Vinicius, Bellingham and Valverde booed at the Bernabeu & Barca suffer defeat

Summary

The Rest Is Football – La Liga Episode Summary

Podcast: The Rest Is Football
Hosts: Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer (brief mentions), Alex Aljo
Date: January 20, 2026
Episode Title: Vinicius, Bellingham and Valverde booed at the Bernabeu & Barca suffer defeat

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Episode Overview

This La Liga-focused episode dissects a turbulent week in Spanish football. Real Madrid, reeling from a humiliating Copa del Rey exit and the sacking of Xabi Alonso, return to league action under new manager Álvaro Arbeloa but are met with fierce disapproval from their own supporters—even after a victory. Meanwhile, Barcelona's impressive winning run ends with a controversial defeat at Real Sociedad, throwing the title race wide open. The hosts break down the week's drama, analyze standout performances (and shocks), and offer their trademark blend of insight, banter, and anecdote.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. AFCON Final Chaos

• [01:55–06:44]
  Gary Lineker recounts his surreal experience attending the AFCON final, describing it as "bonkers" and narrating a cascade of VAR controversy, a stadium in confusion, a lengthy stoppage, and Sadio Mané's captaincy heroics.
  • Lineker: “It just went from being a fair, mundane game to one of the most bonkers 20, 25 minutes I’ve ever seen.” (03:09)
  • Praises Mané: “He was a true captain, a true leader. He did the right thing because whatever you think about the decision, you can’t walk off.” (04:13)
  • Reflections on penalty psychology, pressure, and sporting integrity, including fun anecdotes about missed Panenkas.

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2. Real Madrid: Victory, But Fan Revolt

• [06:45–14:02]
  • Arbeloa’s first league game sees a subdued 2-0 win over Levante, but the story is the fans:
  • Vinicius Jr., Jude Bellingham, and Fede Valverde booed throughout the match, accused (in the media) of undermining Xabi Alonso.
  • Atmosphere described as unprecedentedly hostile—“white handkerchiefs, boos, whistles…from start to finish.” (09:23)
  • Some players (Raul Asensio, Thibaut Courtois) applauded, further highlighting divisions.
  • Media rumors about Bellingham’s nightlife are addressed and dismissed by the hosts as “nonsense”—Lineker voices hope Bellingham hasn’t lost focus (12:28).

Notable Quotes:

• “They were booing one or two, and most notably Vinicius Jr., also Jude Bellingham as well.” — Gary Lineker (09:08)
• “They have said they’ve never known the Bernabeu like it. Unprecedented.” — Alex Aljo (09:23)
• “Arbeloa came out in his presser and said people were booing that didn’t like Real Madrid...I’m not sure I agree with that.” — Alex Aljo (10:47)
• “Players do care. They want to succeed. Vinicius has had a really, really tough spell...you need a little bit of support, but you could see he cares.” — Lineker (14:08)

Emotional Impact:

• Vinicius reportedly in tears in the tunnel post-match, illustrating the personal toll of supporter criticism.

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3. Barcelona’s Disallowed Goals & Defeat

• [15:06–19:29]

  • Nine-match league winning streak snapped by a 2-1 loss at Real Sociedad.

  • Multiple disallowed goals, an overturned penalty, and heroics from Sociedad’s keeper Álex Remiro.

  • Key absence: Rafinha missing, correlated with all of Barca’s league defeats this season.

  • Marcus Rashford scores from the bench; Rafinha expected back soon.

  • Frustration at officiating—Frankie De Jong’s post-match comments:

    “The only thing I can say is that you can’t talk to this referee…He looks at me with a face like, ‘I’m better than you.’ It’s frustrating. He can’t behave like that.” — Frankie De Jong (19:30)

  • Hosts note: Barca played well but lost; Real Madrid played poorly but won—“that’s football.”

Notable Quotes:

• “It was a weird game. There were so many goals disallowed by VAR.” — Lineker (17:45)
• “Just one of those days…they played really well and didn’t win. Real Madrid didn’t play well and won.” — Alex Aljo (19:12)

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4. Real Betis & Atletico Madrid: Top Four Jostling

• [22:29–24:44]
  • Betis beat Villarreal 2–0, with Pablo Fornals scoring against his former club.
  • Importance of Betis’ win: first time this season they’ve taken points from a current top-four side (23:17).
  • Atletico’s pragmatic win, thanks to a rare-headed goal from “the biggest striker that’s hopeless with his head"—a nod to listeners’ running jokes.
  • Discussion of Julian Alvarez’s recent struggles, and striker psychology—Lineker shares his own superstitious habits to break scoring droughts (haircuts, sock order).

