La Liga standing as of Feb 13, 2012 (From the Guardian)
Cast your eye at the number of goals scored by each club in the fourth column from the right. At this point is there any wonder why this is not even a two horse race anymore? The race for La Liga is effectively over as even Pep Guardiola has all but conceded defeat, for the rest it ended in September last year. Real and Barca’s share of goals is approximately a quarter of the total goals scored in La Liga.
Third placed Valencia has scored 40 goals less than Real while fourth place Levante is 46 goals adrift. These two clubs are competing for a Champions League spot scrapping with Espanyol, Atletico, Malaga, Osasuna, and Bilbao, as they fall further and further in goals scored and negative goal differentials. Yes, it is that dire.
Elsewhere, there is a real dogfight between City and Utd in the EPL with Spurs as an outside contender. The Serie could see Milan, Juventus, Lazio, and Udinese all go down to the wire. In the Bundesliga, Borussia just overtook Bayern which is having a torrid time staving off M’gladbach and Schalke. There is unpredictability and an anticipation of an upset in these leagues that keeps interest alive.
Can La Liga get any more stale if you are not Real or Barca?