We are over a month into the 2023-24 campaign, meaning the teams have now had enough time to recalibrate and find the combinations that work. Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Inter Milan have all seemingly found the winning formula, picking up maximum points from each of their league games thus far. The likes of Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Juventus have also started well, marching on without tasting defeat.
On the other end of the spectrum, we have a handful of teams that are yet to show any kind of consistency, despite having excellent players at their disposal. Read on to check out five top teams, belonging to the top five European leagues, that have had a poor start to the 2023-24 season.
#5 Sevilla – La Liga
Last season’s UEFA Europa League winners Sevilla have been all over the place this season. They have not necessarily been poor in front of goal, scoring six times in four games, but their defense has let them down big time, leaking as many as eight goals.
The Andalusian outfit have picked up only one victory in four games, losing the remaining three. They currently sit in 17th place in La Liga rankings and need to up the ante as soon as possible to avoid a bottom-half finish in the 2023-24 La Liga campaign.
#4 AS Roma – Serie A
One of the best managers of this generation Jose Mourinho has had little success at AS Roma this season. Until their massive 7-0 victory over Empoli on Sunday (September 17), they had just scored four times in three Serie A matches, which is disappointing by their standards.
The annihilation of Empoli has definitely helped Roma’s case, but they still have a lot of work to do to become a top-four contender. Mourinho’s side currently find themselves in 13th place in the rankings, having picked up just four points (1 win, 1 draw, 2 defeats) in four games.
#3 Paris Saint-Germain – Ligue 1
By far the most stacked team in Ligue 1, Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), have not been at their best in the 2023-24 season. The French champions started their Ligue 1 campaign with consecutive draws before bouncing back with back-to-back victories. On Saturday (September 16), they tasted their first defeat of the season, succumbing to a 3-2 loss to Nice at the Parc des Princes. Having collected eight points from five games, they find themselves in fifth place in the standings.
Of course, considering how much firepower PSG have at their disposal, they do not necessarily need to worry about their slow start to the season. However, it could start bothering the club management if they do not bounce back in explosive fashion.
#2 Chelsea – English Premier League
Chelsea dismissed Graham Potter as manager during the 2022-23 season and brought Frank Lampard back as interim boss. The Englishman failed to do anything of note during his short tenure and oversaw a 12th-place finish for the Pensioners.
Mauricio Pochettino came on as the club’s permanent manager over the summer, but he is yet to find his footing in west London. Under his tutelage, Chelsea have won once, drawn twice, and lost twice in five games, scoring five times and conceding just as many. They currently find themselves in 14th place in the Premier League rankings, eight points behind fourth-placed Liverpool (13 points).
#1 Manchester United – English Premier League
Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United did pretty well for themselves in the 2022-23 season, winning the Carabao Cup and finishing third in the Premier League rankings. Having bolstered their squad in the summer, United were expected to give City and Co. a run for the title this season.
Unfortunately for United, that has not turned out to be the case. The Red Devils have endured three defeats already in five Premier League matches this season, winning the remaining two games. Neither their attack nor defense has been on point thus far, with them scoring just six times and conceding 10 goals. Unless the Dutchman finds a way to get the 13th-placed United out of the slump, his time at Old Trafford could come to an abrupt halt in the coming weeks.
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