A compilation of some of the most interesting La Liga stories of the week, we go through the good, the bad and the good.
The good: Alberto Moleiro is blossoming before our eyes
Always among the smartest kids in the class, when Villarreal sells a number of key players for 108 million euros, and brings another number for €102m, the stability of La Ceramica and the presence of Marcelino Garcia Toral make it easy to predict that the Yellow Submarine will not be sunk by their losses. It was reasonable – here read the defense – to predict that the departure of Alex Baena, statistically the best goal provider of La Liga in the last two seasons, will still be felt in his absence.
In came Alberto Moleiro, once heir to the throne of Pedri in Las Palmas, who now replaced the blue blood of Baena. Always talented, with clean feet, an eye for goal and a decent vision. Floating in the final third, Moleiro was fun to watch, Baena was toothy.
What is the fate of Alberto Moleiro, 22, who has won from Villarreal.
pic.twitter.com/sHNvwIJpSd
– EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 14, 2026
That’s why Moleiro deserves waves of praise pouring into his hole. Villarreal were finding it slow against a scrappy Alaves on Saturday, before an electric strike from Moleiro opened the game for the Yellow Submarine. With 20 minutes to go, a silk pass into the path of Georges Mikautadze sealed the game, two acts of high technical quality.
El pase de Moleiro. The definition of Mikautadze. Lo que ocurre cuando dos genios se juntan
#LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/CbdnMzxhTO
– Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) January 13, 2026
Both are proof that Moleiro was sharpening his tools under Marcelino. The 22-year-old is determined to be consistent with growing up, something that seemed too difficult to ask at Las Palmas. Now with eight goals and three assists in 18 Liga appearances, Moleiro has managed nine goals and four assists in his last two campaigns in Gran Canaria. Moleiro is blossoming, and not only filling Baena’s place, but now, matching his contributions.
Bad: Getafe are out of pencil
“I don’t deserve this. I’m a manager who gets a lot out of my stuff. I always get a point from the pencil. But you sharpen the pencil, you sharpen it, and eventually there’s no pencil left. I remember it well when I was a kid. Everyone sees it. Lack of options, every week, the team is bad. I don’t deserve it.”
All is not well at the Coliseum. #GetafeCF pic.twitter.com/dYlyenWezz
– Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) January 9, 2026
It will not be the constant criticism, the angry responses of his opponents, or his tenacity that brings Jose Bordalas down, but his boss. Bordalas has reached his peak at Getafe, after a couple of impressive seasons with a team lacking in resources, the 61-year-old manager has spent two of his last four press conferences expressing his anger at the club he has.
Granted, President Angel Torres can’t create space in their salary cap, but with doubts about their employment and their negotiating skills, Bordalas’ frustration seems justified. It is also his last resort, to ensure that he is given some kind of material to work with before it is too late. Other groups with similar or lower salary limits have smaller dull groups. It seems that Getafe and Bordalas are reaching the end of a long and fruitful road; the question to be answered is whether he will be able to keep them before he leaves.
The Good: Carlos Romero is a wonderful full-back
Rumors that the site is merely a propaganda tool for Carlos Romero are more widespread than the mark, but it’s understandable why he might be a little confused. Already in the mid-season Team of the Year, Romero has one fine goal to his name against Athletic in the volley. His effort against Levante this weekend is one of the best from a Brazilian defender.
Carlos Romero plays a big role in LaLiga.
Es capaz de darte una asistencia de gol a 40m.
O golazo que sure las telarañas de la cruceta rival.
1 per temporada sería lo normal.
Él la lleva 4G + 2A pic.twitter.com/LLUmmysnS8– Joaquín Torres (@torrrresjoaquin) January 11, 2026
A cushion from his first touch could have safely tipped his crown as Spain’s best defender this season to the spot, a classy way to swing the ball into the top corner without lifting it back into a Pichichi-contending striker. Confidence oozing from him, Romero took off his workmanlike security guard overalls to wear a tailored suit that caught all the eyes in the room.
The post The good, the bad and the good: appeared first on Football España.
