Winter Champions: The Competitiveness of the Spanish League

The current season of the Spanish league, known as La Liga to soccer fans, is now just about halfway done, and two teams stand far above the rest.  First comes Barcelona, which is currently sitting at the number one position on the league table and surely enjoying their status as "Winter Champions".  Although this title is nothing official--it simply means that this team was leading at the end of the year--Barcelona broke records this year by accumulating a total of 52 points.  Out of the 19 league games played, they have won an impressive 17, drawn once, and suffered only one defeat.  

Behind them in the number two rank is Real Madrid, trailing by a mere four points. Although Madrid has repeatedly pulled out strong displays this season, their record is not up to par with Barcelona's. Out of their 19 games, they have won only 15, drawn thrice, and conceded a humiliating defeat to Barcelona, losing 5 goals to none. Needless to say, competition between these two teams is fierce, and it is not uncommon for tension between fans to erupt into fights.

The past weekend, both Barcelona and Madrid played their 19^th game. Barcelona destroyed their opponents Malaga, netting in four goals. Madrid, however, experienced an unexpected blip in their form. They struggled against Almeria, a rather low-ranking team, and came out with a draw, earning only one point from this game. Although they did not lose the match, according to the Spanish media, they might as well. For both Madrid and Barcelona, a draw has become the new lose because even a tiny slip-up might ultimately cost them the champions title at the end of the season. After Madrid “lost” their game, much of the Spanish press labeled it as “the game that lost them the league.”