La Liga News, Notes & Standings: 5 Biggest Storylines of 2014-15 Spanish Soccer League Season So Far
With teams having the week off, the standings remain the same.
Real Madrid is on top with Barcelona trailing by just one point. Week 17 kicks off Jan. 3, 2015, weekend. But until then, we're going to look back at the first 16 weeks.
Here are the five biggest storylines of the season so far:
1. Cristiano Ronaldo On Another Level
Portugal's own has been the best La Liga player of the year so far.
Ronaldo has scored a league-leading 25 goals in his 14 games. Lionel Messi of Barcelona has scored the second most goals in the league with just 15. In 2011, Messi scored a record 50 goals in a season, but at this pace, Ronaldo will break that record. Not only does Ronaldo lead the league in goals by 10, but he is tied for the league-lead in assists (8) with Denis Cheryshev and Koke. Don't be surprised if Ronaldo wins this year's FIFA Ballon d'Or award.
2. Real Madrid's Unstoppable Offense
Real Madrid is in first place in the La Liga standings with 39 points, thanks to their 13 wins. Of course, Ronaldo is the best player and leads the team in nearly every offensive category. But this squad has been unbelievable on offense. Real Madrid has now scored 55 goals this season, 14 more than (you guessed it) Barcelona, who has the second most. French striker Karim Benzema has eight goals, while James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos, Isco, Benzema and Ronaldo all have at least five assists. Real Madrid's offense is by far the fastest and most effective with manager Carlo Ancelotti drawing up great plays.
At this pace, Real Madrid will score 139 goals, breaking 2011 Barcelona's record of 121.
3. Barcelona's Elite Defense
Real Madrid may have the best offense, but their rivals have the best defense. Barcelona has allowed just seven total goals in their 16 games. The South American dynamic duo of Neymar and Messi are good enough to win it all, but goalkeeper Claudio Bravo has been fantastic in net. The 31-year-old Chilean netminder is the favorite to win this year's Ricardo Zamora Trophy.
The record for fewest goals allowed in a season is held by Real Madrid, who allowed just 15 goals in 1931.
4. Atletico Madrid Trying to Repeat
Atletico Madrid won the championship last season for the 10th time in their club history. That's the third most ever behind only Barcelona and Real Madrid. This Atletico Madrid team has been in third place for the majority of the season. Atletico Madrid currently has an 11-2-3 record giving them 35 points. Mario Mandzukic and Antoine Griezmann each have six goals this season, while Spanish goalkeeper Miguel Moya has been solid in net. It's going to be tough to win a second consecutive title, but Athletico Madrid did defeat Real Madrid back in Week 3.
5. Real Sociedad's Disappointing Season
It doesn't look like Real Sociedad will be ending their championship drought, which dates back to 1982. Last season, Real Sociedad finished the season with 16 wins and 59 points. The year before that, Real Sociedad had 18 victories with 66 points. But, this year has been pretty disappointing for Real Sociedad soccer fans. The squad is just 3-6-7 overall, good enough for 14th place in the standings. Scoring just 17 goals this entire season, Real Sociedad's offense hasn't provided a spark for even one winning streak all season long. Outside of Mexican forward Carlos Vela, not a single player has more than two goals this season on the roster for Real Sociedad.
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