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Editorial November 2011
Soccerphile Editorial - November 2011
Why boring La Liga definitely needs an overhaul
Boring, boring La Liga. It used to be George Graham's Arsenal that left television viewers switching off in droves, but the domestic dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid have cast doubts on claims Spain's "Primera división" is the best league in Europe.
When Levante lost to Osasuna at the end of October, it brought to an end the last bastion of romance in Spain's top flight. Forget tiki-taka football, it's a relentless grind from here on in as Barça and Real Madrid chew on and spit out all before them on a predictable march towards the title.
In recent seasons it's been Valencia, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla or Villarreal who have troubled the duopoly without ever really coming close to winning the league. This season it was little Levante who reminded fans there are more than just two teams in the division, embarking on an unlikely nine-game unbeaten streak, beating Real Madrid in the process and topping the table until they crashed to defeat away at Osasuna. They promptly lost the derby to Valencia as well and in doing so cleared the way for Barça and Real Madrid to resume their two-horse race for the title.
The irony of Levante's shock unbeaten run is that it left them no closer to pulling away from either Real Madrid or Barça in the standings. Jose Mourinho's star-studded Madrid lost just one of their opening eleven games - to Levante - and Barça are yet to taste defeat. No matter which way it's analysed, this season's La Liga trophy appears destined for either the Bernabéu or Camp Nou, just as it has been for the past three seasons in a row.
In fact, ever since Valencia won the title in 2003-04 only one team has broken the duopoly, when Villarreal finished second some eight points behind Real Madrid during the 2007-08 campaign. And the problem appears to be getting worse. Last season Barcelona finished top of the league with 96 points, four points ahead of a Real Madrid side who themselves finished a whopping 21 points in front of third-placed Valencia. The top two lost just six games between them all season and they're on track for a similar record this time around.
So why are Barça and Real Madrid so dominant? It starts with Spain's television rights, with the two giants negotiating their own exclusive rights at the expense of the other 18 clubs in the division. A steady stream of riches has allowed both clubs to stockpile a mind-boggling array of talent and the pair regularly cherry-pick the best players from rival clubs. It's not uncommon for both to field squads comprised entirely of internationals and the effect has been to weaken the rest of La Liga.
The lure of UEFA Champions League glory has also played its part, with both clubs desperate to out-do each other on the continental front. The lust for international glory means the domestic scene often plays second fiddle, resulting in the pair practically sleep walking through one-sided La Liga fixtures with an eye towards facing bigger opponents in midweek. The famous morbo so insightfully depicted by English author Phil Ball is regularly at play: when Barcelona succeed, Real Madrid are desperate to surpass them and this relentless cycle of one-upmanship has helped fuel a two-horse race in what should be one of Europe's most competitive leagues.
So dull has La Liga become, many clubs are now starting to speak out. Newly flush Malaga refused to sign a collective TV rights deal brokered by Barça and Real Madrid, claiming it would do little to change the status quo at the top of the Spanish game. Like Malaga, Cantabrian club Racing Santander have also recently attracted overseas investment, however Spain is looking an increasingly unappealing destination for foreign benefactors who have little chance of winning trophies in such an unevenly contested market.
Talk of a European Super League usually centres around Barcelona and Real Madrid's involvement and it's questionable whether the rest of La Liga would be sorry to see them go. While most clubs can bank on their biggest gates of the season when one of the pair comes to town, they're also guaranteed little chance of winning. In a sport based on the notion that any one team can beat another, Barcelona and Real Madrid have turned that ideal on its head. In turn they've made Spain's top flight one of the most predictable in Europe, and La Liga desperately needs a shake up to keep fans from switching off and ultimately dropping out.
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