EPL vs. La Liga: Which League Is Best in Europe?

There are constant comparisons and arguments about which of the two great European leagues is superior to the other. I will not deal with the other leagues, as it is evident that they are not peers in many areas.

Is La Liga ahead of the EPL? Is the EPL the greatest league? This article will attempt to shed some light on the differences and strengths/weaknesses between UEFA's most dynamic duo. Basing my presentation on a number of categories, I will try and give a balanced and informed view of each league's assets and handicaps, both football-wise and administratively/competitively in the broader European theatre. 

Top Division Competitiveness and Depth

Each league has 20 teams in their respective premier divisions and each play a 38-game season, with three of the weakest teams going down to the lower division each season and three lower-division teams moving up to replace them. Last season, EPL title-winner United (80 points) finished eight points ahead of and Chelsea (second), as Chelsea were eight points ahead of City (third). City finished 12 points ahead of  Arsenal (fourth). 

In La Liga, it was Barcelona (96 points) who won the title and they were followed by a point spread of four points for Real (second), 25 points for Valencia (third) and 34 points for Villarreal (fourth).

Barcelona's record of 30 wins, six ties and two defeats compares favourably with United's record of 23 wins, 11 draws and four losses. Interestingly enough, the weakest teams in either league—in this case Almeria (30 points) and West Ham United (33 points)—were very similar. In addition, the other top four teams had similar win loss records in both leagues.

What we see here is that the top four in the EPL appear to more balanced and competitive versus the top four in Spain, but does this tell us anything worthwhile? I believe it hints at a significant imbalance in La Liga, since it is always Barca or Real who lead the pack, with rare exception. The EPL has had few changes to the top four since 2005 with the exception of Tottenham, City and Everton each finishing once in the spot usually taken by Liverpool.

Financial Stability and Balance

Since this is often the measure quoted by pundits to compare teams and leagues, it seemed wise to look at the financial viability and stability of each league. The excellent Swiss Rambler regularly posts very detailed financials on his website for those who can tolerate that heavy-duty blogging but for the moment, I'll simply look at the financial viability of the top four clubs in each league.

The EPL has a rather different model when it comes to sponsorship and media rights. Revenues are more evenly spread between bottom and top clubs and the media deals are less generous to the top two as compared to Spain since the contract is not negotiated by each club. La Liga, on the other hand, has 50 percent of the media revenue going to Real and Barcelona and the remainder filtering down to the other 18 teams because they can negotiate independently with the media.

That said, each league has its financial cripples and this season Villarreal seem to be in serious need to sell their players in order to stay solvent. Barcelona and Real have considerable debts but they also have significant revenues and other resources to protect them.

English teams are also facing tighter financial times, with Chelsea and United carrying a lot of debt. However, their respective owners seem to be able to manage this and with United's worldwide revenues outstripping every other EPL team, they are not too worried. City is in another universe when it comes to finances.

The major difference between La Liga and the EPL is that two of the top four teams in the EPL have sugar-daddies covering their assets while Real and Barca have public and private funds and revenues, which basically boils down to the same thing in the long run. West Ham and Wigan had serious financial crises as well so the EPL is not problem-free. Arsenal have a business model that is frugal to say the least and are ranked behind only United as the most financially viable team in the EPL.

My conclusion is that the EPL is more secure and balanced financially, but only by a very tiny margin.

Toughness and Physical Demands

I am sure that most of the EPL fans firmly believe that the EPL is the most demanding and hardest league in the world of football. It is very difficult to compare leagues on this basis as the measure of toughness and physicality varies depending on a huge number of factors like field conditions, weather, training, prior injury record, pace of the game, prudent and strict officiating or lack of it, etc.

In terms of comparing the injury tables between the two leagues, it is also pointless. However, there is one statistic that stands out between the two leagues and that is the incidence of serious or career-threatening injuries. The EPL in the past five years has had more of these than La Liga and most of them have occurred in one team: Arsenal.

Since Arsenal tend to play a similar style to Barcelona, would an on-going competition between La Liga and EPL teams end up having increased risks for the Spanish tippy-tappy footballers?

Players who have played in both leagues for more than a season always say that the EPL is a much harder-tackling and physically demanding league. They also say that La Liga operates at a faster pace than the EPL but that overall, the EPL's high pace lasts almost the entire game while La Liga's tends to dip and rise like a wave.

Based on very few concrete data but certainly on the anecdotal evidence alone, I believe the EPL is a tougher and harder league to play in than La Liga over the same number of games. 

Overall Quality of Players and International Stars

There is no doubt in anyone's mind that Spain possess the two current top players in the world in Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo and a wealth of great talent in players like Villa, Iniesta, Xavi, Mata, Forlan etc. That said, the EPL boasts an almost equal number of top internationals in the likes of Rooney, Chicharito, Suarez, van Persie, Fabregas, Wilshere, Torres, Balotelli, Silva, Bale and so on.

