Across the continent, domestic leagues have already, or are just about to reach double figures for matches played. We take a look at the seven remaining unbeaten teams in Europe’s top five leagues below, and why they have been so successful.
The Seven Unbeaten Teams in Europe’s Top Five Leagues
Bayer Leverkusen
Xabi Alonso was just always destined to be a great manager wasn’t he?
It is safe to say every neutral will be rooting for Bayer Leverkusen this season, who are currently sitting pretty atop the Bundesliga.
The 3-4-2-1 formation deployed by Alonso has grown to become even more effective than last season, with the additions of Jonas Hofmann, Granit Xhaka and Alex Grimaldo all slotting in seamlessly.
While Alonso’s side inevitably prefer to dominate the ball, the pace of Jeremie Frimpong still allows them to hurt teams in the transition, even after losing Moussa Dibay and Mitchell Bakker in the summer.
Everyone is just trying to keep up with Bayer Leverkusen this season! 🙌
What an incredible job Xabi Alonso is doing… pic.twitter.com/xNfrsr3rjf
— 90min (@90min_Football) October 10, 2023
Xhaka, paired with Exequiel Palacios in the centre of midfield has freed up the supremely talented Florian Wirtz, who flitters about the pitch with an air of David Silva about him.
Their press-and-possess principles make them not only incredibly difficult to defend against, but also mightily hard to break down. They have the joint second-best defensive record in Europe having conceded just six goals.
Borussia Dortmund
It may come as a surprise to some to see Borussia Dortmund on this list given their underwhelming performances in Europe, but they sit level on points with Bayern Munich after seven games.
Bizarrely their only dropped points have come at home against minnows Heidenheim – who feature in the Bundesliga for the first time in their history – and VFL Bochum.
Nevertheless, they have bounced back from those consecutive draws by claiming three points in each of their last four games since the September international break.
On his day, there are few who can cope with Julian Brandt in full flow and he has taken up the mantle of Dortmund’s most important player since the departure of Jude Bellingham, scoring three and assisting four this term.
Bayern Munich
As mentioned, Bayern are the third and final Bundesliga team yet to be beaten, which is to be expected.
What a cruel world it would be for Harry Kane – a man who has famously never won a trophy – to join Bayern Munich just as they miss out on winning the league for the first time in 12 years.
Of course, there is still a long journey ahead for table toppers Leverkusen, and Dortmund will know all too well the heartache of missing out to Bayern, who inevitably clawed the trophy back on the final day last year.
Leroy Sane and Harry Kane made sure their unbeaten start was maintained away at Leipzig at the end of September, after surviving a first half onslaught from the hosts to eventually make up the two goal deficit.
It does however leave them a point off second-placed Stuttgart and two off Leverkusen, who scored a 94 minute equaliser in gameweek four to inflict their only other winless game.
Nice
Having conceded just four goals in eight games, Nice hold the leading defensive record across Europe’s top five leagues.
They are sandwiched by league leaders Monaco and third-place PSG with a point separating them either side. Although they are indeed unbeaten, it hasn’t been pretty at times.
Three consecutive draws to open the season left Les Aiglons expecting another season of mediocrity, but four wins in their next five including huge victories against Monaco and PSG has seen them climb the table into second.
How long they can keep this up for remains to be seen given they have scored just nine goals – for context, 17th place Lorient have scored 13.
Tottenham
It is safe to say not many, if any, would have expected Tottenham to be top of the table as we approach the end of October.
Their tumultuous season last year, defined by tempestuous managers and pedestrian performances, is a far cry from the feel-good atmosphere sweeping through the club at this moment in time.
Ange Postecoglou has been named the @PremierLeague Manager of the Month for September! 🤍
Congratulations on back-to-back awards, Ange! 👏 pic.twitter.com/qa5A0UTbOM
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) October 13, 2023
Ange Postecoglou’s management style is a refreshing change from the succession of grating characters in North London over the past few years. Coupled with the shrewd additions of Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario and James Maddison, this new-look Tottenham side look capable of challenging near the upper echelons of the table.
A telling sign of their new-found title credentials has been their ability to dig deep in difficult fixtures, particularly when going down to 10-men at Luton and clawing their way back at the Emirates against Arsenal in the North London derby.
Arsenal
Behind to their North London rivals only due to their inferior goal haul, Arsenal are firmly back amongst the title conversation once more.
They will be ruing a missed opportunity to be well clear of the pack, having fallen to a late draw against Fulham despite having over 70% possession and 19 shots.
The Gunners have since dispelled any doubts over the renewed Premier League push, winning all but one of their next five games including monumental victories over both Manchester clubs.
Although the 2023/24 campaign remains in its infancy, Arsenal’s first league victory over City since January 2015 felt like a significant moment, and one that highlights a new-found maturity. They limited last season’s treble winners to just one shot on target and four overall, which is the least a Pep Guardiola team has registered since he arrived in England.
Declan Rice has more than proven his price tag, while the ever-imperious William Saliba has arguably been their most important player so far – keeping that centre-back pairing with Gabriel fit will be key to their chances later in the season.
Barcelona
Last, but by no means least, we have Barcelona who complete our list of unbeaten teams in Europe’s top five leagues.
Club legend Xavi managed to mastermind Barcelona’s first La Liga title since 2018/19 last season, and although they currently find themselves three points adrift of Real Madrid, the Blaugrana will feel like they have that feared star quality back.
Barcelona teams of years gone by preferred to race into leads and suffocate teams, but this current cohort made a habit of digging deep with late victories last season, which has carried over to this campaign.
It appeared almost certain they would fall to a first defeat against Celta Vigo last month, but three goals in the final 10 minutes saw them claim a confidence-boosting 3-2 win.
Both of their two slip-ups have come in the space of their last three games, both of which required last equalisers against Mallorca and Granada.
They can not afford to keep scraping points given Real Madrid and Jude Bellingham’s startling form this term, but they have still managed to assemble a world-beating squad despite having to tighten the purse strings over the summer.
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