Fact or fiction: Which early-season narratives should we believe?

With Europe's top leagues well underway, we've had some time to dissect the narratives that have been peddled across the continent since clubs embarked on their pre-season tours. Which of these storylines have proven to be rooted in truth, and which can we comfortably dismiss?

Manchester is once again the centre of Premier League power

Fact: The two Manchester clubs, City and United, ruled over the English game not long ago, as the rivals split the four top-flight league titles awarded between 2010-11 and 2013-14. And now, after a brief hiatus that saw London assume the mantle as the epicentre thanks to Chelsea's Premier League triumphs, Manchester looks set for another extended spell in control. The two sides, led by Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, respectively, have identical 4-1-0 records to begin the campaign, sitting tied atop the table having each scored 16 goals, while allowing just two.

The Citizens boast easily the most talented squad in the country, particularly up front, while the Red Devils are loaded with the type of speed and power that Mourinho craves. Stopping both Manchester clubs from taking top spot this year is going to be a monumental task.

Good luck, London.

Barcelona is in crisis after eventful summer

Fiction: Neymar's departure for Paris Saint-Germain was an enormous blow to Barcelona's ego - more than anything, it reminded the world that, contrary to the Catalan side's iconic motto, Barca is just a club, like all the other ones. The pettiness of the Blaugrana brass in the aftermath of the Brazilian's move only served to hammer that point home.

And yet, despite the shenanigans off the pitch, Barcelona has the ultimate Get Out of Jail Free card: Lionel Messi.

Powered by the little Argentine magician, who is scoring at ridiculous levels reminiscent of his otherworldly 2011-12 campaign, Barca is off to a perfect start this season. Five wins from as many matches played, 17 goals scored (nine by Messi) and only two conceded. There was even a 3-0 dismantling of Juventus in the Champions League, to boot.

Barcelona's demise was greatly exaggerated this summer; Real Madrid isn't going to steamroll to the title.

Neymar's going to regret his decision

Fiction: Yeah, no.

His Paris Saint-Germain kit is flying off the shelves; he's rubbing shoulders with celebrities on his days off; he's clowning Ligue 1 defenders every single week; and he's being paid an ungodly amount of money in the process. On all fronts, Neymar's decision to emerge from Messi's shadow and establish himself as the main attraction already looks like a home run.

PSG looks unstoppable in Ligue 1, and obliterated Celtic on the opening Champions League matchday. Both developments, unsurprisingly, were spearheaded by the €222-million man, who has five goals and the same number of assists this season across the two competitions.

Many derided his move to the French capital as a step down, while others slammed him for what they perceived as a cash grab.

They were all wrong.

Juventus' Serie A reign is in serious jeopardy

Fact: A disappointing summer, punctuated by the loss of Leonardo Bonucci - to AC Milan, of all places - put the rest of Serie A on notice: the king was ripe for overthrowing.

After six consecutive league titles, Juventus looked vulnerable heading into the campaign, and only Paulo Dybala's (probably unsustainable) brilliance has rescued an otherwise underwhelming Bianconeri in all four league matches thus far. The left-footed phenom leads Italy's top flight with eight goals, single-handedly ensuring that Juve has yet to slip up despite looking sluggish against Cagliari, Genoa, Chievo, and Sassuolo.

Bigger domestic tests are on the horizon. Meanwhile, the first real opportunity to evaluate the Old Lady resulted in a humbling 3-0 loss at the Camp Nou.

Napoli will be most emboldened by Juventus' unconvincing start to the season - the Partenopei retained all of their best players this summer, and continue to play the most gorgeous football in the league - while Inter, revamped city rival Milan, and Roma will all fancy their chances of hunting down Massimiliano Allegri's men and ending Juve's run of dominance.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)