La Liga is doing good by most external measures: it's the top league in Europe according to the UEFA coefficient, it has some of the most recognized brands and best clubs in the world (Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, etc.), and has some of the most attractive play. However, there are problems bubbling under the surface. Many clubs in La Liga are getting suffocated by costs (including travel costs) and although its clubs do well in Europe, the league and cup do no favors to ease fixture congestion. I would argue that shrinking La Liga to 18 clubs will reduce costs, further increase competitiveness, arguably increase profitability, reduce fixture congestion, and increase quality. I say arguably increase profitablity because the German Bundesliga has 18 clubs and did research on expanding to 20 and found that any gains in revenue from extra matches would be more than wiped out by extra costs. I believe if the inverse study (downsizing) in Spain were done, it would be shown that profits would increase for the 18 La Liga clubs. Reducing from 38 matches to 34 matches will reduce fixture congestion and increase rest which should lead to even better results in Europe. La Liga should never have mid week fixtures again. I would continue to relegate the bottom three clubs. I also believe that Spain should alter the format of the Copa del Rey. It takes 9 matches to win the competition due to the two-leg nature of the competition. That has to go. I understand that everyone wants a home match but that bloats the schedule unnecessarily and gives a huge edge to the favorite who is much more likely to move on over 180 minutes as opposed to 90 (the larger the sample size, the more likely the better team will show why it is better). I would change the format to look more like the German Cup, with some alterations. Currently 83 clubs qualify for the Copa del Rey. That number is fine but if La Liga shrinks to 18, I would shrink the corresponding number for the Copa del Rey to 81 clubs. I would have one qualifying round to get down to 64 clubs. The 47 clubs that would get a bye to the First Round Proper would be the 18 La Liga clubs, the 21 non-reserve Segunda clubs, and the top two clubs from each of the four third division regional leagues. The entire tournament would be straight knockout played over one leg. In the qualifying round and first round, the underdog would automatically be home and it would be seeded so that the better teams cannot meet each other. Starting in the second round (Round of 32), the tournament would be entirely unseeded. Therefore, it would take 6 matches for the La Liga sides to win the competition. I would also argue that the Super Cup be scrapped as it is a pointless competition. Therefore, if these proposals were put into place, to win the double a club would only play 40 clubs as opposed to 47. I believe this would greatly help fixture congestion, further improve fortunes in Europe, and keep players healthier. What say you?