La Liga (Spanish League) Prediction Thread 2023/24

[Mame89]

To me, Barcelona has two major problems.
One is their defense and secondly it's their attack. I don't know which is easier to fix but if hey don't fix those two departments, they won't be winning any silverware this season.

The defense concedes too many goals. A defense of that nature should not be conceding that much goals. They have very good defendere but they always lack concentration either at the beginning of the game or at the end.

As for the attack, have you seen the expected goals stats of Barcelona? They miss too many chances. The are the team in La Liga that have created the most chances and they're also the team have missed the most big chances. They really need to fix that.
Vitor Roque will be traveling to Barcelona soon, hopefully he would be able to make their attack score more goals.

I think it's easier to solve the problem on defense. Last season, Barcelona won the championship by conceding very few goals thanks to its good defense. They are conceding easy goals this season. In attack, players other than Lewandowski contribute very little. If they score more goals, the problem will be solved.
Neither of them are insurmountable problems. Xavi can fix these if he wants. Mentally, Barcelona needs to be stronger. If they improve mentally, the results will also improve.

When a club becomes strong, it's not the coach that's praised rather its their players and the supporters, everyone have one or two supports to render for the club. Xavi Hernandez fixing the club but it will take lengthy period of time before they finally get everything done while the players are also trying so hard to build up for the purpose to become very competitive against their opponents and also becoming favorites infront of goals. Barcelona decline in performance and that have been really one of the terrible stats for the club this season, having nothing great to boosts about other than hopping from challenge to another.

IMO. Barcelona's biggest problem this season is not just attack and defense, they lack defensive midfielders and for me that position is very important and sought after in the world of football today. No matter how elite a team is, there is one thing that is very striking in their team, namely that they seem to struggle every time the midfielder cannot play because they will always lose every match during his absence and the midfielder will usually make changes when the team is dead in scoring goals.

I think what Xavi needs now to be able to recover is to find a good defensive midfielder. because Barcelona lacks a quality CDM who is not only defensive minded, they can also contribute to the match. attacking aspect of their game.

[redsun114]

Less financial budget for signing top players and most of signing player in this season as free agent or loan option I think not fair have to sack Xavi Hernandez from his position as manager. Despite without winning any tittles yet he was success made Barcelona become domestic league winner last season with financial problem face by Barcelona. Actually in this season, Xavi Hernandez made Barcelona success qualify to 16 phase in Champion League and become first achievement after failure last two season for qualifying to next round.

But difference when winter transfer window opening management give Xavi much money for signing top players, Xavi have try efficiency with players signed without have spent much money but success won La Liga tittle last season and qualify to 16 round of champion league, I think one of four tittle left seems get one by Barcelona in this season.

In current situation if Barcelona management fire Xavi Hernandez then surely things could be in deep trouble for them in coming weeks, and they could be having no recovery as well because he is doing impressive job and holding them for the all competitions which are currently available and if we have some recovery from injuries then most chances he can bring improved results even most chances their title race is already ended with Champions League next round is also not easy, but he is able to hold things on better level.

Winter transfer window is surely having some positive hopes but we all aware about their finances which are surely not good, and they can't fix this all very quickly without doing some big decisions or like they also need to have Arab owner which will bring huge investment and then things could be on right path.

[indah rezqi]

Atletico Madrid did wonders in their last game to take over the 3rd position from Barcelona and, it really show how weak Barcelona are in this season because they were toping the la Liga league table through out last season to win the battle to lift the trophy that made many of their players became popular in the whole world.

Atletico Madrid managed to close the distance and shift Barcelona position, which was previously ranked third in the standings, the narrow victory over Sevilla and also the impact of Barcelona defeat in Week 18, at least for the time being, made Atletico fans happy, even though they are now still 7 points behind Madrid which at the top of the standings but I think there is still a chance for Atletico Madrid to enter the championship competition if they can remain consistent, but among the 20 clubs currently available, Girona surprised me and I didn't even think that they could be in second place until week18th at the moment, it would be quite surprising if Girona could compete with Madrid until the end of the season in the race for champions.

ATM efforts to enliven the trophy hunting competition will be tested by Girona in early January, to be precise at the 19th week of La Liga. As you said, Girona surprised everyone with their current performance, and everyone is curious to what extent Girona will be able to maintain their consistency this season. On paper, ATM still has the status of an elite La Liga team, and their current performance is not bad, but they have to focus and be wary of the match against Girona, because Michel squad is no longer a mediocre club at the moment. We have seen that Girona was able to beat Barcelona in Week 16, which is why ATM should not underestimate Girona at all.

