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's players are happier under Zinedine Zidane
It's only been two weeks since Real Madrid appointed Zinedine Zidane as its manager and threw Rafa Benitez in a ditch, but it's impossible to deny just how much happier the club's players are under the 1998 World Cup's poster boy.
Following a 5-0 victory over Deportivo de la Coruna in Zidane's debut, Real Madrid thrashed Sporting de Gijon 5-1 on Sunday. But the pair of wins don't tell the whole story. After all, Los Blancos beat Rayo Vallecano 10-2 and can generally be relied upon to produce a number of batterings throughout the season.
What does tell the story is the undeniable happiness that is oozing from Real Madrid's players with Zidane at the helm. With Benitez on the bench, there was a distinct lack of care for what was transpiring on the pitch. Simply put, the body language from Los Blancos' players shows a degree of respect that Benitez never earned.
Related: 3 ways new boss Zinedine Zidane has rejuvenated Real Madrid
Even AS has noted the change of attitude, publishing a headline Monday that translates as: "Perfection exists."
Buenos días! Today's 'portada' insists that perfection exists, and it's managed by a man named Zidane: pic.twitter.com/i6fj5KHcWB
— AS English (@English_AS) January 18, 2016
Barcelona doesn't forget
In August of last year, Barcelona found itself in unfamiliar territory, falling 4-0 to Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of Supercopa de Espana. Luis Enrique clearly didn't forget about the pounding, saying on Saturday: "They're one of the few sides to have thrashed us, plus they prevented us from lifting a sixth trophy."
Of course, Barcelona exacted revenge in Barcelona-esque fashion on Sunday, defeating Athletic 6-0 in what was a one-sided affair from kickoff until the final whistle.
However, it was arguably a fixture of suicidal tendencies rather than revenge. Gorka Iraizoz, Athletic's 'keeper, conceded a penalty kick only three minutes into the match and was also shown a red card for the incident, paving the way for an hour-and-a-half of one-way traffic that left the Basque club with no hope of leaving the Camp Nou with a single point.
Atletico Madrid's performances are deceiving
Atletico Madrid's 3-0 victory at Las Palmas on Sunday kept the club perched atop the La Liga standings for another matchday and inevitably continued the conversation about whether or not Diego Simeone's side is indeed a title contender.
After the game, Jonathan Viera of Las Palmas was, as Sid Lowe of the Guardian explains, asked a question that started: "Atletico get a lot without doing much." It was a microcosm of the widespread belief that suggests Atleti is punching above its weight and, perhaps, overachieving.
Viera provided a phenomenal answer, saying: "It might not look like a lot from the outside, but on the inside it is. On the inside, it's bloody hard."