Champions Barca dropped points for the third game in a row on Saturday when they salvaged a 1-1 draw at home to Athletic Bilbao with a late equaliser.
Even after drawing at home with Girona and sliding to a shock 2-1 defeat at minnows Leganes during the week, Barca remain on top of the standings on goal difference.
That is because Real Madrid failed to win for the third time in four league outings, drawing 0-0 with Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
Real have the same number of points as they did after seven games last season.
Yet whereas they were seven points adrift of Barca at this stage of the last campaign, which they finished an astonishing 17 points off the pace, now they are locked on 14 points with the Catalans at the summit.
No team has led the La Liga standings with such a low number of points after seven games since the 1993-94 season.
Real and Barca's twin struggles contrast with their ruthless form of a few years ago, with Real sweeping to the 2011-12 title with 100 points and the Catalans racking up a century of points the following season.
Atletico, the only serious challenger to the duopoly of Real and Barca in the last 14 years and who won the title in 2014, have made their worst ever start to a season under coach Diego Simeone in taking 12 points from seven games.
They remain, however, only two points behind their usual rivals, sitting fourth.
Sevilla have benefited the most from the stumbling form of the usual suspects and are currently third after winning three games on the bounce, including thrashing Real 3-0 last Wednesday.