ATM will try to cut points with Girona and Madrid, as well as create a gap with Barcelona who have collected the same number of points. For Girona, even if they lose points in the next match, their position will not be disturbed in the standings, but their efforts to regain the lead in the standings and overtake Madrid will be very difficult to achieve. The current scenario is very interesting, Barcelona is experiencing a slight disruption in performance, just like ATM which has experienced 4 defeats. The tight competition in the top four of the standings occurred early, usually we see this happen often at the end of the season.

[borovichok]

Atletico Madrid did wonders in their last game to take over the 3rd position from Barcelona and, it really show how weak Barcelona are in this season because they were toping the la Liga league table through out last season to win the battle to lift the trophy that made many of their players became popular in the whole world.

Atletico Madrid managed to close the distance and shift Barcelona position, which was previously ranked third in the standings, the narrow victory over Sevilla and also the impact of Barcelona defeat in Week 18, at least for the time being, made Atletico fans happy, even though they are now still 7 points behind Madrid which at the top of the standings but I think there is still a chance for Atletico Madrid to enter the championship competition if they can remain consistent, but among the 20 clubs currently available, Girona surprised me and I didn't even think that they could be in second place until week18th at the moment, it would be quite surprising if Girona could compete with Madrid until the end of the season in the race for champions.

Girona and Real Madrid can last in the long run for the La Liga title race and everyone would be kept in suspense actions till the very action we all have been waiting for is been triggered. Girona are the eyes of everyone because they're strong enough to withstand the challenge and have proven to become a very useful club in La Liga this current season. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are strong but this season, they lack certain important qualities and this is probably not the exact same stats we all witnessed, though we keep all hope alive for more significant improvements.

[dezoel]

Even though they only achieved a draw, Real Betis was able to hold the strongest teams in La Liga to a draw at the moment, namely Girona and Real Madrid. This will greatly increase the team's confidence in facing the next matches, namely against Celta and Granada. Both are at the bottom of the standings, which means there is a big opportunity for Real Betis to secure the full 6 points and improve their ranking in the League.

I admit that Real Betis cannot be underestimated. They try not to lose when facing strong clubs at the moment (Girona, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad). Indeed, a draw is not a bad result because Real Betis tries not to lose. However, Real Betis has had the most draws so far and this has caused them to lose a lot of points. I hope that in the match against Celta, Real Betis will be able to get 3 points and end their draw so that all the players can work optimally without getting too many draws.

I agree we can underestimate Real Betis but in this season their performance is not like we have in past in last seven matches they have only one win which was in Copa del Ray, and they also lost their 2 games in Europa League which bring them into Conference league, and they are also having four matches draw streak in domestic league even this is better as they play mostly against quality teams but still they need to work on for their improvement if they want to have better end of this season otherwise things are not favourable for them.

For next game visiting CELTA VIGO which is already in danger zone good time for them to regroup themselves and have won, and then they will visit Estadio Mendizorrotza for facing Alaves and then two home games against Granada and Barcelona mean things are surely tough, but they need to be at better level otherwise they have faced more trouble.

[W Jr.]

Atletico Madrid did wonders in their last game to take over the 3rd position from Barcelona and, it really show how weak Barcelona are in this season because they were toping the la Liga league table through out last season to win the battle to lift the trophy that made many of their players became popular in the whole world.

Atletico Madrid managed to close the distance and shift Barcelona position, which was previously ranked third in the standings, the narrow victory over Sevilla and also the impact of Barcelona defeat in Week 18, at least for the time being, made Atletico fans happy, even though they are now still 7 points behind Madrid which at the top of the standings but I think there is still a chance for Atletico Madrid to enter the championship competition if they can remain consistent, but among the 20 clubs currently available, Girona surprised me and I didn't even think that they could be in second place until week18th at the moment, it would be quite surprising if Girona could compete with Madrid until the end of the season in the race for champions.

Girona and Real Madrid can last in the long run for the La Liga title race and everyone would be kept in suspense actions till the very action we all have been waiting for is been triggered. Girona are the eyes of everyone because they're strong enough to withstand the challenge and have proven to become a very useful club in La Liga this current season. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are strong but this season, they lack certain important qualities and this is probably not the exact same stats we all witnessed, though we keep all hope alive for more significant improvements.

