Ajax, Lyon and the fallen European giants facing shock relegation battles in 2023-24

There is only one place to start: Amsterdam. Ajax's turmoil has been well documented of late, largely due to the apocalyptic scenes witnessed during their humiliating defeat to Feyenoord back in September.

After their fierce rivals scored their third, unanswered goal of the first half, the home crowd turned nasty, peppering the turf with flares and other missiles. The game was eventually abandoned, but some supporters continued to run amok, with one small group even breaking into the stadium's main reception.

Since this "jet-black day", in the words of beleaguered head coach Maurice Steijn, Ajax's horrendous form has continued. A dramatic 4-3 defeat to Utrecht on Sunday - which was punctuated by further crowd disorder - condemned the team to their worst run of form since 1954.

They are currently marooned in the relegation zone having sacked sporting director Sven Mislintat amid allegations of dodgy transfer dealings. The club have now turned to legends Louis van Gaal and, more recently, Danny Blind, in an attempt to arrest their alarming slide, and on Monday confirmed that Steijn had been given his marching orders.

That this has been allowed to happen when Ajax possess such a financial stranglehold over Dutch football is a shambles of unparalleled proportion.

Lyon appear to be a classic case of off-field uncertainty affecting performances on the pitch. Under long-serving president Jean-Michel Aulas, the club dominated the men's game in France before the arrival of Paris Saint-Germain, and also became the preeminent power in European women's football.

Aulas sold up to John Textor’s Eagle Football Holdings last December, and the American has been restructuring the club's finances ever since, foregoing a stake in the women's side to OL Reign owner Michele Kang while attempting to decrease Lyon's focus on "physical assets".

It's all very complicated, and it appears to have come at the cost of on-pitch success - at least for the men's team. After selling a string of important players in the transfer window, manager Laurent Blanc made a horrendous start and was sacked in September - with the club's ultras slamming the team from the stands following a 4-1 defeat to PSG in his penultimate game.

Things have not got any better under his replacement, Fabio Grosso, with Les Gones still without a win and bottom of Ligue 1 - sitting a full six points from safety already - despite boasting the likes of Corentin Tolisso, Dejan Lovren, Alexandre Lacazette and top French talent Rayan Cherki in their ranks.

Supporters are continuing to vent their frustrations, recently unveiling banners which urged Textor to "focus on football". They've got a point, too. Lyon won't be any use commercially if they drop down into Ligue 2.

Union Berlin's rise over the past few years has been one of the most uplifting stories in world football. Supporters once gave blood for cash so the club could finance stadium improvements. Now, they're in the Champions League.

During their rapid ascension, Union have always operated on perilously thin margins, relying on their tireless work ethic, direct approach play and the organisational skills of coach Urs Fischer to squeeze every ounce of ability out of their meagre resources.

This season, they haven't had anywhere near their same level of success, amid concerns that their summer recruits are not suited to their robust style. They are without a victory in Europe and are hovering just outside the relegation zone, having conceded nearly half the amount of goals they let in during the entirety of the 2022-23 Bundesliga season in just eight games.

It was always going to be nigh-on impossible to repeat last season's top-four finish, but this degree of regression was not expected.

Ligue 1 has often been a land of fluctuating fortunes, but even by these standards, Lens' poor start has been a shock. Yes, they did lose midfield talisman Seko Fofana and top scorer Lois Openda in the summer, but they reinvested those funds and managed to keep hold of the rest of the squad that PSG narrowly pipped to the title last season.

Their Champions League commitments have no doubt played a role in their poor form - they recorded a heroic victory over Arsenal recently - but nine points from nine games still isn't good enough.

Currently sitting just one point above the relegation zone, Lens need to find some form quickly.

Amid Fenerbahce and Galatasaray's unbeaten starts to the Super Lig, the club that only a few years ago threatened to upset the traditional power balance in Turkey is struggling at the foot of the table.

The Istanbul Basaksehir project had been losing steam over the past few seasons - they finished fifth last year - but few could have predicted the drop off witnessed this season.

Despite the signings of Krzysztof Piatek and Emmanuel Dennis in the summer, the team have won just two of their opening nine games, a run that has included a 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Fenerbahce.

