The European giants facing a relegation battle 😨

The European giants facing a relegation battle 😨Watch out, it's already November...The second major stretch of fixtures in the 2026-2027 season came to an end this weekend, just before the final international break of the year. When the internationals return, there will still be a few matches to play before the winter break and, more importantly, the halfway point of the season. But for some big clubs in Europe's top five leagues, European ambitions are already off the agenda.The matchdays roll by, the points fail to add up, and their league positions are becoming seriously worrying. So much so that they may have to lower their sights: rather than looking towards the European places, some big clubs may well have to focus on an entirely different mission—survival. Here is a look at the clubs already playing with fire.Manchester United: a repeat of Tottenham's season?We naturally begin in the Premier League, where Manchester United's situation is becoming particularly concerning. The Red Devils currently sit 18th in the table, with just eight points after ten matches. That puts them on course for the Championship and is starting to seriously worry United supporters.Most worrying, though, is the club's form. Manchester United have not won a league match since August 30, when they claimed a spectacular 5-2 victory over Ipswich. Since then, Michael Carrick's men have stumbled from one disappointing result to the next, struggling to find any consistency. This Sunday against Aston Villa, they even came close to another defeat before miraculously snatching a 4-4 draw with a stoppage-time equaliser.Ultimately, that point does little to change United's position, with the club still stuck in the relegation zone. With tensions already running particularly high amid disappointing results, worrying performances and growing supporter anger towards the club's leadership, it is hard to imagine a peaceful season at Old Trafford. At this rate, Manchester United could well endure a campaign similar to Tottenham's last season, with a relegation battle that could go right down to the wire...Valencia: former Spanish champions in the relegation zoneOver in Spain, things are hardly any brighter for Valencia CF. Spanish champions in 2002 and 2004, Los Che appear trapped in a downward spiral they are struggling to escape. For several seasons now, Valencia have regularly been forced to look over their shoulders rather than up the table. And the 2026-2027 campaign does not look set to change that.After twelve matches, Valencia sit 19th in La Liga with just nine points. A mere two wins, three draws and already seven defeats make for a particularly worrying record. At Mestalla, European ambitions are now a thing of the past. The priority lies elsewhere and, once again, they will probably have to fight to the very end to preserve their place in Spain's top flight.Fiorentina and Atalanta: two worrying campaignsIn Serie A, two sides accustomed to competing near the top in recent years are also beginning to look nervously down the table. Starting with Fiorentina. Having already narrowly avoided disaster last season, the Viola hoped to make a fresh start, helped by some ambitious recruitment. But so far, things still are not clicking.Heading into the international break, Fiorentina sit 15th with nine points from eleven matches. Just two wins since the start of the league season is far too little for a club that had ambitions of returning to the European places. And while the situation is not yet desperate, Fiorentina will need to find solutions quickly to avoid spending another season battling near the bottom of the table.A little higher up, Atalanta are not yet in quite such an alarming position, but the signs are hardly reassuring either. The Bergamo club sit 12th with 14 points after eleven matches. With four wins, two draws and five defeats, they are struggling to find consistency and string good results together. A long way short of the standards they have set in recent seasons, Atalanta are currently in no position to look towards the European places. If this inconsistency continues, the club could well find themselves in a much less comfortable position come spring.Mönchengladbach: one difficult season too many?Finally, we head to Germany, where Borussia Mönchengladbach are also enduring a particularly difficult start to the season. Long accustomed to European competition and the upper reaches of the Bundesliga, the German club now appear a long way from their best years.After nine matches, the Foals sit rock bottom of the league with a meagre four points and just one win. With seven defeats already, their record is particularly worrying and points to a very difficult season ahead. While Mönchengladbach have endured several tough campaigns in recent years, this could well be one too many. The club will need to turn things around quickly or risk finding themselves embroiled in a full-blown battle for survival.This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.