Real Madrid's last match was a very difficult match against Alaves, but they managed to win the match with the goal scored in extra time. Girona lost 2 points by drawing with Real Betis. Currently, Real Madrid and Girona are equal on points and Real Madrid has taken over the lead as they are ahead on goal difference. It looks like the race between them will continue.

[GbitG]

Atletico Madrid did wonders in their last game to take over the 3rd position from Barcelona and, it really show how weak Barcelona are in this season because they were toping the la Liga league table through out last season to win the battle to lift the trophy that made many of their players became popular in the whole world.

Barcelona's weakness in La Liga is due to some reasons. First of all Barcelona's attack is the weakest attack in La Liga this time because the attacker has not made his contributions this season, as Lawandoski has shown a very poor performance in the matches played; he scored only 8 goals in 16 matches. As you can see below, which is very low for a striker, whenever Barcelona's big transfer Lawandoski has been in terms of expectations.
image
Secondly, Xavi's tactics were a little bit slower. And from all above, the club had to face very difficult difficulties due to not transferring due to the fair play rules of La Liga. Is. From my thoughts, this is some reason that is making Barcelona a weak show this season.

[tiCeR]

Not going to lie, I was actually a little surprised to see Atletico Madrid in third position and ahead of Barcelona. Because generally, Atletico Madrid has not been performing very well, especially in recent times. So this definitely looks like an improvement from them. And at the same time, the players have also started to perform better.  Things are looking good for Atletico Madrid this season. And I am not going to be very surprised if they are actually able to finish in the second position. But even though I am praising them, I don't think they are going to win the La Liga title.

Yea they are indeed better this season than they were the last two seasons, as I quickly had a look. At the same point in time they had 29 points and 31 points and this season 38 points. That's quite solid, but still they have got 2 draws and 4 losses, which gives them a win rate of 66% of their games while having more losses than draws. In summary they are better than in the last two seasons, but they are still far from the dominant Atletico Madrid they were several seasons ago. Their fierce defense was brutal. You knew when they scored the first goal that the game was literally over.

[kawetsriyanto]

Girona and Real Madrid can last in the long run for the La Liga title race and everyone would be kept in suspense actions till the very action we all have been waiting for is been triggered. Girona are the eyes of everyone because they're strong enough to withstand the challenge and have proven to become a very useful club in La Liga this current season. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are strong but this season, they lack certain important qualities and this is probably not the exact same stats we all witnessed, though we keep all hope alive for more significant improvements.

I'm sure Real Madrid will stay in the top of La Liga standings but Girona will try to maintain their performance. If both teams still can play with their best shape, no doubt Real Madrid and Girona will be in the 1st and 2nd place until the end of the season. They have the highest chance to win the La Liga title this season, they showed us that they have solid teams and have big motivation to win the title. Surely Girona surprised everyone, they are just a small team but they can compete for the title for this season.

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are strong teams in La Liga. Sadly, they got injury problem and they are no in the good condition. Many of their players played under performance, that's very difficult to maintain positive results in each match. If there is no change in Barcelona and Atletico Madrid squad, I think the position in the La Liga standings will remain the same. Honestly, I really expect that Xavi and Simeone will show some changes after January transfer season.

[Balmain]

Atletico Madrid did wonders in their last game to take over the 3rd position from Barcelona and, it really show how weak Barcelona are in this season because they were toping the la Liga league table through out last season to win the battle to lift the trophy that made many of their players became popular in the whole world.

Atletico Madrid managed to close the distance and shift Barcelona position, which was previously ranked third in the standings, the narrow victory over Sevilla and also the impact of Barcelona defeat in Week 18, at least for the time being, made Atletico fans happy, even though they are now still 7 points behind Madrid which at the top of the standings but I think there is still a chance for Atletico Madrid to enter the championship competition if they can remain consistent, but among the 20 clubs currently available, Girona surprised me and I didn't even think that they could be in second place until week18th at the moment, it would be quite surprising if Girona could compete with Madrid until the end of the season in the race for champions.

Girona and Real Madrid can last in the long run for the La Liga title race and everyone would be kept in suspense actions till the very action we all have been waiting for is been triggered. Girona are the eyes of everyone because they're strong enough to withstand the challenge and have proven to become a very useful club in La Liga this current season. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are strong but this season, they lack certain important qualities and this is probably not the exact same stats we all witnessed, though we keep all hope alive for more significant improvements.

