After seven rounds, October's National Team match day arrived. The leagues were suspended, and the media and fans began turning their attention to the La Liga table and scoring charts. However, the results came as a considerable surprise.
After Barcelona suffered a disastrous 2–4 home defeat to Real Madrid in the seventh round, the team currently sitting first in La Liga was none other than Real Madrid's city rivals, Atletico Madrid. Simeone's side topped the table with nineteen points, and their record of six wins and one draw made them the only unbeaten team in La Liga so far this season.
On top of that, Atletico Madrid had scored eighteen goals and conceded eight. It was indeed an impressive record.
Real Madrid, meanwhile, had overtaken Barcelona with their seventh-round victory to become second in La Liga. With six wins and one defeat, they had earned only eighteen points, the same as Barcelona. As a result, the two Spanish giants had to settle for second and third place.
In fourth place was Málaga, known as the Man City of La Liga. Although Pellegrini's side had not invested much during the summer, they had brought in several capable players and had performed remarkably well so far this season.
Looking across the first seven rounds, Atletico Madrid's sudden rise had been one of the biggest surprises in La Liga. The Mattress Makers had drawn with Levante in the opening round, then won each of their next six matches. Their performance had been highly commendable. They had also won both of their Europa League group-stage matches, giving them eight straight victories across all competitions.
It could be said that Atletico Madrid, in Simeone's first full season in charge, had made an extraordinarily impressive start. Their forwards, Falcao and Diego Costa, had been equally dazzling.