La Liga Lowdown

Another LaLiga matchday means another LaLigaLowdown pod, this time with Ben Sully (@SullyBen) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) recapping this weekend’s round of games.

Part one covers Real Madrid’s win at Mestalla, with Arbeloa’s men not fully convincing but still putting pressure on the league leaders... Barça, who managed to win against Mallorca. Once again, the Blaugrana had a shaky start and left it all for the second half. While Betis managed to shock Atlético de Madrid at the Metropolitano, getting their revenge a few days after the 0-5 thrashing in Copa.

Part two takes us to Anoeta, where Real Sociedad’s fine form and Elche’s decline continue. Athletic ended their dry spell against Levante after an early sending off tipped the balance in favour of the home team. The same goes for Getafe, with Bordalás breathing a bit easier after a long-awaited victory. The pod also covers Osasuna’s win, Sevilla’s late draw and the controversial postponement of Rayo Vallecano vs Real Oviedo.

We thank you for listening to our pod, and remind you that you can access our bonus podcast and weekly articles over at lllonline.substack.com.
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Kick off your Monday in the best way: with our Matchday 22 LaLiga review hosted by Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and with the expertise of Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee).

In Part One we review the Basque derby, which did not disappoint, with both teams giving their all on the pitch and putting on a fantastic display. Equally, or even more entertaining, was Elche vs Barça, with the visiting team breaking a new LaLiga xG record with 6.30. We also touch upon Real Madrid's, late, late, late penalty win and Atleti's dull performance vs Levante.

In Part Two we give Real Oviedo's win the credit it deserves, look into Espanyol's worrying form, analyse Villarreal's poor run, and review all the other matches of the weekend, including some intriguing post-match comments from José Bordalás...

We hope you enjoy the pod and thank you for listening! Remember you can also access our bonus podcast and multiple weekly articles over at lllonline.substack.com.
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LaLiga MD21 did not disappoint with plenty of goals: wonder goals, late goals, controversial goals... Ben Sully (@SullyBen) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) got together to tell you all about it!

Part one will take you to the Valencian community to review Levante's late, late winner that keeps their hopes alive, Valencia's (also late) winner to stay afloat above the relegation zone and Villarreal's defeat to a Real Madrid that seems to be improving under Arbeloa.

Barça's slightly unconvincing win against Oviedo ends part one, before heading into part two to analyse Real Sociedad's epic win under the rain over an in-form Celta de Vigo, Osasuna's first away victory at Rayo's crumbling stadium, Atlético's very comfortable win against Mallorca, and much more!

We thank you for listening to our pod, and remind you that you can access our bonus podcast and weekly articles over at lllonline.substack.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matchday 20 proved why we love LaLiga: drama, surprises and competitiveness. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) review a terrific weekend.

A tumultuous week for Real Madrid ended positively. After the Bernabéu crowd made their discontented feelings vociferously known on Saturday lunchtime, Los Blancos laboured to a rather uncomfortable 2-0 win over lowly Levante for Álvaro Arbeloa’s first win in charge. After fielding questions about “Florentino dimisión” chants, the boss angered fans further by staunchly defending his President, claiming those who want Pérez to resign aren’t genuine Madridistas.

This victory put pressure on Barcelona, who lined up without Raphinha and lost their winning run. La Real continued their incredible – albeit fortuitous – start under Pellegrino Matarazzo after beating Barça 2-1 through a combination of goalkeeping excellence, luck and tight VAR calls. Just 60 seconds after Marcus Rashford had equalised, Gonçalo Guedes restored their lead. Despite accumulating over 3.5 xG and 25 shots (including five to the woodwork), there was no way past Álex Remiro, who reminded everyone why he is a worthy member of Luis de la Fuente’s triumvirate. The gap at the top is now just a solitary point. ¡¡¡Hay Liga!!!

Real Betis beat Villarreal to take a big step towards European football next season, but we ask why there is still some dissatisfaction among the fanbase. On Friday night, Girona continued their incredible resurgence by beating Espanyol in a Catalan derby, courtesy of two Vanat penalties. Los Pericos have had a rough start to the year, but are still well placed.

Onto Part Two, we focus on the compactness of the table from 8th down to 18th. Real Sociedad are ten places above Alavés, but only five points clear of their fellow Basques.

Mallorca took a huge step forward by winning a thriller against Athletic Club. Jagoba Arrasate will be thanking his giant Kosovan Vedat Muriqi who scored a hat-trick to tame Los Leones. Only Kylian Mbappé has scored more this season, and Muriqi is priceless for the island side. Three goals and three precious points. We reflect on that as well as Athletic’s malaise. With a crucial set of fixtures ahead, is this Ernesto Valverde’s last season in charge?

Osasuna won by the same scoreline but in even more dramatic fashion. Trailing twice to Real Oviedo, it seemed like the Asturian side might finally get their win. But alas, Ante Budimir equalised twice and then Víctor Muñoz broke hearts with a 92nd-minute winner. Even when they score twice, they can’t even draw, let alone win.

Rayo are another club looking over their shoulder after they were well beaten by Euro-chasing Celta. They won their third in a row to cement 7th spot and put pressure on those above them.

Valencia stunned the Coliseum with a late, well-constructed winner with their only shot on target of the game. Getafe are in freefall now, with just one point since the end of November. Alavés made it hard for Atleti, but ultimately came away from the capital with nothing, and they slipped into the drop zone. But, given the tightness of the table, things can change extremely quickly. A relegation battle for the ages is in prospect.

You can keep up to date with all our content at lllonline.substack.com.

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All the Supercopa & LaLiga action delivered straight to your ears by our experts Ben Sully (@SullyBen) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee).

In part one, they delve into another action-packed ‘el clásico’. Barça conquered the Supercopa de España against an atypical Real Madrid, who sat back really deep, ultimately falling short and being eclipsed by Raphinha’s fantastic performance. Will Xabi Alonso continue? Only time will tell...

In part two, they focus on LaLiga and the seven fixtures that took place during the weekend. Girona finally escape the relegation zone, Villarreal keep up their winning momentum with an inspired Moleiro, Oviedo and Levante keep adding points to their tally, Rayo finally win after a dry run, and more...

Thank you for listening to our pod, and remember that you can access our bonus podcast and weekly articles over at lllonline.substack.com.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.