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European football: La Liga battle hots up as Real close on Barca after El Clasico win

Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid
Image: Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates converting spotkick against Barcelona in El Clasico

The dust might be settling after El Clasico, but it looks like there’s plenty more drama in store in La Liga, writes Sky Sports News HQ's David Garrido.

Just two points cover the top five, with Sevilla and Valencia currently mixing it with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico.

Real really do seem to have found their groove – aside Gareth Bale’s injury, he’s already shown that he’s ready to step up and play a more significant role, with Cristiano Ronaldo off to a lightning-quick start up front with 16 goals in eight games. It’s now 10 wins in a row in all competitions for Real, scoring 42.

La Liga

Barcelona had not conceded a goal this season before shipping three in El Clasico.

Barca still lead the table, although a swift response is needed to their 3-1 defeat at the Bernabeu, and an immediate return to their stubborn, stingy defending.

They hadn’t conceded in La Liga this season before their trip to the Spanish capital, so a clean sheet and a resounding victory at home to Celta Vigo this weekend would certainly help boss Luis Enrique press the reset button.

Second-placed Sevilla’s only defeat of the season has been at Atletico, and Atletico’s only loss this campaign was the following week at Valencia.

It’s the team from the Mestalla who have raised the most eyebrows, making their home ground a fortress again – they have a 100% record there this season, winning five, scoring 15, with coach Nuno Espirito Santo nurturing an exciting young squad, especially striker Paco Alcacer.

The Basques, though, are struggling – for some reason, goals are in short supply, with Athletic Bilbao having netted just six times in nine games, and Sevilla are next to visit San Mames on Sunday.

Real Sociedad are two places below their local rivals and one above the relegation zone, but they haven’t adequately replaced Antoine Griezmann. What’s most galling for both teams is that they’re behind neighbours and La Liga newcomers Eibar.

Italy

Like Barcelona, Juventus started the season with a string of wins but without conceding in the league... the last month has been more challenging, though.

After back-to-back defeats in the Champions League, they’ve now lost in Serie A for the first time this season in midweek (a 1-0 defeat at Genoa courtesy of a last-minute goal from Luca Antonini) and red cards are creeping in too.

That slip has let Roma draw level on points, and Rudi Garcia’s side have recovered well having lost to Juve early in October and suffered a 7-1 hammering at the hands of Bayern Munich.

But just as confidence is rebuilding, they head to Napoli this weekend, with Rafa Benitez’s men resurgent and on a run of their own. Jose Callejon has been prolific, Gonzalo Higuain has finally got going as well.

Ligue 1

Andre-Pierre Gignac has been incisive and prolific with 10 goals in the league already, despite ongoing chatter about his weight.

Six points behind the top two are AC Milan, now with Filippo Inzaghi settled in and starting to exert his influence on the squad. Spirited fightbacks to claim draws have combined with the odd victory – it’s a good platform to build on at the San Siro with no European commitments to distract them.

While Milan have gone six matches unbeaten, at the other end, six consecutive defeats have left Parma bottom and four points from safety. Roberto Donadoni survives, for the moment, at least.

France 

Paris Saint-Germain are still unbeaten in Ligue 1, and they’ve managed to narrow the gap on Marseille who had looked like runaway leaders until their defeat at Lyon, who jumped up to third.

Laurent Blanc’s side had dropped too many points with draws against lesser opposition, but Edinson Cavani has stepped up in Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s absence to help PSG record three wins on the bounce, putting them just four points adrift of Marcelo Bielsa’s men.

Former Argentina coach Bielsa is known as a true analyst of the game and a perfectionist, and he has definitely sharpened things up since Jose Anigo left the Stade Velodrome. Andre-Pierre Gignac has been incisive and prolific with 10 goals in the league already, despite ongoing chatter about his weight.

Bordeaux have started to tumble down the table after a decent start, whilst Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco are improving after a difficult first month of the season.

The games might not exactly be thrilling at the Stade Louis II, especially in the Champions League, but they could do just enough to make the knockout stages, as well as rising up the Ligue 1 table.

Germany

The huge story in the Bundesliga is the plight of Borussia Dortmund, who lie 17th – one point and one place above the bottom three, having lost four on the bounce.

Despite his charismatic character, Jurgen Klopp’s stock is falling and he has to get the likes of Marco Reus, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Ilkay Gundogan performing if he’s to save them and himself.

Trouble is, their next game is away to Bayern Munich on Saturday, followed by a visit from Galatasaray in the Champions League, then another from second-placed Borussia Moenchengladbach. Not an ideal run of fixtures.

While Klopp tries to revive Dortmund, Schalke’s win over their great rivals in the Revierderby wasn’t enough to save Jens Keller. Instead, in came Roberto di Matteo and promptly the team won again, 2-0 against Hertha Berlin, although their form is erratic right now to say the least.

Bundesliga

The huge story this season is the plight of Borussia Dortmund, who lie 17th, one point and one place above the bottom three, having lost four on the bounce.

This is where the undoubted talent of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar and Julian Draxler needs to pull Schalke up from 12th towards the European places, before they get dragged into a scrap.

Already in for a long old season are the 2004 champions Werder Bremen, whose failure to win any of their first nine games of the league season was enough reason to dismiss Robin Dutt, with Ukrainian Viktor Skrypnyk appointed in his stead.

Along with Keller and Mirko Slomka at third-bottom Hamburg, Dutt’s departure means that three Bundesliga managers have now gone in the space of just six weeks.

At the other end of the table, Bayern Munich are already four points clear, having not conceded in 658 minutes of league football.

In their last three home games, they’ve scored 14 without reply, Mario Goetze and Robert Lewandowski responsible for half that tally alone. How cruel, and yet how likely it would be, for them to pour on the agony against Dortmund and former boss Klopp.

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