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Like the debate regarding the best player in the world, the debate for the best league in Europe will never end, but here are 5 reasons that show that La Liga is better than English Premier League.
1. Home-grown players: This past year, Barcelona achieved the goal of playing 11 La Masia players in their starting XI. Madrid have also produced brilliant players though their ideology is a little different. Atletico Bilbao is still respected for its policy of playing home-grown players. Rise of the Spanish Team in all age groups, be it U21 or senior World Cup, provides the evidence of the class of Spanish players. EPL clubs do promote youth players but not of their own. English National Team manager Roy Hodgson himself said that there are very less English players to pick from and that foreign players are dominant in England clubs.
2. Player development: Any person with sound knowledge of the game would say that La Liga is the place to grow skills and technique. EPL is more of a physical game which does not prove to be great for youngsters. Players moving from La Liga to EPL enjoy tremendous success – Torres, Aguero, Silva, etc. However, it’s not the same for EPL players, who mostly struggle in La Liga – Owen, Henry are some examples. The latest ones being Luka Modric and Alex Song.
3. Current situation in European competitions: This year, four Spanish teams are in the Round of 16 of the Champions League whereas only 2 English sides have been able to qualify. Malaga topped their group while Valencia gave a scare to Bayern Munich. Dominance of Spanish teams in the Europa League for the past three years speaks volumes of the performance of La Liga sides. Spain’s Euro triumph is also the result of growing influence of Spanish football in Europe.
FifPro Team of the Year
4. FifPro Team of the Year: There has been a lot buzz regarding the 2012 Team of the year as it features all XI Liga players. I am not saying that players like Van Persie don’t deserve to be in that side, but when you think about it, it’s almost flawless. Falcao helped Atletico Madrid to the Europa league title and no one, especially Chelsea, can forget the night of the Super Cup. This team is an official proof of La Liga’s dominance in the world. Regarding Marcelo’s inclusion, he was the most successful left back of 2011-2012 with 4 goals and 9 assists, ahead of Ashley Cole and Lukas Piszczek. So his inclusion, which he fully deserved, should not be questioned.
5. The two-horse race excuse: For many years, people have criticized La Liga over the unchallenged dominance of Madrid and Barcelona. But not any more. Madrid are sitting third in the table with Malaga slowly catching up from behind. Last week’s Barca-Malaga draw is also signalling the threat imposed by Malaga. I am pretty sure that we will see a tight points table at the end. I agree EPL is exciting as I myself jumped from my bed when Aguero scored the league clincher last season, but that is no reason to criticise La Liga. Real Madrid have started recovering from their demise. The top spot in La Liga is occupied by Barcelona currently, but the race for other spots is still on in Spanish football.
