Barcelona added the World Club Cup 2011 to their trophy haul during the winter break

So, dear readers, the Liga season is back upon us after a winter break that has seemed to last a season itself.

Plenty has happened over the opening few months in Spain, that it is worth re-capping all the action on and off the field, as the opening 16 games brought about long-range screamers, financial protests and presidential bitching.

Without further ado, here is the good, the bad and the downright bizarre of the La Liga season so far.

THE GOOD

Is Barcelona and Real Madrid doing as expected a good thing? That’s something that can be debated another day, but we have a title race that suggests two teams are involved still. So often in the past few years, a crushing Barcelona victory over Real Madrid by this stage would mean that the title was almost definitely heading to Catalunya.

Whilst the meeting between these two sides still ended with Barca winning, they still trail Real by three points and things are a lot closer between the two rivals. Whisper it quietly, but if inconsistencies are continued into the new year, Valencia are a mere four points behind Barcelona.

Overachievement of the underdogs. At the time of writing, it is with some great joy I can announce that Levante still remain in fourth place. A fantastic start to the season saw them top the table for the first time in their history. A slump in form was also arrested, as Los Granotas got back to winning ways and start 2012 on course for a Champions League spot, when they were tipped to be heading towards the Segunda.

Likewise, a mention is deserved for Osasuna, perennial relegation candidates and basis Primera also-rans, who have made the league sit up and actually take notice of their presence. Whilst meetings with the big two have been met with heavy defeats, they have leapt above the likes of Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and moneybags Malaga to put themselves in fifth position.

Roberto Soldado is the final topic of ‘good’ news. Having finished last season with a bang, he has continued his good form over into the new season with 11 goals making him the top Spanish striker in the division. That the next prolific Spaniard is Cesc Fabregas suggests a paucity of options, but the Valencia striker has out-scored the likes of David Villa, Fernando Llorente and Alvaro Negredo, all who are ahead of him in the pecking order for the national team. That’s leaving out Fernando Torres.

If he maintains this form in the second half of affairs, Vicente Del Bosque will have no option but to call him up for the Euros, whilst Valencia could still mount a credible title challenge.

THE BAD

What is going on at Villarreal? They qualified comfortably for the Champions League, despite being pretty poor for the second half of the 2010/11 season. The sales of Santi Cazorla and Joan Capdevila made a fairly threadbare squad even weaker, which was soon made transparent as injuries racked up, leaving Los Submarinos Amarillos with few top class options to choose from.

This culminated in the worst performance of a Spanish side in the Champions League, as they were eliminated without collecting a point, whilst they were knocked out of the Copa Del Rey by Second Division B side Mirandes and ended 2011 in 17^th. Juan Carlos Garrido has been sacked, and they will have to hope 2012 will see Jose Francisco Molina resurrect the club.

A note. It was not worth mentioning Atletico Madrid, as they underachieve every year, and sack a manager every year. Gregorio Manzano probably didn’t deserve his fate, and neither will Diego Simeone when his reign inevitably goes wrong.

The Copa Del Rey. Whilst hardly given the highest billing, things have gotten even worse for Spain’s only domestic cup. A quarter of the remaining 16 teams play in the lower leagues, and with first leg leads going towards the underdogs, that percentage is set to rise.

The likes of Atletico and Villarreal have all given up their participation in the competition against weaklings, so whoever wins the quarter-final clash between Barcelona and Real Madrid (assuming they maintain first leg leads) will most likely stroll to the trophy without any meaningful competition.

So much for the anticipated arrival of Nuri Sahin in Spain. Our Bundesliga correspondent, Steve Moore, wrote about the talented Turk and his potential impact at Real Madrid. This has not materialised however, as Jose Mourinho decided that Sahin was not actually fit enough mentally or physically to be part of the first team, limiting him to a few Copa Del Rey outings.

2012 needs to be different for Sahin to fulfil that ability that saw him earmarked by Zinedine Zidane to shape the Real midfield for years to come. €10m for one substitute appearance in a game already won against Osasuna is simply just not good enough.

THE BIZARRE

Hands up who had any knowledge of Inigo Martinez this time last year. Promoted from the B side by Real Sociedad for the beginning of the season, 12 games into his top flight career he has achieved something most players can only dream of. Twice.

Against Athletic Bilbao he strolled up to a free-kick 53 yards from goal and hammered straight into the net. Whilst Sociedad went on to lose the game to their local rivals, he became an instant cult hero at Anoeta. So he decided, with the scores at 2-2 at Real Betis and the clock ticking down, to do it again. And once again, a beleaguered goalkeeper saw the ball sail over his head and into the net to give Sociedad a priceless victory. Oh, he’s a centre back as well.

Did you notice there are only 16 games played in 17 rounds? Well, allow me to enlighten you as to the reasons why. The first round of games were postponed due to a strike by the clubs in response to the failing television deal. A group of rebel clubs, led by Sevilla and Villarreal presidents, Jose Maria Del Nido and Fernando Roig, decided they were not willing to sit and watch Real and Barca rake in 50% of the total income whilst the remaining 18 clubs had to fight for the scraps.

So a strike took place to get a more even deal for everyone else. Which has partially worked. Although that has hardly helped out some of the clubs as they suffered the loss of shirt sponsorship. Atletico, Villarreal and Valencia are all still without a logo emblazoned, preventing them from possibly challenging the top two.

Speaking of Del Nido, he’s currently residing in a jail cell, where he will remain for the next seven years. The Sevilla president was found guilty of embezzlement, fraud and corruption whilst working as a lawyer in Marbella.

A fitting end to an eventful first half of the season. Enjoy the rest of the season!