Matchday 9 - Player to Watch

Alvaro Vazquez (Espanyol)

Pablo Osvaldo's suspension gives Alvaro Vazquez an opportunity to keep his place as Espanyol's lone striker after a brace helped his side to a 0-2 win over Real Valladolid in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday. Vazquez has some stiff competition with veterans Sergio Garcia and Ivan Alonso also pushing for starts but Mauricio Pochettino has shown he has no qualms about favouring youth over experience as the Espanyol academy continues to churn out exciting young talent. Vazquez is just the latest in a long line of impressive cantera graduates but, as a skilfull forward with a natural eye for goal, he will attract more immediate attention than the likes of Victor Ruiz, Jordi Amat, Javi Marquez, Raul Baena and Didac Vila, who are all established first team members now. Even if he doesn't start at the Riazor, he is bound to get some second half playing time and Deportivo La Coruna's vulnerable defence should be wary of his presence.

Matchday 9 - Featured Preview: Barcelona vs Sevilla

The crunch fixtures are coming thick and fast now and Saturday throws up another whopper as Sevilla travel to Catalonia to play Barcelona at the Camp Nou. With Real Madrid trail blazing at the moment, Pep Guardiola's team need to gather some momentum just to keep up with them. This match is a clash between two European heavyweights but it holds special importance for a couple of players; Dani Alves, Seydou Keita and Adriano count among the Sevilla alumni in blaugrana colours, while loanee Martin Caceres will be hoping to impress his mother club with a solid defensive performance for the Andalusians.

BARCELONA

Player to Watch: Lionel Messi

A Barcelona team captained by Bojan Krkic and including a whole host of young players from Barcelona B beat Ceuta 0-2 in the 4th round of the Copa del Rey on Tuesday night to practically guarantee Barca's passage into the last sixteen. That win takes the Catalan clubs form to DWWWW in their last five matches heading into Saturday's crunch encounter with Gregorio Manzano's Sevilla at the Camp Nou. Barcelona are 3rd in the league table, a point behind rivals Real Madrid who head the classification. Pep Guardiola's men thrashed Sevilla 4-0 in Barcelona in the return leg of the Super Cup in August and by the same scoreline in the league during the 2009-10 season. Messi scored a hat-trick this year and a brace last year and, given that he has also struck twice in his last two appearances, he will be the obvious danger man whom Sevilla will fear. Jeffren picked up a clavicle injury on Tuesday and he has been ruled out for a month so he will not be in the squad on Saturday. Dani Alves, Sergio Busquets, Victor Valdes, Gerard Pique, Andres Iniesta, David Villa and Lionel Messi are all back having been rested in the cup. Doubts about Xavi Hernandez and Gabi Milito, who both missed the last couple of games with physical problems, appear to have cleared up as they resumed full training on Thursday. The return of Xavi is essential to Barca's title push and he is likely to be brought back in for this vital match to pull the strings at the heart of the Barcelona midfield; they are simply not the same without him. He should join Busquets and Iniesta in the midfield three unless Iniesta plays further forward instead of Pedro in the front line next to Messi and Villa. If that is the case, either Seydou Keita or Javier Mascherano will be handed a midfield start. Maxwell scored his first goal for Barca this week and he will be hoping to hold on to his left back slot ahead of Eric Abidal next to Carles Puyol, Pique and Alves at the back. 

Possible starting XI: (4-3-3) Victor Valdes; Maxwell, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Dani Alves; Xavi Hernandez, Sergi Busquets, Andres Iniesta; Lionel Messi, David Villa, Pedro Rodriguez;

SEVILLA

Player to Watch: Martin Caceres

Sevilla are bound to be wary of Lionel Messi when they come to face Barcelona at the Camp Nou on Saturday night. The Argentine wizard scored a brace in Barca's 4-0 win in the corresponding fixture in 2009-10 and a hat-trick when these two clubs met in Les Corts in the Super Cup back in August. Five points separate 3rd placed Barcelona and 6th placed Sevilla at this juncture, but Gregorio Manzano's men arrive Catalonia in good spirits having beaten Atletico Madrid 4-3 in the league last weekend and thrashed Real Union 0-4 away from home in midweek to guarantee their progress through to the last 16 of the Copa del Rey, a competition which they won last season. Sevilla's form in the last five matches in all competitions is only tainted by that freak 2-0 defeat at Sporting de Gijon: WLWWW. There were some positive signs in training at the end of the week as Jesus Navas and Federico Fazio returned to the training ground but neither has been risked for the trip north. Tiberio Guarente also missed the trip because of muscle problems so those three join Ivica Dragutinovic and the newly crocked Andres Palop on the absent list. Javi Varas will, therefore, start in goal, and Mouhamadou Dabo could fill in at left back to cover for the suspended Fernando Navarro next to Abdoulay Konko and two from Julien Escude, Alexis Ruano and Martin Caceres. Antonio Luna is also in the squad and is in contention at left back as it is his natural position as opposed to Dabo who is more comfortable on the right. Fredi Kanoute, Luis Fabiano, Konko and Diego Perotti are all novelties on the squad list having been rested in the cup. Negredo scored twice on Wednesday so he may keep his place at either Fabiano or Kanoute's expense. Navas' absence from midfield means that Alejandro Alfaro or Diego Capel will deputise on the right, with Perotti on the left and probably Didier Zokora and Luca Cigarini in central midfield. That is not definite, though, as Romaric and Renato are also present and have seen their playing time augmented since the departure of Antonio Alvarez.

Possible starting XI: (4-4-2) Javi Varas; Abdoulay Konko, Martin Caceres, Alexis Ruano, Mouhamadou Dabo; Diego Perotti, Didier Zokora, Luca Cigarini, Alejandro Alfaro; Luis Fabiano, Alvaro Negredo;

La Liga - Matchday 9

Saturday 30th October

Valencia vs Real Zaragoza (18:00)

Hercules vs Real Madrid (20:00)

Barcelona vs Sevilla (22:00)

Sunday 31st October

Sporting de Gijon vs Villarreal (17:00)

Racing Santander vs Osasuna (17:00)

Malaga vs Real Sociedad (17:00)

Deportivo La Coruna vs Espanyol (17:00)

Atletico Madrid vs Almeria (19:00)

Athletic Bilbao vs Getafe (21:00)
Monday 1st November

Real Mallorca vs Levante (21:00)

Matchday 8 - Round-up

Barcelona are yet to hit top gear this season but Lionel Messi's goalscoring form is apparently enough to carry them for the time being. The World Player of the Year hit his second consecutive brace to give Pep Guardiola's side a 0-2 win over Real Zaragoza at the Romareda. Jose Aurelio Gay's team were positive in their approach for a team in their predicament but their cause was not helped by a silly red card rightly awarded to Leonardo Ponzio for smacking Dani Alves on the back of the head.

