The debate: Is the Premier League better than La Liga?

By Rob Burnett in Mirror Football Blog

Published 00:37 29/08/09

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Every week we'll be addressing the burning issue that you've been arguing about all week in the pub.

This week: Is the Premier League better than La Liga?

YES - Says Liverpool boss Rafa Bentitez

Benitez has managed at the top level in both Spain and England, and won La Liga twice with Valencia in 2002 and 2004.

The Anfield boss said: “At this moment I think the Premier League is the best league in the world.

“People talk about La Liga, but we have to see about La Liga. Barcelona have been doing very well, while Real Madrid have signed a lot of big names, but we have to wait and see what will happen with La Liga this season.

“At this moment, at the very beginning of the season, the Premier League is the best league around.

“I think the Premier League has more pace than the other leagues. I think you can see that the ball goes from one side to the other side faster than in the other leagues. That means it is more exciting for the fans. That is a positive thing.

“If you analyse it tactically, it’s more physical and because it’s so fast, it is difficult sometimes to adjust things in games as a manager.

“But for the fans, in terms of the spectacle and the emotion, I think it’s the best.

“There are a lot of goals and games can change quickly. A team can be losing and then come back to win and that does not happen as many times in other leagues. Players show great passion and do not want to lose.

“That is exciting for the fans and games are always changing. This season the league is really strong and we have seen some results people would not have predicted.

“We talk a lot about the number of foreign players in the Premier League, but you can see that the quality of the foreign players has improved a lot.

“The league is of a high quality and if you are one of the top teams in the Premier League, then you are one of the top teams in Europe because at the same time, one of the top teams in Spain, Germany or Italy is not at the same level.

“You can see that in the Champions League and the teams from the Premier League have done very well in recent seasons and ourselves, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are always getting to the last rounds.

“Sometimes it varies from month to month and people will say ’oh, Barcelona won the Champions League, La Liga must be better’. But for me, at this moment, the Premier League is the best in the world.”

NO - Says former Spain international Emilio “The Vulture" Butragueno

Butragueno spent 14 years at Real Madrid as a player, and after returning to the Bernabeu in June has overseen the Spanish giants' massive spending spree to recruit some of the world's top players.

After bringing Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso and Karim Benzema to Madrid he now thinks La Liga is stronger than the Premier League.

He said: "What the Premier League has done in the last few seasons has forced us in Spain to react, but we believe we have done that and maybe changed the pecking order.

"If you want to have the best players, you have to invest the money to get them. I think everybody has seen that we have done that at Real Madrid.

"By signing Crustiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Karim Benzema and the other players who have joined this summer, we hope we can show that Spanish football is the best in Europe. That is our aim.

"The Premier League, of course, has shown over the last four or five years that it has been very successful in Europe, and we have to admit that.

"Yes, Barcelona won the title in Rome but the other three semi-finalists were from England and it was the same the year before and the year before that.

"It showed us where we needed to go because it means, without a doubt, that the Premier League is a very strong competition.

"But I hope this season is going to be very interesting and a fascinating season for Spanish fans because they are going to see two very strong squads.

"Barcelona did very well last season, almost perfect, and this season I hope Real Madrid has a greater squad and the better team. We will see.

"But in terms of the two leagues, England and Spain, the difference, perhaps, is that our league is very competitive. At least that’s my experience. It’s more difficult to win it because the overall strength is deeper.

"The Premier League is very strong but so is La Liga. There is no doubt that these two competitions are the most prestigious and it’s difficult to say which one is the best.

"But we have been able to draw the attention of the world by what we have done this summer.

"Now we have to keep it with the performances of these players. How they do on the field is what I think everybody in the world is waiting to see but I believe we will see the difference the signings will make.

"I think every country has its own style. We have to respect all of the ways of playing.

"From my perspective, though, and while I like to watch the Premier League and enjoy the way football is played in England,  I think the quality of La Liga is very high and slightly higher.

"Of course, at the end of the day it is all about results. That is the bottom line. The style - that depends on the players you have. I think you will see this season the players we have are the best in the world now.

We want to hear what you think. Is the Premier League the best? Or has Real Madrid's summer splurge made La Liga the one to watch? Sign in and add your comments below...

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