La Liga mid-point report: No title race, Atletico’s struggles, Barcelona’s demise

A glance at the La Liga table would confuse the casual observer, owing to Atletico Madrid and Barcelona’s perplexing positions. 

The capital club sit in fifth spot, while the Catalan giants’ seventh-place standing is utterly unexpected despite Lionel Messi’s departure to Paris Saint-Germain in the summer. 

In truth, it is hard to choose which side has been the greater disappointment. Diego Simeone’s defending champions currently sit 17 points adrift of city rivals Real Madrid, while Barca’s 28 points leaves them trailing Los Blancos with 18 points. 

Barring any serious collapse by Carlo Ancelotti’s side, neither Atleti nor Barcelona — who, admittedly, have a game outstanding — will catch table-topping Real, whose eight-point advantage over goal-shy Sevilla underscores the lack of a true competitor in a weak La Liga this season. 

Fuelled by the ever-impressive Karim Benzema and the much-improved Vinicius Junior, arguably this season’s player of the year so far, Ancelotti looks primed to wrest the title from their neighbours.

Making up the rest of the top four are Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano, sides in unrecognisable positions with the season at its halfway point. Betis are third in the table and, as it stands, are on course to return to the Champions League for the first time since 2005/06. 

Rayo’s ascent is even more remarkable. The Madrid-based side occupy the final CL spot in the table having only returned to the top flight this term following two seasons in the Segunda Division. 

Andoni Iraola’s team owe their strong start to impressive form in Vallecas, where they remain unbeaten after nine home games, drawing one and racking up an impressive eight wins. On their travels, they have picked up five points from an available 27—only four sides have a worse away record.

The sustainability of this remains uncertain but a side that have not played in European competition since UEFA Cup participation at the start of the millennium are dreaming of a Champions League spot after 18 games. 

Rayo were beneficiaries of Atletico’s slump before the winter break where they lost four league games on the trot for the first time under Simeone’s management to sit disappointingly in fifth place.

Los Colchoneros went into the season as the favourite to defend a title they claimed by two points last season but a combination of injuries and underperformance of top players have precipitated the ongoing slump. 

The meek defence of their 11th domestic crown means they now face a battle to even make next year’s Champions League, an eventuality Simeone has never experienced since guiding the club to a third-place finish in his first full season in charge in 2012/13.  

As for Barcelona, who have had a torrid first half of the season, the league’s wider weakness means they remain only two points behind Rayo and five behind Betis in third spot. With over 19 games to play in 2022, a top four finish remains a realistic target for Xavi, who replaced the beleaguered Ronald Koeman in November. 

While Unai Emery’s Villarreal have flourished on their return to the Champions League, Gerard Moreno’s absence has brought about dispiriting domestic results. The Yellow Submarine sit in mid-table on 25 points, although the forward’s return coincided with a three-game winning run to close out the year. 

Moreno scored five times and assisted another in the aforementioned run and his fitness will go a long way in determining Villarreal’s fate in the second half of the campaign. 

The relegation battle looks to be heating up, even though winless Levante (seven points) have it all to do in the New Year to avoid ending in the bottom three. Only one point separates 16th-placed Getafe and Cadiz in 19th spot, with three of the quartet ending 2021 on 15 points, setting up a fascinating survival battle in 2022. 

La Liga may have lost a lot of its lustre in recent years and this season’s non-title race has not helped the league’s standing in the eyes of observers. Be that as it may, interesting storylines abound nonetheless and the continuation of these in New Year ought to excite fans and neutrals alike.