The Premier League vs La Liga: a new perspective

A lot has been said and written comparing the different national leagues in Europe, their difference in quality, the star turns, the pulling power, the money and what not. And the debate between England’s Premier League and Spain’s Primera Liga seems never ending. Fans, pundits, experts and commentators have gone various lengths to state their case as to which one of the two is better and few could come up with any definitive conclusion. This debate will rage on, different mindsets will definitely have different views and there is bound to be a conflict of opinions. Whatever be the conclusions to these battles of supremacy, there will always be some facets where one will be better than the other.

Bringing up the entertainment value to the table, both the Premier League and La Liga offer plentiful over the course of the season. From the struggle for the title at the top end through the battle for European places to the relegation dogfight, more than enough entertainment is offered to the fans and followers.

Taking a peek at the just concluded 2012-13 season gives us some valuable lead into the battle of the leagues. Simply focusing on the last day of the season in both England and Spain, there was virtually nothing to play for in the Premier League, with only Arsenal and Spurs fighting it out for Champions League qualification, whereas in Spain, it was a cinematic plot, with four teams fighting to avoid the three relegation spots and Real Sociedad and Valencia in the Champions League qualification struggle.

First to England, and heading into the final matchday, there were only two teams who had something to play for. There were other interests on the final day nonetheless, with Sir Alex Ferguson managing Manchester United for the last time whereas Jamie Carragher and Paul Scholes bade goodbye to their illustrious careers. But in the true sense of excitement and decisiveness, there was only 4^th place to play for. It sure produced some semblance of drama, albeit in the dying stages, when Gareth Bale scored for Tottenham and Theo Walcott missed the chance to put Arsenal safe by hitting the post, thereby testing the nerves of the fans. But in truth, it was pretty straightforward with Arsenal expectedly finishing above Tottenham and heading into the Champions League for the 17^th consecutive season serving up a rather anti-climactic end to the campaign.

But Spain was an altogether different story. There was drama, emotion, entertainment, everything that you would expect on the final day of the season. Four clubs, Deportivo la Coruna, Celta de Vigo, Real Mallorca and Real Zaragoza were embroiled in the battle against the drop, with no team safe and all four teams separated by just 2 points. While 4^th place was also to be decided as Valencia and Real Sociedad were separated by just 2 points with both playing away from home at Sevilla and Deportivo respectively. It was drama all over, edge of the seat stuff as until the last minute, a single goal swing in all the concerned games could have shifted the balance. Celta were in lead against Espanyol, Mallorca were ahead against Valladolid, Zaragoza were drawing Atletico, Depor were losing to 10 men Sociedad while Valencia trailed Sevilla 3-4 as late as the 89^th minute. At that point a solitary goal could’ve shifted the tides. It was total nail biting stuff, and fans were made to hold their nerves. Ultimately, Celta Vigo survived and Real Sociedad made it to the Champions League in dramatic circumstances.

So the 2013 final day thrill and excitement was served up by La Liga, whereas their counterparts in England had a tame season finale. But this isn’t the norm that England fails to come up with climactic conclusions, you only need to flashback to one season previous when Manchester City won the most theatrical of titles on the final day. Such comparisons between the English and Spanish top flights are bound to come up now that the season’s come to an end and various inquisitions by experts will be on various media.

Rest assured, fans like us had an amazing time enjoying two of the best leagues in the world. Trivial comparisons should not adulterate the beauty of the game. Both the Premier League and La Liga serve up a spectacle every season and instead of starting up silly analogizing, we should lie on our couch and enjoy the best on offer.

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