Sexy football. A Liga manager will usually need to at least pay lip-service to the idea, while those higher up the table may need to put it into practice.
That's why Bernd Schuster, Frank Rijkaard, and even Ronald Koeman must think carefully before answering questions regarding their style of play. Too much emphasis on it and they may be accused of navel-gazing: too little, and they'll be castigated as not understanding how the game works in Spain.
But why has style become such a huge watchword when there are no Liga points given for artistic impression? Is it so bad if you can absorb pressure and produce a few moments of magic, as opposed to passing until kingdom come and not winning? Let us investigate.
First of all, it's obvious that from the standpoint of the a spectator, the style of football is important. Some - perhaps not the diehard, but some - would prefer to see a flowing 5-4 loss than a scrappy 1-0 win.
It seems that this applies mainly to the larget clubs, who may have bound up in their mythos and image an inimitable style or ethos that cannot be compromised. Cases in point: Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Of course, there is another school of thought. Some say that fans are entertained not by attractive play per se, but by goals.
The fans watching Real Madrid's play last season would admit that it was occasionally mechanical, but they still earned the respect of many of their supporters thanks to their sheer ability to start a move and then put the ball in the net when it mattered. (Perhaps the 2-0 victory over Real Zaragoza last night was eerily reminiscent of those days.)
This approach - among other things - cost coach Fabio Capello his job. But the question is: would he have stayed if he played pretty football without a defensive midfield, but succumbed to second place?
Bernd Schuster took the job with demands from fans, media and - we assume - the president ringing in his ears. "Play proper football," went the warcry.
It was a strange thing to ask of the man who'd taken Getafe to a top-half finish and even to Europe largely off the back of a strong defence (6-5 aggregate win over Barcelona in the Copa del Rey notwithstanding.) But while he would play along at times in his early interviews, he also insisted that he was in the results business.
Thus we've seen a Real Madrid side able to show magnificent football - the 5-0 win at Villarreal early in the season stands out - but also willing to grind out results against teams such as Zaragoza and Betis, in games in which they were second best for significant portions.
Barcelona have generally lacked Real Madrid's grit and dig, particularly away from home, but that 2-0 win at Mallorca could be a turning point. For once, there was a gutsy display under pressure. It was far from pretty at times, but the job was done, and few could say that the second goal in paticular was in any way unstylish.
If you want another instance, look at how Barcelona dominated 65% of the possession against Real Madrid, and were yet outthought and outdone by Schuster's careful attention to detail. He packed the midfield with Baptista, Diarra and Sneijder, made sure Barcelona were unable to play their football, and went looking for that goal against the run of play.
The result? A massive seven point lead in the title race for Los Merengues, and crisis at Barcelona.
Perhaps the Catalans have learned their lesson, and are ready to grind out results and pick up those invaluable three points on the road.
In a way, it's reminsicent of last season. Real Madrid were castigated early on for playing dour football as Barça went ahead in style and points, but force of will and structured play helped them claw their way back into contention between January and March. This, in turn, bred confidence, and perhaps that was what saw Madrid's style and goalscoring improve towards the end of the campaign.
Barcelona, meanwhile, were able to use a cushion at the top to play Rijkaard's attacking style, but gradually results began to slip away from them. Of course, style was nowhere near the only factor, but as their lead at the top crumbled and eventually disappeared, Barcelona's sexy football began to go with it. In essence, panic had set in. Perhaps a change earlier in the season towards a more mechanical ethos - grinding out wins and preserving their lead - would have prevented this: we'll never know.
We know that style is not the be-all and end-all of football, but it does have an effect on results, attendances, marketability, and even a mnager's job. With this in mind, would Barcelona fans take a half-season's worth of wins like the one in Mallorca on Saturday evening if it made for a late surge in both style and points? Capello's boys played some good football in select games - would Madridistas be ready to accept it if Berns Schuster is no different?
Essentially, will sexy football count as we head towards the business end of the season, and if so, in what way?
What do you think?
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