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In the past few seasons, the top five European leagues have witnessed an uprising of certain teams. As a result, the same usual suspects have ended up tasting domestic glory. With PSG and Bayern Munich at the summit, Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga have basically been a one-horse league for a while now. Once considered to be one of the most competitive leagues across the footballing world, Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have conquered England on three occasions in the past four seasons.
Nevertheless, there has never been an absence of a few surprise packages now and then. Time and time again, underestimated powerhouses have risen above the shackles of financial limitations and low ambitions to prove every single one of their doubters wrong.
Instances where dark horses had the last laugh
Leicester City's shock 2015-16 Premier League triumph was nothing short of a miracle. Nevertheless, the Foxes truly deserved their moment in the sun after putting in some consistent performances. A year after escaping relegation by the skin of their teeth, Leicester defeated the impossible odds of 5000-to-1 to lift the elusive title for the first time in their 137-year old history.
Apart from the story of the quintessential underdogs, multiple instances with similar pedigree have occurred all across Europe. Lille's recent Ligue 1 conquest seems extra impressive when one considers the sheer monetary difference between Les Dogues and title-favorites PSG. In Spain, Atletico Madrid successfully shattered Real Madrid and Barcelona's nine-year-long duopoly in 2014 under the enigmatic Diego Simeone.
Henceforth, the so-called dark horses have flourishingly defied the odds on multiple occasions to finish at the top of the pile. Although the French and German top-flights show little signs of following the aforementioned trend in the near future, the same cannot be said for the remaining three leagues.
On that note, let's take a look at three teams in La Liga, Serie A, and Premier League who can shock everyone in 2022 by winning their respective leagues:
#3 Sevilla (La Liga)
Ever since their promotion to La Liga in 2001, Sevilla have secured a top-half finish in each of the subsequent 21 seasons. Their worst league placements during this period have been two successive ninth-place finishes between 2011-2013. Even though the Andalusian side have only topped La Liga once, with their solitary win coming in the 1945-46 season, Sevilla have been serious title challengers on multiple occasions.
The six-time Europa League winners have remained competitive year in and year out after selling some of their most valuable assets. However, due to their astute transfer policy, Sevilla have always been able to recover from the loss of numerous first-team players.
Their appointment of Monchi as the sporting director of the club has proven to be a stroke of genius. The Spaniard is solely responsible for initiating bargain purchases of stalwarts like Dani Alves and Ivan Rakitic. His initial work in Sevilla's youth setup enabled the club to discover some serious talents, including Jesus Navas and the evergreen Sergio Ramos.
With Monchi's precision, Sevilla have mastered the transfer market, rarely getting a transfer wrong. Furthermore, the vision behind hiring Julen Lopetegui after his disastrous spell at Real Madrid is turning out to be an inspired piece of business by the club. In his two years at the helm, Lopetegui has managed to record a more than impressive 60.55 win percentage rate, losing just 21 of the 109 games in charge.
During a solid fourth-place finish last season, Sevilla exuded the potential to finish much higher in the league. At one point, the Andalusians seemed actual title contenders considering the big three's wavering form. With Barcelona in huge turmoil and the two Madrid sides displaying a hoard of inconsistencies, this might be Lopetegui's best bet to push for a maiden league title.
Also read: 5 goalkeepers with the best ball distribution in the world right now
#2 AC Milan (Serie A)
AC Milan have experienced arguably the most devastating fall from grace in modern-day football. Having won the Champions League as recently as 2007, the Rossoneri have been on a seven-year-long hiatus from the competition since 2014. During this period, the 18-time Serie A champions finished as low as 10th in the 2014-15 season. Indeed, it's a far cry from their title-winning days.
After a string of failed managerial appointments, the Milan hierarchy settled on Stefano Pioli in 2019. The 55-year-old Italian has worked wonders with the former giants by putting them on a path to recovery. Under Pioli, the resurgent Milan side have recouped 48 wins in 88 games, giving him a decent win percentage of 54.55.
Following a fifth-place finish in his first season, Pioli guided the Italian giants to their first top-four finish in eight years. Furthermore, Milan found themselves in pole position to win the league title, as latest as the 21st match week.
A mid-season collapse in form saw them slip to second place as their cross-town rivals, Inter, went on to secure their 19th Scudetto. However, considering Milan's recent track record in Serie A, a second-place finish will be taken as a boon at the San Siro.
The most reassuring part about this AC Milan side is that they are currently pursuing a structured plan, with the former Fiorentina boss as the architect. If Pioli can avoid the occasional slump his side suffers during one part of the season, the fallen giants could have a fair shot at winning their first league title since the 2010-11 season.
#1 Chelsea (Premier League)
In the Roman Abramovich era, Chelsea have been transformed from mid-table strugglers to continental mainstays. However, the Blues have been one of the most inconsistent sides in all of Europe. They followed their fabled 2012 Champions League win by failing to even qualify for the knockout stage next season.
In a similar state of affairs, the league-winning 2014-15 season was succeeded by one of the worst title defenses since the inception of the Premier League.
Following Jose Mourinho's sacking in 2015, every manager appointed by the Blues proved to be nothing but a temporary fix. Even though Antonio Conte brought the Premier League title back to Stamford Bridge in 2017, the Italian manager has never been known for initiating a long-term project.
His successor, Maurizio Sarri, also turned out to be nothing but a stopgap. Chelsea's constant failure to appoint someone with a lasting plan has resulted in them enjoying legendary individual seasons, with no guarantee of the future.
However, in Thomas Tuchel, the Blues finally have a stable manager at their helm after a long while. He immediately established his authority on his arrival, issuing a mid-season alteration to the squad's formation. Tuchel deployed a three-man defense, switching from Frank Lampard's 4-3-3 to his personalized 3-4-3 system. This change allowed the team to retain the ball magnificently, all the while thwarting his opponent's attacks.
Tuchel's possession-based approach revolutionized Chelsea, who were sitting in ninth place at the time of his appointment. In just four and a half months, the German guided his team to their second Champions League title, simultaneously securing a top-four finish on the side.
The 2021-22 season will be Tuchel's first full season in charge. With Manchester City and Liverpool looking to continue their dominance at the top and United rejuvenated after a brilliant transfer window, Chelsea could prove to be the perfect dark horse.
Also read: 5 reasons why Barcelona can win La Liga (2021-22)
