This has been an interesting season across Europe’s top five leagues as teams battle for the different league crowns in the coming weeks.

We have been blessed to witness some interesting title races on the continent, with Bayer Leverkusen and Sporting Club racing towards winning their domestic crowns.

As the likes of PSG, Bayer Leverkusen, Inter Milan and Real Madrid look almost certain to win their titles, in the Premier League, a superb race is playing out as Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City battle to become the champions of England.

The Gunners and Liverpool have exchanged the top spot since the end of March and the beginning of April, but Manchester City is not too far behind both clubs.

The Citizens remain favourites to win the title, and the key reason for this projection is because they have been the most successful of all three sides in recent seasons.

England is where the action is in terms of a proper title race among the top five European leagues, but this article is about clubs that have failed to do well this term.

Last season, Liverpool was terrible, and that allowed Newcastle United to qualify for the Champions League in their place.

This term, there are several clubs on the continent that have clearly punched below their weight so far, and we discuss those underperformers.

France Ligue 1: Lyon, Marseille

Lyon

Lyon has consistently been one of the strongest clubs in France and usually challenges PSG for the league title.

Les Gones has often developed world-class talents, including Karim Benzema and Juninho, who remains one of the best free-kick takers ever.

The current squad consists of homegrown players who returned from top clubs abroad like Alexandre Lacazette and Corentin Tolisso.

Last term, they finished seventh in the league standings, which probably should have set off the alarm bells, but they finished 8th in the previous term, so fans saw that as some progress.

But nothing will prepare them for the terrible way this season started for them as a club. Under Laurent Blanc, Lyon suddenly forgot how to win games and he was sacked in September.

They replaced him with Jean-François Vulliez on an interim basis, and he lasted just seven days before Fabio Grosso was named as their permanent manager.

The Italian could not get the team back to form and he was sacked after nine games, with Lyon winning just one of them, losing five.

He has since been replaced with Pierre Sage, and Lyon is showing signs of life, but this has been one of their worst seasons and we do not expect them to finish inside the European places.

Marseille 

Olympique Marseille is another French powerhouse that has simply struggled this season despite having some of the finest talents in the league on their books.

OM is being led by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and they also spent money to sign the likes of Azzedine Ounahi, Ismaïla Sarr and Iliman Ndiaye.

Marseille is 7th in the league standings after 28 games. With a squad that could easily finish behind PSG on the standings, they are at least 11 points behind the surprise package of the season, Brest, who are second.

OM is another club that has changed managers often in recent months as they desperately try to change their results, and Jean-Louis Gasset is the latest man in charge. His team has underperformed and it is hard to see things get better soon.

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Premier League: Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester United

The Premier League is considered the best in the world for several reasons and its competitiveness is one of them.

Because Manchester City is dominating the competition, it is easy to think the English top flight has lost its competitiveness, but a look at the form of some teams shows it is still as competitive as ever.

Chelsea

Chelsea won the Champions League in 2021 under Thomas Tuchel, but they finished last season outside European places.

This is despite the club's latest owners splashing the cash on several new signings and naming at least three new managers within a year.

After making Mauricio Pochettino their gaffer at the start of this season, their fans expected the team to at least return to Europe.

However, Chelsea is struggling and seems stuck in the tenth position on the league table, with their spot rarely changing even when they get a good result.

Newcastle United

Some will argue that Newcastle is not one of the top Premier League clubs and has found its level as it struggles in the league this term.

The Magpies finished last season above Liverpool in the league standings and qualified for the Champions League.

They have an inflow of money that most clubs can only dream about and are expected to be bigger than Manchester City in the future.

However, this term has been poor for them after they finished last in their Champions League group and suffered so many injuries.

One reason Eddie Howe remains their manager is because the club’s owners recognise how unfortunate the team has been on the injury front.

However, the fact remains we expected so much better from Newcastle United this season.

Manchester United

Another Premier League team underperforming itself from last season is Manchester United, as Erik Ten Hag’s side is set to finish the term outside the Premier League’s top four.

In recent weeks, United has shown a soft underbelly, which has seen them lose games late into the matches, most recently against Chelsea.

Ten Hag is under pressure, and this could be the Dutchman’s last season at the club, but even he would understand if he is sacked.

United’s performance keeps getting worse, and the Red Devils will be embarrassed to finish this term without Champions League football and no trophy after their success in the last term.

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Bundesliga:Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich

Bayern Munich is the biggest club in Germany and one of Europe’s top side who won the Champions League in 2020.

They have won the last ten consecutive league titles in Germany and have the best players in the league.

Despite the solid quality of their squad, the Bavarians added Harry Kane to the group in the summer to strengthen it further.

The striker has been banging in the goals with reckless abandon, yet Bayern has 16 points less than Bayer Leverkusen who currently top the German top flight after 28 league games.

The Bavarians are at risk of finishing outside the top two as Stuttgart is level on points with them. This has simply been one of their worst seasons in recent memories.

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Serie A: Juventus, Napoli

Juventus

Juventus won nine consecutive league titles between 2012 and 2020, solidifying their position as the biggest club in Italian football.

The Old Lady has been the team that puts Italy on the map, and Max Allegri is considered one of the best ever managers, having won five consecutive crowns during his first spell there.

However, since he returned to the club in 2021, things have been poor, and this term, it could get worse as they struggle to remain inside the top four despite not playing in Europe.

Juve were at the top of the league at the start of this year, but they have been terrible in the last two months, and it feels like they will miss out on Champions League football.

Napoli

After three decades, Napoli won another league title last season, thanks to players like Victor Osimhen and Kim Min-jae.

The Partenopei were one of the best teams to watch in Europe under Luciano Spalletti as they left everyone behind them in Italy and reached the quarterfinal of the Champions League.

Shortly after that triumph, Spalletti left his role as their manager, and they also lost Cristiano Giuntoli, their long-term sporting director.

What followed was one of the worst title defences in history, as the Naples side fired at least two managers within the first half of the season. Yet after 30 league games, they are outside contention for a European spot.

La Liga: Sevilla

Sevilla

Considering how poor they have been this season, it is hard to remember that Sevilla played in the Champions League group stage.

They remain one of Spain’s most successful teams in Europe, but they have been underwhelming in this campaign.

Sevilla is another club that has had at least two managers as they desperately try to save their team from relegation, which is strange to say about this team.

The Seville side is closer to a relegation place than a European spot after 30 league games, with just six points separating them from the drop zone.

It has been a remarkably poor season for a team that boasts talents like Sergio Ramos, Youssef En-Nesyri, and Luis Ocampos, among others.

It is hard to see them finish in a European place, and their fans now want their team to maintain their flight status for another campaign.

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Conclusion

These are the clubs that have clearly underachieved in Europe this term, and it will be interesting to see how much better they perform in the remaining games of the season.