La Liga Lowdown

Three teams separated by just three points; the title race is well and truly on. Real Madrid closed the gap to Barcelona with a crucial 2-1 victory in José Mourinho’s first Clásico since returning to Los Blancos.

Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee), who was at Camp Nou, joins Ben Sully (@SullyBen) to reflect upon the main talking points from Sunday’s tussle, in which Kylian Mbappé netted a brace as Real Madrid successfully executed Mourinho’s tactical plan.

As part of the Clásico discussion, we focus on the starting lineups, standout players, underperformers, substitute decisions and the title race.

In the second part of the matchday 10 recap, we turn our attention to the other title race contender, Atlético Madrid, who moved to within two points of Barcelona with a hard-fought win over Deportivo A Coruña. Julián Álvarez won the game for Diego Simeone’s side and then apologised to the club’s fans for his push to join Barcelona in the summer.

Elsewhere, Valencia’s woes continued with a narrow defeat in the derby against Villarreal, Racing de Santander increased the pressure on Manolo González and Athletic Club piled more misery on José Bordalás.

There were also wins for Real Sociedad and Elche, as well as draws at Mendizorroza and Balaídos.

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Join Ben Sully (@SullyBen) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) as they discuss and dissect the action from matchday nine of the 2026/27 LaLiga season.

The early focus is on Barcelona’s thrilling, and sometimes controversial, 5-2 away win against Real Betis. Lamine Yamal produced a spectacular effort to kickstart the relentless scoring at a well-entertained La Cartuja.

More officiating drama followed in Real Madrid’s 4-1 win over Sevilla at the Bernabéu, where Arda Güler conjured a special strike just moments after escaping a potential red card. Kylian Mbappé also netted a brace, and Yan Diomande struck late on as José Mourinho’s side produced arguably their best LaLiga performance of the season, a week out from El Clásico.

Elsewhere, Atlético Madrid’s Álex Baena continued his fine form with a late winner against Espanyol, while Real Sociedad prevailed in the second of the two games to yield a 5-2 scoreline on matchday nine.

There is also discussion about Jagoba Arrasate’s first game back at Osasuna, Celta Vigo’s narrow win over Alavés and a draw at Riazor.

The pod wraps up with two goalless draws, including Javier Aguirre’s first home game in charge of Valencia.

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LaLiga is back with a bang! The international break is (finally) over, and there's plenty for Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) to unpack in our recap pod.

Atleti, Barça and Real Madrid all got the job done without any “FIFA/UEFA virus” scares, although there was plenty of controversy at the Santiago Bernabéu, where Vinícius Jr. went from an ecstatic celebration to a furious reaction to his sending-off in a matter of minutes.

Elsewhere in Madrid, Vallecas and football aren't seeing eye to eye this season. Now that Rayo can finally play at their usual stadium, it was the fans who intervened, ensuring the match against Athletic Club was suspended and sending president Raúl Martín Presa a strong message.

Real Sociedad and Betis also picked up important wins, with both sides coming close to blowing 3-0 leads in their respective matches. Ultimately, though, they held on to claim the victory and add three more points to their tallies.

All this and plenty more in our recap pod, so make sure you tune in! Oh, and remember, we've got more pods and articles where that came from on our Substack: lllonline.substack.com.

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Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) for a recap of Spain's latest triumph in the UEFA Nations League and a round-up of all the other news making waves in Spain during this elongated international window.

We start with La Roja, who defeated Czechia in Oviedo to maintain their 100% record at the start of this Nations League campaign. Lamine was off the mark quickest once again, netting a golazo inside six minutes. We laud his impressive form, and discuss the rotations made by Luis de La Fuente for this match, which saw debuts for Iván Fresneda and Roberto Fernández. We also look ahead to the return trip to Croatia, which might not be as tough an assignment as it appeared, following their hammering by England on home soil.

In Part 2, we get out teeth into the two sagas that have dominated this parón de selecciones, including Cristiano Ronaldo's departure from the Portuguese camp and Pep Guardiola breaking his silence on the Manchester City verdict: is his legacy tainted by the whole affair?

We end with Rayo Vallecano back at Vallecas, but it not being the positive news it should be. Fans vandalised the directors' box and the club issued a stern comunicado in response. The tension between the fans and the president shows no sign of easing any time soon.

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The England 2-3 Spain thriller, reviewed by Ben Sully (@SullyBen) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee)!

In this episode, we break down the key moments, the positives, the team’s overall performance, and what the match tells us about Spain as they head into their next challenge.

We then turn our attention to Croatia and look ahead to what should be another fascinating test for Spain against the evergreen Luka Modrić, who scored in his country’s latest game against the Czech Republic. Can Spain build on what they showed against England and come away with another strong result? Tune in as we break it all down.

