
Nottingham fans stand behind their club, which is one of the black horses (New Arab/Getty)
With every new football season, a number of clubs that break expectations and challenge adults appear in what is known as the “black horse” phenomenon. These teams may not be a candidate for competition at the beginning, but they impose themselves on the scene and achieve distinguished results. This season, several clubs have emerged in various European leagues, including Atalanta in Calcio, Nutingham Forest in the Premier League, Mainz 05 in Bundesliga, and Olympic Marseille in Lig 1.
Atalanta Club continues to play the unexpected role of the opponent in the Italian League, where the team, under the leadership of Italian Jian Pierre Gasperini (67 years old), succeeded in presenting fun offensive football with great results against the senior Calcio, and the team has proven its ability to be in the Champions League qualifying positions in recent years, and it seems that this season will not be an exception, as it continues to challenge the senior Affilia, occupying the third place behind Inter Milan and Napoli, and bypassing Juventus and Milan in the top race, making it the “black horse” the most prominent in Calcio.
The ancient club, Nutingham Forrest, did not come just to stay, after returning to the English Premier League after 23 years in the lower sections, but rather seeks to compete and achieve surprises led by Portuguese coach Nuno Espereto Santo (51 years), as the team presented a strong performance against the major teams, achieving positive results that made him dream of a seat in European competitions, and becomes one of the most teams The attention is grabbed in the Premier League by occupying the third league standings, ahead of big clubs such as Manchester City and Chelsea, and the “black horse” becomes officially this season.
In the German league, Mainz 05 still shows a team able to embarrass adults such as Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. The club, which has a long history in providing young talents this season, succeeded in providing a balanced defensive and offensive performance, which made it a competitor for the positions of European championships, bypassing all expectations by occupying the third place until today, but it remains far from the frequent experience of the Bayer Leverkusen champion last season.
The Olympic Marseille Club has returned to compete strongly in the French league, as it seeks to stay at the forefront of the table, and try to fight Paris Saint -Germain, which imposed its control in recent years, and the club of the capital of the French south, under the leadership of Italian Roberto de Zerby (45 years), was distinguished by an attractive offensive style that enabled him to achieve distinct results and maintain the center of Al -Wasafa for several weeks in a row. The only French team, which is crowned with the Champions League title, aspires to restore its previous glory, taking advantage of its ambitious project and strong contracts that have strengthened its ranks.
With the decisive stages of the season approaching, these teams will continue to present their strong offers and try to achieve surprises, while the competition appears to be settled in Spain between the three adults, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletico Madrid, without registering any other party capable of repeating what Girona did last season.