La Liga Round 26 Concludes: No Suspense in Title Race, No Suspense in Top-Four Battle, Real Madrid Lost in Controversy

All matches of La Liga Round 26 have concluded. La Liga may have become uninteresting, as there seems to be no suspense left in both the title race and the battle for top four this season. In the matches of Round 26, Real Madrid, without Mbappé, appeared weak in both defense and attack, suffering a 0-1 home defeat to Getafe and enduring a two-game losing streak in the league.

In the latest La Liga standings, Real Madrid now trails Barcelona by as many as 4 points. Judging by Real Madrid's consistency this season, as long as Pedri remains healthy, Barcelona will firmly keep them under pressure, as Barcelona's attack remains sharp—they may concede but score even more. Thus, it can be said that Real Madrid has fallen behind in the title race, with almost no chance left. Moreover, facing Manchester City in the Champions League round of 16, Real Madrid might be heading toward another trophy-less season. Whether in La Liga or the Champions League, Real Madrid has repeatedly benefited from controversial refereeing decisions, and even UEFA has shown a double standard toward the club, sparking greater controversy. Coupled with the "insulting China" incident involving Real Madrid defender Heysen, the club has been mired in controversy. Perhaps justice prevails, as Real Madrid seems lost amidst these double standards and disputes...

Aside from the lack of suspense in the title race, the battle for top four in La Liga is even more predictable. Barcelona leads with 64 points, followed by Real Madrid with 60 points. Atlético Madrid and Villarreal, tied for third and fourth, both have 51 points, while fifth-placed Betis has only 43 points. Therefore, the top four positions are quite stable, and Betis, consistently fifth, still has a chance to secure a Champions League spot, as the top two leagues in Europe will have five Champions League berths. However, Villarreal, currently fourth in La Liga, has managed only 1 point from 8 matches in this season's Champions League, ranking second to last and tied with the bottom-placed newcomer Kairat. Villarreal's performance has been embarrassingly poor in the Champions League, tarnishing La Liga's reputation.

The relegation battle in La Liga, on the other hand, is quite lively. Mallorca, ranked 18th in the relegation zone with 24 points, is only 3 points behind 15th-placed Rayo Vallecano, making the relegation fight highly uncertain.

La Liga has actually become quite dull, with Barcelona and Real Madrid competing for the title and Atlético Madrid focusing on challenging them. As Barcelona faces financial constraints and Real Madrid's competitiveness declines, La Liga's strength in European competitions has weakened. Real Madrid's recent Champions League successes have often been accompanied by controversy, and their actual performance level has significantly dropped in recent years.