MADRID, Feb. 4 (Xinhua) -- Matchday 22 of the Liga Santander saw Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both drop points while Real Madrid's recovery continued with a straightforward win at home to Alaves. Here are some things we learned over the weekend in Spain.
1 The Copa del Rey taking its toll on Barca
Although Barcelona and Valencia had both played in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey in midweek ahead of their 2-2 draw in the Camp Nou, Valencia had 24 hours extra recovery time and that freshness (and perhaps the morale boost of their late Cup triumph against Getafe) were clear as they produced arguably their best display of the season to claim a point.
Barca went into the game having dug much deeper in midweek that their 6-1 final score against Sevilla suggests and knowing they will play eternal rivals, Real Madrid in the semifinals.
Wednesday's 'Clasico' is likely to demand both sides and Valverde won't be able to make concessions in the Cup, so would it cost them more league points in the coming weeks?
2 But the Cup can help morale...
Although Barca can point to tired legs, Valencia and Betis also played and won tough Copa del Rey games in midweek and rather than sapping their strength their Cup successes appear to have boosted their weekend performances.
Valencia gave arguably their best display of the season in the Camp Nou, while Betis got the better of Atletico Madrid; a result which is all the more impressive considering they were taken to extra time in their Cup triumph against Espanyol in the week.
Betis face Valencia in the 'other' Cup semifinal and with the final due to be played in Betis' Benito Villamarin Stadium, expect this to be just as exciting as the 'Clasico'.
3 Madrid derby will be vital
Real Madrid's 3-0 win over Alaves took them to within eight points of Barcelona and leaves them just two behind Atletico Madrid after Atletico's defeat to Betis.
Next weekend sees Barca face a difficult trip to face Athletic Club Bilbao and a Madrid derby between Atletico and Real Madrid that is vital for both sides. A win for Atletico would leave Real Madrid out of the title race, while a win for Real in the Wanda Metropolitano would lift them above their neighbors and keep them in touch with Barca.
A defeat, however, would probably end Real's title hopes
Atletico have a full week to prepare the game, while Barca and Real Madrid play each other on Wednesday in the Cup and that could be a huge factor in favor of Diego Simeone's side.
4 Real Sociedad wanted the win in Basque derby
Real Sociedad produced arguably their best 45 minutes football of the season as they beat rivals Athletic Club Bilbao in the Basque derby on Saturday.
Mikel Oyarzabal took advantage of Dani Garcia's error under a swirling high ball to open the scoring and Willian Jose scored a contender for goal of the week to make it 2-0 just before halftime.
Home coach Imanol had admitted it was his side's biggest game of the season and his players were much quicker out of the blocks that Athletic and with their lead they were able to then defend with order to limit their rival's chances in the second half.
It may be harsh to criticize Athletic after a run of 15 points from their previous seven games, but on Saturday, Real Sociedad seemed to want to win that little bit more.
