La Liga and the Loss of Passion

A Few days ago, Barcelona, the leader of the Spanish La Liga, lost 1-2 against Rayo Vallecano in the Spanish capital Madrid. Prior to that, Real Madrid had lost 2-4 to Girona in Barcelona, and the 11-point gap between the leader and the runner-up remained the same.

As you watch the remaining games of the two competing teams in La Liga, you feel that things have been settled and that Barcelona's lifting of the cup, which has been absent for 4 years, is only a matter of time.

Real Madrid is preoccupied with two decisive matches against Manchester City next month in the pre-final of the UEFA Champions League, through which it hopes to qualify for the final to maintain its hopes of retaining the most precious title and add the trophy with big ears to the 14 versions that fill its trophy cabinets.

Real Madrid's place in the next version of the Champions League is secured as fourth-placed Real Sociedad is far behind by 10 points, and the only threat left is from their neighbour Atletico Madrid, who is quickly advancing towards the runner-up position, which means nothing as long as the title is lost and the European positions are secured.

And if we gave Real Madrid an excuse for their recent slip-ups, we can't find a convincing excuse for Barcelona's surrender to the audacity of competing teams in its history, playing without motivation or searching for historical records to crown with the title.

They are seven rounds away from the end of the championship as if they are tired of competing in a championship that was decided early, with only satisfaction from the Super Cup, which compensated for their humiliating exit from the Champions League, and their journey ended in the Europa League at the hands of Manchester United in the round of 16, and their exit from the cup at the hands of their rival, Real Madrid, on their own ground and among their fans.

After competing to win and earn points, we feel that Barcelona and Real Madrid are now competing to lose and drop points in a tournament that died clinically after Barcelona secured the league's Clasico weeks ago, followed by a victory over the other Madrid team, Atletico.

The fires of La Liga have cooled down, while Manchester City added fuel to the fire of competition in the Premier League by defeating the league leaders Arsenal. Meanwhile, in Germany, Borussia Dortmund snatched the lead from Bayern Munich by just one point. Italy is not much different from Spain, as Napoli is on its way to securing the title with a significant lead. In France, the scene remains stable with PSG at the top, as their rival Marseille approaches, but not in a way that threatens their firm throne in the history of France.

La Liga needs a breath of life and an attempt to regain the excitement and competition again, and to focus on development away from the side issues that have damaged the reputation of the championship as a whole, without one side benefiting at the expense of another.