Real Madrid won very hard against Alaves, even the goal was scored by Vazquez towards the end of the match in extra time, and this is how Real Madrid took the lead in the match. Everything happened as it should for the leadership, Girona lost, they won with a last minute goal. I think this competition will continue, Girona has proven itself, now everyone respects them and they believe that they will do a really good job. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid do not provide that much excitement this year.

[LUCKMCFLY]

This has to show you how badly the team is playing now. There has been crisis at the club, and the one everyone know is their financial challenges. But they can't continue to struggle to get results. I wasn't expecting them to conced that number of goal against Almeria. They have to bring in some defenders to boast their defense in the January transfer window if they are to far in the Champions league or even make top 4 this season

It will also be quite difficult for Barcelona to get talented new players if Barcelona is still experiencing problems with their own finances. Because in the transfer market there will definitely be many teams who want to be a part of buying the best players so the competition may only be in the finances of each team itself. Barcelona still has to fight with the players they currently have, hoping for more wins and being able to beat Atletico Madrid, which is still often an obstacle for Barcelona in the top four of La Liga.

Barcelona is big team and of course they have enough finances if only to be able to bring in several players in the next transfer window, and if you say that Barcelona defense does look less competitive.
By bringing in one or two defenders, it might really help and change their performance in each match, making them stronger in defense, which makes it difficult for opponents to break through their defense.
After all, Barcelona has qualified for the round of 16 and the strength of the defense line is also very important, not only improving the attack line, Xavi must think about how the squad he is training can be truly perfect on every side.

For La Liga itself, Barcelona actually doesn't seem to have good performance and of course they will be increasingly overwhelmed in fighting for the title because you can see that Girona is increasingly improving the quality of their game.
The pressure will always be there if Xavi does not immediately take firm action in changing the line-up and take the right steps in the future to improve the performance of all the line-ups he already has.

Well, in reality I don't see a problem in Baarcenola's squad, I don't even see a problem in their defense but the same phenomenon is happening here that happens in Manchester United of the PL, where basically the one who is to blame for a team being like this is the same Coach, of course I don't think that Barcelona will fall into the same mistake as the MU that they never remove the Coach, here the bears are different and unlike the MU the bad Barcelona have a good position in the classification but even so things are not right for them The team is doing well as they are used to, for that reason I consider this guy to have to make a change and not of the players, however there is still a lot of League left to do and the opportunities are there and can make a difference so things cannot go wrong completely, that's why I think that when it comes to doing better, things can make a difference if you try to at least change the strategy, and what Xaavi has set up, well, make it different, something like that to try.

Of course, when we look at it, this may seem difficult, but not impossible, but it is obvious that it took a lot of work to beat Almería, which is last in the table, because things are not as good as many people think, so in This order of ideas can be favorable for them to change for the better, I would ask if as a good fan one can say that things in Barcelona can improve noticeably, as long as I don't get chips, but to say that the rpoeblma is buying more players, the team is going to be decapitalized and they are not going to achieve anything, we have to change the strategy, they have all the material, or is it because of the material that they are doing it wrong, it is because of the same strategy that is failing a lot, that is what I I consider, I take my opinion seriously, because I want this team to be competitive like Madrid and Barcelona because I want Madrid to win, but Madridgnae will also have better players with everything at their best, so that later they don't Say that they won because of the team's bad mood or all those excuses that at least Xavi invents lol.

I guess this is what most clubs are missing especially Chelsea it's always easy for the coach to shift the blame to the fact that there are no new signings even if they won title with same squad and we saw the outcome for Tuchel after that in Chelsea and still yet Chelsea continued to hold strongly to that idea but Barcelona is quite different they don't necessarily need new defenders though they may need a striker but this is not also a priority in a nutshell, all they need is to get their goal scoring rhyme back it doesn't matters who score what matters is that they win. Ancellotti is somehow the best coach in the world now let be sincere he has opportunity to recruit players but still continue with the squad he has and he has been doing excellently well with them while even making his players getting better.

