Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has said that the Spanish La Liga has become more competitive and the Blaugrana no longer have an easy route to winning the league title. The Catalan giants have won the top-flight crown in four of the past five seasons but they are regarded as the favourites to lift the trophy again.
Speaking to Marca, Messi said that the Spanish top-flight has become more even over the past few years and it is increasingly difficult to register maximum points on the road, he told: “Everything is becoming more and more even. They have been for several years and we notice that there is more equality, that any team beats any other team, which is increasingly difficult to play as an away team. The teams have become stronger at home because they know that in order to achieve their goals they must do it well at home. This makes everything more equal and more complicated.”
Currently, Ernesto Valverde’s side are placed at the top of the standings but they don’t have much breathing space with Real Madrid behind them by a slender goal difference. Before the winter break, they are scheduled to face Real Sociedad, Real Madrid, and Alaves, and they will surely need to play at their best to pick up the maximum points.
Sociedad have proved a bogey club for them in the past and the Blaugrana can’t expect a straightforward game at the Anoeta Stadium with the Basque outfit flying high in the fourth position. Meanwhile, they will have the advantage for the El Clasico at the Camp Nou but Los Blancos can’t be counted out, particularly with Karim Benzema in the form of his life upfront. The Frenchman is presently the league’s second-best scorer with 11 goals and has also contributed five assists.