I went along to Eibar v Valencia on Sunday to see how Gary Neville would get on in his first La Liga outing as coach. He had presided over two games before – both at home, but the first one against Barcelona he’d watched from the stands and the second, the club’s farewell to the Champions League against Lyon, he had coached from the bench in midweek. Quite a baptism of fire you might say, but he had not experienced the bread and butter of the league scene away from home. Eibar was probably not the place he would have chosen to go. Eibar have been experiencing a minor slump, but their two consecutive league defeats had come about at home to Real Madrid and away to their richer neighbours Real Sociedad, so it was hardly crisis time. It’s a weird and wonderful place to make your league debut as a trainer, with the pitch a couple of inches from the dug-out and the compact but ferocious band of home fans hollering down at you from close quarters.
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The game was also played on a resonant weekend, with a Neymar-less Barcelona drawing 2-2 at home to Deportivo the day before, surrendering a 2-0 lead and starting to show certain signs of fallibility for the second week running. Indeed, it was Valencia last week who equalised at the last gasp, after the champions should really have been home and dry – a result which gave both Atletico and Real Madrid reasons to be cheerful, and renewed hope that as ever, the yin-yang swings of fortune in Spanish football might once again be coming to pass. But the more ‘resonant’ aspect of Sunday’s game derived more from the final game of last season when Barcelona, more focused on Xavi’s farewell to the Camp Nou than on preserving their 1-0 lead against Deportivo, allowed the visitors to equalise, effectively relegating Eibar.
Eibar, of course, eventually stayed up after Elche were relegated on financial grounds, but at half-time this weekend, with Eibar leading 1-0 from a 45th-minute effort from Sergi Enrich, I mentioned this to Eibar president Alex Aranzabal in the smart new lounge behind the Directors’ Box. In excellent English he seemed quietly enthusiastic about the Barcelona result, without losing the diplomatic touch necessary for people in his position. He also seemed enthused about the 1-0 half-time score and the fact that he’d managed to escape from Valencia’s visiting troupe of dignitaries, to chew the fat with two young American shareholders, John and Henry, the core of the Eibar-USA ‘pena’ (supporters’ club, pictured below) whom Aranzabal had generously invited into the VIP section for the game, along with me – but that’s a long story. Suffice to say that the ‘pintxos’ (Basque for ‘tapas’) were excellent, as was the PR efficiency and generosity of the Eibar staff. Something is afoot at the club, and Aranzabal seems determined to keep them at the top level and to turn their remarkable journey into a business model, without destroying the club’s identity.
Valencia, a club with a longer and richer history and a much larger urban base, would do well to take note. Weakened by the absence of Sofiane Feghouli they were completely outplayed in the first half, with the wonderful Keko running amok down the right side. Neville tended to stay in the dug-out, with occasional upward twitches and gestures, but he seemed to prefer to allow the messages to be conveyed by assistant Miguel Angulo. In the second half things improved with the introduction of Pablo Piatti and later of José Luis Gaya down the left side, but when Lucas Orban was sent off for a foul on Eibar’s Dani Garcia, things looked bleak for Neville. The subsequent penalty was saved by the excellent Jaume Domenech, spurring Valencia to go three at the back and throw Alvaro Negredo on up top for good measure. Eibar seemed unable to make things count and an unlucky own goal by David Junca saved the day for Valencia, who could actually have won it at the end with a gallop from Pablo Alcacer and a scythe from Eibar defender Ivan Ramis, who was red-carded for his sins.
From the last two league results it might seem like Valencia have acquired more steel under Neville – coming from behind in adverse circumstances – but the truth is that they were outplayed both by Barcelona and Eibar. Lyon also exposed their failings last Wednesday, but this draw in extremis will at least give them heart for the easier-looking home fixture next week to stuttering Getafe. With Piatti and Negredo on the pitch, the electric Alcacer at last came to life and Eibar began to look more ordinary. Messrs Neville and Neville will have taken note.
Of course, Barcelona’s slip-up on Saturday night had been noted for different reasons in Madrid, but it was only Atlético who took advantage, beating Athletic Bilbao 2-1 courtesy of yet another wonderful goal from Antoine Griezmann. Griezmann seems to like scoring against his old Basque rivals, and Atlético have now won eight consecutive games. They’re also co-leaders with Barcelona and although their performances are not as convincing as in their recent heyday, they’re proving as difficult to beat as ever. They’ve only conceded a miserly seven goals all season in the league – the basis for their renewed challenge. The next best defence, curiously enough, is Valencia’s, with only twelve conceded, but their problems are more related to the other end of the pitch.
Griezmann is some talent. That’s 8 straight wins for Atletico now #mmlove https://t.co/aIVcvzxEDu
— Mario Melchiot (@MarioMelchiot) December 14, 2015
Real Madrid’s on-field problems were apparently on the mend, with two decent league wins and an eight-goal party against Malmo in midweek to banish memories of the clasico trauma. The visit to a poorly-looking Villarreal didn’t look as scary a prospect as in previous seasons, but a limp first-half performance saw them lose 1-0 to a goal from their ex-player Roberto Soldado. Villarreal had also played a tough match (3-3) on Thursday in the Czech Republic, two days after Madrid’s home-based stroll against Malmo. Madrid improved after the break, but the defeat will only heighten the gloom brought about by their re-confirmed expulsion from the King’s Cup, after the club appealed last week against the decision. Florentino Pérez continues to insist that they have done nothing wrong, and may now appeal to various Human Rights organisations around the globe – having had the temerity to suggest last week that the exclusion of Real Madrid not only damaged the club but ‘damaged the competition’ as well. It may even contribute to global warming, but the beneficiaries of the decision, Cádiz, can now stay cosily at home in midweek because Madrid have called off the return leg and informed supporters that they will reimburse any tickets bought for the event. The White House would do well to simply take it on the chin and move on, but that has not been their style, historically speaking.
Next week they entertain their poorer, but happier neighbours Rayo Vallecano in the Bernabéu. Anything less than a convincing victory may turn the heat up on Rafa Benitez, the easiest scapegoat to identify. Barcelona meanwhile have flown to Japan for the FIFA Club World Cup (which they seemed to be thinking about rather too much during the Deportivo game), meaning they are unlikely to play their scheduled fixture at Sporting de Gijon next weekend. If Atlético can manage a result at improving Málaga, there’ll be a new leader until the New Year, when hostilities will re-commence.
