Europe’s WORST form teams heading into the 2022-23`season

Ralf Rangnick

The new season is now less than a month away and we have looked at the teams who finished the 2021-22 campaign with the worst form.

We’ve ranked the three teams with the worst form based on their last six matches in the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue 1, which could indicate which sides will be deflated in the coming season.

Some teams will definitely be disappointed to be included in this list… but can they bounce back?
 

Premier League

Southampton: LDLLLL

Southampton were quite fortunate last season in that they were near-guaranteed Premier League survival before heading into their last six matches, but they had a shocking end to the season, which put their future into brief doubt. They got just one point from a possible 18, with some particularly embarrassing losses to Brentford and Burnley.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side ultimately finished in 15th place with 40 points. There have been instances where clubs have been relegated with the same points total, so they will have to improve on that next season if they want to ensure their Premier League status. 

4-1 vs Leicester (a)
1-2 vs Liverpool (h)
3-0 vs Brentford (a)
1-2 vs Crystal Palace (h)
2-2 vs Brighton (a)
2-0 vs Burnley (a)

First game: Tottenham (a)

Wolverhampton Wanderers: LLDLDL

In contrast, Wolves had quite a good season under Bruno Lage but seemed to run out of steam towards the end. At one point, they found themselves within touching distance of the top four, and even with six games to go, they still had a good chance of getting Europa League or at the least Europa Conference League qualification… but it’s fair to say they bottled it. They got just six points from their last six games and dropped to an underwhelming 10th place.

They did admittedly have some difficult matches, playing Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea, but they dropped eight points against already-relegated Norwich, Brighton (who ended up finishing above Wolves on goal difference) and Burnley, who were also relegated at the end of the season. If they do want to push for a top-six spot next season, perhaps they need more squad depth to be able to continue to play at their best throughout the campaign. 

3-1 vs Liverpool (a)
1-1 vs Norwich (h)
1-5 vs Manchester City (h)
2-2 vs Chelsea (a)
0-3 vs Brighton (h)
1-0 vs Burnley (a)

First game: Leeds (a)

Manchester United: LLDWLL

Most Manchester United fans would agree that they had a very below-par season after finishing in sixth place, 13 points away from Champions League qualification. But, if they’d had a good end to the season, they still could have got into the top four.

Unfortunately for them, the opposite happened. They won just one match in their last six against Brentford at home, but were beaten by Crystal Palace, Chelsea, Liverpool and the most embarrassing was a 4-0 defeat to Brighton, showing how far off they are from competing at the top of the league table. This ultimately spelled the end of Ralf Rangnick’s time at Old Trafford and after an end to the season like that… is it any surprise Ronaldo wants to leave this summer? If they want to be back near the top, they need a complete squad overhaul and attitude change. 

1-0 vs Crystal Palace (a)
4-0 vs Brighton (a)
3-0 vs Brentford (h)
1-1 vs Chelsea (h)
3-1 vs Arsenal (a)
4-0 vs Liverpool (a)

First game: Brighton (h)

La Liga

Espanyol: LLDLDD

Catalan side Espanyol were relegated for the first time in 25 years in the 2019-20 season and after returning at the first time of asking, they very nearly ended up relegated again. Historically, they are a big club, but they are in danger of becoming a yo-yo team based on their current form. They only got three points in total from their last six matches, dropping points against teams who were ultimately relegated: Granada and Alaves.

In the end, they finished four points clear of the drop zone, but if some of the teams below them in the table had better finishes to the season, the worst could have happened. Now, their new manager Diego Martinez has a big challenge on his hands to take the club to the top half of La Liga. 

0-0 vs Granada (a)
1-1 vs Valencia (h)
2-1 vs Alaves (a)
1-1 vs Osasuna (h)
4-0 vs Real Madrid (a)
0-1 vs Rayo Vallecano (h)

First game: Celta Vigo (a)

Osasuna: LDDDLL

Osasuna, on the other hand, have had plenty of experience in the Spanish second division and actually had one of their better seasons, finishing in 10th place. But with safety already secured and not a lot to play for, their form dropped considerably with just three points from a possible 18 in their last six fixtures, the joint-worst return of any Spanish topflight side. Their most embarrassing result came in the form of a two-nil home defeat to Mallorca, who, without that result, would have been relegated. They are another team who could achieve more if they had the belief to push on and play well for the entire campaign. 

