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Beyond the tactics and analysis, beyond the mind games, beyond the intellect and passion, in short, beyond every known and unknown complexity of modern football, lie goals. Football is loved the world over as the beautiful game because of the thrill and adrenaline rush as well as aesthetic pleasure provided by the beautiful game.
That is why the mini-tournament that concluded the UEFA Champions League, in extraordinary circumstances, was such a success. The teams involved generally played breathtaking attacking football catalysed by the high-press, the signature style of the most successful teams in the continent right now. Bayern Munich's demolition of Barcelona in the quarter-finals of the event was the high-water mark of this style of football.
Elsewhere, Liverpool tore up defences around England with their attacking triumvirate and overlapping fullbacks drilled in Jurgen Klopp's gegenpressing strategy and Manchester City, despite coming second, continued scoring freely in the signature possesion-based style of Pep Guardiola.
Atalanta, meanwhile, were the surprise of Europe last season as they almost scored for fun in the Serie A, becoming the highest scorers in the league.
With an exciting new season on the horizon, we will take a look at the five best attacking football teams in the world right now.
5 most attacking football teams right now:
#5 Paris Saint-Germain
A football team that has Kylian Mbappe, Angel Di Maria and Neymar as forwards are definitely going to play dazzling attacking football. Though Paris Saint-Germain and their star forwards were hounded out by an efficient Bayern team, especially in the second half of the UCL final, PSG had played some pleasing football to reach the stage.
Both Di Maria and Mbappe top the assists chart of this year's UCL and they scored 17 goals in the group stage to qualify first in their group to the knockouts where their scoring spree continued. PSG were only behind Bayern in terms of goals netted in the group stage.
Though their 75-goal return in Ligue 1 is much lower than the other teams on this list, PSG outscored second-placed Marseille by a whopping 34 goals. The front three pressed hard, passed sharply and seemed to gel well during the end of last season. PSG have great firepower in their ranks other than the three. The departure of storied striker Edison Cavani has not affected the team with Mauro Icardi being brought in promptly.
PSG also have a solid midfield with Leandro Paredes, Pablo Serabia, Marco Veratti, Ander Herrera and Julian Draxler all jostling for spots in the team. Coach Thomas Tuchel also has a capable, if inconsistent, Eric-Maxim Choupo Moting to call on as a backup forward.
With Neymar both assisting and scoring and looking settled at PSG (despite the tears after the final loss), Tuchel will hope to take the team to greater heights as an attacking unit this season.
#4 Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool finally reached the Promised Land last season. Klopp delivered The Reds' first league title in 30 years and their first ever Premier League title after forging a successful football team in his own, inimitable style.
Liverpool have become European and English champions in consecutive seasons and no one can say they did not deserve it. Liverpool have one of the best partnerships in the world up front with Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah complementing each other perfectly, notching up assists and goals consistently.
They also have two of the best attacking fullbacks in the game in Trent Alexander-Arnold and Andy Robertson with both capable of devastating pace and accurate delivery in the attacking third.
Alexander-Arnold is also a brilliant dead-ball specialist. However, despite the great start they made to the league, Liverpool struggled a bit towards the end of the campaign except for a glorious attacking performance against Chelsea in their penultimate game. They were also knocked out early from the UCL. The forward three did not match last season's performance with Firmino struggling to score at home.
They also scored four less in the league than the 89 they grabbed last season. Liverpool still possess one of the best attacking arsenal in football right now with Takumi Minamino, Georginio Wijnaldum, Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Divock Origi and many more all part of a stellar supporting cast.
#3 Manchester City
There is no doubt that Manchester City have the best attack in England right now. What led to their downfall in the league last season were inconsistent football and defensive frailties but they were a joy going forward as always.
They netted 102 times in the league, even bettering their tally from their triumphant 18-19 season. However, their nine losses led to them coming decidedly second best to Liverpool.
