La Liga Lowdown

No centre-backs, no problem. Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Ben Sully (@SullyBen) as they look back on a weekend where Real Madrid overcame a defensive injury crisis to smash Girona’s dreams of achieving their fairytale ending.Vinícius Júnior and Jude Bellingham played starring roles in the demolition job, moving Carlo Ancelotti’s side five points clear at the top. Elsewhere in Part One, we discuss another poor home result for Barcelona as they play out an entertaining 3-3 draw against relegation-threatened Granada. There was also disappointment for Atlético Madrid, who lost out to a rejuvenated Sevilla side at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán.Real Betis swept past struggling Cádiz to move into sixth place as goal-shy Real Sociedad dropped down to seventh with a home defeat to Osasuna. Meanwhile, Celta showed all their fighting qualities at the Coliseum to come back from two goals down, only for Getafe to land the killer blow late on. Matt and Ben also discuss all the other fixtures from the weekend, including

¿Hay Liga? To find out, join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román de Arquer (@aeroslavee), who analyse all the weekend's fixtures and look back at some of the never-ending VAR controversy that overshadows Spanish football.First off is the Madrid derby, in which Marcos Llorente gave Los Blancos a taste of their own medicine with a very late equaliser. A goal that opens up LaLiga and gives Girona a massive shot next weekend at the Bernabéu. Matt and Román then talk about Girona's messy draw, Barça's convincing win, Athletic thrashing Mallorca, Celta taking home three massive points from El Sadar and all the other fixtures, as well as previewing the first legs of the Copa del Rey semi-finals.Be sure to subscribe and upgrade on our Substack to get access to all our content throughout the week. The place for that is lllonline.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's never a dull weekend in LaLiga. Especially not in Barcelona. Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román De Arquer (@aeroslavee) on the weekend in which Xavi pressed the quit button.Following weeks of discussion and a calamitous 5-3 defeat at home to Villarreal, there were backroom discussions, a delayed press conference and then the bombshell. Xavi will leave at the end of the season. We spend most of Part One discussing the news, its timing, and how things fell apart so quickly for the club legend. Real Madrid, Girona and Atleti all won their respective matches to keep up the pace at the top end of the table, but the main Basque pair both suffered Copa hangovers and had to settle for stalemates. A worthy debut point for new Cádiz coach Mauricio Pellegrino. Betis and Manuel Pellegrini were the beneficiaries of those results as they closed the gap on the top six.Elsewhere, there was more misery for Sevilla and Almería, who are making Groundhog Day look refreshingly different. Spare a thought f

Matchday 21 in La Liga was full of goals, controversy, comebacks and a sacking. Hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) are on hand to lament the underdog story that never was for Almería.Real Madrid managed what should have been a heroic comeback, against Almería of all sides, but three highly controversial VAR reviews even had some Madridistas feel raising their eyebrow. Paco explains how the circumstances were damaging to the La Liga product, but at the end of it all, Los Blancos are closer to the title.Girona ensured they would not sleep at the top of the table though, as Artem Dovbyk trampled Sevilla and put himself top of the Pichichi standings in the process. Barcelona are hanging on by their fingernails, as we discuss a potential sea change in the Catalan capital.In the second half of the show, we bid farewell to Sergio González in a sacking that even he saw coming. The picture still seems somewhat bleak for the Yellow Submarine though. Valencia halted Athletic Club’s march

Catch up on all the latest in Spanish football with Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee). In Part One we delve into the the Spanish Supercopa final in which Real Madrid pounced first and last to celebrate their first title of 2024, while Xavi keeps digging his grave. Will he make it to the end of the season? How good was Vini Jr? How bad was Barcelona's defending? Can Real Madrid win all four trophies on offer this season?In Part Two we look at all the LaLiga action from the weekend: Sevilla and Villarreal's unstoppable downfall, Girona's shock result against Almería, the Basque derby and plenty more. Remember you can subscribe to our Substack for a very small sum to support our work and get unlimited access to all our content! With action coming thick and fast, there has never been a better time to upgrade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Copa del Rey saw the kings of Spanish football mix it with the anymen, but there was to be little in the way of success for the little guys. With 15 of the 16 sides going through decided, 14 of them are from La Liga. Hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Román de Arquer (@aeroslavee) discuss why.The new format has largely been regarded as a success over recent years, and the pros and cons are broken down after a largely uninspiring Round of 32. Alavés did cause one of the few upsets, beating 2022 winners Real Betis, and causing a sour start to 2024 for Manuel Pellegrini. Elsewhere there was a Real Madrid debut six months in the making.In the second half of the show, we break down the Spanish Supercup semi-finals on the way, beginning with the Madrid derby. Atlético are looking as shaky as they have done since 2022, and El Cholo is backed to double down. However coming up against them are the seemingly impregnable Real Madrid. The contrast between side that were beaten in September and this one is p

Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) to review Matchday 17 in LaLiga as the Christmas countdown begins.For those hoping for a four-horse title race, hopes were dashed as both Barça and Atlético Madrid stumbled on the road. Xavi's side are now winless in three following their point at Mestalla, as the doubts and questions continue to mount.For Atleti, they simply couldn't cope with a rampant Athletic Club, spearheaded by the Williams brothers. We ask how Ernesto Valverde is getting such a tune out of a side that struggled for goals last season.Real Madrid made a statement by dispatching Villarreal with ease to put the ball back into Girona's court ahead of their game on Monday night. With a clear gap over their usual rivals, is the title race a two-horse race? Elsewhere, Sevilla lurched from chaos to full blown crisis as they suffered a hammering at home to Getafe, after which Diego Alonso was promptly sacked. We review his miserable tenure and ask whether Quique Sánchez Flore

This might not be a vintage Barcelona, but this Girona side are just a little bit special. Join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) as they break down a brilliant weekend in La Liga.The first half of the show is dedicated to the first time ever that Girona have beaten Barcelona - and what a way to do it. Míchel's side showed Culers the football they've been desperate to see all season, and even if Barcelona had their chances, Paco explains why Girona were so much better. Then there's the post-mortem for Barcelona and Xavi Hernández - we have a checklist. In the second half of the show, we start with Aitor Ruibal's screamer to earn Real Betis a point against Real Madrid - one that both sides were content with. Real Sociedad gave the Yellow Submarine a bath and Diego Alonso is on borrowed time. Meanwhile Valencia get Bordalás'd. Subscribe for extra content at lllonline.substack.com. Our thoughts go out to the Granada fan that tragically lost their life to a heart attack

Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) to review a significant weekend with a few surprise results.The weekend culminated with a heavyweight clash at Montjuïc as Barça took on Atleti knowing they could be effectively out of the title race had they lost. João Félix – on loan from Atleti – proved to be the match-winner, and how he enjoyed that. Iñaki Peña was also vital with a couple of superb saves to deny Diego Simeone's men.Athletic Club routed Rayo with both Williams brothers on the scoresheet, celebrating Nico's contract renewal.Real Madrid and Girona keep winning at the top. Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) drops in to give us his reaction from the capital. Meanwhile, Girona made hard work of it against Valencia, requiring a late doblete from Cristhian Stuani to complete the remontada.In Part Two we review the rest of the games, including controversy denying Marcelino a fourth win in four, praise for revelatory Las Palmas, and some stalemates which suited nobody.We end by reacting to

Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) as they review Matchday 14, game by game.They look into the Marcelino - Morales connection that has brought Villarreal back to life, Umar Sadiq's glorious goal that saw Real Sociedad overpower Sevilla, Rodrygo recovering his best version, Rayo becoming Xavi's worst nightmare and Paco López's untimely departure, among all the other stories of the weekend.Is Antoine Griezmann the best player in the league? Were Sevilla wrong to fire José Luis Mendilibar? Is Barcelona's season on the line this week? All these questions and more are pondered. They also take a moment to remember Terry Venables, who sadly passed away this weekend. 'El Tel' leaves behind a great legacy that will be remembered for years to come. From the La Liga Lowdown team we send out our condolences to his family and friends.Subscribe to our Substack at lllonline.substack.com for access to all our premium content. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Spain finish their European qualifying group top, with seven wins from eight, but there was nobody celebrating by the end of it. Join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) as they reflect on a sombre night for La Roja.Luis de la Fuente called it the most bitter victory he's ever experienced after Spain defeated Georgia 3-1, the only thing anyone was talking about was Gavi. The 19-year-old star came off before the half-hour mark with what is all-but-confirmed a season-ending anterior cruciate ligament tear. The impact of this is discussed, both for Spain and Barcelona, as it looks like it might keep him ouof the Euros next year. Paco tries to assess De la Fuente's spell up until now - the next time Spain play, de la Fuente will have been in the job over a year.The second half of the show unfortunately has to deal with injuries too: Real Madrid have lost Eduardo Camavinga and Vinícius Junior for multiple months. The upshot is a rather thin set of options for Carlo Ancelotti, who has

