MADRID: FC Barcelona and Real Madrid both beat struggling opponents this weekend, with one eye on the Champions League in midweek, while Valencia has pulled away from the relegation battle, and Athletic Club has reinforced its hold on the top four. Here's what we learned this weekend in Spain.
1. Real Madrid and Barcelona work hard at things.
Barcelona won 1-0 away to Leganes, second from bottom, thanks to an own goal, while Eduardo Camavinga's strike handed Real Madrid three points away to Alaves, who had four key players sidelined.
Despite Hansi Flick's squad rotations, Barcelona were fatigued and lost Alejandro Balde to a muscle injury as the hectic fixture schedule caught up with them, while Kylian Mbappe's nasty challenge left Real Madrid with 10 men and inferiority for half an hour before Alaves had a player sent off.
With Europe on the horizon in midweek, neither team will be concerned about their performance; at this juncture in the season, three points are all that matters.
2. Sancet makes a difference.
Oihan Sancet came in at the start of the second half as Athletic Club Bilbao trailed 1-0 to Rayo Vallecano, and 45 minutes later, he was the hero, scoring twice as his team rallied to win 3-1.
Sancet's second goal of the game was a stunning curling shot that also marked the club's 5,000th goal in La Liga, highlighting what the team has lost while he has been out injured for several weeks.
Sancet scored 15 goals in 23 league games this season, making him the competition's best-scoring Spanish player, but his ability to link midfield and attack is as vital, and if he keeps fit, Athletic should finish in the top four.
3. Corberan saves Valencia, and more.
Valencia's 1-0 victory over Sevilla at home on Friday night moved the club eight points clear of the bottom three with seven games remaining, continuing the club's stunning resurgence since Carlos Corberan took over as coach.
Valencia has won four of its past five La Liga games, including a 2-1 victory over Real Madrid, and appears to be on the verge of relegation, which was certain under his predecessor Baraja.
Corberan's impact on the team has been so significant that if he had began the season there, Valencia would have finished in the top four. Now he and the fans must hope that club owner Peter Lim does not try to sell Valencia's key players this summer.
4. Difficulty in Sevilla, but coach pays the price.
Xavier Garcia Pimienta is the latest La Liga coach to be fired following Sevilla's defeat in Valencia, the club's fourth consecutive loss in the league and virtually ending any hopes of qualifying for Europe.
The former Las Palmas manager appeared to be doing a good job until the beginning of March, when Sevilla played some decent aggressive football.
However, his tenure has been marred by internal conflicts amid a boardroom power struggle, as well as budgetary restrictions.
The fact that Sevilla has fired six coaches in two years: Julen Lopetegui, Jorge Sampaoli, Jose Luis Mendilibar, Diego Alonso, Quique Sanchez Flores, and Garcia Pimienta, speaks volumes about the club's disarray and demonstrates that Garcia Pimienta is not the only one to blame.
