Men of La Mancha: First Among Equals

The battle between the two teams has been amazing to watch, with Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi engaged in their own personal duel each week. Zlatan Ibrahimovic isn't playing too badly, either. Throw in the likes of Kaka, Xavi, Gonzalo Higuain, Andres Iniesta, and you have the sort of star power that has helped wrestle some of the spotlight away from the English Premier League.   

And the strength of La Liga stretches beyond Barcelona and Real Madrid, even if they are the two best sides in Europe at the moment. Sevilla finished the first half in poor form, mainly due to injuries, but the Andalucian club provided wonderful moments as well with the play of wingers Diego Perotti and Jesus Navas. Perotti has been the revelation of the season so far.   

If Valencia had taken part in the Champions League instead of Atletico Madrid, Spain may well have four teams in the Round of 16. Unai Emery's side enjoyed an excellent first half, thanks to a talented midfield and the devastating form of David Villa. The 28-year-old would walk into the starting lineup of any club around the world. The same can probably be said of David Silva.   

As is stands, Barcelona, Madrid and Sevilla are well placed to advance to the quarterfinals and beyond in the Champions League, while Valencia and Villarreal must be considered among the favorites in the Europa League. Villarreal has managed an impressive recovery in recent weeks, moving up to ninth place on Sunday after beating Racing Santander at home. 

Deportivo, Getafe and Athletic Bilbao comprise a very solid second tier, along with upstarts Mallorca. 

Even the lower half of the table contains some tough sides to play against like Osasuna and Valladolid. Barcelona was held to a draw in Pamplona this season. Valladolid gave Madrid all it could handle at the Bernabeu before thrashing Deportivo the following week.  

Serie A is always lauded for its competitiveness, even if lately it has more to do with the inability of the top sides to impose themselves against the weaker teams. The best part about La Liga is that every side likes to push forward, especially at home, and possesses dangerous attacking players. When the big teams struggle, it is usually because the opposition lifted its game.  

Of course, Barcelona and Real Madrid didn't struggled too often in the first half, and look set to break away from the pack. It was always going to happen this season no matter how well the other teams played. The overwhelming brilliance of the top two is the main reason La Liga has caught up to the EPL, but don't let their epic race distract you from the soccer being played in the rest of the country.  

Tilting at Windmills (Barcelona vs. Madrid referee report card) 

As one might expect, the Madrid media kept a close eye on Barcelona, even with the Catalan giants so far away. Not much to complain about, though. In fact, Barca overcame some lousy officiating, as the   Estudiantes goal could have been ruled offside and Xavi was denied a clear penalty in the first half. Lionel Messi did escape a sending off late in regulation. 

No such controversy in Real's thrashing of Zaragoza on Saturday. It would have taken an awful lot from Manuel Mejuto Gonzalez to affect the outcome of this match. Nevertheless, it was a first half to forget for Spanish referees.  

Don Quixote (Player of the Round) – Roberto Soldado, Getafe  

Earlier this season, Roberto Soldado was jeered by Getafe supporters for his wastefulness in front of net, but the 24-year-old has come alive in recent weeks. He made the difference again on Saturday by scoring two goals in the first half, as Getafe notched its biggest win of the season away to Sevilla (2-1). Soldado even overshadowed Alvaro Negredo's return to the score sheet. 

The Real Madrid reject showed off his predatory skills, pouncing on the only two chances of the night, as the home side controlled most of the match. It was the first defeat for Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium in eight months. Soldado upped his total to 10 goals, just two behind David Villa in the race for the Pichichi.   

The Impossible Dream (Goal of the Round) – Gonzalo Higuain, Real Madrid  

Getafe's Pedro Leon came close to scoring the goal of the season in the late stages of the victory over Sevilla, dribbling past the entire defense before being denied by Andres Palop from point-blank range. Real Zaragoza goalkeeper Lopez Vallejo had no such luck. His only contribution was picking the ball out of the net several times, including after a first-half masterpiece by Gonzalo Higuain.   

The Argentine had already netted the first goal in the opening minutes, and he brought the crowd to its feet when he flicked the ball over the head of a defender and fired home a brilliant volley into the upper corner. It was the highlight of the match, narrowly edging Cristiano Ronaldo's cheeky goal early in the second half. Higuain continues to enhance his reputation with each passing week.  

Sancho Panza (Unsung Hero of the Round) – Javi Marquez, Espanyol 

Hugo Sanchez might have fancied his chances of avoiding the sack on Sunday, with Almeria taking on an Espanyol side winless in its last seven games, but it was not to be. Sanchez was undone by a brilliant performance from youngster Javi Marquez, who scored the first goal with a beautiful finish and set up the second by Ferran Corominas in a 2-0 victory.  

Following the match, the Mexican legend became the fourth manager to be let go this season, while his counterpart Mauricio Pochettino gained a little bit of breathing room heading into the break. Pochettino  will enjoy even more tranquility, if Marquez can produce this kind of form on a regular basis.  

Rocinante (Goat of the Round) – Dudu Aouate, Mallorca 

Mallorca squandered an opportunity to finish the first half of the season occupying the fourth and final Champions League spot, and Dudu Aouate has to shoulder much of the blame. The Israeli goalkeeper, perhaps still shaken from the abuse he suffered last week at the hands of Osasuna fans, was a disaster on Sunday, at fault on both Malaga goals in a 2-1 defeat.   

In the fist half, his clumsy attempt at defending a cross resulted in the ball dropping for Fernando to fire home the opener. And late in the game after Mallorca had managed an equalizer, Aouate allowed a weak shot from substitute Fernando Forestieri to trickle past him for the winning score. It was the second victory of the season for a Malaga side that remains in the relegation zone.    

Miguel Cervantes (Quote of the weekend) 

“Given the circumstances we had to make this decision. I am convinced Hugo Sanchez is a very good manager, but he has suffered from bad luck.”      
– Almeria vice president Ricardo Martinez explains the decision to sack the Mexican legend.  

“Men of La Mancha” appears Monday mornings on Goal.com. Also check out “Friends of Don Quixote” on Friday mornings, as David Mosse previews the action for the upcoming weekend.