The 2023-24 football season is proving to be every bit as exciting as anticipated. It all started after a summer marked by a flurry of high-profile transfers and record transfer spending. Notably, Chelsea made headlines by setting a new British transfer record with their acquisition of Brighton midfielder Moise Caicedo.
Arsenal also made a significant splash in the transfer market, shelling out a staggering £105 million to secure the services of 24-year-old midfielder Declan Rice. Despite the big-money moves by several clubs during the summer transfer window, the outcomes on the pitch have varied thus far, with some notably exceeding expectations.
Surprisingly, a few clubs, including Girona, who had a modest €15 million transfer budget this past summer, have defied the odds. Girona’s remarkable performance this season has turned heads, prompting us to shine a spotlight on four European clubs that are exceeding expectations.
OGC NICE
The transformation of the French Ligue 1 club owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who is currently vying for minority ownership of Manchester United, has become one of Europe’s most captivating stories. Just in May 2023, club captain Dante Bonfim was openly criticising the club’s leadership, urging them to “act more and talk less,” while a prevailing sense of ‘incoherence’ loomed over the team. However, things have taken a positive turn within a mere six months.
The appointment of the 34-year-old manager, Francesco Farioli, seems to be the missing piece of the puzzle. Despite a relatively quiet summer transfer window, the former Alanyanspor manager has transformed a mid-table team into a serious title contender. The key to success for this club, owned by Ratcliffe, lies in their defensive solidity.
Under Farioli’s guidance, Nice’s success is founded on a rock-solid defence. They have managed to keep eight clean sheets in their opening 11 matches, a record unmatched in Europe’s top five leagues. Their ability to secure narrow victories, exemplified by four 1-0 wins in their last six league games, has been a pivotal factor in their rise to the summit of Ligue 1.
While they currently hold a one-point lead over PSG and are odds on to eventually relinquish the top spot to Luis Enrique’s side, the team’s current position is a far cry from their struggles in the lower half of the Ligue 1 table last season. This ascent to the top is a testament to the unwavering efforts and commitment of the players and the astute tactics of manager Francesco Farioli. His philosophy of defensive discipline and strong team chemistry has been wholeheartedly embraced by the squad, with the results visible on the pitch.
Bayer Leverkusen
The Bundesliga typically follows a well-worn script: Bayern Munich surges ahead with their star-studded squad after a few matchdays, while Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig chase closely behind. Unlike other European leagues that are often closely contested, the Bundesliga is typically decided by the winter break.
However, this year, a new narrative is unfolding, as the tactical brilliance of Xabi Alonso is challenging Bayern Munich’s dominance. Bayer Leverkusen has had an impressive start to this year’s Bundesliga, winning nine of their first ten matches. Under Alonso’s guidance, they made light work of their opening fixtures against RB Leipzig and Borussia Mönchengladbach, winning 3–2 and 3–0, respectively. Their only setback thus far came at the Allianz Arena, where they held the champions to a 2-2 draw thanks to a stoppage-time equalizer.
This strong start has earned Alonso and his team praise from pundits. Much of the credit goes to the Spanish manager, who is only in his second season as a top-flight professional coach. Alonso’s recruitment and tactical philosophy have transformed Leverkusen into an aggressive and adaptable team, equally comfortable in possession and out of it.
During his time in Spain, Alonso was renowned for his possession-based style, but at Leverkusen, he has emphasized “productive possession,” where every pass serves a purpose and contributes to the team’s objectives. Alonso has introduced an adaptable 3–5–2 formation with ball-playing centre-backs and attacking fullbacks supporting the build-up play. When defending, Leverkusen’s fullbacks drop into a back five while the rest of the team becomes compact. In his first season in Germany, Alonso took Leverkusen from 17th to 6th place, averaging 1.6 points per game—an achievement once matched by the current Liverpool manager and Gegenpress enthusiast, Jürgen Klopp, back in 2008. The number of shots from their opponents also decreased marginally from 13.4 to 10.9 per game, highlighting their defensive improvement. Alonso’s initial success in Germany has sparked rumours of a potential reunion with Real Madrid, as the club will be in the market for a new manager to replace Carlo Ancelotti next summer.
