By OkayGoal 
We’ll be one third of the way through the 2025/26 season of LaLiga by the end of this weekend. With Real Madrid and Barcelona first and second, and newly-promoted clubs occupying the bottom two positions, there’s a relative lack of unexpected storylines to get excited about.
Having only survived on the final day of last season, Espanyol have been the biggest surprise package, with Manolo Gonzalez’s side currently riding high in sixth place. Getafe have also been going well and are threatening to mount an unlikely European push, while Elche have settled quickly into the top flight following promotion.
Otherwise, it’s hard to pinpoint many clubs that are doing significantly better or worse than might have been expected. However, a deeper dive into the numbers highlights some interesting trends.
Elche trying to pass their way to safety
Anyone who caught much of their 2024/25 Segunda Division campaign will not be surprised to see how Elche have gone about their start to life in the top flight. Eder Sarabia’s side averaged a league-high 61.5% possession last term on their way to promotion.
They’ve tried to play exactly the same way at a higher level. Despite facing better teams every week, their possession average has only dropped slightly to 59.0%. Their pass completion rate is also the third highest in LaLiga at 85.2%, behind only Real Madrid and Barca.
Los Franjiverdes had slightly more of the ball in a 3-1 away defeat against the Catalans earlier this month. So far at least, their short-passing style has yielded results. 15 points from 12 games represents a really solid start, but they are winless in their last five matches.
Are Espanyol actually underperforming?
Particularly given the cross-town departure of Joan Garcia, whose saves arguably kept them in the Primera Division last term, this had the potential to be a really difficult second season back in the top flight for Espanyol.
However, aided by some smart recruitment, Manolo’s team have so far defied all pre-season expectations. Clemens Riedel and Tyrhys Dolan, plucked from the German and English second tiers, have both made a surprisingly big impact. Existing duo Edu Exposito and Pere Milla are also playing some of the best football of their respective careers, while Carlos Romero has perhaps been the pick of the bunch, with two goals and two assists from left back.
What’s more, the underlying data suggests Espanyol could be doing even better. Their 15-goal return is significantly lower than their xG tally of 20.6, a figure that only Barca, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid can better. Meanwhile, their xGD (Expected Goals Difference) of +5.9 is the fifth-best record.
Sevilla racking up the cards
Another team doing better than expected is Sevilla. They are only two points behind Espanyol, and stunned Barca with a 4-1 win in October. However, their Expected Goal figures suggest there has been an element of good fortune to their success so far. The Andalusians rank among the worst three teams for both xG (11.2) and xGA* (21.2).
Matias Almeyda’s side are top of one LaLiga table, though. With 41 cards received, they are 11 clear of Getafe, who have the second-worst disciplinary record. Under new management, there has been a clear shift towards a more aggressive style.
Despite that, Sevilla are one of only three teams yet to receive a red card (along with Real Sociedad and Real Betis). Contrast that to Girona, who have received the second-lowest number of yellow cards, but a league-high five reds.
*Expected Goals Allowed.
Guler to Mbappe – Europe’s best assist-to-goal combination
Pre-season talk at the Bernabeu often centred around whether Xabi Alonso could improve the link-up play between Vinicius Junior, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham. While the jury is still out on that front, Mbappe has very much been on the same wavelength as Arda Guler this term.
The Turkish youngster has already assisted five Mbappe goals in LaLiga 2025/26. No other combination has been as productive in Europe’s big five leagues. Remarkably, that has also already equalled the best assist-to-goalscorer combination from last season in the Spanish top flight (Antoine Griezmann to Julian Alvarez – five).
Only one other pairing has combined for more than two goals this term in LaLiga. That’s over at Sevilla, where Ruben Vargas has set up all three of Isaac Romero’s goals.
Luis Milla carrying Getafe
Despite setting up Mbappe on so many occasions, there are two players to have registered more assists than Guler in LaLiga this season. One of those is Marcus Rashford, who set up two goals in Barca’s 4-2 win at Celta last time out to move on to six assists in his debut campaign in the Spanish top flight.
The other player with six assists is Luis Milla. The midfielder has almost entirely carried Getafe’s creative threat, with 50% of their goals so far provided by the 31-year-old. He’s averaging 2.0 key passes per game, while no other remaining player at the South Madrid club has posted more than 0.5.
Despite Milla’s best efforts, Getafe still have the lowest xG total in LaLiga at 8.6. They’ve registered under 1.0 xG in every match since the opening weekend, when they won 2-0 at Celta Vigo.
Light at the end of the tunnel for Real Sociedad
Summer appointment Sergio Francisco was under significant pressure at Real Sociedad after a poor start to the season. A 1-0 home defeat against Rayo Vallecano on matchday eight, a fifth loss in the space of six matches, might have sparked more impatient boards into a change.
Real Sociedad kept the faith in their beleaguered boss, and they look to have been rewarded with some improved performances and results. La Real have taken eight points from their last four games, and created more xG than their opponents in each of those fixtures.
They rank in the top eight of LaLiga for shots per game (12.92) and progressive passes per game (38.3). With Carlos Soler starting to find his feet, and Yangel Herrera still to get fit, there’s reason to think their midfield play may continue to improve over the coming weeks and months.
Mark is a freelance football writer based in Madrid, and the editor of LaLigaExpert.com. He has been covering LaLiga and European football since 2014.