While Barca labour to wins, Real Madrid continue to sweep aside all opposition. Racing Santander were the victims this weekend as Cristiano Ronaldo hit four and Gonzalo Higuain and Mesut Ozil scored one each to give Jose Mourinho's men a 6-1 victory over Racing at the Santiago Bernabeu. The Cantabrians were simply no match for Los Merengues, but their only memorable shot on goal went in, with Papakouli Diop's drive taking a wicked deflection off Markus Rosenberg to fool Iker Casillas.

Real Mallorca are turning into one of those clubs that the big teams dread playing and there was evidence of that on Saturday when they shocked Valencia with a 1-2 win at Mestalla. Chori Castro struck both goals for the visitors (the first from the penalty spot) and Unai Emery's much changed side could only respond through Roberto Soldado's spot kick. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia have all failed to beat Michael Laudrup's men so far this season.

Espanyol are settling down in the European places after they beat Levante 2-1 at Cornella El Prat. Jesus Datolo and Jose Callejon gave Mauricio Pochettino's side a comfortable lead before Christian Stuani struck late to ensure a tense finish. Los Pericos were comfortable in their dominance for the most part and playing against ten men for most of the second half following Xisco Nadal's dismissal helped.

Osasuna put aside their goalscoring worries on Sunday afternoon to record a surprisingly easy 3-0 victory over Malaga at the Reyno de Navarra. Iranian pair Javad Nekounam and Masoud Shojaei went some way to appeasing their critics by scoring in the first half and Carlos Aranda rounded up the victory with a goal line flick after the break. Malaga are usually strong on the road but were completely lacking any attacking momentum in Pamplona.

Leandro Ulloa came off the bench to rescue a point for Almeria at the Juegos Mediterraneos on Sunday. Hercules took the lead through Paraguayan international Nelson Valdez and looked set for the win against a nervous rojiblanco team but Ulloa's late strike earned Juanma Lillo's side a 1-1 draw.

Sporting de Gijon were undone by Getafe's set-piece superiority in a 3-0 defeat at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez. Derek Boateng, Adrian Colunga (penalty) and Ivan Marcano scored for Michel's men to preserve their reputation as a thoroughly difficult team to break down on their own patch.

Sevilla fought to suppress a comeback as they beat Athletic Bilbao 4-3 in a thrilling encounter at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday night. Luis Fabiano (2) and Fredi Kanoute gave Gregorio Manzano's team a three nil lead before Fernando Llorente struck twice to give the Basque side hope. Kanoute finally sentenced the game from the penalty spot before Igor Gabilondo got pulses racing again deep into stoppage time. If the score line wasn't crazy enough, the man holding the whistle, Clos Gomez had something of the mad cow in his eye as he awarded the hosts two penalties and handed out no less than eleven bookings including a red card to Fernando Navarro.

There was more refereeing controversy in Villarreal's 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid. Ramirez Dominguez waved away three strong Atletico penalty claims to ensure Diego Lopez kept a clean sheet. Besides that polemic, Juan Carlos Garrido's team were impressive going forward and Ruben Cani and Giuseppe Rossi's goals in either half were well deserved rewards for some fantastic incisive football.

Deportivo La Coruna were condemned to another week in the relegation zone by a Real Sociedad team who continue to flourish at Anoeta. The Basque club vanquished the Galicians 3-0 with goals from Joseba Llorente, Antoine Griezmann and Agirretxe Arruti. Young French winger Griezmann was particularly devastating for this poor Depor side. Miguel Angel Lotina was bullish about turning around the club's fortunes in the post-match press conference but he is now under serious pressure.

Matchday 8 - Player of the Round

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid)

Real Madrid are in sublime form at the moment and Cristiano Ronaldo has been at the heart of their devastating attack, the best of the best in a white shirt so far this season. The Portuguese megastar broke his own scoring record with four goals in one game against the hapless Racing Santander in Saturday's 6-1 win and he now holds a four goal advantage in the race for the Pichichi trophy. With 43 goals in 46 games for Real Madrid, it is no wonder that the debate has begun to rage again as to whether Ronaldo is as good as world beater Lionel Messi. At this rate, it is very possible that, by the end of this campaign, he will have surpassed the 42 goals he scored for Manchester United during the 2007-08 season. 

Matchday 8 - Featured Preview: Real Sociedad vs Deportivo La Coruna

Monday night's offering this week is a clash between Real Sociedad and Deportivo La Coruna, both of whom are struggling a bit at the moment. In fact, that is an understatement in terms of Deportivo's abysmal start to the 2010-11 season. Miguel Angel Lotina is in desperate need of points to lift the Galicians out of the bottom three and to relieve some of the pressure on himself but standing in his way is a team who have not rolled over easily at Anoeta in San Sebastian.

REAL SOCIEDAD

Player to Watch: Jeffrey Sarpong

Martin Lasarte's experiment with the 4-4-2 utilising both of his regular strikers at the same time did not pay off in Sunday's 2-1 defeat against fellow promoted club Levante. This fact, added to the injury that Raul Tamudo sustained at the weekend which will keep him out for at least two games, means that we are very likely to see a return to the 4-2-3-1 formation against Deportivo La Coruna at Anoeta on Monday, with Joseba Llorente leading the attack as the lone striker. Sociedad are experiencing an early season sticky patch after an encouraging start. They are now LLLWL in their last five matches and that poor run has seen them fall to 15th in the classification, just a point above the relegation zone. Deportivo are one of the few clubs below them and the Basques have generally been much stronger at home so far this term so Lasarte will expect his team to bounce back with a win on matchday eight. Other than Raul Tamudo's injury, Paco Sutil and Diego Ifran are the only other players in the squad who are not participating in full training for physical motives, therefore there will be at least one change to the team. Jeffrey Sarpong, who has scored twice as a substitute this season and always looks dangerous when he comes on deserves a chance in attacking midfield next to Antoine Griezmann and Xabi Prieto. The back four has remained unchanged so far and I don't expect any tinkering there. Sociedad were much better after the entry of Sarpong and Zurutuza last weekend, so the latter may also be pushing for a midfield starting berth at the expense of either Mikel Aranburu or Diego Rivas.
 
