La Liga Round 13 : First Manager Sacked

Hello everyone!! :)

So as the title suggests La Liga has its first sacking in the Espanyol manager Mauricio Pochettino and with his former team sitting bottom after a woeful start I guess its not a huge surprise that the board have reacted, I have been saying for the past few weeks that Espanyol were really struggling with performances as well as results so maybe a fresh start is needed.

Speculation is strong in La Liga with many possible last season-ers if you believe what you read, Cristiano Ronaldo alongside coach Jose Mourinho two heavily linked with a possible last season in Spain and Barca forward David Villa another who may be seeking an exit as soon as January.

So as always lets have a look back at the weekends games, Sociedad and Osasuna shared a goalless draw on Friday so I will ignore that result and highlights and start with Saturday’s early game so here is what happened :-

(8th) Rayo Vallecano 2 — 0 Real Mallorca (15th)

So another good home victory for Rayo who continue their excellent start, they left is very late to seal the points in a pretty awful game as Real Mallorca’s horrendous poor run continued. Leo who had scored the first is having a pretty good season for Rayo who remain in the top ten and look good so far.

Rayo Vallecano 2 Mallorca 0 by jordixana

(9th) Real Valladolid 1 — 0 Granada (18th)

So another side enjoying a very good start are Valladolid who had to thank Manucho for his winner against strugglers Granada, that goal pre-served the home teams unbeaten home start as Granada slip into the relegation places.

La Liga : Real Valladolid vs Granada 1-0 by MRLooka

(4th) Malaga 4 — 0 Valencia (11th)

So out form Malaga won their first game in five against inconsistent Valencia, in truth is was as easy as you like for the home side who have struggled so far with Europe and Domestic games but having already qualified for the last 16 they made short work of Valencia who continue to frustrate as Malaga move back into the top four.

La Liga : Malaga vs Valencia 4-0 by MRLooka

(5th) Real Betis 1 — 0 Real Madrid (3rd)

So Betis rewarded their fans after last weeks humiliating derby loss to Sevilla by beating last years La Liga winners by a goal to zero, it came as Real Madrid threw away the lead in England to Manchester City meaning they now cannot top their champions league group. Pressure is now on Jose Mourinho as Barca and Atletico could pull further clear as you will find out below! :)

Real Betis 1-0 Real Madrid by goalsarena2012

(20th) Espanyol 0 — 2 Getafe (7th)

So as I mentioned at the beginning Espanyol’s horrendous start has continued as they were well beaten by an improving Getafe side. Getafe looked full of confidence and look a team now that has recovered from a very poor start but I fear for the home side as they dont look like scoring many goals and look very poor in defence a long season ahead and if they continue a real hard one to watch.

Espanyol vs Getafe 0-2 25.11.2012 (All Goals) by ourmatch

(14th) Athletic Bilbao 1 — 1 Deportivo (17th)

So the points shared as both are in need of a win, its a much better point for Depor obviously as the away team and as the newly promoted team and Bilbao will be disappointed as they played well enough to take a victory but poor defending cost them once again something I am used to typing when talking about the home team!

Athletic Bilbao 1 Deportivo Coruña 1 by jordixana

(2nd) Atletico Madrid 4 — 0 Sevilla (10th)

So title contenders Atletico Madrid continue to shine against unpredictable Sevilla who’s ill-discipline cost them any chance after Fazio’s early red card, a great side to watch with their flamboyant counter attacking style they made short work of ten man Sevilla running in four goals before the second sending off. Their big test is in round 14 and an away trip to cross town rivals Real for the long awaited Madrid derby a game they have a good chance of winning and a real test if they want to try and claim the La Liga title.

Atletico Madrid vs Sevilla 4-0 25.11… by ourmatch

(6th) Levante 0 — 4 Barcelona (1st)

So Barca did make Real pay for their defeat at Betis but needed a second half masterclass from Andres Iniesta to break down a stubborn Levante who dropped a few places but having progressed through their Europa league group its still all smiles for this fantastic little club. Barca now pull eleven points clear of rivals Real Madrid but only three from Altetico and with the big Madrid derby it seems either way Barca will pull further clear of one of those sides as they continue to dominate the early rounds.

Levante 0-4 Barcelona by goalsarena2012

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So that’s that! another exciting week in Spain with the major shock being Real Betis’s famous victory over Real Madrid but to be fair to Betis they have began the season very well but its more misery on Mourinho going into the highly anticipated Madrid derby.

The bottom still reads poorly for Espanyol who are now joined by Osasuna and Granada in the relegation places, whilst Malaga first win in five puts them in the champions league places along side both Madrid teams and Barca who still lead the way so far.

The full league table as always is found here and my past updates are again found here!

So thats was how it went! My question is who do you think will prevail in the Madrid derby?

I feel Atletico will have a hard time beating Real at the Bernabeu but their team is one that can cause problems with their lightning fast counter attacks, its a big few few ahead for them as they travel to the Nou Camp in their next away game and if they can win one they could be in a serious position to challenge for the title which would be great for Spanish football!

As always thanks for reading and as always any though or comments just leave me  response at the bottom and I will answer you. :)