I've also seen Ronaldo do some dives in Spain that would probably get him booked in the PL, but he gets the free kick in Spain. Makes it that much harder for anyone to successfully tackle him or Messi when the attacker gets the benefit of the doubt to that extent. Real Madrid are a quality team with a top manager, and look capable of beating pretty much everyone except Barca, but they still haven't really been tested, apart from El Classico when they were found very wanting. I've gotta agree with Berbnanidez - they have done little so far to deserve the hype. Arsenal were much more impressive in their game against Barca than Real. Can't believe I just said that...
Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea are all better than Real Madrid in my opinion, Man City and Tottenham could probably beat them too. I think Real Madrid are massively overated, I've seen people tipping them winning the Champions League but I can't see them coming close.
I reckon Real Madrid will sneak past them, I think Lyon missed their chance in the 1st leg when they had enough chances to beat them and take a lead into the 2nd leg.
No one thought inter would win it last year. Dont rule out a mourinho side. Especially with the talent pool they have at their disposal.
I really can't believe ppl think teams in La Liga don't attack the likes of Real Madrid or Barca. I hate to break the bubble but there isn't a single team in La Liga that plays like Stoke or Wolves. Unlike the EPL, the primary aim of teams in La Liga is not to stay in the top division at the expense of playing football in the true spirit of the game. Unlike the EPL you don't have fans applauding defenders for hoofing the ball up field or out into the stands when they need to defend from the back. All La Liga teams go out to win regardless of the opposition. There is a traditional approach to the game that has been lost in the English game. A simple rule that you go out to win games aiming to do it playing TECHNICAL, on the ground, free flowing football. And at the end of the season you will either stay up or go down playing with that mentality and accept it. It's something that's rare to see from lesser teams in the EPL. Reading, Burnley and now Blackpool and West Brom have tried to do it and it's made the EPL a better place. But there are far too many regulars (also rans) in the EPL who still play with 10 men behind the ball when they come up against the top 6 teams. You just don't get that in La Liga so to say that somehow players or teams don't compete against Real Madrid and Barca, or give them (or Ronaldo and Messi) an easy time, is ridiculous and imo made by ppl who don't watch La Liga. If they all played in one league, the likes of Barca, Real, Valencia, Villareal, Bilbao would be doing better against the EPL teams than teams like Spurs, Utd, City, Chelsea would be doing against the Spanish sides. The top eight would have 5 La Liga teams and Real Madrid would be above all the English teams by about 12 points. 1 Barca 2 Real Madrid 3 Valencia 4/5 Man United/Arsenal 6 Villareal 7 Man City 8 Athletic Bilbao
Wow what a great response, constructive and intelligent. You've managed to respond in a mature manner making so many valid and profound counter arguments. Well done
Which is precisely why it's so easy for the likes of Real and Barca to dominate. They pick off teams that come out and attack them and beat them easily. That's exactly the same reason why teams like Stoke and Wolves do so well against top teams in the EPL - they are very hard to beat. They are the ones that take points off the top clubs at home, whilst those that go all out and attack, like Blackpool, get massacred 6-0 at home by Arsenal. La Liga teams may have a great tradition of technical football, but there is very little defensive organisation or solidity outside the top two. And that's what makes it easy for Ronaldo and Messi - huge gaps in midfield and defence for them to exploit. As for your supposed table, that's just a bad joke. So Valencia, who didn't qualify for the CL in 2008 or 2009, and have just sold their two best players, would be better than Utd, who reached the final in 2009, and Arsenal who just beat Barca 2-1 at home?! That's the same Valencia that needed a dodgy penalty decision to draw with Schalke, 10th in the Bundesliga, at home???
Valencia were pretty poor in our Champions League group, we finished above them and beat them comfortably on their own pitch. Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea have all out performed Valencia and Real Madrid in Euope for several years.
Bilbao are better than Chelsea... I'm a supporter of Spanish football and think it's of a higher quality than the Premiership, but that's rubbish.
sorry, I just find people like you too frustrating to bother with, I find it astounding that you seem to believe you know all about football, and believe that how you state a league table will look is fact and should be taken as gospel.....
Some people seem to just make up that Spanish sides are better with no evidence or facts to back it up.
It would be more like: Barcelona Man Utd Chelsea Arsenal Real Madrid Man City I still think Chelsea are one of the best teams despite being poor so far this season.
Swarbs & Berba, I think it's a mistake to compare how teams like Valencia will do in a league by looking at how they do in what is a cup competition like the CL. Just bcos Spurs beat Inter and AC Milan doesn't mean they'll outperform them over the course of 38 games. In the league over a whole season, teams like Valencia would outperform a teams like Spurs. @Swarbs, that's a bit short sighted, do you honestly think Real and Barca wouldn't dominate against teams that sit back as well? They would get pounded and would eventually concede bcos of the relentless pressure applied by the likes of Ozil, Ronaldo, Xavi, Iniesta, Pedro, Messi. Teams like Stoke and Wolves won't stay up because they defend with 10 men behind the ball. They will stay up because they can defend full stop. There seems to be a myth spread by the likes of Skysports that you need to stick 10 men behind the ball in order to achieve that. You can do that playing technical football just as well, and the La Liga teams do it very well. They defend by keeping possession, they attack by keeping possession. Regarding your point about Valencia, I've said above why you shouldn't judge league performances by CL performances. But the reason why I've put them above Arsenal/United is based purely on this season and the fact that they would perform better against the English and Spanish teams in a jointr league than Utd or Arsenal would. It is debatable but it's just my opinion.
Please Oh Great Treble, explain exactly why each team would finish in their "allocated" position... And I will well and truly proceed to tear your argument to shreds.
What evidence do you have? The only way we can judge teams from different leagues is how they perform against and in comparison to each other in the Champions League and in both of those respects the English sides easily come out on top.
I've not said "I know all about football". I've also not said what I'm saying should be taken as gospel. You've just posted that smiley bcos you didn't like what I posted. I'm just offering my opinion based on watching both leagues regularly. If I'm wrong then I'll gladly listen to others tell me why, and if I am I'm big enough and ugly enough to accept it.
Fair enough, but you gave no reason for Them finishing where they are other then they are better technically, But their is a difference between the technical quality of Barca and the technical quality of Valencia and Villarreal. There is also a difference between the approach of the lower teams in Spain and in England. So I am asking you to state exactly why Valencia, Barca and Real Madrid would pick up more points than Chelsea, Arsenal and United. Because I could personally see the likes of Stoke bullying Barca big time.
