La Liga Santander goes crazy

One of the great qualities of the Premier League was the perceived widespread competitiveness, yet LaLiga Santander looks to have caught up with the 2018/19 edition starting in a rather crazy manner.

Atletico Madrid, widely considered as title favourites, Valencia, Sevilla and Villarreal are all situated outside of European qualification spots after the completion of Matchday four.

Results have been difficult to predict with Barcelona the only team to not drop a single point, although they haven't found things easy thus far.

Diego Simeone headed into the season incredibly comfortable with the business Los Colchoneros had done behind the scenes over the summer, with key players signed and others retained.

A title challenge was expected, yet with just one victory from four games they sit looking upwards at their biggest rivals.

Eibar should have taken all three points from Los Rojiblancos on Saturday, had it not been for an injury time equaliser scored by academy graduate, Borja Garces.

Victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Super Cup showed Atleti to be an incredibly talented team, but things just haven't clicked domestically as yet, with a gap of seven points between themselves and the Blaugrana already appearing.

Poor starts from the two Madrid clubs respectively in 2017/18 essentially won the Catalan giants the title, with Ernesto Valverde's side not needing to be anything other than efficient to take the crown, despite the impressive on-paper look of their unbeaten record.

Real Madrid slipping to a draw against Athletic Club on Saturday was their first hiccup of the LaLiga Santander season, and it leaves them short of the defending champions.

Valencia are having an even worse time with Los Che securing a paltry three points from their opening four matches.

Marcelino brought the feel-good factor back to the Estadio Mestalla last term, qualifying for the Champions League in the process, yet they appear ill-equipped to take on the might of Juventus and Manchester United based on their domestic form.

Goncalo Guedes' return hasn't galvanised the group, and despite a positive performance against Atletico Madrid on the opening day, they are yet to win.

Michy Batshuayi hasn't found the form he showed at Borussia Dortmund, rather showing the ineffectual level which saw Antonio Conte lose total faith in the Belgian at Stamford Bridge.

Sevilla played some phenomenal football in their opening victory against Rayo Vallecano, leading many to suggest Pablo Machin's arrival could recreate the positive results Jorge Sampaoli brought to the club, yet they haven't won since.

Defeat to Real Betis in a fiercely contested Seville derby was matched by a 2-0 slump at home to Getafe, with the Andalusian club left languishing in 11th place.

Villarreal also only have four points, and it wasn't until Matchday four that their first league win arrived.

Leganes were on the receiving end of the aforementioned result, however losses against Real Sociedad and Girona have left Villarreal way off the pace.

Gerard Moreno hasn't been able to make a positive start to life with his new club, and already European qualification is looking like it will be a challenge.

The World Cup has left a lot of the perceived bigger teams ill-prepared for the campaign, however this only partially explains the unusual shape of the LaLiga Santander table.