Thankfully for Manchester United, who Basaksehir famously beat back in 2020, the days of the government-linked club gracing the Champions League appear to be over.

Basel are one of the powerhouses of Swiss football. Boasting 20 league titles in all, they were especially successful at the turn of the millennium, finishing top of the pile 12 times between 2001 and 2017.

There's been a gradual drop off since then, coinciding with the rise of Young Boys as the new hegemonic power in Switzerland and a battle for ownership with fan protests behind the scenes. Last season, they finished fifth, but did take Fiorentina to extra-time in the Europa Conference League semi-finals.

Sporting director Heiko Vogel took over coaching responsibilities midway through that campaign following the unpopular dismissal of club icon Alexander Frei, with former St Pauli boss Timo Schultz handed the reins in the summer.

He was dealt a difficult hand, with the club losing a string of key players and not dipping into the transfer market to replace them until August. Results were understandably poor and he paid with his job at the end of September.

Vogel stepped in to the hot seat again and Basel have not won a game since. They are currently rock bottom and the fans are not happy.

It would be an overstatement to describe Celta Vigo as a fallen giant, but they definitely fit into the category of teams performing well below expectations this season.

Since returning to the top flight in 2012, the club have flirted with relegation more than once. However, in recent years, they seemed to have re-established themselves as La Liga stalwarts. Since Rafa Benitez replaced Carlos Carvajal in the summer, though, that appears to be changing.

The former Everton boss turned down big-money offers from across the globe before joining Celta - a decision he may be beginning to regret. There's no shortage of talented players at Abanca-Balaidos, including the evergreen Iago Aspas and Jonathan Bamba, but things just aren't clicking. Celta have won only once so far and need to turn things around quickly if they are to avoid a surprise relegation.

When will the misery end for Schalke fans?! Champions League quarter-finalists as recently as 2017 and boasting one of the biggest fanbases in all of Germany, Die Knappen have been dealt blow after blow over the past few seasons.

After being harshly affected by the coronavirus pandemic, they were first relegated in 2021 and then again in 2023. And the chances of them bouncing back straight away this campaign are close to zero.

They've won just twice so far, with manager Thomas Reis being sacked recently. Karel Geraerts is the man tasked with preventing their 2023-24 season from turning into another farce, and he at least has some talent to work with.

Relegation to the third tier is unthinkable, but as Schalke have been so chaotic in recent years, it cannot be ruled out entirely...

Bordeaux boast six French league titles and a decent European pedigree, but they are currently languishing in Ligue 2. A return to the top flight does not appear likely any time soon, either.

They were even supposed to be in the third tier this season, despite securing a third-place finish last year. Relegation was imposed on them due to their financial issues, though the club successfully appealed that decision.

They may have just been delaying the inevitable, though. Bordeaux, under the guidance of Liverpool flop Albert Riera, are currently just three points outside the relegation zone after losing a host of young stars - including top scorer Josh Maja - in the summer.

Sampdoria have endured a challenging few years and there's little sign of this turmoil relenting. Last campaign they finished last in Serie A - but that was the least of their problems.

Financially, the club was a mess, with reports of unpaid wages plaguing the one-time Scudetto winners all season. It took a last-gasp takeover by then-Leeds owner Andrea Radrizzani to essentially save the club.

They tasked Andrea Pirlo with turning things around in the summer, but the Italian legend has experienced a challenging start to life in the second tier. Although they are outside of the relegation places for now, a return of seven points from 10 games means Pirlo is already in danger of being relieved of his duties.

It's not just in Europe that giants are faltering either. Santos are enduring a horrendous campaign and could be relegated from the Brasileirao for the first time ever.

Once the home of Pele and Neymar, the forward line is now spearheaded by ex-Rangers man Alfredo Morelos. This lack of star power has led to Santos underperforming across the board, with the Peixe crashing out in the Copa Sudamericana and Campeonato Paulista group stages, as well as exiting the Copa do Brasil in the round of 16.

Most concerning of all, though, has been their league form. With 10 games left to play, Santos are sitting in the relegation zone, with huge clashes against local rivals Sao Paulo and Corinthians set to go a long way to deciding their fate.

A recent 7-1 thumping at the hands of Internacional - where Enner Valencia scored twice - was a less than ideal start to one of the most crucial runs of games in the club's history.