For me, there is one manager in the game who (in some countries) perhaps isn’t as appreciated as much as he should be. He’s a multiple winner in multiple countries to the extent that silverware is almost guaranteed when he’s around – from the Premier League to La Liga.
In fact, since Sir Alex Ferguson called it a day in 2013, I am in no doubt he has been the best manager in the world. Step forward Carlo Ancelotti who will be remembered as one of the game’s greats long after he has retired and his forthcoming departure from Real Madrid is tinged with sadness for me. This is not just because it’s unknown if he will return to club football (rumours persist linking him with the Brazilian national team job) but also because he will bow out from the Spanish top flight following the rarity of an empty season.
This weekend confirmed that as, despite an El Clasico hat-trick for Kylian Mbappé, Real Madrid were beaten for the fourth time this season by arch rivals Barcelona. When Mbappé scored twice in the first 14 minutes, Real seemed set to cut their opponents lead at the top of La Liga to a solitary point. Yet the turnaround that followed resulted in a thrilling 4-3 victory for the hosts and means Barcelona will soon be taking the champions’ crown off Los Blancos and securing a league and cup double.
Sunday afternoon in the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys was the final blow to a campaign which has seen Barcelona win both league contests against Real, as well as the Spanish Super Cup and Copa del Rey Final a few short weeks ago. We will never know how Real would have fared had they not suffered season-ending injuries to Eder Militao and Dani Carvajal in the autumn, nor had they been without Antoine Rudiger or David Alaba for such key periods, but their absences were telling blows and their bench on Sunday afternoon spoke of a lack of strength in depth right now. Real will bounce back, of course they will, but for now the Catalonia coronation is only a matter of weeks away.
While Ancelotti remains one of the club’s greatest ever managers, a period in which he has delivered three Champions League titles and two Spanish titles, along with plenty of other silverware, during his two spells at the club, there’s a new kid in town at the other end of the age spectrum who is about to get his hands on a first ever title.
Ten months after inspiring Spain to become European champions, all the while juggling his schoolwork, teenage sensation Lamine Yamal is a player making the world set up and take notice. His performance on Sunday afternoon was yet another reminder of this prodigious talent and the perfect way to bounce back following a compelling but, ultimately, unsuccessful Champions League semi-final against Inter Milan in midweek.
If the final El Clasico instalment of the season caught the eye of SBOTOP and created many of the weekend’s La Liga 2025 highlights, there were a few other key results.
Alvaro Garcia’s 66th minute goal on Friday night, curled in via the underside of the crossbar, proved a big boost for the European aspirations of Rayo Vallecano (who currently sit in eighth, the final Euro position up for grabs) and a mighty blow for Las Palmas’ survival hopes.
While Valencia, at one point in a relegation scrap, are actually among a few clubs just behind Vallecano still hopeful of securing a European berth with three league games remaining, another team used to being at the sharp end of the standings have now been dragged into the basement battle themselves.
Sevilla, Europa League winners only two seasons ago, are just four points clear of the drop zone and their 3-2 defeat at Celta Vigo angered a section of their fan base who were there to greet them as they arrived back at their ground and led to players spending the night at their training facility on Saturday evening.
Girona, last season’s surprise package, are also lowly and were beaten 1-0 at home by a late Etta Eyong goal, his first ever, as Villarreal stayed in fifth place.
With a respectful nod to Mbappe, there’s no question who the player of the weekend is. That’s Alexander Sorloth who hit four goals in 20 first half minutes – the seventh, 10th, 11th and 30th – to inspire a 4-0 rout against Real Sociedad and move Atletico Madrid closer to sealing third place in the table. In the process, the Norwegian striker broke two La Liga records that will be very difficult for anyone to beat in the future. He now holds the record for the fastest hat-trick in La Liga history (ahead of David Villa, who took just over four minutes to score three times for Valencia against Athletic Bilbao in 2006), and also the earliest ever La Liga hat-trick.
The La Liga 2025 betting odds on Leganes have shortened after their 3-2 home win over Espanyol moved them to within a point of safety, while in-form Real Betis’ hopes of a top five finish were damaged as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Osasuna.
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