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.



Attacking:





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%

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

La Liga General Play Premier League 38 Dribbles per game 33 37% Successful dribbles 43% 42 Final Third entries per game 56

La Liga Discipline Premier League 19 Fouls per game 17 5 Number of Fouls between cards 7

La Liga Distance Covered Premier League Per Player

10508 Distance covered (m) 10494 273 Distance in sprint (+24 km/h) 264 322 High Speed (21-24 km/h) 297 595 High Intensity 561 Our Data from other Seasons

11072 Total Distance covered 11174 489 High Intensity 530

95 Comments Send us your opinions 07/09/11 at 11:14:51 #1 MGL Hope you come to Liverpool again! Once a red, always a red! 07/09/11 at 11:17:01 #2 Eoghan Excellent read. Thanks :) 07/09/11 at 11:31:46 #3 Marcus Abela Hello from Malta. Congratulations for your very informative web site. YNWA 07/09/11 at 12:05:46 #4 dr_memphisto Because you are someone who has managed & won titles in both countries, it is hard for me or anyone to disagree with your analysis.



However, whenever discussing this question, I think the simple answer is:

The tope 8-10 teams in the Premiership are better than the top 8-10 sides in La Liga

SO,

Premiership = much more competitive = better!



Good luck with everything Rafa - i still wear a t-shirt with your face in a Che Guevara-style image, along with the words 'In Rafa We Trust'!



You gave us back our pride as fans & we can never ever forget that.



YNWA! 07/09/11 at 12:10:58 #5 Bleedsred1978 Thanks for everything Rafa. YNWA 07/09/11 at 12:17:55 #6 scott allen the premiership is the better spectacle as its more competitive but in terms of top,top quality la ligas top two are,in my opinion,better than anything in the premiership especially barca who are one of the best footballing sides ive seen good luck with the website and your charities i look forward to seeing you back in football soon YNWA 07/09/11 at 13:15:40 #7 OnaSixPence Is the development of young players in Spain very different from England? What can English clubs learn?



Thanks

onasixpence@sky.com 07/09/11 at 13:50:26 #8 Andrew Beasley Very interesting analysis Rafa, thanks. Presumably you use similar stats to analyse the opposition before they play your teams (understand fully if you don't want to give away how you do your job though by the way!)?

Keep up the great work, YNWA. 07/09/11 at 13:51:46 #9 Carl Wrigley It would also be fascinating if we could see where the duels occur on the pitch.



The theory is that Barcelona, in particular, play and press with a very high line, looking to pressurise the opponent's defence. I wonder how this is replicated in the rest of La Liga, and in the Premier League.



Can an assumption also be made that referees are therefore influenced by the media and public, when deciding on whether to penalise a player with a card? This could also have an effect when English teams play on the continent? 07/09/11 at 15:32:24 #10 Forever Reds Great work Rafa! << Previous 1 2345678910Next >>

The goals average is slightly better in the Premier League, 2.79 goals per game compared to 2.74 in La Liga.The average number of shots per game, 18 in the Premier League compared to 15 in La Liga, has been the same for the last 2 seasons. It stands out that La Liga players are more accurate in shooting, 45% compared to 36% in the Premier League.There is little difference in headed goals, 17% compared to 19%.The percentage of goals from Set Plays was higher in the Premier League, 37% compared to 29%, in the 2009-10 season whereas in 2010-11 it was 35% in La Liga compared to 34% in the Premier League.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.In La Liga, they dribble more and with more success in the Premier League.Higher number of challenges in the Premier League,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.This is the latest data we compiled fromand you can see the prevalence of La Liga compared to the Premier League. However, inas well as in, 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. ThereforeIn another study, our conclusion is corroborated and confirms that(see graphic).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,, and in our experience, we know that the English fans demand intensity and high tempo, so,If you hide, you won’t survive in the Premier League, something that the following graphic of aerial and ground duels (blue) suggests.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, 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,beat Chelsea in the semis, and later United (2-0) in the final to becomeIn, Real Madrid beat Tottenham (5-0) and Barcelona beat Arsenal (4-3) and then United (3-1) in the final,These results show us the equality of both leagues, and today,, with their style based on possession, which the Spanish National team uses, as well the younger teams, with good results in all competitions.