La Liga Lowdown

As the games stack up, it was a tight and tense La Liga weekend from top to bottom. Join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Román de Arquer (@aeroslavee) as they break down the all the doubts plaguing them this weekend. Part one begins with analysis on perhaps the team that raised the most questions about themselves, Barcelona. They go into a crucial week in the Champions League against Inter...

We have a feature-length pod for you this week as Julen Lopetegui's long and drawn out departure from Sevilla was finally made official. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) are on hand to bring you reaction to that and the arrival of Jorge Sampaoli, before the usual comprehensive preview of Matchday 8 in LaLiga. We begin by telling the story of Sevilla's season and how things...

There were goals all over the place in LaLiga this weekend, and they brought about a new leader to the Spanish league as well. Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) and Thom Harris (@thomharris_) break down the action across the division. Athletic Club thrashed Almería to start us off, but Getafe and Real Valladolid and later Girona and Real Sociedad brought us the real entertainment in some thrilling enc...

Here comes your man sang the Pixies and after 87 minutes of hard graft, there was Álvaro Morata for Luis Enrique. Join Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) as they react to Spain's victory over Portugal before looking ahead to the LaLiga Matchday headed our way. Part one is exclusively dedicated to pulling apart this Spain side. What exactly were we taught by this internati...

Midway through the international break, Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) convene to discuss Spain's surprise defeat against Switzerland in Zaragoza, introduced by some exasperated commentary from Cope. They dissect the lineup, the problems at both ends of the pitch, the positives, and the possible solutions. Ultimately, their Nations League destiny will be decided on Ma...

As LaLiga takes the back seat for the next seven days, international football makes a frantic return with the World Cup just under two months away. Join hosts Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) as they dissect another interesting convocatoria, as selected by Luis Enrique, ahead of two tantalising Nations League ties against Switzerland and Portugal. In Part Two, we're deligh...

The international break is upon us, leaving the LaLiga table frozen in time for another 12 days. Real Madrid go into the mini-break perfect, sealing their sixth win from six with a huge three points at the Cívitas Metropolitano, while Barcelona make it 18 goals scored and just one conceded to remain the closest challengers to Ancelotti's Champions. Join Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) and Paco Polit (@...

With the international break nearly upon us, join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) for a comprehensive preview of Matchday 6 in LaLiga. After some reflection on the pair of Champions League defeats in Deutschland, we dive straight into the Madrid Derby, the partidazo of the round and one of the games of the season so far. How will Real Madrid line up? Will Atleti be abl...

There were 35 goals in the nine La Liga games across this weekend and yet arguably the most dramatic events occurred off the pitch. Join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Román de Arquer (@Aeroslavee) as they slice and dice an incredibly entertaining Matchday 5 in LaLiga. Part one begins with the Sunday night partidazo as Real Betis laid down their credentials for the top four with a crucial...

After a momentous midweek in Europe, the domestic action continues at breakneck speed. It was a fantastic set of results which saw six Spanish victories out of seven - only Sevilla were unable to get a result, humbled and hammered by Haaland (sorry Julen). Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) to discuss what it all means for the next round of LaLiga: Will Real Madrid stay...

Following another scintillating weekend of LaLiga action, the table is beginning to look a little more familiar. Real Madrid edged out Real Betis before Barcelona brushed aside Sevilla. Atleti were unable to keep pace as they slipped to a draw at Real Sociedad, Hosts Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) assess whether the title race consists of just two horses. Beyond that, Vi...

After a frenetic end to the transfer window, we can concentrate on the football once again. That's exactly what Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) do here, with a mouth-watering round of LaLiga action in prospect. Featuring discussion on all ten matches across the weekend, there is a particular focus on the three partidazos on Saturday, which include a clash of the two hithe...

It might be late summer but everything still feels fresh in LaLiga. We bring you our review of all the weekend's action, from a late win for the champions to another defeat for Sevilla. In Part One, hosts Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) discuss the big two and compare their respective wins on a rousing Sunday night, forged in highly contrasting circumstances. Also on t...

