Much has been said about Levante’s stellar 2011-12 La Liga campaign, and rightly so. For a team that has seen only seven seasons in Spain’s top flight in their entire history, they have done exceedingly well to get themselves up to 5^th place, remarkably in contention for a Champions League or Europa League spot.

However, a similar story has been unfolding in the Bundesliga this season, at Borussia Park. If you had magically fallen into a Snow White-esque slumber at the end of last season and awoken now, you’d probably find it difficult to understand Borussia Monchengladbach’s position in the table.

Their disastrous performances (at times almost loony) last year left them with only 16 points from the first 22 games. Former FC Zurich and Hertha Berlin coach Lucien Favre was called in for damage control, replacing Michael Frontzeck, and Die Fohlen (the foals) somehow managed 20 points in their last 12 games to save themselves.

It came as no surprise that after flirting with the 2^nd division for the whole of 2010-11, and no significant business in the transfer market, Monchengladbach were branded favourites to go down this time around. However Lucien Favre has done a remarkable job in instilling a brand new system within the side, making Borussia Monchengladbach the Cinderella story of European football this year.

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Written by Nikunj Merchant

Nikunj Merchant is a football fanatic, with a heart the shape of the Arsenal crest. A student of Environmental Science, he got into football journalism quite by accident, but went on to work as Editor and Site Manager of Goal.com India. He possesses a deep knowledge of many of the European Leagues, but has a soft spot for the German Bundesliga. He dreams of one day going to Dortmund and watching a live match from the Sudtribune (South Stand) of the Signal Iduna Park.

You can also follow and catch what he's up to on twitter @nikunjmerchant.