Share

cover art for LaLiga Matchday 21 Recap: The tightest league in Europe

La Liga Lowdown

LaLiga Matchday 21 Recap: The tightest league in Europe

Season 6, Ep. 55

La Liga continues to tighten up all over the table - everywhere except at the very top, where the gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid continues to expand, if perhaps only temporarily. Join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Román de Arquer (@aeroslavee) as they work their way through a weekend that may have serious employment consequences.


We start at the top as Barcelona suffer against Villarreal but ultimately get the job done. Another rearguard action, another Pedri goal. Ronald Araújo was the star of the show but how concerned should Barcelona be about the form of Robert Lewandowski, with Manchester United on the horizon? Elsewhere Atlético Madrid mugged Celta Vigo at Balaídos, and Quique Sánchez Flores teeters on the brink.


In part two, there's only one place to start - Mestalla. Valencia are deep in crisis mode, and right now it feels like quicksand. Román has his doubts about even Pep Guardiola's ability to turn things around. Sevilla are only four points above them, but are feeling terrific that they are no longer the giants in crisis. It was a happy Saturday on the whole in Seville, with one player in particular coming in for praise in the Andalusian capital. With matters so tight at the bottom, every result continues to grow in size.


Follow us on Twitter @LaLigaLowdown, and join us at lllonline.substack.com for our latest written content.

More episodes

View all episodes

  • 17. Atleti shine bright as Barça continue to flicker: LaLiga Matchday 15 recap podcast

    37:52||Season 8, Ep. 17
    Matchday 15 provided more dramatic twists and turns in the title race, as well as plenty of action throughout the league table. It all began on Friday night, when Mallorca extended their fantastic start to the season by coming from behind to beat Valencia.A potentially pivotal Saturday in the race? Barcelona were celebrating their 125th birthday, but there was nothing left to enjoy on the pitch, as they lost 2-1 at home to Las Palmas. That's three without a win for Hansi Flick's men, with just one point from a possible nine, allowing the chasing Madrid pack back in the fight. Atleti took full advantage with a crushing 5-0 win in Valladolid, a result which saw them strike 11 goals on the road in the space of four days, and one which spelt the end of the road for Paulo Pezzolano, who was finally relieved of his duties at the Pucela helm. Real Madrid also put Anfield behind them with a comfortable enough 2-0 win over Getafe, with Jude Bellingham promoted to penalty taker. It was also a great weekend for Espanyol, and Athletic, the latter capping a superb week with a come-from-behind win at Rayo. Wth Villarreal involved in yet another 2-2 draw with late action, Los Leones took advantage to move up to 4th.Catch up on everything Spanish football by subscribing to our Substack at lllonline.substack.com.
  • 16. Emotion, passion & twisting tales: LaLiga Matchday 14 recap

    41:23||Season 8, Ep. 16
    Matchday 14 was full of emotion and goals, topped on both counts at Mestalla.Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) unpick all the action from Matchday 14.Paco was at Mestalla for Valencia's first game since the devastating floods, and there was poignancy in large supply. The game was superb, too, with Los Che earning a much-needed win in a six-goal thriller.The headline partidazo of the weekend ended in favour of Athletic Club, as the Basque Derby points stayed with the hosts yet again.Barça stumbled in a chaotic last ten minutes at Balaídos, dropping two important points in the title race. Real Madrid took full advantage on Sunday to cut the gap to just four points – and Los Blancos have that game in hand.In Part Two, we salute Diego Simeone on reaching 700 games at the helm of Atleti, who celebrated in pure style with a healthy dollop of suffering.Elsewhere, there was a bizarre end to a five-goal show in Gran Canaria, five goals at Montilivi to leave Manolo González on the precipice, and four shared at El Sadar.Last but by no means least, there were also crucial home wins for Getafe and Sevilla. Paco might just be a fan of Allan Nyom's performance on Friday night.Subscribe to our Substack for plenty more Spanish football content as we head into another European midweek!Check us out at lllonline.substack.com.
  • 15. The Life of the Bryans in Tenerife: Nations League recap

    32:11||Season 8, Ep. 15
    Ben Sully (@SullyBen) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) recap Spain's triumphal international break with two more wins to seal the top spot in their Nations League group.As well as analysing the matches and those players that have stood out, they also look into some of Spain's future talents such as Marc Casadó and Samu A., who finally made their official debuts and have promising international careers ahead of them.Remember to subscribe to our Substack (lllonline.substack.com) to enjoy our daily output and to keep updated on all things related to LaLiga and the Spanish national team.
  • 14. Three goals, three points dropped: LaLiga matchday 13 recap podcast

    35:42||Season 8, Ep. 14
    Matchday 13 proved to be an unlucky one for Hansi Flick as his Barça side lost for just the second time in LaLiga this season. Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) as they reflect on Real Sociedad's surprise but well-deserved victory, preventing the Catalans from having a single shot on target.Elsewhere, Vini scored three goals, Real Madrid won three points, but also lost three players to injury, on a freak Saturday that saw players suffer ACL injuries in all three matches.Villarreal are looking good for a top four challenge, as their rivals Betis and Athletic both stumbled but rallied to get late draws.Atleti got another suffering single-goal victory in Mallorca, while Leganés put more pressure on Sevilla. Diego Martínez is enjoying life in the Canaries, successfully turning around Las Palmas with three wins in four.There is concern for Getafe, Alavés and Real Valladolid ahead of the final international break of 2024.Join us for more content at lllonline.substack.com.
  • 13. Força i ànims, València: LaLiga Matchday 12 recap

