A round-up of some of La Liga’s most intriguing storylines across the week, traversing through the good, the bad and something beautiful.
This section could be called ‘How to celebrate a semi-final loss by Barcelona’ and ‘How to celebrate a 3-0 defeat by Atletico Madrid’. The second leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final, in which Barcelona fell short of a comeback against Atletico, was completely inside out from start to finish. All season, the Blaugrana have been plagued with doubts, furrowed brows and optimism that felt optimistic, slightly too positive even when things were going well.
For the first time on Tuesday night, Barcelona fans were enraptured by their peformance. This time, the defending was aggressive, the press actually did suffocate Atletico, and Joan Garcia’s clean sheet was not a chance statistic but a product of their performance. ‘Playing like this, we’ll win things’ was the message repeated time and again – look, evidence we can play like this. And yet by the same token, they fell short. The introduction of Ronald Araujo up front looked a little absurd with 20 minutes to go, but what if it was a tell from Hansi Flick? For this system to work in big games, it needs to be profitable, and with both Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres out of form, the ceiling is lower than last season. Despite Araujo’s size, the presence in the box was missing.
On the other hand, there was Atletico Madrid, delighted, ecstatic, in their first Copa del Rey final for 13 years. When it was easiest to crumble, in the final 20 minutes, Atletico were at their most solid. Sturdy and determined, unselfish and crucially, willing to suffer. ‘This is Atletico, we’re destined to suffer’ said Simeone. In recent years, they have struggled to embrace that side of the game.
🚨 Raphinha: "I leave proud of the team, we wanted the final and we deserved it after today's match, but respect to Atlético Madrid who have done very well. It's not easy, we could have done better in the first leg, but if we play like we did today we'll have a spectacular end to…
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 3, 2026
At the same time as you have to unload the salt-shaker onto Barcelona’s performance, caveating it with the 4-0 defeat from the first leg, how much can we praise a 3-0 defeat? Simeone claimed his side went out to attack, but couldn’t – which isn’t exactly a good omen. Mamed by injuries, Barcelona ran out of gas, but Atletico were an accident away from one of the great collapses. This, admittedly, is a nonsense conversation if you’re headed to Seville.
🇦🇷🔴⚪️ Diego Simeone: "We are Atlético de Madrid. We are destined to suffer."
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 4, 2026
What is a good omen, is that whenever Simeone seems to need it most, he comes up with the goods. Their 2018 Europa League victory came as his first great iteration of Atletico was disintegrating. Arguably Simeone has never been under more pressure than at the start of the 2020-21 title season, with a misfiring Joao Felix. In 2023, Atletico went 11 months with just four defeats in La Liga. Atletico lie 13 points off the piece, and just when the narrative was starting to turn again…
On the face of it, there is nothing especially unusual about the 16th and 18th-placed sides in La Liga changing managers with 12 games to go. Continuing the theme of peculiarity, RCD Mallorca and Deportivo Alaves are not going through the usual motions or emotions of managerial upheaval. Los Bermellones dismissed Jagoba Arrasate after just over 18 months, and beyond their league position, it was a manifestation of the feeling that something just wasn’t clicking. In that sense, the emotions are outwardly unanimous; a sorrow that a project containing so many good ingredients and intentions has failed.
More concerning for Mallorca is that Sergi Darder admitted after their 1-0 defeat to Real Sociedad on Saturday that the team were ‘still in mourning’ after Arrasate’s exit. Even if things were not going well, if Arrasate still had the respect of the dressing room, it makes the work of Martin Demichelis that much harder. “I will only allow the injured to hang their heads; I want to see everyone else with their spirits high,” was his message on arrival. Imposing a style is tricky, imposing an atmosphere, will need willing co-conspirators.
‘This team has soul, it’s not a broken team’ said Quique Sanchez Flores on his presentation as Alaves manager. Put better, reminded. Chacho Coudet left on Tuesday night and on Wednesday was presented as River Plate’s new manager, presumably with some very angry children. “I have four children, and I can swear on all four of them that no one from River Plate has contacted me or my agent,” Coudet said last Thursday.
That was just before Alaves lost 2-0 to Levante, but Sanchez Flores was right: there is nothing outwardly wrong with Los Babazorros, who battle hard, and take pleasure in the discomfort of others. Sanchez Flores is about as safe a pair of hands as Alaves could have found, but the risk of changing a working formula remains, with just a three-point headstart on Mallorca. Two strange farewells, that sit a little comfortably.
A first win for Getafe at the Bernabeu in 18 years, a second in their history, their 1-0 win over Real Madrid was just as Jose Bordalas planned it. Well, mostly. Part of the existential crisis Getafe have invoked for their posh neighbours is a result of just how droll they were made to look. Real Madrid simply didn’t have any answers. Alvaro Arbeloa shouldn’t blame himself – knocking off Real Madrid means Bordalas has literally done this to every team in the division. Real Madrid’s best chance of the game came from a mistake in possession, their next best opportunities were crosses to the far post, but at every turn, switch of play or shot, there was a Getafe defender in their face.
Martín Satriano y un gol histórico para el @GetafeCF. 😮
LALIGAHighlights | RealMadridGetafe
— LALIGA (@LaLiga) March 4, 2026
Of course, most beautiful of all, was Martin Satriano’s winner. A volley so sweet it reduced its maker to tears afterwards. Most outlets will tell you that Antonio Rudiger should have cleared the ball further, Aurelien Tchouameni should have reacted faster. Bordalas will tell you that Luis Milla fed the ball wide to Juan Iglesias, that Luis Vazquez was in the box, ocuppying the defence while Satriano was free, and that Mauro Arambarri was in perfect position to latch onto the loose ball. Everyone in the exact right place. And the rest, well, that was football at its beautiful best.
> le Real prête Endrick à l’OL
> l’OL peut donc se passer de Satriano
> Satriano signe à Getafe en prêt
> Getafe affronte le Real
> Satriano marque le seul but
> défaite du Real 😭— Bennnzz 🎂 (@Bennnzz) March 3, 2026
