A strange break, in mid-November, unprecedented in the history of Spanish and European football. But a break, after all, with all that this entails. There are those who celebrate their arrival to stop their bad streaks and dream of a more friendly return for their interests… and there are those who regret that the tailwind ends abruptly due to the autumn celebration of the World Cup in Qatar.
LaLiga stopped dead for a month and a half (the next matches will be played on New Year’s Eve) with just 14 games played, which will give more room than ever to all the teams to rearm in the winter market with many matches still to be played, almost two thirds of the competition.
There are teams, however, that do not think too much about it, since they arrive at this break with their homework more than done. And focusing on LaLiga, Champions League debacle aside, Barcelona is one of them. After a season in which he was unable to compete with Real Madrid, Xavi’s men went into the break as leaders, with just one draw and one defeat… although painful, given that it happened at the Bernabéu.
Success in the Basque Country
Happiness especially floods the north of Spain, specifically the Basque Country and Navarra. Real Sociedad and Athletic go on vacation occupying Champions positions. In both cases with much merit: the San Sebastian have achieved it without the injured Oyarzabal and Sadiq and the Bilbao after a change in the bench in the summer, with Valverde shining Sancet and Nico Williams.
A little further east, in Navarra, Osasuna has established itself as a team whose goal of avoiding relegation falls far short: they are one point away from the Champions League. Two include Rayo, another who has harvested a lot for when the lean cows come (if they come). Betis, despite being thrashed this Thursday at Mestalla, can also be more than satisfied, tied on points with Athletic, which is fourth.
The same thing happens to the three recently promoted, all of them far from relegation. Valladolid has an income of six points and Girona and Almería five. Figures that the three teams would have signed in blood in the summer. Javier Aguirre’s Mallorca, meanwhile, has gone from being miraculously saved last year to being closer to Europe (five points) than relegation (eight) after beating Atlético on Tuesday.
An Elche to the limit
On the other side of the balance there are mainly two teams: Elche and Sevilla. The people of Elche are going for their second dismissal (Almirón has only lasted five games) and have added just four points in 14 games (four draws, they haven’t even managed to win a game), a misery that makes them very difficult for the rest of the course.
At Sánchez-Pizjuán there has also been a replacement on the bench (Sampaoli for Lopetegui), but it has been of little use. From feeling consolidated among the top four in LaLiga in recent years, Sevilla has gone on to leave the break in relegation places and with only two wins and 11 points. Under normal conditions, Monchi would revolutionize the squad in January, but it will be necessary to see what economic margin (not much) he will have for it.
Atletico’s crisis
Atlético, for its part, thanks FIFA for putting on a World Cup in the fall and thus stopping a disastrous streak: five games without a win, with three defeats. 13 points behind Barça, fighting for the title is already a chimera and the goal will have to be to qualify for the Champions League now that, unfortunately, they won’t have to make any extra efforts in Europe, eliminated from all continental competition.
Celta and Espanyol cannot feel satisfied with what they have achieved so far either. They were two teams called to settle in the quiet area of the table and are now one point above relegation. Coudet already paid for it with his dismissal and Diego Martínez is increasingly questioned in Cornellà, although it seems that he will arrive at Christmas. Nor can Getafe, after a significant investment in the summer, be content, enjoying only a three-point margin with relegation.
In the rest of the equipment, it is worth stopping at Real Madrid, who after beating Cádiz this Thursday close this first stretch of the season in second place, but just two points behind Barça; and at Villarreal, forced to change coach and already with many doubts around Quique Setién, despite the fact that he is three points behind the European positions. Valencia is as expected, neither cold nor hot but without trouble, and Cádiz too, in the fight not to go down.
