Mourinho Says La Liga Is Tougher, No Easy Title Race Like France or Germany

The La Liga title race has remained highly competitive in recent years, with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid dominating the Spanish top flight. Since the 2012-13 season, Barcelona have won eight of the 14 titles, while Real Madrid have claimed four and Atletico Madrid two. Valencia were the last team outside the three giants to win the league, doing so in the 2003-04 season.

The new campaign has also started with Barcelona and Real Madrid setting the early pace. After three rounds, both clubs have maintained perfect winning records, with Real Madrid sitting second on goal difference.

However, Real Madrid head coach Jose Mourinho believes La Liga does not offer the same kind of predictable title race seen in the Bundesliga or Ligue 1.

Bayern Munich have dominated the Bundesliga for much of the period since 2012-13, winning 13 of the last 14 titles. Their only interruption came in the 2023-24 season, when Bayer Leverkusen were crowned champions.

A similar pattern has emerged in France. Paris Saint-Germain have won 12 of the last 14 Ligue 1 titles, with Monaco claiming the trophy in 2016-17 and Lille winning it in 2020-21.

Mourinho believes the greater number of title contenders in Spain makes every La Liga match more demanding.

Real Madrid will face Real Betis away from home on Friday. The Spanish giants have struggled at Betis in recent years, drawing three times and losing once since their last victory there in 2021.

Mourinho has therefore called on his players to produce their best performance.

“They will need to perform well, otherwise it will not be possible to win. Betis are a very good team, and Real Madrid’s recent results here have not been good. They are difficult to beat. To do that, you have to play your best football. There is no other way.”

Real Madrid are also looking to return to the top after failing to win a major trophy over the last two seasons. Mourinho, however, does not expect the road to the title to be easy.

“In my opinion, this is not an easy league. There is always enormous pressure to win. In France or Germany, the title contenders know that they are likely to be champions in the end. It is not like that here. The competition is much more open, and that pressure puts you at greater risk.”

Alongside Barcelona, Mourinho also sees Atletico Madrid as serious contenders for the La Liga title.

“Even if they do not say it publicly, I believe Atletico Madrid will be in the fight. In my opinion, they are one of the title contenders. There are also several other strong teams fighting for Champions League places. Betis, Real Sociedad… they are strong teams too. Tomorrow we will see just how strong Betis are.”