5 talking points from La Liga gameweek 7

The 7th matchday of the Spanish La Liga saw certain records being made and some being broken. Catalan giants Barcelona continue to rule the roost, as they sit comfortably at the top whereas arch rivals, Real Madrid crusied to yet another resounding victory and leaped to 4th in the table. Defending champions Atletico Madrid were handed their first defeat of the season by Valencia, who are proving to be strong contenders this season.With international fixtures looming just around the corner, we discuss the 5 talking points from La Liga gameweek 7.

#1 Athletic Bilbao - Struggling to reach the heights of last season

San Mames outfit Athletic Bilbao finished the 2013-14 season on a strong note with a 4th place finish and gave a hard time to the top 3 teams. On the contrary, to everyone’s awe, the same San Mames outfit, this season, are in the relegation zone, sitting 18th in the table, having won just 1 of their opening 7 games.

The team that beat Barcelona 1-0 and held Real Madrid to a 1-1 draw last season, are struggling to find their foothold this season and might have a daunting relegation battle in front of them unless results improve. After a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Malaga on the opening day, Los Leones bounced back with a 3-0 home victory over Levante and instead of building on it, the Basque club have fallen to deeper and deeper depths and have managed to accumulate just 4 points from a possible 21.

Having surprised everyone by beating Napoli 3-1 at home to secure a Champions League berth, Bilbao have fallen from grace even in Europe’s elite, having accrued only 2 points from the opening 2 games. Manager Ernesto Velverde’s reign, who is in his second spell at the helm of Bilbao, has been brought under the scanner following a string of poor results and will have to deliver as soon as possible, if he has to retain his job.

#2 Messi-Neymar partnership finally coming to fruition

Ever since Neymar moved to the Catalan capital, he was expected to emulate his fine Brazil form for Barcelona and help them in restoring their hegemony in Europe. However, it did not go according to the plan as he was less than convincing in his debut season and Barcelona did not win any trophy for the first time since 2008.

Now, with new boss Luis Enrique patrolling the dugout at Barcelona, Neymar seems to have finally adjusted to Spanish football in the ongoing campaign and has forged a fruitful partnership with his Latin-American counterpart, Lionel Messi. The Argentine is flourishing in his new role and the duo’s coalition is bearing rich dividends for the club.

The link-up play is exquisite, their ability to pull defenders out of position for one another is unbelievable and their pure talent is wreaking havoc for opponents. The idea of Messi and Neymar playing together is actually coming to fruition, and Barcelona fans are right to be excited. The duopoly have amassed 13 goals in the league between them till now and seem unstoppable at the moment.

Barcelona’s success for this season depends on how well they continue to grow the partnershi and how they’ll cope after the arrival of Luis Suarez.

#3 Can Valencia keep the momentum going?

Barcelona aside, Valencia are the only other team to remain unbeaten after 7 rounds of La Liga fixtures as Nuno Espirito’s side are currently second to Barcelona with 14 points, trailing the leaders by 2. The Mestella outfit finished a lowly 8th last season and lost to eventual winners, Sevilla, in the semi-finals of last season’s Europa League.

Although the 1-1 draw away to Sevilla on the opening day meant they got-off to 2014-15 season not so great, Los Che have made significant improvements and their most recent result, speaks volumes about their revival. Striker Francesco Alacer too, is in great form at the moment and has been at the heart of Valencia’s surge.

Valencia are on a fine run currently, but the question remains as to how long can they hold on to their rhythm for? Can they really cause a major upset? Well, only time will tell but for now, they are a force to be reckoned with.

#4 Ronaldo shows no signs of stopping

Real Madrid ace Cristiano Ronaldo looks to be at his fierceful best this season and has already racked-up 13 goals in the league. The Portuguese endured a torrid World Cup campaign in Brazil, but seems to be determined to make amends as he has been blowing opponents out of water of late.

The brace he bagged against Sevilla in the UEFA Super Cup 2 months ago, set the tone for the forthcoming fixtures as the Portuguese has been emulating the form that fetched him the Ballon d’Or last year and is well in contention to retain it.

The reigning World Player of the year has scored 3 hat-tricks in last 4 league outings and is now on level with Telmo Zarra and Alfredo di Stefano for the most number of hat-tricks in La Liga with 22. The Portuguese captain is on the cusp of yet another record as he is just 2 goals short of breaching Raul’s long-standing record of 71 goals in the Champions League.

#5 Cracks have started to show in Atletico Madrid\'s armoury

Defending champions Atletico Madrid have made a mixed start to their title defense this season and are yet look to threaten in the same manner that they did last term. They are clearly lacking the attacking flair to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and have narrowly edged out their opponents till now (barring the game against Sevilla).

They were given a harsh reality check by a resilient Valencia side, who got the better of them in a 3-1 win at the Mestalla. Los Colchoneros looked totally dishvelled,as they fell to their first league defeat of the season.

The result has surely set the alarm bells ringing in the red half of Madrid and coach Diego Simeone must address the issues that are plaguing them this season.