😱 Spurs the worst European champions? An Italian side makes the list too 👀

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.

We already knew it: the Europa League final featured two teams coming off a truly disappointing Premier League season.

Not only that: it was the first European final in history contested by two teams that both finished below tenth place, with Manchester United ending the Premier League in 16th place and Tottenham one spot below.

Tottenham Hotspur, with their 17th place finish, are therefore the lowest-ranked team in the league ever to lift a European trophy. But what about the other nightmare seasons… that ended in triumph?

Three teams have triumphed in Europe in a season finished in 12th place: the first was Arsenal, who won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, the predecessor to the UEFA Cup, in a disappointing season, beating Ajax in the semifinals and coming from behind against Anderlecht in the final.

Those were lean years in the league for the Gunners, who had last won the national title in 1953 and would finally end their drought the following season.

A similar finish for Schalke 04 in 1996/97, with Jens Lehmann in goal: 12th place in the Bundesliga, but a flawless run in the UEFA Cup.

The designated victim in the final? Inter, defeated on penalties at the Meazza after missed spot kicks by Zamorano and Winter.

Three coaches in one season: Sevilla’s 2022/23 campaign was a true nightmare. Lopetegui left at the start of October, replaced by Sampaoli, who in turn was replaced in March by Mendilibar.

In the Champions League, Rakitic and his teammates faced City and Dortmund and were relegated to the Europa League, where they managed to shift into fourth gear.

A competition that has always been a hunting ground for Sevilla: the Spaniards eliminated PSV, Fenerbahce, and Manchester United, and finished their run by disappointing two Italian teams: first Juventus, knocked out by a Lamela goal during extra time, then Mourinho’s Roma, beaten on penalties amid endless controversy over Taylor’s refereeing.

There is one Italian team that smiles in this list, and that’s Inter: coached by Bagnoli up to the 22nd matchday, then by Marini, they finished the league in 13th place.

It was the era of an 18-team league with 4 relegated, and Inter survived by just one point despite a squad that included Zenga, Bergomi, and Bergkamp.

Consolation came in the UEFA Cup: in the quarterfinals, Inter got the better of Borussia Dortmund, despite losing the return leg at San Siro, while in the semifinals they managed to eliminate a surprising Cagliari, then prevailed over Salzburg thanks to a goal from Nicola Berti in the first leg of the final and one from Wim Jonk in the return leg.

The Conference League has also allowed teams not at the very top to celebrate at the European level.

Such was the case for West Ham 2022/23: David Moyes’ team, bolstered by Scamacca in attack and Declan Rice, certainly didn’t have an unforgettable season, finishing the Premier League in 14th place, surviving by just 6 points.

But in the Conference League, West Ham didn’t find much resistance and reached the final in Prague, where they scored the winning goal in the 90th minute to beat an unlucky Fiorentina 2-1.

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