Talking points from LaLiga matchday 15

The weekend matches in Spain' s Primera Liga ended with Real Madrid maintaining a six-point lead over Barcelona, but also left us several interesting points which are well worth discussing.

1. Messi and Iniesta lead from the front.

FC Barcelona returned to winning ways after three league draws with a 3-0 win away to bottom of the table Osasuna. The result confirmed the improvement they had shown in the midweek Champions League win at home to Borussia Dortmund and it is no coincidence that since Andres Iniesta has returned following injury Barca look more like their own selves.

The Spain international injected pace and positivity into the Barca midfield, always looking to move the ball forward and create a scoring chance. While others such as Andre Gomes are content to play the safe option, Iniesta always looks to be creative and with Leo Messi he has the perfect partner in crime.

Messi scored twice and set up Luis Suarez for Barca' s opening goal in Pamplona and if he had his shooting boots on in the first half, he would have scored more, but the result was clear for all to see: with Messi and Iniesta in the side, Barca still have hope.

2. Ramos is Madrid' s savior; but can their luck last?

For the second week running a last minute header from Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos gave his side valuable points. If last week saw him save a point for Real Madrid (and deny two to FC Barcelona), Saturday saw the Ramos late show give Real Madrid a dramatic 3-2 win at home to Deportivo la Coruna.

Ramos has a habit of snatching dramatic goals (such as his injury time goal in the 2014 Champions League final), and last two strikes keep Madrid six points clear of Barcelona, however, the past two weeks should not hide the fact that Madrid have not played well of late and could easily have dropped 5 points in their last three league games (don' t forget Sporting Gijon missed a penalty against them a fortnight ago).

Nevertheless, those goals have also instilled a belief in the Madrid side whose players never give up until the final whistle blows. Good fortune has led to belief, but sooner or later their luck will have to change.... Or does it?

3. Valencia are in deep trouble

Friday saw Valencia coach Cesare Prandelli send a clear message to his players: 'If you are not willing to work for the club then you'd better leave.' After just 22 minutes of Valencia' s 3-2 defeat to Real Sociedad he had their reply as shambolic defending allowed their rivals to take a 2-0 lead after Willian Jose was allowed two free headers.

With no game next weekend Valencia could start 2017 in the relegation zone and although their squad has more than enough quality to avoid relegation, that does not guarantee survival. Prandelli doesn' t appear to have the players behind him, as shown by their late arrival for Friday' s training session, and has yet to convince the fans, who also want owner Peter Lim out. That creates a poisonous atmosphere to play in at home as worse results lead to a worse atmosphere.

After no win in 7 games, it wouldn' t be a shock if Prandelli was sacked or even resigns in the near future, but after having 10 coaches since 2012, the question to be asked about Valencia is: how much of the fault is down to the coach and how much is down to the club?

4. Don' t rule out Sevilla

Vicente Iborra was the unexpected hero of the weekend in LaLiga after scoring a second half hat-trick which gave Sevilla a 3-0 win away to an impressive Celta Vigo.

It has been a good week for the three-time Europe League champions, who also booked a place in the last 16 of the Champions League and who remain third, one point behind Barca in the table.

Coach Jorge Sampaoli has shown tactical adaptability, while Samir Nasri has been a revelation since his loan from Manchester City and as a result Sevilla approach the Christmas break very much in the title race. Perhaps the only question mark over the side is the absence of a 20-goal a season forward after the departures of Kevin Gameiro and Carlos Bacca, because with a penalty area killer, Sevilla could go all the way to the title. Endit