    39:38||Season 8, Ep. 13
    Join Ben Sully (@SullyBen) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) to review a matchday that should have never happened.First and foremost, our thoughts are with everyone affected by the recent flash floods that have devastated the Valencian community. At the time of recording, the confirmed death toll sadly stands at over 200 while many more are missing. People have also seen homes, properties and land destroyed by the horrific natural disaster.If you want to help those affected, you can donate to the Red Cross via: https://cercadeti.cruzroja.es/ayudaafectadosinundacionesdanaPaco begins the podcast by describing the extent of the devastation. We also discuss the response of the authorities and the recent visit of the King, Queen and Prime Minister to the region. Our focus then turns to LaLiga and the decision to push ahead with the majority of the scheduled fixtures on matchday 12. In part two, we review the action that took place over the weekend. Barcelona claimed derby bragging rights to extend their lead at the top of the table. The Simeone family enjoyed a successful outing against Las Palmas, while Girona and Leganés put on a seven-goal thriller at Montilivi. Betis fought hard for a point at San Mamés, as Real Sociedad took maximum points from their trip to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. Meanwhile, Osasuna and Alavés both collected narrow wins in their respective fixtures.Remember, you can access all of our content by subscribing at https://lllonline.substack.com/.
  • 12. Crushed in El Clásico as Madrid caught offside: LaLiga Matchday 11 recap

    36:51||Season 8, Ep. 12
    Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) to review 'El Clásico' and all the games that took place during Matchday 11.This weekend, LaLiga delivered some serious twists, with unexpected upsets, including a shocking 0-4 result at the Bernabéu. For any doubters, now we can confirm that Barça and their youngsters are the real deal, with a promising season ahead. In contrast, Carlo Ancelotti has a lot of work ahead of him to get Real Madrid to react and find a better way to integrate Kylian Mbappé.Down in the relegation zone, Las Palmas managed their second win in a row since Diego Martínez landed in the island, while Valencia held on to keep a point at Getafe and Real Valladolid suffered a late defeat at the hands of Ayoze Pérez and Villarreal. Leganés were the biggest winners of the weekend, handing a surprise 3-0 defeat to Celta and clambering out of the drop zone. All of this and other hard fought battles in our recap pod!Remember you can subscribe to our Substack for plenty more daily LaLiga content: https://lllonline.substack.com/
  • 11. Robert running riot as Bayern & Clásico loom: LaLiga Matchday 10 recap

    38:01||Season 8, Ep. 11
    LaLiga returned from the international break with another pulsating round of fixtures.Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) are here to reflect on it all as the top three all won in different ways, and a couple of surprises were found in unexpected places.Barça continue where they left off before the break: scoring lots of goals and winning matches comfortably. They swatted Sevilla aside with another brace from Robert Lewandowski, but surely the best part was Gavi's return after almost a year out injured. With Bayern and El Clásico next up for Hansi Flick, this was the perfect start to a testing week.Real Madrid also won, but struggled to take all three points from Balaídos. In the end, experience and individual quality came through, but Carlo Ancelotti may be concerned with the lack of rhythm in their playing style.Atleti also resemble something which has lots of shiny parts but no clear instructions on how to piece them together. Leganés gave them a scare in the partially-closed Metropolitano, but Alexander Sørloth's brace turned the game around.Athletic found home comforts easier to come by as they dispatched Espanyol, but Villarreal were made to pay the penalty against Getafe. Marcelino was raging post-game, and Paco sympathises, but only so far...There were also significant away wins for the Reals Valladolid, Betis and Sociedad, all of which leaves the middle of the table looking intriguing and tightly compacted. Perhaps the under-rated story of the season, however, is Mallorca, who are just one point off a Champions League spot as we approach November. Bravo Jagoba Arrasate.Subscribe to get all the reaction to the matches this week, which includes a battle at the bottom in LaLiga (Paco's beloved Valencia), plus a full round of European action. Join the fun at lllonline.substack.com.
  • 10. Zubi off the mark as Spain edge past the Danes: International break podcast

    27:08||Season 8, Ep. 10
    Spain got the better of Denmark on Saturday night, courtesy of Martín Zubimendi's first international goal.Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) are back to review this game and look ahead to the clash with Serbia, in which Spain can qualify for the final stages of this edition of the Nations League. Which players caught the eye in the absence of so many starters from the Euros? Who will replace Lamine Yamal in the Serbia match? All of these questions are answered.There is also a quick round-up of Segunda's action, which as always featured plenty of goals and drama.Subscribe and upgrade to access all our content at lllonline.substack.com.
  • 9. Lethal Lewy & listless Las Palmas: LaLiga MD9 recap

    39:28||Season 8, Ep. 9
    Matchday nine produced several talking points ahead of the international window, including an express hat-trick and a stubborn nine-man resistance. Join Ben Sully (@SullyBen) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) as they look back at all the action that took place over the weekend.Robert Lewandowski continued his red-hot form with a rapid hat-trick in Barcelona’s commanding victory over Alavés. Real Madrid also claimed maximum points, but their win over Villarreal was overshadowed by Dani Carvajal’s serious knee injury. As for Atleti, they lost ground to the top two after Luka Sučić produced a sensational strike to rescue a point for Real Sociedad. At the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán, García Pimienta claimed the spoils in his first experience of El Gran Derbi.In the second part, we focus on the penalty chaos at Montilivi and Espanyol’s successful home outing. We then discuss Las Palmas’ failure to break the resistance of nine-man Celta in what might have been Luis Carrión’s final game in charge. Elsewhere, De Frutos starred for Rayo, Getafe played out another draw and Valencia fans expressed their frustration after Friday’s forgettable clash with Leganés.Remember, you can subscribe to our Substack (lllonline.substack.com) to keep up with all our content over the international break.