MADRID, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The fifth round of matches in Spain's La Liga takes us into the international break after a frantic three weeks of football. Here are some things we learned in Spain this weekend.
1: Barca still has work to do
FC Barcelona's positive start under Ronald Koeman had produced two wins and seven goals without reply in their first two matches of the season, but that positive start was halted as they were held 1-1 at home to Sevilla on Sunday evening.
Barca looked tired after their midweek efforts at Celta Vigo and there were moments in the second half when Sevilla could have won the game with more ambition. Koeman brought on the new arrivals Pedro "Pedri" Gonzalez, Francisco Trincao and Miralem Pjanic in the second half, but the feeling is that Barca's squad still looks lightweight for a full season, and the club needs to sign at least another central defender and a striker before the transfer window closes.
2: Courtois Real Madrid's savior again
Real Madrid's 2-0 win away at Levante takes them into the international break as league leaders, but you would be wrong to think all was plain sailing for Zinedine Zidane's side.
Sunday's win and the midweek victory against Valladolid were largely thanks to goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who produced man of the match performances in both games to keep Madrid's rivals at bay.
Real Madrid has a deeper squad than Barca, as the fact that they were without Dani Carvajal, Eden Hazard, Alvaro Odriozola and Tony Kroos on Sunday and still won shows, but Courtois' displays mean that so far some of the results have been much better than the actual performances.
3: Suarez needs time
When Luis Suarez joined Atletico Madrid from FC Barcelona many questioned the wisdom of allowing the striker to join one of Barca's main title rivals. Those feelings were strengthened when Suarez scored twice and gave an assist on his debut against Granada, but after two 0-0 draws in which Atletico hardly managed a shot on target against Huesca and Villarreal, doubts are re-appearing about Atletico's title credentials.
Against Huesca and Villarreal, Atletico showed their old problems as they struggled to create chances against well-organized rivals, while Suarez looked sluggish.
Given his lack of a pre-season at Barca, it is logical Suarez still isn't up to speed and Atletico fans will hope that when he is 100 percent fit he will be able to get on the end of the few chances their side creates.
4: Garitano in trouble
After four games of the season, Athletic Club Bilbao coach Gaizka Garitano has emerged as the early favorite in the 'sack race' after his side lost 1-0 at home to nine-man Cadiz, before being beaten by the same score away to Alaves on Sunday.
Both of the games highlighted Bilbao's problems in midfield and attack, as they failed to trouble two sides that will probably struggle to avoid the drop this season.
Many put the performances down to Garitano's defensive and conservative nature and his unwillingness to show confidence in the club's young players. The feeling is that although the squad has obvious weak points (especially in central midfield), the lack of confidence some players showed in the last two games means Garitano is running out of time. Enditem
