A League of three
Oblak's save from Joselu in the match between Atlético de Madrid and Alavés could give the red and white team a league title. There are 10 games left. They are not 10 finals because after each one there will be another one the following week. And so on until May 23, when the League of the pandemic ends. Maybe one of the three teams will be able to celebrate the title with a few fans in the stands. Only Real Madrid will be able to do so at home, though. Their last game at the Di Stéfano or the Bernabéu will be against Villarreal. Barça will play at Ipurúa against Eibar and Atlético de Madrid at Zorrilla against Valladolid.
The outrageous 50-point first half of the season for Atleti serves as a cushion for Simeone's side so that they don't fall apart when the games get tough. Injuries, COVID, fitness and the coach's own slate have made it all too easy for Real Madrid and Barça to close in on the leaders.
Oblak and Suárez hold the team back. Llorente has all the danger signs on because his physique can't take any more and the rest of the players are secondary actors in a thriller that could end in drama. The Uruguayan has scored 18 goals in La Liga up to this international break. Simeone has been able to extend his nose for goal from the azulgrana to the rojiblanco, although he still hasn't been able to find the net in the Champions League. Oblak has already stopped penalties and the initiative of his rivals.
Sevilla (F), Betis (F), Huesca (C), Athletic (F), Eibar (C), Elche (F), Barça (F), Real Sociedad (C), Osasuna (F) and Valladolid (C). Six matches away from the Metropolitano and four at home. Perhaps against Real and the last one against Valladolid will be with fans in the stands. But the opponents and the red and white game do not call for hope. Sevilla and Barça are direct rivals at the top. The rest will also have other needs. Atlético's own football is its biggest enemy in those 10 matches. It is impossible to recover the style of the beginning of the season. The fixture load has put a lot of strain on the players' legs. The best thing, the rest for the international matches added to the fact that the South Americans will not be travelling with their national teams.
The worst opponent at the worst time. Koeman's team have found a reason to play football. A style. Five defenders. Messi a goalscorer and Laporta a winner. After the storm comes the calm, but not the money. The hole remains.
Valladolid (C), Real Madrid (F), Getafe (C), Villarreal (F), Granada (C), Valencia (F), Atlético de Madrid (C), Levante (F), Celta (C), Eibar (C). To which must be added the Copa del Rey final against Athletic after the Clásico. Five games at home and five away to play LaLiga. As luck would have it, the crucial game against Atletico Madrid and the last two in LaLiga could have the soçi in the stands at the Camp Nou. They will play two direct rivals like Real Madrid and Barcelona. The rest of the matches would be easy if it weren't for the fact that all teams have to meet their objectives in the final stretch of the competition.
Messi and Ter Stegen are to Barça what Oblak and Suárez are to Atlético and what Benzema and Courtois are to Real Madrid. In Barça's case, there is no midfield to hold the team together. Their games have become a lottery where they are more likely to win than lose because of their quality. Piqué will be back for the decisive games and Fati will have his quality minutes. Dest, Pedri or Dembelé raise the level of the team and Griezmann wants minutes on the pitch.
The Whites are also a bad rival to fight for La Liga. Zidane's men are in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Their rival is Liverpool. Their motivation is at its peak. When the Whites have a goal and rivals of their stature, they perform better and better. Liverpool-Barça-Liverpool in eight days will mark the future of the current La Liga champions. They already had a tie-break in December, which they saved by beating Sevilla, Borussia and Atlético. Then all was lost and now they are still in the Champions League and fighting for La Liga.
Eibar (C), Barça (C), Cádiz (F), Betis (C), Getafe (F), Osasuna (C), Sevilla (C), Granada (F), Athletic (F), Villarreal (C). Six matches at home and four away. Barça and Sevilla will host them at the Di Stéfano and, at the most, they will be able to celebrate the victory with part of their fans at the Bernabéu against Villarreal. These opponents are among those who motivate Real Madrid. The tie with Liverpool could give them the incentive they need for a double or, if they fall, to chase Atletico relentlessly. The Clásico will come at the worst time because they will be playing in the Champions League semi-finals and the return leg is at Anfield.
Benzema's momentum, freed from his France commitments and Courtois' saves point the way to a title. Vinicius is needed and Kross-Modric-Casemiro are already in the hall of fame of the best midfielders in Europe. Zidane's flower will fight against unlucky injuries that have plagued the team this season.
The national team jiggery-pokery has cut short La Liga at its best. An unnecessary break for the fans. An accumulation of matches that should all be played together in another month and that endangers the players and the objectives of the teams that pay their salaries.
The last 10 matchdays, the two cup finals and Real Madrid in the Champions League leave us on the verge of a deserved end to the season for all football players. If all this is crowned with the return of fans to the stands in the last few games, it will have been worth all the effort. Next will come the European Championship.
