One more week, ELXIIDEAL‘s LaLiga Overtime is back to go over some of the most relevant aspects in Spanish football this weekend. This time around, the protagonists of LaLiga Overtime are Jude Bellingham, Pacheta’s Villarreal, Samu Lino and Bryan Zaragoza’s exhibition against Barça.
LaLiga Overtime – Match Day #9:
A player born for Real Madrid:
After Real Madrid’s comfortable 4-0 win over Osasuna, Vinicius talked to the media and immensely praised his teammate Jude Bellingham, the author of two goals and the man of the match. The Brazilian stated the following after the match was over: “He is incredible. He was born to play for Real Madrid and will leave his mark in the best club in the world”.
And Vinicius is saying things as they are, as Bellingham’s start to the season with Real Madrid has been surreal, almost a fantasy. In his ten first matches with the club, the Englishman has recorded ten goals and three assists. Better numbers than what a man by the name of Cristiano Ronaldo posted in the same amount of matches, he scored the same amount of goals but only dished out one assist.
An insane eruption from an extremely talented player. Real Madrid’s number ‘5’ is actually an ‘8’, a ’10’ or a ‘9’. He can do it all. A player that has only needed ten games to become an idol for the fans. His celebration, with his arms raised, is trending at Santiago Bernabéu and in worldwide football in general. A universal pose from a footballer born to play for Real Madrid, who also deserved to be a protagonist in the ninth match day edition of LaLiga Overtime.
With Pacheta, life stays the same or turns for the worse:
Often times, we tend to switch things up to fix our problems or improve situations that are not going well in our life, but change does not always lead to progress. Villarreal looked to find winning ways after a poor start to the season, with three points in the first four matches that led to Quique Setién getting sacked.
The new tenant at the ‘groguet’ bench would be Pacheta, a man hearty like no other that aspired to completely turn Villarreal’s situation around. But nothing further from reality, Pacheta’s figure is slowly diluting, although he is not the only one to blame for the current situation.
The team’s pace has remained slow, without quick movement of the ball to destabilize the opposing defense. An aging core paired with young players that have yet to take the required step. A defense that leaks more than the Titanic and terrible sporting planning after Villarreal lost their best players (Samu Chukwueze, Pau Torres and Nico Jackson) and failed to sign reinforcements.
After managing Villarreal for seven matches, Pacheta has recorded two wins, two draws and three losses, the latter, at Estadio de la Cerámica, against Las Palmas, who defeated them 1-2 and doomed Villarreal to the 16th position. An abrupt match for their fans, who booed Ben Brereton (one of the team’s star signings) and Dani Parejo. That is why, for Villarreal, who were looking to turn their situation around, life has stayed the same or, perhaps, got substantially worse.
The new Samu Lino:
This summer, Samu Lino joined Atlético de Madrid’s preseason with the label of a rotation player, but without any room in Diego Pablo Simeone’s 5-3-2 system. With no wingers on the pitch, the Brazilian, who had performed at a high level for Valencia, saw his chances fade away as a result of the competition on the left flank with Carrasco and Javi Galán on the roster.
The last few days of the summer transfer market brought critical news for Atlético. Yannick Ferreira Carrasco left the team and made his way to Saudi Arabia. Terrible news for the club, who lost one of their best players in a transfer that gave Lino a spark of hope.
Ever since then, Samu Lino has become the clear starter on the left full-back spot for ‘El Cholo’. His first appearance in the starting eleven came in a match as demanding as the derby against Real Madrid, in which he excelled. His performance has improved with every coming game and against Real Sociedad, the Brazilian displayed every facet of his ‘new self’.
A match in which he was capable of stopping Takefusa Kubo (with the help of Mario Hermoso). The Japanese, who may very well have been the most dynamic player in the start to the league, had his worst game yet facing Lino. To round out his great performance, the full-back born in São Paulo scored his first goal for the club.
A great pass by Koke (who recently returned and immediately helped Atlético play their best) to the back of the ‘txuri-urdin’ defense reached Lino, who took advantage of it to beat Álex Remiro with a shot with the inside of the foot. Another great performance by the ‘new’ Samu Lino, who is well on his way to become another successful product of the ‘Simeone factory’.
The birth of a star from the streets:
In sports, there are moments, matches or competitions that lift a player to stardom. Overnight, you go from being unknown to the general public to hoarding the front pages of the media thanks to your performances. In LaLiga Overtime, we have witnessed the rise of Bryan Zaragoza.
Granada’s player showed his qualities to all of worldwide football against FC Barcelona. The forward born in Málaga is a rare sighting in Spain. Football in ist current state, which is defined by playmaking and passing, has seen Earthquake Bryan stun a giant like the ‘Culé’ side with two beautiful goals that could have been three if his last shot did not hit the post.
An electric and dynamic player that reminded us that true football is not taught in the academies. Bryan stated the following in El Post de Dazn: “My playstyle involves dribbling, I cannot chase the ball or change the way I play. Ever since I was young and played in the streets, we played this way”.
A player from the streets that spent countless hours in the courts of his native Málaga. Parks in which all of us tried to reenact the skills we saw our favorite players perform on YouTube. Courts in which wit was critical to standing out. Pitches that have, over time, raised players with countless technical resources. Because those courts, contrary to the clubs, provide freedom and imagination to develop our talent.
Lastly, after his exhibition, Bryan was asked about potentially being called up by Luis de la Fuente. He jokingly replied: “I would walk my way there if I had to”. That is why you should never bet, because there is a chance you lose. After the match, the Spanish national team has confirmed that Ansu Fati and Bryan will replace Yéremy Pino. A well deserved prize for the new ‘star from the streets’.
Translated by Nuño Alonso.
Main image: Edit by Pablo Benítez.
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