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To give a red card or not give a red card, that is the question. Real Madrid were infuriated by the red cards not brandished, but beaten by the one that was, as they fell to a 2-1 defeat against city rivals Atlético Madrid. 

Join Ben Sully (@SullyBen) & Nick Bell (@nickbellofbpl) as they discuss the fallout from the Madrid derby and the rest of the action from matchday 7, the last round of LaLiga fixtures for three weeks. 

Raphinha continued his incredible form with a perfect hat-trick in an away win against Sevilla, which, in turn, helped Barcelona maintain perfection at the top of the table. 

There was late heartbreak for Valencia at Mestalla, a stunning victory for 10-man Elche and another precious win for Villarreal boss Iñigo Pérez. 

Dépor, meanwhile, were the only promoted team to take something from matchday seven. Racing’s defensive woes continued in a heavy defeat to Celta Vigo, while Málaga’s goalscoring struggles continued in a narrow loss to Getafe.

Elsewhere, Alavés goalkeeper Antonio Sivera ensured there were no goals at San Mamés, while Ante Budimir netted a milestone strike at El Sadar. 

The three-week international break may now be upon us, but we will still be putting out content over at LLLonline.substack.com. 

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Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Harry Gillies for their MD5 LaLiga analysis, with reaction from Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) on Valencia’s sacking of Carlos Corberán. The first coaching casualty of the season is joined at the exit door by CEO Ron Gourlay.

The guys discuss the sporting restructure at Mestalla, and the problems still facing the next manager in charge, whoever they may be… 

Fully recovered from his fury at VAR decisions, José Mourinho is somewhat happier after a convincing win against Rayo, but the Real Madrid manager admits they are still missing too many chances. 

Barça have scored 21 goals in the opening five matches, with Lamine Yamal and Raphinha combining to devastate Levante, although Luís Castro’s side nearly pulled off a late comeback. 

The Pichichi already has some interesting contenders, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang starring once again for Dépor in a 1-1 draw with Getafe, while Morocco striker Yassir Zabiri looks a real talent for Racing. 

Some of the best young managers in the league have struggled at the start of this season. We review what is going wrong for Celta and Claudio Giráldez, and look ahead to Villarreal V Betis, where Iñigo Pérez will be desperate for his first win as manager of the Yellow Submarine. 

Thanks for listening in, and remember, we’ve got more pods and articles coming your way in our Substack: lllonline.substack.com.

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All the MD4 drama and talking points unpacked by Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) in our recap pod of the weekend.

Who had it on their cards for Atlético and Real Madrid to both collect their first defeat of the season so early on and on the same weekend? Definitely not us! But aside from those shocking results, we also had plenty of entertainment and goals from other LaLiga sides.

Deportivo A Coruña stunned the Estadio de la Cerámica with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (who else if not?) scoring a later winner against Villarreal, while Alavés slammed five past Osasuna for their best-ever start in LaLiga, now second in the standings with 10 points.

Matt and Román also review Espanyol's late and desperate draw vs Sevilla, Barça annihilating Valencia and Rayo Vallecano finally finding their first win through an inspired Sergio Camello. Catch it all in this recap pod!

Thanks for listening in, and remember, we've got more pods and articles coming your way in our Substack: lllonline.substack.com.

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Check out our Matchday 3 review with Ben Sully (@SullyBen) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee)!

Three games into the new campaign, and the early picture is already starting to take shape. Real Madrid remain perfect after another convincing win, while Atlético Madrid finally got their first victory of the season after an impressive first half. 

Meanwhile, Levante’s 5-2 demolition of Real Betis and Racing’s 3-2 win vs Elche were some of the highlights of the weekend, with most of the newly promoted sides making encouraging starts.

Three matchdays is too soon to draw any definitive conclusions, but there is already plenty to get excited about!

As always, thank you for listening to us and remember that you can subscribe to access our bonus podcast and multiple weekly articles over at lllonline.substack.com.

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The LaLiga train goes steaming on, as Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Harry Gillies break down eight games from Matchday 2. 

The guys discuss José Mourinho’s second debut as manager of Los Blancos, who were saved by their new star man up top. 

There was a goal feast in Barça's clash against Elche, with Hansi Flick’s side managing just fine without a recognised striker. 

That won’t be good news for Julián Alvarez, who has sacrificed almost everything to try and secure a move to the Catalan club. The boys analyse how Atleti did on the pitch while the transfer saga surrounds the team. 

And there were plenty more matches to get through, including a tough opening game for Athletic’s Edin Terzić. 

Stay tuned for non-stop LaLiga coverage during a jam packed start to the season!

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