Notable Quotes:

• “If you stop worrying about it, that’s the worst thing you could do. You just keep going, making the right runs, and eventually your luck changes.” — Lineker (25:19)
• [On superstitions] “I’d have a haircut…even though it’s complete nonsense.” — Lineker (26:29)

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5. Quickfire Weekend Roundup

• [27:56–29:25]
  • Valencia beat Getafe 1-0 (late goal, relegation struggle).
  • Girona win at Espanyol: Vladislav Vanat’s penalty brace.
  • Mallorca 3–2 Athletic Club: Hattrick for Vedat Muriqi.
  • Osasuna 3–2 Real Oviedo; Celta Vigo 3–0 Rayo: Relegation, promotion, and European qualification subplots.
  • Sevilla snatch late draw at Elche: Points shared after Elche led 2-0.

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Memorable Moments & Banter

• Mané’s leadership lauded after AFCON chaos (04:13–04:50).
• Lineker recalls feeling like “a complete plonker” after missing a Panenka—self-deprecating story (05:14).
• Alex and Gary riff on player nightlife and media scrutiny, referencing their own playing days (“In Barcelona…we went to nightclubs, and nobody really bothered you…” 12:43).
• Jovial discussion on superstitions—haircuts, socks, and how to shake a striker’s bad run (26:29–27:11).
• Light moment as Alex and Gary mimic Frankie De Jong’s “I’m better than you” referee face (19:59).

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Important Timestamps

• AFCON final stories: 01:55–06:44
• Real Madrid: Bernabeu boos, managerial drama: 06:45–14:15
• Barcelona–Sociedad match, refereeing complaints: 15:06–19:30
• Betis/Atletico/striking slumps & superstition: 22:29–27:24
• Remainder of La Liga weekend: 27:56–29:25

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Conclusion

A week where fan emotions spill over in Madrid, VAR and referees drive Barcelona to distraction, and the La Liga title race suddenly tightens. Real Madrid’s troubles aren’t over despite the scoreboard, and Barcelona are forced to rue chances missed and decisions gone against them. Elsewhere, Betis and Atletico make moves, and the league’s drama shows no signs of waning. The episode combines keen match analysis with lived experiences—and plenty of laughter—making it as entertaining as it is insightful.

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For more banter, deep dives, and stories from inside the game, tune into The Rest is Football’s next episode!

Transcript

[A]

This episode is brought to you by State Farm. Checking off the boxes on your to do list is a great feeling, and when it comes to checking off coverage, a State Farm agent can help you choose an option that's right for you. Whether you prefer talking in person, on the phone or using the award winning app, it's nice knowing you have help finding coverage that best fits your needs. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.

[B]

Coming up on today's show, Real Madrid get back to winning ways but were booed by the fans at the Bernabeu as the fallout from Xavi Alonso's sacking continues. Barcelona dropped points in the title race, losing 21 in a thrilling game at Real Sociedad. Atletico Madrid made up ground on villareal with a 10 win at home to Alaves after Real Betis dispatched the Yellow Submarine 20 on Saturday. Stay tuned. Hello and welcome to the rest is Football La Liga with Alex Aljo and me, Gary Lineker. It's been a, well, very interesting week in La Liga. Real Madrid have changed managers as we already know. They've been dumped out of the Copper del Rey in humiliating fashion, being booed at the Bernabeu despite winning and despite all that as well, they've closed the gap with Barcelona to just one point as Barcelona really good run in the league. Ended. Before we get into the action though. How are you doing, Alex, and tell us where you are.

[A]

I'm in Milan. I'm in Milan. For Champions League, for Inter, Arsenal. So looking forward to that. How was the AFCON final, Gary?

