La Liga talking points

Talking points from the weekend in Spanish football.

REAL'S UNSUNG HEROES DELIVER

Ask any Real Madrid fan to name their ideal starting 11 and the names Lucas Vazquez, Nacho Fernandez and Marco Asensio are unlikely to pop up, but the three underrated Spaniards all proved their worth in the 2-0 win over Celta Vigo.

Nacho raced back to clear a Iago Aspas strike off the line while Vazquez and Asensio took turns in setting up goals for each other as Madrid negotiated a potentially tricky fixture against a Celta side who had won five of their last six games.

The trio would have been unlikely to start had Sergio Ramos, Eden Hazard and Rodrygo all been fully fit but their performances underlined the value of keeping reliable, committed players in the team's squad alongside expensive foreign imports.

SUAREZ IS THE NUMBER NINE BARCA ARE MISSING

After striking late to clinch a 2-1 win at Alaves, Luis Suarez continues to look like the one piece Atletico Madrid have been missing for so long in their quest to win a first La Liga title since 2014.

And with every goal Suarez scores taking the La Liga leaders closer to their objective, his former club Barcelona look ever more misguided in forcing him out last summer and allowing him to join a direct rival.

Barca may have earned a 1-0 win over Huesca but they were again left crying out for a ruthless striker of Suarez's quality after they failed to put the game to bed despite carving out numerous chances.

After the game, coach Ronald Koeman repeated his desire to bring in another forward to help his side's talented attack score more goals, and inside must have been regretting letting go of such a proven marksman in the Uruguayan.

ATHLETIC SHOW NO NEW YEAR REMORSE TO COACH

Athletic Bilbao got 2021 off to a bright start with a 1-0 win over Elche but the club's directors chose to sack coach Gaizka Garitano two hours after the fulltime whistle.

Garitano had led the team to last season's Copa del Rey final and to ninth in the table this campaign yet the club, who have won eight La Liga titles and only select players from the Basque region, were evidently not satisfied.

The outgoing coach, who will be replaced by proven winner Marcelino, seemed to know what was in store.

"We know we represent a people, we play for something more than football," he told reporters shortly before being dismissed. "We're under constant pressure, people are always breathing down our necks, and that's the way it should be."