Pep Guardiola's team have possibly the best playmaker in football right now in Kevin De Bruyne who notched up 16 goals and 23 assists last season and ran the show. Up front they have possibly EPL's greatest contemporary striker, Sergio Aguero, who netted 23 times but there has been a bit of uncertainty over his future in the club in recent times.
Aguero has for company a brilliant forward line-up with Raheem Sterling and Riyad Mahrez in wide positions cutting in and Gabriel Jesus being a more than capable backup centre-forward. City also have great playmaking abilities in Bernardo Silva and upcoming star Phil Foden with attacking fullbacks in Benjamin Mendy, Kyle Waler and Joao Cancelo all capable of playing rivetting attacking football.
City will rank third because, despite scoring freely in the UCL as well, their attackers failed to take them to the top in Europe after the club suffered another shock in the quarters.
#2 Atalanta
Atalanta were clearly last season's revelation. Despite coming third in the Serie A, the Bergamo based club scored 98 times, the highest in the league in a demonstration of breathtaking, high-press football where every member of the team player for the other.
Clearly, Gasperini has moulded a wonderful football team together with relative unknowns who can give the very best a run for their money. Ilicic, Duvan Zapata and Alejandro (Papu) Gomez formed a dream team while going forward, with Ilicic, a tall Slovenian striker described as the most impactful player of last season's Serie A by some, netting 21 times.
Argentinian Papu Gomez has risen to be one of the most well-regarded midfielders in the game right now while Zapata also scored 19 times in all competitions as Atalanta lived the dream and reached the Champions League quarter-final for the first time in their history in a year that their home city Bergamo was ravaged by the pandemic.
Other instrumental players in the team are Marten de Roon, who is their midfield heartbeat and Luis Muriel, a Colombian forward also in fine form. However, it is not the personnel but the 3-4-3 system and the strategy to overload all the areas on the pitch that has worked so wonderfully weel for Gasperini's side.
#1 Bayern Munich
Some say revolutionary coach Hans-Dieter Flick has created a veritable football machine at Bayern, a machine that is unstoppable. If it is indeed a machine then it is one with a great aesthetic sense and a beating heart. Flick picked up a team struggling by their lofty standards and transformed it into an irresistible force last season.
Bayern's attacking prowess was epitomised in their 8-2 demolition of Barcelona in the Champions League quarters, but the personnel who could dominate the game were already there. Bayern had easily outscored everyone else in the Champions League group stage.
Flick took over the same players who had hit a rough patch under Niko Kovac to create a team that presses high, has the most astonishing high back-line and the most incisive passing and transitioning ability in the game.
They also have, possibly the best centre-forward in the game right now. Some would say Robert Lewandowski was the best player in the world last season. He netted an astonishing 55 times in 47 games as Bayern won the treble including the German Cup and the Champions League.
But there are brilliant footballers all over the pitch for Bayern. Thomas Muller, the 'interpreter of space' seems to have regained his touch under Flick, while Thiago Alcantara played the deep-midfield puupet-master role to perfection.
But it is along the wings that they have the most firepower. Serge Gnabry is in the form of his life scoring spectacular goals and getting crucial assists while Kingsley Coman is a liverwire down the flanks with his bag of tricks and goal-scoring ability.
Bayern also had Ivan Perisic down the outside channels playing a crucial role as a loanee, but the biggest find was Alphonso Davies. Ostensibly, a left-back, Davis plays in a very advanced role, almost as wing-back and with Bayern so confident on the ball and their pressing, he is given the license to rush forward and unleash his magic.
Pacy, skillful, with great vision and passing, the Canadian teenager has quickly become one of the best left-backs in the world and notched up 10 assists while scoring thrice last season.
They also have the versatile Joshua Kimmich, the intelligent Leon Goretzka, and overlapping fullback Benjamin Pavard. Not to forget, another amazing wide forward Leroy Sane has joined the team from Manchester City after an injury layoff.
In short, Bayern, who scored exactly 100 goals in the Bundesliga last season, should continue to be the best attacking team in football for some years to come.
