5 things we didn't expect from the La Liga this season

We are already 10 games into the new season of the Spanish Primera Liga, whilst it seems just yesterday that Leganes inaugurated the campaign with a slender 1-0 win over Alaves.

Usual suspects Barcelona are once again leading the race having made a solid start under their new manager Ernesto Valverde and are hoping to bring back the League title to Camp Nou.

Nevertheless, a lot has transpired in La Liga over the past two months that has caught many on a hop. Certain circumstances that one really didn't see coming. Even from afar.

Here are five such things; things that we didn't expect happening at this juncture of Spanish football.

#1 Real Madrid's woeful start

Real Madrid's early season wobbles were unexpected, especially given the events of their facile vanquish of Barcelona in the Supercup just days before the season opener.

10 games in and the defending champs are already languishing 8 points behind their arch nemesis, a gap that seems too big to overhaul already. Blame their transfer inactivity or loss of form, or even fatigue, but Zidane and co. are already staring at the prospect of ceding their hard-earned domestic title.

A highly positive start to the campaign -- two trophies in first three games -- meant another year of dominance beckoned, but the tables have turned, 60 days later. And how.

Horrendous injuries, a terrible defence, high-profile departures, rudderless attack and a whole lot of issues are currently gnawing the 2-time defending European champions, and they looked absolutely clueless.

After two highly successful seasons, the Galacticos have raised the bar sky-high. We now expect them to be the frontrunners in every competition they partake. But sadly, it hasn't gone according to the script as they are now hit a low spell.

A 2-1 loss to Girona was the last thing the pundits would've expected, but the defeat has thrown up a real prospect of Real Madrid struggling to win the league again.

#2 Suarez and Ronaldo struggling to get the goals

Will the real Luis Suarez please stand up?

We follow up our earlier point with another pertinent one that's too hard to overlook.

Beginning with Suarez, the Uruguayan marksman is admittedly experiencing his most difficult days in front of the goal since joining Barcelona. A return of just 3 goals in 12 appearances doesn't make a good reading for a player whose been striking the onion bag left, right and centre from the beginning.

The injuries haven't made his cause any easier.

With Neymar long gone, Suarez now shares the goal-scoring burden with only Messi, who in all honesty, has been doing it all alone all this while. So Suarez must up the ante soon enough.

And now coming to Ronaldo, the Portuguese ace seems to have hit a glass ceiling. Having picked up 'The Best' trophy for his imperious performance in Madrid's La Liga and Champions League glories last time around, he was supposed to be spurred on by it. Or so did everyone anticipate.

However, his poor vein of form prolongs, as it was evident in his showings this past Sunday. With Real Madrid in a free fall in the league, they desperately need their talisman to step up to the plate. Surprisingly, that hasn't happened so far into the new season.

#3 Valencia's blistering form

We've seen some of the lesser-known teams in every other league making a strong start to a season, only to blow up all the hard work in smoke with a sharp decline in form as the season progressed.

Valencia's case may seem to be one those, but for the moment, they're in red-hot form, trampling underfoot almost everything on their way.

Second in the standings with 24 points so far, Los Che are the only other side apart from Barcelona and Atletico Madrid to be still unbeaten in the league! Moreover, they've pumped 27 goals so far, which is just one fewer than the Catalans.

Five of their last six games has seen them find the net at least three times (including massive victories such as 5-0 vs Malaga, 6-3 vs Real Betis, 4-0 vs Sevilla), whilst they also held Real Madrid at the Bernabeu (which has become a common sight now though).

Not only has Simone Zaza's and Rodrigo Ely's rich vein of form been a driving factor, but the change in guard may have also played a role, as new manager Marcelino Garcia Toral has been running a taut ship ever since he arrived at the scene, producing encouraging results week in week out.

Valencia look like a different beast altogether, and that isn't a good sign for their rivals.

#4 Malaga in the relegation zone

Will Malaga wake up from their slumber before its too late?

Valencia's early season form is just as bewildering as Malaga's disastrous opening to the new campaign: second from bottom with just 4 points in the bag.

A team that is known to upset the applecart by stepping up their game against the top shouts, is today, struggling even against second-tier teams. Yes, they did beat Celta Vigo in their last outing, but that was their first win of the season. A win that comes as a respite more than anything else.

Their travails become crystal clear when you look at this scoreline of a Copa Del Rey game recently - Numancia 2-1 Malaga.

The Andalusian outfit have not stooped to such lows in a very long time, and watching them in the relegation mix is stunning, to say the least. Even the likes of Girona and Levante appear formidable teams in front of them right now.

Manager Jose Miguel is walking a tightrope, although it is more startling that he has survived the prying eyes of the Arab owners despite all the on-field pandemonium thus far. However, he may face the axe soon.

Malaga have been in the top flight for 10 consecutive seasons but seems their decade-long tryst with the primary division is soon headed for a split.

#5 Leganes in the European spots

The Leganes fans have had pretty to cheer about

Just take a cursory glance at the current standings of La Liga. Do you find anything odd? Let me put it straight to you - Leganes are currently occupying a Europa League place, a place that's normally contested by the likes of Athletic Bilbao, Celta Vigo, Malaga et al, who all are grappling in the lower half. Much lower.

The Madrid outfit, though erratic, have somehow managed to keep themselves higher up the charts -- seventh after 10 games -- which makes it all the more perplexing given the fact that they've accrued only 9 goals, conceding 5 in return. Yet, they've managed to rack up 5 victories in the process, losing only thrice so far.

Oh, and did I say they've already played the usual 'heavyweights' of the league - Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, Malaga, Sevilla?

Los Pepineros have stumbled against their normally lowly-ranked counterparts, but have punched above their weights when the stakes were high. Overall, it's been a positive start to their season even by their own moderate standards (with all due respect).

The race to European berths is still in its embryonic stage, and as we have seen in the recent seasons so often, it is only going to get hotter as times flies. So this begs the question - Can Leganes really sustain the pressure and hang on to their coveted (and surprising) European spot?