Madrid, February 16 – This weekend's La Liga matchday 24 was unusual, with FC Barcelona not playing until Monday night, but that gave Real and Atletico Madrid the opportunity to capitalize and gain points. Real Madrid succeeded, while Atletico failed.
Real Madrid currently leads by two points with 60 points from 24 games. Their arch-rivals, Barcelona, are on 58 points but have one more game to play. Villarreal is in third place with 45 points from 23 games, with Atletico Madrid in fourth place with the same number of points from 25 games, but with a lower goal difference.
Here are some things we learned this weekend in Spain:
1. Trent Alexander-Arnold's strong return
It has been a difficult season for Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid, with injuries and competition from Dani Carvajal and Fede Valverde. However, the former Liverpool right-back had an excellent game against Real Sociedad, according to Xinhua.
While it is true that Real Sociedad was tired after their midweek Copa del Rey game in Bilbao, Alexander-Arnold was given the space and time to make his passes, and arguably the biggest strength in his game is his ability to send over long and accurate passes, as well as effectively execute set pieces.
He did both of these well on Saturday, and with Carvajal's position looking less secure under Álvaro Arbeloa, perhaps Trent's moment has finally arrived.
2. Oblak's honest assessment
Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak was furious after his side's 3-0 defeat to struggling Rayo Vallecano. "It feels as if we have thrown away the league," said a frustrated Oblak after the final whistle.
Coach Diego Simeone made 11 changes from the team that had thrashed Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, fielding a lineup that looked strong on paper against opponents who started the day in the relegation zone. On the pitch, however, it was a different story, as Rayo, forced to play in Leganes rather than their Vallecas Stadium due to the poor state of the pitch, completely outplayed Atletico.
Simeone's priority is the Champions League and the Copa del Rey, and Atletico cannot disappoint in these.
3. The Rayo and La Liga saga is an embarrassment
The fact that the game between Rayo Vallecano and Atlético Madrid was played in Leganes is an embarrassment for Rayo and also La Liga.
Rayo's previous game against Oviedo was postponed at short notice after newly laid grass at the Vallecas Stadium failed to take root in time. Although bad weather was a factor, Rayo didn't allow time for the new turf to take root, and a week later, La Liga still didn't consider the pitch fit to play football on.
Rayo are guilty of incompetence, with some fans believing club president Martin Presa is deliberately acting this way as he wants to move from Vallecas and make money from a property deal, but La Liga also has to ensure its members maintain certain standards if it wants to maintain credibility.
4. Levante and Oviedo's defeats look definitive in the relegation struggle
Bottom of the table Oviedo lost 2-1 at home to Athletic Bilbao, and Levante was beaten 2-0 by Valencia in their local derby on Sunday, in two results that look to be decisive in the relegation struggle.
The defeats leave the two sides cut adrift at the bottom, with Oviedo nine points from safety and Levante two points above them, and even though both sides have seen timid improvements recently, that is a lot of ground to make up, especially for two sides that simply don't have the quality to win half of the games left to play this season.
