Osasuna's Spanish defender Nacho Vidal (left) fights for the ball with Barcelona's Spanish midfielder Pedri during the Spanish league football match between CA Osasuna and FC Barcelona at El Sadar stadium in Pamplona on Nov 8, 2022. (CESAR MANSO / AFP)

MADRID - La Liga came to a halt for the World Cup on Thursday with Barcelona top of the table and Elche rock bottom with four points from 14 games. Here are some things we have learned in three months of competition in Spain.

Two horse race

We go into the break with FC Barcelona league leaders on 37 points from 14 games and Real Madrid in second place on 35 points after beating Cadiz on Thursday night.

There is then a big gap to Real Sociedad on 26 points - already 11 points behind Barca and 9 behind Real Madrid, while Athletic Club Bilbao are fourth with 24 points.

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With Atletico Madrid struggling for form and identity so far this season, it's virtually impossible seeing anyone else mount a title challenge as Sevilla did for much of last season and LaLiga is (once again) a two-horse race

World cup factor

The fact that the World Cup comes just over a week after the last league games of the season and just seven days after the first round of the Copa del Rey has clearly had an effect on some players and the decisions of some coaches in the past few days.

Karim Benzema is an example, after a minor muscle problem has kept him out of five recent matches, with coach Carlo Ancelotti unwilling to risk his veteran striker's last shot at playing in the World Cup.

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Other Madrid players, such as Eduardo Camavinga and Aurelien Tchouameni have also seen their level drop appreciably in recent matches and the same has happened with players elsewhere, who perhaps have subconsciously applied the handbrake in November, knowing there is no time to recover from a muscle injury.

Lewandowski

We don't have to look far for the best signing of the season to date, with Robert Lewandowski scoring goals almost at will for FC Barcelona. Although the Polish striker blotted his copybook with a red card against Osasuna on Tuesday, he has been outstanding for Barca, offering them the specialist number '9' they have been missing in recent seasons.

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Lewandowski's time at Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund showed he was a guaranteed goal scorer, but the ease in which he has adapted to LaLiga is impressive, netting 13 goals in LaLiga and five in the Champions League, while offering a focal point in attack, which has also been a help to wingers, Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele.

Traffic jam for European berths

Although the title race looks to be a two-horse field, the battle for the two remaining Champions League places, the Europa and Conference League, looks to have a packed field, with Real Sociedad and Betis both playing some excellent attacking football.

While Atletico Madrid have disappointed, they still have a powerful squad and the fact they are out of Europa already should at least mean their legs are fresher than some of their rivals.

The return of Ernesto Valverde to the Athletic Club Bilbao dugout has seen his side play some exciting attacking football, while Osasuna mix a rock-solid defense with effective attacking play.

Finally, Villarreal suffered a setback when Unai Emery left to join Aston Villa and how they adapt to new coach Quique Setien will decide their options for the New Year.