La Liga Table 2014: Updated Standings After Early Matchday 4 Results
It's important not to look too closely into a league table early in a season, but a quick glance at La Liga entering Matchday 4 breeds plenty of noteworthy surprises.
First and undoubtedly most glaring are the struggles of Real Madrid. With just one victory and two defeats to start the season, Los Blancos are in an awfully unfamiliar situation, ranked 14th in the league entering a trip to newly promoted side Deportivo La Coruna.
As for their bitter rivals, Barcelona have produced no such surprises by easily cruising to three early wins. As the only club in Spain's top-flight league to do so, they hold an outright points lead entering a Sunday affair at Levante.
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Of course, reigning title winners Atletico Madrid aren't far behind with seven points and early-season surprises Valencia and Sevilla join them. All three eye an opportunity to pull closer to—if not ahead of—Barcelona by the end of Week 4.
Here's a look at the updated La Liga table as Week 4 unfolds.
| Barcelona | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 12 |
| Valencia | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 10 |
| Sevilla | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 10 |
| Atletico Madrid | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Granada | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Villarreal | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 7 |
| Real Madrid | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Celta Vigo | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
| Eibar | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
| Almeria | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| Malaga | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -2 | 5 |
| Real Sociedad | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| Elche | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -4 | 4 |
| Deportivo | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -6 | 4 |
| Athletic | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -1 | 3 |
| Getafe | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | -6 | 3 |
| Rayo | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 2 |
| Espanyol | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -3 | 2 |
| Cordoba | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -4 | 2 |
| Levante | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -10 | 1 |
Monday
Valencia notched another convincing victory to keep pace with Barcelona near the top of the table, winning 3-0 at Getafe.
The away side were held to 43 percent possession with Getafe the aggressors, but much of that was due to great early efficiency from the Valencia attack.
Two goals were scored in the first 20 minutes for Valencia, with Paco Alcacer putting them in front in the seventh minute and Andre Gomes adding another in the 20th. Getafe generated six corner-kicks, but five big saves from Valencia goalkeeper Diego Alves kept the clean sheet.
It's been a high-flying start to the league campaign for Valencia, with a lot to show as David Cartlidge of beIN Sports noted:
Valencia will eventually be put to the test against the league's top clubs, but it wouldn't be surprising to see them stick around near the top of the table until then. Should they cruise in upcoming games against Cordoba and Real Sociedad, they could make a huge statement on October 4 against Atletico Madrid.
As for Getafe, they lose their third in four league matches and are flirting with the relegation zone.
Saturday
The most notable development from Saturday's Week 4 La Liga results was the stunning return to form of Real Madrid. Los Blancos had won just one game from three prior to this week's fixtures.
However, Carlo Ancelotti's team went to the Riazor and thrashed Deportivo La Coruna by a six-goal margin. Before delving into how Los Merengues did it, here's a full breakdown of the day's results:
| Deportivo La Coruna | Real Madrid | 2-8 |
| Athletic Bilbao | Granada | 0-1 |
| Atletico Madrid | Celta Vigo | 2-2 |
| Espanyol | Malaga | 2-2 |
Champions Atletico's stalemate at home against Celta Vigo has made city rival Real's spectacular win even sweeter. It was a victory that endorsed the attack-heavy squad Ancelotti has crafted this season.
His team is loaded with forward-thinking players after the arrivals of playmakers Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez this summer. They have joined fleet-footed strikers Gareth Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema.
When all of that talent clicks, any defence is going to be in serious trouble. The Depor back line certainly was.
Madrid rattled in eight goals, a figure so impressive it marked a record even for a club steeped in so much success based on silky, attacking play, per Squawka Football:
As is often the case for Real, it was Ronaldo who led the scoring. The Portuguese powerhouse helped himself to a hat-trick to go with a brace for Bale and a fine strike from Rodriguez.
There were also the first Madrid goals for Manchester United loanee Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez. The 26-year-old told Claro Sports (h/t Daily Mirror writer Ben Burrows) that he didn't feel as though he had the faith of his coaches at United:
"There was no confidence. I remained patient and that’s why I’m here today. It was a very tough year especially because they didn’t believe in me.
I had the chance to meet Ancelotti when he was Chelsea coach. The faith he has in his players motivates me and makes me work hard.
I really want to make the most of my time here. Any footballer dreams about joining Real Madrid. I know I'm here for a reason. The statistics support me, I'm a good player and a good person.
