{"id":301417,"date":"2023-12-04T18:25:46","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T18:25:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/?p=301417"},"modified":"2023-12-04T18:25:46","modified_gmt":"2023-12-04T18:25:46","slug":"ten-things-we-learned-from-laliga-as-ex-middlesbrough-flop-thrives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/ten-things-we-learned-from-laliga-as-ex-middlesbrough-flop-thrives\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten things we learned from LaLiga as ex-Middlesbrough flop thrives"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1> Robert Lewandowski is untouchable despite drawing another blank, Ilkay Gundogan is finding his Man City form at Barcelona&#8230; as an ex-Middlesbrough flop helps Girona keep up the pace &#8211; 10 THINGS WE LEARNED from LaLiga<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Ilkay Gundogan is recovering his top form &#8211; but he&#8217;s playing in an unfamiliar spot<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>An ex-Boro man is thriving at Girona while Robert Lewandowski is struggling<\/span><\/li>\n<li><strong>IAN LADYMAN: Liverpool are two players short for another great period &#8211; It&#8217;s All Kicking Off<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This was supposed to be the weekend when Diego Simeone finally won away at Barcelona, instead for the 18th time in succession he came away winless.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s not all good news for Barcelona with Robert Lewandowski still out of sorts and Marc-Andre ter Stegen&#8217;s back not improving.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Elsewhere Girona are still flying and were briefly top of the table at the weekend.<\/p>\n<p>Sevilla are still grounded despite the recent appointment of Diego Alonso as their manager.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Here are 10 things we learned from this weekend&#8217;s La Liga action.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/04\/17\/78564169-12824159-image-a-20_1701712141010.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Diego Simeone and Atletico Madrid&#8217;s rotten record against Barcelona continued on Sunday<\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<h2>Lewandowski\u2019s numbers are poles apart<\/h2>\n<p>In his first 17 games last season Lewandowski had scored 17 goals. This time it\u2019s just eight and he has only scored two in his last seven league games.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yesterday, he shinned one wide early on and with a first-half headed chance and appeared to clear the ball perhaps thinking he was offside.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 35-year-old striker is still untouchable though as again Xavi changed the forwards either side of him and left him on to finish the game, goalless.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/04\/16\/78560985-0-image-a-89_1701707514843.jpg\" height=\"443\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Robert Lewandowski hasn&#8217;t found his second season at Barcelona as easy as last campaign\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Xavi takes Cholo\u2019s crown<\/h2>\n<p>Diego Simeone used to be king of the 1-0 victories \u2013 not anymore. Xavi has now overseen 1-0 wins for Barcelona in 23 matches since taking over, and that includes three times against Simeone.<\/p>\n<h2>Ter Stegen injury concerns continue<\/h2>\n<p>Barcelona are considering recommending surgery to Ter Stegen, according to Marca.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The German goalkeeper\u2019s hasn&#8217;t played since the last international break and his back problem seems to be getting no better.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>On the bright side for the team, stand-in I\u00f1aki Pe\u00f1a\u2019s two saves at the weekend to keep out Atletico were worthy of the man he had replaced.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/04\/16\/78561037-0-image-a-90_1701707564743.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Xavi is the king of 1-0 victories, having grinded out 23 of them while in the Barcelona dugout<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/04\/16\/78561075-0-image-a-91_1701707629503.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Barca are reportedly considering recommending surgery for injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Gundogan finding City form<\/h2>\n<p>Xavi may have found his midfield. Ilkay Gundogan played between Frenkie de Jong and Pedri and they dominated Koke, Rodrigo de Paul and Marcos Llorente.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Gundogan is not overly fond of the holding position but with Oriol Romeu\u2019s form some way off the level hoped for, he is the best option for the position.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/04\/16\/78561099-0-image-a-92_1701707683218.