Getafe the winners in Barca stalemate
Let’s be under no illusions. This wasn’t a bad performance by Barcelona but Getafe well deserved their surprising point at the Camp Nou after an incredibly disciplined display.
The hosts just couldn’t get going in either half and that’s solely due to the defensive master class from Djene Dakonam, Damian Suarez, Bruno Gonzalez and Vitorino Antunes.
When they were beaten, for instance by some towering headers from an impressive Yerry Mina on his home debut, Vicente Guaita was in fine form in goal.
Luis Suarez looked to have put Barca ahead with a stunning first-time volley, only for him to be ruled offside. One of many on a frustrating afternoon for the Uruguayan.
Lionel Messi was kept quiet and Jordi Alba’s insistence on trying to find the Argentinian with every cross-field ball was telegraphed.
It’s the first time Barcelona have failed to score in the league this season, and Getafe won’t be too disappointed either. Their last two visits were 6-0 defeats.
A round of applause for Jose Bordalas, Getafe’s coach, who got his tactics spot on and saw the leaders drop points for only the fifth time this season.
Was this the real Real?
Zinedine Zidane has been waiting most of the season for a performance like the one his Real Madrid side put on against a woeful Real Sociedad.
The significance of this coming just a few days before PSG come to town can’t be downplayed.
Lucas Vazquez opened the floodgates in the opening minute, and by the time Karim Benzema had hit the woodwork before the 10-minute mark, it was obvious to everyone present what type of game this would be.
A Cristiano Ronaldo double and a volley against the woodwork, a pearler from Toni Kroos and Sociedad being carved apart at every opportunity… and all before half-time!
An inevitable drop off in the second half meant there was no further score for the hosts, though they were carved open far too easily with 15 to go as John Bautista grabbed a consolation and some pride for La Real.
Inevitably, with PSG on the immediate horizon, Ronaldo would go on to complete his hat-trick with 10 to go, after a horrible mistake from keeper Geronimo Rulli.
There was still time for Asier Illarramendi to get his name on the score sheet – the fifth time in 2018 that Real Madrid have conceded twice (and the third occasion at the Santiago Bernabeu).
One minute is all Atleti needed
Diego Simeone really is the master of the 1-0 win.
Despite Antoine Griezmann putting Atletico Madrid into the lead in the opening minute, and with seven minutes injury time to negotiate at the end of the game, the Rojiblancos still came away with all three points.
For the most part, this was a fairly even game and Malaga had the better chances and were more incisive in the danger areas apart from the goal.
Not being able to beat Jan Oblak has been a common theme this season, and with another clean sheet, the Slovenian is odds-on for another Zamora award.
Atleti were business-like rather than spectacular, but that won’t bother Simeone, whose side remain the best placed in the chasing pack.
Athletic are anything but lions again
This season continues to be a disappointing one for Athletic Club, after they were held at home by a dogged Las Palmas side.
Paco Jemez’s side had come to Bilbao to play, that much was clear from the first whistle, whilst the hosts seemed content to hit their opponents on the counter attack.
That didn’t go down too well with the locals, that much was clear from the whistles around the stadium.
Two second half chances from Aritz Aduriz and Inaki Williams was all that Los Leones had to show for their afternoons work, and they looked anything but lions on the day.
Any fight was shown by their visitors for whom Jonathan Viera was excellent. On another day he would’ve had a brace and Las Palmas a deserved three points.
As a work in progress, Jemez will be much happier than Athletic’s Jose Ziganda with the 0-0 draw.
Submarine sunk by Abelardo’s fantastic Alaves
With the chance to leapfrog Real Madrid and draw level with Valencia for at least a few hours, Villarreal completely fluffed their lines against an in-form Alaves who are now seven points clear of the bottom three.
Not bad for a team that lost nine of their opening 10 games in 2017/18, were cut adrift by the end of October and who now have earned more points since December 1st than Real Madrid.
Though the hosts had more than 70 percent possession, Javi Calleja’s 4-1-2-1-2 wasn’t conducive to opening up a solid Alaves back four.
In fact, it was one of the visiting centre-backs that opened the scoring, Rodrigo Ely powering home on 40 minutes.
With John Guidetti roughing Villarreal’s defence up, and his midfield colleagues adept in supporting both their attack and back line, it was only a matter of time before the lead was extended.
Ibai Gomez came on for Hernan Perez in the 69th minute and within two minutes had put Alaves further ahead, thanks to Guidetti’s assist.
Carlos Bacca’s consolation was no consolation in the end.
