beIN SPORTS

By Phil Kitromilides (@PhilKitro)

Anyone who has visited Tottenham Hotspur's stadium, White Hart Lane, will have seen five words repeated around the ground; "the game is about glory". There is of course a double irony in this, namely that the stadium is located in one of the most inglorious and insalubrious parts of the city, but also the fact that in recent years Spurs have been far from glorious in their efforts to win silverware.

But that is a subject for another column. If the game really is about glory, which most of us perhaps a little idealistically still hope that it is, then it is worth remembering that it comes in different guises. This weekend in La Liga, the final round of matches will bring glorious highs for some and brutal, crushing lows for others, without any silverware being decided (the traditional benchmark for glory).

For Valencia, the season has been about reconstructing, not only the team but their identity as well. Finishing the previous campaign in the abyss of eighth position was one of the low points in Los Che's recent history, yet the lack of European competition this year has undoubtedly helped them regain their standing in La Liga.

Nuno Espírito Santo has brought drive to the side and galvanized the likes of Pablo Piatti and Dani Parejo into top performers. A win against Almeria on Saturday and the side will return to Europe, to the Champions League, a tournament they know a thing or two about. For Valencia, access to Europe's premier club competition means money, but it is also about something less tangible, the recovery of prestige, of pride, of glory. 

At the other end of the table, talk of the Champions League is a cruel reminder of the depths Deportivo La Coruña have plummeted to, from the blistering zenith of European semi finals, to staring down the barrel of a third successive relegation from La Primera. Glory for the Galicians used to mean "Super Depor", the bustling brilliance of Tristan and Pandiani up front, Valeron caressing the ball with gentle guile, Djalminha dazzling and Mauro Silva robustly enforcing in midfield. Those days however are an increasingly hazy memory, with Depor's hopes now resting on the likes of on loan Wigan striker Oriol Riera. The Galicians travel to champions Barcelona, knowing a win will keep them up and victory at the Camp Nou would bring back glorious, bittersweet memories to the suffering fans Deportivo of how their team was once a real contender.

Those supporters however will also have one eye on proceedings 400 kilometers away at the Estadio Ipurua where the fate of both Eibar and Deportivo could be decided. If Depor's story is one of a faded giant attempting to relive past glories, then the Basque side are perhaps involved in a diametrically opposed tale; an unlikely minnow attempting to survive in a sea of giants.

Eibar will never reach a European final, they will never reach a Copa Del Rey final, so this for them is as big as it gets. If Depor as expected, lose at the Camp Nou, Eibar will be safe if they beat already relegated Córdoba at home. For smaller teams competing against the odds, there is nothing as dramatic as final day survival, just ask fans of Rayo Vallecano. The impoverished Madrid side were saved from the drop with a 94th minute winner against Granada back in 2012, a moment which will live with every associated with the club for the rest of their lives. For Vallecanos, that goal was Sergio Ramos in the 93rd minute, Andres Iniesta against Holland, Sergio Aguero beating QPR. Simply glorious.