By DEMITRIOS PANOPOULOS
The story of Leicester’s rise to English champions is by now firmly inscribed in the history books, after the Foxes shocked the world during the 2015/16 Premier League season.
It came in stark constrast to their 2014/15 campaign. Leicester finished 14th in the Premier League and had the longest winless run out of any team in the competition, failing to secure a victory over a 13-match period.
With the Premier League starting tonight, and the other top four European leagues having scattered start dates over the coming weeks, it is time to find this year's Leicester.
Of course, the chances of a lowly rated team winning a top five league is extremely unlikely, especially given the rare occurrences of 2015/16.
Therefore, this year's Foxes will not necessarily win their league, but they will shock the world with a couple of unexpected players delivering world-class performances and rise up their respective tables.
A top four ladder position is the goal for most of these teams, as they long for a taste of Champions League competition.
Below are several that have the potential to prove the world wrong.
CRYSTAL PALACE – Premier League
In the Premier League, it is tough to find that one diamond-in-the-rough team that shocks everyone.
Particularly with Leicester winning the league last year, all the premier teams – Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham – will be on guard and clearly looking to make sure history doesn't repeat, at least in the short term.
Crystal Palace had a shocking second half of the Premier League season, having been as high as fifth at one stage, before not winning a match for a roughly three-month stretch.
In the end, Palace narrowly avoided relegation, however they had a magical FA Cup run, losing to Manchester United in the final.
They will be now looking to step up their form in the Premier League.
Palace have had a very good transfer window, perhaps most importantly bringing in Steve Mandanda, which helps to sure up their defence.
Mandanda was Marseille’s Player of the Year in 2015/16 but, most importantly, he will use his 300 club matches of experience in France's Ligue 1 and his 22 international caps to help structure the defence in an effective manner.
There is clear quality on the flanks and through the midfield, despite rumours of Yannick Bolasie moving to Everton. Andros Townsend could be one of the signings of the season and he could put together something special with Wilfried Zaha.
Getting a striker will be crucial to Palace’s chances of sharply rising up the table, as Connor Wickham is the only player with some sort of pedigree in that position. The money the club could get if Bolasie moves will almost certainly be presented to Liverpool in a deal for Christian Benteke, which would be huge.
Their 2015/16 season was not too dissimilar to Leicester’s 2014/15 season, with a long stretch of winless games, and another preseason under Alan Pardew should see them become a stronger unit.
The often controversial Pardew keeping out of the spotlight would be the best thing for Crystal Palace, who can get off to a great start thanks to a kind fixture.
From there, momentum can take them anywhere.
WERDER BREMEN – Bundesliga
Many football fans of younger generations will remember playing FIFA 07 on PlayStation or Xbox and seeing Werder Bremen filled with respectable players and having a solid overall rating.
They were one of the top German teams and regularly featured in the Champions League, even winning the Bundesliga on a couple of occasions.
Over the past four seasons, however, Werder Bremen have been extremely average, finishing in the awkward mid-to-low table positions.
The squad itself has no clear consistency, and Bremen are lacking the star power that once made them such a force.
Jannik Vestergaard was their best central defender, and he has made a big money move to Borussia Mönchengladbach, while Anthony Ujah, one of the team’s former strikers, has chased the cash in the Chinese Super League.
Bremen have done well to secure Max Kruse, a mainstay of the Bundesliga, while the duo of Niklas Moisander and Fallou Diagne are solid centre-backs who will rotate through the starting team.
The team relied on 37-year-old Claudio Pizarro to keep them up last season, and his 14 goals in 28 matches was a superb return. He and new teammate Kruse will need to score regularly again.
Simply put, however, the team cannot put its future in the hands of the Peruvian striker, who has delivered regularly for the team in his three stints at the club.
The defence conceded 65 goals last season, the second-most in the Bundesliga.
It would be unsurprising to see highly rated fledgling goalkeeper Michael Zetterer play at some stage during the season, with the team getting some spark from his youthful energy and experience representing Germany in underage competition.
