Brahim Diaz is good enough to start for Real Madrid, Barcelona’s ‘El Tigrinho’ Vitor Roque needs to be a bit less tigerish and Sevilla hit a bum note… 10 THINGS WE LEARNED from LaLiga

Former Manchester City forward Brahim Diaz shone for Real Madrid, but their injury-hit diminutive defence succumbed to a late goal and so they go into next week’s top-two clash with Girona having only a two-point advantage. 

Xavi‘s Barça got a lift from a young Brazilian who then saw red. And elsewhere Marcelino didn’t mince his words when explaining why he hooked Sorloth at half-time. 

Oh and a Sevilla player was touched up while trying to take a throw-in (yes that really happened). Here’s 10 things we learned from LaLiga.

Idiot fan oversteps the mark

‘Sevilla FC deeply regrets the incident that took place this Monday in the match against Rayo Vallecano when our player Lucas Ocampos suffered an obscene and totally inappropriate gesture.’ 

Ocampos turned to face the fan and exchanged words with him, before the referee intervened

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So read the Sevilla statement issued after the game when the surreal situation unfolded with Ocampos going over to take a corner and a young fan reaching out to touch his bum. 

It wasn’t quite the proctology that some of the subsequent Spanish headlines suggested but it was the major topic of discussion after the game. 

‘What if this happened in the women’s game,’ said Ocampos who admitted he so nearly reacted but then realised he would be in big trouble for hitting out at the culprit. 

‘There’s always one idiot,’ he said after the game. ‘This behaviour should not be allowed in our competition if we aspire to be the best league in the world,’ concluded Sevilla’s statement. 

They won the game 2-1 thanks to a brace from Youssef En-Nesyri back from the African Cup of Nations to help save them from the threat of relegation.

Brahim good enough to start for Real Madrid

The former Manchester City youngster now has six goals and three assists in his 11 starts. 

He didn’t expect to start against Atletico Madrid on Sunday but Vinicius hurt his neck in the warm-up and in he came. 

His problem is that when Vini and Rodrygo are fit there is no room for him in the team and if Kylian Mbappe arrives in the summer it will be even more difficult for him to play.

Brahim Diaz underlined his quality by scoring for Real Madrid in their derby against Atletico

The former Manchester City forward hasn’t received too many opportunities at the Bernabeu

Real Madrid have miscalculated at the back

The decision not to sign a centre-back in the winter window looked risky even before Antonio Rudiger picked up his injury. 

With David Alaba and Eder Militao already out they are now relying on a below par Nacho Fernandez. 

On Sunday they had full-back Dani Carvajal in the middle of the back four too and it was no surprise when Atletico’s late equaliser came after first Memphis Depay and then Marcos Llorente had free headers.

Atletico have massively disappointed in the league

Their fans seemed happy just with the fact that they had scored a late goal at the Bernabeu to clip Real Madrid’s wings in the title race. 

But so much more was expected from a squad that is every bit as good as Barcelona’s and Real Madrid’s. 

The find themselves 10 points off the pace and missed a chance to beat Carlo Ancelotti’s weakened team at the weekend.

Marcos Llorente took advantage of some slack defending to snatch a point for Atletico 

El Tigrinho can play a big part for Xavi

Not so much a fox in the box, more a ‘little tiger’ as his nickname has it – Vitor Roque has two goals in two league games and both have come just seconds after coming on. 

He can be important for Barcelona as they try to close the eight point gap Real Madrid have at the top. 

He needs to keep his calm though – two quick yellows after his goal saw him sent off, although the second looked harsh and should be rescinded.

Vitor Roque, who goes by the nickname ‘Little Tiger’, celebrates scoring for Barcelona 

But he was later sent off for two bookable offences, though Barcelona won the match 3-1

Lewandowski just needed a friend

Ever since Ilkay Gundogan has moved closer on the pitch to Robert Lewandowski the Pole has looked far more dangerous. 

It was the former Manchester City man’s pass that set up Barça’s number nine for his ninth league goal of the season. 

Gundogan scored goal of the weekend too to take his LaLiga tally to five. He is starting to show the class he displayed every week under Pep Guardiola.

Even Toni Kroos’ rivals want him to keep playing

There was another Kroos recital in the Madrid derby from the player whose contract runs out in the summer and who will have to decide if he wants to stay for one more season. 

Betis midfielder Isco tweeted: ‘Toni don’t retire; we want to enjoy you for two or three more seasons.’ 

Isco is also lighting up the season and it’s a shame for everyone that he will now be out for six weeks with a hamstring tear.

Even rivals of Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos don’t want to see him retire just yet

Kubo can’t come back soon enough

Real Sociedad are hoping that Take Kubo hit the ground running when he returns for them this week in the Spanish Cup semi-finals. 

With the distraction of a Champions League double header against Paris Saint-Germain next week Real Sociedad are distracted and lacking goals. 

Kubo can give them firepower and focus now he’s back from The Asian Cup.

Greenwood playing like Joaquin with the great man looking on

His performance on the flank for Getafe at Betis on Sunday was watched by one of the great wizards of the wing, Joaquin, who is now Betis royalty watching his team from the directors’ box. 

Greenwood won a penalty and scored it and in the second half, and so nearly set up the winner for his team after leaving two Betis defenders in knots following an impossible dribble along the byline.

Mason Greenwood netted from the spot in Getafe’s draw with Real Betis on Sunday

The goal marks the 22-year-old’s seventh in all competitions since joining Getafe on loan

And the best manager rant…

Asked why he took former Crystal Palace forward Alex Sorloth at half-time, Villarreal coach Marcelino said: ‘He didn’t have a shot on goal and he had plenty of time to. The coach is there to make decisions.’ 

Sorloth might not have appreciated the blunt explanation but Villarreal fans will have appreciated the honesty – beats ‘he was carrying a knock’.