This weekend’s round of fixtures marks the halfway point of the La Liga season. For those not following, it’s not a shock to see Real Madrid and Barcelona occupying the top two spots, nor to see the team forever closest to them, Valencia, in third. Go one spot down and you are in for a surprise though. Usually closer to them in the city that they share than the league table, the final Champions League berth is currently taken by this season’s shock side Levante.
It’s been a bit of a whirlwind for the Valencia based club. Tipped by many to be relegation-threatened, Levante sat at the summit of the Primera after ten rounds of fixtures as they continued to defy both the opposition and the bookmakers in achieving shock results. Perhaps unethical in their approach, a Real Madrid supporting friend describes them as ‘Masters of the Dark Arts’, they set off like a house on fire in the early part of the season. The run, which included a wonderfully characteristic and determined 1-0 home win over Real Madrid, was most impressive for the way that they dismantled some fine sides. Moneybags Malaga and luckless Villarreal were both dispatched 3-0 by Levante and whilst they are hardly fluent at times, the club known as the Granotas certainly earned some admirers for their wonderful start.
Eventually though, the great form that they showed in the early part of the season had to end and it did. Abject displays in defeats by Barcelona (0-5) and Granada (1-2) saw them slide a little, but Juan Ignacio Martinez can only be praised in keeping the discipline of his side and they haven’t plummeted as perhaps some thought they would. Now they sit proudly in a position way above where many would have guessed.
One reason for that could be the apparent lack of any challenger for the fourth Champions League spot. Early favourites Atletico Madrid have done their traditional implosion act, although Diego Simeone could help to bring some solidarity and sense to an often confused outfit. Worse than them, participants in this season’s UEFA Champions League Villarreal are languishing in a relegation spot. Horrendous luck in games and with injuries have cost Juan Carlos Garrido his job. They need a serious upturn in form to get away from a drop into the Segunda Division.
One team that are starting to muster a challenge are Spain’s fifth placed side, Athletic. The club from Bilbao were tipped by many to be in and about the European spots in pre-season but were shot and goal shy in the first few games. The players hadn’t seemed to have settled into Marcelo Bielsa’s reign in the Basque region. However, things have picked up and an 11 game unbeaten run in all competitions saw the ex-Chile manager guide his team up the table and through the group stages of the Europa League. Athletic are a team that have a lot to be envious of – an adventurous mix of youth and experience with some fine players. The talisman of the side Fernando Llorente is impressing yet again and will be especially keen to perform with a striker’s position very much for the taking in the Spanish national side for the European Championships this summer. Also prominent are the wonderful Iker Munian and the influential Javi Martinez, both highly sought after.
Looking at the form book, the next best bet are Osasuna. Not a team blessed with big name players, Osasuna are used to trawling the Segunda for talent as opposed to spending big. They are one side who aren’t interested in taking massive financial risks like some of their rivals. Jose Luis Mendilibar’s side are reliant on a fantastic work ethic. They are not to be underestimated by any stretch though and have caused the big sides real problems at the compact Reyno de Navarra stadium. One problem for the Pamplona based club is that they are short of goals and thus draws are a regular occurrence. With a bit of luck, a few of these draws could become the wins that propel Mendilibar’s men into the top four.
On the other end of the spending scale are a side with real European aspirations, Malaga. Lots of publicity flooded to the club from the Costa del Sol as they were not shy with the chequebook in the summer transfer window, bringing in a lot of players with the new found wealth brought to the club by their Middle Eastern backers. Ex-Real coach Manuel Pellegrini was heavily backed and really ought to have had a better start to the club’s first full season as a financial powerhouse. Too often have Malaga’s big name players not performed and they were overly reliant on the excellent Santi Cazorla in the opening weeks to pull them out of trouble. They’ve since been frustratingly inconsistent, often going on streaks of wins and losses. Pellegrini will be most annoyed with the manner of some of the defeats – the abysmal 2-1 defeat at Sporting last weekend typifying the bad side of Malaga. It’s difficult to write off a side with such talent at their disposal and with potential reinforcements joining this January, Malaga could reach the Champions League earlier than expected.
Finally, a team who are seemingly ever present in the European spots are Sevilla. The 2000s have been kind to the side from the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan and whilst a lot of the side that probably peaked a few years back have left, there is still a fine side coming out of Seville. Reunited with near neighbours Real Betis this season, Sevilla have looked very good at times but are on a disappointing run at the moment, picking up just one point from the last four games. It will be crucial for their success to get hitman Alvaro Negredo firing and he will be another player keen to get in and around the Spanish national side in the summer. A difficulty for Sevilla this season has been creating chances for the frontman. Ideally, the re-signing of Jose Reyes from his troubled spell at Atleti will help solve that problem. Consistency is once again a problem though and it may be just beyond Marcelino’s side to get into the top four.
Photo courtesy of Kwmrm93 (Flickr).
