With Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona dominating not only the Spanish top-flight division but also Europe, the question must be raised – is La Liga the best competition in the world?
Along side these three powerhouse clubs there is also the likes of Sevilla, Villarreal and Athletic Club, who have had good success in the Europa League this season.
In the Champions League and Europa combined, La Liga is currently represented with six teams, while three represent the Bundesliga and the Premier League has two.
There is also the argument that the La Liga is more technical and skillful compared to the other four big European leagues – the EPL, Ligue 1, Bundesliga and Serie A. The Spanish league also has the best two players in the world competing for glory, in the forms of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Now talking about the competition itself, there is a clear gap in quality between the top three teams and the rest. However, apart from that, it is reasonably tight. At this stage, Barcelona are leading the league by three points over Atletico Madrid, with Real a further point behind their crosstown rivals with six games left for all teams. Any of these teams could win this season’s title.
There is also an extremely interesting battle for fifth and sixth positions, the two that gain entry to the Europa League. One of Celta Vigo, Athletic Club and Sevilla will miss out on continental competition next season.
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At the other end of the table, only 12 points separate bottom placed Levante from Deportivo, who sit in 12th. For the mid-table sides, position is crucial as an indicator for how a team performed during the season, and at this stage there are only five points separating 15th placed Espanyol from eighth placed Malaga.
Finishing in the mid-table may seem a bit dull, but positions still matter as teams need to believe they can improve and challenge for European spots, which not only enhances competition, but also brings better players to the league – just look at Celta Vigo.
In comparison, Ligue 1 has already been wrapped up by PSG. Leicester is leading the EPL by seven points. In the Bundesliga, third placed Hertha BSC are 19 points behind Dortmund in second with only five games left. And finally, in Serie A there is 18 points separating Juventus in first and Inter in fourth.
With the La Liga in recent years, there has been a constant battle between Atletico, Real Madrid and Barcelona for the title, while in Ligue 1 the Parisians have been no-brainers for to win consecutive titles, along with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga. The EPL is generally difficult to pick, but Manchester City and Chelsea have been the benchmark in the last few seasons or so, despite not winning consecutive titles.
This La Liga season, Celta Vigo has been the surprise package, and currently occupy fifth place with a very good chance to secure a Europa spot. The disappointment this season has been Valencia, where Gary Neville had a brief – and unsuccessful – managerial role.
The biggest surprise results so far this season have come from Sevilla, defeating Barcelona twice. In addition, the Rojiblancos also beat Real Madrid 3-2.
Speaking of Sevilla, they have won two of the last four Europa League finals, with Atletico Madrid and Chelsea winning the other two. Another reason why La Liga may be the best competition in the world. Not only do they have some of the strongest Champions League, teams but they have been dominating in Europa too.
In the UCL, Barcelona won last year’s title, with the 2013-14 final being an all-Spanish affair between Real Madrid and Atletico, the former becoming champions.
Those stats alone are enough to suggest the quality of players and teams in the La Liga in the last five seasons make it the best football division in the world today. Others will have their opinions, and fair enough, but quality and results wise, it is hard to pass Spain’s top-flight on this one.
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