0-2 vs Mallorca (h)
2-0 vs Athletic Club (a)
1-1 vs Getafe (h)
1-1 vs Espanyol (a)
1-1 vs Elche (a)
1-3 vs Real Madrid (h)

Frist game: Sevilla (h)

Rayo Vallecano: WDDLLL

Another side who had little to play for towards the end of the season, Rayo Vallecano overachieved overall after being promoted to La Liga following the 2019-20 campaign. They ultimately finished in 12th place, four points clear of the drop zone. Despite some disappointing losses to Levante and Villarreal at home, they completed a historic double over Barcelona in their sixth-last game of the season with a 1-0 victory at the Camp Nou. Overall, they can be proud of their efforts.  

2-4 vs Levante (h)
2-1 vs Mallorca (h)
1-5 vs Villarreal (h)
0-0 vs Getafe (a)
1-1 vs Real Sociedad (h)
0-1 vs Barcelona (a) 

First game: Barcelona (a)

Bundesliga

Hoffenheim: LDDLLL

Hoffenheim were in with a shout of Europa League football heading into their last six matches of the season but ultimately fell short after drawing twice and losing four games. They were thrashed 3-0 away at Leipzig and it was all downhill from there… dropping two points against last-placed Greuther Furth at home and finishing the season with a 5-1 defeat against Borussia Monchengladbach. It was only in 2018 when they finished in third place in the Bundesliga, so they will need to be a lot more consistent in their performances if they want to reach those heights again. 

5-1 vs Borussia Monchengladbach (a)
2-4 vs Leverkusen (h)
3-4 vs Freiburg (h)
2-2 vs Eintracht Frankfurt (a)
0-0 vs Greuther Furth (h)
3-0 vs RB Leipzig (a)

First game: Borussia Monchengladbach (a)

Eintracht Frankfurt: LLDLDD

Eintracht Frankfurt’s 2021-22 season will be most remembered for them lifting the Europa League trophy, their first continental honour for 41 years. But, it’s fair to say that their league performance suffered as a result of their focus on that competition.

They finished in 11th place, a disappointing position given they were fifth in the previous season. Perhaps they made a conscious decision to rest their key players in their final games ahead of their historic final against Rangers. Despite winning no games in their final six league performances, they will be playing in the Champions League next season. 

2-2 vs Mainz (a)
1-1 vs Borussia Monchengladbach (h)
2-0 vs Leverkusen (a)
2-2 vs Hoffenheim (h)
2-0 vs Union Berlin (a)
1-2 vs SC Freiburg (h)

First game: Bayern Munich

Augsburg: LLWLLW

Augsburg had a disappointing end to their Bundesliga campaign, picking up six points from a possible 18 and they very nearly paid the ultimate price. They avoided relegation by just three points after accumulating 36 across the entire season.

In fact, since 2016, they have only finished with over 40 points once. They are usually reliant on there being three teams worse than them, rather than them earning their safety. If they want to improve as a club, they will have to look beyond being the ‘Burnley of the Bundesliga’ (who, of course, were eventually relegated) and not just settle for the bare minimum. 

2-1 vs Greuther Furth (h)
4-0 vs RB Leipzig (a)
1-4 vs Koln (h)
0-2 vs Vfl Bochum (a)
0-1 vs Hertha Berlin (h)
1-0 vs Bayern Munich (a)

First game: Freiburg

Serie A

Spezia: LLLLWL

Spezia survived their third consecutive Italian top-flight season by the skin of their teeth after a very poor conclusion which saw them lose five times and win only once, in a 3-2 away win at Udinese. Surviving in the first place was a challenge, though, as they were banned from doing any transfer business at all for two years in July 2021. Perhaps a lack of squad depth and fatigue had something to do with their poor end to the season, which saw them finish in 16th place, six points away from the drop. They will have to fight hard to keep themselves in the top division until their transfer ban comes to an end. 

