Luis Garcia Plaza warns La Liga gap is threatening the competition’s appeal

Sevilla manager Luis Garcia Plaza says the dominance of La Liga’s leading clubs has reduced the excitement of the competition, with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid pulling well clear of the teams below them.

Garcia Plaza believes the title race is increasingly restricted to a small group of clubs, creating a significant divide in both performances and points between the top sides and the rest of the table.

“I see how the top three teams Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico maintain their level,” he told Marca. “I made some predictions a few days ago and, at this rate, it seems they will approach 90 points.

“There is a huge difference. They are managing a league in which two teams, Real Madrid and Barcelona, have absolute superiority. Atletico Madrid are slightly behind, but they are still far better than the team in fourth.”

He added: “Then come Real Betis, Villarreal, Athletic Bilbao and Real Sociedad. The rest of the teams are at a lower level. They make La Liga boring.”

Despite his criticism, Garcia Plaza said Sevilla must continue targeting a high finish and believes there is still an opportunity to return to European competition.

“The competition there will be fierce,” he said. “We hope to play in European competitions, because that is the reward for good performances. It is very difficult to compete in three competitions because you need a big squad and you do not train much, but it would mean we had produced a great season.”

Garcia Plaza also reflected on the uncertainty surrounding Sevilla before the campaign began. He said the club had faced serious difficulties assembling its squad during the summer, but had still managed to produce encouraging results.

“The team was suffering from a severe shortage of players, but we achieved great results,” he said. “So far, we are on the right path and maintaining our humility. We are unquestionably one of the biggest clubs in Spain, but the team has not yet reached the required level and we must do everything possible to achieve that.”

The Sevilla manager is hoping for a more stable season than the previous campaign, when the club were involved in a relegation battle before securing their place in the top flight by a margin of more than 40 points.

He believes the positions across the table can still change significantly as the matches continue. Malaga, who are bottom of La Liga with 5 points, are currently the only side he feels have become slightly detached from the rest.

However, Garcia Plaza warned that Malaga’s situation should not be considered settled because the club have a coach and players capable of improving their position.

“The levels of the other teams are very close,” he said. “Winning one match is enough to move a long way up the table.”