Worst of the best in 2021: Relegation tickets booked, but it's not the only embarrassment they should worry about
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Reading Time: 6min | Mon. 03.01.22. | 12:26
Greuther Firth, Levante, Salernitana, Norwich and Saint-Etienne are sitting at rock bottom of the Top 5 European leagues
English Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1 are considered the Top 5 European championships. As many as 98 teams compete in them, but only five of them - one in each league - are basement slots. Sitting at the very rock bottom, with a relegation ticket already booked despite months still left before the end of the season.
They've won only 43 points since the beginning of the season. Altogether.
As the 2021 curtain falls down, Mozzart Sport Kenya proudly presents you with those 'black sheeps' of elite European football.
Greuther Furth, Bundesliga, 18th, 5 points
They aren't happy even when they celebrate a goal... (© Cathrin Mueller/Getty Images)Imagine being the very last in the table, 12 points adrift of safety by New Year's Eve, with a sole victory in the first 17 rounds, and not even thinking about sacking the head coach despite such an atrocious achievement!? Well, now you understand why Germans are of a different ilk.
20.30: (1.63) MAN UTD (3.80) WOLVERHAMPTON (6.50)
Greuther Furth are three-time national champions, but the last of those came in 1929, and their return to Bundesliga this year is just their second top-flight episode in the previous few decades. And what a misery it really is. The Cloverleaves from Bavaria have won just one game against Union Berlin, 1-0, on December 12. Moreover, they even grabbed a point in the last game of 2021 against Augsburg, so they lost just one out of the last three fixtures. But the problem is, they were defeated in 13 out of 14 matches prior to this December's resurrection.
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A former Dutch offspring, a left-back Jetro Willems, is the only familiar name in the squad not so awful in scoring goals (13 so far) like in conceding (Good God, 49!).
However, a board stick to their coach Stefan Leitl, who's been in charge since February 2019, and guided his side to a Bundesliga promotion in May 2021. He'll probably stay in the dugout even after an inevitable return to the second division, but we sincerely hope the greens will say farewell to the elite company with at least 10 points in the bag by the end of the season.
Levante, La Liga, 20th, 8 points
They can't believe it... neither can we (© Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images)Not a single victory in the opening 18 rounds of the Spanish top flight is dreadful for the side packed with talented home players and backed with skilful veterans like Roberto Soldado and the former Gunners' defender Shkodran Mustafi.
The Valencia-based club has had ups and downs in recent history. This 2021, however, turned to be their worst nightmare. Ironically, they netted more times than 9th Athletic Bilbao (19 to 17), but terrible defending and 36 conceded goals (who said Mustafi?) glued them to the bottom.
If you check out their results, you'll even see a couple of massive and praiseworthy draws, like the one against mighty Real Madrid. But in order to stay on the surface, you ought to win sometimes. Thankfully for them, even 17th placed Elche are 'just' seven points aloft, which is not an unreachable goal to succeed in the remaining part of LaLiga.
It will be such a shame to see a club known for short yet colourful episodes with Johan Cruyff, Predrag Mijatovic, Keylor Navas, Lauren, Obafemi Martins, etc., succumb to disarray and fall winless to LaLiga 2.
Salernitana, Serie A, 20th, 8 points
As desperate as it gets... (©Francesco Pecoraro/Getty Images)Picture this - by the time you're reading this article, Salernitana are possibly living their last hours among the Italian elite. As you've might read at Mozzart Sport Kenya recently, their owner Claudio Lotito was given an ultimatum to sell the club until December 31, or they'll be expelled for the Serie A. Lotito already owns Lazio, and it's forbidden to have two clubs in the top flight.
Tensions about a possible ban have undoubtedly affected the team in the last couple of months, too, causing a slippery slope at Salernitana. Even famous veteran Franck Ribery couldn't push them from the bottom. Yes, they defeated Cagliari and Venezia on the way, and their fixture against Udinese was postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak, but it's still too lame.
23.10: (19.0) VANNES (11.0) PSG (1.10)
Midway through the season, they sacked a coach Fabrizio Castori who provided them with the first Serie A appearance after 22 years.
Please, remind us, what do they say about karma, hmm...?
Norwich City, Premier League, 20th, 10 points
Down on their knees, while the opponents celebrate... (©Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers)It's incredibly challenging to prevail over expectations when they drop that 'yo-yo club' tag on you. Just ask Norwich. One year, they up in the Championship and deservedly heading to the EPL. Next year, the rollercoaster pulls them to the bottom and eventually to the second tier. And it goes on loop...
It's the same this 2021, with the Canaries stuck to the basement of the EPL table, with just 10 points. They even won two times in a row, back in November, against Brentford and Southampton, but those have been their only victories throughout the season. Two more draws, versus Burnley and Brighton, are insufficient to stay in the worlds best league.
21.00: (1.35) VILLAREAL (5.60) LEVANTE (9.00)
Unlike the rest of the 'worst of the best crew', the Carrow Road outfit are a victim of poor attacking displays. Excluding Temu Pukki, who's scored five, the rest of the squad have netted only four times for all this time. With a forward line in such shambles, there's no magic to save you from one more return flight to the second floor.
Saint Etienne, Ligue 1, 20th, 12 points
Faliure after failure for the Greens (© John Berry/Getty Images) With 12 points in their bag so far, Saint Etienne are the least worse here. After a 17-years stay in the top flight, the Greens are obviously marching to the second division.
Only two victories - against Clermont and Troyes - spiced up with six draws - against the UCL side Lille among the others - are too lousy to be saved in May.
Once-giants sacked their coach Claude Puel in desperation earlier this month and brought in Pascal Dupraz, but his debut ended in a 1-0 home loss to Nantes. They are in a massive, five-game-long losing streak and are hoping it will be much better for them in 2022. The last in the safety zone, Bordeaux, are only five points aloft of Saint Etienne, so a glimpse of hope can still be seen in eastern central France.
By: Bojan Babic
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