La Liga Winners and Losers from Week 37: Barcelona Win Liga Title in Madrid
On the penultimate weekend of La Liga action in Spain, Barcelona wrapped up the title, as they beat Atletico Madrid—the team that denied them the same success exactly a year previously to win it themselves in 2014.
Elsewhere, we had twists at the bottom, faltering form in the middle of the table and plenty of talking points to sustain interest and excitement in the top flight into the final gameweek.
Here are the biggest winners and losers from Week 37 in Spain.
Winners: Barcelona
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A strike from Lionel Messi to win the title was pretty much perfection and appropriate, as Barcelona beat Atletico Madrid 1-0 to claim La Liga.
Luis Enrique's side have the best defence by far, netted over 100 league goals once again and have shown greater consistency—with form as well as results—than anyone else. As such, they are deserving recipients of the silverware this time around.
They'll now focus on the Champions League and Copa del Rey finals to try and complete a treble, but this was a pivotal one for Enrique and his team to land at the first attempt.
Losers: Both Madrid Clubs
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Atletico Madrid are obviously a loser in the context of their most recent outing, beaten at home by Barcelona for the second time this season, but the defeat also left them needing a result on the final day to ensure they clinch third place and with it an automatic group spot in the Champions League.
Valencia are three points behind and have a better head-to-head record, while also playing Almeria—in the relegation zone—on the final day. Atletico face Granada, who are on a three-match winning streak and themselves trying to avoid the drop.
For Real Madrid, it's obviously a losing scenario, as they saw the title slip away for yet another year despite their 4-1 win at Espanyol.
Winners: Sevilla
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Valencia still have half an eye on third place if they win next week, but their own game against Almeria will be far from easy—it's not inconceivable they could drop points against an opponent battling for their Liga lives.
If Los Che do fail to take all three points, Sevilla have put themselves in prime position to take advantage: A come-from-behind win against the same opposition, Almeria, on Sunday means Sevilla are just one point behind Valencia.
They are set to face Malaga, who have nothing to play for and are on a dreadful run, and will be hot favourites to take three points and make one final lunge for a top-four finish.
Losers: Real Sociedad
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Real Sociedad's burst of form earlier in 2015 seemed to indicate they had clicked under David Moyes and that a top-half finish might be on the cards—but their form since the start of April has been abysmal.
A 3-0 home loss to relegation-threatened Granada on Sunday means it's just one win in nine for La Real, who have dropped to 12th and cannot finish any higher. They're away to Rayo Vallecano on the final day and have won only once on the road this season—so history suggests they won't be adding to their points tally.
It's been a poor end to a largely forgettable season, and a lot of work lies ahead this summer.
Winners: Depor and Granada
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Down at the bottom, Deportivo La Coruna and Granada were the big victors on the day, with the latter beating the aforementioned Real Sociedad by a 3-0 scoreline—their third win on the bounce. Looking down and out a month ago, Granada have come from nowhere to escape the bottom three and now have a two-point buffer to the sides below them heading into the final day.
Depor, meanwhile, looked to have hung their hat and gambled their season all on Sunday's home fixture against Levante, which paid off with a 2-0 win.
Both Depor and Granada sit on 34 points, with the latter ahead on head-to-head ruling.
Losers: Almeria and Eibar
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Two points below Granada and Depor, Almeria and Eibar sit forlornly and desperately in the relegation zone, both needing nothing less than a victory on the final day in order to save themselves—only three points will do now, and even that may not be enough.
Eibar are ahead on the head-to-head ruling, so should they both win on the final day, it won't be enough for Almeria unless both Depor and Granada lose.
Head-to-head rulings could see a two, three or even a four-way split on the final day if Almeria and Eibar win and Depor and Granada draw.
It promises to be hugely tense throughout.
Final-Day Relegation Fixtures
Barcelona (1st) vs. Deportivo La Coruna
Granada vs. Atletico Madrid (3rd)
Eibar vs. Cordoba (20th)
Almeria vs. Valencia (4th)
