La Liga Is Not A One-Horse Race
By Adam Clifton
@adamdclifton
Getty Images
Through 13 games, Real Madrid sit atop the La Liga Table. With their exceptional run of form in all competitions, many are expecting this team to cruise to a league title in Spain. However, there are several teams that plan on ruining Real Madrid’s plan.
Real Madrid made several changes to their UEFA Champions League-winning squad of last season. They added the likes of James Rodriguez, Toni Kroos and Keylor Navas. The new additions have adjusted to life at their new club exceptionally well. With the exception of Navas, Kroos and Rodriguez have earned consistent first-team action and have impressed at their new club.
Are these additions enough to compensate for the loss of Xabi Alonso? So far this season, it appears Madrid have done enough to replace their former midfielder.
Can anyone stop Real Madrid? Prior to the season, many expected Barcelona to be the overwhelming favorite in Spain. In addition to their star-studded lineup, they added the controversial Luis Suarez. With an attacking trio of Suarez, Neymar and Lionel Messi, Barcelona appeared to be the team to beat.
Unfortunately for Suarez, he has yet to score a goal in La Liga this season. Once Suarez shakes off the rust from his post World Cup suspension, Barcelona will turn into a goal scoring machine. When this happens, Barcelona will be there to push Real Madrid until the very end.
Other than Barcelona, teams like Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Valencia have all started the season in excellent form. La Liga is usually a two-horse race between Real Madrid and Barcelona. Last season, Atletico Madrid was able to upset the traditional hierarchy and overtake the two teams. This season, Atletico sit third in the table and defeated Real earlier this season. Despite the loss of their star striker Diego Costa, Atletico Madrid still expect to compete for a La Liga title this season.
A major hurdle for Real Madrid en route to a La Liga title could be the depth of the league. Typically, Real Madrid and Barcelona take part in a head to head battle to win the league. This season, there are five teams within nine points of the top of the table. The quality at all levels of La Liga is continuing to improve. This makes it very difficult for teams to cruise to victories and consistently earn all three points without stumbles. There are too many good teams in La Liga to assume that Real Madrid will cruise to the title.
The biggest obstacle for Real Madrid this season could very well be the success of the team. Real Madrid will expect to win every tournament they take part in this season. This will create a very busy fixture list for the squad. As we have seen in previous campaigns, it is extremely difficult for a team to achieve success domestically and abroad. The depth of this squad will be put to the test as the games continue to pile up.
Real Madrid are one of the best teams in the world and have a great chance to win La Liga, but there are several obstacles that must be overcome before they should be given the trophy.
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