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Performance in football is unfortunately often relative to economic capacities. Having more money means better players, better managers and world-class facilities. But every season we see some teams upset the apple cart. Although in most cases it isn't sustainable long-term, it is still pleasant to see them doing well against the odds.
A brilliant example of this can be seen in the Belgian league this season. 25 games into the season, the team leading the standings aren't the usual suspects like Genk, Club Brugge or even Anderlecht. Royale Union Saint-Gilloise are the ones leading the table with a nine-point lead at the top. The most surprising thing is that they were promoted just this season.
So let's look at one team from each of the top five leagues that are overperforming this season.
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#5 West Ham United
Out of the teams on this list, West Ham are economically the most well-to-do but their feats are still hugely impressive. This is because the teams in and around them at the top end of the Premier League are some of the richest in the world.
Currently, West Ham sit fifth in the table, one point adrift of Manchester United in fourth and one ahead of Arsenal in sixth. They are still firmly in the race for Champions League places. Last season they did well to qualify for the Europa League and this season they'd like to go one better.
Manager David Moyes has been crucial in this rise. He took over when the club was in a tough position and he has really allowed them to explode. Moyes joined West Ham in 2017 when they were in the relegation zone and is now fighting for a Champions League spot.
In the transfer market as well, they are quite astute, picking up cheap deals from underrated leagues. Their best player has undoubtedly been Declan Rice this season. But the likes of Jarrod Bowen, Michail Antonio and Tomas Soucek have been excellent as well. There is a feeling, however, that they needed a couple of signings.
#4 Fiorentina
Last season, Fiorentina finished 13th, winning nine games all season. This season they have already won 11 and are firmly in the race for a Europa League spot.
La Viola have managed to assemble a really solid base of players. The defense comprising of Alvaro Odriozola, Cristiano Biraghi, Lucas Martinez Quarta and Nikola Milenkovic are quite dependable. Their midfield featuring the likes of Lucas Torreira, Erick Pulgar, Giacomo Bonaventura and Gaetano Castrovilli make up a strong core.
However their biggest strength lies in their attack and manager Vincenzo Italiano caters to this by playing an attacking style of football. The biggest asset up front has obviously been Dusan Vlahovic, who leads the Serie A scoring charts with 17.
However, in the January transfer window Fiorentina have had to sell Vlahovic to direct competitors and rivals Juventus. But they have picked Arthur Cabral from FC Basel and Krzysztof Piatek from Hertha BSC on shrewd deals to replace him.
#3 Real Betis
With Atletico Madrid and Barcelona struggling this season, the likes of Villarreal and Real Sociedad could've imposed themselves in the race for Champions League spots. Real Betis, however, swooped in and have consolidated themselves in the Top 4. They sit in third place, just six points behind second-placed Sevilla.
Manager Manuel Pellegrini has done a phenomenal job with them over the last few years. They play a really attractive brand of football and this season they have managed to add some defensive stability to it.
They tend to attack the wide spaces a lot through their fullbacks Hector Bellerin and one of Juan Miranda or Alex Moreno. The midfield double pivot is quite strong and good on the ball. It is mostly comprised of Guido Rodriguez and one of Andres Guardado or William Carvalho.
Their attack, however, is their biggest X-factor. Sergio Canales and Nabil Fekir are breathtaking to watch with their clever interplay, smart dribbling and passing.
Juanmi and Borja Iglesias are responsible for much of the goalscoring, having scored 19 goals between them this season. Rui Silva and Claudio Bravo, their keepers, are also performing at a high level.
The big boys are on their tails, however, with Atleti and Barca only one and two points off them respectively. Hence it remains to be seen how long Los Verdiblancos can hold on to third place.
#2 Union Berlin
In terms of market value, Union Berlin are 15th in the Bundesliga. In the points table, however, they are fourth. Their success is built on their defensive solidity and they have conceded the fifth least goals (25) in the league this season.
Wins by the margin of one goal seems to be their speciality, having already had six such wins in the Bundesliga itself. Scoring is a bit more of a struggle and the majority of their attacking output is produced by their strikers Taiwo Awoniyi and Max Kruse.
Kruse left for Wolfsburg in January so Union have picked up Sven Michel from Paderborn. He has scored 14 goals and provided seven assists in 19 games in the 2. Bundesliga this season.
A lot of credit must go to manager Urs Fischer for overperforming with rather limited resources. Although it seems difficult for Union to maintain a Champions League push, they will be glad to make it to the Europa like they did last season.
#1 Strasbourg
Last season, Strasbourg finished 15th in Ligue 1, two points from the relegation playoff place. Quite incredibly this season, they are fourth more than halfway into the season.
Like Union Berlin, they aren't economically blessed either. Transfermarkt has them 12th in terms of market value in the French league. Often in the case of teams who overperform as massively as Strasbourg are, it is based on defensive solidity and narrow wins. That, however, isn't the case here. Strasbourg have scored the second-most goals in the league (44). This is just two fewer than Paris Saint-Germain's mighty strikeforce.
Their 6"5' striker Ludovic Ajorque has 10 goals and seven assists so far and only Kylian Mbappe has more goal contributions (19) than him in the league. Others around him, like Kevin Gameiro, Habib Diallo and Adrien Thomasson, have contributed a fair few goals among them too.
Their manager is Julien Stephan, who did a great job with Rennes before this and now has Strasbourg in a very good position. They play a 3-5-2 formation and a big cornerstone of their success this season has been their recent transfer business. They bought five of their starters within the last year, all of which were paid for by the sale of Mohamed Simakan to RB Leipzig.
It won't be surprising if this continues to be their business model with another promising defender of theirs, Alexander Djiku garnering transfer interest.
