A resurgent Griezmann, an electric Dembele and a Valverde bombshell spice up LaLiga
Breathing. That could be the word that defines the state of LaLiga. FC Barcelona took a breath at the hands of Lewandowski and Dembele. Atletico remembered what it was like to take a deep sigh of relief after seeing Griezmann's double. Rayo Vallecano have oxygen after beating Cádiz 5-1 in a direct duel for relegation.
However, the structure of LaLiga is unchanged. Real Madrid remain top of the table with 31 points. Carlo Ancelotti's side are unbeaten in 11 games, with 10 wins and a draw. Sevilla were the latest victims to succumb to the might of Real Madrid. Luka Modric (37), Lucas Vazquez (31) and Federico Valverde (24) put the game beyond doubt and tipped the scales in Los Blancos' favour. Erik Lamela (30) scored for the Andalusians.
The fight to get into the UEFA Champions League places is tight. Real Sociedad are clinging on to fourth place in the table. Imanol Alguacil's side lost to Valladolid and missed a clear chance to consolidate their position in the top four. Athletic Bilbao also conceded ground, as Barcelona were too much for Ernesto Valverde's side.
The coach who received the most praise on matchday 11 of LaLiga was Andoni Iraola. The former Athletic player continues to charm Rayo fans. The modest team from Vallecas beat Cádiz 5-1 in a direct match for relegation.
The best player: Antoine Griezmann
Antoine Griezmann is the player of the week. The Frenchman scored from a corner kick at the Benito Villamarín and earned the praise of his teammates and Diego Simeone, a coach who considers him indispensable for Atletico de Madrid.
Griezmann, not content with making his mark with just one goal, scored a brace to hand the Colchoneros a 2-1 win over Los Betis. The narrow and controversial victory caused strong dispite. Manuel Pellegrini, coach of the Andalusian side, questioned Simeone's style of play and, locked in the umpteenth fight over his defensive system, ignored his counterpart's statements and continued on his way.
The best goal: Valverde the man again
Federico Valverde has made fans at the Santiago Bernabéu accustomed to celebrating his wonderstrikes from outside the box every weekend. On Sunday, October 6th, he sent the ball into Marc-Andre ter Stegen's net with a lethal strike from the edge of the area. On October 19th, the same scene played out: Elche failed to close down a quick Madrid cross and bam. Valverde scored from the six-yard box, first time.
On Saturday against Sevilla, the Uruguayan was the protagonist of the match. He endured from the start, the physical toughness of Jorge Sampaoli's team. The charrúa took blows - especially one from Alejandro "el papu" Gómez that silenced the crowd - but still scored a missile that broke Yassine Bono's goal.