Barcelona Weakened, Real Madrid Rebounds: 9 Things Learned in La Liga

Eight days, three league matches.

Last week gave us controversy, a new title race and a glimmer of hope for clubs in relegation.

This week, we learned that every spot besides the top two is truly up for grabs.

We learned that this season looks to finish with one of the most surprising final tables in years.

Fans saw Real Madrid respond after an embarrassing pair of matches, but against a rather weak opponent.

We saw Barcelona continue their winning form, but with a very uneasy win.

Here are nine things we learned this week in La Liga.

Madrid Needs a Real Test

Even before dropping four points in three days last week, Real were in trouble.

They had not been playing their best football for almost a month.

Thankfully for Madrid, a five-goal drubbing of Sociedad has gotten them back on track.

It was a great way to respond, but we need to see how they respond to a better club before deciding whether or not they have turned the corner.

With a very tough April scheduled, Madrid will need to show real character to avoid one of the worst collapses in club history.

Malaga the Hottest Team in La Liga

For the second straight week, Malaga was part of the best match of the round.

After falling behind to Espanyol before the half-hour mark, Malaga scored two goals in two minutes just 15 minutes before time.

The win puts them level on points with Valencia for third place and in great position to qualify for the Champions League.

Malaga now has not lost a match since February 19th.

They should be favored in their next five matches while Valencia has a tough road ahead.

A third-place finish is within reach and would be a huge accomplishment for this club.

The Wheels Are Coming off in Valencia

With Malaga now level on points, Valencia is under enormous pressure to perform.

Roberto Soldado continued his hot form, but Unai Emery's defense disappointed again against Getafe.

Valencia has now won just three matches in their last 13.

While Malaga has a comparatively easy upcoming schedule, Valencia is about to enter its toughest stretch.

Starting with the derby this weekend, Valencia will now face Levante, Real Madrid, Rayo, Espanyol, Betis, Malaga, Osasuna and Villarreal.

It is unlikely, but not impossible for Valencia to drop points every match to end the season.

The club needs to find a fix quickly, or it may miss out on the Champions League for the first time since the 2008-2009 season.

Osasuna and Levante Battle for Surprise of the Season

These two clubs have no business being where they are in La Liga.

Neither has the funds or, quite frankly, the talent to be fighting for Europe.

Yet, somehow, Levante and Osasuna sit in fifth and sixth place, respectively.

Fans were treated to an extraordinary match this week when these two overachievers squared off in Valencia.

Raul Garcia continued his fantastic season by putting in a man of the match performance—scoring the first goal and assisting the second.

Now, both clubs occupy the final two European spots and are very much in the hunt for Champions League play.

Levante and Osasuna exemplify what makes La Liga such a joy to follow.

Madrid Clubs Ready for April

Two of Madrid's clubs have suffered over the last few weeks.

Atletico Madrid lost to Mallorca last week, just when three points were all the club needed to be in fourth.

Then after beating a hot Bilbao team, they lost to the worst club in the league this weekend.

The loss almost ends Atletico's Champions League hopes and makes the coaching issues from the first half of the season even worse.

Rayo Vallecano has been inconsistent all season but almost constantly in the fight for Europa League competition.

Now, Rayo has lost its last two matches and fallen out of the top 10 and almost out of the running.

They have four players who will likely be targeted by other clubs this summer—Michu, Javi Feugo, Tito and Bangoura—and need a strong finish to hang on to them.

Champions League Race Almost Set

We finally have a clearer picture of La Liga's Champions League race.

While there are still more than 10 teams statistically in the race, we can really narrow it down to six clubs—Valencia, Malaga, Levante, Osasuna, Espanyol and Atletico Madrid.

Espanyol and Atletico Madrid are still in the race, but at seven and eight points out, respectively, their chances hang by a thread.

The Europa League may be their fight.

Most of these clubs will face each other in the coming weeks so make sure and follow the results closely.

Something tells me the final four will not be set until the last week of play.

Zaragoza Setting Fans Up for Heartbreak

Real Zaragoza has now moved level on points with Sporting and Racing after a second consecutive upset.

This week, they beat Atletico Madrid with an emotional Apoño penalty in the 95th minute.

You can tell by the crowd's reaction just how important the kick was.

In the end, they are still seven points away from safety and in need of a lot of help.

It looks like Zaragoza will give fans just enough hope to believe but not enough points to save their season.

Barcelona Built to Last?

With Dani Alves, Adriano and Eric Abidal all unavailable, Pep Guardiola went with a three-man defense against Mallorca.

The decision did not cost him points but only because Mallorca were unable to take advantage of its chances.

After a harsh Thiago red card, Pep went super defensive and fielded only two non-defensive players.

While Pique saved the match in the end, a better attack would have beaten Barcelona.

This week's Champions League match against a red-hot Milan will be the first real test of Barça's defense since losing Abidal.

If they can control Milan's attack, they may be able to handle any club in Europe.

Weekend Preview

There are a handful of headliners this weekend as we enter the final two months of play.

In addition to the previously mentioned Valencia derby, we also have a Madrid derby when Atletico welcomes Getafe to the Vicente Calderon.

Fans also get a rematch of Barcelona-Bilbao. The first match was a strong contender for match of the season.

Racing vs. Granada and Zaragoza vs. Gijon will see four teams trying to fight their way out of relegation.

Osasuna and Malaga will try to stay in contention against Real Madrid and Betis, respectively.

With over half the league still in some sort of race, April's fixtures are starting with a bang.