The battle to win the 2019-20 La Liga season continues, with Barcelona and Real Madrid going toe-to-toe for the award.
While Los Blancos struggled to beat Sevilla due to some controversial calls by VAR technology, Barcelona also had a tough time to earn three points against Granada. But even so, the team now coached by Quique Setién accomplished the highest possession percentage for a Blaugrana side in the decade and the third highest in team history.
The game between Los Blaugranas and los Nazaríes ended in a 1-0 win for the hosts, but Quique Setién started to fulfill his promises regarding how his team would dominate with the ball.
82.6% - @Barcelona's Quique Setién has become the second manager with the highest possession figure in a @LaLigaEN game since at least 2005/06, after Pep Guardiola (84% vs Racing de Santander in 2011 and 83.9% vs Levante in 2011). Premiere. pic.twitter.com/A5FSdHyGCn
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 19, 2020
Elsewhere, Real Madrid claimed a crucial three points en route to one more win in a row, and they had Casemiro stepping up for the team when they needed him the most. The Brazilian star filled in for Karim Benzema and netted twice against Los Hispalenses, keeping Zidane's unbeaten streak going.
.@Casemiro scores his first ever brace for Real Madrid. Striker mode pic.twitter.com/4lImdpxL7d
— Infinite Madrid (@InfiniteMadrid) January 18, 2020
The race for the league's third place also had some interesting moments, as Atlético Madrid saw their chance to get away from Sevilla slip away. Los Colchoneros are no longer the best defensive unit in the league, mainly due to the following numbers.
42% - Atlético de Madrid have conceded a league-high ratio 42% of their goals from outside the box in LaLiga this season (6/14). Strange. pic.twitter.com/sMNjOcnmAl
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) January 18, 2020
La Liga standings after Matchday 20
As we said earlier, Barcelona and Real Madrid are level on points, with only two goals being the difference between these teams. Sevilla and Atlético seem to be falling behind, and the race to avoid relegation is getting tighter than ever, with four points separating the last place in La Liga and the 17th place.
| Classmt. | Équipe | J | G | N | P | BP | BC | Diff | TB | Forme | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Real Madrid | 33 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 71 | 22 | +49 | 84 | GGGGG | |
| 2 | Girona | 33 | 22 | 5 | 6 | 69 | 40 | +29 | 71 | GGPGP | |
| 3 | Barcelona | 32 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 64 | 37 | +27 | 70 | PGGGG | |
| 4 | Atlético Madrid | 33 | 20 | 4 | 9 | 62 | 39 | +23 | 64 | GPGGP | |
| 5 | Athletic Club | 33 | 16 | 10 | 7 | 53 | 33 | +20 | 58 | PNNPG | |
| 6 | Real Sociedad | 33 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 46 | 35 | +11 | 51 | PNNGG | |
| 7 | Real Betis | 33 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 41 | 39 | +2 | 49 | NGGPP | |
| 8 | Valencia | 32 | 13 | 8 | 11 | 35 | 34 | +1 | 47 | PGGNP | |
| 9 | Villarreal | 33 | 12 | 9 | 12 | 54 | 55 | -1 | 45 | GGNPG | |
| 10 | Getafe | 33 | 10 | 13 | 10 | 41 | 45 | -4 | 43 | GNNPG | |
| 11 | Osasuna | 33 | 11 | 6 | 16 | 37 | 49 | -12 | 39 | PPPGP | |
| 12 | Deportivo Alavés | 33 | 10 | 8 | 15 | 31 | 38 | -7 | 38 | GGPPP | |
| 13 | Sevilla | 33 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 42 | 46 | -4 | 38 | NGGGP | |
| 14 | Las Palmas | 33 | 10 | 7 | 16 | 30 | 41 | -11 | 37 | PPPPP | |
| 15 | Rayo Vallecano | 33 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 27 | 42 | -15 | 34 | PGNNG | |
| 16 | Mallorca | 33 | 6 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 39 | -12 | 32 | NPPNG | |
| 17 | Celta de Vigo | 33 | 7 | 10 | 16 | 37 | 50 | -13 | 31 | PGPNG | |
| 18 | Cádiz | 33 | 4 | 14 | 15 | 23 | 46 | -23 | 26 | NPPGP | |
| 19 | Granada | 33 | 4 | 9 | 20 | 36 | 61 | -25 | 21 | GNGPP | |
| 20 | Almería | 33 | 1 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 67 | -35 | 14 | PPNPG |
