La Liga Table

[Shanks]

***********P W D L GS GC GD PTS
1 Real Madrid 36 22 6 8 61 37 24 72
2 Barcelona* 36 21 9 6 71 30 41 72

So you can score more goals and conceed less
but it doesn't put you top of the table when you are level on points??

[Red Chilli]

It's on head-to-head* results






* no puns please

[Shaggy]

It's ridiculous. It goes on the head-to-head's between the two tied clubs.

Goal difference is a much fairer method and a better gauge of a side's quality.

[Red Chilli]

Goals scored is my preferred method as it encourages attacking entertaining football.

[Shaggy]

It does but defending is as much a part of the game as attacking, and goal-difference offers the most balanced assessment IMO.

[Shanks]

Goals scored is my preferred method as it encourages attacking entertaining football.

It won't be good if Real Madrid win it by head to head record considering they haven't really played that well for most of the season.

Barca can score goals, Madrid are **** at defending.

[Owen20]

It's a bull**** ruling!

It should be goal difference - simple as that!

[Howard_lfc]

It does but defending is as much a part of the game as attacking, and goal-difference offers the most balanced assessment IMO.

Houllier and Rafa have indoctrinated you then eh Shags mate

[Dhav]

Surely the idea of the League is to determine which has been the best and most consistent side over the course of a 38 match programme? This being the case, when teams are level on points, it should go down to goal difference as the team which has produced the greater margins of victory has been the better side over the 38 games. Using head to head records means the league is decided over 2 games and not 38 while using goals scored only considers one aspect of the games played and not the results of the games.

[Shaggy]

Surely the idea of the League is to determine which has been the best and most consistent side over the course of a 38 match programme? This being the case, when teams are level on points, it should go down to goal difference as the team which has produced the greater margins of victory has been the better side over the 38 games. Using head to head records means the league is decided over 2 games and not 38 while using goals scored only considers one aspect of the games played and not the results of the games.

[Shanks]

Surely a Madrid v Barca game will always be a game were both teams will try their best to win and not just think about whether they will be level on points at the end of the season.

Can't see them beating Zaragoza meself..

[JohnnyLambert]

**** em both c'mon on Sevilla!!

[AFII]

They should what they do in Italy.

If two teams finish on the same points then they will play a two legged playoff to decide the title.

[Dhav]

I remember when this debate cropped up in Cyprus in the 1998-1999 season. Anorthosis and Omonoia Nicosia were both level on points going into the last round of the season and both had seemingly easy games at home against weaker opposition. Anorthosis went into it with a +9 goal difference better than Omonoia and the Omonoia manager Andreas Michaelides was saying that it would be a "criminal injustice" if his team lost the title on goal difference, which they subsequently did.

But what better way to decide a championship if you want to determine who is the best team over the course of a season? I mean it would be great if there was a play-off, but then the league becames a Cup competition. It should be goal difference, and then goals scored, then perhaps number of victories if they still cant be split.

[Dhav]

They should what they do in Italy.

If two teams finish on the same points then they will play a two legged playoff to decide the title.

Then the league becomes a Cup competition.

A play off should be the last resort if the teams cannot be split on the statisitics of the league season - namely points, goal difference, goals scored, number of victories.

After that would you consider a method that does not take into account the records of the whole league season. Perhaps a play off should be considered or head-to-head record. I'd go for the former, only for the excitement. But truth is, it is a league, not a Cup, and so should never, ever come down to a single game or 2 games.