For most football fans in Europe, Christmas and the New Year offers a chance half-way through the season to reflect upon the progress, or decline, of their team. The Premier League however is very unusual in that it has no mid-season break, instead the fixture list becomes more punishing. So, for the other major leagues within UEFA, let's have a look at who is enjoying their festive break and who is fretting over their performances thus far.
Bundesliga
Not surprisingly Bayern Munich have been almost universally dominant so far this campaign. The treble winners of last season have achieved a remarkably easy transition of managers from Jupp Heynckes to Pep Guardiola. So far Bayern have won 14 and drawn the other 2 of their league games, they are already sitting on a 7 point lead in the table and I'm sure you'd get huge odds if you were to bet against them retaining their title.
The major surprise in the Bundesliga is that their nearest challengers are not Borussia Dortmund. Jürgen Klopp is arguably the most coveted manager in football, but this season his team have been failing to match their awesome form and consistency of the last three. As things stand they are in fourth and fighting a resurgent Wolfsburg and Borussia Monchengladbach for a Champions League spot.
Meanwhile Bayer Leverkusen are the team snapping at the heels of Bayern. Sami Hyypiä continues to garner impressive results in his first managerial position, and the only major regret can be that Leverkusen lost their last two Bundesliga games 1-0 before their winter break. If it hadn't been for those slip-ups they would be a solitary point behind the leaders.
One of those losses was to Eintracht Frankfurt, a team that is now fraternising with relegation after a remarkable 6th place finish in 2012-13. Below them in the danger zone is SC Freiburg (5th last season), FC Nurnberg and Eintracht Braunschweig. The latter is trying to enjoy a first top-flight campaign in 28 years after achieving two promotions in the last three seasons.
Ligue 1
As with Germany, the teams at the top of the pyramid in France are not unexpected. The financial power-bases that are PSG and (Claudio Ranieri's) Monaco are first and second respectively. However, close behind them are Lille, the champions of 2010-11. This past summer they lost their title-winning manager Rudi Garcia to Roma, but instead of experiencing a lull their ambitions have been reinvigorated by the new man in charge- René Girard.
This was a significant move as Girard followed Lille's championship season with one of his own when he led Montpellier to their first ever title in 2011-12. Doubts remain as to how far Lille can push the top two, but they will have been emboldened by their final fixture before the break, away at PSG they held the champions to a 2-2 draw.
A look at the goal-scoring charts will indicate the challenge that Lille face, with Ibrahimović, Cavani and Falcao making up 3 of the top 4. And the other player? That's 21 year-old Vincent Aboubakar of Lorient, never previously a prolific scorer, he has grabbed 10 goals in the first 18 league appearances for his new club.
As for the lower echelons of the table, AC Ajaccio are propping things up and still to properly recover from the short and disastrous tenure of Fabrizio Ravanelli (yes him). Immediately above them are Sochaux, who have been managed by Hervé Renard since the summer, he who won the African Cup of Nations with Zambia in 2012. Montpellier are also hovering close by as they continue to adapt to life without René Girard, although their problem isn't the losing it's the drawing, out of 19 league games they've had 11 stalemates!
Serie A
Over in Italy the title charge seems destined to be between Juventus and Roma. 'The Old Lady' have won 15 of their opening 17 fixtures and lead an unbeaten Roma by 5 points. Rudi Garcia's new team had stormed the opening weeks of the season, but 5 draws from their last 7 league games have seen them slip behind for the time being.
Perhaps the real talking point though is the plight of AC Milan, who are languishing down in 13th place. Worse still for their fans the last fixture before their holiday was a 1-0 loss to Inter in the derby, not a result to be left chewing over for three weeks. Trouble has also continued to brew off the pitch with departure rumours circulating Mario Balotelli, and manager Massimiliano Allegri strongly hinting that his time may be up in the summer- if he makes it that far.
Rooted to the bottom is Catania, a team that has proudly established itself in Serie A over the last seven seasons. However, over that time they have had a conveyor-belt of managers, and it will take a special effort for the incumbent Luigi De Canio to keep himself in post.
In 18th place as it stands is Sassuolo, a club sampling the top tier for the first time in their history. Champions of Serie B last season, they have remained relatively loyal to that squad and brought in few players. Their campaign started off with a few shocks, such as a 7-0 home loss to Inter, but they then discovered some form and were looking good until December. Four consecutive losses without scoring has since seen them drop into a relegation place, but it may be that this break will allow them to gather their senses again.
Eredivisie
A few weeks ago I covered the state of play in the Eredivisie, with most of the focus being upon Vitesse and their utilisation of loan signings. Since then Vitesse have continued to notch up win after win in an effort to keep the relentless force that is Ajax at bay.
Still, Vitesse may be another team where the winter break has occurred at just the right time. In their last two fixtures before Christmas, they lost their first league game for two months (3-1 away at Roda JC), and followed this by a 2-2 draw at Heracles. Both teams they would have been expected to beat, but the dropped points now mean that Ajax have crept into first place courtesy of goal difference.
Meanwhile FC Twente and Feyenoord have put a sequence of wins together to get within striking distance of the top two. Ajax remain the obvious favourites as they aim to win four titles in a row, but the Eredivisie is developing into what could be one of the most interesting battles in Europe.
Down below are N.E.C. who are desperate to avoid relegation after twenty years in the top division. In their favour is the fact that it's extremely tight between all of the teams from 14th- 18th. In fact a decent run of form could elevate any number of teams into a Europa League play-off.
La Liga
Last but not least is Spain. And you know what- there are two teams in contention for the title, whilst every other team aims to be the best of a distant rest! Could you possibly guess who they are?
Ha! Well if you said Barcelona and Real Madrid- you'd be right for most of the last 12 years. The last time that neither of these giants finished in the top two was back in 2001-02, and the last time they both failed to finish in the top two was 2007-08 (kudos to Villarreal).
But this season may be different, to a very slight degree, because Atlético Madrid under the guidance of Diego Simeone have become a genuine force and so far matched Barcelona blow for blow. The two teams sit joint top of the table with 15 wins, 1 draw and 1 defeat. As for Real, they are five points adrift and still very much in with a shout.
In 20th spot are Real Betis, with a sorry 10 points from 17 games. Last season they finished in a very respectable 7th, but their poor form so far in 2013-14 cost Pepe Mel his job in early December and they have not improved thus far under his successor Juan Carlos Garrido.
So there you have it. Whilst Christmas and the New Yr has allowed the Premier League to be the centre of attention, the vast majority of Europe has enjoyed an extended break. Whether or not that really explains England failing at international tournaments is conjecture, after all there are plenty of heavy-weight internationals that play in England and experience the same schedule.
What is certain is that the football fans of Europe will be looking forward to their seasons starting all over again- and believe me there is plenty to look forward to. Happy New Year!