For all their off-the-field problems nothing can slow Barcelona's title charge in Spain, even with Xavi watching from the stands banned from the touchline. 

'I hated it and I won't be protesting to referees anymore', he promised after the 1-0 win over Valencia.

Real Madrid, in contrast, have been awful since their mauling of Liverpool at Anfield and Carlo Ancelotti has started to look like a coach winding down his second spell at the club.

The real star of the weekend though was Diego Simeone - love or loathe the way his teams play, a record breaking 613 games with the same club can't be argued with. His players did him proud scoring six against Sevilla who continue to suffer post-Lopetegui.

Here are Sportsmail's ten things we learned from La Liga.

Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid have now fallen nine points behind LaLiga leaders Barcelona

Ancelotti heading for second season syndrome once more

Carlo has a history of poor second campaigns. He was sacked in his second year at Parma in 1998. He suffered the same fate at Juventus. 

He left at the end of his second year at Paris Saint Germain, and at Chelsea. 

And there was a repeat at Real Madrid in 2015 when he failed to top winning the Champions League the previous season. 

Real Madrid are now nine points off the pace and their coach at times looks low on ideas as Madrid struggle. 

Since thrashing Liverpool they have played three and scored just one goal.

613 is the magic number

Diego Simeone was handed a shirt with that number on the back before kick-off against Sevilla. 

It was to mark him passing Luis Aragones and becoming the coach to have managed Atletico Madrid for more games than any other. 

The 6-1 win that followed meant than in his 613 games the team has scored 1004 goals, in Aragones’ 612 games they managed 1,000 – who says Simeone is always negative?

Memphis another Barca gift

Okay so he wont win them the league the way that Luis Suarez and David Villa did but Memphis Depay will sign on a free this summer after a loan spell from Barcelona and he looks the part at Atletico Madrid. 

He got two brilliant goals inside three minutes as Sevilla crumbled. His second was goal number of 1,000 under Simeone for Atletico. 

Antoine Griezmann was also brilliant again, scoring the third and celebrating with his boss.

In Lopetegui’s shadow Sampaoli’s numbers don’t add up

How do you line up with a 5-4-1 and get six put past you? Jorge Sampaoli was asked about his future after the game. 

‘That’s for the club to decide,’ he said. Sevilla have the third worst defensive record in La Liga – last season they had the best. 

Julen Lopetegui seems a better coach with every passing week.

Boring boring Barca heading for title

In the week they beat Real Madrid with 35 per cent possession and on Sunday they were hanging on at the end with their eighth 1-0 win in the league over the course of the season, their 10th in total. 

It wasn’t pretty but it will do especially with 10 men after Ronald Araujo was sent off midway through the second half. 

Let them argue about style – no one can argue about Barça’s lead at the top. 

If they beat Real Madrid in two weeks the gap could be 12 points with 12 games left.

Camp Nou will be missed

There were 89,644 inside the old stadium on Sunday as Barcelona moved nine points clear at the top. 

Next season 39,644 will not be able to watch as the team moves to the smaller Olympic Stadium and the Camp Nou is renovated. 

It’s going to take a minimum of a year and a half and it’s got to hurt the club’s coffers and the team.

Ansu Fati’s luck is out

In the week he blocked a goalbound shot from Franck Kessie and had to apologise to his teammate afterwards. On Sunday he wanted to take the penalty that would have doubled Barcelona’s lead against Valencia.  

There was a squabble with Ferran Torres, designated before the game as kick-taker. When the former Manchester City forward pulled rank, and then missed the spot-kick, Ansu had his best spell of the game, hitting the post. 

The purple patch was cut short because Xavi took him off – he just can’t get a break at the moment.

Athletic Bilbao still a goalkeeper factory

With their Basque-only signing policy Athletic need to produce young players in every position to fill the squad. 

They have not managed to find a centre-forward for several years but goalkeepers are no problem. 

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Alex Remiro and Unai Simon have all come through their academy in recent years. Remiro is now at Real Sociedad and Kepa Arrizabalaga is at Chelsea. 

With Unai Simon injured it was down to Julen Agirrezabala to shut out Rayo Vallecano on Sunday and the 22-year-old was brilliant in the 0-0.

Pellegrini still has a spring in his step

The 69-year-old Chilean coach made it 100 games in charge of Betis in La Liga at the weekend. 

Despite the absence of the injured Nabil Fekir and Sergio Canales, his team took a point from Real Madrid and kept themselves in the race for fourth. 

He returns to Manchester this week still at the top of his game despite the passing of the years.

Reading striker Boye should not go down with Elche

Journeyman striker Lucas Boye has played in Greece, Italy, Spain and Reading since leaving his native Argentina. 

He never scored in that brief spell in England but he’s doomed Elche’s best player and someone should take him at the end of the season if they go down. 

They remain stranded at the bottom but his superb volley gave them their first win away on Saturday moving them to 12 points.