For the past several years, I’ve made it a goal to watch at least one game from every team in Europe’s top five leagues (though last year, I missed by two Ligue 1 squads). I’m off to a good start this season, ending 2023 having seen every Premier League team at least once, and over half of the teams in each of the other four leagues.
But aiming for range means sacrificing depth, and with the new year right around the corner, I have been reflecting on which teams I would have liked to see more of. So here’s my list of the teams I wish I had seen more of, offered in the hope that some of them will strike your interest as well.
Premier League
Like most Anglo-American fans, the Premier League gets the majority of my football attention. This means I have seen plenty of England’s big teams: Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, and Tottenham (though if you’ve somehow missed Ange Postecoglu’s Tottenham, by all means check them out).
But Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, who finished the calendar year in second place only on goal differential (albeit with both 1st-place Liverpool and 3rd-place Man City with a game in hand), are the team I’d most like to spend more time watching. Emery’s three straight Europa League wins at Sevilla saw him labeled as a Cup expert; but Villa’s current form has put them in contention for a a different kind of trophy.
What’s most interesting about this Villa side is their remarkably effective offside trap, a somewhat anomalous defensive approach in this era of pressing schemes (for more on this, see The Athletic, The Times (both pay-walled), or Sky Sports). But this is definitely something I’d like to spend more time tracking, as they are also just a fun side to watch, with exceptional talents in every line.
If I were advising someone else, the second Premier League team I’d encourage them to watch more of would be West Ham United. The departure of Declan Rice has been replaced with a series of exceptional signings and the realization of Lucas Paquetá’s full talent, making this team the most exciting yet under David Moyes. However, since I’ve seen all but two of their matches this season, I can’t say that they’re a team I want to see more of.
While Roberto Di Zerbi’s exciting Brighton & Hove Albion would be another good pick, I’m actually going to move a bit further down the table and recommend Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth. Arriving from Rayo Vallecano in the summer, it took Iraola a bit of time to implement his high-energy pressing philosophy. But things are definitely coming together over the last month and a half, and with Dominic Solanke in the form of his life, I am looking forward to seeing more (for Iraola’s tactical approach, see Sky Sports or Breaking the Lines on Iraola’s basic philosophy and it’s implementation at Bournemouth).
Check them out: 1/30 at 2:15 PM CST, Aston Villa vs. Newcastle United on USA or Peacock; 2/1 at 1:30 PM CST, West Ham United vs. Bournemouth on USA or Peacock.
La Liga
In Spain, the obvious call is the right one: I want to see more of Girona (next: v. Real Betis, 1/3 at 12:15 PM CST, ESPN+). Under Míchel Sánchez, 2nd-place Girona is an attractive side that look like a real threat in a season where Barcelona is struggling and Real Madrid seem overly dependent on Jude Bellingham for wins. While it is true that the team is part of the City group and benefits from its connections to this football powerhouse, they remain a club that develops players rather than importing superstars, and are still very much a legitimate Cinderella story (for more on Míchel’s tactics, see The Coaches’ Voice, TheMastermindSite, or Football Meta on YouTube).
The second La Liga side I’d like to see more of is at the other end of the table: Celta de Vigo. After a relegation-threatened season, finishing mid-table but only three points above the relegation zone, Celta brought in Rafa Benítez to steady the ship. 2023 ended with Celta in the relegation zone, suggesting the experiment had been a failure.
But the one game for Celta Vigo that I did see, a 3-2 loss away to Barcelona, confirmed what other commentators have suggested: the team is playing much better than their results (for an analysis of Celta’s bad luck this season, see Opta Analyst). Seeing if Benítez is able to keep Celta up is definitely worth a watch, at least until the team is solidly mid-table.
Check them out: 1/20 at 2:00 PM CST, Celta Vigo vs. Real Sociedad on ESPN+; 1/28 at 7:00 AM CST, Celta Vigo vs. Girona on ESPN+; 2/4 TBD, Girona vs. Real Sociedad on ESPN+; 2/11 TBD, Real Madrid vs. Girona on ESPN+.
