European competitions under the microscope: Barcelona is champion, almost Champions League football for Ten Hag | Foreign football

Starting in the largest national football competition in the world: the Premier League. After Manchester City’s victory over Arsenal, the roles there have been completely reversed. City is at the top with four points ahead of the Londoners and also has a game credit, the leader still plays three in total. As a result, the title seems to go to the team of Pep Guardiola and Nathan Aké.

The positive surprises this year are Aston Villa and Brighton. Both teams have a great chance of reaching European football. Brighton in particular, Joël Veltman’s team is in very good shape. The outlier to the bottom is Chelsea. Despite spending hundreds of millions of euros, the team will close the season as a gray mid-engine.

Erik ten Hag has a mostly good season in England. In February he won the League Cup and will be in the final of the FA Cup at the beginning of June. The Europa League was somewhat disappointing with ‘only’ a quarter-final spot. United will most likely finish the competition in the top 4, but still have to pull out all the stops. Top 4 means Champions League football next year.

The relegation battle is extremely exciting. Leicester City, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest and Everton are competing for two tickets to next season’s Premier League. The other two lose out and descend to the Championship. Southampton seem already relegated.

The Bundesliga is approaching an exciting denouement. Bayern Munich recently took over the lead from Borussia Dortmund. With 2 games to go, the difference in Germany is also one point. Both title contenders are extremely volatile. It therefore seems that the title race will only be settled in the last round.

The most positive surprise is that there is finally a real title race in Germany again. It was still exciting in 2019, but the last other champion – other than Bayern – was Dortmund in 2011-2012. The fact that Union Berlin and Freiburg have also been at the top all season is also striking. Both are still on course for Champions League football.

The negative surprise seems to be Frankfurt. Despite last season’s Europa League win and wintering in the Champions League this season, the people’s club is in danger of grabbing next to European football after a dramatic second half of the season. Yet it is in the cup final and the players are therefore one win away from ‘Europe’.

The fight against relegation is also exciting in Germany. ‘Traditionsvereine’ Hertha, Stuttgart and Bochum are still far from sure of a longer stay in the Bundesliga. Hoffenheim and fallen top club Schalke 04 also have to give everything for enforcement.

Frenkie de Jong’s team dominates the Spanish league this season. There was no question of any tension about the title for a long time. With 4 rounds to go, the lead over Real Madrid is 14 points. After three seasons without a national title, it was time for a championship again.

There is no real positive surprise in Spain. Although Osasuna has the best papers for this ‘title’. The club from Pamplona is in the left row, but lost the cup final. European football is therefore still anything but excluded. The negative surprise is Valencia. After years of mismanagement, one of the biggest Spanish clubs is embroiled in an exciting relegation battle. They are only three points above the line.

In addition to Valencia, no less than six other clubs are fighting against relegation. Elche is already relegated with 16 points. Cádiz, Real Valladolid, Almería, Espanyol and Getafe are very close together with Valencia. In theory, every club can even be relegated from position 11, but then everything has to go wrong.

Napoli is the first champion in a European top competition. It means the first title since 1990. Napoli is therefore also the positive surprise this season. It is also a good year for Italian clubs outside the country’s borders. Five teams are in a European semi-final.

What was also striking is the unrest at Juventus, although this has not been unique at the Turin club over the years. A heavy point penalty, which was later reversed, and racism do not do the already not too good image of the 36-time national champion. Yet the Champions League, with 4 games and a Europa League campaign ahead, is within reach.

PSG have been champions eight times in the last 10 years. This season that will most likely be 9 out of 11. The star ensemble with Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé as leaders regularly drops a stitch in Ligue 1 this season. In addition, an early elimination in the cup and Champions League, which will make the fans believe be that the season has failed.

The positive surprise is without a doubt RC Lens. The fallen sub-topper is completely back after years of bivouacking at the second level. Last season, the team was already close to European football with a fanatical following and that will certainly succeed this season. In fact, the Champions League group stage is within reach.

Mark van Bommel won his first grand prize as a trainer at the end of April. In a few weeks he can double that number by winning the national title with Antwerp. Racing Genk and Union Sint-Gillis are the other two teams competing for the title. The differences are minimal and that’s why we don’t know who will be the champion of Belgium until late. Club Brugge is the fourth and last team in the championship group, but is only a filler.

The biggest surprise is that the largest Belgian club has ended up in the right row. RSC Anderlecht finished 11th this season. Next season, therefore, no European football with the 34-time Belgian champion. A major cleaning is more likely.