3 things we learned in La Liga this weekend: Real Madrid plays desperate football

With another weekend of La Liga action in the books, we take a look back at some of what we learned from the latest slate of matches.

Real Madrid throws players forward like nobody else

As Enrique Ortego of Marca wrote: "It had to be seen to be believed."

Real Madrid's 1-0 defeat at Villarreal on Sunday marked another low point in Los Blancos' trainwreck of a season, which already includes a comical failure to sign a 'keeper, a thrashing in El Clasico, and expulsion from the Copa del Rey.

But it wasn't the result at Estadio El Madrigal that was unbelievable - Villarreal is a very tough club to beat, after all - so much as Real Madrid looking like a headless chicken in front of goal.

When the final whistle sounded, Real Madrid's formation looked like a 1-1-3-5. Gareth Bale, James Rodriguez, Karim Benzema, Isco, and Cristiano Ronaldo were all lumped together in crowded fashion, with Bale weirdly featuring as a de facto second winger alongside Jese. Danilo and Marcelo were also instructed to attack, while Sergio Ramos hovered around Villarreal's penalty spot.

Yet despite the numbers in its final third, Real Madrid couldn't find an equaliser and saw only one of its 20 shots hit the target.

Atletico Madrid is Madrid's top club

Don't look now, but Atletico Madrid is joint-top of La Liga, sitting on 35 points through 15 matchdays and, alongside Barcelona, looking down at the rest of the league.

Atleti's 2-1 victory over Athletic Bilbao on Sunday delivered a statement to the rest of the league regarding its intentions, even if manager Diego Simeone won't admit to it. While Real Madrid's incompetence was on display for the umpteenth time this season, Atleti was showcasing its counterattacking style of play while Antoine Griezmann was scoring 25-yard winning goals.

"We always strive for the best," Simeone said, according to Marca. "We'll carry on in the same vein and won't allow our attention to stray. The only path we believe in is all about hard work and trying to better ourselves. We have to stay up there and make a nuisance of ourselves, and if the two big boys drop the ball, we've got to capitalise.

He added: "We were up against experienced opponents and it's not easy to turn it around after going behind. We're happy with our efforts, but now isn't the time to judge things - that will come at the end of the season."

No, Diego. The time to judge things is always.

Gary Neville's revolution requires patience

Neville's first La Liga fixture as manager of Valencia on Sunday was as underwhelming as his debut four days earlier.

For all the hype surrounding Neville's arrival at the Mestalla Stadium, there was a distinct lack of spirit shown by Valencia in its 1-1 draw at Eibar. Los Che were lucky to escape with a point and it's already become painfully clear that the Englishman faces an uphill battle in his attempt to get his new club back on track.

Neville's next opportunity for a first win at Valencia will come on Wednesday, when the club welcomes Barakaldo in the Copa del Rey.