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As the curtains come down to an exciting 2023-24 domestic league campaign for most European nations, we have witnessed a season nothing short of extraordinary. We may have never seen a season like 2023-24 before where underdogs have shone and beaten some of the European giants at least for Champions League glory if not for the league title.
So, which teams did the unthinkable and shocked and awed fans across the world with the incredibly unpredictable performances? Below are five of our selections.
#5 Bologna (Serie A)
Bologna have managed to qualify for Champions League football for the first time in 60 years. The Italian club were struggling before they appointed Thiago Motta in September 2022. This season though, they finished fifth in Serie A, only behind Atalanta and Juventus by one and two points respectively. They have had a fairy tale of the season, coming on the back of the ninth-place finish they had last season.
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Motta has deservedly garnered praise for his tactical approach which has ricocheted this Bologna team into the Champions League. Lazio and Roma are some of the Italian giants that have missed out on the Champions League due to Bologna. Although Motta is set to join Juventus this summer, they will surely enjoy some European nights next season and will look to carve a niche in the competition.
#4 Stade Brestois (Ligue 1)
Stade Brestois is the underdog story from France this season. The club has managed to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in its history after finishing third with 61 points, six points behind AS Monaco in second. The club led by Eric Roy had finished 14th last season in Ligue 1. Another fascinating fact is that Roy hadn't managed a club since Nice in 2011 before joining Brest, which had raised many eyebrows.
However, he still managed to create shockwaves in Ligue 1 with the sixth-oldest squad in the league. After finishing above some of the heavyweights of French football like Lyon and Marseille, they will now turn their attention to the biggest stage of European football next season.
#3 Aston Villa (Premier League)
Aston Villa have qualified for the Champions League for the first time since the 1982-83 season, winning the competition they featured the last time in it in the 1981-82 season. Under Unai Emery, the Villans have managed to beat competition from Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, and Chelsea to qualify for the Champions League.
Emery has formed a formidable squad at Villa Park that beat Arsenal and Manchester City at home. They even reached the semi-final stage of the Europa Conference League this season, being beaten 6-2 on aggregate by eventual winners Olympiacos.
Unai Emery has a great European track record; his four famous Europa League wins with Sevilla and Villarreal are a testament to it. Aston Villa under Emery in the Champions League will surely be a threat.
#2 Girona (La Liga)
Michel managed-Girona finished third in La Liga this season, only behind Barcelona and Real Madrid, after finishing 10th last season. However, they were early leaders this season being chased by Real Madrid before running out of steam. Girona scored the second most goals in La Liga this season (85) due to their attacking-football approach. Forward Artem Dovbyk also finished as the league's top scorer with 24 goals.
The club that shares the same ownership as Manchester City, will look to build on their 2023-24 season's success. If they manage to keep all their star players, the future could be bright for Girona.
#1 Bayer Leverkusen (Bundesliga)
Bayer Leverkusen have been the feel-good story of the footballing world this season. The Bundesliga 'Invincibles' under Xabi Alonso clinched a league and cup double under master tactician Xabi Alonso. They won the league title for the first time in their history, breaking the Bundesliga monopoly of Bayern Munich, and their second DFB-Pokal. Die Werkself have written a story for ages and only missed out on a treble by losing to Atalanta in the Europa League final by 3-0.
Leverkusen have been a dominating force in Germany this season with their attacking game and never-die attitude to snatch late goals, remaining unbeaten in 51 games across competitions.
Alonso has already declined approaches from Liverpool and Bayern to stay at Bayer Leverkusen next season and we can expect more of his tactical magic to continue in Germany.
