Search

Home » Uncategories » From Barcelona To Leicester City, These Are The Top 10 Soccer Teams Of The Decade - Forbes

From Barcelona To Leicester City, These Are The Top 10 Soccer Teams Of The Decade - Forbes

From Barcelona To Leicester City, These Are The Top 10 Soccer Teams Of The Decade - Forbes

Picking the best teams of the past 10 years is always going to divide opinion.

First, what constitutes the ‘best’ team? I could have picked the 10 Champions League winners from 2010 to 2019 (I didn’t, but a few are included) or the winners of the three Women’s World Cups and three men’s competitions (two make the cut).

Instead, I’ve selected teams that were all great, but often for different reasons. There are not a huge number of similarities between the Leicester City title-winning side and the Barcelona that won the 2011 Champions League. But both deserve a place.

I admit this list is bias towards western European teams and men’s teams. There is one women’s team and, other than the two national teams, the club sides are all from the ‘Big five” European leagues. The excuse is these are the areas of soccer I know best, and hence feel most confident in forming a list like this from teams in these areas.

Here, in chronological order, are my picks for the top 10 teams of the decade and a brief explanation of why each deserves its place.

Inter Milan - 2009/10 Season

This was the most successful season in the history of the Italian giants. Guided by Jose Mourinho, the club became the first team from Italy to complete the treble – winning Serie A, the Coppa Italia and the Champions League.

It was a remarkable achievement from a squad built around experienced South American players. Javier Zanetti, Lucio and Esteban Cambiasso were standout performers, while striker Diego Milito scored 30 goals. That included both goals in the 2-0 Champions League final win over Bayern Munich, Inter’s first European Cup since 1965. Under Mourinho, the team was often more pragmatic than pretty, but the final result isn’t one anyone can argue with.

Spain - 2010 World Cup

Spain went into the World Cup in South Africa as the master of “tiki-taka”, the brand of short-passing soccer that had seen it crowned 2008 European Champion. Spain was unbeaten for 35 matches – a joint international record – and won all 10 qualifying matches.  

But after suffering a surprise defeat to Switzerland in its opening group match, there were a few doubts over whether tiki-taka could still dominate. Spain stuck to it and, in a fitting brains over brawn victory, beat an aggressive Dutch team in the final.

Barcelona - 2010/11 Season

Players from that Spain team like Gerard Pique, Xavi and Andreas Iniesta were also crucial cogs in this Barcelona side. Add in Dani Alves near the peak of his powers and a 23-year-old Lionel Messi and you have a special mix.

Barca could tell this was going to be a big season when it beat arch-rival Real Madrid 5-0 in El Clasico in November 2010. Barca went on to win the league and Champions League, defeating Manchester United 3-1 in the final. The treble was within reach but Real got some of their own back, beating Barca in the final of the Copa del Rey.

Real Madrid - 2011/12 Season

As good as Barca was the previous season, Real arguably topped it in this record-breaking season. This was another Jose Mourinho side but one that defied his reputation as a cautious coach. Real won La Liga with 100 points (a record), 121 goals scored (another record) and a goal difference of +89.

La Liga was the only trophy Real picked up, losing to Barcelona in the Copa del Rey and Bayern Munich on penalties in the semi-final of the Champions League. Yet with creative forces like Mesut Ozil and Xabi Alonso supplying a Cristiano Ronaldo in blistering form (60 goals in 55 appearances), this team is one of the best of the decade.

Bayern Munich - 2012/13 Season

In recent years, Bayern has been somewhat overshadowed by rivals from England and Spain in European competition, but this team was in a league of its own. Tough, hard-working players like Thomas Muller and Mario Mandzukic were complemented by the guile of Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery.  

The Bavarians became the first German team to win the treble. It won the Bundesliga easily – by 25 points – and the domestic German cup before beating rivals Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final. The route to the final included an eye-catching 7-0 aggregate win against Barcelona in the semi-final.

Atletico Madrid - 2013/14 Season

Of the last 15 La Liga seasons, this is the only one where the title has not gone to Real Madrid or Barcelona. Los Colchoneros won 16 of its first 18 La Liga matches and pipped Real and Barca to the title by three points.

It could have been an even better season. Atletico reached the semi-final of the Copa del Rey and the final of the Champions League before losing to Real Madrid in extra-time. With Diego Simeone in charge, the secret to Atletico’s success was an incredibly solid defence featuring the likes of Diego Godin and Miranda, an experienced midfield and the goals of striker Diego Costa. The strength of this team was seen in the Champions League second leg win against Chelsea when Atletico came from behind and ruthlessly dismantled their opponent. It was such a good performance, Simeone thanked his player’s mothers after the match.

Leicester City - 2015/16 Season

In the 2014/15 season, Leicester City finished 14th in the Premier League. So it was understandable to see the Foxes priced at 5,000-1 to win the title the following season for the first time in the club’s history. But, in one of the greatest upsets ever seen (let alone in this decade), that’s exactly what Leicester did.

There are numerous reasons for the team’s success. The recruitment that saw Leicester buy winger Riyad Mahrez, all-action midfielder N’Golo Kante and striker Jamie Vardy for relative peanuts is one important factor. Vardy scored 24 goals, Mahrez 18 and Kante seemed to be everywhere on the pitch at once. Another is the counter-attacking style that teams could not live with, even when they were expecting it. And the management of Claudio Ranieri in marrying a team of experienced pros with shrewd but untested signings, was masterful.

Manchester City - 2018/19 Season

There was only one team that was going to beat Liverpool (see below) to the Premier League title last season, and this was it. City was reigning champion but they say retaining the title is the true test of a team. This one, led by Pep Guardiola, not only retained the title, but also added the FA Cup and League Cup for a domestic treble.

City lost four league matches – three more than runners-up Liverpool – but went on a barely-believable run in the second half of the season. City was virtually flawless, winning 17 of its last 18 matches. Guardiola must take credit for ensuring his team kept believing and he was helped enormously by a squad of amazing depth. The PFA team of the season featured six City players – Ederson, Aymeric Laporte, Fernandinho, Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero.

Liverpool - 2018/19 Season

Last season’s Liverpool is the only club in the list who didn’t win their domestic league in the season selected. Liverpool also crashed out of both domestic cup competitions at an early stage. But it has to be included. Liverpool lost the title to City by a single point and only lost one league match all season. And, arguably more importantly, it won the Champions League a year after a painful final defeat to Real Madrid.

Liverpool’s semi-final second-leg win against Barcelona summed up what this team was all about. Trailing 3-0 from the first leg, Liverpool did not know it was beaten even if everyone else thought it was. With flying fullbacks and a belief fuelled by the Anfield crowd, Liverpool did everything perfectly to beat Barcelona 4-0 for a famous victory. After that, it must have believed its name was on the trophy.

United States - 2019 Women’s World Cup

The USWNT went into this tournament as overwhelming favorite, under huge pressure to retain the trophy. Everything it did was scrutinized, from perceived arrogance to goal celebrations. But this team believed it was the best from the start and it proved it, winning all seven matches to again be crowned world champions.

This team also deserves its place for its off-pitch influence. The U.S. team’s performance inspired record crowds and viewers for the tournament. And team role models like Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan used their platform to speak out on important social issues.



2019-12-19 23:57:37Z
https://www.forbes.com/sites/robertkidd/2019/12/19/from-barcelona-to-leicester-city-these-are-the-top-10-soccer-teams-of-the-decade/

Bagikan Berita Ini

0 Response to "From Barcelona To Leicester City, These Are The Top 10 Soccer Teams Of The Decade - Forbes"

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
Powered by Blogger.