't gone anywhere. Add in the fact that Koeman makes peculiar backline selections (Umtiti?!?), and who knows.

I hope and expect Barca will come out aggressively and take the initiative. Atleti will likely be happy to soak up pressure and have their attackers try and hit on the break. In the MF, Barca can usually possess and build up play, but Simeone may try and play in a mid-block and win the middle third. That's what I'll be watching for in the opening minutes. I'm going to predict a 2-2 barnburner, with Barca opening the scoring and Atleti coming level within 15-20 minutes. After that, I'm not sure if Atleti jumps ahead and has to withstand a barrage that finally breaks in the waning minutes. Or, Barca take the lead again and Luisito buries a late chance to crush Barca's title dreams.

And most importantly, VAMOS SEVILLA!!
 

bosox4283

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An exciting weekend with two draws, keeping the table the same as before. Sevilla was very close to beating Real Madrid, in part to a wild sequence of calls/no-calls, if not for a last-minute goal from Kroos.

Barca and Atleti played an intense match, but neither team could break through with a goal. I thought Atletico looked sharp in the first half but lost a bit of creative and initiative in the second. Messi was, per usual, very dangerous and also had a brilliant goal if not for an Oblak finger-tip save.

More great matches this week, with Barca playing today on shorter rest against Levante, Atletico on Thursday against fifth-place Real Sociedad, and Real Madrid taking on feisty Granada.

The league title is still Atletico's to lose, but there's no doubt a handful of twists and turns remaining.
 

Zososoxfan

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Barca stormed out to a solid 2-0 lead at half against Levante, but after an injury to Araujo and a sub at HT, Levante have leveled with some impressive attacks. Currently 2-2 with half an hour to play [GULP!]

Not sure why Mingueza didn't start today, but I don't like it. Roberto got beat to the cross for Levante's first goal. On the second goal, there was a tactical breakdown because Roberto and Dembele were outnumbered 3-2. And now Dembele rockets home a funny bounce, for a 3-2 Barca lead. Bananas.
 

bosox4283

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Levante leveled, Koeman made some weird fucking subs, and Barca can probably kiss their Liga hopes goodbye for good. SMH.
Shocking result, especially after going up 2-0. Atletico has Real Sociedad today and Real Madrid plays Granada tomorrow, so there's still plenty of room for surprises.

I don't know enough about Koeman to know if he should be given a chance, but I will say that I think Barca has some talented young players. So, with the right coach (Koeman or other), the team can become something special. All that said, Messi isn't getting any younger, so maybe there's one or two more elite years left in his tank.
 

bosox4283

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Two matches to go, and La Liga is basically a two-way race between Atletico (80 points) and Real Madrid (78). Barcelona is basically done with only 76 points.

For me, the key to Atletico's winning the next two -- and therefore take the league -- will be scoring the first goal in each match. Score early, take off some pressure, and then keep playing fluid football. I think Simeone will want to ride his top five -- Suarez, Correa, Llorente, Carrasco, and Koke -- as much as he can, though I hope Simeone is not afraid to pull one if they get tired.

With Lemar out, Simeone has a choose between Saul, Kongdobia/Herrera, or Joao Felix. I personally like the option of Kongdobia/Herrera, since these two provide some back-up to Koke and help strengthen the midfield. Frustratingly, Saul is way off his top form and Joao Felix simply does not seem to get it. Whenever I watch Felix on the pitch, he seems to be always trying to catch up with Simeone's tactics and the required positioning.
 

sodenj5

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Any thoughts on Zidane's departure and what his departure means for the club?
It’s probably time for a changing of the guard in Madrid. Zidane seems extremely loyal to the older players, and those players have largely been falling apart the last two seasons

They seem like they’re (again) at an inflection point where their aging core is in flux and they can probably use a new voice and more utilization of the young talent. Guys like Valverde and Odegaard should become more regular players. Vinicius’s development has seemingly stunted, and he played his best football without Zidane.

Raul seems to be on the short list and is probably a good choice for a transitional phase where they integrate more young players.

Mbappe now feels far fetched. Haaland seems like he may be more plausible. Ramos and Varane could be possibly out.
 

Zososoxfan

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Conte or Poch to Madrid makes a lot of sense. Poch is more of a builder, but Conte can whip almost any squad into shape.

Zizou had to be coaxed into these past couple of years (made easier by paying him $10M annually) but I think he takes a nice long break.