[B]

Let's say mildly bonkers. It was the first time I'd ever been to the AFCON on. It was lovely. The ground was amazing. We went in there, got locked after nicely met lots of superstars. Yeah, it was all. And the game itself, it was a little, you know, as they always are, slightly cage, I thought they went for it to a degree. Both sides had decent chances, missed them and Harry and myself were sitting there thinking, oh, it's going to be nil, nil, it's going to be penalties, perhaps it like it was in the last one. And then all of a sudden everything changed and it just went from being a fair, mundane game to one of the most bonkers 20, 25 minutes I've ever seen. I mean, I've been around a long time, as you know, Alex, and I've seen a lot of stuff in football, but I'm not sure I've ever seen anything quite like this. Obviously the aspects of it were amusing. Aspects of it were really worrying. Particularly when the crowd kicked off. I mean, it was odd. Just before the referee gave a penalty, obviously at the other end, he blew his whistle too early because I think Var. Well, we don't know whether they would or not, but would probably have turned over the referee's decision. But because he blew before the ball went into the net, he therefore VR could not intervene. So then a couple of minutes later, down the other end, we're sitting there watching the game and then it's. Everyone's getting excited on the pitch and they're all jumping around, we're thinking, well, what's. What's going on? He had no idea, absolutely zero idea in the stadium. And then suddenly everyone's. It's kicking off near the benches. Both teams are like exasperated and. And then suddenly he gives a penalty. Penalty. Var has intervened. I mean, why they did that? Why. I mean, you can't do that. You. That's just madness.

[A]

Then what happened? The players went into the dressing.

[B]

Half the team. Half the team went off. Senegal team, not all of them.

[A]

It.

[B]

I think overall it probably. The whole thing lasted around 15 minutes. I would say. It seemed longer. The one thing I would say that I think the genuine hero out of this was Sadio Mane, because he never went down the tunnel. The only time he went down the tunnel was to drag his teammates basically back out on the pitch. He was a true captain, a true leader. He did the right thing because whatever you think about the decision, you can't walk off. You can't do that sort of thing. And he got them back on the field of play. And I said to Harry, he's going to miss this penalty. I mean. I mean He's. He's had 20 minutes to think about it and what's he. And he's. And he's out thought himself now. There's a lot of conspiracy theories going around that he deliberately missed it. Right. And there is no way he did that. I mean, he was in tears. Why would you do it? They. They're saying it's because of the Senegal reaction. It was all sorted and I thought, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.

[A]

There are other ways to miss a pen as well.

[B]

Well, if you're going to deliberately miss a penalty for. For sporting reasons, you. By kicking it wide by 30 yards now, do you. I don't know whether you know this interesting little fact. When penalties were first brought in, it was in this. It was here by the Football Association. It was deemed as unsporting to score from the penalty. So they used to deliberately miss in the early days and they kicked them really wide, right? So that's what you do if you deliberately miss a penalty. Because otherwise why would you deliberately miss it in that way where you look a complete plonker? And I know because I looked a complete plonker many years ago and I missed one of those all bit. But the one thing I thought, did.

[A]

You ever do it again?

[B]

I did do it again. I did it again a couple of times. Yeah. And I scored about five panenkas in my career. Missed one, which was quite the only one that anyone ever remembers. But if you do miss it, you look stupid. Now he's out thought himself. The one thing you cannot do is under everything that had happened then and the fact that this was a final, and I know the first ever Panenka was the winning goal in a European cup and then it was the last penalty of a shootout. But this was 20 minutes of thinking for a country that hasn't won Afcon for 50 years. And you got to think to yourself, right, this, I. I think he's thought to himself, the keeper has to dive. He's bound to dive on this. Even though he's got a record of standing up against Sergio Aguero and he just caught one very similarly a few years ago. And you've got to think to yourself, right, even if I think that if he does stand there and I miss it this way, I am going to look like a clown and I'm going to be castigated forever. But anyway, anyway, we all know what happened after that. And then they went down, they scored a mad goal and. And it was, it was quite an experience.

[A]

Yeah. Worth the trip, that's for sure.

[B]

Yeah. Anyway, we should talk probably a little bit La Liga. It's. It's obviously been a very turbulent week for Real Madrid. It was Arbolo's first league match after Copa del Rey debacle where they lost against Albacetti and two tiers lower, but they did get back to winning ways. It still wasn't particularly free flowing. It wasn't satisfying for most of the crowd, but let's see how they did it.

