The Current Top 10 Best Front 3s in Football
I wanted to write a post with my take on the current (October 2019) best front threes in football.
To me, the forwards have to score goals, so I talk mostly about this. The information has not come from hours on hours of statistical analysis and who knows some of it may be inaccurate, but I based my rankings a bit on goals, a bit on the team’s record (in their country), and a bit on the reputation of the names and how good I think the players really are. So here it is, and hope you disagree:
1. Sterling, Aguero, Silva
- Man City: 32 goals for, 7-1-2 record
Although Man City have suffered two defeats already this season, they’ve scored more goals than any team in the Premier League, and by a good margin. Aguero leads the way with 8 goals and 2 in the Champion’s league. Raheem Shaquille O’Neal Sterling (that’s his real middle name) has 7, plus 4 more and 2 assists in the UCL, and Bernardo has 4 goals. But truthfully, a number of forwards could make up this front 3, and it’d still be just as good: David Silva, De Bruyne who’s got 9 assists in 10 games, Mahrez, Jesus, or Sane (gws).
2. Mane, Firmino, Salah
- Liverpool: 23, 9-1-0
A strong contender for the top spot are Champions League winners Liverpool. They’re off to a strong *undefeated* start to the campaign with 2/3 reigning Golden Boot winners on the flanks – Mane and Salah both have 5 goals apiece so far, with 5 more between them in the Champions League. Firmino fits nicely in the middle of these two savages and I think is very underrated for his passing and creativity.
3. Neymar, Mbappe, Di Maria
- PSG: 25, 9-0-2
Angel Di Maria is off to a hot start logging the most playing time for PSG in Ligue 1 and adding 4 goals and 4 assists so far, but he could have just as easily been replaced with Icardi or Cavani, two of the world’s deadliest frontmen. Mbappe and Neymar on the wings both have 4 goals already and make up probably the most expensive front 3 on this list.
4. Messi, Suarez, Griezmann
- Barcelona: 23, 6-1-2
Barcelona have added another superstar signing to their club with the summer purchase of Antoine Griezmann. He’s spent time both in the middle and on the left for Barcelona this season and has 4 goals with 3 assists so far. Not to mention the timeless two-man wrecking crew of Suarez and Messi, who’ve got 7 goals and 2 assists between them…in limited minutes.
5. Lewandoski, Gnabry, Coutinho
- Bayern: 24, 5-3-1
As an Arsenal supporter, Gnabry is looking more and more like the one that got away. He went off scoring 4 goals against the Spurs which was quite bittersweet. It’s a nice dynamic with the new boy Coutinho as well as the timeless Lewandowski who’s got a ridiculous 18 goals in 12 starts between the UCL and the Bundesliga.
6. Ronaldo, Higuain, Dybala
- Juventus: 16, 7-2-0
We can’t mention attacking trios without Cristiano Ronaldo somewhere in the conversation. Juventus are so far undefeated in Serie A, and although these three only have 8 goals between them in league play (and a couple more in the UCL), they’ve undoubtedly got the talent and goal scoring prowess unlike many others. Expect to see Juventus continue to pile on the goals this year.
7. Aubameyang, Pepe, Lacazette
- Arsenal: 15, 4-4-2
The last of the three reigning Golden Boot winners has thankfully been scoring – with 7 goals to this point in the campaign. Auba has saved a lot of points for Arsenal, and who knows how low in the table they’d be without him. Lacazette has been injured and has 2 goals in only 3 starts, whereas the new boy Pepe has just 1 goal and a couple assists to his name as he gets adjusted to the Premier League. Although if his 2-goal performance in the Europa league is a sign of anything, I think this front three are very close to finding their form and putting more goals in the net.
8. Hazard, Benzema, Bale
- Real Madrid: 16, 5-3-1
Real Madrid have been alright this year, but this front three isn’t like the Real Madrid of years past. Benzema has played well with 6 league goals. Bale has just a couple and seems like he wants to leave back to England, and Hazard’s got just one to his name as he settles into his new life in Spain.
9. Abraham, Pulisic, Mount
- Chelsea, 23, 6-2-2
Chelsea have quietly played quite well this season. They sit 4th in the Premier League, with the same amount of goals for as Liverpool. This is thanks to the emergence of the young lads. Tammy Abraham has 8 goals already in 9 starts, Mason Mount’s got 4, and the American’s got 2 assists and 3 goals thanks to his perfect hat-trick performance against Burnley. Expect the young guys to get better with age and to continue producing at a high level.
10. Vardy, Maddison, Perez
- Leicester: 25, 6-2-2
If I had made this list a week ago, Leicester probably wouldn’t have cracked my top 10. However, with their recent form, and a historic 9-0 victory in the Premier League it was impossible to ignore them. Vardy sits atop the league with 9 goals already, Ayoze is fresh off a hat-trick, Madders has 3 goals along with a couple assists, and Leicester sit 3rd in the table. The foxes have been impressive, and their forwards are proving dangerous.
Hon. Mentions:
Son, Kane, Eriksen
- Tottenham: 16 3-3-4
Sancho, Alcacer, Reus
- Dortmund: 20 4-4-1
Mertens, Insigne, Callejon
- Napoli: 18 5-2-2
Lukaku, Martinez, Sensi
- Inter: 20 7-1-1
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