Why isn’t the title race in La Liga being discussed?
With 20 rounds of matches played, Spanish football titans Barcelona and Real Madrid are level at the top on 43 points in what is shaping up to be an incredible race in La Liga.
The standard of success for nearly every European club has become the Champions League, and this has proven especially true for Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid. The two Clásico rivals have combined to win the competition five out of the last six years, and this dominance on the continent’s biggest stage has dwindled the importance of domestic success in La Liga.
However, in 2019-20, neither Barcelona or Real Madrid are the world’s best team. While the weight of expectation remains, this season is shaping up to be one of the best domestic battles we have witnessed in recent seasons. Barcelona have been the dominant force in the league in recent memory, winning eight titles compared to Real Madrid’s two since 2008-09.
Zinedine Zidane‘s men could change that this season, and the anxious 0-0 the two sides played out on a rescheduled December fixture in Catalonia is emblematic that this season will be close. La Liga has typically been decided by a wide margin over the last few seasons, but if the first half of the season is any indication, this year could be truly special. Neither side is anywhere near their best this season; both are on pace to finish with 82 points, well below their usual totals in the 90’s and even 100’s at times.
To put that in perspective, 82 points would be the lowest title-winning total in Spanish football since the 2006-07 season, meaning this year’s La Liga is more competitive than ever. Although Atlético Madrid, the perennial foil to Spain’s giants, are struggling in their own right and have failed to make this the three-horse race we have seen in the past, the second half of the season remains extremely exciting.
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Neither Barcelona nor Real Madrid is a perfect side, and in some ways that will make for one of Europe’s most exciting title races. With England essentially already decided, Spain is the perfect place to turn to watch two eternal rivals battle for domestic dominance. The expectation may remain the Champions League, but there is real value in winning the league, especially if it means holding something over their rivals. Supporters of the Spanish superclubs may have lost their thirst for the trophy in recent years, but here’s to an epic 2019-20 finish to deliver a fiery La Liga title race.