La Liga Weekend Review

Barcelona:

            After two losses, Barcelona was looking to avoid a third and get out of the slump of the last few games. However, at the end of the first half, things looked grim, as Almeria were up 1-0. Luis Enrique, in an attempt to regain some momentum, played Luis Suarez, Neymar, and Xavi off of the bench and made some wise substitutions to put the game back into control. Two second half goals came from assists by Suarez, one by Neymar and one by Jordi Alba. Late goals coming from Suarez gave Barcelona a 2-1 win that they very much needed.

Real Madrid:

            Following a winning hot streak, Real Madrid are now at the top of the league table, and it seems no one can hold back their attacking power. Scoring twice but giving up one in the first half, Rayo Vallecano still looked to be in the game and to have a chance to at least lose by a reasonable scoreline. However, the second half was not as welcome to Rayo, and Real Madrid put away the game with three more goals to put them up 5-1 at the end. Also, Real Madrid now has a two point lead at the top of the league, at least until tomorrow when further league games continue.

Malaga:

            Defensive mistakes led to Malaga going one goal down just before half to Eibar, but they scored right away in the second half, showing some signs of perseverance. Then, at the last possible chance, Amrabat put away a penalty in the 90^th minute after handling in the box by Eibar, giving Malaga a 2-1 victory. Malaga has been successful lately, and has climbed up to sixth in the league presently.

Granada and Celta Vigo:

            After a goal by Sergi Gomez was disallowed in the first half, neither side was able to pick up enough speed to overcome the other, and the game remained a 0-0 tie to the end. Despite going undefeated for four games, Celta has now dropped a point and into seventh place in the league. Granada, thanks to their goalkeeper and holding off goals, has moved up into fourteenth place, up two places from their previous standing.

Rooney Still Struggling

            There is no doubt or argument against the fact that Manchester United has been lacking in productivity this season, and the disconnect between players may be a part of the cause for this. There is, however, one area where fans and all spectators disagree about Manchester United, and that is about Wayne Rooney and his role in the team. He is, without question, one of the hardest working players on the team and spends each game across the entire field, and I can’t question his effort. Still, I must point out the fact that he has not produced as expected and needed for this struggling team, and the problem is not that too much is being expected of him.

            Earlier in the season, Wayne Rooney was named captain of Manchester United, and that itself promoted some criticism from many people. Many don’t see Rooney possessing the leadership qualities necessary to be a captain, and that was seen right away as Rooney spent many games yelling at teammates for mistakes that he himself could have fixed, and that is not the way to support and help struggling teammates. Having not scored necessary goals, or not making a proper clearance from the back, Rooney was making the same mistakes as the rest of the team, and he was not playing at the level of a top-class, top-earning player. This lack of leadership was also demonstrated when Rooney got a red card for a poor tackle against a player, hurting United when they needed him most. Also, I might add, his team did fairly well during his three game absence due to the red card, especially while missing their top striker and regular captain.

            Also, Rooney is getting a salary that United is paying him to keep him at United, as he has had his fair share of hints at leaving the club for another. In the past, Rooney has led on that he wants to stay at Manchester United for his career, but has repeatedly attempted to leave the club for others. As a result, Rooney is being paid more than players from other teams that are more productive than him just to keep him to stay with United. The team and fans deserve more than what Rooney is giving them, and after his break Rooney has still been less than satisfactory, coming in with sloppy touches and missed opportunities. Rooney is not earning the salary that he makes, and unless he picks his game up, his position at United should be reconsidered. 

More Problems for Dortmund

                With Borussia Dortmund having as poor of a start as they come and I having already discussed this slump, another game has been played, and another loss recorded, and I want to expand on the numerous causes to their troubles. After being up 1-0 against top Bundesliga Bayern Munich, they succumbed to a 2-1 loss that pushes them deeper into trouble. The first, and possibly most important, problem begins with how Dortmund spent their transfer time and money, and what they did to replace lost players. Giving up players like Gotze and Lewandowski, Dortmund had a challenge on their hands, but they also had plenty of time to figure out how to replace them and fill the gap they left. To replace Lewandowski, for example, Dortmund decided that instead of replacing him with one player, they would use two, and they spent plenty of money in the process for players that will take time to adapt. Also, rather than looking on home soil for growing Bundesliga players, they looked abroad to places like France and Ukraine for selecting new players. Again, these players require time to fit in to the system already present at Dortmund, causing a slow start to the season.

                At the beginning of the season, coach Jurgen Klopp knew the journey would be tough, and with plenty of injuries and not enough replacements, he was right. Due to injuries, Klopp has had to do his best to create a working lineup, and this starting squad has changed almost every game. This continuous shuffle of players doesn’t allow for a team to settle in and grow in a successful direction. The team may be better off if a lineup was chosen and stuck with, giving the players a chance to figure out the system and connect with each other in the long run. Another thing Dortmund players are missing along with a solid position is a real self-confidence. Looking to the very beginning of this win drought, Dortmund has been losing confidence after every game, each time hoping to come back in the next for a win but being repeatedly shut down. Match after match, Dortmund have lost with a glimpse of hope, with most losses being by just one goal, but they have failed to come back to get at least one league point from the game, taking away from their confidence piece by piece.