[C]

So what next for Real Madrid? Humbled in the Copa del Rey by second tier Albacete. Now it's a Levante side facing relegation themselves. Killing Mbappe. Mbappe just away from De la Fuente. Referee points to the penalty spot. And he did so in a flash. It's Adrian De La Fuente's challenge. A more blatant penalty than that you will not see. It's Kylian Mbappe, who calmly rolls in goal number three 30 of the season for Real Madrid. Gave the goalkeeper the eye and rolled it in. It's Aragula's corner. It's Raul Asensio's header. Real Madrid by themselves, some breathing space. And Raul Asensio with a perfectly directed header there. Arula Mbappe. This is Mast Antuo. A lovely effort that almost crept in but kissed the top of the crossbar. Venus Jr sets off with his pace, will comfortably keep it in. Is there to be one final flourish from Real Madrid? That's Arda Gula. Bubbles wide. Real Madrid have got the job done and that will come as an almighty relief to them and to him.

[B]

Okay, Alex. It was a win for Real Madrid, but it didn't seem to satisfy the. The Real Madrid fan base. They were booing one or two PL and most notably Vinicius Jr also a Jude Bellingham as well.

[A]

Yeah, it was from the moment the team bus arrived. I've spoken to friends in Madrid and they have said they've never known the Bernabeu like it. Unprecedented.

[B]

That's bad, really, because they, you know, they do tend to show their feelings.

[A]

Yeah, they do show their feelings, but apparently this was like nothing they'd ever heard before. Just from start to finish, the white handkerchiefs were out. BOOZE whistles Three players in particular were targeted, being Vinicius Jr, Jude Bellingham and Fede Valverde. Valverde, yeah. They're the three that are deemed to have caused Xabi Alonso's sacking.

[B]

Is there any evidence to support that?

[A]

I think there's no evidence as such, but it's generally thought that those were the players that didn't buy into Xabi Alonso's coaching style, his ideas, his plan, his project, whatever. So it just. I don't know. It's not good, is it? It's not good for the club. Some players were exempt. Raul Asensio and Thibaut Courtois, they were applauded. But those three players just booed throughout. And yeah, it was a really poor first half. They were better in the second half, but not a convincing performance. A really terrible few days for Real Madrid and it's not going to be an easy job for Arboloa. I thought it was interesting what he. After the game, he came out in his press conference and he said people were booing that didn't like Real Madrid, that didn't like the club. And I'm not sure if I. I'm not sure if I agree with that.

[B]

I've had experience of this as well, I. At Barcelona. And it's. And, and it is very similar there as well. That can happen when they turn against you and, and believe you me, it is from the fans and the south. Well, they, they do. I mean, I don't think that necessarily helps the club and helps the situation, but they're the paying customers. They're the ones that, you know, pay some of your wages, I should say, because obviously TV money is probably the most important thing and, you know, they have a right to express their view, even if it ultimately doesn't necessarily help the team killing. Mbappe spoke, didn't he, afterwards, and said, right, okay, you can boo, but boo everyone. Not just selected players. It is interesting that they've selected those three players.

[A]

That's for. Jude Bellingham is the one that really surprised.

[B]

Yeah. Because he was. Been very popular. I mean, I suppose, you know, if you've got people leaking stuff, that those are the players that did for Xabi Alonso. But at the same time, when Jabi Alonso was in charge, they didn't exactly support him from the terraces either, did they?

[A]

No.

[B]

So you, you, you know, there's a lot of complaints, but, you know, you can't win and I mean, Jude Bellingham's come out and said it's complete nonsense.

[A]

Well, he's been criticized. There's a lot of talk in the media that he's always out in nightclubs.

[B]

Is there?

[A]

Yeah, there's a lot of chat that he's always, always out.

[B]

That would really surprise me and I hope it's not true. I hope he's not lost his way a little bit. I think he's. I mean, he's just an incredible talent.

[A]

There's been lots of photos, I think, of him out in the nightclubs. We know there's a great nightlife in Madrid.

[B]

I remember my time in Barcelona, we went to nightclubs, you know, and nobody really, both you over there and your private life and stuff like that. You know, you can go to a nightclub after a game, you can have a fun night. There's nothing wrong. I mean, there's nothing wrong with that. I mean, nowadays, obviously, things have changed and I've got to be careful, my words. Because that, you know, in the modern game now, the players, their diet, their thing, everything about them has to be exemplary. Yeah. So, I mean, the cup defeat was extraordinary, wasn't it?

[A]

Yeah, yeah. Albacete. Yeah. Mentioned earlier, 14th in the Segunda division. Real Madrid values 90 times more than that of Albacete. Nobody saw that defeat coming out of the. Out of the Copa del Rey, which was Alvaro Arbolo's first game in charge. Not a great start for him.

[B]

Not at all.

