Nine wins, five draws and six defeats have seen Andoni Iraola's Rayo Vallecano pick up 32 points from 20 games, positioning themselves as very real candidates for European qualification come the end of the season.
It's a great time to be a Rayo Vallecano fan right now. Their 2-0 win over UD Almería on Monday night took them to a whopping 32 points from 20 games so far this season, the second-best showing in their history at this point of the season and a tally which puts them up there as very real contenders for a European spot.
Their sole better showing came in 1977/78, when they had 24 points after 20 games – back in the age of two points for a win, and which would translate to 34 points under the current scoring system. Back in 1978 they found themselves in third place behind only Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, but dropped down to 10th by the end of the season.
Coach Andoni Iraola said after Monday night's game that the most important thing for him isn't the position in the table.
"I care above all about the 32 points," he said. "We still have a lot of games left, and we're in a good place. We have to compete game by game, the standings put you in your rightful place."
Despite Iraola's cautiousness, though, there's cause for optimism for Rayo. Last season the side reached the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey and put together a stellar first half of the season. Could they go one better this time around finish strong to qualify for Europe?
