How Liverpool’s £400m attack compares against Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich as Champions League kicks off
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How does Liverpool’s new-look forward line compare against the best attacks in Europe? We could see Bradley Barcola, Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo together for the first time vs Atletico Madrid Photo Credit: Getty Images/Karl Bridgeman – UEFA But while Premier League fans will be well aware of how they are stacking up against Arsenal, Man City, Man United and Aston Villa, who are all playing Champions League football this year, how does this £400m attack compare to the cream of Europe – Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG and Barcelona?Real Madrid – Mbappe and Vinicius lead the wayHaving gone two seasons without winning the Champions League, the pressure will be on Jose Mourinho to deliver for Madrid this time.Spearheading that drive will be the Los Blancos attack, which, as you would expect, is absolutely formidable on paper.Kylian Mbappe is the main man, and scores most of Madrid’s goals these days, but in Vinicius Jr on the left and Jude Bellingham in the Wirtz role, Mourinho has three players who would walk into any team in world football.READ MORE: New contract talks for Liverpool standard-setter Virgil van Dijk should start soonThe right side had expected to be occupied by one-time Liverpool target Yan Diomande, but the £120m summer signing has had a slow start to life at the Bernabeu, with Mourinho so far preferring Arda Guler to the Ivorian.
While Guler is a good player, he is not at the level of Madrid’s – or Liverpool’s – other attackers.Verdict: This is a great comparison, but while there are debates to be had, Mbappe and Vinicius are superior to Isak and Barcola. Bellingham is a different player to Wirtz, but clears him on current form, and while Gakpo probably edges Guler, this is a clear win for Madrid.Bayern Munich – Kane and Olise can’t be stoppedIf both Madrid and Liverpool are likely to play with a front four this season, then Bayern Munich can also be considered in the same category.Harry Kane needs no introduction as the main man for Bayern, and though the Englishman will do well to match his 64-goal haul from last season, you wouldn’t bet against him getting near it.Meanwhile, there is a strong argument that Michael Olise is the best right-sided forward in Europe, and every team on this list would no doubt love to have him.
As he recovers, Ismael Saibari has been doing a fine job standing in.Verdict: Kane is more proven in Europe than Isak and though Barcola is probably better than Diaz, Olise is the X-factor which both Liverpool and Madrid would love to have. Liverpool are ahead here.Overall rankings – Where do Liverpool sit?While on paper Liverpool’s attack looks incredibly lavish, when comparing it against Europe’s other front lines, the Reds come up slightly short.Isak has plenty to prove against the likes of Mbappe, Kane and Dembele, while Gakpo is not especially close to the level of Olise or Yamal, for example.Barcola adds plenty, but is outclassed by Kvaratskhelia and probably Vinicius, while Wirtz’s poor form is no match for Musiala at his best, or Bellingham.Given they’ve won the last two competitions, PSG’s attack is still the one to beat in our opinion, while the Mbappe and Bellingham axis probably just edges Madrid over Bayern.Liverpool sit ahead of Barcelona, but after spending so much money, you’d like to think they might be a touch higher.