Despite English claims, Spain is the best league in Europe with five teams battling for the title

That sound of manic crowing you can currently hear emanates from the bloated opportunists in the Premiership who are suddenly in a frenzy because England has provided three of the Champions League semi-finalists.

Never mind the fact that since the competition's inception, England has managed three finalists in 14 years compared to Spain's seven and Italy's nine, this season is apparently giving definitive proof of which is football's uber nation. A kind of "last goal's the winner" for the English media's assessment of national wellbeing.

Moreover, the admittedly arresting contest between Chelsea and Manchester United for three remaining trophies, a battle which is being portrayed with an increasingly Lord Of The Rings "good" against "evil" tone, is hoovering up column inches and air-time.

It's not clear which of Sir Alex Ferguson's brave lads is Frodo but Jose Mourinho only actually needs to say "my precious" for United to unsheath some serious sword action.

All of which has served to obscure the fact that Spain is enjoying, or perhaps suffering, its most intense, evenly contested and gripping championship race since 1994 when Deportivo La Coruna's Miroslav Djukic missed an injury time penalty to prevent Depor becoming champions instead of Johan Cruyff's Barcelona.

The difference this time is that with six games left after this weekend's matches, the title still lies within the grasp of holders Barcelona, Sevilla, Real Madrid, Real Zaragoza and Valencia. Six points separated the lot of them as of yesterday tea-time.

What's more, in the cases of Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia, each of the clubs has suffered sufficient trauma to make West Ham's season look no more disturbing than an episode of Balamory.

Take reigning Spanish and European champions Barcelona (one point clear of Sevilla, two clear of Madrid, six clear of Zaragoza and Valencia and playing Levante at the Camp Nou tonight). Some of their work this season could provide a Phd thesis on how to dismantle an empire in 12 months.

This summer they'll be doing their fitness work at St Andrews, but nine months ago the money-hungry board sent Barca on a tour of Mexico, California, Texas and New York, that crossed so many time zones that some of the players believed they had HG Wells-ed themselves back to a previous century.

"We won't be fit and the season will be a disaster", warned Eto'o, Oleguer, Edmilson, Victor Valdes and Xavi.

Score: one for the players and none for the President. However, that followed Eto'o, the only major player at the Camp Nou who didn't have a long World Cup and minute summer holiday to put up with, telling Frank Rijkaard that the President had given him an extra week's holiday.

Rijkaard's senior players, Ronaldinho, Xavi, Puyol, Xavi, Iniesta, Zambrotta and so on were enraged at the "one rule for Eto'o" trend which began there.

With both the African and Leo Messi subsequently injured, the weight of the season fell on Ronaldinho's shoulders. Unfortunately, some of that weight had previously stretched Ronnie's waistband and despite his 18 goals with potentially nine games left to score more, this has been a season of soppy football analysts sniping at the tired but ultimately professional Brazilian.

His "personalised" training regime - solo work in the gym while the rest of his squad are out on the pitch under Rijkaard's watchful eye - and persistent admissions from Milan that they want to sign him have gnawed at his form and credibility.

Thrashed by Sevilla in the European Super Cup, pallid in losing the World Club Cup final and hamstrung by having won the same number of away games as Celta Vigo (one place above relegation), this is an anaemic team.

Naturally, the circle of life applies to football as much as to the jungle. As Barca falter, Real Madrid are turning from prey to hunter.

In their history they have never scored fewer home goals than this season, not since the late 1940s have they gone four seasons without a trophy and their worst run of 2006/7 comprised losing to promoted Recreativo, Deportivo, Villarreal and Levante on a 7-0 aggregate in the space of six matches.

But they are now many punters' favourites for the title.

Poor old Fabio Capello has been the subject of a witchhunt. Booed at the Bernabeu, caught giving a single-finger salute to a couple of season ticket holders, slammed by Ronaldo for "not even knowing what he's trying to say half the time" and on the verge of being sacked in January, the legendary Italian has been proved correct in his work methods. Not perfect, just correct.

Ruud van Nistelrooy hasn't made the most elegant contribution in Madrid's 105-year history, but his 22 goals in all competitions have helped a bit.

David Beckham's reintegration into the team has helped too, leading to the best football of his four years here.

Sergio Ramos, playing despite needing a nose operation, pledges: "We will wage war on everyone and Barcelona will screw up. I'm certain of it".

For the rest of the runners and riders, Sevilla would make popular champions. Stylish and very hard working, they run the risk of not being physically able to compete on the three fronts of Uefa Cup semi final, La Liga and Copa Del Rey semi final.

Fredi Kanouté and the remarkable Daniel Alves have been Sevilla's motor but the Mali striker (25 in all competitions) is carrying niggling injuries and can't afford to run out of steam now.

Potentially season-defining for Juande Ramos team is this week when they have to overcome Osasuna's 1-0 lead in the UEFA Cup semi-final second leg on Thursday then travel to the Bernabeu to face Real three days later.

Valencia? Well, take an injury list which would grace Reservoir Dogs, a running war between the coach Quique Sanchez Flores and football director Amadeo Carbone and simply admire the fact that they are still in contention.

Constantly missing anywhere between six and 10 players all season and with Carbone having publicly said he's looking for a new coach on three occasions this season, Sanchez Flores has needed nerves of steel.

Carbone drops down to the dressing room at half time to interfere in tactics, won't speak to ex-team-mate Santiago Cañizares and released the full details of captain David Albelda's contract to the media when the midfielder asked for an extension to his deal.

Cañizares and Albelda found time to reminisce about the time they found a loaded gun in Carbone's dressing room locker two seasons ago revenge was sweet, but dangerous.

As for Zaragoza, the long shots, they should take a look above them and resolve not to aspire to the title. It's truly mad up at the top of La Liga. Good entertainment though.