European soccer is dominated by the English Premier League (EPL), La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, and Ligue I. The 2024-25 season kicked off in August, so matches are already underway. Here is a breakdown of the current standings and key news.
Lamine Yamal of FC Barcelona celebrates after scoring a goal during a match between Girona FC and FC Barcelona. Pedro Salado/Getty Images
EPL
The EPL is now in full swing having started back on August 16. Once again, Manchester City seems like the club will repeat their title winning run. Star striker Erling Haaland of Manchester City has already started off strong, scoring nine goals in the first four games of the season, making him the early favorite for the Golden Boot (an award presented to the leading goalscorer in league matches). Thus, Manchester City seems like they will once again have an easy season, likely securing a fifth straight title. Chelsea, now under a new manager Enzo Maresca, has been hampered by injuries affecting key players like Reece James, and Enzo Fernandez. This will affect their mission to qualify for European soccer once more. Meanwhile, Arsenal, who has come second in the EPL the past two years in a row, looks to finally claim the title after a twenty year drought. Arsenal has made two important signings this summer in Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino in hopes to finally win the league. La Liga
Real Madrid seemed destined to win La Liga after signing Galáctico Kylian Mbappé. However, the chemistry on the field is lacking. While it is too early to count them out of the race, it is clear they have not had the start of the season they hoped for.
However, Real Madrid’s rival Barcelona is in good shape, having won all of their first matches. It looks like their new manager Hansi Flick is doing his job well. Flick’s more tactical approach to the game has changed the squad immensely, creating a dynamic and well balanced team.
Serie A
Serie A is looking unpredictable this year. Last season, Inter ran away with the title by nineteen points. However they’ve been struggling to replicate last year’s run, even against middle bracket teams. This suggests that there may be real competition for the league. Additionally, the top five teams in the league are currently separated by only a few points.
This unpredictability looks like it could make Serie A the most competitive it has been in years. Perhaps there could even be a Juventus challenge for the title. The club won nine consecutive league titles from 2011-2020, but has not won since. With new signings and a rebuild of the team, could this be the year for Juventus?
Bundesliga
After 11 straight years of Bayern’s dominance, it finally came to an end last year. Bayer Leverkusen went undefeated the entire 2023-24 season, with twenty-eight wins and six draws last year. However, Bayern is definitely looking to reclaim the title. With star striker Harry Kane in great form, it looks like Bayern will be having a competitive season.
There has also been a recent surge of quality in the Bundesliga. With Borussia Dortmund making the champions league final last year and Bayer Leverkusen’s success, it looks like the gap is narrowing between the top five Bundesliga teams.
Ligue I
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) has long dominated Ligue I, but with the departure of Kylian Mbappé to Real Madrid, it seems that their age of talented players is coming to an end, as made apparent by the departure of Neymar to the Saudi League, Lionel Messi to Inter Miami, and Mbappé to Real Madrid. As a result, it seems that PSG’s large gap on other clubs in the Ligue I could begin to narrow.
The league itself seems to be going through a large rebranding process. In late September, a short video was released announcing a new logo and sharing efforts to reshape the image that the league is a farmers’ league (farmers’ league is a derogatory term that denotes an uncompetitive league). Furthermore, the league has a new deal with fast-food giant, McDonalds.
With Manchester City’s dominance in England, the generational rivalry of El Clásico in Spain, and tighter competition across all leagues, the 2024-2025 season promises to deliver excitement, unpredictability, and some of the best soccer the world has to offer.
Be First to Comment