It's taken a while to get back into La Liga's swing this season. Every season, since I was a kid, the sudden interruption of football into the green baize of late summer has always been slightly annoying, like having your birthday a few days before Christmas. It feels good, but not quite as good as it should. It always takes a few weeks to accept the noise and the hype of the new season, until, when the leaves begin to turn, you're hooked again and into the groove.

This season has been ...

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