CFR Cluj,
Romania: Cluj has been the biggest disappointment of the Romanian season. The
team was defeated 0-5 in aggregate in the Europa League round of 32. By the end
of the season the team is too far from the Europa League zone. The only positive
news for the fans is the place in the Romanian Cup final, which is going to
take place on the first day of summer.
Montpellier,
France: Only one match to go, Montpellier is on the 8th position in
the French League, which prevents the fans of seeing their team play in
continental tournaments next season. Both the national and league cups were
lost already in January, so the golden season was followed by a very bad one
for Rene Girard.
Lille,
France: As Montpellier, Lille has also lost everything possible, but there is a
chance for the team to appear in the Europa League next season, as the team is
on the 5th position of the French League before the last matchday.
FC
Nordsjælland, Farum, Denmark: The Danish champions were much worse than last
season, but they still managed to bring a bit intrigue in the Danish league,
until they lost the crucial match and thus the title to FC Copenhagen. There is
still a chance for the team to enter the Champions League group stage, if they
get through the qualification round. The Danish Cup run was stopped in October.
Olympiacos,
Pireus, Greece: There are no serious competitors for Olympiacos in Greece. The
team completed the second double in a row, winning both the Greek league and
the national cup. There were also chances to lift the third trophy, but the
team lost to Levante in the Europa League play-off.
Dynamo
Kyiv, Ukraine: A season to forget for Oleh Blokhin’s team: Dynamo came only
third in the Ukrainian League. However, the position gives the team a chance to
fight for the Champions League group stage next season. The team, as many other
Champions League group stage participants, was defeated in the Europa League
round of 32. The national cup was also lost in the earlier stages.
Zenit, St.
Petersburg, Russia: The Russian champions, predicted to have a successful
season after spending lots of money during the summer transfer window, lost
everything possible, as they were eliminated in the Europa League round of 16,
were defeated by Anzhi in the national cup semifinal, and lost the league title
to CSKA. Zenit will have to win in the Champions League qualifying round, if
they plan to enter the group stage next season.
Spartak
Moscow, Russia: The other Russian team had an even worse season, where it was
necessary to fire the manager in the middle of the season. The new old manager
Valery Karpin seems to have fixed something and the team is in the Europa
League zone before the last match of the league. The cup match was lost already
in October.
Manchester United, England: The last season of
Sir Alex Ferguson could have been better, although the team showed how strong
they stand compared to the other English clubs. It was already clear after the
winter break that Manchester United was going to return the English title. But
the hard defeats to Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16 and to
Chelsea in both League Cup and FA Cup still complete an average season for
Ferguson’s benchmark.
Valencia,
Spain: After being the third force of the Spanish League for a long time,
Valencia struggles to earn a Champions League place this season. However, the
change of the manager has had a positive impact on the performances, so the team
has had a much better period under Ernesto Valverde’s management. The team was
beaten in the Spanish Cup quarterfinal.
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