2 Wins and 2 Draws in First 4 Rounds, Deportivo Become La Liga's Best Promoted Side Starter in 13 Years

According to AS, Deportivo La Coruna have collected 8 points from their first four rounds, making them the best-starting promoted team in the past 13 years.

Deportivo La Coruna have taken 8 points from their first four matches with two wins and two draws, remaining unbeaten in La Liga. This start has put Deportivo among the leading group in La Liga. Such a beginning is uncommon for a promoted side. In fact, the Deportivo team led by Hidalgo has become the best-performing promoted team in the past 13 years.

Looking at the past 20 years, Deportivo La Coruna's start has only been surpassed by Real Betis and Villarreal. Real Betis won all of their first four matches in the 2011-12 season and collected 12 points, while Villarreal earned 10 points in the 2013-14 season. After promotion to La Liga, promoted teams have historically averaged around 3 to 5 points after four rounds, so earning more than 7 points in the first month of the season is an achievement reached by very few promoted sides. The teams with the highest points totals at this stage happen to be the three established clubs Deportivo La Coruna, Real Betis and Villarreal.

Deportivo La Coruna returned to La Liga this summer, ending an eight-year absence, and their promotion coincided with the club's 120th anniversary. Hidalgo has guided the team to a strong start, helping them enter the European qualification places after the fourth round. Deportivo are currently fifth. This position may still appear somewhat accidental early in the season, but the last time Deportivo were in the European places dates back to January 2026. At that time, the team coached by Victor Sanchez del Amo finished the first half of the La Liga season with 27 points and never returned to the European places afterward. Now, Deportivo have started September 2026 in fifth place, which is also an encouragement for the team's work.

On Saturday, after defeating Villarreal, Deportivo La Coruna briefly climbed to fourth place, although the ranking lasted only a few hours. This temporary Champions League position brought great excitement within the team, with players celebrating the victory with music and laughter. The celebrations could even be heard in the press conference room and mixed zone at La Ceramica Stadium. The last time Deportivo reached a Champions League place dates back 14 years. In 2012, Deportivo briefly ranked fourth after the opening round.

Deportivo La Coruna have scored 8 goals in their first four matches. The team's key player Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has contributed 4 of them. Deportivo have scored in every round so far: 1 goal against Elche, 1 goal against Malaga, 3 goals against Valencia, and 3 goals against Villarreal. These figures show the attacking power of Deportivo as a promoted team. Players such as Yeremay, Nsonso-Bill and Mario Soriano, who have been given high expectations, have not scored yet.

The biggest weakness for Hidalgo's team at present is conceding goals. Deportivo La Coruna have conceded in each of their four matches over the past month. In the next round, Deportivo will face Getafe away at the Coliseum Stadium, which will be a new test of the team's ambitions and strength.