Barcelona, Real Madrid Held In Mid-Table Matches

The new year has not been kind so far to the team who won six (yes, six) competitions in 2009 alone. Barcelona failed to overcome Villarreal, despite being given an early lead by striker Pedro (7'). Six minutes after halftime David Fuster leveled for Villarreal on a poorly defended volley that slipped past Victor Valdes and his defense.

The absence of Messi, who was not even named in the roster, definitely took a toll on Barca. Although they monopolized possession throughout the game, they were unable to capitalize on their possession. Nonetheless, they remain undefeated after 16 games, and two points ahead of Real Madrid.

Indeed, Real Madrid has not greeted the new year with smiles either after being held to a scoreless draw against mid-table Osasuna. Real was missing several of their starters, including Kaka, out from injury. However, they did have Higuain, Ronaldo, and Xabi Alonso playing all 90 minutes.

Both teams remain in their respective positions in La Liga table (Barcelona in first with 40 points, Real Madrid in second with 38), although Real Madrid could have usurped the first place position from Barcelona had they capitalized on the Catalan giants' loss yesterday.

Meanwhile, third-place Valencia trails Real Madrid by six points, helped by their win over Espanyol yesterday. David Villa and David Silva must continue to connect and score goals if their team wants to pose any sort of threat to the two frontrunners.

La Liga continues next weekend, with Barcelona meeting 16th-place Tenerife and Real Madrid taking on 4th-place Mallorca.