I can't deny it, what you said, but the great James Bond (I say it that way because one day he arrived in a helicopter for training, and everyone started calling him the James Bond of Madrid) lol, well he has his methods, it's clear that Yes, he is the best coach in the world, and it is a shame that he is going to leave after this season, even for his departure because I don't know who will come, I hope a Zidane, and the truth is that I would like a Xabi Alonso, I like what he He is doing in the Bundleisga, he has taken Leverkusen to the top and that is something that we have to recognize that it is not easy to give up, that's why I like what he is doing, personally I prefer someone else to come and not him oi Well, there is no chance that Ancelotti himself will stay, the great Florentino Pérez is capable of doing it, although I think he is more interested in the Super League and what he is achieving is something very important, in this order of ideas I see that Madrid always does things very well, with this or another coach things are like that for Madrid.

Regarding the players, for me they are the ones who should be there, I would like Haaland to be in the ranks of Madrid, 'because I would take him to the top all the time, of course it would be a great career for the Viking because there he can rise to fame much more, and I think that Pep Guardiola does not want to do it nor does he care how great he is, because the opportunity he had in a match to score more goals than Messi, he took it out, which seemed strange and very badly done by this Pep, then through the lens the preference he has towards the Argentinian from many years ago was noticed when he coached Barcelona and imposed the tiki taka , in fact I would have liked to see an Ancelotti play in Madrid against a Pep Guardiola in Barcelona , to see how they could have used all their love to be the best, is something that intrigues me a lot, and is quite curious.

Julian Alvarez responds to rumours on Man City future amid Real Madrid transfer interest

Julian Alvarez insists he is 'very happy' at Manchester City despite reports linking him with a move to Real Madrid.

The World Champion for both club and country scored twice in City's Club World Cup final win over Fluminense on Friday, as well as adding an assist. Despite playing most of City's games this season, he only plays in his natural position as striker when Erling Haaland is not available or rested.

Alvarez has attracted interest from other clubs and has been linked with a transfer. Real Madrid have been mentioned as a potential destination for the 23-year-old. However, after the Club World Cup final, Alvarez expressed his happiness at City and his intention to keep winning trophies at the Etihad.

"The truth is that I am very happy at Manchester City," he said. "I have been at the club for a little more than a year. I feel very happy with everything we have achieved."

Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/julian-alvarez-transfer-man-city-31745522

Atletico Madrid did wonders in their last game to take over the 3rd position from Barcelona and, it really show how weak Barcelona are in this season because they were toping the la Liga league table through out last season to win the battle to lift the trophy that made many of their players became popular in the whole world.

Atletico Madrid managed to close the distance and shift Barcelona position, which was previously ranked third in the standings, the narrow victory over Sevilla and also the impact of Barcelona defeat in Week 18, at least for the time being, made Atletico fans happy, even though they are now still 7 points behind Madrid which at the top of the standings but I think there is still a chance for Atletico Madrid to enter the championship competition if they can remain consistent, but among the 20 clubs currently available, Girona surprised me and I didn't even think that they could be in second place until week18th at the moment, it would be quite surprising if Girona could compete with Madrid until the end of the season in the race for champions.

Girona and Real Madrid can last in the long run for the La Liga title race and everyone would be kept in suspense actions till the very action we all have been waiting for is been triggered. Girona are the eyes of everyone because they're strong enough to withstand the challenge and have proven to become a very useful club in La Liga this current season. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are strong but this season, they lack certain important qualities and this is probably not the exact same stats we all witnessed, though we keep all hope alive for more significant improvements.

Real Madrid won very hard against Alaves, even the goal was scored by Vazquez towards the end of the match in extra time, and this is how Real Madrid took the lead in the match. Everything happened as it should for the leadership, Girona lost, they won with a last minute goal. I think this competition will continue, Girona has proven itself, now everyone respects them and they believe that they will do a really good job. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid do not provide that much excitement this year.

Well, it should be noted that this is very exciting, Real Madrid and Girona at the top of the table, if Barcelona does not win another game and Girona and Madrid win, then they would be getting 10 points, and that is a lot in a League, something that was sometimes happening to Barcelona, I remember that a few seasons ago Barcelona had that advantage over Madrid and that made the league exciting, but in this case Madrid gave more importance to another competition like the UCL, something which keeps us all in suspense, of course it is one of the best in the world and where the skills of all the players are measured, and of all the teams, curiously the teams that are in the UCL and in their local leagues, usually give much more importance to the UCL, but in retrospect, sometimes they lost games in their local leagues, something that I did not understand well, but of course for the majority, including Madir, they are teams that give a lot of importance to what is It's about this competition, this time Madrid is aiming for everything, league+UCL, a super farewell to Ancelotti, which leaves the bar very high for the greatest technician to arrive at Madrid, because they already have a complete fan base accustomed to victories and they cannot let them down because that would be the last thing.

