LaLiga Power Rankings: September
LaLiga’a alternative rankings are back to evaluate the current form of the Spanish teams during this month of September.
Girona (↑1)
Girona just keep getting better and better. Since their first draw in MD1 against Real Sociedad, they haven’t looked back and are topping the standings with Barça, on 16 points. They play attractive offensive football that translates into plenty of goals and entertainment. And beware of the stat shared by journalist Alex Luna: 100% of the teams that achieved 16 points out of 18 in the first 6 LaLiga games finished the season in the top 6. 95% of those teams qualified for the Champions League. Let’s if they can keep this up…
Barcelona (↑3)
The João’s have really had an impact on Xavi’s squad, and Barça are looking like a dominant side capable of tearing down any defence… on a good day. Because we were taken aback by the show they put on against Betis and Antwerp, but they didn’t look great against Osasuna and only a miracle saved them from losing against Celta de Vigo. Yet three goals in 8 minutes were also proof that Barça know how to be persistent and bounce back, even when they’re having a bad day and the opposition has been far superior for most of the encounter. Now they’re leading LaLiga with Girona, but with one fewer goal conceded.
Real Madrid (↓2)
We mentioned it in the previous Power Rankings: Madrid were leading but they weren’t outstanding. You kind of felt like it was a matter of time before they slipped up, and it happened against Atlético de Madrid. Their previous results against Getafe, Real Sociedad and Union Berlin were very close, until the bubble finally burst. The Jude Bellingham dependance seems to be a reality, but unfortunately for them that soufflé has lost some of its puffiness. They’re still one point away from the league leaders and there’s a long way to go, but you just wander if Joselu was the right plan b, after selling Benzema and missing out on Mbappé.
Atlético de Madrid (↓1)
They drop one position despite their massive win against Real Madrid because of Barça’s form, their humiliating defeat against Valencia and the fact that they have one game in hand against Sevilla that would’ve helped decipher if Atleti’s unexpected result was the one against los ches or los blancos. De Paul’s recent absence hasn’t helped and now they’ve also lost Lemar for the long term, so we’ll have to see how that affects the squad.
Athletic Club (↑1)
Athletic Club are making the most of their momentum, especially that of players such as Iñaki Williams or Guruzeta. But not only is the team scoring goals, it’s also showing defensive solidity, being the team that has conceded the fewest goals so far this season in LaLiga, together with Las Palmas. Valverde is, once again, squeezing every ounce of blood and sweat out of his players, which brings up the question: will the squad keep up this great form for long?
Valencia (↓2)
They continue to impress, particularly after beating a team such as Atlético de Madrid with such authority, and given they were relegation candidates for many. But it’s also true that against (apparently) weaker sides such as Alavés or Almería they need to be capable of winning. Not only because those teams are currently looking like relegation candidates themselves, but also to avoid any scares if Valencia were to drop back down at some point, because as we saw last season, the head-to-head fixtures in the fight for salvation are key.
Getafe (↑2)
It might be surprising to see them climb up one spot in this ranking despite two defeats in the last three games, but they’ve shown resilience and probably deserved a bit more. They were unlucky to leave the Santiago Bernabéu without a point, after a harsh 95th minute goal by Bellingham, and they really put Real Sociedad to the test, despite losing 4-3. In between, they beat Osasuna 3-2 and they’re showing they can score goals in spite of Unal’s absence. Like Simeone, it might be that Bordalás has also decided to shift away from his characteristic ultra defensive style.
Rayo Vallecano (=)
Not much has changed for Rayo. They remain in a comfortable position in LaLiga’s standings but are still far from being as convincing as in their last two seasons with Iraola. But what’s important for them is to keep adding points to their tally, and they’ve done so by beating Alavés and drawing against Villarreal, and they have a favourable fixtures upcoming in which they need to keep up the good work.
Cádiz (↑1)
Cádiz didn’t have it easy playing against Villarreal, Betis and an inspired Athletic Club, yet they managed to secure 4 out of 9 points in those encounters. Their win against Villarreal was practically the last nail in Setién’s coffin and they went on to draw against Betis thanks to an inspired Conan Ledesma, although not before getting thrashed by Athletic. Taking into account how much they suffered in the previous campaign, they’re currently doing their homework in trying to avoid another nail-biting season.
