The La Liga title race is on, who would win the 2024-25 Spanish Football League?
- La Liga title race
- What does it take to win the league?
- Top contending teams
La Liga Title Race
After 22 rounds of matches, the 2024-25 Spanish football season is proving to be an interesting and closely contested title race. The league table has seen three different table toppers in the first half of the season.
Clubs like Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid have all occupied the top spot of the table at some point in the first half of the season. This makes fans curious to know the last club standing at the end of the season.
The league has mostly been a two-horse race between usual contenders, Real Madrid and Barcelona in the last three seasons. Still, this season, Diego Simeone’s Atletico team recruited some top players to mount a serious challenge for the league title.
It is difficult to predict who wins the league this season with only four points separating the three main title challengers after 22 rounds of matches.
What does it take to win the league?
Winning the La Liga title depends on several factors. To stand a chance of winning the league, a team must be certain to have a good squad, a top coach, little or no injuries to players, and extreme motivation.
As a team sport, the outcome of matches largely depends on the quality of players registered in a club. Coaches play an important role in the title race but the bulk of a team’s success depends on the quality of players on parade in a team.
This season, the Spanish clubs all made important additions to their teams which explains why the title race is close and difficult to win.
Too, injuries to key players can also influence a team’s chances in La Liga title race. To go far in the league, teams try to protect their key players by all means such as substituting these players late in a match when leading with a comfortable goal margin.
Lamine Yamal and Barcelona are good examples of how injury to a key figure influences a team’s chances in the title race. The Blaugrana were once top of the team until their young star was ruled out for some matches with injury.
The Catalan club found it difficult to win matches without the star player who has shown to be very important for their title race.
But as soon as Yamal recovered from injury and began playing again, Barcelona started winning matches and closing the gap with the league leader.
Another important factor in the title race is a team’s motivation. Teams must show willingness and extreme motivation to find consistent results in matches to be able to win the league.
This season, the three top contending teams have shown great motivation and resilience to stake their claim in the title challenge.
Top contending teams in the La Liga Title Race
Real Madrid
Real Madrid probably has the best chance of winning the league for some reason. Los Blancos are the defending champion and currently sit atop the league table.
The addition of Kylian Mbappe to the team makes Madrid a strong favourite to defend the league title even though the French striker is yet to fully adapt to life in the Spanish capital.
Mbappe would also be looking to win some individual awards like the Pichichi and European Golden Boot. This would likely serve as an additional motivation to go all out and win the league for Madrid.
As the most successful team in Spain and Europe, Real Madrid is always a strong favourite of winning the La Liga title every year. But this season, the team faces both internal and external hurdles in the title race.
The internal hurdle facing the defending champion this season is mainly injury problems. The Spanish champions have seen several players sidelined due to injury.
Some players are ruled out for months with a few out of the season. Dani Carvajal and Elder Militao are some of the players ruled out of games for a very long period due to an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury.
Carlo Ancelotti has had to work with a makeshift defence line in some matches because of injuries to his defenders. This internal problem poses a strong challenge in Madrid’s league title defence.
Externally, Madrid battles rivals Barca and Atletico in the title race.
FC Barcelona
Barcelona last won the league two seasons ago under the leadership of the club icon, Xavi Hernandez. They failed to defend the league last season but have shown strong signs of mounting a serious title challenge this season.
Hansi Flick is the man employed to reclaim the league title this season. The German tactician has experienced some ups and downs since taking over as coach of the Catalan giants.
At some point in the first half of the season, Flick appeared to be running away with the league title after handing Real Madrid a humiliating 0 – 4 defeat at the Santiago Bernabeu and establishing a 6-point gap as the table-topper.
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But the lead soon vanished after the team lost vital points in subsequent matches. The loss of points coincided with the time their Talismanic youngster, Lamine Yamal was out injured.
But since his recovery, the team has found their form again and players like Raphinha and Lewandowsky have rediscovered their goal-scoring form.
Barca have re-entered the title race and are strong favourite to win the league just behind Real Madrid.
Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid is the only Spanish team to win the league title outside Real Madrid and Barcelona in the last two decades. Diego Simeone has performed incredibly well as the club manager since his appointment in 2011.
Simeone first won the La Liga title as Atletico’s coach in the 2013-14 league season after an intense title race where the team finished with just 3 points above Barcelona and Madrid who both finished with the same points.
Seven years later, the team won the league title again after an impressive campaign. Simeone and his men are looking to repeat such an impressive feat this season and have shown to be serious title contenders.
Julian Alvarez was brought in during the last transfer market in an audacious move that reflects the team’s ambition and readiness to challenge for the La Liga title.
Conclusion
The La Liga title race is on and it is extremely difficult to predict the possible winner for the league. With only a few points separating the first three teams, fans are in for an intriguing title race ahead.
