Did we say last weekend was quiet? Perhaps we upset somebody, but this weekend there were no less than 13 red cards, the highest tally we can remember in a long time! True, five of those were for technical staff, assistant coaches, physical trainers and even a doctor, two at Atlético, two at Levante and one at Athletic Bilbao. But there were four red cards for players at the derby match between Atlético Madrid and Getafe, an overzealous referee getting carried away by the occasion. First Agüero, then Licht, then Abbondanzieri were sent off for second bookable offences, and finally Reyes was shown a straight red for an aggressive tackle on an opponent. At least one of Agüero's bookings was cancelled on appeal though, and more could follow later this week when the relevant committees meet.

And so to the rest. There was a straight red card for Mallorca's Webó for what the referee considered was an elbow on Racing's Oriol, and numbers were evened up soon afterwards when Oscar Serrano was shown a second yellow card. Valladolid's García Calvo was sent off against Almería for bringing down an opponent as he advanced on goal, and our old friend Luccin was sent for another early bath (the cleanest man in the league?) after a second booking against Espanyol.

Referees didn't just dish out red cards though, and no less than seven more players will be sitting it out next weekend after picking up their fifth yellow cards of the season. Famous names include Carlos García (Almería), Orbaiz (Athletic), Maniche (Atlético), Riera and Luis García (Espanyol), Raúl Albiol (Valencia) and Borja (Valladolid). No Christmas spirit there then! (11.12.07)

PS One more we forgot. Puñal picked up his fifth booking in the midweek games between Osasuna and Sevilla, rescheduled from day two earlier in the season. However there was a local holiday on Thursday which meant that the disciplinary committee couldn't meet (hey guys, vacations come first!), so his ban must be served out against Real Madrid next weekend.