[A]

With the training ground the next day, I think at 6:57am and said there's lots of work to do. When he was asked about it in his press conference, he said, I've got a lot to do.

[B]

Did he come in straight from the nightclub?

[A]

Yeah, maybe in the back. Yeah. So it's, it's not going to be easy. It's not going to be easy for these players to come back either after that kind of atmosphere. How, you know, how does that affect players? What we saw, how it affected Vinicius junior. He was in, in tears, it looked like in the tunnel.

[B]

Really sad because players do care. They want to succeed. And I mean, Vinicius has had a really, really tough spell. In fact, you know, it, it does seem to happen a lot to him in different ways. Obviously had a lot of racist stuff over the last few years. Not from Real Madrid fans. It's important to state that. And you know, he does seem to be the center of attention a lot of the time, sometimes for good reasons. He had. He was brilliant, wasn't he? For two or three years he's gone through a bad spell. Players go through bad spells. You need a little bit of support, but you could see cares. I mean, that's hurt him and that, that, that hurts any player. But what I will say is from my own experience, if in two or three games time, everything could be different. You start playing well, you bang in a couple of goals and everybody forgets. People have very short memories in football. And obviously now that Real Madrid are only one point behind Barcelona, and that's because Barcelona lost their first game in quite a while. And let's see how that transpired.

[C]

Well, no God of honor from Real Madrid, but these super cup winners, Barcelona do get one one from Real Sociedad as they return to La Liga. Action. Querez gives chase with Jules Kunde for company. Jus Oyabal. Real Sociedad knots in front. Well, they thought they had some joy, but the offside flag went up. This is Fermin Lopez. It's Lopez. Fermin Lopez finds the bottom corner and Barcelona are in front. This is just being checked for a foul in the build up by Danny Olmo. Yeah, the goal's not going to stand and take and Real Sociedad get away with one there. Yamao to borrow his way through. Comes to Kunde. This is Lamina through the legs into the net, but up Goes the flag. And for the second time, Barcelona have a goal that isn't going to count. Oyafab peeled away from Jules Kunde and this one is gonna stand. Barcelona twice denied. It's Real Sociedad who were in front. Cancelo Yamau. Marcus Rashford steals in. And Barcelona are level again. That's Solaire. It's a good save. Solaire just keeps it in play. Querez. Well, Barcelona weren't level for long. And the former Wolves man Gonzalez Carlo Guedes has re established Sociedad's advantage. Caught there by Carlos Solaire. Yellow card for him. I think that yellow is about to be upgraded to a red card for Carlos Solaire and Rail Sociedad a goal up, but for the final few minutes, a man down. That is it. And Barcelona are beaten. Here.

[A]

Was nine wins in a row. It was before. Before defeat against Real Sociedad and I actually don't know how they managed to lose the game.

[B]

It was a weird game. There was so many goals disallowed by various.

[A]

Was it three disallowed goals, an overturned penalty, 25 shots. And then Real Sociedad's keeper, who's actually Spain's third keeper, Alex Romero, made some incredible saves. And it was eight saves and a couple of really, really good ones. But yeah, somehow Barcelona didn't win. I think the fact that there was no Rafinha had a. Had a massive impact. It's no coincidence that the five games they've lost this season, there was no Rafinha. We were speaking about him, weren't he? And just how key he is, but. So I think his absence. Yeah, definitely had a. Definitely had an impact. Marcus Rashford, though, coming off the bench to score a positive from the game. His eighth goal in all competitions, third in the league. And it's been a really, really positive season.

[B]

I think overall it. Has it. Obviously the important part of the season is now, now to come. Rafinha's got another injury. I don't think it's anything too serious. You know, Marcus might get one or two more opportunities because obviously it's. They play in a similar position sometimes. Well, often. But he has moved it around quite a lot tactically, so I think he'll get more opportunities. But I think you'd count that performance perhaps as. I mean, they still played, I thought. I mean, they were unlucky with one or two of the decisions. And I think it's. You'd say just one of those days.

[A]

Yeah, just one of those days. Yeah, they played really well. And didn't win. Real Madrid did not play well and won. But that's football, isn't it? Yeah, that's football. And so now, one point in it really good for Real Madrid. But one positive at least for them after a terrible, terrible few days, the fact that Barcelona lost. They can celebrate that.