The LaLiga action keeps coming thick and fast with Matchday 3 already upon us. Join Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) and Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) as they look ahead to ten more tantalising matches across the weekend. Starting on Friday night, can Girona quickly back up their Monday night win without another positive result when Celta visit Catalunya? Then there is a sizzler in Seville as two of the...

The second round of action is now complete and we reconvened to dissect all the action, from a Super Sunday that lived up to the billing to a Sevilla side that definitely did not. With only four sides on maximum points and only two without a point, there was plenty of intrigue across the matchday. Join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08), Román De Arquer (@Aeroslavee) and Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) as they...

Join Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) and Paco Polit (@pacopolitENG) to preview the action in matchday two of LaLiga's 2022/23 campaign, including a super Sunday of fixtures. Barcelona travel to Real Sociedad while Atlético Madrid welcome Villarreal. Paco also tells us about how Mestalla has gone up in flames this week ahead of Gennaro Gattuso's trip to face Ernesto Valverde's Athletic Club at San Ma...

La Liga returned this weekend and it was every bit as fun as you had imagined so join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) as they debrief all the action, with the actual football contradicting the transfer narratives. Barcelona were supposed to destroy everything in their path but nobody had reckoned with quite such a mighty Rayo Vallecano. What went wrong for Barcel...

As the new season dawns, join Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) for a full preview of the first round of matches. From Pamplona on Friday night to Seville on Monday, there are ten tantalising fixtures to look forward to. Will reigning champions Real Madrid back up their Super Cup triumph with a winning start to their title defence? Can Barcelona get all their signings re...

The La Liga Lowdown squad are back after the summer break, fit and firing after pre-season training. Join Matt Clark (MattClark_08), Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) and Thom Harris (@ThomHarris_) for a comprehensive preview of the upcoming season, which promises to be another fascinating one. From Laporta's levers to Sevilla's sales, Madrid minus Mbappé to Atleti's quiet revolution, the top end of t...

Join us for the final time this season to reflect on a season packed with storylines, sentiment and special scenes. Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) are on hand to reflect on the 21/22 season. We start by congratulating the European champions and saluting their successful season.  We evaluate the season for all the clubs, from the top to the bottom, and offer up ou...

They think it's all over... It is now! LaLiga came to a dramatic conclusion as the relegation battle took centre stage on Matchday 38. Join hosts Matt Clark (@MattClark08) and Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) as they pick through the debris. There's no other place to start than the shock relegation of Granada. Just a season after making it to the Europa League quarter-finals against Manchester United...

The penultimate round meant concurrent matches and multigoal madness.  Join hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) to make sense of the chaos. Alavés had relegation confirmed after losing to fellow descenders Levante. Cádiz got a point against the champions but it felt pyrrhic. Mallorca were the big winners of the round, grabbing all three points in stoppage time....

Another midweek Matchday is in the books and for Levante, the final game of the round did spell the end for them, as their relegation was confirmed in a 6-0 thrashing at Real Madrid. Vini Jr scored his first hat-trick, Luka Modrić had a treble of his own, and Karim Benzema equaled Raúl as the club's second-highest goalscorer of all time. That is where hosts Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Sam Lever...

Matchday 35 in LaLiga came hot on the heels of European drama but it was the relegation skirmish which caught the eye this weekend. Join hosts Matt Clark (@MattClark_08) and Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) for the comical, the classy and everything in between. Atlético Madrid won their first Madrid derby in LaLiga since 2016 and that's the jumping off point for the pod, as we assess a fairly straigh...

Join our hosts Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) and Sam Leveridge (@samleveridge) as they (kind of) celebrate Real Madrid being crowned champions of LaLiga for a 35th time. Providing a jubilant view of Los Blancos’ triumph, Hasan Karim (@TheHasKarim) took a break from Los Cibeles to tell us how it feels to be champions again. The team discuss the race for the top four spots that nobody wants, and the...