Possible starting XI: (4-2-3-1) Claudio Bravo; Ion Ansotegui, Mikel Gonzalez, Carlos Martinez, Alberto de la Bella; Mikel Aranburu, Diego Rivas; Antoine Griezmann, Xabi Prieto, Jeffrey Sarpong; Joseba Llorente;

DEPORTIVO LA CORUNA

Player to Watch: Riki

Deportivo La Coruna can count themselves lucky they managed to hold on for a 0-0 draw with Osasuna at the Riazor last weekend. Such is the apparent incompetence of this team that they were inferior against the hardly awe-inspiring Pamplonans even when they had a numerical advantage. Referee Perez Lasa did everything he could to give Depor a helping hand in that match, sending off Camunas in the first half, disallowing a perfectly legal Osasuna goal and failing to spot a blatant penalty in their favour, but the Galicians did not keep up their end of the bargain. Miguel Angel Lotina is under real pressure now to turn things around. This week he came out and complained "the squad is healthy but the teamwork atrocious" and he was correct at least in his latter assessment. This weekend Depor visit Real Sociedad at Anoeta and they will be underdogs against the promoted club despite their La Liga longevity. Lotina's side are one point off the bottom of the table in 19th and their form makes for grim reading: DLLLD. In particular, they are finding goals extremely hard to come by. The week started with good news for Lotina as Juan Carlos Valeron and Riki both returned to full training and declared themselves available for Monday's game. Riki's goal threat could be particularly useful at this difficult time so he will come straight into contention for the lone-striking position. His return could see Adrian drop into attacking midifield as there are still doubts about crocked regulars Jose Andres Guardado and Jonathan Urreta in those positions. Michel is injured and Dioni is not 100%, so Lassad is the other main contender. With Juliano Juca still on the fringes of training, Antonio Tomas' thigh problem towards the end of the week was not welcome. David Rochela or Juan Rodriguez are now being prepared as the options to replace him next to Ruben Perez in the holding midfield. At the back, Claudio Morel is out because he is in Paraguay and Alberto Lopo is suspended. Laure and Jose Ze Castro could, therefore, be in line for starts next to Manuel Pablo and Diego Colotto.

Possible starting XI: (4-2-3-1) Daniel Aranzubia; Manuel Pablo, Diego Colotto, Jose Ze Castro, Laure; Diego Rochela, Ruben Perez; Adrian, Juan Rodriguez, Yves Desmerets; Riki;

Matchday 8 - Player to Watch

Lionel Messi (Barcelona)

Lionel Messi scored a hat-trick and won a penalty against Real Zaragoza at the Romareda last season. The Argentine gem magnanimously stepped aside to let Zlatan Ibrahimovic take the penalty, helping him to end an unhappy dry spell in front of goal, so really the current World Player of the Year could have had four. Every single goal was a work of art and indeed Messi’s performance that day was one of the most impressive individual displays I have ever seen. On Wednesday he warmed up for this encounter with a brace against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League and, as always, he will be the most eagerly anticipated player to step onto the pitch on Saturday night. 

La Liga - Matchday 8

Saturday 23rd October

Real Zaragoza vs Barcelona (18:00)

Real Madrid vs Racing Santander (20:00)

Valencia vs Real Mallorca (22:00)

Sunday 24th October

Getafe vs Sporting de Gijon (17:00)

Almeria vs Hercules (17:00)

Osasuna vs Malaga (17:00)

Espanyol vs Levante (17:00)

Sevilla vs Athletic Bilbao (19:00)

Villarreal vs Atletico Madrid (21:00)
Monday 25th October

Real Sociedad vs Deportivo La Coruna (21:00)

Mourinho & Madrid: Already Breaking Records

Impatience has long been a watchword at Real Madrid. Ridiculous as it sounds now, the beginning of the season was very briefly wrought with concerns about Los Merengues’ goal-scoring capacity, thanks to a barren draw in Mallorca and a narrow 1-0 win over Osasuna.

Then came Ajax in the Champions League and we were treated to a delightful display of attacking football backed up by the traditional defensive stability that you expect to see in a Jose Mourinho-led team.

There was still a sense, however, – backed up by hard statistical data – that Real’s chance/goal conversion rate was still undercutting the potential of the team and lingering doubts continued through to the end of September.

Three matches into October, and suddenly Real Madrid look unstoppable. They have ploughed through Deportivo La Coruna and Malaga in the league with ten goals in two games before consuming Milan on Tuesday night in Europe.

Even if Ajax could be quickly dismissed as a second rate European team, Milan certainly could not. The Rossoneri arrived in Madrid on the back of a seven game unbeaten run and were starting to betray signs that their heavy summer investment was paying off.  That counted for little at the Santiago Bernabeu, where they were categorically demolished and quite fortunate not to suffer the indignity of a much larger goal margin.

It is often said that new managers need at least a few months to translate fresh policies and tactics into on-pitch success, but Jose Mourinho has managed to gel his team in record-breaking time. He is the first ever Real Madrid coach to remain unbeaten after his first ten competitive games and not since the 2002-03 season has the most successful European club of all time won their first three Champions League group matches.

Mourinho simply oozes confidence and this spreads to all areas of the team like an infectious disease. It is evident in the swagger with which Real are currently playing. The Portuguese technician is a tough task-master; he demands absolute commitment and obedience.

Pedro Leon witnessed at first hand the consequences of displeasing the manager and that incident may have come at the perfect time as it served to warn the other players not to obstruct his ruthless pursuit of absolute authority.  But Mourinho does not simply rule with an iron fist: his players are happy; happy to be led, happy to be absolutely clear on the instructions for their individual roles.

