What we learned from Spain's matchday 20

The past weekend saw the start of the second half of the season in Spain's Liga Santander. It was a weekend of surprises and these are four standout points from the weekend games.

1) 'Perfect' weekend for Real Madrid

Sergio Ramos' post-match tweet following his side's 3-0 win over Real Sociedad said it all; it was a perfect weekend for Real Madrid who not only defeated Real Sociedad 3-0 but also saw how all of their rivals in the title race dropped points.

It had been a difficult week for Madrid following their cup exit and there was a tense atmosphere in the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium as Real Sociedad dominated possession in the first half. However, for all Real Sociedad's pretty passing, they lacked bite and Madrid responded by taking virtually their only chances in the game for what in the end was a relatively comfortable win.

Meanwhile Barcelona were held by Betis, Sevilla, who had Nico Pareja harshly sent off in the first minute, lost to Espanyol and Atletico Madrid were totally outplayed and dropped two points away to Alaves.

On top of that Atletico and Barca now face each other is two draining Cup semi-finals, while Madrid can enjoy a weekend off; Cup failure sometimes has its compensations.

2) The 'best' league needs to get up to date

It is all well and good for LaLiga President Javier Tebas to continually say that Spain has the "best" league in the world, but if that is to be the case, Sunday showed one basic improvement has to be made.

Although Barcelona were outplayed from start to finish by Betis and can count themselves lucky to have taken a draw with a late Luis Suarez goal, the idiosyncrasy of football means that had the linesman done his job correctly they would have taken all three points as they 'scored' another goal when the ball clearly crossed the Betis goal line in the 77th minute only for the referee Hernandez Hernandez to wave play on.

Other major leagues have installed goal line technology to avoid that sort of error without complaint or controversy. The system is neither too hard nor too expensive to implement and would end that kind of error immediately. If LaLiga wants to be the best, it needs to install it as well.

3) Sergi Enrich is worthy of mention

Eibar striker Sergi Enrique made the headlines for the wrong reasons at the start of the season when a sex video of himself and defender Antonio Luna and a young lady was published on social network sites. Since that moment, however, Enrich has made the headlines for his football.

The powerful center-forward scored and set up two other goals as Eibar beat Deportivo la Coruna on Saturday to move onto 29 points. Enrich's display was a perfect example of what he brings to the Basque side: power, control in the air, solid finishing and a generous effort for his team-mates. The home fans chanted 'Tank...Tank' at times when he was on the ball, but the fact is that although he can act as a battering ram, he is a much more than a blunt instrument... a bit like Eibar, who this season have added talent to their traditional work rate and organization and are already close to assuring a fourth campaign in the top-flight.

4) Leganes are in trouble

While Granada's defeat in Villarreal and Osasuna's draw at home to Malaga merely served to confirm they are favorites for the drop, there are worrying signs at Leganes.

Leganes have had a horrible run of rivals in their Butarque Stadium, having to play Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, Athletic Club, Villarreal and Real Sociedad and as a consequence may have looked on the visit of Celta Vigo, who had a tough Cup game on Wednesday and face a semi-final this week, as the chance to claim only their second home win of the campaign.

However, it was not to be as a Celta side filled with substitutes brushed past them for an easy 2-0 win in a game which once again highlighted the lack of firepower in a side that has netted just 15 goals in 20 matches.

The problem is obvious, but there is no budget to bring in a free-scoring forward and as the adrenalin of promotion wears off, it looks like a long second half to the season in Butarque. Endit