"
United may have soured on Hernandez, but the quick-footed poacher was a smart acquisition by Ancelotti. He'll offer pace and credible cover behind Benzema. That's one of the few things Real were missing last season.
Hernandez will be commended for opening his account, but the main plaudits belong to the seemingly unstoppable Ronaldo. He has now joined some exalted company following his latest scoring exploits:
Ancelotti's team still remains off the pace in sixth. But the performance in Coruna is an ominous warning to the rest of the title contenders that Los Blancos are a major threat to this season's title.
The squad's attacking potential will produce goals and points in clutches throughout this campaign.
Attacking balance is something reigning champions Atletico haven't quite got right since previous talisman striker Diego Costa left for Chelsea this summer.
Manager Diego Simeone signed the likes of Antoine Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic to try and offset Costa's exit. However, Atletico coaches still look as though they're not quite sure how best to use the new weapons.
That much was obvious when Griezmann was substituted with the score level at 2-2. The roving French forward had been Atletico's most threatening attacker, per the English version of AS:
Even with the 23-year-old on the field, Atleti lacked fluency in forward areas. Their goals came via rugged centre-back pairing Diego Godin and Miranda.
Celta had gone in front after a quite astonishing strike from Pablo Hernandez. The midfielder executed a volley with a backheel technique. After Celta couldn't protect the lead gained by that moment of individual brilliance, it took a Nolito penalty to draw level.
Managed by former player Eduardo Berizzo, Celta are quietly impressing so far after the departure of ex-boss Luis Enrique. Meanwhile, Atletico suddenly look vulnerable without the clutch cutting edge Costa so often provided.
Sandwiched in between the efforts by the big boys from the capital, Granada produced a mild shock by beating Athletic Bilbao on the Basque club's home soil. The lone-goal winner came from Jhon Cordoba.
The powerful former Espanyol prodigy scored with a low drive that left Bilbao stunned and elevated Granada to the heady heights of third place. For the hosts, brilliant striker Aritz Aduriz cut a frustrated figure after a rare off day.
There was plenty of drama in the late fixture. Espanyol and Malaga shared four goals. The latter grabbed a stunning injury time equaliser via veteran Portuguese winger Duda.
The snatched point was just reward for Malaga midfield general Ignacio Camacho. He netted Malaga's first goal and ran the show in the middle.
However, Espanyol's creative forward Sergio Garcia probably deserved better after a typically inventive display, per Opta Jose:
Leaders Barcelona will be among the happiest teams in La Liga after these results. Their place at the top of the table has been protected.
Enrique's team can now increase the gap by winning in Levante. That would leave Simeone and Atletico ruing a rare missed opportunity.
Friday
2014-15 marks the first season that Eibar has ever made it to the top football league in Spain, but you couldn't tell by the way they've started it.
The recently promoted side continued their head-turning start to the season, overcoming a vast possession disadvantage and a tense road environment to post an impressive 2-0 win over Elche on Friday.
The first-ever La Liga meeting between the two sides didn't stay scoreless for long. In the third minute, Dani Garcia struck a beautiful shot from the outside of the box past Elche goalkeeper Przemyslaw Tyton to shock the hosts by gaining an early lead.
Elche quickly settled in, establishing possession and sending a flurry of opportunities toward the Eibar defensive third. They responded well, sniffing out opposing chances and taking advantage of their own.
It was just another outside-the-box score for these clubs, as OptaJose demonstrated:
That continued just before half-time when Raul Albentosa netted another in the 42nd minute to cushion the underdogs' lead.
It made for a crazy moment at the Estadio Martinez Valero, with the dozens of Eibar fans celebrating after their long trip as AS English noted:
Elche continued to control the pace of the game in the second half, taking a 63 percent possession advantage and putting a total of 15 shots—six on goal—on the Eibar defense. But just as they did in the first half, Eibar showed poise and resolve by shutting down any opportunity.
Eibar entered their first-ever La Liga season simply hoping to remain afloat in the top division, but it's apparent through four matches that they might want to shift their expectations.
In fifth place this early in the season, there's no telling whether Eibar has what it takes to contend all season, but early indications are strong.
As for Elche, they could've seriously used their second win of the season to help avoid flirting with relegation as they did in 2013-14. But with two losses and one draw through their first four matches, they might be in for another fight just to stay in La Liga.
