Those same voices who so revelled in the inevitability of the the San Marino rout take it in turns to lavish praise on Barca, to turn to the bottomless well of superlatives and dub them "the greatest side ever". But are they?

The upturn in Spanish football's fortunes has been little short of remarkable, having spent most of the '90s enviously watching the seemingly inexhaustible conveyor belt of talent playing in England and Italy. However, two crucial developments in recent weeks have threatened to plunge Spanish football, both at club level and internationally, into an unprecedented disaster.

A prevailing topic is the suppositional death of the 'old fashioned full-blooded tackle', yet the one thing football discussion hasn't tackled itself is the continuing existence of one of football's other old-time traditions: doping.

Whatever happens, we are in store for one of the most important and exciting January transfer windows in Arsenal history. Let's hope it has an even bigger magnitude than the 2009 winter window where a certain Andrei Arshavin was signed on deadline day.

If Messi sees out his career at Barcelona - joining the likes of Casillas, Scholes, Schweinsteiger, Maldini, Totti, De Rossi, Adams, Gerrard, Le Tissier, Xavi and Iniesta, to name but a few - he will be in exalted company.

Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and Andres Iniesta are the contenders for this year's Ballon d'Or prize, Fifa has announced. With a spectacular 82 ...

It says a lot about the duopoly in Spanish football that the three point gap between Barcelona and Atlético is rarely mentioned, but that might change if Simeone ends the derby curse and Atleti finally beat Real Madrid. Now, for once, they have a chance of doing so.

When Benzema is on form, there is no doubt that Madrid play better. Higuaín may have a superior goals-to-game ratio but the Frenchman offers much more and, if given a run of games, will no doubt follow it with a run of goals.

Whilst things may be brilliant on the field for Barcelona at present, those fans that have been a part of the club through its incredible history will get the sense of feeling that their club is no longer 'More than a club' but more so 'Just another club'.

Round 12 in La Liga kicks off in Pamplona with Osasuna facing Champions League side Malaga. The hosts will go into this game after beating Espanyol last week but still sitting rock bottom of the table, while Manuel Pellegrini's side have struggled to balance their European exploits and league form

Discounting their thrilling victory over Manchester City and the first half against Barcelona at the Bernabéu, Real Madrid have been far from their usual best this season, and produced a poor showing again in Vallecas. Fortunately for José Mourinho's side, Rayo Vallecano were generous opponents.

Before Barcelona beat Getafe 4-1 away from home last Saturday, Cesc Fabgregas said it would be a difficult game "because Getafe's fans always put pressure on us". Players flattering opposition supporters is nothing new, but Fabregas was simply not telling the truth: Getafe's fans make hardly any noise at all, for the simple reason that they seldom turn up.

So the opening weekend in Spain's Primera Division wasn't so bad after all. First of all all the matches went ahead, which was a real concern just two weeks earlier.

It is difficult to predict if the league will reach a resolution with the clubs before the season starts. What is certain is that the feeling of euphoria surrounding football in Spain when Iker Casillas lifted the European Championship trophy last month is now a distant memory.

Nuri Sahin has joined Arsenal on loan from Real Madrid for the 2012/13 season, according to reports. Madrid sports daily Marca claims Sahin is Prem...

Real Madrid's new kit for the 2012/13 season has been revealed, and sportswear designer adidas have conjured up some retro magic. A simple design w...

Real Madrid midfielder Royston Drenthe has accused World Player of the Year Lionel Messi of racially abusing him. Drenthe, who was on loan with Eve...

Despite becoming a Primera Liga champion with Real Madrid, Cristiano Ronaldo wasn't happy enough at the final-whistle when Javier Martinez walked his ...

Real Madrid attacker Cristiano Ronaldo has surpassed club legend Ferenc Puskas to become the fastest player to score 100 La Liga goals. The 27-year...