La Liga 2019-20: Six biggest talking points from the season so far

We still don't know when the La Liga will resume again, but thankfully there's a lot that has transpired till now for us to ponder upon.

Real Madrid have rejuvenated themselves after the disastrous campaign last year as Barcelona's title defense finally faces some competition. The race for a top-four finish is also fierce as four different sides are contesting for the last two spots, including traditional minnows such as Getafe and Real Sociedad.

There aren't many surprises in the goals and assists charts as Lionel Messi continues to reign supreme, but the relegation battle at the bottom of the league table is heating up.

Let's discuss the six biggest talking points emerged from the season so far.

#6 Espanyol paying the prize for selling their best player

Espanyol have failed to score in 10 games out of 27 so far

Looks like Espanyol's 25-year long association with the Spanish top-tier is finally winding down. The Catalan outfit have accrued only 20 points from 27 games, winning only four times, and languish six points off safety. Plenty of reasons can be attributed to such a catastrophic season, but the most important is the lack of a striker, and that's because they sold Borja Iglesias, their most prized possession, last summer.

Now at Real Betis, he struck an amazing 17 times in the 2018/19 campaign - almost 35% of the team's efforts, and helped them achieve a respectable 7th-place finish. Without him, the Periquitos have completely lost steam. They average an appalling 0.85 goals per game, whereas the top-scorer in the side has bagged only four goals. Espanyol may have made huge financial profits with the Spaniard's sale (€28 million), but are made to pay a much bigger prize in return.

#5 Real Sociedad turning a corner under Imanol Alguacil

Alguacil's appointment has been crucial in turning Sociedad's fortunes around

La Real made a huge climb last season when they went from being 15th at one point to finishing 9th. The brains behind this impressive turnaround was Imanol Alguacil, their youth team manager who inculcated drive and passion into the side as they appeared more menacing and also capable of grinding out results. Looks like he's steering them to higher standards this term.

Fourth in the table and just a point behind Sevilla, the Basque Country outfit find themselves in good stead to secure Champions League qualification. And the situation would've been even better had they been more solid in defense. Nevertheless, they've been creatively sound, which has in turn translated into plenty of goals. All four of their first-team forwards have at least seven goals so far, while the team has already accrued more wins than they did in the whole of last campaign. Onwards and upwards.

#4 Atletico Madrid desperately need another striker

Atletico Madrid's strikers haven't been up to the mark in La Liga

They may be a very mean outfit, but Atletico Madrid have been rendered really toothless in attack this season. The lack of a prolific goal-scorer is really hurting them as they languish at sixth on the table, having scored only 31 times. To put that into context, even 13th-placed Levante have scored more goals. Los Rojiblancos do have the likes of Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata in the ranks, but neither has really impressed.

Costa was struggling to fire even before the back injury in November which ruled him out for three months, whereas the latter has only delivered in bits and parts. Antoine Griezmann's shoes are too big to fill indeed, and the failure of the existing strikers mean they would need someone more productive and proactive in the box to cure this attacking malaise.

#3 Barcelona's leadership cannot mask the glaring loopholes

The holders may be at the top of the table, but the 2019-20 season has been largely unsatisfactory. Barcelona are struggling to grind out results more than ever, including at the Camp Nou, which was once an infamous slaughter house for all the visiting teams. Lionel Messi seems to be the only player making substantial efforts, while the team has also been decimated by several high-profile injuries.

The blank expressions of Ernesto Valverde in the dugout were also replaced, but his successor Quique Setien hasn't made any statement of intent yet either. Real Madrid's revival has also proved to be a thorn in their side, as the Catalans can no longer get away with poor performances like they did regularly last season. Antoine Griezmann's arrival was supposed to spark life into this team, but the Frenchman is himself struggling to find his feet. All these factors are clear indication that this team desperately need an overhaul, from stem to stern.

#2 Real Madrid are favourites, but must improve away results

Karim Benzema's expression perfectly sums up Real Madrid's away-match blues

For arguably the first time since clinching the title in 2017, Los Blancos have looked like title challengers once again. Zinedine Zidane, the miracle manager, is once again working his magic as he has successfully peeled this team out of the rut they were stuck in last season to rejuvenate and regroup the players. The results have subsequently improved, while defense has become Real's best feature.

Believe it or not, but they have the best defensive record in all of Europe's top five leagues with only 19 goals conceded so far! The only drawback of their campaign has been the erratic nature of the results on the road. Of the 14 games played away from home, the Merengues have dropped points in seven. Such a disappointing away record can prove to be counter-productive to their title hopes, and must hence improve the same sooner than later.

#1 Lionel is, and will always be the king of La Liga

Lionel Messi's astronomically high standards have been so normalised, that we are no longer surprised with what he does. Yet, there's a case to be made of how he struggled with injuries for the first few weeks and still managed to ambush his way to the top of the scoring and assisting charts. The Argentine ace opened his account only on matchday eight, and has since gone about his business as usual.

His return of 19 goals is second to none, and that includes two amazing hat-tricks and a fiery four-goal salvo. He also leads in the assists column (12), in terms of chances created, and also in key passes laid per game. Without him, Barcelona would've been down to the bare bones. Messi is literally keeping this side afloat single-handedly, not that he hasn't done it before, but more so these days. And that's absolutely normal for him.

Edited by S Chowdhury