La Liga 2016-17: Deportivo 2 - 1 Barcelona: 5 Talking Points

4. Deportivo La Coruna’s performance highlights revival of La Liga

The highlight of Deportivo’s performance was the sheer calmness that they displayed under immense pressure from arguably the most feared attacking unit in the land. They didn’t just lump the ball clear, and instead elected to pass the ball out – some of their one-touch passing from the back taking the breath away. Their performance today highlighted two major points: the superiority of La Liga vis-a-vis domestic competition elsewhere, especially when we talk about pure technique on the ball.

The other one is that La Liga in itself has become so much more competitive than the two-horse race that so many experts and laymen football fans across the world lambast it to be. No one is rolling over anymore, and as Las Palmas showed against Madrid and Depor showed today, they are more than willing, and importantly able. to stand their ground and play football their way. What’s not to love?