Real Madrid, FC Barcelona - why the Spanish La Liga is not a two horse race anymore
There can be no denying the fact that Real Madrid and Barcelona played in a league of their own in the Spanish La Liga last season as they picked up 96 and 99 points respectively. However, this was no excuse for Valencia to finish 28 points adrift of the
Blaugranas in third place and even more so for Villarreal to finish 43 points away from the League Champions.
Last season’s La Liga, barring Real Madrid and Barcelona, was a spineless collection of sides that performed poorly when facing the league’s big two and even more inept against each other. However this season may end up differently as winds of change are making
the rounds in Spain.
As the La Liga heads for a sabbatical, Valencia and Villarreal go into the break being the top two sides in Spain – leading both Barcelona and Real Madrid. So far, neither Los Che nor the yellow submarines have faced either of the two Spanish giants but
what both of these sides have achieved this season is not throwing away easy points against some of the lesser sides in the division.
Unai Emery’s Valencia is still undefeated in the season and sits at the top of the La Liga. They have looked rock solid if not spectacular on each of their outings this year.
After 5 games last season, Valencia had dropped 5 points against oppositions like Sporting Gijon and Getafe and this season, they have just dropped 2 and that too to a team in red hot form in the shape of Atletico Madrid.
Valencia’s early success is due to the side’s stability on and off the pitch. The shenanigans linked to the departure of both the Davids are over and the club has significantly reduced its debt. In the process, they have given their players new confidence
that no more player sales will be necessary in the near future.
A similar script is being used at Villarreal. At the same time last year, the club was trying to come to terms with the new tactical ways of Ernesto Valverde and the side had failed to win a single one of their first 8 league games. Then came Juan Carlos
Garido and it was he who got the team playing the way they do now, with swagger, style and panache. And all of this is really paying off this season as the Los Che is off to a flying start in the League.
The Spanish La Liga, against the contemporary belief, have more than two title challengers this season as the team near the bottom of the table are also chipping in with their two cents.
On Sunday, Barcelona dropped two more points in the league against lowly rated Mallorca as his side failed to grab the game by the scruff of its neck after Messi’s mesmeric opener.
A home defeat against Hercules and a cagey 1-0 win against Sporting was hardly believable but true. It was as if the sides in the La Liga are beginning to pull their weight this season.
A similar story is seen with Barca’s rivals from Madrid. The simple notion that sides are no longer willing to roll over for Los Blancos has had the Madrid press fretting.
Two goalless draws against Mallorca and Levante and an unconvincing 2-1 win over Real Sociedad in three consecutive away games had the AS reporting, ‘if Mourinho’s Galacticos don’t find their goals, the league title could escape’.
But Madrid silenced their doubters with a clinical 6-1 thrashing of Deportivo on the weekend and are boasting the best defence in any league across Europe at the moment; having conceded just 2 goals in the league this season.
Madrid will face a sterner test against Malaga in a fortnight’s time. The possibility of the two Spanish giants losing more points cannot be ruled out as the La Liga has just got a tad bit tougher this season.
At least the omens look good after six games this season. It may well come as a shock to the Spanish press that the 18 clubs that went AWOL last season might make a roaring comeback with a bang.
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