The culmination of Matchday 13 means we are a third of the way through the season, and there are plenty of things to make pre-season predictions look rather silly.Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) review a goal-filled weekend which saw every team score, contributing to 3.66 goals per game, four comebacks from the top five, and familiar heroes coming to the rescue.The Seville Derby may not have been too high on quality, but the narratives stayed strong. All square at the Sánchez-Pizjuán courtesy of Ivan Rakitić.The game of the weekend was on Friday in Bilbao, as Athletic grabbed a late winner in a seven-goal thriller to condemn Celta to yet another defeat.Atleti had to come from behind too, but succeeded in defeating managerless Villarreal to extend their home winning run. Of course Antoine Griezmann was at the heart of things. Marcelino is seemingly all but in the door, and Paco says he should be given the keys to the Submarine hatch.The leaders are still Girona, who once again trailed

Girona es líder and other phrases you might need if you're learning some Spanish football vocabulary. LaLiga delivered in a big way this weekend with all of the big three put through their paces, while La Liga's biggest storyline rolls on. Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) as they gorge on a filling nine-course tasting menu.Part One begins at El Sadar where Míchel's side showed little apprehension about the difficulty of their task when they went down to Osasuna. Why are they so much better this season than last? Why is football cruel, and why should Real Sociedad fans continue to watch it after they were beaten by Barcelona? Our pair discuss the silver linings of their robbery, and the puzzle for Imanol Alguacil. Made all the sweeter for the Catalans by both Madrid giants stumbling in the face of frisky opposition.In Part Two, everyone is moaning. All sides went home in a cantankerous mood from Celta Vigo-Sevilla, and even Pacheta's puppy-dog enthusiasm is wilting in the face

El Clásico didn't disappoint, with a late twist as the headline acts delivered and gave us plenty to discuss and debate.Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) as they review the game in depth. Román was in attendance so shares his matchgoing experience, as well as wondering whether Real Madrid deserved to win, or Barça in fact let it slip. We talk tactics, substitutes, key players, and of course, a lot about Jude Bellingham. As always it seems. There is time for discussion of İlkay Gündoğan's post-match comments too, and where it leaves the respective sides for the rest of the season.In Part Two we travel on a whistle-stop tour around the rest of the matches from the weekend, one that saw two thirds of the fixtures decided by stoppage time goals. There were late winners, high-scoring draws, magical goals... and Getafe with another bore draw.For more of this and for access to all of our premium content, upgrade your subscription for a fiver at lllonline.substack.com. Hosted on A

It's hard to ask La Liga for much more this season. Despite one or two sour notes, La Liga is full of juice. Join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Paco Polit (pacopolitENG) as they react and assess the weekend's action, as La Liga continues it's entertaining start.Part one begins with the Sergio Ramos derby. Ramos had Real Madrid pulling faces, as Carlo Ancelotti turns to irony. Diego Alonso's Sevilla debut was interesting watch - Jude Bellingham has failed to score or assist in just three games this season, and Real Madrid have dropped points in two of them. Elsewhere, discretion advised if you want to mess with Girona, and Antoine Griezmann shows Rafa Benítez just how rainy it can be in Vigo.Part two begins with the Sunday night partidazo in Barcelona - which was decided by yet another Barcelona youngster. Marc Guiu makes his case for the best ever opening minute of a debut. Villarreal fail to beat Alavés at home, as they sink to their worst start in La Liga ever. Manuel Pellegrini is the latest to g

