A wise man once said that "Some Things Never Change. They just Become Different."
In the aftermath of a weekend that saw the first of four “El Classico” match ups between Barca and Real it’s fair to say that little has changed in the La Liga standings but yet things somehow feel different.
With Pep Guardiola’s men travelled to the Bernabeu to face Madrid, many anticipated a season defining match which would irreversibly decide the course of the title. What they got instead was a somewhat lacklustre affair that really only sprang to life on two occasions in the penalty box.
The first came just after the break and with the teams tied at 0-0. A foul on Lionel Messi saw Los Blancos defender Raul Albiol dismissed, and Messi tucked away the resulting penalty. Barca, now with the numerical advantage took control, constructing long passing sequences with one minor problem: a lack of penetration in the final third.
With eight minutes remaining and the Catalans seemingly intent on not adding a second, Real got their own penalty following a foul by Dani Alves on compatriot Marcelo. Ronaldo duly stepped up to level the game and earn Mourinho’s men an unlikely point.
The result left Barcelona still eight points clear and closing in on the title, but something else was different. The feeling of invincibility that had previously seen Barca win 5-0 over their greatest rivals was gone. The Catalans showed a vulnerability that may yet give the Special One hope in the Champions League. (This is even more prominent after Real defeated Barcelona to win the Copa Del Rey tonight- Ed.)
One side with more than a hope of qualifying for the Champions League is Valencia. Last week saw the cash strapped club hammer nearest rivals Villarreal 5-0, and Los Che continued their fine goal scoring form on Saturday with a 3-0 win over Almería.
All three goals came in the second half, starting with a Roberto Soldado strike on 51 minutes. Marius Stankevičius and Jordi Alba sealed an impressive win that left the visitors stranded at the bottom of the table, seven points from safety and with relegation looking all the more likely.
In the race for Europa League qualification, one side hoping that things may have changed were Sevilla. The Andalusian side have endured a nightmare season but had recovered in recent weeks to mount a challenge on the European places.
However it seems that the same old problems persist for Gregorio Manzano’s side who crumbled away to Getafe on Saturday. The home side have hardly been in impressive form in recent weeks, but nevertheless they grabbed the winner through Miku on 76 minutes after poor defending from Federico Fazio.
Come Sunday then, underdogs Athletic Bilbao had the chance to leapfrog Sevilla into the much coveted fifth place. They had to travel to bitter rivals Osasuna though, who boasted one of the best home records in the league this season.
After a first half stalemate, Osasuna took the initiative six minutes into the second period with a Kike Sola goal. Seven minutes later and things took a turn for the worst for the visitors, with Athletic defender Xavi Castillo dismissed.
But Bilbao fought back and grabbed a shock equaliser through Fernando Llorente with just over twenty minutes remaining. And with the clock running down and Osasuna obviously anxious over the real threat of relegation, things were evened out as defender Sergio Fernandez saw red for the hosts. Then in a spectacular finale, Iker Muniain hit a curling long range strike, which beat the out of position Ricardo Lopez to gift the win to the visitors.
Elsewhere, things could not have gone better for Bilbao, with their other nearest rivals Espanyol and Atlético Madrid drawing 2-2.
Espanyol had to come from behind twice to secure the draw, with Koke scoring for Atleti after just 78 seconds. Dani Osvaldo levelled things before half time but the visitors were soon back in front after the break through Sergio Agüero. Fortunately, Osvaldo was on hand once again with nine minutes remaining to secure the draw.
The result left Espanyol just three points above Levante, whose recent form has seen the side change from relegation strugglers to outside bets for the Europa league. Eight wins and three draws in their last twelve games is an astonishing turnaround.
This form continued on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Hércules. First half goals from Rubén Suárez and Juanlu put the Valencia based club in complete control before half time. And although the old reliable David Trézéguet pulled one back for the visitors, it was a poor display from Hércules that leaves them second bottom but only three points from safety. Meanwhile, Levante look all but safe and can continue to look upwards.
Whilst fortunes may have changed for the better at Levante, Sporting Gijón were brought back down to reality with another defeat. The recent away victory over Real Madrid had given the minnows some confidence over the following weeks but little of that swagger was on display against fellow strugglers Real Sociedad.
Winger Antoine Griezmann opened the scoring for Sociedad in the first half and though Gijón did draw level after the break through Miguel de las Cuevas, Griezmann proved the hero. With ten minutes to go his shot deflected twice to gift a deserved win to the newly promoted struggler.
The win saw Sociedad draw level with Gijón on 38 points. They were also joined by Deportivo La Coruña who won 2-0 over another fellow struggler Racing Santander. Goals from Lassad Nouioui and Newcastle United reject Xisco, either side of half time, sealed the win which leaves Depor & co five points off relegation.
Villarreal secured a 1-0 win against Real Zaragoza on Monday, courtesy of Giuseppe Rossi’s late penalty (his 16th league goal this season). The win practically secures a top-four finish, whilst leaving Zaragoza fourth from bottom on goal difference!
The side looking to change from relegation certainties to title challenger are Málaga. Bought by Qatari billionaires with dreams of challenging Real and Barca, Málaga have rarely been outside of the relegation zone with many expecting certain relegation.
Yet despite a few false starts it now seems there may be hope for survival. A 3-0 victory over Mallorca coupled with Real Zaragoza’s defeat on Monday saw Manuel Pellegrini’s side move level with Zaragoza and sniffing safety.
And it came courtesy of an imperious display against the Islanders at home. A goal from Sebastián Fernández on 26 minutes, as well as a double from Júlio Baptista, just back from injury, killed the game before half time but left Malaga very much alive in La Liga. Real Mallorca meanwhile, may just be starting to feel uneasy. Six points off the relegation zone, could the Islanders soon be about to change – for the worse?