In this order of days, I think that Madrid will not lower their level for anything in the world, they have been doing very well, I know that many people are supporting Girona very hard, because it has been the sensational team of the season, in fact Madrid It cannot fail because I am sure that GAirona will take advantage of it, and since it is a very compact team and they have everything to be champions, of course yes, I think that the credit here is deserved by both the players and the coach, because things always work like that and They go hand in hand in that way, it is what I have seen that happens, and what can always be manifested, of course it is my way of thinking and seeing things.

Injury update: Real Madrid key midfielder expected to return after Christmas break for Mallorca clash

Real Madrid have been handed major boost on Christmas today as a report from MARCA claims that Eduardo Camavinga will be back immediately after the break and will play against Mallorca on 3rd January.

The Frenchman picked up an injury while on international duty with France in mid-November. While initially considered a knock, more tests confirmed that the injury was serious, and the player would be out until early February.

His recovery has gone very well, as was confirmed by Carlo Ancelotti himself. The player has already returned to training on the pitch, and will join team training this break to face off against Mallorca.

Madrid have already been handed a blessing with Aurelien Tchouameni’s quick recovery, who was initially predicted to be sidelined until mid-January himself.

Camavinga’s return is a huge blessing for Madrid, who have been dealing with several injuries this season, most recently an ACL to David Alaba, which has ruled him out for the rest of the season, and possibly the 2024 European Championship.

Source: https://madriduniversal.com/injury-update-real-madrid-key-midfielder-expected-to-return-after-christmas-break-for-mallorca-clash/

[Belarge]

In current situation if Barcelona management fire Xavi Hernandez then surely things could be in deep trouble for them in coming weeks, and they could be having no recovery as well because he is doing impressive job and holding them for the all competitions which are currently available and if we have some recovery from injuries then most chances he can bring improved results even most chances their title race is already ended with Champions League next round is also not easy, but he is able to hold things on better level.

Winter transfer window is surely having some positive hopes but we all aware about their finances which are surely not good, and they can't fix this all very quickly without doing some big decisions or like they also need to have Arab owner which will bring huge investment and then things could be on right path.

Barcelona in crucial debts and they're trying their best to suit in everything recommendable to fight for good space this season, though it has not been easy on the path of the Catalans but what you do expect? They can't give up rather they will keep pushing with their very last performance. Sacking Xavi Hernandez wouldn't solve any problem currently hitting Barcelona. These clubs will always have 1-2 problems because they're not stable at the moment, not only Barcelona but it also extends to Real Madrid and Girona that are ontop of the La Liga table.

[Hanadawa]

Atletico Madrid managed to close the distance and shift Barcelona position, which was previously ranked third in the standings, the narrow victory over Sevilla and also the impact of Barcelona defeat in Week 18, at least for the time being, made Atletico fans happy, even though they are now still 7 points behind Madrid which at the top of the standings but I think there is still a chance for Atletico Madrid to enter the championship competition if they can remain consistent, but among the 20 clubs currently available, Girona surprised me and I didn't even think that they could be in second place until week18th at the moment, it would be quite surprising if Girona could compete with Madrid until the end of the season in the race for champions.

Competition in La Liga is still very tight because while all teams have completed their 18 matches, currently Real Madrid and Girona have both collected 45 points, Atletico and Barcelona have collected 38 points, and Bilbao and Real Sociedad where Sociedad are only 4 points behind Bilbao. It's still very competitive and exciting to watch. Girona is the most surprising of all the teams because they are able to compete at the top of the standings. Regarding the possibility of winning, I still have doubts about Girona but I hope they will become champions. It's very exciting if we can see new champions in the League.

[Sakanwa]

Atletico Madrid managed to close the distance and shift Barcelona position, which was previously ranked third in the standings, the narrow victory over Sevilla and also the impact of Barcelona defeat in Week 18, at least for the time being, made Atletico fans happy, even though they are now still 7 points behind Madrid which at the top of the standings but I think there is still a chance for Atletico Madrid to enter the championship competition if they can remain consistent, but among the 20 clubs currently available, Girona surprised me and I didn't even think that they could be in second place until week18th at the moment, it would be quite surprising if Girona could compete with Madrid until the end of the season in the race for champions.

