For long now, the English Premier League has been the most competitive league in Europe with the Manchester clubs, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool vying for the title… It is also viewed as the league where no match against the minnows is a walk in the park, where every goal and every point has to be earned.
But La Liga boasts of the two best clubs in the continent- Barcelona and Real Madrid.
So then, which is the better league? In recent times, owing to the dismal performances of the English clubs in the ongoing UEFA Champions League and Europa League, the EPL – La Liga debate has digressed to a more important question: How good is the premier league? A question that has been plaguing football forums across the globe, and adding fuel to the original inconclusive debate.
While the existing notion about the Spanish league is it’s a two-horse race, the same can also be suggested about the EPL; the two teams being Manchester United and whichever team is bankrolled by a billionaire. In the last 3-4 seasons, EPL at the top of the table has become as imbalanced as the La Liga. It’s a myth that 4 or more teams compete for the top honours in the English league. There are hardly three competing for the 1st spot throughout the season.
It is believed that the Premier league endorses a very physical brand of football where defences close down on forwards much quicker than other leagues (read La Liga- where players get more opportunity to display individual skills). But is that a fact? The best midfielders of the season in EPL, so far, are David Silva and Juan Mata- both Spanish and both imported from La Liga. Both Mata and Silva have torn open defences with manoeuvring runs from either flank, repeatedly. While it is true that La Liga showcases a more patient and technical style of football, it doesn’t mean that the league is defensively fragile. Recent Champions & Europa League encounters between English and Spanish clubs will stand as testaments to this fact.
Over the last decade, F1 racing, as a business, has grown so much that it has become difficult for F1 followers to convince the non-followers that it is actually a sport, and not business. You talk about precision, they talk about money. You talk about drivers losing 5 kilos a race, they talk about money. And now, you talk about football, they still talk money. Roman Abramovich’s oil-rich cash has taken Chelsea to the elite level of club football in the last 9 years. He not only bought high profile players, but also built state-of-the art facilities and has turned Chelsea into a champion side. But on today’s date, his investments seem parsimonious compared to that of Manchester City’s owners who have splurged over £400 million in the past three summers. The premier league clubs share a total of £3.2 bn over broadcasting deals. While the distribution rights are more balanced among the EPL clubs, the gap between the top two and the rest in La Liga is ever widening, and thus the huge difference in quality of players available to them. This monetary situation of La Liga finds resemblance to the scenario in Serie A and Bundesliga as well. Thus, it makes the Premier League more stable and better in terms of TV revenue distribution.
English clubs have always performed superbly in Europe with 3 or more clubs claiming a serious shot at the Champions League. But in recent times, this scenario too has changed. While the Galacticos and the Catalan giants dominate the European circuit, EPL doesn’t guarantee more than a couple of teams in the top tier. While the Gunners are hugely inconsistent, Liverpool can forget about participating in this debate. Let’s not forget, in the past four years, Valencia, Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal – all of them have gone past the group stages. That is at par with the ‘Fab Four’ of EPL, if not better.
It’s true that the EPL still stands as the most fiercely competitive league with six teams in genuine contention for a Champions League berth next season. There are only five clubs from both the Serie A and Bundesliga in Champions League contention. But let’s look at La Liga. Based on the current La Liga table, there are 11 teams in contention for a Champions League spot.
Experts and Pundits swore by the word that EPL is the most competitive league on earth because of the quality of players in the league. From the Rooneys, Drogbas to the Vidics and Terrys, they have some of the finest players of the world plying their trade in EPL. And now, for a reality check, let’s look at the FIFA Team of the year, 2011: Iker Casillas (Real Madrid), Dani Alves (Barcelona), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Gerrard Pique (Barcelona), Nemanda Vidic (Manchester United), Xavi (Barcelona), Iniesta (Barcelona), Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid), Ronaldo (Real Madrid), Messi (Barcelona), Rooney (Manchester United).
5 from Barca, 4 from Madrid and 2 from Manchester Utd. 9 of the 11 best players in the world play in La Liga, according to FIFA.
While the EPL-La Liga debate has largely been in favour of the former for most of the last two decades, the times are changing. La Liga might be top heavy with Real and Barca, but that doesn’t make it a less competitive league. And even though the EPL churns out the most inconsistent table throughout the season, that doesn’t make it the most competitive.