Guten Tag! Spain have qualified for Euro 2024 following back-to-back wins in this October window.Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) discuss the two close encounters, beginning with Thursday night's win over Scotland in Seville.Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) - our Scot living in Spain - was at La Cartuja to witness the match, and shares his thoughts on the match and Luis de la Fuente's tenure so far.We examine the controversy surrounding Scott McTominay's disallowed goal and explain why Spain were able to kick on from that point.In Part Two we analyse Sunday's win in Oslo against a rather disappointing Norway side. There were more debatable decisions here too, with Álvaro Morata at the heart of most of it.We conclude by assessing Spain's likelihood of contending next summer. Subscribe and upgrade now for access to all of our content at lllonline.substack.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Some things in life are bad. But not LaLiga. Matchday 9 brought us a colossal amount of goals, drama and narratives.We've had records broken, comebacks, a new coach, a sacking and more. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) break it all down in this bumper pod before the international break kicks in again.We start with Zaragoza in Granada, not to confuse the geographers. Bryan is the revelation of the season, and in just 17 seconds, he made sure Barça knew about it. If his first was quick, his second was more spectacular, earning him the Spain call up his fans were clamouring for. Barça had to dig deep to get themselves out of another hole. They thought they had won it, but were denied by a controversial offside decision. Lamine Yamal will never forget the game, as he became the youngest goalscorer in LaLiga history.In Madrid, there was more drama, with handballs this time. Paco laments the level of officiating this season, but praises the grittiness of Atlético and the quality of La

Matchday 8 is in the books as we career through another round, full of goals, major clashes and one star giving us a preview of his night out. Join hosts Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) as they round up the action and the major talking points.Part One begins in Catalonia - Girona naturally. Real Madrid returned to the top of the table in ruthless fashion, stomping all over Míchel and his magic full-backs. There was a surprise benching, and back down in Barcelona, it was a Real Madrid legend doing the Blaugrana a big favour. The Basque derby delivered, if you were in Txuri-Urdin - and even if you weren't, well, you may as well enjoy it. The partidazo of the week came in the depths of the LaLiga table, with the bottom two sides wondering 'if only' in a wild game.Part Two sees us round up the rest of the games, including an unexpected partidazo at the Metropolitano, a vital win for Osasuna, and Real Betis show that there's a new generation coming after losing some key veterans. Final

La Liga enjoyed a goal-fest this weekend, as 35 goals flew in across 10 games. The Metropolitano saw four of them, but perhaps was the happiest of the lot as they slayed an unbeaten Real Madrid in relatively comfortable fashion. Carlo Ancelotti has some thinking to do, but it's a tough puzzle to solve, while perhaps Cholo Simeone can see a route towards a title challenge. Elsewhere, Las Palmas win story of the week - and their first game.In part 2 we're back at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys where Román witnessed a historic comeback for Barcelona. The João's and Xavi would have deserved the criticism lined up for them with 15 minutes to go, but 8 minutes of magic made it just another happy headline. Problems in Andalusia, but Catalonia is flying. Girona are joint-top, and nobody who enjoys entertaining football will begrudge them that. Find out who our revelation of the season is six games in.Follow us on Twitter @LaLigaLowdown, but if you can subscribe to our premium Substack deal to receive a bundle of e

LaLiga showed that it isn't just Spain that can bang in the goals, with nearly three a game over the weekend. A series of debuts provided talking points on their own, but hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) have some fascinating results to pick through as well.Part one kicks off in Barcelona, where Román was present to see Barcelona devour a depleted Real Betis, with some sensational debuts too. Are we looking at a change of approach from Barcelona? Atlético Madrid were humbled by Valencia, who have their own young stars showing they can mix it in LaLiga, while Rafael Benítez is doing a lot of complaining - that could soon be drowned out by groans at Balaídos though.In part two, Real Madrid continue to get the job done, even without Jude Bellingham on the scoresheet. Are Real Madrid and Barcelona essentially playing the same setup now? Sergio Ramos is back at Sevilla, but the big news is that they're off the bottom. Pacheta also squeezed three points out of his first game, an