Ranking 5 major clubs who have underperformed this season
Football has always been unpredictable, and that is one of the few reasons we all love it. However, nobody would have expected some teams to be performing the way they currently are. With an overall bad run of form, some of the biggest teams are struggling to maintain their impeccable standards.
Some top European clubs have been below-par this season
Poor form cannot always be blamed on the bad performances of players. The modern-day game of football has many nuances to it, starting with the owners and the club management.
Barcelona will play in the Europa League in 2022 😳 https://t.co/b6Qp0IDF9k
Enduring this as a fan can be taxing, especially when one’s team used to win week in and week out. A few names on this list have always been associated with success and dominance. For varied and complex reasons, however, they have been severely underperforming this season.
Here are five teams who have been playing well below everyone’s expectations this season.
#5 Lille
Few would have expected Lille to struggle in Ligue 1 this season. Lille have been quite impressive over the past few years. They have been a thorn in Paris Saint-Germain’s side and made life difficult for the Parisians in their pursuit of the title.
Having won the league title with an emphatic display last season, Lille are currently floundering in 11th place in the French top-flight division. Lille had a rock-solid defense last season and conceded just 23 goals. Their goalkeeper, Mike Maignan, kept 21 clean sheets which was the best in the league.
🏆🏆 CHAMPION 🏆🏆
For the fourth time in their history, @LOSC_EN are
@Ligue1_ENG champions! ✨
👏 Bravo to Lille for an incredible season! 👏 https://t.co/vTwiKsIL6w
Lille have already conceded more goals at the halfway stage of the season compared to the previous one. However, their Champions League performances have been considerably better. Lille finished comfortably at the top of their group. They face title holders Chelsea in the Round of 16 in the Champions League.
#4 RB Leipzig
RB Leipzig are having a tough time in both domestic and European competitions. Having finished in the top three for the past three seasons, Leipzig have had a poor start to the Bundesliga this season.
Leipzig were in a formidable Champions League group that included Manchester City and PSG. However, they gave a good account of themselves, drawing against PSG and beating Man City.
Bundesliga table after matchday 17 https://t.co/XO2vtOp0rS
RB Leipzig have struggled since Julian Nagelsmann’s departure and are currently 10th in the Bundesliga. Leipzig are a talent factory but have often lost promising players such as Ibrahima Konate to bigger clubs. Stars such as Dayot Upamecano and Marcel Sabitzer followed their coach’s footsteps and joined giants Bayern Munich.
After getting knocked out of the Champions League, Leipzig will try to get their hands on the Europa League. They face Real Sociedad in the knockout round playoffs of the Europa League.