Atleti make it 7 straight with win at Levante

Atleti won again. The 2-0 result at Levante on Saturday 31 October was their 7th consecutive victory, and it leaves them on 28 points after 11 matches in LaLiga.

The record reads 9 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. 22 goals scored, 8 conceded, a goal difference of +14. Only Barça sit above them, on 30 points with a difference of +34. That gap of two points is the whole story of the table right now.

What separates this run from a hot spell is the shape of it. Atleti have kept winning while scoring at a rate that does not depend on one afternoon going perfectly. 22 in 11 games is steady rather than spectacular; 8 at the other end is what has carried them. Eight conceded. Read that again.

Third place belongs to Real Madrid on 27 points, with a difference of +18 that is actually better than Atleti's. So the cushion is thin and it is built on results, not on margin. Real Betis are next on 23, then Real Sociedad on 19, then Sevilla FC on 17. Nobody in that group is close enough to matter on Sunday 1 November. Nobody is far enough away to be ignored either.

The next fixture is the one worth circling: Atleti against Barça on Sunday 8 November, matchday 12. Barça lead the division and lead the scoring charts through Raphinha, who has 15. Kylian Mbappé of Real Madrid has 12. Atleti do not have a name in that list, and they are second anyway.

Seven wins, one defeat, and a two-point deficit at the top. Would you rather have the run or the table position?