Obviously the tactical system is working. We saw the 4-2-3-1 emerge as the dominant blueprint for the most successful teams at the World Cup and that is the one that Mourinho has preferred for years now. It provides defensive stability with two holding midfielders while freeing the wide men to cause havoc in advanced areas. If you factor in the quality and hunger of young stars like Mesut Ozil, Angel di Maria and Cristiano Ronaldo in attacking midfield, then that can be devastating.

The speed and ease with which Ozil and di Maria have slotted in this season has been astounding, but all of the new signings have immediately found their feet. Here in Spain, the press is particularly in awe of Ricardo Carvalho, who has immediately displaced Raul Albiol at the heart of defence.

It also helps that Ronaldo is back to his best and ready to compete with Lionel Messi again for the mantel of best player in the world. With 40 goals in 45 games for Real, the Portuguese winger already boasts a better goal return than club legends Raul, Alfredo di Stefano and Hugo Sanchez.

While Ronaldo hogs the limelight, Xabi Alonso is happy to pull the strings in the background. After a mixed first season under Manuel Pellegrini, the former Liverpool and Real Sociedad star is reveling in his new role as midfield anchor and is already a firm favourite with Mourinho.

Real Madrid are approaching the first decisive month in their campaign. If they get things right in November, they could be well on their way to regaining the title from bitter rivals Barcelona.

Positive results against Milan and Ajax this month will guarantee them top spot in their Champions League group and this is important as they will want to be seeded, making it theoretically easier for them to pass beyond the last-16 in Europe for the first time in six years.

They also make their debut in the Copa del Rey next week and a good run there would do them no harm whatsoever. Manuel Pellegrini showed last season that it can be very difficult to recover from an embarrassing cup defeat. Indeed, many pundits cite Real’s abysmal thrashing at the hands of then third division Alcorcon as the beginning of the end for the Chilean coach.

Back to the business of La Liga, Jose Mourinho’s men warm-up with Racing Santander (home), Hercules (away), Atletico Madrid (home), Sporting de Gijon (away) and Athletic Bilbao (home) before back to back crunch matches against Barcelona (away) and Valencia (home).

If they have already qualified top of the group in the Champions League with one match to play, that could hand them an advantage come the end of November. Win all the aforementioned games, and the title could be practically in the bag.

Lionel Messi hinted earlier this week that many of the Barcelona players are suffering from fatigue after grueling summers. While it is still too soon to predict, these doubts about Barca’s physical condition and early signs of form suggest that Real Madrid could travel to the Camp Nou at the end of November as favourites in the Gran Clasico for the first time in years.

Matchday 7 - Player of the Round

Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona)

The Barcelona doctors warned Pep Guardiola against playing Xavi Hernandez at the Camp Nou on Saturday due to his continued problems with tendinitis which saw him miss Spain's EURO 2012 qualifiers over the international break. It was a good thing for Barca fans that Guardiola ignored that advice and fielded the superstar in central midfield. With his team a goal down at half time, Xavi masterminded the blaugrana comeback with two perfectly weighted assists for Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol but that was just the half of it. His passing impeccable, his vision unrivalled, Xavi bossed the Valencia midfield in the second half, thwarting the industry of Ever Banega, David Albelda and Manuel Fernandes to switch the game in Barcelona's favour. Xavi complained after the game that he could still feel his injury. Relatively straightforward matches against FC Copenhagen in the Champions League and Real Zaragoza in the league could provide the perfect opportunity for Guardiola to finally rest his midfield dynamo.

Matchday 7 - Round-up

An unfortunate Jordi Codina own-goal forced by a rebounding Simao free-kick and a close range Diego Costa finish helped Atletico Madrid canter to a 2-0 win over Getafe in Saturday's derby. Atletico did not hit top gear and Getafe were very lacklustre in attack so it did not make for a fantastic spectacle at the Vicente Calderon but at least the best team won.

Barcelona's clash with Valencia at the Camp Nou provided plenty of excitment as the Catalans re-established their championship credentials by coming from a goal down to beat Unai Emery's men 2-1. Valencia should have killed the game during a dominant first half display in which Pablo Hernandez scored the only goal but chances were wasted and Xavi masterminded Barca's victory as he provided assists for Andres Iniesta and Carles Puyol to turn the game on its head.

Real Madrid were unplayable at the Rosaleda as they crushed Malaga 1-4 thanks to doubles from Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuain. Kris pulled one back for Los Boquerones but they were unable to keep up with the likes of Ronaldo, Higuain, Mesut Ozil and Angel di Maria, who are firing on all cylinders at the moment. This win puts Jose Mourinho's side top of the league, a position they will maintain if Villarreal fail to beat Hercules on Monday.

Diego Alves' acrobatics prevented Almeria from falling to a much heavier defeat at the Sardinero on Sunday but, as it was, Racing Santander triumphed 1-0 courtesy of a first half Pedro Munitis goal. It was the former Real Madrid veteran's first goal in La Liga since April 2009 and it was much needed by Miguel Angel Portugal considering Markus Rosenberg missed a hatful of chances for the Cantabrians.

The two most inept attacking sides in the division clashed at the Riazor this weekend and it should come as no surprise that Deportivo La Coruna and Osasuna played out a 0-0 draw. Goalkeeper Ricardo Lopez, once of Manchester United, deserves a lot of credit for keeping a clean sheet as he blocked numerous Depor chances. A point was enough to lift the Galicians off the bottom of the table but Miguel Angel Lotina will not get carried away as three goals in seven games makes seriously grim reading.

Levante came out on top in the battle of the promoted clubs at the Ciutat de Valencia, vanquishing Real Sociedad 2-1 to record their second win of the season. Luis Garcia Plaza's side deserved their win, which came thanks to goals from loanees Asier del Horno and Felipe Caicedo. Jeffrey Sarpong came off the bench to reduce the deficit for the Basques but Martin Lesarte's team were generally disappointing. 