If they tidy up defensively, Werder Bremen could rise back up the table.
VALENCIA – La Liga
The Spanish league is controlled by Barcelona, Real Madrid, and to a lesser extent, Atletico Madrid.
The European qualification spots are usually rotated, but Valencia generally had a stranglehold on anywhere from third to fifth on the table.
The 2015/16 season saw a complete change, with Valencia having their worst La Liga campaign in 25 years and the club finding itself in disarray.
Admittedly, a rise up the rankings back into a European spot cannot be compared to Leicester’s amazing feat, but Valencia’s campaign was so dire, the club’s popularity undoubtedly took a hit.Still one of the giants of Spanish football, technically, Valencia need to prove to the footballing world that the drop-off, the second in three seasons, was a once-off.
Quality players have the left the club, with André Gomes (Barcelona), Sofiane Feghouli (West Ham) and Álvaro Negredo (Middlesbrough) all having been important players in the past, but it is clear the club will look to build on what resources remain.
Nani has been brought in, which gives them an immediate injection of pace and skill, while Martín Montoya’s free transfer from Barcelona will help boost the right back position.
Perhaps, most importantly for the club, it will be a settled team. Pako Ayestarán has been in charge for his first preseason, and he knows the club well, having been an assistant in 2001-2004, before rejoining this year.
There is good quality all over the park for Valencia, particularly in defence, and staying strong in that area will no doubt lead the club up the table.
SAMPDORIA – Serie A
Sampdoria finished the season in 15th position and their season followed a similar trajectory to that of Crystal Palace.
It has been an eventful transfer window for the club and on top of that, they have a new manager.
Three quality players have left, but Sampdoria netted around 40 million euros for these departures, which leaves them with some room to move.
The team did play in the Europa League in 2014/15, however this was due to Genoa’s inability to get a UEFA license, meaning Sampdoria qualified by default.
Certainly not the worst team in the Serie A, Sampdoria’s history has been full of mid-table finishes and trying to avoid relegation, with the odd high finish.
Mass changes are generally a negative in any team sport, but the way the team has spent its money to create solid depth and a well-rounded potential XI is very encouraging.
Leandro Castán is a positive signing who will go a long way in ensuring Sampdoria do not concede another 61 goals this campaign, and his experience in the successful system at AS Roma should rub off on the entire playing group.
The partnership of Luis Muriel and Fabio Quagliarella has potential, and along with the creative spark of Filip Đuričić and experience of Antonio Cassano, Sampdoria has enough attacking power to shock a few teams.
Tightening up defensively will be crucial to Sampdoria’s hopes of a high finish, and new manager Marco Giampaolo will be doing all he can to get this team reach for the stars.
ANGERS – Ligue 1
Understandably, not many people have heard of Angers, which featured in Ligue 1 in 2015 for the first time in 21 years.
A team that had regularly finished mid-table in Ligue 2, not only did they earn promotion, but the team immediately made an impact, finishing ninth ahead of Bordeaux, Montpellier and Marseille.
That in itself was a big enough shock, but this team is perhaps the closest you will see to another Leicester amongst the European clubs, and there is real potential in this squad.
Angers finished in the top half thanks to a surprisingly strong defence and, most encouragingly, none of those players have left the club. In fact, the team has added a couple of impressive players who will improve its depth even more.
Most exciting, however, is Angers’ potential Jamie Vardy-like character.
Famara Diedhiou has signed with the club after an outstanding season with Clermont in Ligue 2 last year, where he won the golden boot.
Previously, he has also been prolific in National (the French third division), and CFA group A (the French fourth division).
The 23-year-old striker from Senegal will now be playing in the highest league in French football with a team that is extremely solid and well managed.
He is more of a target man with speed, and if last year is anything to go by, Diedhiou could be something special.
If Angers can play as well as they did defensively last season, the new attacking weapons brought in will be enough to create something special in Ligue 1.
@DemP_9