Nine matchdays in, La Liga's relegation zone already has a settled look to it, and an uneasy one. Levante UD sit 17th with 7 points from 8 games. Elche match that points tally but have needed 9 matches to get there. Valencia are a place further back on 6 points, also from 9 games. And at the bottom, Málaga CF have just 4 points from their 9 outings.
The gap at the foot
Strip it down to points per game and the picture sharpens. Levante's 7 points from 8 matches works out to 0.875 per game, the best rate of the four by some distance. Elche's identical 7 points have come at a cost of an extra fixture, a rate of 0.778. Valencia, with 6 points from 9, are at 0.667. Málaga trail the pack at 0.444 points per game, the only side in the group yet to reach 5 points.
Why the games-played column matters
Levante's game in hand is the detail worth watching. Sitting 17th while having played one fewer match than Elche, Valencia and Málaga means a single result could shuffle this group before the others even kick off. For now the four clubs are locked together at the bottom of the table, separated by just 3 points from top to bottom of the zone, with Málaga the outlier on points won but very much part of the same fight.
Nothing here is settled. With this little separating 17th from 20th, every fixture involving these four sides carries weight well beyond the three points on offer.