The Spanish league showed at the start last weekend how strong and competitive it will be, although in the end the three usual favorites, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico de Madrid, will surely fight for the title.
Reigning LaLiga champions Real Madrid are the top contenders for the crown following the arrival of arguably the world’s best player Kylian Mbappe, but Mallorca made it clear that it will not be a walk in the park by earning a 1-1 home draw, with Rodrigo scoring and highlighting some of the team’s shortcomings.
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Their lethal forward line was guilty of excessive individualism and lacked creativity in front of goal, also showing some defensive deficiencies as their forwards barely help in defense.
Madrid is a club made to counterattack by exploiting its speed, but it suffers when it is closed in at the back.
The wake-up call from their coach Carlo Ancelotti was necessary and luckily for the Merengue team, it came in time.
More than fatigue from the European Super Cup, there was an excess of confidence and a lack of prominence. Only Jude Bellingham seemed to have a clear idea and it is clear that Mbappe as a centre forward is less Mbappe.
Hansi Flick’s new Barcelona got off to a better start by taking all three points after beating Valencia 2-1 in a close game, despite the number of youngsters in the Barca squad.
Robert Lewandowski scored twice (one from the penalty spot) and that was enough. However, this is not the team that is expected, nor is this the starting eleven.
Although their opponents only scored one goal, the Barca defense looked very vulnerable, the midfield was very flat, despite Raphinha’s invention as a midfielder, and only Lamine Yamal and Lewandowski up front struck a different note.
İlkay Gundogan remained on the bench and his departure seems imminent. It was not the best debut for star Julian Alvarez, who was a substitute in Atletico de Madrid’s first match, which drew 2-2 with Villarreal in an emotional match.
The reinforced Atletico always seems to be able to do more, but then Cholo makes sure that it becomes a team again, without taking away from the merits of the Yellow Submarine, which is always there.
The league began on Thursday 15 August with the matches between Athletic Bilbao and Getafe and Betis and Girona, which ended in 1-1 draws on Friday, Celta won 2-1 against Alaves and Las Palmas and Sevilla drew 2-2 on Saturday, Leganes drew 1-1 with Osasuna; on Sunday, Rayo Vallecano defeated Real 2-1 and on Monday, Valladolid 1-0 against Espanyol.
Four teams lead the league table: Barcelona, Celta, Rayo, and Valladolid with three points, followed by Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Mallorca, Las Palmas, Sevilla, Betis, Athletic Bilbao, Gerona, Getafe, Osasuna and Leganes with one. Valencia, Real Sociedad, Alaves, and Espanol close the classification without scoring.
Next Saturday, Athletic Bilbao is expected to have a great game when they visit Barca, with the coveted Nico Williams in the mix.
On Sunday, Madrid will host Valladolid and Atletico will host Girona. The league’s three giants will therefore play their first home game, where they will hope to give a better impression as well as win.
Lewandowski is the league’s top scorer with 2 goals, followed by 20 players with 1. The Polish striker hopes to become the top scorer again this season.
Once again, referees are back in the public eye, especially VAR, with its infamous protocol that allows errors to prevail and casts doubt on its effectiveness. Hopefully, this season’s new system will help you make better decisions.
The most significant are:
In the hands, the player’s intention and the unnatural position of the arm will be considered. Continued holding in the area will be called as a penalty.
There will be semi-automatic offsides and for a player to be enabled by a pass from a defender, this must be done in a controlled and unforced way, even if he fails.
