5 new attacking combinations that will flourish this season
While a resolute defence and innovative midfield are just as paramount to a team’s winning formula, the footballing community, and namely the media, are not averse to placing the most interest in a side’s attacking dimensions – after all, goals win games. With this sentiment in mind, many clubs have streamlined their Summer spending on the meanest front-men Europe has to offer. The Champions League resumed this week and we got a sneak preview of the most mouth-watering attacking combinations the continent’s Big Guns will be looking to deploy over the course of the season. Moulding the most clinical forward armoury is dependent on funds available, tactical know-how and willingness to experiment yet, even without one or two of the aforementioned ingredients, some teams can surprise and captivate with barnstorming attacking dynamics.It’s still early days this campaign and therefore, there is still time to prophesise how successful teams will be. So, here’s a list of five, newly-crafted attacking combinations that I expect will flourish over the course of the season.
#1 Manchester City
Kevin De Bruyne – Sergio Aguero – Raheem Sterling – David Silva
Having created 27 chances already this term between them (that’s more than the number made by Messi, Ronaldo, Modric and Rakitic so far this season), Manchester City’s new-look quartet seems destined for great things this forthcoming campaign. After splashing out over £100-million on half of the combination, with Raheem Sterling’s £49-million price tag being edged by the £54-million fee De Bruyne’s talents warranted, City’s attacking line has been revitalised after a season many believed highlighted the lack of pace and creativity the Manchester club had at their disposal in the final third.
Having conceded just two goals this season, City have barely put a foot wrong – apart from the West Ham loss – from back to front and, as we now venture away from the early, tentative stages of the season into a less-restricted, experimental patch in the domestic calendar, one should expect the Sky Blues to turn it up a gear and begin blowing teams out of the water.
Silva is slick and has the expert vision to dissect the sturdiest of back-lines with a single pass while Raheem Sterling has the pace in his locker to play off a dominant front-man or glide down the flank. De Bruyne may be new to Premier League life, but his ability to play with either foot and make driving runs through the centre will be pivotal. Aguero’s low centre of gravity meanwhile gives him the balance to hold off stronger opponents and we all know how good the Argentine’s eye for goal is.