The good, the bad and the beautiful:

A round-up of some of La Liga’s most intriguing storylines across the week, traversing through the good, the bad and something beautiful.

The Good: Alberto Moleiro is blossoming in front of our eyes

Always among the cleverest kids in the class, when Villarreal sold a number of key players for €108m, and brought in a number more for €102m, the stability La Ceramica and the presence of Marcelino Garcia Toral made it easy to predict the Yellow Submarine would not be sunk by their losses. It was reasonable – here read self-defence – to predict that the departure of Alex Baena, statistically La Liga’s best goal provider over the previous two seasons, would still be a keenly felt absence.

In came Alberto Moleiro, once the heir to Pedri’s throne at Las Palmas, now the successor for Baena’s blue blood. Always talented, he has neat feet, an eye for goal and decent vision. Floating around the final third, Moleiro was pleasant to watch, Baena was saber-toothed.

What a finish by 22-year-old Villarreal winger Alberto Moleiro. pic.twitter.com/sHNvwIJpSd

— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) January 14, 2026

Hence why Moleiro deserves the waves of praise rolling into his cove. Villarreal were finding little grip against a miserly Alaves on Saturday, before an electric strike from Moleiro blew the game open for the Yellow Submarine. With 20 minutes to go, a silken pass into the path of Georges Mikautadze sealed the match, two acts of supreme technical quality.

El pase de Moleiro. La definición de Mikautadze. Lo que ocurre cuando dos genios se juntan #LaLigaHighlights pic.twitter.com/CbdnMzxhTO

— Villarreal CF (@VillarrealCF) January 13, 2026

Both are evidence that Moleiro has been sharpening his tools under Marcelino. The 22-year-old is deciding matches with increasing regularity, something that seemed a little too much to ask of him at Las Palmas. Now with eight goals and three assists in his 18 Liga appearances, Moleiro managed nine goals and four assists in his prior two campaigns in Gran Canaria. Moleiro is blossoming, and not just replacing Baena, but at this point, matching his contributions.

The Bad: Getafe run out of pencil

“I don’t deserve this. I’m a manager that gets a lot out of my resources. I always get a point out of a pencil. But you sharpen the pencil, you sharpen it, and eventually there’s no more pencil. I remember it well when I was a kid. Everyone can see it. The lack of options, every week, the team bad. I don’t deserve it.”

Not all is well at the Coliseum. #GetafeCF pic.twitter.com/dYlyenWezz

— Ruairidh Barlow (@RuriBarlow) January 9, 2026

It would not be the constant criticism, the blistering offensive answers of his rivals, nor his own intensity that ground Jose Bordalas down, but his boss. Bordalas has reached breaking point at Getafe, after several seasons of miracle-making with an under-resourced squad, the 61-year-old manager has spent two of his last four post-match press conferences vociferously voicing his anger with the squad at his disposal.

Granted, President Angel Torres cannot invent space in their salary limit, but with doubts over their recruitment and their negotiating skills, Bordalas’ frustration seems justified. It’s also his last resort, to ensure that he is given some sort of material to work with before it’s too late. Other teams with similar or lower salary limits have less blunt squads. It seems Getafe and Bordalas are coming to the end of a long and fruitful road; the question to be answered is whether he will be able to keep them up again before goes.

The Beautiful: Carlos Romero full-back extraordinaire

Rumours that this site is simply propaganda tool for Carlos Romero are wide of the mark, but it’s understandable why it might get a little confusing. Already in the midseason Team of the Year, Romero has one sumptuous goal to his name against Athletic on the volley. His effort against Levante this weekend belongs to the very best of the Brazilian full-back vintage.

Carlos Romero está entre los tres jugadores más determinantes de toda LaLiga.

Es capaz de darte una asistencia de gol a 40m.

O golazo que quite las telarañas de la cruceta rival.

1 por temporada sería lo normal.
Él la lleva 4G + 2A pic.twitter.com/LLUMmysnS8

— Joaquín Torres (@torrrresjoaquin) January 11, 2026

The cushion on his first touch could have safely guided his crown as the best full-back in Spain this season to the turf, the supreme technique to sniper the ball into the top corner with no back-lift was that of a forward competing for the Pichichi. The confidence oozing out of him, Romero has shrugged off his overalls as a workman-like defender to don a tailored suit that catches every eye in the room.

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