Introduction.

My first impression, and whenever I have been asked this question I have been convinced of this, is that the Premier League is quicker and has bigger physical demands than the Spanish championship, and that La Liga is more technical and tactical.

I think that most football fans who are acquainted with both leagues will think the same thing, but, looking at the data we have received from companies such as Opta(who analyse more matches) and Amisco, and having read some published articles on the subject, we decided to do this analysis.

The first thing you have to take in to account is that according to the criteria used by these companies to define the parameters, the data can be different. For example, to count blocked shots as a shot or not completely changes the statistics. The same applies to the speed of the players; a sprint can be defined as over 21km/h or over 24km/h, which obviously changes the analysis.

To avoid the problem, having compared the data, we decided to use the most reliable data and present it in the clearest possible way; so the study will not have any scientific value but will give us a more objective idea of the 2010-11 season in both leagues.

From a Technical Point of View.

The first data we analysed showed only small differences in time of ball in play, 53 minutes in La Liga and 54 minutes in the Premier League last season.

The number of passes per game is similar for the last 2 seasons in both leagues, although slightly higher in the Spanish league. There is not a significant difference.

More long passes in the Premier League, more in the opposition half and also more in the final third, but with less accuracy. This may be due to the fact that in the Premier League many of these passes came from the goalkeeper. Similarly, more crosses in the Premier League over the last 2 seasons.

Passing:

The number of passes per game is similar for the last 2 seasons in both leagues, although slightly higher in the Spanish league. There is not a significant difference.

More long passes in the Premier League, more in the opposition half and also more in the final third, but with less accuracy. This may be due to the fact that in the Premier League many of these passes came from the goalkeeper. Similarly, more crosses in the Premier League over the last 2 seasons.

General Play:

In La Liga, they dribble more and with more success in the Premier League.
Higher number of challenges in the Premier League, and this is an important factor when we consider the disciplinary data.

.

Discipline:

La LigaDisciplinePremier League19Fouls per game175Number of Fouls between cards7

More tackles in the Premier League, fewer fouls given and fewer cards shown in relation to the number of fouls given, clearly indicates that the Premier League is more physical than La Liga.

Tactical Analysis.

The systems used are similar, 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3, 4-4-1-1 and 4-4-2, in both leagues. The quality of the team dictates their style. In Spain, they look more to pass and support, but in England, whilst there are also many teams who try to move the ball on the ground, generally the play is more direct, as we have seen in the long pass data and the entries to the opposition area, reflected in the shots attempted and goals scored.

Physical Data Analysis.

This is the latest data we compiled from Amisco and you can see the prevalence of La Liga compared to the Premier League. However, in another study as well as inour own collected data from different seasons in both leagues, we do not see the same results. Due to the low number of matches from which this data was collected because there was no specialised equipment, the data may not be absolutely 100% accurate. Therefore we consider the data we directly collected to be more reliable, and thus we believe that in the Premier League they run more and more quickly than in La Liga.

La LigaDistance CoveredPremier League Per Player
10508Distance covered (m)10494273Distance in sprint (+24 km/h)264322High Speed (21-24 km/h)297595High Intensity 561 Our Data from other Seasons
11072Total Distance covered11174489High Intensity530
In another study, our conclusion is corroborated and confirms that in the Premier League, they run more, more in high intensity (blue) and more in sprints (see graphic).

Psychological Aspects.

This is influenced as much by the tempo of the game as by the duels, fouls, cards and challenges in general.

As we can see in the graphic, the Premier League is much more demanding in terms of physical contact, both on the ground and in the air, and in our experience, we know that the English fans demand intensity and high tempo, so, from a psychological point of view, the game is more demanding in the Premier League.

If you hide, you won’t survive in the Premier League, something that the following graphic of aerial and ground duels (blue) suggests.

Confrontations in Recent Years.

The only reliable references to compare teams in the Premier League and La Liga are Champions League meetings, although Atletico Madrid beating Liverpool in the semi-final and then Fulham in the final of the Europa League also stands out.

In the Champions League, going back to season 2008-9, we have the victory of Arsenal against Villarreal (4-1 over 2 legs) and Liverpool over Real Madrid (5-0) with obvious English superiority.

But also, Barcelona beat Chelsea in the semis, and later United (2-0) in the final to become champions.

In 2010-11, Real Madrid beat Tottenham (5-0) and Barcelona beat Arsenal (4-3) and then United (3-1) in the final, showing the Spanish teams’ superiority.

These results show us the equality of both leagues, and today, the superiority of Barcelona, with their style based on possession, which the Spanish National team uses, as well the younger teams, with good results in all competitions.

Conclusions.

