Film Room: La Liga (Episode 1)

 

La Liga: All Access (Netflix)

Episode 1: Challenging the Giants

Even though most of us immediately think of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid if we're asked to name two La Liga clubs, most of the focus of the first episode in this documentary about the 2023 La Liga season is on Atlético Madrid and Sevilla FC.

Atlético Madrid's storyline is the battle between Àlvaro Morata and Memphis as the team's starting center forward early in the season. It gets a little interesting when Memphis's flashy individualism is shown to potentially be at odds with the club's strong team ethos, but an early injury to Memphis and the otherwise unremarkable professionalism he displays throughout the episode drains that storyline of interest.

But Sevilla FC's storyline is much more interesting. Sevilla FC won the most recent Europa Cup in May, but within only a few months of that championship the club's directors and head coach were at odds for the club's direction. 

The club's board leadership wants the club to still be competitive in Europe, while also building a younger roster that represents more potential and value on the transfer market. Their manager José Luis Mendilibar cites the roster's experience for success in Europe, and appears dubious about the idea of remaining competitive in Europe *and* getting younger. Throw in what seems to be a generational difference when it comes to analytics for scouting players and building rosters, and it's no surprise Mendilibar is fired by the end of the episode.

The series not only does a great job focusing on off-field content with behind-the-scenes access and beautiful cinematography that showcase cities and landscapes, but its on-field camera work is some of the best among the many soccer documentaries available on the many streaming sites.