After the World Cup, Borussia Dortmund in particular got off to a good start – and now greets them from the top of the table. Other clubs, in turn, crashed. Such cases were not only in the Bundesliga, but throughout Europe. An overview of the top 5 leagues.
Bundesliga: The area rules
Dortmund have scored a whopping 28 points (9-1-0) from ten games since the World Cup, seven more than any other team, and thus climbed from sixth place to the top – BVB is back for the first time since the second matchday of 2019/20 on the first place. In addition to the Westphalians, Union Berlin also continued to present itself as strong as an ox. Despite a triple burden, the Köpenicker got six wins and three draws from ten games and can now even dream of the Champions League as third in the table.
But there are not only high-flyers at the top of the table, there is also a team in the basement. Dortmund’s archrival Schalke 04 came up trumps: The miners lost the first two games of the year, but then really got off to a good start and haven’t lost a game since (2-6-0) and can now hope to keep up the class. S04 is currently still in 17th place, but is level on points with Hertha in 16th place and only one point behind Hoffenheim in 15th place.
Hoffenheim and Stuttgart went in completely opposite directions. Before the World Cup, TSG was still secure in midfield, but then after an almost unprecedented negative run (0-1-8) even slipped to last place. Thanks to the first win this year (3-1 against Hertha) just before the international break, the Red Lantern was handed over to VfB Stuttgart. 2023 was comparatively bad for the Swabians: one win, three draws, six defeats.
Premier League: Wolves und Foxes divergent
With Wolverhampton and Brentford there are two high-flyers in England. The Wolves were last before the World Cup, but have since won five and drawn two and climbed to 13th place. Brentford ranks ahead, who “only” rank eighth but are tied on points with sixth-placed Liverpool. Remarkable: The “Bees” are the team in the Premier League that has suffered the fewest defeats since the World Cup. That was a 0-1 draw at Everton FC, otherwise there were six wins and five draws.
Leicester City, on the other hand, have fallen from 13th to 17th – and are now in relegation trouble after just eight points from 12 games (2-2-8) – no team has picked up fewer points over this period. Only one point separates the Foxes from 18th place.
La Liga: Strong Barça
Had plenty of reason to celebrate in 2023: FC Barcelona players. 
IMAGO/NurPhoto
In Spain, FC Barcelona is on a master class, not least thanks to the 2-1 victory in the Clasico against Real Madrid. The Catalans were already leaders in La Liga before the World Cup, but at that time they were only two points ahead of the royal team. This has now grown to a whopping twelve points. Barça have won ten times after Qatar, drawing only one and losing one. In addition to the Catalans, Celta Vigo also caused a sensation in Spain: Thanks to 22 points from twelve games, the Galicians left the bottom of the table and climbed from 17th to tenth place.
It went the other way for Valencia, who have picked up a meager seven points since the World Cup – the fewest teams in La Liga – and slipped from tenth to 18th place.
Serie A: Milan crash
In Italy, SSC Napoli continue to impress this season and are clearly on a master class. The Neapolitans were extremely strong even before the World Cup, but even improved a bit after it. There is no real starter on the boot, although Juventus Turin (25 points from twelve games) and Sassuolo (20 points) are two good candidates. Despite their point deduction, Turin can still hope for international business, while Sassuolo has now said goodbye to the relegation battle.
While there are no clear winners in Italy, there is one clear loser: AC Milan was second before the World Cup and had hopes of the Scudetto. Meanwhile, after four wins, three draws and five defeats, the Rossoneri don’t have to worry about defending their title.
Ligue 1: Reims turns up the heat
Last but not least, a look at France, where PSG is well on the way to the next championship. However, the star ensemble from Paris was not convincing – in contrast to Stade Reims, which has only improved by two places since the end of the World Cup (from 11 to 9), but that does not change the fact that the team scored 26 points (7- 5-1) and thus the third most in the league.
Troyes, meanwhile, have fallen in Ligue 1, having only won once since the World Cup (with four draws and eight defeats) and slipped from 13th to 18th place. Only bottom Angers scored even fewer points (2).