Analysing the data, we see that the technical aspects, the systems of play and also the tactics, are becoming similar in both leagues due to the continental influence in the Premier League. We can also appreciate that the speed and intensity of play and the physical contact are the biggest differences between the 2 leagues.

As far as the European meetings go, it is significant that continental referees give more free kicks and show more cards than in the Premier League (proved by the number of fouls and cards in La Liga) which can affect the performance of English teams in Europe.

La Liga ----------- Attack -------------- Premier League
2.74 Average goals per game --------- ------2.79
15------------Average shots per game -------------18
45% ----------Shooting accuracy---------------------36%
17% ------ % of headed goals---- -------------19%
35% ------- % of Set Play goals--------------------34%

..

Passing:

La Liga-----------Passing--------------Premier League
819--------Passes per game----------------801
23%-----------% of long passes------------26%
489-----------Passes in Opposition Half---494
258-------------Passes in Final Third-------276
66%--Accuracy of passes in Final Third----62%
27------------Crosses per game-----------33

General Play:

la liga ----------------general play-----------premier league

38----------- --dribbles per game------------ 33
37% -------------successful dribbles-------------43%
42 -----------final third entries per game--------56

Discipline:

19 ---------------------fouls per game--------------------17

5 --------------number of fouls between cards--------- 7

Physical Data Analysis.

10508----------------distance covered(m)------------------10494
273--------------distance in sprint(+24km/h)-------------264
322----------- high speed(21-24km/h)--------------------297
595----------------------high intensity-------------------------- 530

You need to look at tables while reading, i had a lot of input pb for posting....

Here is the link if you want to go directly :
http://www.rafabenitez.com/web/in/blog/liga-better-than-the-premier-league/16/

My opinion : If the best league means the most entertaining league ? Then definitely without blinking its EPL for many reasons : This year, 6 big clubs fighting for title an CL places , and with good financial managing, in Spain the crisis oblige teams to sell their best players, but still Spain's youth are more skillful so they rely to their youth schools.... ( La masia and la fabrica gives dozens of players to other clubs) and buys back those who had the best progression, so the gap is a little bigger in Spain between clubs....
As a Barça fan, i'm getting bored by the lack of competition, and having 2 only rivals Athletico and Real.....

Now, if the best league means the most powerful ? I would say 50-50 with a small advantage to Spain considering that Barça and RM are carrying the league but 5 years ago, the famous big 4 of EPL were the strongest, now things has changed in some ways.

I can imagine RM or Barça BEING title contenders in EPL, and only United, City and perhaps Chelsea being title contenders in Spanish league....

Dude, that link is broken. It's a link to the image.

try that one :
<http://www.rafabenitez.com/web/in/blog/liga-better-than-the-premier-league/16/>

I think what's interesting is when we use several of these statistics in conjunction with one another.

For example, Benitez cites that there are fewer shots, with greater accuracy, in La Liga. He also cites that there are fewer passes overall, but more of them are offensive, in the Premier League.

So what picture does that paint? Well, certainly that La Liga is more patient and slower than the PL. There is more emphasis on build-up play, whereas in the PL teams like to get the ball forward and attack more often, and with greater energy.

But what else can we throw in there? Well, the obvious physicality difference that Benitez highlights as well, with fewer fouls and much greater emphasis on duels, in the PL.

The obvious conclusion to draw is that the reason La Liga teams have a more patient approach, and rely more upon passing until a more perfect shot opportunity is created, is because the league is slower, and less physical. In the PL, you don't get the time on the ball to craft a perfect shot, or to make a perfect offensive pass, as much as you do in La Liga. You're closed down much more quickly, and with every expectation that if a rough challenge comes in, you WON'T get a foul for it.

This means players have to think, and act more quickly. Faster passing, faster movement, and more snapsnots instead of golden chances. PL players have to work with narrower angles, and smaller time-frames, to try and execute the same skill, or play, because of the higher emphasis placed upon defense and closing people down.

It's pretty much the same situation as back in the day, when Serie A was the best league in the world. Sure, you had showy skills on offer, but, the players also had the time and space to make those skills happen, because the defense was mainly zonal, not challenge-based, in Italy at that time (and to some extent, still is). When defenders are more concerned with holding their position than closing down the attacker's space, sure you get more of a chance to do something 'flashy'.

This is why Ronaldo went from being a 35-goals a season player, to scoring at will, in La Liga. He was used to having to use his technique under higher pressure, with less time to get it right. When he moved to Spain, and had defenders who were giving him the space he never had in the PL, he just started walking through them and blasting it in the net.

I do expect Bale to have a similar experience, when he gets into his stride. It'll be like Christmas to him, especially since his game is based upon using his speed and strength to get into a shooting position.

