European Leagues: A Moment to Reflect on Europe's Other Major Leagues Part 1
By: Anthony Tazbaz
Image Credit: Winston Tjia
While we generally cover Europe's top five leagues, this international break serves as a perfect moment to reflect and quickly analyze the first quarter of the season of Europe's other leagues, which deserve a mention and credit for producing some of Europe's top talent.
Below will include a quick assessment of the top divisions in Belgium, Greece, the Netherlands, Portugal, Switzerland, and Türkiye.
Part 1 contains Belgium, Greece, and the Netherlands.
Part 2 will include Portugal, Switzerland, and Türkiye.
The assessment will include top performers, surprising disappointments (if any), and current performances by clubs representing the league/country in UEFA competitions.
Belgium: Belgian Pro League
Union St.-Gilloise (USG) continue their strong performances from last season into 2023-24 as they currently lead the league with 22 points in 10 games (7W, 1D, 2L), only one point ahead of their local rival RSC Anderlecht and two points ahead of KAA Gent.
Anderlecht so far bounced back from a dreadful 2022-23 season, where they finished mid-table (11th place) and failed to qualify for the postseason (the top four performers advance to the postseason to compete for the league, whereas fifth to eighth place compete for the Conference League playoffs).
It is important to note that the Belgian Pro League is home to a fascinating competition format, arguably resulting in some of the most entertaining football with high stakes in Europe, especially due to their postseason system. However, last season's postseason ended in astonishing fashion, where the league title seemed destined for either of the top three clubs (Royal Antwerp, KRC Genk and USG).
In the end, Antwerp ran away victorious thanks to a stoppage time screamer by former Belgian national team defender Toby Alderweireld against Genk.
If such an outcome is repeated, it may be time to start watching the Belgian Pro League come Spring.
The league winner competes in Champions, whereas second place plays in the Europa League, and third and fourth compete in the Conference League. The Belgian Cup also qualifies for the Conference League, but if the winner already qualified for a UEFA competition, that slot is allocated to the fifth best club in the Belgian Pro League that season.
Below are how Belgian clubs currently fare in UEFA competitions:
Champions League:
Royal Antwerp — 4th place in Group H (0 points — 2 losses)
Europa League:
USG — 3rd place in Group E (1 point — 1 draw, 1 loss)
Conference League:
KAA Gent — 1st place in Group B (4 points — 1 win, 1 draw)
Club Brugge — 2nd in Group D (4 points — 1 win, 1 draw)
KRC Genk — 2nd place in Group F (4 points — 1 win, 1 draw)
Greece: Greek Super League
Typically dominated by three clubs — Olympiacos, Panathinaikos, and AEK Athens — the Greek league is undoubtedly rising in the European ranks, largely due to improved infrastructure and performance in UEFA's competitions.
Olympiacos currently leads the league undefeated with 19 points after seven matches played (6 wins, 1 draw). Athens rivals Panathinaikos and AEK are not too far behind with 16 (5 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss) and 14 points (4 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss) after seven matches, respectively.
However, PAOK Salonika — based in Thessaloniki, Greece's second biggest city — also trails just behind the league leaders by 5 points, tied with AEK. Over the past years, PAOK seemed to be the only non-Athens based club to have a consistently legitimate shot at the league title. Local rival club Aris also poses a threat at times, but generally remains sub-par compared to its Athens counterparts.
The league winner typically stands a chance to qualify for the Champions League, whereas second and third place compete in the Europa League qualifiers, and the Greek Cup winner plays in the Conference League. However, if a top-three club wins the Greek Cup, the fourth-place club competes in the Conference League.
Below are how Greek clubs currently fare in UEFA competitions:
Champions League: N/A
Europa League:
Olympiacos — 3rd place in Group A (1 point — 1 draw, 1 loss)
AEK — 1st place in Group B (4 points — 1 win, 1 draw)
Panathinaikos — 1st place in Group F (4 points — 1 win, 1 draw)
Conference League:
PAOK — 1st place in Group G (6 points — 2 wins)
The Netherlands: Eredivisie
The Eredivisie is home to one of two clubs from major European leagues who still boast a perfect record (no losses or draws) in league play this season. The club in question is PSV Eindhoven, who accumulated 24 points from eight matches and an impressive goal differential of +25 (27 goals for, 2 goals against).
AZ Alkmaar, last year's Conference League semifinalists, sits in second place with 22 points after eight matchdays (7 wins, 1 draw). FC Twente, renowned for its performances in the Netherlands and in Europe in the late 2000s and early 2010s, sits one point behind Alkmaar (7 wins, 1 loss). Feyenoord, Rotterdam's premier club, also remains undefeated and just one point behind Twente (6 wins, 2 draws).
So far, however, the Dutch league currently has many surprise performances. First, Vitesse, who typically compete for European competitions, currently sit in 11th place with only seven points (2 wins, 1 draw, 5 losses).
Worse, Ajax — the most prestigious club in the Netherlands — and FC Utrecht sit at the bottom of the table and in relegation playoffs or in relegation zone at 16th and 18th, respectively. The Amsterdam-based club accumulated merely five points in six matches. Utrecht only mustered three points in eight matches, a result of only one victory and seven losses.
Although Utrecht is not a perennial contender in UEFA competitions, sitting at the bottom of the table draws comparisons to FC Groningen — known for developing young talent such as Arjen Robben and Luis Suarez — who were relegated last season after finishing at the bottom of the table with only 18 points.
As Ajax suffers one of its worst starts to a season in club history — especially given their winless record in Europa League — questions need to be asked on not only the effectiveness of their squad, but also if the coaching staff — led by Maurice Steijn under the directorship of Alfred Schreuder and John Heitinga — is up to the task.
As of now, Manchester United assistant coach Mitchell van der Gaag is reportedly being considered as a potential candidate as Ajax manager. It is worth noting that van der Gaag would be no stranger to Ajax. He managed Jong Ajax, Ajax's reserve league team, from 2019 to 2021, and then became Ajax's assistant coach for the 2021-22 season. He then followed then-manager Erik Ten Haag to Manchester United in the Summer of 2023.
With the Eredivisie being a more prestigious league in comparison to the aforementioned leagues, the top two in the table automatically qualify for the Champions League, with the third-place club needing to go through the playoffs. The fourth-place club enters the Europa League qualifiers, whereas clubs finishing fifth to eighth compete for a position in the Conference League. The KNVB Cup winner qualifies for the Europa League. If a European qualifier wins the cup, the highest-placed club who failed to qualify for a UEFA competition earns that berth.
Below are how Dutch clubs currently fare in UEFA competitions:
Champions League:
PSV Eindhoven — 4th place in Group B (1 point — 1 draw, 1 loss)
Feyenoord — 3rd place in Group E (3 points — 1 win, 1 loss)
Europa League:
Ajax — 3rd place in Group B (2 points — 2 draws)
Conference League:
AZ Alkmaar — 2nd place in Group E (3 points — 1 win, 1 loss)
Stay tuned for Part 2's release in the coming week…
