Top 5 Forward Duos in Europe in 2017/18

There was a time in recent years when attacks were all about which team had the best trio leading the line. Real Madrid and Barcelona championed the use of such attacking tridents and the popular 'BBC vs MSN' debate was born.

However, different circumstances pushed both sides to abandon that philosophy and focus on using duos instead. And they aren't the only team to do so.

A number of teams have had two key players become the focus of the attack no matter the formation - evident from the bulk of goalscoring they have been involved in. We look at the five best forward duos in Europe's top leagues this season.

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#5 Mauro Icardi & Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan)

Ivan Perisic (L) and Mauro Icardi

If there is one partnership that has flourished in Serie A this season, it wasn't at Juventus. Argentina may have a number of forwards to choose from but Gonzalo Higuain and Paulo Dybala have both been outscored by Mauro Icardi.

The 25-year-old forward has scored 28 times for Inter this season - just one behind Capocannoniere leader Ciro Immobile with one game to go. And to make things even better, Inter face Lazio in the final game to decide who could go through to the Champions League with the Nerazzurri needing a win while Lazio only need a draw.

Icardi would not have scored 28 goals if not for Ivan Perisic, though. The Croatian forward, who drops to midfield in a 4-2-3-1 or plays wide in a 4-3-3, has assisted Icardi 7 times in Serie A - more than any other player has assisted a teammate in the league.

"I always tell Mauro not to turn his back to me, because he can never know what I’m up to otherwise." - Perisic

In fact, Perisic has even assisted Icardi using his hands. A rare assist from a throw-in saw Perisic find Icardi to open the scoring in the 38th second against Verona.

#4 Jamie Vardy & Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City)

Jamie Vardy (L) and Riyad Mahrez

It's been two full seasons now since Leicester City beat 5000/1 odds to lift the Premier League title. It was a once-in-a-lifetime win and The Foxes are no longer a potent threat in the title race even though Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez continue to shine.

Although not as consistent and prolific as the 2015/16 season (41 goals), they have still managed to score 32 goals between them in the league this season. And they were let down by a defence that conceded more goals than they scored, leading to a ninth-placed finish.

But take nothing away from Vardy who played 37 games this season for 20 goals. The English striker has not shown any signs of slowing down despite being on the wrong side of 31.

And he, too, has been assisted 7 times by Mahrez - the highest in the league this season. Some of Vardy's goals have bordered on the ridiculous and the sublime with Mahrez finding his partner a number of times this season.

#3 Robert Lewandowski & Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich)

Thomas Muller (L) and Robert Lewandowski

When Carlo Ancelotti was appointed Bayern Munich boss, the player that struggled the most was Thomas Muller. The Italian manager just couldn't fit him into his lineup and get him to perform, benching him for big games and using Thiago Alcantara behind Robert Lewandowski.

Muller had always hit double digits when it came to scoring goals in the Bundesliga in the four seasons prior to 2016/17. This season also saw him struggle at first with Bayern CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge also stating: "He must have a better season. Competition for his position is fierce."

Once Ancelotti was ousted and Jupp Heynckes was appointed, things started to look up. Muller returned to the lineup and became a key ingredient in Bayern's attack.

Deployed behind Lewandowski in what was effectively a 4-4-1-1 system with wide wingers, Muller thrived. Both players made the right runs into space and made time for themselves to take shots on goal.

Lewandowski scored 29 goals this season and was assisted 7 times by Muller. Despite scoring only 8 goals, he had 14 assists to his name - the most he has had in years.

#2 Antoine Griezmann & Diego Costa (Atletico Madrid)

Antoine Griezmann (L) and Diego Costa

Atletico Madrid waited five whole months before they could see this duo in action. In the end, they will say it was worth it.

Following the Rojiblancos' move to the new Wanda Metropolitano Stadium this season, their La Liga campaign did not get off to a great start thanks to a number of draws. Antoine Griezmann was also struggling to get going and had only 3 goals and 3 assists by mid-November.

However, once Costa was registered and cleared to play in January (after Atletico's transfer ban was lifted), Diego Simeone's side received a new lease of life. The big Spanish striker was eligible to play in all competitions and soon struck up a partnership with Griezmann.

The big-man-little-man system is rarely in use these days but Simeone made it work thanks to Atletico's explosive, straight-off-the-blocks style of play. Costa's runs and support play saw Griezmann have a much better second half of the season.

In fact, Griezmann has 22 goals and 8 assists since the turn of the year. His sudden and drastic improvement in form is no coincidence. Costa's presence on the pitch is what unlocked their potential and it even saw Atletico lift the Europa League title.

#1 Lionel Messi & Luis Suarez (Barcelona)

Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez

The loss of Neymar was supposed to be tough on Barcelona but somehow Ernesto Valverde managed to come up with a system that not only plugged the hole but also made them a force to reckon with - at least domestically.

With the La Liga and Copa del Rey titles in the bag, they could be excused for not winning the Champions League. But at a club like Barcelona, it is all that matters at the moment and what hurt more was the manner of their exit from Europe.

Nevertheless, the 4-3-3 was abandoned and a 4-4-2 was used to get the best out of Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez. They delivered, and how!

Messi has 34 goals and 12 assists. Suarez has 25 goals and 11 assists. And we're only talking about their league stats here. Suarez has assisted Messi 7 times in the league while the Argentine has returned the favour 5 times.

To put their dominance in perspective, they are the only two players in double digits for goals and assists in La Liga. And the way they always look for each other on the pitch is what makes theirs such an inspiring partnership for the rest of Europe to replicate.