Competition in La Liga is still very tight because while all teams have completed their 18 matches, currently Real Madrid and Girona have both collected 45 points, Atletico and Barcelona have collected 38 points, and Bilbao and Real Sociedad where Sociedad are only 4 points behind Bilbao. It's still very competitive and exciting to watch. Girona is the most surprising of all the teams because they are able to compete at the top of the standings. Regarding the possibility of winning, I still have doubts about Girona but I hope they will become champions. It's very exciting if we can see new champions in the League.

I really love the high level of competition in the Lalliga now,it is sign that the league is improving,unlike before when  only two teams will be dragging for the tittle,and the rest two will be in top four,the rise of Girona has made the teams in Spain to  careful of them them.They are in a good shape entering into the new year,and we have half of the season to still check if they will drop form,or they will continue battling it out with Madrid to carry the league tittle even Madrid seem to show more experience and technicality than them.
For other teams to pick up  this same challenge and make the league more competitive,Girona must win it.

[samuraijin]

I think what Xavi needs now to be able to recover is to find a good defensive midfielder. because Barcelona lacks a quality CDM who is not only defensive minded, they can also contribute to the match. attacking aspect of their game.

In my opinion, Xavi should bring his former players back to Barcelona, Arthur Melo might really suit Barcelona's style of play by organizing attacks from midfield, because Arthur Melo's playing style is really very similar to Xavi Harnandez's playing style, so in my opinion Arthur Melo is very worthy to be brought in in the next market even though Arthur Melo plays at Fiorentina, it seems that if he gets an offer from a club like Barcelona there is a possibility he will accept it.

[bering]

It is quite unique if we look at Real Betis' match results in the last 5 matches because they got 4 draws and 1 win. This was all achieved because they held several strong teams such as Real Madrid, Real Sociedad and most recently Girona to a draw, but they should have been able to get 3 points instead of 1 point against Almeria. The result of the draw is also the same as eliminating a total of 12 points and maybe next time Real Betis should maximize the existing results rather than just playing a draw.

Even though they only achieved a draw, Real Betis was able to hold the strongest teams in La Liga to a draw at the moment, namely Girona and Real Madrid. This will greatly increase the team's confidence in facing the next matches, namely against Celta and Granada. Both are at the bottom of the standings, which means there is a big opportunity for Real Betis to secure the full 6 points and improve their ranking in the League.

I admit that Real Betis cannot be underestimated. They try not to lose when facing strong clubs at the moment (Girona, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad). Indeed, a draw is not a bad result because Real Betis tries not to lose. However, Real Betis has had the most draws so far and this has caused them to lose a lot of points. I hope that in the match against Celta, Real Betis will be able to get 3 points and end their draw so that all the players can work optimally without getting too many draws.

I have talking about this previously that Betis had a potention to make Girona to be slipped and it just happend last week that Girona was unable to beat Betis which make their position was overtaked by Real Madrid and if we talking about Betis this team indeed as the team with the most draw in Laliga because from 18 matches Betis was gets 10 draws which mean more than a half from their total matches in Laliga was ended to draw and this make Betis lost plenty of points from their previous matches but i still considers they are strong candidat to fight for european zone

As mediocre team Betis has strong defense because during this season they just conceded 18 goals which is good achievement from them and next match also looks easy for them because Betis will playing away at Celta home ground and i haven't checked the odds yet but i will assume Betis will being an the favourite however 1 win from 14 matches in Laliga is proven Celta has poor performance and this should be easy match for Betis and i am sure they will going to win this match

[len01]

-snip

Real Madrid won very hard against Alaves, even the goal was scored by Vazquez towards the end of the match in extra time, and this is how Real Madrid took the lead in the match. Everything happened as it should for the leadership, Girona lost, they won with a last minute goal. I think this competition will continue, Girona has proven itself, now everyone respects them and they believe that they will do a really good job. Barcelona and Atletico Madrid do not provide that much excitement this year.

which is even more impressive and we believe that Real madrid can get La Liga title against Alaves. Madrid was able to defend with only 10 players and was even able to score the winner in the final minute even though Bellingham was unable to score but look at how solid all the Real Madrid players are at the moment. only rely on midfielders to score but defenders can also get the opportunity to score to help team win the match.
regarding Bellingham who failed to score, I understand because he got a yellow card while he is currently scoring machine for Ancelotti so he plays more carefully so as not to get a red card and can still appear in the upcoming match.

Barcelona and Atletico madrid are still in pretty good shape, it's just that their performance has declined so its difficult to be consistent, but there will definitely be changes after january.