Espanyol seiged the ramparts at "fortress" Ono Estadi to become the first team to inflict defeat on Real Mallorca in Palma in 2010-11. A Luis Garcia penalty in the first half was enough to give Mauricio Pochettino's men a 1-0 win even though the Catalans played for nearly an hour at a numerical disadvantage owing to Pablo Osvaldo's sending off. Michael Laudrup made several changes in defence for this match and he must bear the brunt of the criticism after this poor display.

Athletic Bilbao nudged Real Zaragoza down to the bottom of the table with a 2-1 victory over the Aragonese club at San Mames. Andoni Iraola and in-form striker Fernando Llorente got the goals on a pleasing night for the Basque outfit. Jose Aurelio Gay's team were never competitive and Braulio's consolation goal for the visitors came deep into second half stoppage time.

Sporting de Gijon pulled off the shock of the weekend by gunning down Sevilla 2-0 at El Molinon with two brilliant goals by Gaston Sangoy and Diego Castro at the beginning of the first and second halves respectively. It was a first taste of defeat for Gregorio Manzano in Sevilla colours. His team were insipid in the final third with Luis Fabiano almost unrecognisable from the man who led Brazil in South Africa; unless his confidence is restored, Fabiano's days at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan will be numbered.

Matchday 7 - Player to Watch

David Villa (Barcelona)

After some initial doubts it looks like David Villa will be fit to face his old club Valencia on Saturday. Pep Guardiola's squad is about as thin as his hair so he will start with Villa up front even if he is not 100%. The Asturian striker, who scored 108 goals in 166 games for Valencia, is unlikely to celebrate if he scores against his former employers but with his record, no one would be surprised if he did. Villa took the opportunity to notch up his 44th goal for Spain during the international break, which makes him the highest scoring Spanish international of all time (level with Raul having played far fewer games). Having fired Spain to World Cup glory in South Africa this year, it is fitting that Barcelona's central striker now carries this mantel.

Matchday 7 - Featured Preview: Barcelona vs Valencia

We will get some idea of Valencia's potential to maintain a sustained title challenge this weekend when Unai Emery's men visit Barcelona at the Camp Nou. Los Che are unbeaten so far in six matches in the league and sit top of the table, while the Catalan outfit are "languishing" in 4th having already dropped points twice at home in 2010-11. Saturday night's encounter will be particularly special for David Villa; the former Valencia legend, now sporting the blaugrana strip, lines up against his old club for the first time and is bound to have mixed emotions if he scores. This is the biggest match of the season so far and is unlikely to be eclipsed until Barcelona go head to head with Real Madrid at the end of November.

BARCELONA

Player to Watch: David Villa

There have been some worrying signs that Barcelona are understaffed this season. With only nineteen first-team squad members, Pep Guardiola's team has suffered particularly whenever any of their main strikers have been missing. That was evident on matchday six as the Catalan giants were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Michael Laudrup's awkward travellers, Real Mallorca. That was the second time Barca have dropped points at home in only three games, which is not the sort of form which will lead them to another record points haul in La Liga. On Saturday night the first blockbuster of the season brings Barcelona together with league leaders Valencia at the Camp Nou. If the blaugrana drop points again they are likely to fall below their current position of 4th and lose more ground on Real Madrid, who are still seen as their major title rivals despite the current prominence of Valencia and Villarreal in the league table. Messi hit a hat-trick last year to give Barcelona a 3-0 win in the corresponding fixture and how Guardiola could do with another match-winning performance from the World Player of the Year.

David Villa hit his 44th international goal against Scotland on Wednesday, equaling Raul's scoring record for Spain, but he also picked up a knock in Glasgow which made him an early doubt for the weekend clash with his old club; Villa missed the Mallorca game through suspension two week's ago and was clearly missed so Guardiola will be delighted that he has now been cleared to start. With Pedro unavailable through injury, the forward line is the one place where Barca have few covering options. Bojan Krkic will be hoping to start but he is not looking very sharp at present so we are more likely to see Messi, Villa, and Andres Iniesta in an advanced role, in the forward three. Javier Mascherano, Sergio Busquets and Seydou Keita would then fit into what would be a very defensive midfield line as the club doctors warned this week that it was still very early for Xavi to be considered. Adriano is fit after a short spell on the sidelines but he is not likely to start. Gabi Milito had to retire from training on Tuesday, making him a doubt, but that should have little bearing on the starting eleven as we expect to see the regular back four with Dani Alves, Eric Abidal, Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol ahead of Victor Valdes in goal. 

Possible starting XI: (4-3-3) Victor Valdes; Eric Abidal, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Dani Alves; Sergi Busquets, Javier Mascherano, Seydou Keita; Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, David Villa;

VALENCIA

Player to Watch: Juan Mata

Valencia are the current league leaders - Barcelona are the current champions. Valencia are the form team in the division at this early stage in the season - This Barcelona group deserves its status as one of the greatest sides in the history of the Spanish top flight. Egos will clash at the Camp Nou on Saturday night and it is time for one of the big boys to draw blood in by far the biggest game of the season up until now. Last season Lionel Messi scored three to hand Barca a 3-0 whitewash but form so far suggests that it will be a lot closer on this occasion. Valencia are three points above their east coast rivals at the top of the table and they are WWDWW in their last five La Liga matches having only dropped points once - at home to Atletico Madrid - since the start of the campaign.

Joaquin was crocked at the beginning of the week and he will be disappointed to miss out against Barcelona in this crunch fixture. Unai Emery will also feel the Andalusian's absence in a game in which experience could be crucial. In terms of personnel, a lot will depend on whether Emery trumps for a 4-2-3-1 or goes with both Aritz Aduriz and Roberto Soldado in a 4-4-2. If it is the former, I expect Pablo Hernandez, Juan Mata and Vicente to start, with the latter likely to be left out if two forwards are deployed. Vicente has come back strongly this season after missing the majority of the last campaign but he faces stiff opposition from skilful Argentine playmaker Chori Dominguez and young Sofiane Feghouli. Spanish internationals Mata and Pablo are more assured of their places and both could be key. Pep Guardiola is well aware of Mata's talent and the tricky winger has been linked with a move to Barcelona on numerous occasions in the last couple of years. Ever Banega and Tino Costa have emerged as the preferred holding midfield pair for now and are favourites to complete the line-up despite competition from Manuel Fernandes, Mehmet Topal and David Albelda. There have been some physical doubts in defence with Hedwiges Maduro and Luis Miguel both on the fringes of training due to knocks. Miguel was ruled out towards the end of the week so Bruno Saltor will step in as the alternative at right back, joining David Navarro, Ricardo Costa and Jeremy Mathieu in defence. Fiery former Real Madrid and Tottenham goalkeeper Cesar will continue between the sticks and his contribution could be crucial in the face of Barcelona's formidable attack.

