MADRID, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- The second international break of the season comes after seven games of the Liga Santander in which Barcelona top the table with seven wins from seven games, Sevilla five points behind in second, Valencia fourth and Real Madrid down in fifth, while Malaga are rock bottom with just one point.
Here are some things we have learned over the weekend and the past weeks.
1. Barcelona are pragmatic in the post-Neymar era
Leo Messi is still there to lead from the front and he has done so magnificently once again at the start of the season, but the sale of Neymar and the injury suffered to his replacement Ousmane Dembele have limited Ernesto Valverde's options in attack.
The new Barca coach has responded by giving confidence to Gerard Deulofeu and Denis Suarez, both of whom have responded well, while at times using Andres Iniesta in the advanced role he used to play under Pep Guardiola.
At times it has not been magnificent to watch, but Valverde has done a fine job in difficult times on and off the pitch to show he was the right man for the job.
2. Bernabeu is a problem for Real Madrid.
Although they won their first league game of the season with a 2-0 victory over Espanyol (whom they have not beaten 100 times in their history) on Sunday night, it is clear that all is not well when Real Madrid play in front of their fans.
Midfielder Isco was the hero on Sunday as Madrid's strikers again failed to score on home ground. Gareth Bale and Benzema were out through injury, but Cristiano Ronaldo was there and looked off his best. Indeed he was lucky not to be sent off after an apparent aggression on an Espanyol defender.
Madrid's away form is exceptional with 12 straight wins in the league and they seem to play with more freedom on the road. Could it be that the ever-demanding supporters in the Bernabeu are putting more pressure on their players who feel that pressure and are limited by it?
3. Valencia look a good bet
Marcelino Garcia arrived at Valencia with the job of making them a tighter unit in defense and the first month saw them grind out draws. However, the last three matches have seen them take a big step forward as they have built on the new defensive solidness to gain extra confidence in attack.
Simone Zaza has been in the form of his career, along with Rodrigo Moreno and Carles Soler and all of a sudden Valencia look contenders for a top four position. In this ambition they have one huge advantage, while their main rivals have extra matches due to commitments in Europe, Valencia have their midweeks free to rest and recover and that will stand them in good stead in the New Year.
4. Alaves in with a chance
Gianni Di Biasi's debut as Alaves coach could hardly have gone better on Saturday as they scored their second and third goals of the season and claimed their first points of the campaign with a 2-0 win away to Levante.
It was not pretty to watch as the side from Vitoria concentrated on shutting the door on their tired looking hosts, but the fact is Levante were unable to manage a single shot on goal all game.
Di Biasi has a reputation for getting the best out of limited resources and making his sides tough to beat. We got a glimpse of that at the weekend and if they are able to grind out points on a weekly basis, there is still a chance of survival.
