The last weekend before October's international break left Real Madrid and Barcelona watching Sevilla take the top of the league all to themselves. Neither one of the Spanish giants was able to win this weekend, giving way for los Hispalenses to take the first place of the competition.
Sevilla's lead comes as no surprise, mainly because Los Blancos and Los Blaugranas have experienced a woeful dip in form. Both teams have won only once in their most recent five games, which is starting to make fans a little nervous about how the season will go for each of them. In fact, some fans and experts are already asking for Julen Lopetegui's head, mainly due to the fact that Real Madrid has failed to score in their last three and a half La Liga games.
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barcelona | 27 | 19 | 3 | 5 | 75 | 27 | 48 | 60 | WWWWW | |
| 2 | Real Madrid | 28 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 59 | 27 | 32 | 60 | WWLWD | |
| 3 | Atlético Madrid | 28 | 16 | 8 | 4 | 46 | 22 | 24 | 56 | LLWWD | |
| 4 | Athletic Club | 28 | 14 | 10 | 4 | 46 | 24 | 22 | 52 | WDLWD | |
| 5 | Villarreal | 27 | 12 | 8 | 7 | 49 | 38 | 11 | 44 | LLWDW | |
| 6 | Real Betis | 28 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 38 | 35 | 3 | 44 | WWWWW | |
| 7 | Mallorca | 28 | 11 | 7 | 10 | 28 | 34 | -6 | 40 | WDDDW | |
| 8 | Celta de Vigo | 28 | 11 | 6 | 11 | 41 | 41 | 0 | 39 | WWDWD | |
| 9 | Rayo Vallecano | 28 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 31 | 31 | 0 | 37 | DLDLL | |
| 10 | Sevilla | 28 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 32 | 37 | -5 | 36 | LWDDW | |
| 11 | Getafe | 28 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 25 | 23 | 2 | 36 | WWLLW | |
| 12 | Real Sociedad | 28 | 10 | 5 | 13 | 25 | 30 | -5 | 35 | DLLWL | |
| 13 | Girona | 28 | 9 | 7 | 12 | 36 | 41 | -5 | 34 | DDDLL | |
| 14 | Osasuna | 27 | 7 | 12 | 8 | 33 | 39 | -6 | 33 | LDLDD | |
| 15 | Espanyol | 27 | 7 | 7 | 13 | 26 | 39 | -13 | 28 | LDWDL | |
| 16 | Valencia | 28 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 31 | 46 | -15 | 28 | DWDLD | |
| 17 | Deportivo Alavés | 28 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 32 | 42 | -10 | 27 | DWDLD | |
| 18 | Leganés | 28 | 6 | 9 | 13 | 26 | 43 | -17 | 27 | LLWLD | |
| 19 | Las Palmas | 28 | 6 | 7 | 15 | 32 | 47 | -15 | 25 | DLDLL | |
| 20 | Real Valladolid | 28 | 4 | 4 | 20 | 18 | 63 | -45 | 16 | LLDLL |
Pichichi race
If Sevilla's leap to the top surprised you, the same thing has happened in the race to become La Liga's top scorer. A brace by Christian Stuani left the Uruguayan all alone as the best striker in Spain, surpassing André Silva. If you were wondering where's Lionel Messi, he's currently sitting at the third spot.
Crisis among Spanish giants
It's no secret that La Liga's season is quite long, but having both Real Madrid and Barcelona struggling to get in gear at the same time is not something that happens frequently. Los Blaugranas have only won three out of their last 12 points, something they hadn't experienced in quite a while.
Valencia 1-1 Barcelona FT: Barcelona are winless in four La Liga matches for the first time since April 2016 https://t.co/4nRcpfyp2h
— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) October 7, 2018
If you thought Barcelona's run was worrying, things get even worse when you look at Real Madrid's recent numbers in all comps.
Real Madrid's recent form:
— Oddschanger (@Oddschanger) October 8, 2018
Played - 4
Goals scored - 0
Goals conceded - 5
Not looking good for Julen Lopetegui... pic.twitter.com/lhPqYyzQi4
The league will not enter a 12-day hiatus, but even if there are no games, you can surely expect more news coming in from Spain regarding the struggles of both of these teams.