Possible starting XI: (4-4-2) Cesar; Jeremy Mathieu, David Navarro, Ricardo Costa, Bruno Saltor; Tino Costa, David Albelda, Juanma Mata, Pablo Hernandez; Roberto Soldado, Aritz Aduriz;

La Liga - Matchday 7

Saturday 16th October

Atletico Madrid vs Getafe (18:00)

Barcelona vs Valencia (20:00)

Malaga vs Real Madrid (22:00)

Sunday 17th October

Racing Santander vs Almeria (17:00)

Deportivo La Coruna vs Osasuna (17:00)

Levante vs Real Sociedad (17:00)

Real Mallorca vs Espanyol (17:00)

Athletic Bilbao vs Real Zaragoza (19:00)

Sporting de Gijon vs Sevilla (21:00)
Monday 18th October

Hercules vs Villarreal (21:00)

Spain's embarrassment of goalkeeping riches

Iker Casillas has conceded two goals in eight competitive matches so far this season, making him the most effective top flight goalkeeper in Europe so far in 2010-11. Real Madrid’s failure to convert a satisfactory percentage of their chances created – a concern ridiculed by Sunday’s 6-1 victory over Deportivo La Coruna at the Bernabeu – has distracted us from the fact that we have already seen a huge defensive improvement under Jose Mourinho.

For the majority of Casillas’ tenure as Real Madrid’s number one, clean sheets have relied predominantly on his own outstanding merit. As a case in point, last season’s record points haul and the small margin which separated Madrid from Barcelona until the very end owed an enormous amount to his intervention as the last line of defence behind a shaky back four.

Casillas is a one off, a true great, and as the captain of Spain’s only World Cup winning team his legend will not be lost to posterity. That crowning success came earlier this year, completing an international double of European and World Cup for both Casillas and Spain. At club level, however, he has been steadily building a profile as the best stopper in the game for over a decade and he is still the right side of thirty. 

Casillas made his debut in the Real Madrid team when he was just 17-years-old and still cycling to the club’s training ground at Valdebebas because he wasn’t old enough to drive. He has amassed nearly 400 competitive appearances for Real and well over 100 caps for Spain.

It is hard to dispute the fact that he has now overtaken Gianluigi Buffon as the most highly rated contemporary goalkeeper and, with Peter Cech not the same since the horrific head injury inflicted by Steven Hunt two seasons ago, only the veteran Italian and Brazilian stopper Julio Cesar can claim to compete on a similar level to Casillas at the moment.

This week, Marca ran a story which highlighted Casillas’s goalkeeping economy so far this season. Granted, Spain’s number one sports daily has spaces to fill during the international break, but the very fact that they make such a big deal about it shows the difference in attitude towards goalkeeping here in Spain compared to say, England.

La Liga is a place where goalkeeping prowess is, ostensibly at least, celebrated as much as goal scoring. The Zamora trophy – an award for the most effective goalkeeper at the end of the league season – sits side by side with the Pichichi, even if, for obvious reasons, it cannot claim to garner as much interest from the fans.

This sort of attitude is perhaps the reason why Spain has at least half a dozen goalkeepers who would walk into the England team.

Since the retirement of David Seaman eight years ago, the problem has become so desperate that the ridiculous situation has arisen in which there is genuine debate about whether Manuel Almunia should be considered between the sticks for England. Almunia would qualify for citizenship because he has lived in London for more than five years and he is eligible according to FIFA rules because he has never come close to representing Spain.

Thankfully, Fabio Capello has dismissed the possibility of a call-up for Almunia. You have to ask yourself, would he even want the job?  In a country where goalkeepers are vilified by the press and expected – nay, willed – to fail, who would want to be England number one? Paul Robinson weighed up the pros and cons and decided he did not, hence his retirement days after being called up for the EURO 2012 qualifiers with Bulgaria and Switzerland back in September.

England is in need of an attitude change before even dreaming of restoring their former goalkeeping glory and catching up with the likes of Spain. I would suggest there are at least seven Spanish porteros who would easily gatecrash the England squad and compete for a starting eleven berth. In reality, more than half would walk unopposed into the number one spot.

Spanish goalkeepers that England would love to hate:

Iker Casillas

The best of a strong bunch in Spain and one of the greatest of all time. Casillas’ reputation and track record helped him fight off a strong challenge for the Spain jersey from Victor Valdes in the run up to the World Cup. A fine tournament, including a crucial penalty save against Paraguay in the quarter-finals, justified Vicente del Bosque’s faith.

Pepe Reina

English fans have seen plenty of evidence of Reina’s quality in the Premier League and, indeed, the son of former Spanish international keeper Miguel Reina is desperately unlucky to have been born in the same generation as Iker Casillas. In any other period he surely would have accrued many more caps for his country.

Victor Valdes

Valdes has well and truly shaken off his error-prone tag from his early days at Barcelona to establish himself as one of the best goalkeepers of his generation, whose pivotal role as the last line of defence for the most successful Spanish club side in history will not be forgotten, especially not in Catalonia. On form, Valdes had a strong case for a starting berth at the World Cup but he could not compete with Iker Casillas’ gargantuan reputation.

Diego Lopez

Diego Lopez is one of the best and most underrated goalkeepers in Europe and has been delivering consistently for Villarreal since he joined the Valencian club from Real Madrid in 2007. Lopez was one of many of La Liga’s top stars who have found success elsewhere after failing to nail down a place at the Bernabeu. The fact that he didn’t even make the World Cup squad says so much about the embarrassment of goalkeeping riches at Vicente del Bosque’s disposal. He would be first or second choice for any other nation in the world, bar none.
Andres Palop

Palop is about as “English” as Spanish goalkeepers come: error-prone and with a Jens Lehmann-esque temper on him, occasionally he is given to making spectacular saves.  Palop had an awful run at the back end of last season as some bizarre mistakes were directly attributable to lost points for Sevilla.

