This week in Europe · 1 October 2026
This week in European football: perfect starts, Raphinha on fire and the sack race begins
Three perfect records, a three-way tie in Italy, six coaching changes and a Champions League opener with 69 goals. Here is everything that matters before club football returns on 9 October.
By the SitesNG Sports Desk · Published 1 October 2026
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1 October 2026
The story
Perfect starts. Only three clubs in Europe’s Big 5 leagues still have a 100% record. Enzo Maresca’s Manchester City have won five from five in the Premier League since he succeeded Pep Guardiola, Hansi Flick’s Barcelona have won all seven in LaLiga, and Niko Kovač’s Borussia Dortmund are four from four in the Bundesliga.
Raphinha is on fire. Barcelona’s captain Raphinha already has 12 LaLiga goals, including two hat-tricks three days apart, against Racing Santander (7-2) and Sevilla (3-1).
Three-way tie in Italy. Roma, Inter and Lazio are level on 13 points at the top of Serie A. Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma have the league’s top scorer in Donyell Malen, with six goals.
The sack race has started. Six top-flight clubs have already changed coach since the season began: Valencia (now led by Javier Aguirre), Fiorentina, Bologna, Parma, Borussia Mönchengladbach (now Alexander Blessin) and Lens (interim Yannick Cahuzac).
Champions League. Holders Paris Saint-Germain, coached by Luis Enrique, opened with a 6-1 win over Slovan Bratislava. Matchday 2 is on 13 and 14 October.
The numbers
Where things stand
| League | Leaders | Pts | Top scorer |
|---|---|---|---|
| EPL | Manchester City | 15 | Erling Haaland (5) |
| LaLiga | Barcelona | 21 | Raphinha (12) |
| Serie A | Roma | 13 | Donyell Malen (6) |
| Bundesliga | Borussia Dortmund | 12 | Younes Ebnoutalib (4) |
| Ligue 1 | AS Monaco | 13 | Paris Brunner (4) |
| Champions League | Paris Saint-Germain | 3 | Ermedin Demirović (3) |
Profiles
People in this story
Every player and coach named above has a profile with a credited photo, career highlights and season numbers.
Enzo Maresca
Manager, Manchester CityPhoto: Oscar0123, CC BY-SA 4.0
Pep Guardiola
Former Manchester City manager, City Football Group (global ambassador)Photo: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0
Hansi Flick
Head coach, BarcelonaPhoto: Steffen Prößdorf, CC BY-SA 4.0
Niko Kovač
Head coach, Borussia DortmundPhoto: Werner100359, CC BY-SA 4.0
Raphinha
Forward (club captain), BarcelonaPhoto: Bryan Berlin, CC BY-SA 4.0
Gian Piero Gasperini
Head coach, RomaPhoto: Quirinale, Attribution
Donyell Malen
Forward, RomaPhoto: Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Javier Aguirre
Head coach, ValenciaPhoto: Selección Nacional de México, CC BY 3.0
Alexander Blessin
Head coach, Borussia MönchengladbachPhoto: Lanthan2003, CC BY-SA 4.0
Yannick Cahuzac
Interim head coach, LensPhoto: Supporterhéninois, CC0
Luis Enrique
Head coach, Paris Saint-GermainPhoto: Lluís from Sabadell (Barcelona), España, CC BY 2.0
This week in Europe
More this week, 1 October 2026
This week in the Premier League
Maresca’s Manchester City win five from five as Brighton stun ArsenalRead moreThis week in LaLiga
Raphinha’s 12 goals keep Flick’s Barcelona perfect as Simeone wins the Madrid derbyRead more
This week in Serie A
Roma, Inter and Lazio locked together as Malen fires and coaches fallRead more
This week in the Bundesliga
Kovač’s Dortmund perfect as Olise hits a hat-trick in Bayern’s 7-0Read more
This week in Ligue 1
Filipe Luís’s Monaco lead as PSG win in MarseilleRead more
This week in the Champions League
holders PSG open with a 6-1 win as Matchday 1 brings 69 goalsRead moreNews archive
Every weekly edition of This week in European football.Read more
Quick answers
Quick answers
What happened in European football this week?
Three perfect records, a three-way tie in Italy, six coaching changes and a Champions League opener with 69 goals. Here is everything that matters before club football returns on 9 October.
How often does SitesNG publish these stories?
Every week. Each edition stays online in our European football news archive, so you can look back at earlier weeks.