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La Liga Lowdown
A weekly mini-podcast bringing you the best in Spanish football, focusing on LaLiga, arguably the best league in the world. We'll tell you not just what happened, but how and why, using our extensive squad of reporters spread throughout Spain. We...
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42. 25/26 Season Review
59:36||Season 9, Ep. 42The end of the season calls for a special pod. So join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08), Ben Sully (@SullyBen), Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) as they get together to pick out the good and bad from an eventful 2025/26 LaLiga campaign. The season review pod starts with a ‘Team of the Season’ category before the focus turns to the standout player, which yields some picks from Barcelona and even a player from a relegated club. After piling the praise on a certain overachiever in our ‘Coach of the Season’ discussion, the positive vibes flow as we pick out our top surprises. But it can’t all be positive, which is why we then choose our major disappointments, and it's not a good section for the two big Madrid sides. The bumper podcast wraps up with talk of key moments and a particular turning point of Real Madrid’s tumultuous season.If you enjoyed the discussion, why not let us know who your picks are for: Team of the season Player of the season Coach of the season Surprise Disappointment Moment of the seasonThanks for listening throughout the season and supporting over at lllonline.substack.com. And stay tuned for our coverage of Spain’s upcoming World Cup campaign.
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41. Emotional goodbyes as Girona & Mallorca are relegated, but EuroGeta rides again: LaLiga Matchday 38 recap
36:55||Season 9, Ep. 41Join us for the recap of the final matchday of LaLiga's 25/26 season with Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee)!So many outcomes, so many possibilities... but finally Mallorca and Girona are the two unlucky sides who will no longer be a part of Spain's top tier football league next season. Mallorca won, Girona got a point, but that was not enough to escape the bottom three, with Elche, Osasuna and Levante surviving the battle.On the other end, Getafe sealed their European spot with a win over Osasuna with a meagre total of 32 goals throughout the whole campaign. A miraculous feat led by the mastermind José Bordalás. Villarreal finished third after thrashing Atlético de Madrid 5-1, in what was a perfect farewell for Dani Parejo and Marcelino. We also said goodbye to legends like Dani Carvajal, Antoine Griezmann, Robert Lewandowski, Marcelino and Ernesto Valverde. Meanwhile Barça’s Femení team lifted their fourth Champions League against Olympique de Lyon, and Deportivo de La Coruña joined Racing in winning promotion to the top flight.Thanks for listening to us this season! We hope you enjoyed the pod and articles, and hope to have you on board for next season.
40. Mallorca on the brink, four teams secure safety & icons bid farewell: LaLiga Matchday 37 recap
37:21||Season 9, Ep. 40Check out our matchday 37 review with Ben Sully (@SullyBen) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee)!The relegation battle takes centre stage in our latest podcast. The Sunday results favoured Alavés, Sevilla, Espanyol and Valencia, who are now safe and will play the final fixture with no pressure whatsoever. In fact, Espanyol and Valencia now have a slight chance of playing in Europe! But should we be surprised? Swinging from one end of the standings to another has been a very common theme this campaign...Levante, on the other hand, are very close to pulling off a miracle after defeating Mallorca 2-0 in what was a “final” for both teams. Only a dramatic combination of results in the last day would see ‘los Granotas’ go down. Osasuna, Elche, Girona, and, of course, Mallorca, are the other teams involved in the relegation fight for MD 38. In the pod, we also went through their games and options for the final fixtures, which will certainly have a lot of drama.As always, thank you for listening to us and remember that you can subscribe to access our bonus podcast and multiple weekly articles over at lllonline.substack.com.
