Real Madrid has a great chance to win La Liga this season if they win their home match against Barcelona on Sunday. Benzema was expected to score, and he did, scoring after following the play through. He was a major problem for Barcelona and was denied a second goal when he was offside.
Real Madrid lead La Liga table
Real Madrid leads the Spanish league table with six points from four matches. The club won 3-1 at Sevilla on Saturday and will face Athletic Bilbao on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Real Sociedad suffered a 1-0 loss to newly promoted Real Valladolid. However, Real Betis and Atletico Madrid can still overtake them in the standings.
Barcelona, Sevilla, Levante, and Valencia have played five games each, while Real Madrid has played four. This leaves four games left for each team. Real Madrid has already secured the title for the second time in three seasons, but they also have a UEFA Champions League final to prepare for. Therefore, they may take a break from La Liga to play to prepare for that final.
The UEFA league coefficient rankings use data from the last five seasons to calculate a league’s ranking. Using these data, La Liga has dominated the continental table for the last seven years. The league has produced the continent’s top club 22 times – more than double the amount of times that the Italian league has. Real Madrid and Barcelona also occupy two of the four top European spots. Meanwhile, Girona FC and Athletic Club sit in the relegation zone.
Barcelona and Real Madrid were drawn in their last match. Despite Barcelona’s superior goal difference, Real Madrid has not lost a game in La Liga this season. The two sides have played 184 games in La Liga. Barcelona has lost two games in the UEFA Champions League. However, they have won the majority of La Liga games.
Even though Barcelona and Real Madrid have won the league in recent seasons, Barcelona and Real Madrid were also prominent in La Liga in the past. The former won the league’s inaugural season and has won it 35 times. The latter won the title for the last time during the 2021-22 season.
Benzema scores offside
Real Madrid is leading 1-0 after the first half, and Benzema’s second-half header has taken the visitors into the lead. But the game is still far from over, with the hosts chasing an equalizer. Barca substitute Ansu Fati replaces Ousmane Dembele in the forward line. But Benzema’s inch-perfect pass – the ball was played to him by Modric – sees him force out a corner and gives Real the lead.
In the 90th minute, Real Madrid conceded a penalty. Rodrygo went down inside the penalty area. The referee calls a penalty, and VAR looks at the footage. He deems it a penalty and points to the spot.
The first goal was offside. Benzema had been offside in the buildup, but the ball went over, and he managed to score. The second goal was disallowed for offside, but the video review showed that the goal was legitimate.
Benzema’s penalty appeal was successful. However, the referee had to rule that Benzema was offside. After the goal, Madrid’s team began to wobble. Then an Alex Balde clearance almost curled out for a corner, but Marc Andre ter Stegen had to push the ball out for a throw-in.
Real Madrid continues to dominate possession but is under pressure after the Champions League calamity midweek. After the 2-0 defeat, Xavi is under a lot of pressure. But Xavi is confident, and the side is attempting to regain momentum and put pressure on Barcelona. The home side is in the ascendant in the second half.
Barcelona and Real Madrid both have a good record in the league but are separated by a goal difference. Benzema scored a goal offside during the second half. The offside decision cost Barcelona the game but helped Real maintain a two-point advantage.
Xavi Hernandez’s coaching philosophy
Xavi Hernandez is under enormous pressure, especially with how his side has been performing in the Champions League. Although the club is still in the running for the La Liga title, Xavi is now under extreme pressure because of his struggles in the Champions League. While blaming the team’s problems on its recent performances might be easy, the reality is much different.
After a disappointing 4-0 defeat to Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, the coach acknowledged that he would lose his job if Barcelona failed to win a trophy this season. The Catalans were held to a 3-3 draw by Inter Milan at Camp Nou last week, and they will be eliminated from the Champions League if Inter beats Viktoria Plzen on Sunday. On the other hand, Real Madrid defeated Barcelona 4-0 at the Bernabeu on Sunday to take over as leaders of LaLiga.
Xavi Hernandez’s team has played a more direct style of football than their rivals. As a result, they have created more long balls than their opponents. Xavi has been vocal about the importance of using the third man, a player who runs in behind.
The coach’s philosophy is to play attractive, winning football. This is in line with the way Xavi played as a player. As a coach, he has continued to play that winning style of football as he did as a player.
After Xavi’s retirement, he turned his attention to coaching. He was named the manager of the Qatar Stars League team Al Sadd in May 2019. Al Sadd went on to win seven titles in three years. Afterward, Xavi was appointed manager of his former club Barcelona in November 2021.
Xavi Hernandez’s recruitment
If you’re considering joining Real Madrid or Barcelona this season, you might want to consider Xavi Hernandez’s recruitment. The Argentinian international is set to join the Barcelona squad at midnight on Sunday. He was previously banned from traveling to the US on Saturday but has since resolved his visa issues and arrived in Madrid. The problems centered on his previous employment with Al Sadd, a Qatari club. He and his teammates had traveled to Iran on multiple occasions requiring special permission to enter the US.
Xavi Hernandez is now the head coach of Barcelona. The 30-year-old Argentine played against Real Madrid many times as a player and has admitted that he’ll be tested during Sunday’s match against the European champions. Hernandez was appointed head coach of the Spanish giants less than two months ago, replacing Ronald Koeman. Barcelona currently sits sixth in the LaLiga table, 17 points behind Real.
Xavi Hernandez made his debut as a player for FC Barcelona in the 1999-00 El Clasico, which was won by Real Madrid 3-0. He was the third-highest scorer for Barcelona during that match, alongside Roberto Carlos, Nicolas Anelka, and Fernando Morientes. Afterward, Xavi left Barcelona for the Qatari club Al Sadd, where he is now the head coach. In November 2022, he will be the manager of FC Barcelona.