The La Liga season is beginning to take shape after Matchday 5, with storylines unfolding at both ends of the table.
Real Madrid continue to set the pace in the 2025/26 La Liga season under the tutelage of Xabi Alonso, while Barcelona are finally showing the ruthless streak many expected under Hansi Flick. Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid’s title challenge already looks to be hanging by a thread, and Athletic Club’s early momentum has been wiped out post the international break.
Girona, meanwhile, are rooted to the bottom, with pressure mounting on Michel Sanchez. With plenty of drama both on and off the pitch, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the five biggest talking points from the fifth round of the 2025/26 La Liga season.
A complicated future awaits Vinicius Junior
Real Madrid secured yet another convincing win in Matchday 5 of 2025/26 La Liga season, as they eased past Espanyol 2-0. Eder Militao and Kylian Mbappe bagged well-worked goals to ensure Los Blancos maintained their perfect start to the new season.
Apart from the team’s impressive win, Alonso received a further boost as Jude Bellingham and Eduardo Camavinga returned to first-team action for the first time this season. The duo’s comeback will further strengthen the team in white.
While everything seems to be going well on the pitch, Vinicius Junior’s future could become a big talking point with every passing game. The Brazilian international has four goal contributions in his five La Liga outings, but he is no longer untouchable in the team.
The 25-year-old attacker’s angry reaction after being subbed off in the second half suggests things could get complicated in the coming weeks. Xabi Alonso has not been afraid to start Rodrygo ahead of Vinicius, and the Spanish tactician has often rotated the two depending on the match situation.
The Real Madrid number seven is clearly not a fan of the current scenario, and with his contract situation still unresolved between the club and the player, things could get interesting.
Athletic Club’s La Liga campaign derailing post-break
Ernesto Valverde’s team were off to a flying start, having won each of their first three games. However, they have fallen flat on their faces post the international break. Athletic Club have lost each of their last three games, with two of those defeats coming in La Liga.
While losing to Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League was not that big a blow, they lost to Deportivo Alaves at home and suffered a 2-0 defeat to Valencia last time out. The Basque giants were well in control of the proceedings in the first half, but a red card to Dani Vivian turned the tide in favour of Valencia.
Valverde’s men seem to be feeling the absence of Nico Williams and Benat Prados. The young winger was injured during the break, while Prados’s season seems to be already over following a serious injury. Without the duo, they certainly lack the attacking threat and composure in the centre of the park.
Atletico Madrid’s La Liga title hopes could vanish by September
Diego Simeone’s nightmare continues as Atletico Madrid once again dropped points. The Spanish giants are already nine points behind league leaders Real Madrid following their 1-1 draw against RCD Mallorca last time out.
While they dominated the ball and created a lot of chances, Atletico Madrid were not clinical enough. On top of that, Julian Alvarez’s penalty was saved, while Alexander Sorloth was sent off, reducing Simeone’s team to ten men. While they did take the lead, the Madrid-based giants failed to hold onto it as Vedat Muriqi scored the equaliser.
Atletico are already nine points adrift in the 2025/26 La Liga title race and now face Rayo Vallecano and Real Madrid before the month ends. The derby could either spark a revival or crush their title hopes altogether, as a 12-point gap might be far too much to recover from, even this early in the season. Going up against Xabi Alonso’s team certainly won’t be easy.
Michel Sanchez’s time at Girona could end soon
Girona’s season has been a disaster so far, as they have lost four and drawn one out of their first five league games. The Catalan outfit now find themselves at the bottom of the points table, and it certainly puts a lot of pressure on Michel, who took them to Europe with a top four finish a couple of seasons back.
The Catalan club suffered a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Levante, a team that were yet to win a game in the new season heading into this fixture. Michel was not to blame for this defeat as he was left with little choice after his team were reduced to nine men following two cards.
The game was all square when Axel Witsel was sent off in the 30th minute, and they were only 1-0 behind when Alex Reis was shown a straight red early in the second half. While they were in the game, competing against XI men with just nine players was never going to be easy.
While errors from the players resulted in this crushing defeat, it certainly adds pressure on Michel, and if he fails to turn things around in the coming weeks, Girona might well have to think about a change in the hot seat despite all that the 49-year-old has done for them.
Hansi Flick’s Barcelona are on a roll
While Barcelona played out a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano prior to the international break, they have been in fine form in recent weeks. They have won all three of their games post the international break.
The Blaugrana have won their last two league games with ease, smashing six past Valencia and adding another three against Getafe. The defensive issues from the early weeks now seem a thing of the past.
Barcelona have tightened up at the back, while their star-studded attack continues to deliver. Regardless of who starts, they keep finding ways to score. Against Getafe, Ferran Torres netted a brace, while Raphinha maintained his fine form with another goal. Stopping Flick’s high-flying side will be a massive challenge for any opponent.
