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Winning a treble of any sort is a great achievement to be lauded, indeed.For many teams, silverware is to be celebrated with the utmost joy and jubilation after a long season of hard work and dedication but sometimes there can be those who come so close to achieving something extra that their accomplishments lose some of that special shine.Having the Champions League trophy or Europa League crown slip away from one's grasp at the final hurdle can certainly do just that. Sotoo, can the pain of seeing a league title or domestic cup fade from view.Combining a couple of domestic accolades with a European honour is the pinnacle of clubsuccessbecause it underlines a teams ability to mix it with the best on a variety of fronts. Going from facing non-league opponents in one week (often the most slippery ofbanana skins) to tackling a world-class opponents in the semi-final of a European competition certainly tests one's reservoirs.Only seven teams have managed to win the genuine Champions League treble in Europe (with Barcelona managing it twice), although as many as 12 have completed the feat. when one includes the UEFA Cup/Europa League in place of its more illustrious sister.But what about those who have come so close but yet so far? Who are the most dominant teams who failed to win the so-called continental treble? Let's take a look, in chronological order.
#1 Nottingham Forest 1978/79
Brian Clough has long been a fan favourite of the Tricky Trees and his methods and madness have often found support much farther afield, too.
Before he became a cult hero associated with clever one-liners and heated run-ins with the press, however, he was simply a man who was great at his job leading from the dugout and instructing on the training ground, a notion unrefutable by the fact he helped Nottingham Forest become the best team in Europe nearly 40 years ago.
Winning the European Cup final against Malmo FF as well as taking home the League Cup (and also the Charity Shield) he helped them to their most successful season ever. The proper treble evaded them, though, as they sat as the runners-up in the old First Division table at the end of the season, trailing in the wake of Liverpool.
With a sound squad, consisting of Peter Shilton, Gary Birtles, Viv Anderson and Trevor Francis – Britain's first £1 million man – the Reds toiled hard to discard their tag as provincial underdogs to become the best side in England and on the continent by playing some defensively secure, and offensively clinical, football match after match.
Time will always fondly remember this side, but they fell short of joining an elite club of treble-masters.
#2 A.C. Milan 1993/94
Despite actually winning three separate pieces of silverware this particular season (including the Suppercoppa Italiana), the Rossoneri failed to get their hands on a treble of note as they were eliminated from the Coppa Italia in the last 16, exiting at the hands of Piacenza.
That said, they were the most well-organised and disciplined side across Europe with their defence acting as the springboard for their success. With the defensive duo of Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi providing immense solidity to their make-up, they may well have scored only 36 goals – only one goal more than relegated Atalanta – but they conceded just 15, the least amount in the league.
However, they were keen to shirk their label as a boring team when they overcame the critics’ choice Barcelona on a score-line of 4-0 in the Champions League final, with their top scorer Daniele Massaro, dubbed “Saint Massaro”, scoring twice in the showpiece stand-off.
Of course, it wasn’t just Massaro, Maldini and Baresi who impressed. They also had Marcel Desailly, Marco van Basten, Demetrio Albertini, Marco Simone and so many others propelling them to a truly memorable season.
Alas, Milan will probably have to wait another few years before they can dream of such delicacies again as they have lost a great deal of their prestige in recent times.
#3 Juventus 1994/95
Boasting one of the best squads the Old Lady has ever managed to pull together, Juventus came incredibly close to snapping up a glorious treble just over a decade ago when they stormed to a delightful double of the Coppa Italia and Serie A title under the auspices of Marcello Lippi.
Boosted by a passionate push fuelled by the tragic death of Andrea Fortunato to leukaemia at the tender age of just 23, the Bianconeri put on a show practically every time they took to the pitch that season, ultimately dedicating their scintillating Scudetto triumph to the talented left-back.
Indeed, it's no wonder they enjoyed such a successful season with the likes of Angelo Peruzzi, Didier Deschamps, Roberto Baggio, Gianluca Vialli, a young, free-scoring Alessandro Del Piero and so many more legends among their ranks.
Unfortunately, there was to be heartache in the UEFA Cup final as they lost out to their Italian counterparts Parma on aggregate scoreline of 2-1. No doubt, Juve's recent double-winning campaign also ranks quite highly among the nearly-rans, but time has somewhat magnified just how unlucky the team of 1994/95 were in comparison – and boy, what a ridiculously star-studded cast they had.
