La Liga Weekly Roundup: Power, Politics, and Parity
By Dane Charles
After another exciting week of top flight Spanish football, La Liga is more than ever all about power, politics, and parity.
POWER
While the giants of Real Madrid and Barcelona still loom atop the League table, the power and quality of La Liga as a whole shows brighter than ever.
The continued brilliance of Barcelona and Real Madrid aside, the real depth of quality in La Liga is never more evident than with the continued successes of less heralded Spanish sides including Atletico Madrid, Sevilla FC and Villarreal in Champions and Europa League competitions.
Spanish football as a whole has continued to set the bar high this season in all European competitions; continuing to make a strong and validated argument that La Liga is in fact currently Europe’s best and most powerful league. This week Barcelona, Real Mardrid, and Atletico Madrid all continued their charge into the quarterfinals of the Champions league for second consecutive year. Sevilla FC and Villarreal are also still alive battling for the Europa crown. The true dominance, quality and power of La Liga is never more evident and thrilling to watch.
POLITICS
This week in Spanish football was another great embodiment of the true brilliance and complexity of La Liga. It’s not just the depth of quality that makes La Liga so unique and exciting; it’s the politics! The Spanish passion for politics is embodied in each individual side as they battle weekly on the pitch.
Each team represents more than a city, but also it’s politics and its history; deeply ingrained and passionately defended for generations. As examples with Barcelona representing the Catalonians, Athletic Bilbao the Basques, Atletico Madrid the working class, and of course Real Madrid the elite. When Spanish sides take the pitch it is absolutely about more than the table and the trophies; it’s about politics. A win or even a draw on the pitch can make a political statement that reverberates through fabric of the Spanish society as a whole. When Athletic Bilbao knocked Real Madrid out of the Spanish cup it was a very political statement. In Spain, a win is a voice and the pitch a platform.
PARITY
Also continuing to emerge, as an exciting storyline in La Liga, is the almost unusual amount of great parity in Spanish football this season. While Barcelona and Real Madrid currently still hold the two top spots on the table, it has not been without great challenge from the rest of the League; with both squads stumbling and showing weakness in recent weeks.
As example with Barcelona recently losing a very uninspiring tie to Malaga and Real Madrid’s own crucial recent loss to Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish cup; a huge win for the Basques. Real have been especially uninspiring of late, ceding their table lead to rival Barcelona. Perhaps the greatest sign of true parity in La Liga has been the continued rise of Atletico Madrid. Continuing their top form of a year ago, Atletico this year have consistently dominated their cross-town rivals Real.
As Atletico move into the quarterfinals of the Champions League for the second consecutive year, they most certainly relish another shot at Real for the Champs title. Teams such as Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Valencia, Villarreal and Sevilla FC have all displayed fine form in La Liga this season and have seemed to almost level the playing field with giants Barcelona and Real perhaps more this season than any other in recent memory.
The power and depth of quality, the importance of politics and great parity all continue to make La Liga shine and excite above all in European football this season.
