Fabregas: Barca-Real the fiercest battle

Posted Friday, September 28, 2012 by ESPN

Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas believes that the rivalry between his side and Real Madrid is far more of a competitive fight than winning the Barclays Premier League.

Fabregas joined Barcelona from Arsenal last season and impressed for the Catalans over his debut season. Although he has not nailed down a regular first-team spot, he is respected by coach Tito Vilanova and his fellow midfielders in the side.

With Arsenal, Fabregas was a key midfielder and also the captain of the side that ended the 2010/11 season in fourth place. And despite spending eight seasons in London, Fabregas only has a single FA Cup medal to his name and he saw Chelsea and Manchester United win the league while the Gunners fought diligently to remain in the top four.

And in the previous season, Manchester City won their first Premier League title and the likes of Tottenham and Newcastle have also impressed to further increase the competition.

In contrast, the La Liga has largely been contested between the top two sides of Real Madrid and Barcelona. Valencia were the last side to have won the La Liga title with their sixth league win having occurred in 2004.

Fabregas, however, feels that the competition between Barca and their arch-rivals is more of a challenge for a player than trying to win the Premier League. He pointed out that there is an unbelievably thin margin for error within the La Liga for the two sides and feels that the relative ease with which the two sides dispatch other sides is due to their strength and technical excellence.

"Liga boring? No, I was surprised discovering that the Spanish League is more competitive than the Premier League," Fabregas told Gazetta dello Sport.

"Barca and Madrid are so strong and it is difficult for other clubs to keep their pace. But in England you can win the Premier League even if you lose five or six games.

"Here, if we lose or draw one match there is the risk that the Liga is already lost, so it is more difficult. Besides Spanish teams are tactically stronger, it is more difficult to score and make assists here."

And despite Chelsea's maiden Champions League win and the rise of noveau riche clubs like Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City, the Spanish international feels that familiar names will likely endure and continue to be part of the group that can call themselves the best clubs of Europe.

"I think the best teams are always the same - us (Barcelona), Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, AC Milan, Manchester United, " Fabregas explained.

Barcelona are ten days away from their first El Clasico in the league with the tie set to take place at the Nou Camp.