Squad depth is one of the most important things any manager is concerned about when tasked with building a team. Most elite clubs nowadays will participate in up to 4 competitions; while the first half of the season is relatively calm in that respect, the run-in can get severely cramped.
Teams that challenge for every trophy will end up playing 45-60 matches in a season, and whether you have the best starting XI on the planet or not, these players are human beings. Squad rotation is a necessity at the elite level, but many coaches refuse to tamper with winning formulas for fear of disrupting their team’s momentum.
To avoid that, the winter’s short transfer window is often spent acquiring players who can have an immediate impact on the season. Some clubs prefer to get their business finished early on so that the players come in cheaper and have more time to train together.
If they can buy into their manager’s philosophy, they will fit right into their respective sides even if someone is sidelined. That kind of intelligence and quality takes time to build, however, and not every club can achieve it. Other clubs do it the other way – they sign a host of top players so that their coaches can only pick from the kind of players they want in their colours. Here goes a list of the best clubs with the best squad depth.
5 . Liverpool FC
Jurgen Klopp presided over an 8th place finish last season, but his – more like Brendan Rodgers’ – squad made it to two cup finals (the Europa League & League Cup). However, they were soundly beaten in both, making the need for replacements quite obvious.
With the sale of Luis Suarez last season, the club added 8 new players to the squad worth a combined €94 million. However, they started the season poorly and several of their top signings either underperformed or suffered long-term injuries.
The ex-Borussia Dortmund manager revitalized the team, immediately imbibing them with his trademark fast-paced counter-attacking philosophy.
This summer, he’s already bought in six more players, including another raid on Southampton for one of the league’s standout attacking talents – Saido Mane. The versatile & pacey Senegalese trickster has tormented many of England’s finest defences, and he’s definitely improved the side.
Despite the loss of long-time defending superstar Martin Skrtel and the experienced Kolo Toure, the team look decidedly more tailored to play Klopp’s fast-paced style. With a quick, skillful strike-force and a fast, direct midfield, the Kop will soon be treated to some of the best that German football has to offer.
In defence, they’ve got plenty of youth which could see them face some teething problems but Klopp’s teams defend as a unit, and the midfield will be expected to play their part as well.
4. Borussia Dortmund
The powerful German club lost the core of their team over the summer (including captain Mats Hummels) but bounced back remarkably with some excellent business. Despite their defence looking somewhat lightweight, they have made some truly fantastic additions to their attack. Right now, they probably boast the fastest attack in Europe and the versatility of their forwards means that they can play a host of different systems. Moreover, most of their attackers can also play in midfield, and are proven in some of Europe’s best clubs. In midfield, they’ve gone ahead and added some of the continent’s best young talents. Some of them have been real coups, like the talented Moussa Dembele, who displayed some of his vast array of skills in their pre-season 4-1 destruction of Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United; although it’s still up for doubts if friendly results actually mean anything.
Anyhow, Thomas Tuchel will be quite pleased with the way his club have responded to the departure of several of the men integral to the Dortmund way of playing. Their defence has taken a major hit with Neven Subotic’s big injury but in the crucial fullback positions they’re even more well-stocked than before.
With speed being an integral part of this team, there’s now way they’d leave that to chance, and they’ve reinforced with European champions as well as youngsters in Raphael Guerreiro. The role of their defensive midfielders will definitely change with the Gundogan sale but Thomas Tuchel will be very pleased with his options in every part of the pitch.
3. Manchester City FC
Pep Guardiola’s arrival has definitely increased Manchester City’s pulling power as players like John Stones have been increasingly rumoured to look to the Etihad Stadium as an option, but rumours aside, the squad he inherited from Manuel Pellegrini is already very well-stocked.
Injuries to key players played a role in a disappointing campaign last season, but the team was still able to win the League Cup. The new manager will be expected to bring the best out of the expensively-assembled team he has inherited, but he has already added to the team he had before. Gundogan will almost surely come in to replace Fernandinho or Fernando whilst Nolito will be vying for a spot with the young Raheem Sterling.
With the defence proving especially vulnerable to captain Vincent Kompany’s absence, it will be very important for them to add another strong player at the back. Tiki-taka’s success will be tested thoroughly in the all-action Premier League and any weakness at the back is hopefully going to be absorbed by the sheer amount of possession they have.
Guardiola’s preference for a system with few strikers will most probably enshrine the mercurial Aguero in his place, so the other attackers will most likely serve as backup. That just adds to their flexibility and impact off the bench, making this City squad quite fearsome.
2. FC Bayern Munich
Pep Guardiola’s heir to the Bavarian throne is none other than former AC Milan hero Carlo Ancelotti. The Italian manager has been brought in with the focus perfectly clear – to win the Champions League, as he did when his Real Madrid side steamrollered Guardiola’s Bayern on the way to La Decima.
Having clearly dominated the Bundesliga for the past 4 years, it is time for the Germans to reach the pinnacle of Europe once more, and with one of the strongest squads in Europe they’re well-placed to achieve that. While their team remains largely untouched from last season, they were already extremely well-stocked.
That’s why the club has opted for quality over quantity this time, and the addition of the Euro-winning Renato Sanches and World Cup winner Mats Hummels clearly shows the direction which they’ve chosen for their signings. Their midfield is very powerful, but Xabi Alonso is aging and will need rest – hence the Sanches addition.
Ancelotti is not a manager who spends very much and will be happy to work with such a strong team, bar a few players that the club has quickly shuffled out of the team. With little to no domestic competition apart from Borussia Dortmund, the squad’s biggest tests will be in cup competitions, where Ancelotti excels. Munich has it all to conquer Europe – squad rotation will not be a problem for them.
1. Juventus FC
Massimiliano Allegri’s side became the first Italian team to win back-to-back doubles despite losing some of the previous campaign’s best performers. They started awfully but quickly gained ground on the other Serie A sides and their buys hit the ground running, especially Argentinian forward Paulo Dybala, who finished as their top scorer.
This season, they have dictated the transfer market’s biggest sagas with Paul Pogba’s mooted move to Manchester United and the lavish acquisition of Gonzalo Higuain from rivals Napoli. However, they’ve strengthened in every other area as well in a bid to finally conquer Europe.
Apart from cherry-picking their domestic rivals’ best players, they’ve gone ahead and added to what was already one of the meanest backlines in the world with the unique Dani Alves and Bayern’s Medhi Benatia. Juventus easily boast one of the most star-studded squads on the planet, and they can almost replace their whole team like-for-like.
Bar a miracle in any other part of Italy, they are set to win a 6th Serie A title in a row and will definitely be one of Europe’s main contenders for the Champions League. They can cope with the fixture schedule like nobody else can and are bound to conquer Europe for the third time.