It appears that trying to compare the best players in either league is like comparing apples and oranges. The best of the EPL are rarely British and the same applies in La Liga, with a Portuguese and an Argentine at the top. The big difference is at the youth level, where fewer British natives are showing their stuff than Spanish citizens. 

Both leagues enjoy a plethora of international stars and in the case of La Liga, almost the entire national side is made up of players from Real or Barca. My opinion is that there is no measure worth considering in this criteria since football has become so multicultural and international, I'd give both leagues an equal rating for the above elements of quality and international players. 

The Atmosphere and History

Here is where there is a visible divergence among these two leagues. Everyone worldwide comments on the frantic and palpable atmosphere and history that surrounds the EPL stadiums, especially during derby games. La Liga has its own derbies of which Barcelona versus Real Madrid has to be the epitome.

This said, La Liga is far less homogeneous than the EPL, which has entirely English or, in next season's case, Welsh and English teams playing. Spain is a more diverse country with the Catalans, Andalusians, Basques, etc. identified with national and cultural traditions that since 1939 have grown in importance and in some cases enmity. English teams don't usually have this conflictual and cultural history to deal with and it is much more local rivalries that count.

Spanish visitors always comment on the intensity and passion shown at EPL games, even between the bottom two teams fighting relegation. The singing and chanting in the EPL stadiums is something to be seen and heard and while present in Spain, is a more timid version of the British catharsis.

Therefore, I'd rate the EPL to be well ahead of most of La Liga in these categories.

Level of Coaching Stability and Success

It is clear that the tandem of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger between them have the longest and most stable managerial careers in the world of football.  SAF, who has been at United since 1986, and Wenger, at Arsenal since 1996, have between them won more titles and trophies—including the European Cup—than almost all their counterparts in Spain, other than Real and Barcelona.

Fergie's 57.74 percent winning percentage and Wenger's 53.82 percent stand up well against any manager worldwide. Their longevity and overall success rate places them at the top of the world football managerial rankings, closely followed by Pep Guardiola and England's current boss Fabio Capello.

In my opinion, this is a criterion where the EPL wins easily.

Youth Development

Here is where Spain's dominance in youth development, largely due to the famous La Cantera (La Masia) of Barcelona, dominates. Real do not have a very strong youth program compared to Barcelona, preferring to rely on transferring in stars already proven in the heat of battle.

However, some EPL clubs are catching up, or at least trying to. Arsenal's famous youth academy, Liverpool and United's recent success in promoting kids from their youth teams and a few other British teams like Southampton are earning England a reputation for producing fine talent. That said, the process of getting into the first teams of any of the above clubs is equally demanding for Spanish and English talents.

I would have to give the nod to Spain, largely due to Barcelona's fabulous record but in this respect, I see the gap closing rapidly for the EPL teams who bother to invest in youth football. 

Conclusions?

In conclusion, we have to admit that Barcelona deserve their ranking as the No. 1 club in the world at the moment. Their demolition of United at Wembley proved that, once again, Spain has a worthy world champion, this time at the club level.

However, over the last seven years, an English club has made it to the Champions League final six times and won it twice whereas a Spanish club has been to the final three times and won it all three times against British clubs.

Does this tell us anything? Maybe...but no Spanish team other than Barcelona has played in the final since Real Madrid won it in 2001. This tells me that the English presence of clubs on the international stage has been a consistently certain thing and should continue to be so as teams like Liverpool, Arsenal, United, Chelsea, City and Spurs actively battle to win Champions League places with United and Arsenal each having secured places in 14 consecutive seasons.

The disparity between the EPL, La Liga and other European leagues is becoming greater and greater as the richest EPL and La Liga teams buy up the best players in the world for their respective competitions.

Overall, I am quite convinced that this exercise is a somewhat futile opus since it is apparent that the only certain measure of quality and dominance will occur when we have La Liga teams play EPL teams in a season-long competition, with the winner taking all. I would drool to see that happen but FIFA and UEFA would shudder at the prospect of seeing their best two leagues go head to head, as a precursor to a European premier or super league which they would have minimal control over. This is inevitable if we want football to progress like it must at the world level.

Finally, it is almost impossible to say with absolute certainty that the EPL is better than La Liga but my less than objective opinion is that the EPL has a slight advantage when we look at them as a whole. What do you think? 

The Future

As an addendum, here is what I see the future promising:

1) FIFA and UEFA's autocratic hegemony will be contested and challenged by the big clubs from the EPL, Serie A, La Liga, Ligue 1 and other top leagues in Europe.

2) Being the politicians and avaricious leeches that they are, Blatter and Platini will eventually succumb to these clubs' demands and form a European super competition or league as a supplement to the Champions League and Europa League.

3) Here are the teams I see playing in such a league:

Barcelona

Manchester United

Borussia

Dortmund

AC Milan

Lille

Real Madrid 

Chelsea

Bayern Leverkusen

Inter

Lyon 

Villareal          

Manchester City                

Bayern Munich 

Napoli

Marseille      

Valencia

Arsenal       

Hannover

Udinese

Paris St.-Germain

Wouldn't this be a league to remember?! What do you think?