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It's still early days into the 2021-22 season, but it's already been an exhilarating one, especially across Europe's top five leagues.
Bayern Munich are looking good for a tenth consecutive Bundesliga title. In France, a star-studded PSG team are expected to cruise to the Ligue 1 title despite seeing their 100% start to the season come to an end.
In La Liga, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad are separated at the top only on goal difference, with Barcelona five points behind.
In Serie A, record champions Juventus aren't yet in the top four after the first few games.
Meanwhile, in the Premier League, one of the tightest and most unpredictable title races in recent memory could ensue. Chelsea lead the table ahead of Manchester City and Liverpool. Manchester United aren't too far behind the early pacesetters either. Most of these top teams, with the exception of Barcelona, have also fared well in Europe this season.
WhoScored rates teams based on their performances in domestic competitions and Europe. On that note, here's a look at the top five teams in the continent's top five leagues this season as per WhoScored ratings:
#5 Real Madrid - 6.91
Real Madrid have had a bright start to their La Liga campaign, winning five of their opening eight games and scoring goals aplenty.
Their unbeaten start to the league season came to an end in a 2-1 defeat against Espanyol. But Madrid remain the team to beat in the Spanish top flight, thanks to the form of the evergreen Karim Benzema. The Frenchman has bagged ten goals and seven assists across competitions already.
Madrid started their campaign in Europe with a hard-fought 1-0 win at Inter Milan. But in their next game, they slumped to a shock 1-2 defeat at home to Champions League debutants Sheriff.
Madrid's defeat to Espanyol in La Liga came just before the international break. So the break couldn't have come at a better time for Carlo Ancelotti's men, who have a tough run of games across competitions coming up.
#4 Napoli - 6.93
Napoli have been on a tear this season with a perfect record after seven games. They are the only team across Europe's top five leagues not to have dropped points in the league this season.
The Partenopei have scored 18 goals in this period and conceded only three, which explains why they are the early pacesetters in the Italian top flight. Luciano Spaletti's men have stumbled in Europe, though.
They split points in a four-goal draw with Leicester City in their Europa League opener. They then slumped to a 2-3 home defeat against Spartak Moscow in their next game. Nevertheless, they are expected to come out of their group and make a deep run in the competition.
The southern Italian team will hope that their European frailties don't spill over to the domestic scene as they seek a first Serie A title in more than three decades.
#3 PSG - 6.94
PSG have had one of the best transfer windows of any club in football history this summer. They have made a spate of high-profile signings, bringing in the likes of Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos, Georginio Winjaldum and Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The results are there for all to see. Their Ligue 1 dominance is all but a given; it's the Champions League that they are after. The Ligue 1 giants won their first seven games of the league season. While their juggernaut was stopped by Rennes on Matchday, PSG are widely expected to win the Ligue 1 title in a canter.
In the Champions League, PSG were forced to a share of the spoils against Club Brugge. But they bounced back by beating last season's finalists, Manchester City, to signal their intentions.
Mauricio Pochettino's men are widely expected to make a deep run in the Champions League. With a much-vaunted attack of Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, PSG might just conquer the European frontier too.
#2 Bayern Munich - 7.05
Bayern Munich are playing under new manager Julian Nagelsmann this season, but a similar script of dominance is unfolding. They launched their campaign by beating Borussia Dortmund 3-1 in the German Super Cup final.
After seven league games, Bayern are the favourites to win another Bundesliga title. Despite losing 2-1 at home to Frankfurt just before the international break, they lead the standings, ahead of Bayer Leverkusen on goal difference.
Thanks to the imperious form of Robert Lewandowski (13 goals in ten games), Bayern have also fared well in the Champions League. The Bavarian giants have scored eight times without reply in two games, winning 3-0 at Barcelona and beating Dynamo Kyiv 5-0 at home.
Considering their early form across competitions, it wouldn't be a surprise if Bayern win another continental treble.
#1 Liverpool - 7.07
Liverpool are once again a force to be reckoned with. That's because their defensive talisman Virgil van Dijk has returned from a long injury layoff and has hit the ground running.
Without him for large swathes last season, Liverpool's title defense spectacularly crumbled before they arrested their free fall to finish third. With the return of Van Dijk, and Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane among the goals, Liverpool are on a roll this season.
After seven league games, the Reds are the only unbeaten team in the English top flight. Trailing league leaders Chelsea by a solitary point, Liverpool will fancy their chances of a second Premier League title in three years.
In the Champions League as well, the Reds have fared well. They opened with a thrilling 3-2 home win over AC Milan before winning 5-1 at Porto.
It remains to be seen how the season will pan out for them. But Jurgen Klopp's men have definitely made a great start.
