The Good, the Bad and the Beautiful: An insulted audience, a dizzying dive and the Lamine Yamal riptide

Madrid – La Liga’s mid-season narrative arc has twisted again, leaving three distinct after-images across Spain: an audience told to doubt its own eyes, a revelation club suddenly in freefall, and a 19-year-old winger who turns the act of scoring into performance art.

The Good: Atletico Madrid’s attacking juggernaut Six weeks ago Diego Simeone’s side were stuck in neutral—three wins from eight, a goalless draw at Levante, murmurs of another Turkish sabbatical. Since a 5-0 Copa del Rey statement against Real Betis, however, Atletico have fired 29 goals in 11 matches, turning the old “defensive coach” trope into punditry’s latest insult to the viewer’s intelligence. Ademola Lookman’s raw pace still pins backlines five metres deeper; Johnny Cardoso’s late-blooming rhythm now sets the press that shredded Barcelona, Spurs and Real Sociedad. Antoine Griezmann, last spring deemed surplus to requirements, is again a step ahead of the game, while Julian Álvarez and the peripheral Alex Baena—21 minutes in the last three fixtures—have yet to hit their stride. Nicolas González’s cameo against La Real underlined the depth: Simeone can summon two or three game-breakers without warning. They may not own Spain’s best defence, but right now they might own its most lethal attack.

The Bad: Elche’s winter vertigo Elche’s first-half fairytale has nosedived into a relegation dogfight. Ninth at Christmas on 22 points, Eder Sarabia’s side have taken four from a possible 33 in 2026, sliding to 17th and yet to record a victory. A back-line that leaked multiple goals only five times in the opening 20 matches has now managed a solitary clean sheet in 11. The once-fearless trio of Álvaro Rodríguez, Rafa Mir and André Silva have contributed just six of the team’s 17 post-Christmas goals; passes have slowed, reactions dulled. Sarabia’s message before the 2-1 loss to Villarreal was blunt: “We have to play with ease and freshness… believe we are capable of beating anyone.” The next exam arrives this weekend against Real Madrid.

The Beautiful: Lamine Yamal’s wave at San Mamés Barcelona’s wunderkind already tormented Villarreal with a hat-trick of instinctive finishes, but his winner at Athletic Club was art in motion. Picking up Pedri’s wide delivery, Yamal stepped inside, drew a riptide of red-and-white shirts, then surfed the chaos: two velvet touches to glide under the crash, a third to curl kiss off the upright. The knee-slide that followed felt as choreographed as the goal itself—proof that between dances, handshakes and ever-changing haircuts, Yamal crafts moments that translate across every generation of fan.

La Liga’s plot lines rarely stay still; this week they simply chose to surf, sink and soar all at once.