David de Gea

De Gea is a Casillas-like prodigy at just 19-years-old has made a strong case to claim the mantel of the best young goalkeeper in the world. He was a key part of Atletico Madrid’s UEFA cup winning campaign last season and is already being linked with a big money move to Manchester United. His rise to prominence has come at the expense of Sergio Asenjo, whom he usurped as the best young keeper in Spain.

Sergio Asenjo

Atletico Madrid signed Real Valladolid’s exceptional young keeper Sergio Asenjo in the the summer of 2009 and he started last season as Atletico’s first choice. An early sticky patch, however, saw the even younger David de Gea given a chance nearly a year ago and Asenjo has not managed to wrestle back the number one jersey since. Unfortunately, unless De Gea moves on, he will probably have to leave Atleti in order to find more playing time and get his career back on track.

Joe Hart has started the season well and deserves his chance to prove his worth as England’s number one; in fact, he deserved it a couple of months ago at the World Cup but Fabio Capello was not willing to take the risk on a young, unproven player and it backfired spectacularly, of course. The Manchester City goalkeeper is quite fortunate to be English. Were he Spanish, for example, Hart would quite possibly be 8th choice in goal and, like Manuel Almunia, wouldn’t even get a look in with La Seleccion.

Matchday 6 - Player of the Round

Dani Parejo (Getafe)

Watching Dani Parejo in the Real Madrid youth academy some five or six years ago, Alfredo di Stefano stated categorically that he was convinced the youngster would go on to become a global megastar in the white of Real Madrid. That prediction has not come to fruition – yet – but surely the octogenarian legend was anticipating performances such as Parejo’s sublime display against Hercules on Sunday. Real Madrid, QPR and Getafe fans will all testify to the fact that Parejo is extremely gifted and I have no doubt he has a future as a full international. He scored one and had a hand in both of the others in the 3-0 win over Esteban Vigo’s side at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez. Parejo, more than any other player in blue, will be the man Atletico Madrid fear ahead of the derby on matchday seven.

Matchday 6 - Round-up

Real Zaragoza pulled off a remarkable turn-around at the Romareda on Saturday evening, coming from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Sporting de Gijon in the matchday six curtain-raiser. An Ivan Obradovic own goal and a Diego Castro penalty gave Manuel Preciado's team a comfortable lead but Zaragoza, despite being reduced to ten men with the dismissal of Jiri Jarosik, managed to claw their way back thanks to a fine Florent Sinama-Pongolle brace.

Real Sociedad pressed and pressed against Espanyol and finally got their reward at Anoeta in the 83rd minute when Juan Forlin turned the ball into his own net to hand the Basque hosts a 1-0 win. Martin Lasarte's team were superior to Mauricio Pochettino's but they were not convicing in front of goal; perhaps Sociedad's lone striker Raul Tamudo was uncomfortable with the idea of scoring against the club that made him a legend. 

Valencia maintain leader status in La Liga after matchday six thanks to a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao at Mestalla. Unai Emery's men took an early lead through Aritz Aduriz and they showed gritty perseverance to hold on to that advantage despite battling a war on two fronts against Athletic's ambition and their own physical exhaustion. Vicente only doubled Valencia's lead in second half stoppage time and it was reduced to the slimmest of margins again two minutes later by a last gasp Igor Gabilondo goal.

Sevilla fans finally had something to cheer about at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan as Gregorio Manzano took full advantage of the home debut factor to orchestrate a 3-1 win over close rivals Atletico Madrid on Sunday. Alvaro Negredo, Diego Perotti and Fredi Kanoute notched up the goals to send the stadium into raptures and could have had more were it not for Atletico's in-form goalkeeper David de Gea. Quique Sanchez Flores' team did get a consolation goal courtesy of Diego Costa but they were thoroughly well beaten here.

Dani Parejo inspired Getafe to a 3-0 win over giant killers Hercules at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez. Parejo scored the first goal himself and had a part to play in both of the others as Manu del Moral equalled Roberto Soldado's scoring record and Miku added another late on. Hercules barely showed up.

Villarreal remain the closest rivals to Valencia at the top of the table as they dispatched Racing Santander 2-0 with goals from Nilmar and Giuseppe Rossi at the Madrigal. Juan Carlos Garrido's two central strikers are now the out-and-out top scorers in the division having helped their club to five consecutive league wins.

Another controversial first half red card for Eliseu for the second weekend running affected Malaga's chances at the Juegos Mediterraneos but they still went ahead against Juanma Lillo's men thanks to a goal from former Aresenal cadet Quincey Owesu-Abeyie. Kala Uche was once again Lillo's saviour, however, as he struck late on to secure a 1-1 draw for Almeria.

Osasuna thought they had the game won at the Reyno de Navarra when Walter Pandiani scored in the 72nd minute to hand the Pamplonans a lead over Luis Garcia Plaza's struggling Levante side. Former Deportivo La Coruna star Sergio popped up with an equaliser less than ten minutes later, however, to provide the Valencians with an important away point in a 1-1 tie.

Not for the first time this season, Barcelona threw away points at the Camp Nou and this time it was against arguably the worst away side in the division, Real Mallorca. Lionel Messi scored the opener on his return to league action following injury, but poor defending from a corner allowed Spanish under-21 international Emilio Nsue to level things just before half time and poor finishing in the second half prevented Pep Guardiola's side from re-establishing the initiative as former blaugrana hero Michael Laudrup saw his side hold on for a 1-1 finish.

Jose Mourinho answered his critics - I'm just as baffled as he is as to why he still has so many - with a comprehensive 6-1 thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna at the Santiago Bernabeu in the final game of matchday six. Real Madrid move back in front of Barcelona with this win, which was by far the most satisfying result of the season for Los Merengues as they finally found their goal scoring touch. Cristiano Ronaldo (2), Mesut Ozil, Angel Di Maria, Gonzalo Higuain and a Jose Ze Castro own goal sent the home fans into delirium against a weak Depor team, who are feeling the pressure down at the bottom of the table. Juan Rodriguez's solitary goal was scant consolation for Miguel Angel Lotina.

