5 clubs that have failed spectacularly in the 2016/17 season

4) Inter Milan (Serie A)

Mauro Icardi has scored 26 goals in all competitions but Inter have struggled in Serie A

Gone are the days of Inter Milan’s dominance in Italy and Europe, only to be replaced by alarming mediocrity following their last trophy win in 2011. The club are now a shadow of the side that, under Jose Mourinho, became the first Italian team to win the treble.

In spite of investing heavily in the squad this season, Inter now lie in seventh place with three games to go. As things stand, playing in the Champions League is a distant dream they will have to wait till next season to accomplish as they are outside Europa League places. 21 points behind third-place Napoli was definitely not in their plans.

The biggest outlay saw them spend on Joao Mario (€40m), Gabriel Barbosa (€30m) and Antonio Candreva (€22m). Stevan Jovetic (€13.5m) also arrived last summer but was loaned to Sevilla in January. Frank de Boer, who had won four Eredivisie titles with Ajax, was also appointed manager but he lasted only until October as Inter languished in 12^th place.

Stefano Pioli took over and managed to turn around the club’s fortunes, taking them as high as fourth place. But a winless run in their last seven games (five losses) has seen the club out of European contention.

Mauro Icardi and Ivan Perisic have been their standout performers with 24 goals and 10 goals respectively. And if they see no change in the club’s ambition, they may look elsewhere for employment.