La Liga Weekly Power Rankings—Round 8

Barcelona and Deportivo took the cake after scoring nine goals and bringing Riazor to its feet, but there were countless other matches that brought tears to the eyes of fans with such drama.

This round of La Liga matches will be hard to top as a whole after so many close matches and emotional winners scored late.

It's now time to look back at recent results and the fitness levels of every club in Spain to rank them according to form.

Atletico Madrid topped the list last week, but will their close win be enough to keep them on top this week?

Read on to find out.

20. Deportivo La Coruna

Previous Ranking: 18

Table: 18

Latest Results: Loss, 4-5 versus Barcelona

Depor can move forward knowing that they were able to put four goals on a great team like Barcelona, but only one of those goals came from the run of play.

While the result was inspiring, allowing three goals in the first 20 minutes certainly was not.

19. Osasuna

Previous Ranking: 19

Table: 20

Latest Results: Draw, 0-0 versus Betis

Los Rojillos did very well to earn a point from a fine team like Betis, but they still failed to score for the second straight match.

18. Granada

Previous Ranking: 6

Table: 16

Latest Results: Loss, 1-2 versus Zaragoza

They may not have suffered the FIFA virus, but Granada surely could have done without the international break.

They had been one of the hottest teams in Spain before that, but looked very poor against Zaragoza.

17. Espanyol

Previous Ranking: 20

Table: 19

Latest Results: Winner, 3-2 versus Rayo Vallecano

Catalunya will be praising Christian Stuani all week for his extra time winner, but it was Verdu who inspired Espanyol's win over Rayo.

Los Periquitos now have two straight matches without a loss, but earned yet another red card—their fifth of the season.

16. Celta Vigo

Previous Ranking: 7

Table: 13

Latest Results: Loss, 0-2 versus Real Madrid

Iago Aspas may be the league's biggest breakout player this season, but he was no match for Real Madrid.

His passing and ability to pull defenders is incredible, but he just doesn't have the supporting cast needed to excel against top teams.

15. Rayo Vallecano

Previous Ranking: 16

Table: 12

Latest Results: Loss, 2-3 versus Espanyol

Leo did his best impression of Michu as he battled Verdu blow-for-blow, but Christian Stuani erased a magical performances with the winner in extra time.

14. Athletic Bilbao

Previous Ranking: 14

Table: 17

Latest Results: Loss, 2-3 Valencia

Aritz Aduriz was spectacular against his former club, but not even his brace could fill the huge void left in central midfield for Los Leones.

We just have to wonder how much longer Fernando Llorente will be out of favor in Basque Country.

13. Real Zaragoza

Previous Ranking: 17

Table: 14

Latest Results: Win, 2-1 Granada

Los Blanquillos ended their two-game skid against a disappointing Granada, but what was more encouraging was that they finally scored a goal.

12. Real Sociedad

Previous Ranking: 10

Table: 15

Latest Results: Loss, 0-1 versus Atletico Madrid

Poor Eñaut Zubikarai. The Basque keeper made just one mistake all night against Atleti. Unfortunately, it came in the 90th minute on a great free kick from Falcao.

But he cannot be blamed alone. Carlos Vela missed a golden opportunity to win the game late on and the referee denied a penalty after a clear handball in the box.

11. Mallorca

Previous Ranking: 11

Table: 8

Latest Results: Loss, 2-3 versus Sevilla

Mallorca have now lost three straight matches, but the games have been much closer than three losses show.

Against Sevilla, Gio dos Santos had a fantastic return to Spanish football with two assists and will inspire confidence to a team hurting from defensive injuries.

10. Getafe

Previous Ranking: 15

Table: 11

Latest Results: Loss, 0-1 versus Levante

Some losses just hurt more than others. This one will leave a bad taste in Luis Garcia Plaza's mouth.

El Geta were just minutes away from their third consecutive clean sheet before Levante's Michel silenced the Coliseum Alfonso Perez with an 87th minute goal.

Let's see how they respond.

9. Valladolid

Previous Ranking: 9

Table: 10

Latest Results: Loss, 1-2 versus Malaga

Pucela remain a team on the verge.They have still yet to play a bad match in La Liga, but just don't have the mental toughness needed to close matches.

Valladolid lost a heart-breaker against La Liga's third-best team and will continue to cause problems for most Spanish clubs all season.

8. Real Betis

Previous Ranking: 5

Table: 6

Latest Results: Draw, 0-0 versus Osasuna

Betis went to Pamplona on good form and facing the worst team in the league with a Champions League place in tow.

It was hard to tell which team was in the relegation zone as Los Beticos looked toothless in attack and were held without a goal for the second time in two matches.

7. Valencia

Previous Ranking: 13

Table: 9

Latest Results: Win, 3-2 versus Athletic Bilbao

If you missed this game, shame on you. If not for the nine-goal thriller at Riazor, this would have been the best match of the weekend.

Valencia showed tremendous character by scoring two goals in the last three minutes of play to steal a win from Los Leones.

This is the kind of win that can inspire a run of good form.

6. Sevilla

Previous Ranking: 8

Table: 5

Latest Results: Win, 3-2 versus Mallorca

Alvaro Negredo put in a Man of the Match performance while the league's best right-back scored the winner.

Los Rojiblancos should be able to ride Cicinho's goal to a three-game winning streak with Zaragoza and Espanyol up next.

5. Levante

Previous Ranking: 12

Table: 7

Latest Results: Win, 1-0 versus Getafe

At last! It took until mid-October, but Levante have finally managed to win consecutive league games this season.

It came down to a late winner in Madrid, but Los Granotes pulled out the win and are now back in the hunt for Europe.

4. Real Madrid

Previous Ranking: 4

Table: 4

Latest Results: Win, 2-0 versus Celta Vigo

The champions of Spain were fairly dominant in Madrid, but the final score didn't really reflect that control because of how wasteful the team was.

Cristiano Ronaldo did well to score a penalty, but he missed far more goals that he is expected to do better with.

3. Malaga

Previous Ranking: 3

Table: 3

Latest Results: Win, 2-1 versus Valladolid

Isco continues to get the praise, but it would be extremely unfair to think that he is carrying this team.

Joaquin has been class now that he is healthy and Camacho has been the league's best defensive midfielder.

Malaga have been the stingiest team in Spain this season, but will now be seriously tested with a very congested upcoming schedule.

2. Barcelona

Previous Ranking: 2

Table: 1

Latest Results: Win, 5-4 versus Deportivo

Barça's shootout victory over Depor really epitomized where they are this season in three ways.

First, it showed the incredible spirit and winning mentality that has kept them in first place all season.

Second, we saw that when Messi & Co. are on form, they are almost impossible to stop.

Finally, La Blaugrana again proved that their defense can be awful and will surely cost them late in the season if it is not fixed soon.

1. Atletico Madrid

Previous Ranking: 1

Table: 2

Latest Results: Win, 1-0 versus Real Sociedad

Everyone keeps talking about Barcelona's never-say-die attitude, but Atletico have now won three straight matches in extra time.

Stepping up for midfield maestro, Arda Turan, Falcao was there to score the first free kick of his career to hand La Real their first home loss of the season.

El Tigre

Falcao has been the most efficient goal-scorer in La Liga this season with a goal every 60.44 minutes this season. That is better than Messi (61.09 g/m) and Ronaldo (78 g/m).

He has also scored nine goals from 28 shots which beats Messi at 11 from 44 and is almost twice as clinical as Ronaldo with nine goals from 54 shots.

Follow @MichaelCernaBR