I also think this is why there is the commonly-held illusion that La Liga is more 'technical' than the PL. It really isn't. Not when you take skill for sill examples. It's just that in La Liga players have more time and space to craft a perfect piece of skill, right from the training ground, whereas in PL players have to use their same technique to get it right, first time, without time to think, before the ball is taken away from you by a good tackle.

Anyways, just my thoughts on the matter.

I was agreeing until \\\" this is why Ronaldo.............\\\" mate he scored 33 goals in Epl and 36 in la liga last year, even if not, do you think the 23 years old Ronaldo of Manchester is the Real Madrid 27 years old Cr7 ??? More experienced,more powerful, with great squad who only plays on him to compete with Messis goals, i dont think so.

He would be destroying EPL teams and would compete only with himself for top scorer, Imagine him in EPL with Modric Isco or any big 6 midlefielder, +35 goals were not talking about Suarez here or even RVP is not better, He is more Clinical now remember RM - Man utd or against Chelsea lately i cant even imagine against a bottom team, i can tell you HE IS A MONSTER and Messi a GENIOUS that is fact. So bringing the comparison with ronaldo are not well adapted imo.

And Spanish players score regularly on EPL i dont think by having different styles both leagues, the dificulty should change, it can be similar... why Spanish players always adapt to EPL ?

And for Bale as a future monster, look his stats from his first season and compare with Cr 7 and Messi at the same age,thats why they are 100M investments, those kind of players are scaring in Every league, you will see that his progression is on top, you may agree that he could easily be top scorer this year in EPL, even more if he had modric and Isco with him in Tottenham he could easily score +25 goals minimum, im talking about Modric cause you know as good he was in EPL, he is not that impressive in Spain.

So i don t trust the fact that EPL strikers will score more in La liga, mata didn t score that much in la liga and so cazorla and so Michu, that argumentation can not be true cause we judge players who were young in a league and progressed in an another league, and why English teams dont rape Spanish everytime they met them since there is more spaces for English forwards ? Did you see Neymar ? He cant even driblle as he was used to in Brazil. Newcastle defense made of decent french player or QPR, Barça VS Newcastle : we re not far from Messis hattrick :) really.

LIGA --------------------------------------------------------- EPL
10508----------------distance covered(m)------------------10494
273--------------distance in sprint(+24km/h)------------- 264
322----------- high speed(21-24km/h)-------------------- 297
595----------------------high intensity-------------------------- 530

I cant see why La liga is slower than EPL, the table is clear, the average of all teams is similar.

messed up formatting

If you look at the graphic for the distances and the speeds, they show that the PL teams run faster and longer. I tried to save it, but the right-mouse click is disabled on the site (he probably doesn't want people stealing them). Here's the quote associated with it:

*"This is the latest data we compiled from Amisco and you can see the prevalence of La Liga compared to the Premier League. However, in another study as well as inour own collected data from different seasons in both leagues, we do not see the same results. Due to the low number of matches from which this data was collected because there was no specialised equipment, the data may not be absolutely 100% accurate. Therefore we consider the data we directly collected to be more reliable, and thus we believe that in the Premier League they run more and more quickly than in La Liga.

• In another study, our conclusion is corroborated and confirms that in the Premier League, they run more, more in high intensity (blue) and more in sprints (see graphic)."

-----

As for Ronaldo, here is his goal tallies (league-only) for the years of his career:

2003/04 -- Apps: 29 -- Goals: 4
2004/05 -- Apps: 33 -- Goals: 5
2005/06 -- Apps: 33 -- Goals: 9
2006/07 -- Apps: 34 -- Goals: 17
2007/08 -- Apps: 34 -- Goals: 31
2008/09 -- Apps: 33 -- Goals: 18

2009/10 -- Apps: 29 -- Goals: 26
2010/11 -- Apps: 34 -- Goals: 40
2011/12 -- Apps: 38 -- Goals: 46
2012/13 -- Apps: 34 -- Goals: 34

Look at that difference. It's insane. His greatest EVER goalscoring season at United (and the highest PL tally ever), where he won the Ballon dOr, too for his efforts, pales beside his last 3 seasons at Madrid, and don't forget he was injured for most of his first season. I was wrong to name him a 35+ player in the PL, because he wasn't. He was a 15+ player, who had one incredible season.

You can't tell me with a straight face that the difference is not the quality of defenses he's facing.

"talking about Modric cause you know as good he was in EPL, he is not that impressive in Spain."

I disagree. He just wasn't played properly for the first 6 months of being there. They played him as a sort of workman's DM, when he's a creative playmaker. Even so, he still managed to notch up 3 goals and 6 assists.