Matchday 6 - Featured Preview: Sevilla vs Atletico Madrid

Gregorio Manzano takes to the home dugout at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan for the first time this weekend ahead of the visit of Atletico Madrid on Sunday afternoon. Besides that added intrigue, this fixture is one of the gems of the La Liga calendar, a clash between two genuine giants of the Spanish game.

SEVILLA

Player to Watch: Luis Fabiano

Gregorio Manzano gave off good vibes in his first match in charge of Sevilla in the Europa League this week. A 0-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in Germany is an excellent result for the Andalusians, which puts them right back in contention for a qualifying spot in their group. The real proof of Manzano's credentials, however, will come on Sunday afternoon when his side face Atletico Madrid in his debut at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Sevilla have failed to win at home in all but their Super Cup game first leg against Barcelona this season and that home frustration was one of the key factors in Antonio Alvarez's dismissal last weekend. Manzano, of course, had an excellent home record at Real Mallorca, converting the Ono Estadi in Palma into a veritable fortress, and he will be looking to transfer that strength with him to his new club. The injury news has been generally positive in the build-up to this game. Renato is back in the squad after a couple of weeks on the sidelines through injury and Abdoulay Konko also makes it after doubts. He could come in at right back to replace fresh injury victim Mahamadou Dabo, who joins Ivica Dragutinovic and Federico Fazio in the treatment room after picking up a problem which forced his substitution in Dortmund. Martin Caceres and Alexis Ruano started at centre back on Thursday but Julien Escude is also a major contender in that position so the Frenchman could come in, while Fernando Navarro is almost certain to continue at left back. The rest of the team will depend on whether Manzano repeats the 4-2-3-1 formation he used in Germany at home or decides to bring in Fredi Kanoute or Alvaro Negredo next to Luis Fabiano in attack. The Brazilian number 9 has reverted to his status as the club's focal point in attack after a clash of personalities soured the last few weeks of Alvarez's reign. Behind Fabiano, Didier Zokora, Diego Perotti, Jesus Navas and Luca Cigarini are favourites to start in midfield, with Tiberio Guarente or Renato as well if we see a five man midfield. Alejandro Alfaro has forfeited his place in the squad to Renato this weekend due to tactical reasons, so he will watch on from the stands.

Possible starting XI: (4-2-3-1) Andres Palop; Abdoulay Konko, Alexis Ruano, Julien Escude, Fernando Navarro; Luca Cigarini, Didier Zokora; Jesus Navas, Tiberio Guarente, Diego Perotti; Luis Fabiano;

ATLETICO MADRID

Player to Watch: Filipe Luis

Atletico Madrid's path to the knockout stages of the Europa League was further complicated by a home draw against Bayer Leverkusen on Thursday night, which leaves Quique Sanchez Flores' holders without a win in that competition this term. Atletico's league form is good. They beat Real Zaragoza 1-0 on matchday five to register 5th position in the league ahead of this mouth-watering tie against Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday. The Andalusians have not won at home yet in the league this season but they have an expert at that task in Gregorio Manzano now at the healm. Quique Sanchez Flores has some problems heading into this game on the player front. Argentinean international Sergio Aguero is back in the treatment room due to a small muscle tear so Diego Costa and Diego Forlan will start up front as the only strikers in the matchday squad. Diego Godin is also injured at the moment and Jose Antonio Reyes will serve a suspension after his petulant red card last weekend. That means Flores needs to replace a centre-back and a right-winger at the Pizjuan. Godin's replacement in defence could be Luis Perea who will link up next to Alvaro Dominguez allowing Tomas Ujfalusi to slot back in at right back after completing a two-match ban. Filipe Luis should start again at left back after a stunning debut against Zaragoza. It is fantastic to finally see him back to his old self after a long period of recuperation following an ankle break at the start of 2010. In midfield, Simao, Paolo Assuncao and Tiago Mendes could be joined by former Arsenal star Fran Merida as a replacement for another former Gunner, Jose Reyes. Playing Raul Garcia out of position on the right wing is another tempting option, if Quique decides that this game has come too soon for young Merida.

Possible starting XI: (4-4-2) David de Gea; Tomas Ujfalusi, Luis Perea, Alvaro Dominguez, Filipe Luis; Simao, Tiago, Paolo Assuncao, Fran Merida; Diego Forlan, Diego Costa;

Matchday 6 - Player to Watch

Raul Tamudo (Real Sociedad)

Raul Tamudo is used to scoring goals in a blue and white strip but it will be a first if he does so against Espanyol when they visit Real Sociedad at Anoeta on Saturday evening. Tamudo captained Catalonia's second biggest club for the best part of a decade and made 340 league appearances for Los Pericos between 1996 and 2010, scoring 129 goals in the top flight along the way. Despite a contract wrangle and subsequent fallout with chairman Daniel Sanchez Llibre, Raul Tamudo remains a legend at Espanyol, where he holds a prestigious place in the record books as the club’s all-time leading scorer. The striker’s declining influence on the pitch in his last two seasons in Barcelona seemed to suggest that his career was winding down, but Tamudo has enjoyed an immediate renaissance at Real Sociedad, scoring three goals in four games at the start of the 2010-11 campaign. Martin Lasarte has to decide whether to play two forwards against Mauricio Pochettino’s young side or go with a lone striker again in the in-favour 4-2-3-1 formation. Either way, Raul Tamudo is likely to be the first name on the team sheet having muscled in front of Joseba Llorente to establish himself as the preferred target man for now.

La Liga - Matchday 6

Saturday 2nd October

Real Zaragoza vs Sporting de Gijon (18:00)

Real Sociedad vs Espanyol (20:00)

Valencia vs Athletic Bilbao (22:00)

Sunday 3rd October

Sevilla vs Atletico Madrid (17:00)

Getafe vs Hercules (17:00)

Villarreal vs Racing Santander (17:00)

Almeria vs Malaga (17:00)

Osasuna vs Levante (17:00)

Barcelona vs Real Mallorca (19:00)

Real Madrid vs Deportivo La Coruna (21:00)