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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 and Amisco, and drawing from some articles on the subject, we decided to conduct this analysis.

Technical Analysis

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 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 two 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% to 19%.

The percentage of goals from set-pieces 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%.

General Play

The number of passes per game is similar for the last two seasons , although slightly higher in Spain. There is not a significant difference.

There are more long passes in the Premier League, but with less accuracy. This may be due to the fact that many of these passes come from the goalkeeper. There were more crosses in the Premier League over the last two seasons.

In La Liga, they dribble more, but with less success than the Premier League.

Unsurprisingly, there were more tackles in the Premier League, fewer fouls given and fewer cards shown in relation to the number of fouls given. This clearly indicates 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.

Physical Data Analysis The latest data from Amisco suggests La Liga players cover more ground and perform more high-intensity sprints than Premier League players.

However, in another study as well as in our own collected data from different seasons in both leagues, we do not see the same.

Due to the low number of matches from which the Amisco 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 quickly than in La Liga.

This conclusion, corroborated in another study, confirms that in the Premier League, they run more, more in high intensity and more in sprints.

Psychological Aspects

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

The Premier League is much more demanding in terms of physical contact – on the ground and in the air. In our experience, we know English fans demand intensity and high tempo, so, from a psychological point of view, the game is more demanding. Basically, if you hide, you won’t survive in England.

Confrontations in Recent Years

The only reliable references to directly compare teams in the Premier League and La Liga are Champions League meetings, although Atletico Madrid beating my Liverpool team and then Fulham in the 2010 Europa League also stands out.

In the Champions League, going back to season 2008-9, we have the victory of Arsenal against Villarreal and my Liverpool over Real Madrid with obvious English superiority.

But also, Barcelona beat Chelsea in the semis, and later Manchester United in the final to become champions. In 2010-11, Real Madrid beat Tottenham and Barcelona beat Arsenal and then United in the final, showing the Spanish teams’ superiority.

These results show us the equality of both leagues. It also shows the superiority of Barcelona, with their style based on possession, which the Spanish national team uses.

See next page for a conclusion and an image showing a breakdown of Rafa's stats comparison >>>>

Conclusions

Analysing the data, we see that the technical aspects, the systems of play and also the tactics are becoming similar in both leagues. This, in my opinion, is 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.

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