Bottom of the table, Huesca, kicked off the La Liga battle in the drop zone with a 4-0 win – here are some other teams to follow their inspiration
Calleja needs to take advantage of his second chance at Villarreal
This week, the most unexpected club (Villarreal) did the most unexpected thing: sacking their second coach of the season, Luis García Plaza, after only 50 days on the job… and brought in the former coach, Javi Calleja, to steer the boat back to safety, a boat currently in an unexpected relegation battle.
The fact that this happens in LaLiga is outrageous, but we have had some examples in the past. The fact that it was Villarreal, the team who did it was simply mind-blowing.
So, it’s Callejas turn… once again. How can a manager step into a locker room where he failed to make things work only two months ago? While Villarreal (18 points, second to last in the table) find their own answers to that, their game against RCD Espanyol isn’t something to scoff at. The Pericos are only six points away and beating them would make the ‘Yellow Submarine’ believe in their own strength.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdxwSS2ezo8[/fve]
Celta want to stop their plunge against a wounded Sevilla
It hasn’t been the greatest of weeks for Sevilla, who were toyed with by Barça on Wednesday and were on the receiving end of a historic trashing (6-1) by Messi & co. Knocked out of the Copa del Rey, the team has been struggling to keep their momentum and the physical endurance of some players seems to be at its limit.
[fve]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i__fCw91bc0[/fve]
Enter Celta de Vigo, who are desperate for some points to turn around their situation: five defeats in a row in the last five games. With 21 points and now in relegation spots, one single win would pull them out from the danger zone. They have signed talent in late January such as Wesley Hoedt (Southampton), Lucas Olaza (Boca Juniors) and Ryad Boudebouz (Betis) in order to make one last big effort and escape their doom.
Rayo Vallecano host Leganés in the weekend’s super relegation battle
Possibly the most attractive game of the lot, there’s plenty of reasons to believe we might be in for something special. Another Derbi Madrileño is always welcome, especially when both teams are in the midst of a scrap for survival but never, ever, give up on their attractive, well-developed playing styles.
Rayo just keep improving lately (four wins and one draw in the last five games), whereas Leganés are possibly La Liga’s most unfortunate side, as they have deserved quite a few more points than they currently have. With both clubs standing on the brink of relegation with 23 points, the winner will come out very reinforced from this whole ordeal… leaving the team who yields with plenty of trouble to manage in the future.
