LaLiga: Perfect weekend for Cristiano plus Messi adds another record to his collection

This weekend was to be Real Madrid’s last action in LaLiga until El Clasico on the 23rd. They welcomed a solid Sevilla side to the Bernabeu as they aimed to head into the Club World Championship on a high. Barcelona were away at Villarreal, a side they’d drawn against twice in the past two seasons. Valencia took on the last team to take points off the Catalan giants, Celta Vigo, at the Mestalla.

THE WINNERS

Double delight for Cristiano

When you judge yourself on the amount of goals you score, it’s been a tough opening six months in LaLiga for Cristiano Ronaldo. After delighting fans – and angering rivals – with his strong finish to last season, he’s followed it up with a quite ordinary start to this one. But as we enter the time of giving, it was Cristiano who received a couple of early Christmas presents.

As a reward for his impressive 2017, Cristiano finally got his hands on a fifth Ballon d’Or. This, in his mind at least, solidifies himself as the greatest of all time. And maybe that power of self-belief was a factor in his return to goalscoring form against Sevilla.

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Cristiano considers himself a god amongst men, but maybe his biblical character is actually Moses instead. The Andalucians were his second gift as their defence parted faster than the red sea.

His first goal was a classic Ronaldo finish as he got ahead of his marker and drilled powerfully beyond Sergio Rico. And the second was what his detractors would argue is a more of a ‘classic’ Ronaldo finish: from the penalty spot. Either way, it doubled the Portuguese star’s league tally for the season.

The next time we’ll see him line up in LaLiga it’ll be against his greatest rival. Another chance to prove his doubters wrong.

Record-breaker Messi

Yet whenever Cristiano does something, you can be damned sure so will Messi.

A trip to the Ceramic Stadium is far from an easy night’s work but for Leo Messi it was business as usual. The little Argentine, if only in bursts, appears only to kill off games and then disappears to hang around the centre circle some more. Like a knockout artist in the UFC, he’s so quick and deadly that the moment you lower your guard you’re picking yourself up from the mat. “What happened?”

The goal against Villarreal won’t be shown over and over again but it was still a significant one. That goal was his 525th official goal for Barcelona which equalises Gerd Muller’s record for most goals scored for a single team in Europe’s top five leagues. Yet another accolade for Messi to add to his growing collection.

Oh, and it means Barcelona remain five points clear of second-placed Valencia. They face Deportivo next before they go to the Bernabeu. By that time Zidane’s side might be a whopping 11 points off top spot.

Valencia demonstrate their ‘bouncebackability’ against Celta

Unbeaten runs can’t last forever. Eventually, whether it’s because you came up against a stronger opponent or just had a bad day at the office, everyone tastes defeat. It isn’t important how you lose but more how you respond to that disappointment. For Marcelino’s Valencia the response was yet another positive in what looks like being a great season.

Celta Vigo were the opponents, the team who last week extended Barcelona’s winless streak to two. While not one of the marquee names in LaLiga, Celta are capable of matching – and beating – the strongest teams in the division. And at the Mestalla they once again showed they can’t be taken lightly.

Valencia got their noses in front when Simone Zaza rose highest at a corner to beat Ruben Blanco at his near post. The Italian, a fan favourite, hadn’t scored since the end of October so it was a welcome relief to get back on the scoresheet. This was his tenth goal of the season as he continues to manage a niggling knee injury.

But Celta have a striker of equally strong standing in Iago Aspas and the Spanish international drew his side level less than a minute into the second half. Uncharacteristically poor defending from the home side was characteristically punished by Aspas. The goal was a real mood killer at the Mestalla.

When you challenge for the major honours you need to take your chances. Tuco Hernandez caught Nacho Gil in the penalty area, a needless challenge. Up stepped Dani Parejo and the captain put his side ahead for the second time. The penalty itself wasn’t the best as it rebounded off the goalkeeper before trickling under his body and over the line. It didn’t matter though. Valencia were back to winning ways.

THE LOSERS

Real problems at Sociedad

Eusebio was one of a few names to make the shortlist to become Barcelona’s new manager in the summer. His long-standing history with the club, where he played 203 games, saw him as a frontrunner for the role. In the end the top brass at Barcelona opted for Ernesto Valverde instead. Eusebio insisted he saw his immediate future at Real Sociedad anyway, he was building a project.

And there is a lot to admire about La Real. They comfortably qualified from their Europa League group and are certainly in the mix to make Europe again next season. However, if they are to push beyond their current limitations, they need to avoid slumps in form which can do irreparable damage to the team’s confidence.

After losing 2-0 at home to bottom-side Malaga, they recorded their fourth consecutive defeat. And this is the second time they’ve lost four on the spin this season. A Copa del Rey exit to Lleida Esportiu being arguably the worst of those four. Although you can make an argument for the Malaga one holding that acclaim as well.

The nature of the performance in both of those disappointing losses is the most concerning. Their next match is against local rivals Athletic Club. If they can’t get themselves up for that then the alarm bells might start to ring a little louder than they currently are.

Are the wheels coming off at Levante?

When Levante hosted Valencia earlier on in the season it was a top of the table clash. But while Marcelino’s team is still up there fighting away, Levante are crashing harder than the Geordie Shore gang after a weekend in Ibiza.

Since the 25th September Levante have only won once. That win came against lowly Las Palmas and this weekend saw them lose to struggling Athletic Club. It meant they dropped below their opponents and slip to 15th in the table, just four points off the relegation zone. In their last nine losses they’ve scored just five goals but conceded a whopping 18.

A fight for survival was always the realistic aim but fans would’ve hoped to see their strong start last a little bit longer. There is unlikely to be a lot of money available to spend in January either. This means they’ll be desperately hoping that the Christmas break will allow them to recharge their batteries.

Another week, another failure to keep a clean sheet

Real Betis can be a joy to watch going forward but defensively continue to leak goals. There needs to be some middle ground as this run isn’t sustainable.

Since October they’ve conceded 28 goals in 11 matches, 2.5 goals per game. That’s a record you’d expect to see from a side battling to avoid relegation, not challenge for a Europa League spot. And of greater concern is failing to score in four of their last five losses.

Can a lower level side play nice football and consistently get good results?