A throwback to when coinciding kick-offs were the norm

This gameweek brought back something that is rare nowadays, something that was common many years ago: coinciding kick-off times. It took me back to the way it used to be on the round-the-grounds Spanish radio programme 'Carrusel Deportivo', when you could listen to the games on the radio with the betting slip beside you to see how your luck was going to play out. A game of bingo with the footballers, the shots at goals, the goals failed and the ones that were successful. For those who didn't tune in but went to the cinema, the 'Goleada', a small publication with the results and your accumulator.

It's not a question of missing that so much. Now, we can see all of the games one after another on the television, or the ones you choose to watch at least. What this gameweek evokes is a time when football belonged to everybody, because you could listen to the things your team was doing alongside the other teams which gave everything a familiar feeling. You knew as much about Elche as you did about Real Madrid, as much about Betis as you did about Barcelona and as much about Oviedo as you did about Atlético. Now, LaLiga is segmented into parts, you consume your own team and ignore the rest because at different times people prefer the Premier League or Serie A. Different times, different customs. The future continues to reveal itself day after day.

No time to lament the loss

There is no time to lament this loss, but it was good to live it all over again, what we lived on a Sunday back then. Meanwhile, a new embarrassment for Zinedine Zidane (three losses and two draws in five away games) and you could also reflect on Diego Godín's goodbye. Those who heard Valladolid's winner in Vallecas could also listen to Celta's loss against Athletic Club and that of Girona in Levante, who also saved themselves on Sunday. By the way, I can only doff my cap to Eusebio Sacristán for the way he faced up to a defeat that all but condemned the Catalans to the drop. In the European places, there is still things to sort out. Next week will have even more mixed emotions.