Bundesliga
Not unlike Girona in Spain, title-challenging Bayer Leverkusen are an obvious pick, but undoubtedly the side I most want to see more of. Even more than Emery’s Villa, Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen (and yes, it is that Xabi Alonso) have stood out as the most exciting team of the season, and the only one in the top five leagues to enter the new year undefeated. They have had an impressive press, and done so despite fielding fewer players than almost any other team in Europe. Whether Leverkusen can maintain their current pace, they are an exciting team to watch (for more on Alonso’s tactics, see The Coaches’ Voice or TheMastermindSite).
While Leverkusen’s place at the top of the table is surprising, Stuttgart‘s 3rd place at the winter break is even more amazing. A large part of that is leading scorer Serhou Guirassy on 17 goals (trailing only Bayern’s Harry Kane), and how Sebatstien Hoeneß’s team can do while he is away at the Africa Cup of Nations will be interesting to see (for more on Stuttgart, see Opta Analyst, Breaking the Lines and Bundesliga.com).
Check them out: 1/14 at 10:30 AM CST, Borussia Mönchengladbach vs. Stuttgart on ESPN+; 1/20 at 11:30 AM CST, RB Leipzig vs. Bayer Leverkusen on ESPN+.
Serie A
Christian Pulisic’s transfer to AC Milan has meant that I’ve seen a lot more Serie A this season. While Napoli definitely isn’t the team they were under Luciano Spaletti (now managing the Italian national team), and the return of Max Allegri’s Juventus alongside José Mourinho’s Roma suggests that old school Italian catenaccio may be back in style, there’s still plenty of attractive football to watch in Serie A.
Both Milan sides have rightly received plenty of attention, but the side I have yet to watch is Vincenzo Italiano’s Fiorentina, currently sitting in 4th. Italiano came to Fiorentina off a remarkable run at Spezia, and despite losing Dušan Vlahović to Juventus midway through his first season at the club, Italiano has led Fiorentina to top-half finishes in his first two seasons at the club. This season, they seem to be doing even better, and I’d like to see if I can figure out why (for more on Italiano, see Total Football Analysis and The Modern Game).
Right behind Fiorentina in the table is Thiago Motta’s Bologna, a team I know even less about. Motta seems to be an innovative, possession-based manager, and his Bologna managed to beat Roma, Inter, and Atalanta in a six-day spell last month (for more on Motta, see The Athletic and Medium). Getting a chance to see his 2-7-2 formation in action (spoiler alert: it’s a 4-3-3 read left-to-right rather than defense-to-striker) should be fun.
Check them out: 1/9 at 1:45 PM CST, Fiorentina vs. Bologna (Coppa Italia) on Paramount+.
Ligue 1
Ligue 1 is hard sell for most fans international fans, and despite having access to BeIN Sports, I’ve watched very little this season. So if I’m being honest, the team I’d probably like to see more of the most in Ligue 1 are top dogs Paris Saint-Germain. With Messi and Neymar each off to their respective retirement leagues, Luis Enrique’s side is reportedly playing more like a modern football club; and I’m interested in how hey will stack up against Champions League competition (for more on Enrique’s PSG, see The Athletic).
While OGC Nice is second in the table, Francesco Farioli’s anti-football side is not something I am looking forward to seeing more of. Instead, I’m looking out for Adi Hütter’s AS Monaco, and not just because of Folarin Balogun. They are an attack-oriented side that are fun to watch (for more on Hütter’s Monaco, see Total Football Analysis and Monaco Tribune).
Check them out: 1/13 at 10:00 AM CST, AS Monaco vs. Stade de Reims on BeIN Sports; 2/14 at 2:00 PM CST, Paris Saint-Germain vs. Real Sociedad on CBS or Paramount+.
Stoopid American 