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Barcelona throwing La Liga title away

18/04/16
Barcelona throwing La Liga title away

A month ago Barcelona looked set to coast to the Spanish league title and the Champions League, but now they are out of Europe and only top of La Liga on the head-to-head rule.

A run of just one win in their last six games in all competitions, including four defeats could cost Luis Enrique’s team dearly. Second-place Atletico Madrid and bitter-rivals Real Madrid have capitalised on the Blaugrana’s poor results ruthlessly.

A couple of weeks ago it did not seem possible that either could catch Lionel Messi and co, but a shock 2-1 home defeat against Valencia, coupled with wins for both their rivals means Barcelona have a fight on their hands to retain their domestic crown.

Barcelona have incredibly now lost their last three games in La Liga, after previously experiencing a 39 game unbeaten run. That unbeaten run was ended by Real Madrid at the Nou Camp in El Clasico, but the Catalans problems started in the game before that big clash when Barcelona threw away a two goal lead at Villarreal’s El Madrigal to draw 2-2.

That game showed just how vulnerable Barcelona were and that their much-vaunted front three of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez were not always enough to secure victory for Luis Enrique’s side.

As much as their rivals have caught up to them in La Liga, Barcelona still have the advantage of having a better head-to-head record against both Atleti and Real this season.

The important thing is that Barcelona end their current slump and get back to winning ways very quickly. The reigning European champions do look to have the easier fixtures, so maybe they can bounce back in the near future, but all of a sudden the Spanish title race is not so cut and dry.

La Liga
OVERALL TABLE PTS GP W D L +/-
1
Real Madrid 87 34 27 6 1 52
2
Girona 74 34 23 5 6 31
3
Barcelona 73 34 22 7 5 27
4
Atlético Madrid 67 34 21 4 9 24
5
Athletic Bilbao 61 34 17 10 7 22
6
Real Sociedad 54 34 14 12 8 13
7
Real Betis 52 34 13 13 8 4
8
Valencia 47 34 13 8 13 -2
9
Villarreal 45 34 12 9 13 -2
10
Getafe 43 34 10 13 11 -6
11
Deportivo Alavés 41 34 11 8 15 -6
12
Sevilla 41 34 10 11 13 -1
13
Osasuna 39 34 11 6 17 -14
14
Las Palmas 37 34 10 7 17 -13
15
Celta Vigo 34 34 8 10 16 -12
16
Rayo Vallecano 34 34 7 13 14 -16
17
Real Mallorca 32 34 6 14 14 -13
18
Cadiz 26 34 4 14 16 -26
19
Granada CF 21 34 4 9 21 -28
20
UD Almería 17 34 2 11 21 -34

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