Primera Division. One team show. Fierce race for second place. Two teams weaker than the general level, which was pretty much equal, so many teams were in danger or relegation.
Real Murcia – last with 22 points.
Elche CF – 17th with 26 points. The lowest scorers of the championship – only 18 goals.
CD Malaga – 16th with 29 points. The the third relegated team.
Hercules CF (Alicante) – 15th with 30 points. Barely survived and glad for it. Looked like the end of the Matador – Mario Kempes, rapidly fading. Now in the company of a player which nobody would have thought equal to the hero of 1978 – Petursson from Iceland.
Real Betis (Sevilla) – 14th with 30 points. Fluctuating up and down team, now down.
Real Valladolid – 13th with 30 points.
Sevilla FC – 12th with 31 points.
Racing (Santander) – 11th with 32 points.
Real Zaragoza – 10th with 33 points.
Valenica CF – 9th with 33 points. The good years obviously over.
RCD Espanol (Barcelona) – 8th with 34 points.
Real Sociedad (San Sebastian) – 7th with 34 points. Seemingly, their great period finished.
Atletico Osasuna (Pamplona) – 7th with 34 points. Enjoyable season for them.
Real Madrid – 5th with 36 points. Disappointing season – only 7 points ahead of the relegated 16th, but 17 points behind the champions. Measures had to be taken immediately, hence, this was the last season for Uli Stielike. Valdano, however, stayed.
Three teams were in great form and above the rest of the league, jockeying for top place, but neither was a title contender.
Sporting (Gijon) – lost the battle, but nothing to be ashamed of: 4th with 41 points.
Athletic (Bilbao) – clinched 3rd place on better goal-difference, for they finished also with 41 points.
Atletico Madird – 2nd with 43 points. Bested Bilbao and Gijon, but the title was out of their scope. Last season for Hugo Sanchez with them.
Barcelona reigned supreme, leaving no doubt whatsoever who was best. 21 wins, 11 ties, only 2 lost games, 69-25 goal-difference and 53 points. 10 points ahead of the next placed Atletico Madrid – that was supremacy fans enjoyed, especially after waiting and suffering for more than 10 years. It was almost ironic that the 10th title came without number one world player – no such as Cruijff and Maradona. Instead, the victory came from unlikely source for the time: British. Venables was the coach leading them to victory and Archibald was in attack. Great as they were, they were not hailed as the best in the world. Venables was top coach, but did not have the clout of such as Michels or Menotti. Schuster was the biggest star of the team and even he was not at the top of world’s scale. Yet, these coach and players won when bigger names failed. Not only that, but they won in such a manner wetting appetites and suggesting bigger and greater things to come. The last victory of Barce was so long ago, only Migueli was the link between the team led by Michels and Cruijff and the current one. One could easily imagine the happy relieve of Migueli after so many years under pressure and disappointment.
And this is the regular line of team winning the 10th title – at close scrutiny, optimism would fade at least a bit. Strong team indeed, but a great one? May be not. Aged Migueli, no longer improving Schuster, Archibald a bit of a liability, for British players rarely fair well in foreign lands, Urruti a second choice for Spain at best, the usual group of sturdy fighters, and in need of two additional players, for Rojo and Clos were hardly top class. Great victory, but it was clear that Real Madrid will reinforce itself and the future could not be taken for granted. It was a delicate moment, though – such supremacy makes a club reluctant to continue building. Anyhow, the moment was not for doubts, especially when success finally arrives after long drought.