Almeria certainly made a huge impression during their first match back in La Liga as they had Real Madrid’s backs against the wall.
After seven years away from the first division, it took them less than seven minutes to score as Largie Ramazani finished from a brilliant pass by Inigo Eguaras, and the fans over at the Power Horse Stadium were ecstatic.
But such feeling was fleeting as the defending champions took charge to secure the victory. Still, Almeria left the arena with a sense of validation that they belong with the big boys.
Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid and Real Betis have kicked off their campaigns with huge wins too, while Real Madrid’s El Clasico rivals Barcelona are back to the drawing board following their goalless draw against Rayo Vallecano.
Read on below as SBOTOP reviews the latest La Liga 2022 updates.
Real Madrid’s youngsters still have a long way to go
Carlo Ancelotti critiqued Aurelien Tchouameni and Eduardo Camavinga as the young pair didn’t play up to par against newly-promoted Almeria.
The Italian tactician tweaked his starting XI by fielding them alongside Toni Kroos, opting to rest Casemiro and Luka Modric after they helped the team win the UEFA Super Cup not too long ago.
Neither Tchouameni nor Camavinga made an impact and both were eventually subbed off since the latter was left on the bench at half-time after picking up a yellow card while the former only lasted 59 minutes.
Perhaps this is just growing pains for the young midfielders and Ancelotti pointed out that the pressure of playing for such a big club like Real Madrid has probably affected them.
Almeria would’ve been more than happy for the game to end 1-0 in their favour, but Real Madrid found a way to unlock their compact backline to get all three points.
Lucas Vazquez slotted the ball home after the hour mark, and then David Alaba put the finishing touches when he scored via a spot-kick after just 13 minutes off the bench.
Alvaro Morata boosts stock with impressive outing against Getafe
Atletico notched their first win in the 2022-23 season by beating Getafe with ease as Alvaro Morata found the back of the net twice, while Antoine Griezmann added one for good measure. However, we shouldn’t forget Joao Felix since he was the one who assisted in all of those goals.
It wasn’t too long ago when Morata was a frustrated figure since he wasn’t high in Diego Simeone’s pecking order. The Spaniard was loaned out and spent the last two seasons with Juventus, but that’s all history now.
Morata has something to prove at Atleti and he’ll look to sustain his fine form, but he has been linked with a return to Juventus or possibly another Premier League stint, this time with Manchester United.
Manchester United are desperate to bolster their striker depth before the summer transfer window closes. With Cristiano Ronaldo facing an uncertain future and Anthony Martial not fit, adding Morata for around £30-M is certainly not the worst idea despite not being a top target by Erik ten Hag.
Juanmi picks up where he left off for Real Betis
Real Betis also got off to a winning start as they cruised past 10-man Elche, 3-0, at the Benito Villamarin Stadium last night.
Los Verdiblancos took full advantage when John Nwankwo was red carded after 16 minutes as Borja Iglesias slotted home the first goal to put his team ahead for good before the half-hour.
Juanmi, who was Real Betis’ top scorer last season and is a sleeper candidate for this year’s Golden Boot, took centre-stage as he converted two more goals to seal all three points.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side will look to keep their momentum going against Mallorca and Osasuna before visiting Real Madrid at the Bernabeu on September 3.
Xavi wants more new Barcelona signings
Following their disappointing draw against Rayo Vallecano, Xavi said that Barcelona need to further strengthen their squad in order to boost their La Liga 2022 odds.
The Blaugrana handed debuts to four of their five summer signings as Raphinha, Andreas Christensen, and Robert Lewandowski all got to start, while Franck Kessie came off the bench in the second half.
Jules Kounde, meanwhile, was unable to play since he’s still unregistered until Barcelona create more salary space.
Barca are reportedly eyeing further signings before the transfer window closes, with Marcos Alonso, Bernardo Silva, and another right-back on top of their list – namely Juan Foyth, Thomas Meunier, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Diogo Dalot, and Jeremie Frimpong.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
