Barcelona – La Liga risks changing the leader on Thursday if Barcelona follow logic and overtake Granada (which counts 26 Barcelona team visits with defeats) at Camp Nou. This fact would cause Atletico Madrid, which had been insurmountable during the first half of the tournament and had been inconsistent in the past two months, to give up its prime position and that the tournament five days after the end of the tournament had as many applicants at this stage as it did not. . It has happened since the 1972-1973 season, when the top four seeders were separated by one point.
Today Atletico tops the table with 73 points, two points behind Real Madrid and Barcelona (while waiting for that match) and three points over Seville. And all this two weeks after Barcelona and Atletico met at Camp Nou on the one hand, and Real Madrid and Seville at Valdebas on the other hand, in a double confrontation that could, without being final, clarify things a lot … They are more exciting in the fight for the tournament.
The situation is also similar to the 2015-16 season, when Barcelona and Atletico in the absence of five days led the classification with 76 points and Real Madrid trailed by one point, with three leaders, who were not four at this stage, with such competitive edge. Since the academic year 1983-1984, when Athletic and Real Madrid were tied with 41 points, Barcelona and Atletico were followed by 38. But at the time, victories were counted by two points.
Maximum equality
The last time the league kept four leaders until the final stage of the tournament was in the 2006-07 season, when Real Madrid and Barcelona were top of the table with 66 points, followed by Seville with 64 points, and Valencia. With 62. Che’s team fell in defeat to Mestalla (2-3) against Villarreal and the other three remained on the elbow until the end.
In the penultimate round, Sevilla (0-0) drew in Mallorca, and reached the final date with Real Madrid (leading by goal rate) and Barcelona tied with 73 points, with the Andalusians, 71, waiting for a perfect defeat in two versions. Two great ones didn’t happen.
The championship ended up coached by Fabio Capello, winning (3-1) over Mallorca while Barcelona were not sent with their 1-5 victory in Tarragona to tie what would then become their third consecutive title.
However, nothing is similar to what happened in the 1972-73 season, when Espanyol (today’s second division captain) was closer to winning a title that ended up in the hands of Atletico Madrid. If Valencia had been two tournaments before (1970-71), they were declared champion on the last day and took advantage of a head-to-head draw in the Calderon between Colchoneros, Culchoner and Real Madrid off the hook just two days before the match ended. Championship, then the position was tightened again between four applicants because it did not happen again.
Barcelona and Atletico Madrid topped that month of April 1973, with five dates to play, the ranking with 40 points, for 39 added by Real Mard and Espanyol, which left their prime position after a controversial draw and protest (2-2) at Betis Stadium. It was the league that was not settled between the (eventual champions) and shooters until the last day, after a draw between the two at the Camp Nou (0-0) in Round 31 (there were 34 at the time). He preferred them to remain in the first place.
Real Madrid (who drew in Atocha against Real Sociedad) and Espanyol, who were defeated (1-0) by Athletic, were knocked out two days after the end after a week of draw between the other advanced and although on the penultimate day of Atletico they faced a disaster. With a strong draw (1-1) in Zaragoza, they kept an income of one point against Barcelona to rule the title in recent history, by beating Deportivo de la Coruña in Vicente Calderon.
Now, after nearly 50 years, the league is returning to an exciting end, as the usual three greats compete for the title that Sevilla joins, 14 years after their last great appearance on this stage and with a dream, who knows, gives a big hit to win the trophy they’ve got. He won him only in 1946 … and thanks to a draw (which he deserved) on the last day in the old Les Corts stadium against Barcelona who needed to win to be a champion.