Osasuna (↓3)
Poor run for Osasuna which could get even worse with the upcoming fixtures against Atlético and Real Madrid. Since getting knocked out from the Conference League, during the qualifying games against Brugges, they haven’t really looked like themselves. Arrasate had them doing wonders last season, but now the team seems to be struggling a bit. Although, to be fair, their calendar hasn’t been very favourable in this start to the campaign. Also, they were actually very tough to beat for Barça and Getafe, and even deserved more in their draw against Sevilla. Let’s see if they can get back on track and surprise some of the league favourites.
Real Sociedad (↑6)
Big leap from Real Sociedad, in part because of the poor form of all the other LaLiga teams in the bottom half of our Power Rankings. It’s taking them longer than expected to find their groove, but little by little it seems like they’re getting it back. Goals galore against Granada and Getafe, yet they failed to take anything back home from the Santiago Bernabéu despite impressing with their control of the ball and their attacking capabilities. As explained by MisterChip, it was the first time ever that the basque team lost at the Bernabéu after leading at half time.
Las Palmas (↑3)
Las Palmas finally got the win they’ve been chasing so desperately, and it happened when we least expected it: while playing with 10 men. Mika Mármol got sent off in the 58th minute vs Granada and it felt like García Pimienta’s days as a Las Palmas manager could be over very soon. Yet the squad believed and they battled against the odds to provide a 92nd minute winner that secured their first 3 points of the season. Hopefully this result will give Las Palmas the boost they needed to collect more wins in the Spanish top flight.
Villarreal (↓2)
Pacheta’s journey as Villarreal’s manager hasn’t started as bad as Setién’s did last season, but it isn’t much more promising at the moment. He was very lucky to get a late winner against Almería and his team didn’t show much of an improvement versus Rayo. In between, the midweek Europa League match was also a disaster. Still early stages for the new manager, but seeing how impatient Villarreal fans were with the previous boss, he’ll have to come up with the goods, sooner than later.
Betis (↓2)
Similar to the ‘yellow submarine’, a lot is also expected from a squad like Betis’. Whereas it’s true that the team is adapting to Isco being the new captain of the green and white ship, instead of Canales, they should still be capable of more. Against Barça they did have their chances, but the final scoreline was unacceptable for a team that wants to qualify for the UCL. Defensively they looked extremely vulnerable and that bad streak has dragged on against Rangers and Cádiz. Manuel Pellegrini needs to find answers sooner than later.
Celta de Vigo (↑1)
Don’t let the scoreline against Barça fool you. They were the better side for 80 minutes and, undoubtedly, deserved more from that game. Rafa Benítez planned the match masterfully and was so, so, close to getting his reward. Unfortunately, football can be very cruel sometimes, even though in Celta’s case it’s happening a tad too often. In their face off with Mallorca, had Bamba’s goal not been ruled off by millimetres, maybe they’d have another 3 points. At least they succeeded in defeating Almería… But the way they play is surely not deserving of the bottom three spots of LaLiga’s standings.
Sevilla (↑4)
Sevilla are still far off from the level of football expected from them, yet they’ve slowly clawed out from the very bottom of the standings. A win and a draw against Las Palmas and Osasuna are their best results this season, and they still have a game in hand with Atlético de Madrid. They’re far from where they want to be, but Mendilibar is correcting some stuff and will hopefully recover the best version of Sevilla in the near future.
Mallorca (↑2)
A win against Celta de Vigo and a draw with Athletic are two valuable results, taking into account the team is looking much worse than in the 22/23 campaign despite the reinforcements that arrived this summer. Aguirre has a lot of work to do, and the 5-3 defeat to Girona is further proof of that.
Alavés (↓4)
Big dip for Alavés who despite beating Valencia, have shown their vulnerabilities against Rayo and Athletic, which are mainly offensive. With only five goals scored so far, they’re the second worst team in that department, and four of them came in a single game, specifically in the win against Sevilla.
Almería (↓1)
Things aren’t looking good for Vicente Moreno or Almería, who are now the only team yet to win in LaLiga this season. They haven’t looked awful but results never seem to favour them and that’s what football is all about. A reaction is needed before it’s too late.
Granada (↓7)
Granada drop from 13th to 20th after being the only team to lose the last 3 matches. A horrible streak in which they’ve conceded 10 goals and even found a way to lose to a team that was down to 10 men, such as Las Palmas. Paco Lopez’s facial expression was a poem after that defeat, making it seem like he’s running out of ideas and hope. The next two matches vs Betis and Almería could prove crucial for Paco’s future.