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Ilkay Gundogan is finding a semblance of his Man City form although he isn&#8217;t overly fond of the holding role\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Xavi wants Cancelo ahead of Joao Felix<\/h2>\n<p>All the talk was of Joao Felix after Barcelona\u2019s win but if the club can only afford to keep one of their Portuguese loanees next summer than coach Xavi is under no illusions about who he would prefer \u2013 Joao Cancelo will arrive on a permanent deal from Manchester City and then if it\u2019s possible to sign Joao Felix too, that deal will follow.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/04\/16\/78561117-0-image-a-93_1701707740792.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>There&#8217;s little doubt that Xavi would prefer to take Joao Cancelo over Joao Felix if he could only have one permanently\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Sevilla\u2019s new-manager bounce still hasn&#8217;t arrived<\/h2>\n<p>It\u2019s six games and counting for Sevilla coach Diego Alonso. He still hasn\u2019t won since taking over with five draws and one defeat.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Sevilla saved their season in the last campaign by winning the Europa League \u2013 just winning a league game looks difficult for them now.<\/p>\n<h2>Stuani briefly sends Girona top of the charts<\/h2>\n<p>When Cristhian Stuani left Middlesbrough in 2017 he was already 30.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Nobody would have predicted that he would still be scoring goals at the highest level eight years later.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>His late double on Saturday put Girona back on the summit although Madrid\u2019s later win moved them back to second.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/04\/16\/78561163-0-image-a-97_1701708071793.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"306\"><br \/>\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/04\/16\/78561179-0-image-a-98_1701708071794.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"306\"><\/p>\n<p>Ex-Middlesbrough man Cristhian Stuani left the Riverside when he was 30 in 2017&#8230; six years later, he fired Girona back to the top of La Liga (though Real Madrid since pipped them)<\/p>\n<h2>Nico\u2019s new deal comes with a catch<\/h2>\n<p>Nico Williams has signed a new deal at Athletic Bilbao until 2027 although the 55m euros release clause hardly looks designed to ward off interested parties.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 21-year-old scored in Athletic\u2019s 4-0 win on Saturday to keep them fifth.<\/p>\n<h2>Kroos control leaves team-mates in awe<\/h2>\n<p>You know the assist is good when everybody runs to the player who made it instead of to the goalscorer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Brahim Diaz put Real Madrid ahead against Granada but for a while he was celebrating alone as players mobbed Toni Kroos for the brilliant pass that set him up.<\/p>\n<h2>Ex-City wonderkid holding his own at Madrid<\/h2>\n<p>Brahim Diaz has now scored three goals so far this season for Real Madrid and each one of them have been the opening goal.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The former Manchester City youngster is still not going to start when everyone\u2019s fit but if he\u2019s happy to be one of Madrid\u2019s strong substitutes then he has a place at the club for seasons to come.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/12\/04\/16\/78561395-0-image-a-99_1701708269935.jpg\" height=\"423\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Ex-City wonderkid Brahim Diaz has scored three times for Real Madrid this year\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3>IT&#8217;S ALL KICKING OFF!\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><span><span>It&#8217;s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span>It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/08\/02\/636x90_facebook_ad_sport.png\" width=\"636\" height=\"90\"><br \/>\nSource: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12824159\/Robert-Lewandowski-Ilkay-Gundogan-Man-City-Barcelona-Middlesbrough-flop-Girona-10-THINGS-LEARNED-LaLiga.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Robert Lewandowski is untouchable despite drawing another blank, Ilkay Gundogan is finding his Man City form at Barcelona&#8230; as an <span class=\"more-text\">&hellip;<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":301416,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Ten things we learned from LaLiga as ex-Middlesbrough flop thrives - Sportstons<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportstons.com\/soccer\/ten-things-we-learned-from-laliga-as-ex-middlesbrough-flop-thrives\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ten things we learned from LaLiga as ex-Middlesbrough flop thrives - Sportstons\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Robert Lewandowski is untouchable despite drawing another blank, Ilkay Gundogan is finding his Man City form at Barcelona&#8230; 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