The Premier League is often hailed as the most tough, interesting and competitive league in the world. Even managers, who have carried their job in England, have advertised the same thought for some years now, but it may not hold right for this season as the competition for the title is tougher in Spain (La Liga), Germany (Bundesliga) and France (Ligues 1) as compared to Premier League.
Chelsea, under their new manager Antonio Conte, are ruling the roost in the Premier League, and they have a lead of ten points in the standings, though third-placed Manchester City have a game in hand. Second-placed Tottenham Hotspur are the closest, but one does not see any of the teams catching the Blues in the title race. If it happens, we are for a dramatic finish to the Premier League this season.
Much more than the title race, with teams more or less giving up on the title race already, the league has been a tad boring, compared to title races in the past. However, it is the race for the other top spots, which is really competitive. At present, four points separate the four teams behind Chelsea – Tottenham, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.
Though Premier League title race might not have been competitive this season, there have been some surprises including the defending champion's struggle. Leicester City, who sacked their manager Claudio Ranieri last week, lie on 15th place.
If you are an ardent football fan, who not only watches Premier League, but also domestic football competitions around the world, it is clear that other leagues have been much more interesting so far.
There has always been a huge debate regarding which is better – Premier League or La Liga. It is an unending debate, but when it comes to the title race this season, La Liga have been much more fun. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid have always been amongst the title contenders, but Atletico are far away from the title race, and Sevilla have joined the close race.
Real have a one point lead in the La Liga table with a game in hand, while second-placed Barcelona at 54 points are closely followed by Seviila with 52. It could be anybody's game in the La Liga with around 14 matches left for Barcelona and Sevilla, while Real have 15. With all the three teams involved in the Champions League, it is really intense and none of the teams can afford to take it easy in the remainder of the domestic league.
Would it not be fantastic if Sevilla pip Real and Barcelona for the title? That would be something in this La Liga era, where Barcelona and Real have been dominant.
If Real and Barcelona have been winning titles for fun in Spain, it has been Bayern Munich in Germany. Bayern Munich, who have won the domestic titles four times on a trot, have found some tough competition this season.
One might have assumed Borussia Dortmund, who are now 13 points away from Bayern, will give them a run for the money in the title race, but there was some huge surprise in store for Bayern Munich. The newly-promoted side, RB Leipzig, who topped the table at one point this season, have been a huge challenge for Bayern.
The Bundesliga giants still have a five-point lead over Leipzig, and the latter will be keen to pounce on any opportunity, especially if Bayern drop points.
Though leagues like Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga are more popular, there are some other leagues like Ligue 1 in France and Primeira Liga in Portugal, which are interesting. Paris Saint Germain are gradually becoming a force in world football after the club was purchased by Qatar Sports Investments (2011), who are investing in world-class players. As a result, PSG have won four Ligue 1 titles straight, but Monaco are making it sure that they do not win this season.
There is a huge fight for the title in France with Monaco on 62 points, while PSG have 59. Just three points separate the two teams, and an exciting finish is in store for football fans in France. However, the most interesting battle for the domestic title is taking shape in Portugal, where Benfica lead Porto by one point in the Primeira Liga title race.
The Premier League in England is the most watched and popular in the world as it reaches to a worldwide audience, but it is clear that other domestic leagues have been fun and competitive as far as the title race is concerned.