The addition of key players, including Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka, fullback Alex Grimaldo, and Nigeria’s Victor Boniface, has played a crucial role in Leverkusen’s exceptional performance under Alonso’s leadership.
While Bayern Munich, led by the exceptional talent of record-signing Harry Kane, unsurprisingly remain the favourite for the league title, Bayer Leverkusen deserves applause for the remarkable season they are enjoying and look to be the leading candidate to take down the Bavarians.
Girona FC
Catalan minnows Girona achieved a remarkable feat by becoming the 41st club to lead Spain’s top-flight league following their 2-1 victory over Villarreal.
With the remarkable form of new Galatico Jude Bellingham,dominating the headlines, Girona’s fairytale started going under the radar, with the Catalan side far exceeding expectations in La Liga and living the dream.
Head Coach, Miguel Angel Munoz, popularly referred to as Michel, has often echoed his team’s primary goal of securing enough points to avoid relegation.
However, Girona’s on-field performances bear no semblance to that of a team fighting for survival. Michel’s team appear to be able to interpret seamlessly the relentless attacking style of play that appeared impossible during his stint at Rayo Vallecano.
Last season, after spending three years in the second division, the Montilivi-based club finished in 10th place.
Many predicted a gloomy future for Michel’s side, given the exit of midfield linchpin Oriol Romeu, top scorer Taty Castellanos, their standout winger Rodrigo Riquelme, and centre-back Santi Bueno who all played in at least 33 of the 38 league games the previous season.
However, summer signings including Artem Dovbyk, Eric Garcia and Daily Blind appeared to have fit into the coach’s plan like ‘ducks taking to water.’
When you consider that Girona’s total spending in the summer transfer window and that their salary limit are set at €51.98 million, in stark contrast to Real Madrid’s budget of €727.45 million, it becomes evident that Girona is operating on a significantly smaller scale. Only six clubs in Spain have a lower budget than Girona’s €50 million limit. The remarkable story unfolding at the Catalan club is genuinely awe-inspiring.
While winning the Spanish League title may seem like a lofty ambition for Girona, securing a place in European competitions next season would mark the best season in the club’s 85-year history. This would be an incredible narrative given the state of modern football and the increased reliance on money to yield success for football clubs. Nevertheless, with over 60% of the season still to be played, the team know there is still a long and challenging journey ahead. Nonetheless, the Girona FC deserves huge praise for their exceptional performance thus far.
Tottenham Hotspurs
When Ange Postecoglou was appointed as Tottenham Hotspur’s manager in June 2023, the primary desire of Spurs supporters was to have a manager they could rally behind. Previous managers, José Mourinho, Nuno Espírito Santo, and Antonio Conte had not been easy to connect with and all had swift (and unsuccessful) tenures at the club. Postecoglou, who had successfully united a once fiercely divided Celtic fanbase, brought renewed hope in that regard.
Tottenham fans were hopeful that a similar sense of unity would develop around their club after an underwhelming 8th-place finish last season. However, his early accomplishments have sparked excitement among the fans, guiding the team to the top of the Premier League table after the opening 10 weeks of the season.
Despite the departure of their club-record goalscorer, Harry Kane over the summer, Tottenham have scored the fifth-highest number of goals in the league, equaling Arsenal’s tally with 23 goals.
Losing a striker of Kane’s calibre at the start of the campaign was a huge setback, but the Australian manager has handled it admirably, assembling a team that fans thoroughly enjoy watching. The forms of new signings James Maddison, Micky van de Ven, and defender Destiny Udogie have also been crucial to his side’s high-octane style of play.
With eight wins, two draws, and just one defeat (at the hands of London rivals against Chelsea) from their first 11 games, Ange’s start to life in the Premier League has been nothing short of impressive.
This is especially noteworthy given that they’ve already faced tough opposition like Manchester United, Arsenal, and Liverpool, securing seven out of the possible nine points.
Tottenham have not only passed the tests posed by the Premier League’s top teams but have also managed to win games when their backs were against the wall. This was evident in their hard-fought 1-0 victory at Luton, where they held on for the win despite being reduced to 10 men just before halftime.
While it may still be too early in the season to determine how far Tottenham can go this season, one thing that can be agreed upon is that if Ange Postecoglou’s team can maintain their fitness throughout the season, a return to the Champions League looks achievable.
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