Premier League: Liverpool (23 points, 10 more than last season)
It’s easy to forget that Liverpool were in a worrying position this time last year. Having just suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat to Tottenham at Wembley, Jurgen Klopp’s side found themselves ninth in the Premier League – below Watford, Newcastle and Burnley – with a negative goal difference to boot.
They edge out Bournemouth as the most improved side in the Premier League now thanks to their superior goal difference – both clubs are 10 points better off but Liverpool’s goal difference has shot up. That improvement is largely due to their defence. After nine games last season they had conceded 16 goals; this season they have conceded just three – and none at home.
The introductions of Alisson, Virgil van Dijk and Andrew Robertson, who wasn’t featuring for the club this time last year, have made a massive impact. Liverpool are now level on points with table-topping Manchester City, having been 12 points behind them this time last season.
La Liga: Alavés (17 points, 14 more than last season)
Barcelona regained top spot in La Liga last weekend after their 4-2 win over Sevilla, but the table still looks pretty bizarre. The four teams that finished closest to Barcelona last season are struggling. Atlético Madrid are fifth, Real Madrid are seventh, Valencia are 14th, and Villarreal are 16th – just a point above the relegation zone. On the up are newly promoted Real Valladolid, who sit in sixth after four wins in a row; Espanyol, who could go top tonight; and second-place Alavés.
Alavés made it to the top of the league last weekend – between their 1-0 win at Celta Vigo on Friday and Barça’s victory over Sevilla on Saturday evening. The fact that three of their five wins this season have come against sides in the top seven – most notably their first home victory over Real Madrid since 1931 – is even more impressive.
Alavés were second bottom this time last season, having lost eight of their first nine matches. They even slipped to the foot of the table by the time Abelardo Fernández took over as manager in early December. Fernández led them to a 3-2 victory in his first game in charge – after they had gone 2-0 down. The club have been on the up ever since.
Serie A: Genoa (13 points, eight more than last season)
Parma have returned to Serie A this season and are sitting comfortably in the top half of the table. However, given that they weren’t in the top flight last season, we will focus on the team directly below them: Genoa, who have more than doubled their points tally from this time last season.
In their first eight games last season, Genoa picked up just five points. Their new summer signing Krzysztof Piatek has already scored nine goals this season – more than the whole team had managed a year ago. They kicked off this season with four wins in six games, but perhaps their most impressive result so far was their 1-1 draw at Juventus last weekend.
Bizarrely, despite a significant improvement on last season’s points haul, Davide Ballardini – the man who was appointed almost a year ago after their dismal start – was sacked earlier this month. Ballardini has been replaced by Ivan Juric, the man he replaced, who is back for his third stint with the club in two years.
Bundesliga: Werder Bremen (17 points, 13 more than last season)
It is not a huge shock to see Borussia Dortmund on top of the Bundesliga table after eight games but it is surprising that Bayern Munich are back in fourth behind both Borussia Mönchengladbach and Werder Bremen.
Werder Bremen did not win any of their first 11 matches last season and were in the relegation zone a year ago. They sacked their rookie manager, Alexander Nouri, in October and replaced him an even younger coach in Florian Kohfeldt. The 36-year-old will no doubt be attracting interest from around Europe, having steered the club to the safety of 12th last season and up to third in the current campaign. Bremen have won four of their last five matches and now sit just three points behind Borussia Dortmund.
The team are looking to control possession more this season, with only four sides averaging a higher share (52.9%), with their most experienced player, Niklas Moisander constantly starting their passing moves. The Finnish centre-back has not only averaged over 20 passes per game more than any teammate but boasts the best accuracy in the side, while youngster Maximilian Eggestein and summer signing Davy Klaassen look to play the incisive balls in the middle ground.
Ligue 1: Lille (22 points, 16 more than last season)
There was excitement and trepidation in near equal measure when Lille appointed Marcelo Bielsa to oversee an overhaul of their squad in the summer of 2017. There was plenty of money pumped into the side but their start to the season was dismal, winning just one of their first 10 league games.
Bielsa didn’t see out the year, with his eventual replacement Christophe Galtier having the desired impact – even if Lille did only stay up by the skin of their teeth. Key to their survival was Nicolas Pépé, one of the signings who did come good for the club – but only once he switched to his favoured wide role after being fielded centrally by Bielsa.
The Ivory Coast international ended last season with 13 goals and has already scored seven in the current campaign, attracting plenty of interest in the process. Jonathan Bamba’s arrival on a free has been a sensational coup too, with Galtier’s connections with Saint-Étienne helping in that regard; his seven goals have helped fire Lille to second.
Lille were 23 points behind league leaders PSG this time last season; that gap is now down to eight points. They are now 16 points better off than they were a year ago, making them the most improved side in Europe’s top five leagues so far.
The Guardian Sport
