Has La Liga usurped the Premier League?
Posted by Sport.co.uk on: 01 July 2009 - 14:48
Author: Chris Colyer
A debate that continually rages amongst European football fans is which league is dominant in Europe. Each tends to possess a certain style of play, for instance the Italians’ defensively orientated Serie A or the Spanish free flowing ‘Ole’ flair of La Liga. Fans vehemently proclaim their league as superior, yet there is no definitive answer. What is certainly clear is that power does reside in a small number of elite leagues; most notably the aforementioned along with the English Premier League.
European success tends to be cyclical. During the early 1990s Italian teams featured prominently in the latter stages of the UEFA European Cup/Champions League, whereas in 2000 three of the four teams in the semi-final stage of the tournament were Spanish. As a result, the first ‘one-country’ contested final in the competition’s history took place between Real Madrid and Valencia. Spanish teams regularly feature in the latter stages of the Champions League, with the thrifty Villarreal fighting through to semi-final stage of the competition in 2006.
Recent English Dominance
In recent years English teams have certainly had the edge over their European counterparts. In 2005 Liverpool claimed the Champions League crown in a dramatic final against AC Milan, whilst in 2008 an all English final featuring Chelsea and Manchester United took place in Moscow. In the most recent tournament, and for the second year running, three of the final four teams were English, and, significantly, an English team has been present in each of the last five Champions League finals.
Spanish Success
Despite Premiership teams’ recent good form on the European stage, there have been strong suggestions that a shift in the balance of power in Europe is occurring with La Liga coming to the fore. The beginning of such a change was perhaps witnessed with the Spanish international team’s success in Austria and Switzerland at the 2008 European Championship.
In conjunction with international glory, Barcelona’s convincing Champions League triumph in Rome over Manchester United has lent further support to the suggestion. The Nou Camp outfit's dominance, and specifically their exciting style of play, throughout the 2008/09 season has not only brought admiration for the club, it has demonstrated to the world how Spanish football would like to be perceived; through open, creative, attacking play.
Spanish Entertainment
The essence of Spanish football is entertainment, which is most certainly La Liga’s greatest strength, and harks back to the country’s history of bull fighting. La Liga is often remarkably open in comparison to its European counterparts; where a lower ranked team in England is likely to field a defensive formation that requires ‘breaking down’, a lesser ranked Spanish team will frequently adopt a more offensive mentality; thus allowing for a more freely flowing and exciting game. If a La Liga team were to play in such a defensive style, white handkerchiefs would soon be waved by fans in a show of disapproval. This difference in approach is exemplified by the reception of the recent Champions League semi-final first-leg clash between Barcelona and Chelsea.
Star Power
La Liga possesses a significant number of the most exciting players in Europe; outside of the two La Liga giants Barcelona and Real Madrid there are a number of technically gifted players that excite Europe, including Sergio Aguero, Juan Mata, David Silva, and the tough tackling Marcos Senna. Atletico Madrid’s Diego Forlan has been in sensational form, appearing re-born following his departure from Manchester United for Villarreal in 2004. Forlan scored 32 goals in 33 league games for Atletico last season, and subsequently claimed the European Golden Boot for the second time in his career. Similarly prolific is the 27-year-old David Villa, who netted 28 times in 33 La Liga appearances for Valencia during the 2008/09 season.
Money Talks
An additional critical factor contributing to the rise in expectation from La Liga is Real Madrid’s sudden financial might following the election of Florentino Perez, who subsequently secured considerable bank loans for the club. Madrid now have the financial power to compete with cash flush English clubs in the transfer market, and a number of the world’s best players are bound for the Bernabéu.
Already this summer Real have established deals for both Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo and AC Milan’s Kaka, both of whom are previous winners of the World Player of the Year award. With a combined transfer value in excess of £130 million, both players are remarkable signings, and dwarf Perez’s initial spending during the Galactico era. These two signings, with the inclusion of Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, also mean that La Liga possesses the three most highly rated players in the world.
A Second Galactico Era
Real Madrid’s spending is set to continue during this transfer window, with the majority of the world’s stars, such as David Villa, Frank Ribery, and Xabi Alonso, all being linked with a move to the Spanish giants. Such high profile signings have reverberated across Europe; specifically that of Kaka, who crucially, only six months earlier, rejected a £100 million move to the cash rich Manchester City.
Barcelona have also expressed their intent to flex their financial muscle in the transfer market in order to defend their triple success. The robust defensive midfielder Javier Mascherano is said to be high on their agenda, whilst a shock move for Robinho has been alleged.
A Gap Still Too Far?
The possession of such players in La Liga certainly strengthens its claim for being the dominant force in Europe, yet, despite the weakness of the sterling, it still trails the wealthy Premier League. The Premiership is hardly devoid of high quality players with the likes of Anelka, Fabregas, Gerrard, Robinho, Tevez and Torres, to name but a few, featuring.
Fundamental problems remain within the infrastructure of La Liga; for instance, La Liga clubs individually negotiate television rights, with the result that the top teams gain the majority of media coverage and available money. In contrast the Premiership broadcasting money is divided far more fairly, allowing lower ranked teams to be more competitive with wages and in the international transfer market.
Although La Liga will possess a significant number of the world’s football stars, the majority of La Liga’s wealth tends to lie, in a greater extent in comparison to other European leagues, with the top clubs. The considerable spending of Real Madrid may prove to produce a deceptive bubble around La Liga; much of Madrid’s money will have been spent abroad, and therefore will not filter down within La Liga. Furthermore, if the second generation of Galacticos fail to instantly gel, La Liga may still only have one serious Champions League representative.
The Premiership Brand
The Premiership has spent time creating an international ‘brand image’ and has subsequently developed a larger, and crucially international, audience through its slick American style coverage. This draws in greater business opportunities and sponsorship money, which English teams have been particularly conscious of, and have taken advantage of by organising international tours during off-season periods in order to enhance their reputations.
The Best League In Europe?
The Premiership, with big money, significant foreign investors, star players, a fast pace, and intelligent branding, will remain dominant for the time being. Despite this, the Spanish League is certainly a force to be reckoned with, providing an entertaining football style with leading stars. The influx of big name players to La Liga will certainly be a bonus, but their overall influence on La Liga as a whole may not be as significant as initially predicted. The suggestions that La Liga has drastically improved off of the back Barcelona’s success and Real Madrids new financial power is likely jumping the gun.
What appears clear at present is that the Premiership and La Liga have, albeit likely only temporarily, pulled away from their European counterparts the Bundesliga, Ligue 1, and Serie A. The upcoming season will certainly be watched with great scrutiny across the whole of Europe as the debate will no doubt continue.