[B]

At least they weren't happy with the referee. Frankie De Jong had this to say about the ref after the game. The only thing I can say is that you can't talk to this referee. I'm the captain. I don't understand it. He looks at me with a face like, I'm better than you. It's frustrating. He can't behave like that. What have you got that face, Alex, can you look at me now and go with a face that says I'm better than you? Because I want to know what that face looks like.

[A]

What is it?

[B]

Oh, I don't know. How about that for those looking, like slightly pompous look. What do you know?

[A]

A bit aloof.

[B]

A bit aloof? Yeah, I've had that. I mean, Spanish referees, some of them. Some of them. I remember my time, they were. They. They kind of. They are a little bit like that. And I think that's probably applies to referees everywhere. I think they do sometimes, you know, authorities, don't they. I suppose there is a degree of truth in. In that. But anyway, we've got an exciting league now for the rest of the season. So in the second half, let's not the or so Rams, but let's, um, see, there's actually one quite big important game via Albertus, obviously. We'll talk about that when we come back. This episode is brought to you by whoop. January is full of noise about doing more. But in football, you learn quickly that more effort isn't always the answer. Especially after a match, you think you're fine, then you hit the stairs the next morning and your knees start negotiating early retirement. Or you've traveled late, slept badly, and you're still telling yourself you're good to go. Your body's got a different opinion. WHOOP is a wearable device that gives WHOOP members personalized insights into sleep, recovery and strain so you can see what your body's dealing with rather than guessing. It's why elite athletes like Cristiano Ronaldo, Virgil van dijk and Rory McIlroy use it. But it's not just for athletes. The insights are just as useful if you want to feel good today and still be moving well years from now. And I definitely do. If you want to build Healthier habits that actually last. You can try Whoop free for 30 days. Just head to join.whoop.com trif to get started. New year same extra value meals at McDonald's. So now get two snack wraps plus fries and a medium soft drink for just $8 for a limited time only. Prices and participation may vary. Prices may be higher in Hawaii, Alaska and California. And for delivery. Welcome back to the rest is football. La Liga with Alex Aljo in Milan and me, Gary Nica just returned from Morocco. Looking at the rest of the top four now, Alex BRL missed the chance to get on the coattails. Didn't near bar from Real Madrid, but they lost two. Betty sort of picked up a little bit. A bit of important result for them.

[A]

Yeah, really important result. I liked the second goal a lot. Pablo Fornaus, formerly of West Ham, actually formerly of Villareal as well, scoring against his former club. But a really big win for Real Betis. So, yeah, missed opportunity for Villarreal, wasn't it? Their level on points with Atletico Madrid, but doing really well in the league this season. So, yeah, a disappointing defeat for them, but a massive win for Real Betis.

[B]

Who.

[A]

Do you remember I said at the start of the season they were going to finish in the top four?

[B]

You did. I'm not sure that's going to happen. There's. There's quite a big gap. There is a big gap and I think Spain is unlikely, from what I hear, to get the, you know, five clubs. Yeah, I think it's unlikely. It's so. So you're going to probably have to finish in the top four.

[A]

It was the first time, though, that Betis have taken points from any side in the current top four.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So it was. Yeah, it was a massive win for them.

[B]

Yeah, it was. And they've closed the gap on Espanol to just two points. Might be the battle for fifth, which certainly be a European football at the very least. So. So it was an important victory for Real Betis. Meanwhile, Atletico. I've got, you know, Eric. I need to have a little word about him. Eric. Because Eric, I remember told us early in the season that we've got the biggest striker that's hopeless with his head and he scored the only goal in the game with a fantastic header.

[A]

I know.

[B]

So please tell me what our friend Eric has said about Mr. Sawloth.

[A]

You know what? He actually didn't mention him.

[B]

I wonder why he didn't mention him.

[A]

But he said another no frills, pragmatic performance. Atletico Madrid's Failure to kill the game off almost proved Costly as Alaves Mr. Sitter late on and Alvarez. Julian Alvarez struggles in front of goal. Continue. Still works his socks off though. Goals will come. He's upset that Conor Gallagher has gone to Spurs. He didn't get the minutes he deserved at Atletico Madrid, but he said best of luck at Spurs. Going to need it. Hopefully two or three new signings this month. The left back midfield and would love a striker. Ideally a veteran needs have played in Lala.

[B]

Why is one a veteran?

