Madrid, Feb 16 (IANS) It was an atypical matchday 24 in La Liga this weekend, with FC Barcelona not playing until Monday night, but that gave Real and Atletico Madrid the chance to take advantage and get points on the board. Real Madrid succeeded, and Atletico failed.

Real Madrid are currently leading by two points with 60 from 24 games. Arch-rivals Barcelona are on58 points but have one more game to play. Villarreal are in third position with 45 points from 23 games, with Atletico Madrid in fourth position with the same number of points from 25 games, with a lesser goal difference.

Here is a look at some things that we learned this weekend in Spain:

1. Big return for Trent Alexander-Arnold

It’s been a difficult season for Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid with injuries and competition for his place with Dani Carvajal and Fede Valverde, but the former Liverpool right-back enjoyed an excellent game against Real Sociedad, reports Xinhua.

While it’s true that Real Sociedad was tired after their midweek Copa del Rey game in Bilbao, Alexander-Arnold was given the space and time to pick his passes, and arguably the biggest strength in his game is his ability to send over long and accurate passes, as well as hit effective set pieces.

He did both of those well on Saturday, and with Carvajal’s place looking less secure under Alvaro Arbeloa’s, maybe Trent’s moment has finally arrived.

2. Oblak tells it like it is

Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak was furious after his side’s 3-0 defeat to struggling Rayo Vallecano. “It feels as if we have thrown away the league,” said a frustrated Oblak after the final whistle.

Coach Diego Simeone made 11 changes from the team that had thrashed Barcelona in the Copa del Rey, fielding a lineup that looked strong on paper against opponents who started the day in the relegation zone. On the pitch, however, it was a different story, as Rayo, forced to play in Leganes rather than their Vallecas Stadium due to the poor state of the pitch, completely outplayed Atletico.

Simeone’s priority is the Champions League, and the Copa del Rey, and Atletico can’t disappoint in those.

3. Vallecas saga an embarrassment for Rayo and La Liga

The fact that the game between Rayo Vallecano and Atlético Madrid was played in Leganes is an embarrassment for Rayo and also La Liga.

Rayo’s previous game against Oviedo was postponed at short notice after newly laid grass at the Vallecas Stadium failed to take root in time. Although bad weather was a factor, Rayo didn’t allow time for the new turf to take root, and a week later, La Liga still didn’t consider the pitch fit to play football on.

Rayo are guilty of incompetence, with some fans believing club president Martin Presa is deliberately acting this way as he wants to move from Vallecas and make money from a property deal, but La Liga also have to ensure its members maintain certain standards if it wants to maintain credibility.

4. Levante and Oviedo’s defeats look definitive in the relegation struggle

Bottom of the table Oviedo lost 2-1 at home to Athletic Bilbao, and Levante was beaten 2-0 by Valencia in their local derby on Sunday, in two results which look to be decisive in the relegation struggle.

The defeats leave the two sides cut adrift at the bottom, with Oviedo nine points from safety and Levante two points above them, and even though both sides have seen timid improvements recently, that is a lot of ground to make up, especially for two sides that simply don’t have the quality to win half of the games left to play this season.

–IANS

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