MADRID, March 18 (Xinhua) -- The 28th round of matches in the Liga Santander was the last before next week's international break and came after a dramatic week which saw Zinedine Zidane return as Real Madrid coach. Here are some things we learned from the weekend in Spain.
1. The title is Barca's to lose
Barca's 4-1 win away to Betis takes them 10 points clear of Atletico Madrid in the Liga Santander. With just 10 matches left to play, this makes them virtually champions elect.
It's true that Barca still have to play Atletico in the Camp Nou and that Real Madrid expect a turnaround with Zidane's return to the club, but looking at the fixture list, it's hard to see where Barca, who have taken 38 points from their last 14 matches, are going to drop 10 or 12 points even if their rivals win every game left this season.
Once again Leo Messi was magnificent on Sunday, but credit must be due to Barca coach Ernesto Valverde, who after seeing his side caught out by Betis in their first meeting, got the tactics right yet again.
2. The Zidane effect
It would be wrong to say that Zidane's return to the Santiago Bernabeu saw Real Madrid vastly improve the mediocre football they have played for much of the season. They were sluggish for an hour against a very poor Celta team, but two sparks of magic sealed the win.
The most important thing on Saturday was not so much how Real Madrid played, but who played, with Keylor Navas back in goal and returns for Marcelo, Isco and Gareth Bale - players who were very much out of favor with Santiago Solari.
Zidane also showed his wisdom in changing Isco and Bale by substituting them after their goals to receive the applause of the fans, while also giving time to Dani Ceballos, who had criticized the Frenchman following his departure last summer. It looks like the message is clear: 'everyone here is starting from scratch'.
3 It's not all roses however for Zidane
Zidane's decision to bring Keylor Navas back in goal and drop Thibaut Courtois will raise some eyebrows, however, and could be a possible issue over the summer.
Navas was in goal for the three Champions Leagues Madrid won under Zidane's leadership and when Real Madrid signed Courtois at a bargain price last summer, there was a feeling they didn't really need the Belgian international, who has been below his best for much of the campaign.
According to the press, Navas had been considering a move to get more first team action, but if Zidane is going to put his trust in the Costa Rican, Courtois could find himself looking at spending next season on the bench and that is not something he will want to do either.
4 The limits of anti-football
Atletico Madrid have had a dreadful week with a 3-0 defeat away to Juventus, ending their dreams of playing the Champions League final in front of their fans, followed by a 2-0 loss away to Athletic Club Bilbao, which has just about ended their chances of winning La Liga as well.
Against Juventus, Atletico set out to defend a 2-0 first leg lead and were then unable to regain the initiative once Juventus had leveled the tie, while in Bilbao, they never looked like breaking down a solid Athletic Club defense, despite starting with three strikers.
Diego Simeone has built a team that is usually hard to score against, but in making them so tough to beat, sometimes they forget they have players to play more attractive football and perhaps the last seven days have shown the limits of 'anti-football'.
