As LaLiga 2025/26 rolls past the first third of its calendar, we’ve already seen enough to start drawing lessons. This isn’t a midseason review, it’s a snapshot of patterns emerging from chaos, excellence, and adaptation across Spain’s top flight.
1. Mbappé, but make it Spanish
It’s hard not to start with the numbers. Kylian Mbappé leads the goal charts with 9 in 8 matches. That kind of output has forced LaLiga’s defenses to adjust on the fly. Meanwhile, strikers like Julián Álvarez and Ferran Torres are keeping pace, proving the dual threat from Madrid and Barça remains alive.
Note that, scoring isn’t just a team effort anymore, the league will bend around lethal finishers.
Embed from Getty Images2. Possession still king here, but counter-attacks are sharper
Traditionally, LaLiga’s identity is built on possession, build-up and control. This season, while elite sides still dominate the ball, we’re seeing more incisive counters. Playing slow through packed midlines hasn’t yielded as much in recent weeks; instead, vertical passes, overlapping full-backs and opportunistic breaks are getting more weight in match results.
Embed from Getty Images3. Defensive weak links are already exposed
Some teams that looked solid defensively in 2024/25 are leaking. For example, Mallorca is conceding over double the goals compared to last season this early on. Mistakes behind the defensive line, poor tracking, slow transitions, lack of communication, have become recurring storylines. The margin for error is smaller than ever.
Embed from Getty Images4. Squad depth is no longer optional
Injury spells or fixture congestion have exposed how shallow some rosters are. Teams trying to punch above their weight are finding themselves short in the second half of matches, especially when fatigue sets in. The top clubs are already rotating not just personnel, but systems and preparing for shifts in form, opponent styles, and fixture congestion.
5. Young wings and hybrids making noise
One of the sweetest surprises: hybrid attackers and young wings are thriving. Players who can rotate between full-back, winger, and interior roles give coaches flexibility. The age curve is bending and clubs are trusting 19- to 22-year-olds to carry pressure, break lines and blend creativity with defensive awareness.
Embed from Getty Images6. Title predictions, but the real race is beneath
Most simulations and predictive models still favor Barcelona to defend and Real Madrid to contest. But the fight for European spots, midtable safety, and survival is shaping into a thriller. The gap is thin.
The real stories this season might be ones you don’t hear as much. How mid table teams punch above their class, how promoted squads adjust, and how tactical flexibility replaces rigid identities.
What LaLiga 2025/26 teaches us already is this: evolution is the only constant. The league is still about beauty, but now it’s mixed with pragmatism, rotation, hybrid roles and razor-thin margins. By season’s end, titles will matter, but the deeper shift will be how teams adapt or fail under pressure.
Embed from Getty ImagesWritten by Pejuola Ransome
INMR FOOTBALL 
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