Tottenham, Napoli and more: the teams with the worst starts to the European season

For many clubs, such as Tottenham Hotspur, the start of a new season can represent a turning of the page. A start different from the past, when Tottenham escaped relegation from the Premier League last season. But so far this season, Tottenham Hotspur have had a terrible run, with many mistakes that set alarm bells ringing among supporters.

Here we list the European clubs, from the major leagues, that have started the current campaign poorly and need to turn things around.

Tottenham Hotspur

The Premier League table shows that Tottenham Hotspur's bad run does not appear to have come to an end. After a season in which they avoided relegation on the final day, they are once again among the bottom three and sit at the foot of the table, with only two points.

The north London club invested more than £300m in the last transfer window, but have still not won a single game in the Premier League. Under boss Roberto De Zerbi, the team have two draws and three defeats.

One of the factors that stands out most about the team is their inefficiency, especially in attack. Tottenham Hotspur only managed to score their first league goal after five rounds, against Aston Villa, in a match they lost 3-2.

The expectation for the return after the international break is that De Zerbi manages to organise the team, increase their attacking power and that the new signings raise the level of the squad on the pitch.

With such heavy investment in interesting signings, the minimum hope is that the team do not come close to fighting relegation.

Olympique de Marseille

In Ligue 1, Olympique de Marseille have lived up to the negative expectations that hung over the club even before the start of the season. Second from bottom in the competition with three points, the traditional French club have shown that the doubts about the squad's ability were well founded.

With the drop in performance, Marseille have seen their defensive errors and inefficiency come to the fore, resulting in a negative run.

After an opening game in which they thrashed Strasbourg 4-0, Marseille went on to lose five consecutive games this season (four in Ligue 1 and one on their Europa League debut, a heavy 4-1 defeat to Besiktas).

Marseille, who finished fifth last season, have seen the situation worsen in 2026-27 after financial restrictions imposed before the start of the season. It was a loss of approximately £133m (€157m) in recent years.

Beforehand, Marseille had to sell some of their main players, seeking to reduce the wage bill and comply with the rules imposed by Uefa.

The exodus of players culminated in the departures of Mason Greenwood, Facundo Medina and Geronimo Rulli, who left the squad before the start of this season. Another name who was also close to leaving the Stade Velodrome was Brazilian Igor Paixao, who stood out in just over 12 months since arriving at the club.

Napoli

Runners-up in the last Serie A season, Napoli have had a bitter start to the season.

Now managed by Massimiliano Allegri, the new era at the Neapolitan club has not begun well. Napoli's work in the transfer window did little to excite, and the club's status for the season is an unknown.

In terms of results, performances have been unstable: two wins, one draw and two defeats. Allegri's pragmatic style has not yet managed to fit the team or bring out the best in the squad. This is Napoli's centenary year, but it seems difficult to imagine a challenge for the Serie A title.

Sporting

Sporting, meanwhile, are going through a squad overhaul, which included the sale of players who were reference points, such as Francisco Trincao and Pedro Goncalves, as well as captain Morten Hjulmand, who agreed a transfer to Atletico Madrid.

A big blow to the spine of the team, who also saw the departures of Daniel Braganca and Ousmane Diomande.

There were more than £170m in sales, it is true. But the cost on the pitch seems to have weighed heavily. Sporting did invest around £99m (€116m) in reinforcements, a club record for a single window, according to newspaper A Bola, but the impact of a major transformation of a squad that was solid has been negative so far.

Sporting sit third in the Portuguese league with 15 points and are already six behind leaders Porto. A gap like that so early in the season could prove very costly for the club.

The target of the supporters' anger is manager Rui Borges, who is being held responsible for the team's poor performance, the fragile defensive system (eight goals conceded in seven Portuguese league games) and the team's disorganisation on the pitch.