La Liga Talking Points – Super-Sub Messi Seals Vital Win for Barca

Welcome to La Liga Talking Points, a weekly column running throughout the season in which we take a look at the key stories and talking points from Spanish football’s top flight. With an inevitable focus on the biggest teams, such as Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid and Barcelona, there will also be a worthwhile nod toward the rest, we take a look at how the league is shaping up each week and what to look out for going forward.

No One Cares About Ronaldo

On the weekend Cristiano Ronaldo surpassed Raul as the most prolific goal-scorer in Real Madrid’s history. The Portuguese joined Real Madrid in 2009, and since then has become a ruthless – and joyless – scoring machine.

Put it this way – Ronaldo scored five goals on the weekend – yes you read that right, five goals – yet no one really cares. No one – or well, in general – derives joy from the five as much as (sorry) they do from Lionel Messi when he scores one good goal.

Ronaldo has become a joyless, robotic scoring machine. He has made scoring copious amounts of goals an act of attrition, rather than art. This is of course, rather trite. But it is also true for the millions of fans who cannot help but find Ronaldo the man who will forever be hard to love.

More from FC Barcelona

• Alexia Putellas reaches 400 games with Barcelona
• Barcelona put five past Real Betis
• Xavi backs struggling Robert Lewandowski
• Gavi youngest Barcelona player to reach 100 games
• Barcelona struggle but pull out win against Osasuna

In the meantime Ronaldo’s feat puts him as the only second player in La Liga history to score five goals in a game in consecutive seasons – the last player being Telmo Zarra in the 1940’s. Rafa Benitez may not have got off to the best start with Ronaldo, but if Ronaldo keeps scoring like that, it won’t matter much. Madrid now have seven points from nine, two behind Barcelona – obviously.

Messi Super-Sub?

In a truly unusual series of events Lionel Messi was left on the bench for Saturday night’s clash of Barcelona on Atletico Madrid. The last time Messi was bench was January away at Real Sociedad. David Moyes’ men won 1-0 and a crisis ensued which saw the Sporting Director sacked and Messi miss training, amidst rumours of angst toward Luis Enrique. Fast forward nine months and everything has changed.

Barcelona of course won the treble, so such incidents are much more easily managed. Why he was benched was of course due to not only coming back from international duty on Thursday night, but dealing with the birth of his son Matteo on Friday, meaning he couldn’t train before the big game.

No problem though; despite playing well and drawing 1-1 in the second half, manager Luis Enrique decided he needed Messi to find the winner. After 17 minutes of being on the pitch he received that winner he sought – Messi latching onto a pass by Luis Suarez and dinking the ball deftly into the Atelti net.

Barcelona now sit top of La Liga despite having to travel both away to Atletico Madrid and Athletic Club.

More from Playing for 90

• Alexia Putellas reaches 400 games with Barcelona
• Everything you need to know ahead of the 250th ‘Super Clásico’
• Barcelona put five past Real Betis
• Manchester City suffer but come away with win over West Ham
• Baffling Liga MX ruling strips Puebla of a hard-earned victory

Other Points and Issues of Note

• Eibar finally dropped points – well, it was only two games but now after three games the Basque minnows now have seven points from a possible nine. Eibar of course travelled to Malaga over the weekend, wherein they played out a largely dull 0-0. They won’t mind, another year in La Liga is all they wish for.
• Unai Emery’s Sevilla side are still searching for a win after three games. They played Levante away on Friday but only managed a 1-1 draw. That’s now two draws and a 3-0 hammering at home to Atletico Madrid for the Europa League champions. Must do better!