He's how showing what he can do, since Ancelotti has figured out what to do with him.

You force me to compare for you at same years his evolution (progression) with messi who never quit la liga:

MESSI------------------------------------------------RONALDO

2005/2006--apps :17 --goals : 6------------------------Apps: 33-----goals: 9
2006/2007--apps: 26---goals : 14-----------------------------: 34----------- 17
2007/2008--apps:28---goals : 10 -----------------------------34-------------31
2008/2009---apps : 31---goals : 23----------------------------33------------18

2009/2010---apps : 35--------34 -------------------------------29------------26
2010/2011-----------33--------31-------------------------------34------------40
2011/2012-----------37--------50-------------------------------38------------46
2012/2013----------32---------46------------------------------34-------------34

Compare Messi stats at when was Ronaldo in EPL, Players who works hard especially those 2 are the best because they progressed, and it will NEVER DEPEND ON THE LEAGUE THEY PLAY.

Look at 2008/2009 why messi only scored 23 in la liga ? because he was not the actual Messi and so for Ronaldo.
Very clear IMO, and for Bale, RM bought him the moments he will be bigger than what he is actually. Forget Tottenham's Bale, the future 28 years old Bale could be even Bigger than the actual Cr7, you have no idea about what 2 years of training and playing will make him learn,specially with world class players, and how powerful he will be by the age...

Bale 2.0 is coming he has absolutely same start as Messi and Ronaldo, its not because La liga is easier to score, ask Chelsea fans if Ronaldo that they have seen in preparation looks like the old Ronaldo of United ?? NO WAY.

The comparison with Messi is not valid for two reasons:

1) Messi is two years younger, for starters
2) Messi also was not the star of the team, in the way that Ronaldo was.

You have to remember that, prior to the 2008/09 season, Messi was simply a young hopeful. The team revolved around Deco, Ronaldinho, Eto'o, Henry, etc, and even in the 2008/09 season he had to share his glory with Henry and Eto'o.

Messi wasn't the focal point of the team, until 2009/10. At United, Ronaldo WAS the undisputed star of the team. And it's not exactly the case that he traded UP to move to Madrid. United were heavyweights. They were 2008 and 2009 finalists, and then again in 2011 (with virtually the same squad they had when Ronaldo was there). They were one of the best teams in the world.

Madrid, frankly, was not. He didn't join a superb team, he joined a decent team, which was then built AROUND him. Madrid's success is owed to Ronaldo far, far more than Ronaldo owes his success to Madrid.

Messi is not the same. Messi owes Barcelona, big-time, for having some of the greatest talents of all time around him, Iniesta, Xavi, Ronaldinho, Eto'o Henry, Puyol and more. While Messi has gone on to be the best player in the world, you simply cannot say that he'd have managed his incredible goal tallies if he had not been blessed to spend his career at FC Barcelona, or if he'd had to spend his career in the PL, where scoring is a bit more difficult.

Ronaldo moved from one of the greatest teams in the world, in the hardest league in the world, at the height of his powers, to a Madrid team that had not been seen in a European quarter final since 2002. And then he beat his previous, superhuman goal tally with EASE, once there.

It's pretty clear, man.

Modric played 11 Cl games with RM 1 goal, 33 games in la liga ( 25 titular) : 3 goals.
Not impressive, 0 goal 0 assists in 4 matches in liga, look at isco stats 3 goals 3 assists in 4 matches.
Came from Malaga :)

^^ And?

Like I said, they played him out of position, until recently.

You're going to tell me this is crap? The only thing that's crap is the finishing of the players he passes to.

Now look at the season before. He has much less space to work with, and has to do so much more dribbling and one-touch passes because of the lack of space.

Modric is better than Isco.

Lol mate you face facts with old videos, Isco lead malaga to CL, and made it to the quarters, scoring against porto an important goal, scoring against dortmund and leaded his team to a great result.

You may forget his games against dortmund and the miraculous qualification, your Modric has prooved nothing for me, poor stats, some good skills and pretty good vision, but we have PLENTY of those players in Spain,in his profile.

Every english team took one Mata, Silva, Cazorla..... and other underrated unknown liga players UNTIL THEY GOT BOUGHT BY AN ENGLISH CLUB, SUDDENLY THEY BECOME LEGENDS + Is he 28 ? Come on mate. not all EPL players can come to Spain and feel like its easy, only CR7 did it cause he progressed every year to get the Ballon d' Or who means a lot for him and got the help of the whole team, scoring FKs and PKs, what he's doing Falcao can't do it, Cavani, RVP,Rooney....Be on top every match.

Damn im complimenting Cr7 :)