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Domestic struggles, European dominance
For the eighth consecutive season, Real Madrid are in the semi-finals of the Champions League, with Bayern Munich the next obstacle to their chase for a third consecutive European crown.
Zinedine Zidane’s side haven’t had everything their own way this season, though: in la Liga, los Blancos are down in third place and way off the pace. In this slideshow, we pick out 10 Europe-conquering outfits who were rubbish domestically.
Real Madrid, 1955-56
In the first ever edition of the European Cup, Madrid exceeded expectations by taking home the trophy. Domestically, though, they finished third – 10 points behind champions Athletic Club and nine adrift of rivals and runners-up Barcelona.
Madrid went 2-0 down to French outfit Stade de Reims in the European final at Parc des Princes, but a match-winning strike from Hector Rial completed a comeback as the Spanish giants triumphed 4-3. It was a result which set the tone for Madrid’s historic five-year domination of the competition – and for the next two seasons they combined continental glory with domestic title wins to boot.
Eintracht Frankfurt, 1979-80
Eintracht Frankfurt were repeatedly conquered in the Bundesliga during the 1979-80 season. Losing precisely half of their 34 games, they ultimately ended the campaign way down in ninth, 18 points behind champions Bayern.
They more than made up for it with their European exploits in the UEFA Cup – and it's all the more curious considering the semi-finals were entirely contested by Bundesliga teams. They lost the semi-final first leg 2-0 at Bayern Munich but battered the Bavarians 5-1 after extra time at the Waldstadion – and in the final against Borussia Mönchengladbach (semi-final victors over Stuttgart) they also came back from a first-leg deficit, an 81st-minute strike from teenage striker Fred Schaub being enough to overturn a 3-2 loss on the away goals rule.
Tottenham, 1983-84
Tottenham’s top-flight finishes in the 1980s varied from third to 14th. After successive fourth-placed seasons they somewhat concentrated on the UEFA Cup in 1983/84; ending up in eighth, they wouldn't have been back in Europe had they not won the two-legged final.
Anderlecht – who, it was later learned, reached the final thanks to a spot of match-fixing – went toe-to-toe with Tottenham in a tie that finished 2-2 on aggregate, but Spurs held their nerve to win the penalty shoot-out. It made a hero of young goalkeeper Tony Parks, who justified Keith Burkinshaw's decision to pick him over the legendary Ray Clemence by saving the crucial penalty from Arnor Gudjohnsen – Eidur's dad.
Inter, 1993-94
Inter have never been relegated from Serie A, but they came close in 1994, finishing just one point above the drop zone. They ended the domestic campaign with a positive goal difference, but 14 defeats in their 34 encounters almost saw the Italian giants fall through the trapdoor and into the second division.
Their Serie A nightmare didn’t preclude glory elsewhere, however: Inter reached the final of the UEFA Cup thanks to two-legged victories over Rapid Bucharest, Apollon Limassol, Norwich, Borussia Dortmund, Cagliari and Austria Salzburg.
Schalke, 1996-97
The 1996-97 Bundesliga season was one to forget for Schalke, who trailed champions Bayern Munich by a whopping 28 points in the final standings. The disappointment of finishing 12th was salvaged by their European exploits, though, as the Royal Blues overcame Inter – managed by one Roy Hodgson – in the UEFA Cup final.
After winning the first leg 1-0, Ivan Zamorano struck late on in the return match to send the showpiece to penalties. Schalke converted all four of theirs and sealed the trophy when Jens Lehmann kept out Zamorano’s effort.
Real Madrid, 1997-98
Barcelona dominated La Liga in 1997-98, finishing 11 points above Real Madrid to win the title. The capital club’s top scorer, Fernando Morientes, managed just 12 goals, while head coach Jupp Heynckes was sacked at the end of the season.
Even winning Madrid’s first Champions League crown since 1966 wasn’t enough to save the German. Given their poor performance in the league los Blancos’ eighth European title was a remarkable achievement, with Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen among their victims on route to a 1-0 triumph over Juventus in the final.
Real Madrid, 1999-00
As they may do again in 2017-18, Madrid have made a habit of recovering from domestic disappointment to become kings of the continent. In 1999-00 the capital club finished fifth, but eased the pain by claiming another European trophy.
Managed by Vicente del Bosque, who inspired some memorable performances from the likes of Raul, Fernando Redondo and Roberto Carlos, Madrid beat the two previous finalists, Bayern Munich and Manchester United, in the quarter-finals and semi-finals respectively, before dismissing Valencia 3-0 in an all-Spanish final.
Liverpool, 2004-05
Rafael Benitez’s first taste of Premier League football didn't go well: Liverpool finished fifth behind local rivals Everton in 2004-05 – and only ahead of Sam Allardyce’s Bolton on goal difference. Having finished fourth the previous campaign, this represented a clear step backwards for the Reds.
They were a different beast altogether in the Champions League, however. Benitez’s charges squeezed past Juventus and Chelsea before producing a miracle against Milan in Istanbul to overturn a 3-0 deficit and win the tournament on penalties.
Milan, 2006-07
Carlo Ancelotti’s Milan had an impressive squad in 2006-07, but that wasn’t enough to stop them struggling domestically. A Calcopoli-induced eight-point deduction didn't help, but the Rossoneri still ended the campaign 36 points behind neighbours and champions Inter.
Like Real Madrid, however, the Italian giants have European blood pumping through their veins; despite their domestic difficulties, they defeated Liverpool in the Champions League final – avenging their dramatic loss in Istanbul two seasons prior. It also meant Ancelotti won more European Cups (two) than Serie A titles (one) during his time in the San Siro dugout.
Chelsea, 2011-12
Before their 2015-16 debacle, when the defending champions finished 10th, Chelsea’s worst Premier League showing in the Roman Abramovich era came in 2011-12. The Blues ended that campaign in sixth spot, but compensated by going on a remarkable run in the Champions League.
After overturning a 3-1 first-leg deficit against Napoli in the round of 16, the west Londoners overcame Benfica in the quarter-finals and Barcelona in the last four. Despite being massive underdogs against Bayern Munich in a final played in their opponents’ own stadium, Chelsea triumphed on penalties to win their first European Cup.
