What has been going on in LALIGA this past week? Here are 10 of the top stories, from Morales' hat-trick to Granada CF's coaching change.
Club football returned this week, so there are several storylines from LALIGA EA SPORTS Matchday 14 to break down. The most important headlines are outlined below, as well as the other Spanish football news of the week.
Rodrygo leads Real Madrid to the top of the table
With a sensational performance on Sunday evening, Rodrygo led Real Madrid to the top of the LALIGA EA SPORTS table, at least temporarily. The Brazilian scored two goals and assisted Jude Bellingham for another in Los Blancos' 3-0 victory away at Cádiz CF, a result that means they sit top of the standings, at least until Girona FC's fixture this Monday night.
Morales' hat-trick means Marcelino gets off to a winning start
New Villarreal CF coach Marcelino enjoyed a winning start, as he watched his side defeat CA Osasuna 3-1 in his first LALIGA EA SPORTS match since being appointed during the November international break. The coach trusted the veteran José Luis Morales to start up front and it paid off, as the forward scored an impressive hat-trick.
Sadiq is back on the scoresheet
Sunday was a special day for Real Sociedad striker Umar Sadiq. The Nigerian missed almost the entirety of last season with a serious knee injury and has been little by little working his way back to form over the first few months of this season. In La Real's Matchday 14 clash with Sevilla FC, Sadiq unleased a thunderbolt from distance to clinch a 2-1 victory, with this his first goal in 449 days.
Atlético de Madrid extend their home win streak
Antoine Griezmann headed in the only goal of the game as Atlético de Madrid defeated RCD Mallorca 1-0 on Saturday night, a result that means Los Colchoneros have now won each of their past 18 home matches. They have made the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano a fortress and one of the toughest places to visit anywhere in Europe.
Rayo Vallecano and Getafe CF keep up their good runs
Two of Saturday's LALIGA EA SPORTS games took place in Madrid and the home supports of Rayo Vallecano and Getafe CF were delighted with their results. In the case of Rayo Vallecano, they kept up their run of good form by drawing 1-1 against FC Barcelona, meaning they've now gone five meetings without losing to the Catalan side. As for Getafe CF, they defeated UD Almería 2-1 to make it eight games unbeaten in LALIGA EA SPORTS.
Granada CF part ways with Paco López
Following Granada CF's 3-1 defeat at Deportivo Alavés on Friday night, and with the team second-bottom of the table, the Andalusian club took the difficult decision to move on from Paco López, who had coached them to last season's LALIGA HYPERMOTION title. They have now begun the search for a new coach.
Messages of support for Gavi
It was confirmed last Monday that FC Barcelona midfielder Gavi has suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, and messages of support for the youngster were shared by his teammates and also by players from other clubs across LALIGA EA SPORTS.
Oblak is going to Euro 2024
There was excitement at Atlético de Madrid during the November international break when Jan Oblak and Slovenia confirmed their qualification for Euro 2024, meaning the Atleti goalkeeper will participate in a tournament with his national team for the first time. When he returned from international duty, the shot-stopper was congratulated by his teammates and members of staff.
Tributes are paid to Terry Venables
After the sad news of Terry Venables' death was announced over the weekend, there were several tributes paid to the English football legend around the world, including from the Spanish footballing community. Venables clinched a LALIGA EA SPORTS title during his time managing FC Barcelona, where he won 91 of 169 matches.
An electoral process begins at LALIGA
On November 22nd, Javier Tebas Medrano tendered his resignation as president of LALIGA. As a result, an electoral process has begun. In accordance with the provisions of the statutes and regulations, a random selection process was conducted to appoint the members of the Electoral Commission, which is responsible for starting the election process.
