Surprising Performances of the Season | Which Teams Went Above & Beyond

After reaching the half point of the season, it is time to round up the teams that went above and beyond with their performances. While there are many teams that people assume would rank at the very top, there are a few that achieved much more and had surprising performances this campaign.

Here are some football teams that caught our eye. We hope that they will continue in the same manner and surprise everyone.

Girona, the Catalan Team Beating All Odds and Teams in Spain

With the start of the season in Spain, Girona was seen as a team that would, in the best-case scenario, probably finish the season in mid-table. Five months into the season Girona rank second in the league after finishing the last season at number 10.

Gironistes are actually joint top leaders of La Liga as they currently have the same number of points as Real. Girona have been playing top football in Spain. Some would even say unpredictable football. But here they are, with a team worth only €161M, they were even able to defeat their older brother Barcelona this season.

Is it Really Time for Neverkusen to Shine?

When it comes to Germany, fans have been bored senseless watching a one-legged race year after year. Bayern Munich has won 11 consecutive Bundesliga titles. But this year, things started to become much more interesting as two teams stepped up to challenge the Bavarian side – Stuttgart and Bayer Leverkusen.

While Stuttgart currently ranks third, Leverkusen is first and is four points clear of Bayern in the runner-up position. Coach Xabi Alonso has done something remarkable in Leverkusen this season. He set the team on a path where they truly believe they can win a title. But Bayer is not called Neverkusen for nought. So they still have to endure the rest of the half-season and not fall apart as they famously have done in the past.

Bologna, from a Relegation Race to Champions League Candidates

Bologna FC is not unknown when it comes to Italian league standards. But they are not a club that you would expect to battle for the top. They have been a steady mid-table Serie A side for years. But have always been closer to the lower half of the table than going towards the upper. This year, they managed to turn everything around and are somehow competing for a Champions League spot.

Coach Thiago Motta is in his sophomore year in Bologna. It seems that everything has clicked for him and the team. While the first three spots are very much unreachable for I Veltri, the best that they can hope is to remain at the fourth and gain a historical UCL spot.

Everton, 10 Points Down and Still Conteding

Condemning any team with a 10-point deduction would probably spell doom and probable relegation. But not for Sean Dyche and Everton. The Toffees were among the Premier League football teams set for a relegation scrap. But removing 10 points from their tally for financial irregularities dropped them to the very last spot in the league.

As if it gave the Toffees an extra push as they started playing like never before. They racked up four wins in a row and only lost a single game in eight games. Unfortunately, they ruined their fine form by dropping three in a row to reach the half mark of the season. Nevertheless, it is amazing what they have done. They are managing to stave off relegation, currently ranking 17th in the league.

If Everton manages to pull off another great escape this season, it will probably spell the biggest football surprise story of the season.