From UD Las Palmas' possession stats to Real Madrid's youthful midfield to Isco's return, these are some of the main footballing observations from Matchday 1.
Ancelotti's trust in youth pays off
Real Madrid kicked off the new season with a convincing 2-0 victory away at Athletic Club, and they did so with a starting line-up that had an average age of just 24.7. No other LALIGA EA SPORTS team had a younger starting line-up in Matchday 1, when the average age of all the other line-ups was 27.9.
Carlo Ancelotti firmly placed his trust in youth, starting the likes of 23-year-old Fran García, 22-year-old Rodrygo, 20-year-old Eduardo Camavinga and 20-year-old Jude Bellingham, and it worked as they all produced eye-catching performances, especially the goalscorers Rodrygo and Bellingham.
In the case of the Englishman, he won the MVP award in what was his competitive debut for Real Madrid, proving he is able to thrive at the highest level.
UD Las Palmas will try to keep playing possession football
Of the 20 coaches who are starting this new season in the dugouts of LALIGA EA SPORTS, Francisco Javier García Pimienta of UD Las Palmas was the only one who had never coached a top-flight match before opening weekend, so all eyes were on the former La Masia youth coach. When he led UD Las Palmas to promotion last term, he did so with the highest possession percentage in the competition, but would García Pimienta keep that same style of football in the top flight?
He sure did. UD Las Palmas enjoyed 69 percent possession in their opening fixture, a 1-1 home draw against fellow islanders RCD Mallorca. Of the 16 teams who were in action across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, only FC Barcelona had a higher possession stat than Los Amarillos, who also boasted the fourth-best pass completion percentage of 86 percent.
It's true that they were facing an RCD Mallorca side that often like to sit off the ball, but this match did demonstrate that UD Las Palmas will try to maintain the same brave approach that served them so well last year.
Girona FC discover another Ukrainian talent
When Girona FC signed Ukraine international Viktor Tsygankov halfway through last season, the winger was an instant success as he scored three and assisted six more goals over the second half of the campaign, helping the Catalan club to challenge for Europe. It now seems Girona FC have discovered another top-level talent from Ukraine, as their summer signing Artem Dovbyk scored on his debut on Saturday, a 1-1 draw at Real Sociedad.
Not only did Dovbyk head in the equaliser, but he did so off a cross from his compatriot Tsygankov. The centre-forward, who has been brought in to replace the goals of Taty Castellanos, was able to hit the ground running by immediately establishing a connection with his Ukraine national team colleague. They could form a duo worth watching this season.
Isco is back
In his first match back after nine months without an official game, Isco reminded football fans around the world of just how talented he is as he won the MVP award in Real Betis' 2-1 victory at Villarreal CF in Matchday 1. The 31-year-old was given a start by Manuel Pellegrini, a coach he'd previously worked with at Málaga CF, and Isco started brightly, combining really well with Marc Roca, another debutant who had an excellent performance. Substituted off in the 71st minute, Isco had already done enough to convince those watching and to earn the prize as the best performer of the evening.
Afterwards, the midfielder spoke of his joy at being back on the pitch. He explained: "I'm really happy to play again after such a long time. I'm very happy for my debut and the victory. It couldn't have been a better start. I've had some tough moments and I've pushed through, both mentally and physically."
Nobody can win at home
Another interesting detail from the first eight fixtures of Matchday 1 is the fact that not a single home team has won so far. There were three draws and five victories from the matches played across Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and the five wins were for away sides as Rayo Vallecano, Valencia CF, Real Madrid, CA Osasuna and Real Betis all returned home content.
It's certainly curious that no home crowd was able to cheer a victory so far in Matchday 1, yet the fans of Cádiz CF and Atlético de Madrid will hope this trend changes when they attend their home fixtures to conclude Matchday 1 on Monday night.