[Luzin]

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid are strong teams in La Liga. Sadly, they got injury problem and they are no in the good condition. Many of their players played under performance, that's very difficult to maintain positive results in each match. If there is no change in Barcelona and Atletico Madrid squad, I think the position in the La Liga standings will remain the same. Honestly, I really expect that Xavi and Simeone will show some changes after January transfer season.

I'm not so sure about Barcelona. They have spent so much money. I don't think they will violate the FFP regulations. They are also in a difficult financial condition. As for Atletico, maybe they have the opportunity to spend. I didn't hear they spent much earlier this season. So they could buy some players to make up for the early season shortfall. So the 4 clubs Madrid, Girona, Atletico and Barcelona will be the favorites to be in the top 4 until the end of this season.

[klidex]

Less financial budget for signing top players and most of signing player in this season as free agent or loan option I think not fair have to sack Xavi Hernandez from his position as manager. Despite without winning any tittles yet he was success made Barcelona become domestic league winner last season with financial problem face by Barcelona. Actually in this season, Xavi Hernandez made Barcelona success qualify to 16 phase in Champion League and become first achievement after failure last two season for qualifying to next round.

But difference when winter transfer window opening management give Xavi much money for signing top players, Xavi have try efficiency with players signed without have spent much money but success won La Liga tittle last season and qualify to 16 round of champion league, I think one of four tittle left seems get one by Barcelona in this season.

In current situation if Barcelona management fire Xavi Hernandez then surely things could be in deep trouble for them in coming weeks, and they could be having no recovery as well because he is doing impressive job and holding them for the all competitions which are currently available and if we have some recovery from injuries then most chances he can bring improved results even most chances their title race is already ended with Champions League next round is also not easy, but he is able to hold things on better level.

Winter transfer window is surely having some positive hopes but we all aware about their finances which are surely not good, and they can't fix this all very quickly without doing some big decisions or like they also need to have Arab owner which will bring huge investment and then things could be on right path.

If management fires Xavi Hernandez, it will most likely get worse because actually firing Xavi is not the only solution, but Barcelona's only solution is to recruit new players to strengthen their defense system and improve their attack line which previously could be handled by Xavi, but this season Xavi is starting to lose. because many of Barcelona's key players were injured so Xavi could only use a strategy with the existing player composition. If only Barcelona's players could recover quickly and return to the club, it is likely that Barcelona would not suffer a fate like this.

Barcelona's second problem is a financial problem. If only Barcelona didn't experience financial problems, maybe Xavi could easily recruit players with good potential so that Xavi doesn't just rely on one key player because to anticipate things like this when Barcelona is experiencing an injury crisis, the manager must be sued. to balance team performance. This season is quite a tough task for Xavi when compared to last season.

[TastyChillySauce00]

Atletico Madrid did wonders in their last game to take over the 3rd position from Barcelona and, it really show how weak Barcelona are in this season because they were toping the la Liga league table through out last season to win the battle to lift the trophy that made many of their players became popular in the whole world.

Atletico Madrid managed to close the distance and shift Barcelona position, which was previously ranked third in the standings, the narrow victory over Sevilla and also the impact of Barcelona defeat in Week 18, at least for the time being, made Atletico fans happy, even though they are now still 7 points behind Madrid which at the top of the standings but I think there is still a chance for Atletico Madrid to enter the championship competition if they can remain consistent, but among the 20 clubs currently available, Girona surprised me and I didn't even think that they could be in second place until week18th at the moment, it would be quite surprising if Girona could compete with Madrid until the end of the season in the race for champions.

Girona is having very stable performance and as you can see how barcelona humiliated by girona and this proves that if girona is in the higher level compared to the barcelona this season. Im not even doubting it caused by michel is as good as pep guardiola.
Even though he has no a lot of achievements during his career but he tries so hard to build the club from the bottom. Michel has been trying to follow what guardiola did in manchester city since he has been motivated by pep to create a good team that can win many trophies for long term.

Michel will be trying so hard to defending his players from the other teams. I have been seeing the news said that some clubs were starting to approach girona's players. Even barcelona has been reportedly interesting to sign girona's winger.
In fact, the success of girona till this time caused by all of its players were having very good motivation to win the trophy this season. It seems like that michel has got the receipt from guardiola to develop a good player.
Girona is capable enough to do this. Im hoping that michel will take la liga this season.