Table of Contents
- 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 will win 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, few 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 the 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 many injuries to key players can also influence a team’s chances in the 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 table 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 champions 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 to win 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 for 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 to 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. However, since his recovery, the team has found their form again, and players like Raphinha and Lewandowski have rediscovered their goal-scoring form. Barca have re-entered the title race and are strong favourites to win the league,e 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.
The Run in
The race for the La Liga title is on, and match day 33 produced some exciting games. The round saw Barcelona and Real Madrid pick up dramatic late wins while Atletico Madrid lost to las Palmas to see their hope of winning a trophy this season fade away.
Match day 33
Barcelona Vs Celta Vigo
The match between Barcelona and Celta Vigo in match day 33 of the league campaign was both dramatic and exciting. The game began with Barcelona looking to extend their lead as the table topper. Everything appeared to be going as planned when the home team opened the scoring through Ferran Torres in the 12th minute. But the lead was short-lived as Celta Vigo replied with a quick response 3 minutes later through B. Iglesias.
In the second half, the Celta scored two more goals to put the visitors in a commanding lead. All hope appeared to be fading as time continued to tick, and it appeared the home team would drop some vital points. But Hansi flick made some important substitutions that changed the course and indeed the fate of the game. Dani Olmo and Raphina both find the back of the net to draw the level for the home team and in additional minutes of the game, the Brazilian converted a last-minute penalty to win it all for the home team.
Real Madrid Athletic Bilbao
After the early kick-off of title rivals Barcelona, Real Madrid played host to Bilbao in an attempt to win the match and maintain pressure on the table toppers as we enter the final rounds of the 2024-25 league campaign. Madrid played with Mbappe, who was serving a match ban for picking up a red card in the previous game.
The match was pretty balanced, with both teams creating and missing goalscoring opportunities for most of the match. It appeared as though both teams would settle for a point apiece until Valverde conjured a magic to score one of the best goals of the season to win it all for the home team, taking all three points and maintaining the pressure on Barcelona.
Las Palmas vs Atletico Madrid
Diego Simone’s team produced a lacklustre performance to see the chance of a magical title win abate. The team surrendered to a lone goal win to their host, and it appears they would endure a trophyless campaign this term
Match Day 34
Barcelona vs Real Mallorca
Barcelona hosts Real Mallorca in the 34th round of the campaign. The host team were missing important players like Robert Lewandowski and Balde due to injury. With the Copa Del Rey final against Real Madrid just a few days away, Hansi Flick decided to rest some important players like Raphinha, De Jong and Cubarsi.
Ansu Fati and Hector Forth were given rare opportunities to start the match. Barcelona dominated the first half but found it difficult to register a goal, thanks to the away team’s defence. But at the start of the second half, Dani Olmo found the back of the net with a nice effort, which was enough to win it all for the title leaders.
Getafe Vs Real Madrid
Real Madrid put on a fine display to maintain pressure on the league leaders. The defending Champions rested key players like Rudiger, Mbappe and Jude Bellingham. Arder Gular’s first half goal was enough to win the match for the visitors.