#4 Parma A.C. 1998/99
It's sad to think that this great club is no longer in existence, but such is the nature of football in the modern world where money dictates the past, present and future.
Once a great institution, it has since seen Parma Calcio 1913 take its place, and although they cannot take much solace from the successes of their illustrious history, it bears remembering that this famous city has greatness embedded in it, and could one day return to those off-shots, although it will certainly take a long time to get there.
During the 1990s, Italian football was on a high and I Gialloblu had one of the most luxurious squads on the continent featuring so many brilliant performers such as Gianluigi Buffon, Lillian Thuram, Fabio Cannavaro, Dino Baggio, Juan Sebastien Veron, Faustino Asprilla and Hernan Crespo, to name but a few. Long before any dark clouds dampened their spirits, they were a top-quality outfit who had silverware on the brain.
While Manchester United were off completing a terrific treble under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, Parma, too, were setting European football alight with some sumptuous skill and flair – except their journey didn’t end as spectacularly as that of the Red Devils.
Winning the UEFA Cup final 3-0 against Marseille as well as the Coppa Italia, they marched to victory against some of the best teams, playing some incredibly attractive football, only to see themselves wind up fourth in the Serie A standings behind Fiorentina, Lazio and A.C. Milan as well as having such a talented squad scattered to the wind in the successive months and years.
#5 Arsenal 2001/02
Although Arsene Wenger's “Invincibles” get a lot of attention from the media for their exploits in the 2003/04 season – and deservedly so – it's this particular bunch that actually came closer to a treble. Well, sort of.
Winning the Premier League trophy as well as the F.A Cup, they might well have fallen at the now-defunct second group stage in the Champions League, but they were pitted in a very tough group and would have qualified for the next round had they beaten Juventus in their final match. More importantly, they won more silverware than their more talked-about compatriots.
In fact, due to the fact the Gunners have never actually laid claim to “Ol’ big ears” renders their achievement all the more astounding. Simply put, this has been about as good as it’s ever gotten for this north London club, unless Wenger’s current crop of stylish stars can go one better and surprise us all with one heck of a memorable season between now and May, 2016. That remains to be seen.
What is certain is that back in 2002, Arsenal took home the league crown with a seven-point gap between themselves and Liverpool, and it gave them huge confidence, ultimately setting the perfect platform for their eventual 49-game unbeaten streak.
#6 Chelsea 2009/10
In a pre-season marked by managerial changes, Chelsea managed to steel themselves for a couple of deserved accolades as they won the Premier League and FA Cup. With Carlo Ancelotti leading the charge from the sidelines, they looked composed and classy throughout.
Their inner-city detractors might well scoff at their label as one of the best sides to never win the treble considering they were eliminated in the last 16 of the Champions League, but their dismissal at the hands of eventual winners Inter Milan has vindicated them massively.
The truth is that the Blues dominated that season and were unlucky not to complete the treble, especially considering the talent that had resided in their squad.
With Deco, Michael Essien, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Didier Drogba all playing some super football, the Pensioners were a real sight to behold on the field. In fact, in the cup they conceded just once while in the league, they bagged an amazing 103 goals with Drogba scoring a whopping 29.
#7 Real Madrid 2013/14
If it wasn't already crystal clear just how difficult it is to win La Liga, then Los Blancos surely illuminated the fact when they were pipped at the post by long-standing rivals Barcelona back in 2014.
A similar story looks set to unfold this season with the two outfits expected to push each other hard, alongside Atletico Madrid. However, having not won the league since 2012, patience continues to wear thin for one of the most dominant clubs on the continent and the Santiago Bernabeu faithful could well produce the dreaded white handkerchiefs if things don’t get rectified soon.
At the end of the 2013/14 campaign, the faithful Madridistas had the pleasure of soaking up a couple of brilliant victories in the Copa del Rey as well as the Champions League, en route to their famous La Decima triumph. However, as mentioned, they were also forced to wallow in the disappointment of finishing third in the league table.
With Cristiano Ronaldo bagging 31 league goals as well as another astonishing 17 in Europe, he almost definitely deserved to lift his team onto the same level as the seven other teams to have won the treble, and even though he was accompanied by some sterling play from Angel Di Maria, Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale, they simply couldn't scribble themselves into the history books.
Perhaps this will be the year they finally blot out the past to write a new future.
