The 2025/26 La Liga season delivered another compelling round of action as Matchday 17 brought contrasting moods across Spain’s top flight.
Real Madrid may have secured back-to-back league wins, but the scrutiny around Xabi Alonso refuses to ease amid discontent at the Santiago Bernabeu. Barcelona, meanwhile, tightened their grip at the summit of La Liga with a controlled win over Villarreal to halt one of the league’s most impressive winning runs.
Elsewhere, Espanyol’s remarkable surge towards the European places gathered further momentum, newly promoted Elche announced themselves as one of the season’s standout stories, and Atletico Madrid quietly shored up their top-four ambitions.
As the calendar year draws to a close and the winter transfer window looms, Matchday 17 offered a timely reminder that La Liga’s battles at both ends of the table are far from settled.
Despite another win, Xabi Alonso remains under pressure
After a rough phase in La Liga with just one win in five outings, Real Madrid have now secured back-to-back wins in the league. After going past Deportivo Alaves, they secured a clinical 2-0 win over Sevilla last time out.
While Jude Bellingham’s goal and a Kylian Mbappe penalty guided Los Blancos home, they could have been in big trouble had Rodrygo received a second yellow when they were 1-0. More importantly, Sevilla created a lot of good chances, but they could not make the most out of them, and Thibaut Courtois certainly saved the day with a few impressive saves.
Despite the win, the atmosphere at the Bernabeu was not that pleasing as they booed players, with Vinicius Junior at the receiving end of a lot of boos and whistling. The fans are not entirely pleased with the team’s performances. The Brazilian winger’s future is once again up in the air, while reports suggest that winning the Spanish Super Cup in January is a must for Alonso to stay in charge.
Barcelona retain top spot in La Liga; Villarreal’s streak ends
In what was the most anticipated match of last week, Barcelona squared up against Villarreal, who are firmly in the title race thanks to their winning streak in La Liga.
The Yellow Submarine were heading into this fixture on the back of six straight wins in the league, and many expected them to give the Catalan giants a run for their money. However, they could not really trouble the league leaders as they secured a comfortable 2-0 win and retained a four-point lead at the top heading into the new year.
Renato Veiga’s 39th-minute red card played a big part in Villarreal’s downfall as a penalty from Raphinha, and a second-half strike by Lamine Yamal got the job done for Hansi Flick’s men. While the Catalan giants strengthen their grip at the top, the Yellow Submarine still have some hope of fighting for the title despite being 11 points behind Barcelona as they have two games in hand.
Espanyol strengthen their cause for a European spot
Since losing to Alaves and Villarreal at the start of November, Espanyol have now won each of their last five league outings, and they are currently fifth in La Liga with 33 points in their 17 outings. They are five points clear of sixth-placed Real Betis.
While not a lot has been said about Espanyol, they have been quietly going about their business. They squared up against Athletic Club in the final league fixture of this year and ended up securing a 2-1 win. After going a goal down in the first half, they quickly turned things around despite not having much of the ball.
While Athletic Club dominated the proceedings, Espanyol made the most out of the chances they created and got the job done. Given the kind of run they have been in, fans are certainly hoping to see they secure a European spot.
It has been a sensational rise for a team that survived the drop last season after securing promotion to the top flight. In just their second season since their return to the top flight, they are already mounting a challenge for a top-six finish.
Newly promoted Elche smash Rayo Vallecano
Not many would have expected Elche to finish 2025 in the first half of the season in the top half of the table. After securing promotion last season, they were looking to ensure they survive in the top flight, but Eder Sarabia’s team has surpassed all expectations.
They are currently ninth on the table with 22 points in their 17 outings. While they did suffer a 3-1 defeat at the hands of RCD Mallorca last week, Elche have bounced back in some fashion with an exceptional 4-0 win over Rayo Vallecano.
Sarabia’s team stuck with their passing-based style of football; they created clear-cut chances, and their forwards managed to consistently find the back of the net. Despite going through a run of seven games without a win, they kept faith in their coach’s ideas and are finally reaping rewards.
Atletico Madrid strengthen their cause for a top-four finish in La Liga
As we close in towards the winter transfer window, Atletico Madrid are nine points behind La Liga table-toppers Barcelona. Given how inconsistent they have been, they are unlikely to challenge for the league title unless Barcelona and Real Madrid both underperform in the second half.
For now, Diego Simeone’s focus will be on ensuring they stay inside the top four and with a 3-0 win over Girona, they have managed just that. Fifth-placed Espanyol are only four points behind with a game in hand; as a result, Simeone’s men can’t afford to take things easy.
While they did beat Girona 3-0, it was not their best performance as they were not in complete control of the proceedings. However, they will still be pleased with the fact that they kept a clean sheet and secured all three points.