39. Barcelona win the Clásico to seal the title: LaLiga Matchday 35 recap
36:30||Season 9, Ep. 39Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) to recap the title-deciding weekend in LaLiga. It’s official: Barcelona are champions. We knew it was coming for a good while now, but at last, Hansi Flick and his team can celebrate a second consecutive title. They won their 11th consecutive match to seal the title and for the first time ever, they confirmed the result by winning the Clásico. We salute the champions, discuss their record-equalling pace and begin to unpick where it all unravelled for Real Madrid. We also pay tribute to Hansi Flick, who was present at the game despite the passing of his father. Understandably emotional at full time, we evaluate his brilliant contribution to the club in the last two seasons.Elsewhere, there is still the race for Europe and the battle to avoid the drop. Celta closed the gap on Betis, but have they left their Champions League charge too late? Below them, no one else won this weekend, so it is still all to play for in the remaining weeks.At the bottom, Oviedo are all but done following their stalemate against Getafe. The result encapsulates their season: fighting and resisting against the odds, but ultimately coming up a little short. Above them, Levante, Sevilla and Valencia recorded big wins to help their respective causes.Levante came from 2-0 down to win on Friday night with forgotten man Etta Eyong scoring the winner in stoppage time. There was also a late winner for Sevilla, who condemned Espanyol to an 18th game without a win. Valencia went to Bilbao, missed a penalty, but still won thanks to Umar Sadiq, and they look almost home and hosed. Worryingly, Nico Williams went off injured, and his brother spoke ominously after the game. Beyond that, Elche and Alavés shared the spoils and Mallorca got a point against Villarreal with another goal from Vedat Muriqi. Rayo host out-of-form Girona on Monday night before Matchday 36 begins on Tuesday. Hold on to your hats!Subscribe to us and support our work at lllonline.substack.com for the only place to get all of our content.
38. Vini keeps Barça waiting while Villarreal seal UCL spot in style: LaLiga Matchday 34 recap
35:14||Season 9, Ep. 38Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Harry Gillies as they review the latest round of fixtures from Spain’s top flight.Barcelona can’t celebrate yet. Their city rivals Espanyol fell to Real Madrid at home, meaning El Clásico next week could be when the league is sealed for the Culers. We discuss the challenges facing the next Real Madrid manager, as Los Blancos have now gone two seasons without lifting a major trophy. Meanwhile, Barcelona will need to find a replacement for Lewandowski if they want to make a proper run in the Champions League next season. There is a great contest for the European places, with Real Betis and Celta Vigo having picked up their league form after heartbreaking Europa League exits. Athletic Club are also in the mix, after a 4-2 win away to Alavés, won by a delightful finish by Nico Williams. The relegation battle is just as exciting, with Mallorca beating and leapfrogging a wasteful Girona, while Valencia slip further down after failing to beat an Atleti side made up mostly of academy players. And of course, what was seemingly impossible is now becoming likely - the relegation of Sevilla, who have it all to do tonight against Real Sociedad. We break it all down, so we hope you enjoy. As always, thanks for listening and subscribing! lllonline.substack.com
37. Just a matter of time for Barça, but time is running out for Sevilla: LaLiga Matchday 32 recap
36:09||Season 9, Ep. 37Review all the weekend action with Ben Sully (@SullyBen) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) as the title fight almost comes to a close, while the relegation battle is still wide open.With Barça's win over Getafe and Madrid's draw to Betis, the gap has increased to 11 points, meaning culers could celebrate LaLiga next weekend if Madrid don't defeat Espanyol. Otherwise, the title could be decided in 'El Clásico'...Title race aside, Sevilla experienced a heart-shattering defeat to Osasuna, conceding in the 99th minute of the match and consolidating their position in the relegation zone. A Levante win on Monday could see them drop down to 19th, dragging them even closer to Segunda. More relegation drama in Oviedo, after losing to an Elche who hadn't managed a single away win this season, until now. The numbers still say Oviedo have a shot at salvation, but it would require pulling off too many miracles. Alavés, on the other hand, got a massive win against Mallorca that sees them escape the bottom three and almost reach the light at the end of the tunnel.Find all these stories and much more in our recap pod! As always, thank you for listening to us and remember that you can subscribe to access our bonus podcast and multiple weekly articles over at lllonline.substack.com.
36. Real Sociedad are Copa champions: Copa del Rey Final recap podcast
36:42||Season 9, Ep. 36Today it's Copa del Rey with Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee)!What a final! A fantastic display of football from Real Sociedad and Atlético de Madrid at La Cartuja, with both sides giving everything they had to try and conquer Spain's domestic cup.After 120 minutes and a penalty shoout-out, it was the underdogs, led by Mikel Oyarzabal, who succeeded in achieving their third Copa del Rey. Matt and Román look into the epic twist behind Real Sociedad's rollercoaster season, led by Pellegrino Matarazzo's revolution, as well as pointing out key players like shootout specialist Unai Marrero and Zubieta-produced Pablo Marín and Jon Martín. We also ask where this leaves Atleti, and whether this disappointment will affect their Champions League prospects.They also preview the upcoming LaLiga midweek fixtures of Matchday 33 (yes, you read correctly. Matchday 33 will be played before Matchday 32), with plenty of crucial do-or-die clashes.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.