0-3 vs Napoli (a)
2-3 vs Udinese (a)
1-3 vs Atalanta (h)
3-4 vs Lazio (h)
2-1 vs Torino (a)
1-3 vs Inter Milan (h)

First game: Empoli (h)

Sassuolo: LLLDWL

Sassuolo have been a mid-table side for the past few years, and it seems like a culture of settling for that has become somewhat entrenched in the squad. Going into their last six fixtures, they had a chance to push on and perhaps get a qualification spot for the Europa Conference League, but it wasn’t to be after some bad results, notably losing 6-1 away at Napoli and 1-0 away to Cagliari who ultimately were relegated to Serie B. One would think that they are going to have to do some good business in the transfer market to break the mould and push towards the top of the table. 

0-3 vs Milan (h)
1-3 vs Bologna (a)
1-1 vs Udinese (h)
6-1 vs Napoli (a)
1-2 vs Juventus (h)
1-0 vs Cagliari (a)

First game: Juventus (a)

Fiorentina: LLLWLW

Perhaps the Italian club that will be most disappointed with their end to the season, Fiorentina still had a chance at qualifying for the Champions League heading into their last six matches but ultimately had to settle for the Europa Conference League. They picked up two really good wins against both Roma and Juventus at the end of the season but frustratingly let themselves down with some embarrassing performances: they lost 4-1 away to Sampdoria, 4-0 at home to Udinese and also 2-1 away to Salernitana, who only survived relegation by one point. They will have to cut out these lapses next season if they want to get back near to the top of Serie A. 

2-0 vs Juventus (h)
4-1 vs Sampdoria (a)
2-0 vs Roma (h)
1-0 vs AC Milan (a)
0-4 vs Udinese (h)
2-1 vs Salernitana (a)

First game: Cremonese

Ligue 1

Montpellier: LLDLLL

In another case of settling for safety, Montpellier had the worst end to the season of any Ligue 1 side, after losing five and drawing once. Most embarrassing was the losses against the likes of Angers, Clermont Foot and Metz, who were all battling relegation at the time. This meant the side finished 13th, their worst performance since 2017 and it wasn’t a good start for their manager Olivier Dall’Oglio in his first season at the club. They will have to get back to winning ways at the start of next season, otherwise, they could end up in their own relegation scrap.

2-0 vs Angers (a)
0-4 vs Paris Saint Germain (h)
2-1 vs Clermont Foot (a)
2-2 vs Metz (h)
5-2 vs Lyon (a)
2-0 vs Lens (a)

First game: Troyes (h)

Lorient: WLLLDD

FC Lorient didn’t perform quite as badly as Montpellier at the end of the season, but their fans must have been worried about the potential of relegation. They only survived the drop due to clubs below them failing to win, rather than by their achievements. They won once in their last six games against Metz at home but dropped points against Bordeaux, who were relegated, as well as Reims, who were struggling at the time. Without some significant investment in the squad this summer, it looks like they could struggle again next season. 

1-1 vs Troyes (h)
0-0 vs Bordeaux (a)
0-3 vs Marseille (h)
1-2 vs Reims (h)
5-0 vs Rennes (a)
1-0 vs Metz (h)

First game: Rennes (a)

Troyes: LLWDLD
Troyes AC returned to Ligue 1 in 2021 after three seasons in the second division. This came following 10+ years of financial difficulties which significantly limited the amount of business they could do in the transfer market. Given that, the fans are likely to be happy with the 15th place spot they finished in; their highest finish since the year 2000. Still, their form at the end of the campaign was poor, losing to Lens and Clermont Foot at home, for example. They did get an excellent result against PSG, with a 2-2 draw at the Parc des Princes and also their 3-0 home win over Lille was impressive, too. They will need to replicate those performances next season if they want to continue their progression. 

1-1 vs Lorient (a)
1-3 vs Lens (h)
2-2 vs Paris Saint Germain (a)
3-0 vs Lille (h)
1-0 vs Nice (a)
0-1 vs Clermont Foot (h)

First game: Montpellier (a)