this is a matter of pure opinion. of course at this time there is no right and wrong.. i just feel like Atleti and Malaga are installing themselves as top table Forces .. both there preformances in this season so far and last season were phenomenal.. and with the downfall of Sevilla and the Relegation of Villareal.. do you think there has been a shift in the foodchain or just more added to it? (basically what im trying to say is that if one or both Atletico Madrid and Malaga (when i mean both i that they battle eachother consistantly for the place) can Replace Valencia as the traditional 3rd team witch is usually on the outside looking in to the title race.

Valencia would traditionally have these battles with Local Rivals villareal and Andalucian giants Sevilla.. but not both teams are facing harsh demises and Valencia seems to have new challengers for those high UCL Places. thoughts?

2009/10:
gap between 1st and 3rd: 28 points.
gap between 2nd and 3rd: 25 points:
gap between 3rd and 10th: 24 points.gap between 1st and 10th: 52 points.

2010/11:

gap between 1st and 3rd: 25 points.
gap between 2nd and 3rd: 21 points.
gap between 3rd and 10th: 24 points.
gap between 1st and 10th: 49 points.

2011/12: 
gap between 1st and 3rd: 39 points. 
gap between 2nd and 3rd: 30 points.
gap between 3rd and 10th: 12 points.
gap between 1st and 10th: 51 points.

Current season
gap between 1st and 3rd: 15 points.
gap between 2nd and 3rd: 7 points.
gap between 3rd and 10th: 12 points.
gap between 1st and 10th: 17 points.

And this current season is just over half-way through -- expect those figures to double.

Examining the above, Boixosnois1981, I have to ask you: what 3rd place at the top of the food chain is there for anyone to replace? The gaps is as wide as it has ever been, and the reason the two Madrids are so even this year is because Real have fallen off the pace, not because Atletico have joined it.

No-one there can compete with Barca.

I say wait till the end of the season to judge. Atletico has incredible players that will not be there next season. We will se how this plays out but expect Valencia to bounce back

What im simply trying to say is have Valencia lost there 3rd team labels? im not talking about the Title race. the other teams are not financially equipped to compete and wont be for a while (thats the harsh reality sorry to say)

But the 3rd place and 4th place is usually hotly contested even if Valencia wins it all the time.. those battles used to be between Valencia ,Villareal and Sevilla.. but now all 3 teams are way off being the amazing teams that had those battles for the champions leagues places

Malaga is getting richer.. Atletico keeps improving and the more trophies and high places they win, the more money they get as well., and as much as i love to see our good friends Betis so high up the table.. even if they take 4th this season.. they probably wont keep it again or even get close again next season unless they spend some serious cash.. So.. will the new Battles for 3rd be between Atleti and Malaga or will it be a 3 way battle with Valencia bouncing back. or will both Malaga and Atleti not have enough to do this well again?

I believe personally that Valencia's form is just temporary this season and i think new Champions league dogfights between Atletico, Malaga and Valencia will commence, and hey, Valencia just may bounce back and enter the fray this season.  i think Valencia has too much Talent and class in there side despite trials and tribulations and a rough patch to bow out now, it takes alot more then just 1 bad season to kill Valencia. and I know Valencia well enough to say that.

But at the same time i think there will be competitors added to the fray too. and Atleti and Malaga are on there way up.

I actually did a thread like this a while ago.. Right now atketico is better than us. but look at atletico in the last 5 seasons. We have been the team who finnishs higher than them then. We have been the team who has had consitency. now its a change is about to happen. YOU CANT RULE OUT A TEAM AFTER ONE SEASON.

if the following 2-3 seasons we finnish like atletico almost always does (due to them not beeing able to beat poorer teams)  5-10 then atletico might have taken our position. 

Valencia might be back next year or will we be an atletico type team 
(good highest quality bud loses often to small teams at home, finishing 5-10 in the table)
 for the next 5 seasons before we're back ontop, who know..

I agree with you Knib.. the way Valencia are playing this season are the way Atletico were playing before 2011-2012 all the time.

for any more curious onlookers to this thread, the stats since 2004-2005

2004-2005: Villareal 3rd, Sevilla 6th, Valencia 7th. Atletico Madrid, 11th. Malaga 10th
2005-2006: Valencia 3rd,  Sevilla 5th, Villareal 7th, Atletico Madrid 10th, Malaga, Dead Last.
2006-2007-  Sevilla 3rd,Valencia 4th, Villareal 5th, Atletico Madrid 7th, Malaga 15th in the Segunda.
2007-2008-Villareal 2nd, Atletico Madrid 4th, Sevilla 5th, Valencia 10th, Malaga promoted back to Primera by finishing second in the Segunda.
2008-2009- Sevilla 3rd, Atletico Madrid 4th, Villareal 5th, Valencia 6th, Malaga 8th.
2009-2010- Valencia 3rd, Sevilla 4th, Villareal 7th, Atletico Madrid 9th, Malaga 17th.
2010-2011- Valencia 3rd, Villareal 4th,Sevilla 5th, Atletico Madrid 7th, Malaga 11th.
2011-2012- Valencia 3rd, Malaga 4th, Atletico Madrid 5th,  Sevilla 9th,Villareal Relegated.
This season right now- Atletico 2nd, Malaga 5th and 2 points from UCL spot, Valencia 7th, Sevilla 12th, Villareal 10th in the Segunda.

see how the roles changed all of a sudden? Valencia, Villareal and Sevilla would be neck and neck  and neck always slugging out for European places, while Atleti would be mid table mongerers and Malaga would always be relegation candidates , relegated,or mid tabe mediocrites.
Now all of a sudden, Sevilla are mid table mediocrites and set to be for the second season running, Malaga and Atleti are high up aiming for European spots again (and atleti may even have title ambitions this season), Villareal are choking in the Segunda while Valencia is having trouble trying to get back into the UCL spots.

Does this say anything?

It suggests that Valencia are the Arsenal of La Liga, Sevilla are the Liverpool, Atletico are the Tottenham, and Malaga are the Everton?

Haha, nice comparison, Lodatz. But who will be Chelsea?

Chelsea and Manchester City are basically our twin Real Madrids.

All right, it's so much easier to base it on the current level of the clubs. How about:

Man United - Barcelona
Man City - Real Madrid
Chelsea - Atletico Madrid
Spurs - Malaga
Arsenal - Valencia
Liverpool - Sevilla
Everton - Real Betis
Newcastle - Athletic Bilbao

Eh? I know right, once the chance gets there, I just can't stop making lists.

I still put Man City in the Real category. Like Real, they were assembled with a TON of money to win control of the league away from the #1 team. Also like Real they've suffered a lot from the pressure this season; City having a poor showing in Europe and Real having a lot of problems in the league. 

But, they can both buy pretty much anyone they want, still, and I think that once some problems are weeded out (Balotelli, Mourinho), we'll see them both come back strong, next year. Along with a Chelsea that have had a year to readjust.

Anyways, wasn't trying to commandeer the La Liga thread into a PL thread. Just answering Boixosnois1981's question about what thoughts sprung to mind.

Arsenal of la liga..?  We both won our consecutive league last time the same year atleast... :)

Should i have to mention that atletico is the team with the highest debt i La Liga.

thats why it was so sad to see villareal go down last year. A villareal with no debts and a good economy. They have even better economy now when you think of the players they have sold for like over 30 mil to Fiorentina. 
Only Bruno Soriano left of "the big guys" in Villareal

No, I think Valencia, just like Real Madrid, have had some bad form in the league recently but I'm sure they will bounce back in no time.