The Best Brand of Football – An Analysis

The Analysis

While Barcelona and Manchester City play a highly possession-based system of football, Liverpool do not. They play in a more dynamic style which does not emphasize possession of the ball. They typically adapt to their opponent and can play in various ways. However, the defining identity of Liverpool is that of a high intensity team.

While Barcelona and Manchester City’s pace is quite pedestrian, Liverpool’s is Formula 1 by comparison.

Creating space

There is tons of movement off the ball by Liverpool players, whether in possession or without it. They believe in creating space this way. Barcelona and Manchester City prefer to open up the opposition’s defense by having them chase the ball and force them into errors and exhaustion. Liverpool use their pure athleticism, while Barca and Manchester City use their technical skills.

Possession

Undoubtedly Manchester City and Barcelona are superior to Liverpool in the possession department, but that does not paint the entire picture. Liverpool’s tactical system exploits other mechanics which allow you to thrive without possession of the ball. It would be unfair to judge based purely on this. But go ahead if you must!

This is where things get interested for Barca and Mancity, as both teams play in a similar fashion. They love to control the ball and “razzle dazzle” you with their skills, as seen in the image above. They also share a history together as Manchester City’s coach is familiar with FC Barcelona – having coached them for 4 years.

Final Verdict

Before we tell you our winner, we’d like to give you a breakdown of where each team ranks within each criteria:

Visually and aesthetically pleasing:

1. Manchester City
2. Barcelona
3. Liverpool

Effectiveness and final product:

1. Liverpool
2. Manchester City
3. Barcelona

Difficulty:

1. Manchester City
2. Barcelona
3. Liverpool

The Winner – MANCHESTER CITY

Manchester City combines an explosive and aggressive style of offense with extreme technical prowess. They have arguably the weakest squad of the 3 and the mix of aesthetics, effectiveness, and difficulty of execution puts them over the top.