[A]

Bit of experience. Needs to have played in La Liga before, preferably for Barca, Suarez and Griezmann returning. All worked out splendidly. And David Villa. And then he said international experience a plus. Please tell Gary to forward me his cv.

[B]

Blimey, my days are gone. Long, long, long gone. Alvarez is interesting, isn't he? Going through one of those spells that strikers go through. Because earlier in the season everyone was eulogizing about him. Everyone was saying that, you know, Manchester City should never let him go, but he's going through a bit of a lean spell.

[A]

Different players react differently during. To some players, it doesn't affect them mentally at all or. And some players, it really gets into their head.

[B]

Very true. Well, no, I'm not going to say my usual response to that because we all have bad spells and I had lots of bad spells in my career, but it didn't get to my head. And I think the top strikers don't let it get to them because you can't be a striker and be weak mentally. You can't. You've got to be. You know, you have to have that belief and that calmness and the coldness to just. Just carry on regardless, doing the same things that you always do now. Well, I'm sure Alvarez will come out of this. He's a. He's a class footballer. I don't know what he's like. He's. I don't know how he is in terms of his mental strength, but I've never seen anything to question it. And like Eric said, he's. He's still working his socks off and keep going. That's the thing you do. You just keep going, keep going, keep doing the right things, making the right runs. And eventually, eventually your luck changes. If you let it get to. If you stop worrying about it. That's the worst thing you could do now. I know it's easy to say that. And the thing I used to do, I used to do silly things like change my routine slightly. Slightly, just to refresh so you Go, right, I've had a bad run, but this, I know this sounds daft and superstitious nonsense, but I'd have a haircut up. And every time, if I go more than, like, I think it more than 3, 4, 4 games without a goal, I'd write, I'll get a haircut. And then, even though it's complete nonsense. So you go and you go, right, I've done something now that's going to change it. So it's just. It's like, it gives you a little bit of belief, even though you do your same stuff on the pitch and all that sort of thing, but just something that might shift your mindset.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Which is probably complete and utter nonsense. Yeah.

[A]

Put your left sock on before your right sock on.

[B]

I could never remember which soccer put on first in the first place, so I wouldn't know which one I did. I did a lot of stupid things.

[A]

We need to tell Julian Alvarez to get his hair cut.

[B]

Indeed. Indeed. I don't know how Shira would have coped. It was been pointless.

[A]

Alan's in this hotel. Is he out last night? Yeah, we went for a really good meal.

[B]

Oh, you've got two. That's two nights out in a week. People start to talk. Alex.

[A]

I know, I know you had. He showed me the. The sights in Newcastle.

[B]

How was it, by the way, your few drinks in the pub?

[A]

It was really good. We went to a place called Harry's Bar in Newcastle and had a few drinks pre match, which was great, which is really good.

[B]

Fantastic stuff.

[A]

Okay, let's have a roundup of the other results from the weekend. Then Valencia beat Hitafe 1 nil in a big relegation six pointer. An 84th minute goal from Jose Gaia securing the win for Los Che. Dragging Getafe right into the scrap. At the bottom with just three points separating 12th and 18th, Girona's Vladislav Vanat scored a brace of penalties to give Girona a 20 win at Espanyol. The first was initially saved by Paolo Gazzaniga, but he was found to be off his line and Van Aat dispatched the retake. The result leaves Espanyol looking over their shoulders. They try and hold onto Europa League spot. Vedat Marucci hat trick saw Mallorca run out three two winners at home to Athletic Club in a back and forth encounter. Next we have another action packed. 3 2. As Osasuna beat bottom Club Real Oviedo, Anse Budomir at the double and Ike Munoz bagging a dramatic winner in stoppage time. Celta Vigo secured a comfortable 30 victory at home to Rayo Vallecanu thanks to goals from Sergio Carrera Javier and a penalty from from Brian Zaragoza. We also saw another red card as Rayo's Noble Mendy was sent off in the 66th minute. A late double from Ako Adams rescued a point for Sevilla at Elche. The hosts were 2 nil up just before the hour mark, but a stoppage time penalty saw the points shared, a result that sees Elche move up to 8th and Sevilla in 14th, just two points above the relegation places.

[B]

Great stuff. That's all we've got time for today. On tomorrow's episode of the Rest Is Football. The latest in our moments that may be made them series is focusing on none other than Steven Gerrard. He was quite good, fair to say we were sport for choice. So there's plenty to enjoy. For now though. Goodbye from me.

[A]

Goodbye for me.