Ranking the Top 5 Passing Teams in Europe This Season
Possession-hungry tactics are becoming the norm in world football as many managers trend toward retention strategies.
With the popular 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 formations being utilised heavily across Europe and international football, passing short has almost superseded the killer ball.
Here, we rank the top five teams in Europe utilising a possession-orientated philosophy. It's not ranked on league position, but on how well they execute their strategy.
5. Shakhtar Donetsk
1 of 5Shakhtar Donetsk put on another scintillating display for all of Europe against Chelsea, and despite coming away from Stamford Bridge with nothing, most would agree the Hirnyky were superior once again.
Their effortless use of the ball is jaw-dropping at times, and their attacking philosophies and movement are somewhat akin to Andre Villas-Boas' FC Porto.
Darijo Srna is being released regularly in a similar fashion to Oleh Husyev under Oleh Blokhin, and that is perhaps the biggest catalyst, aside from Fernandinho's brilliance, for Mircea Lucescu's domination of domestic and foreign opponents.
4. Juventus
2 of 5Any team with Andrea Pirlo stands a good chance of making it onto this ranking, and this year Juventus are again blessed with his presence.
The deep-lying playmaker, or regista if you're feeling Italian, has been influential yet again so far, averaging an impressive 77 passes per game considering the 3-5-2 formation he's playing under Massimo Carrera and Antonio Conte.
The Old Lady themselves are dominating Serie A, and despite a recent slip up to in-form Internazionale, look the team to beat in the chase for the Scudetto this season.
3. Arsenal
3 of 5Arsenal's results have stuttered a little lately and that's worrying, but Mikel Arteta and co. are not shirking their midfield duties—it's the strikers who are the cause of concern.
The Gunners remain consistently excellent with the ball and maintain an average of 60.4 percent possession, leading the way in the English Premier League.
An 87.3 percent success rate when passing is an impressive, but not a surprising statistic considering the personnel available to Arsene Wenger.
2. Bayern Munich
4 of 5Bayern Munich's early season form is up there with the very best in the world.
They returned to dominant form in Europe midweek and set a new Bundesliga record for the best start in the history of the league.
Jupp Heynckes' passing philosophy has a lot to do with this, and momentum has shifted back to Bavaria for the title race.
Bayern's destruction of Schalke 04 was a clear indicator of their methods, and the emergence of the selfless Thomas Muller has certainly helped matters.
1. Barcelona
5 of 5Despite some far from convincing defensive performances and the perceived luck Tito Vilanova has enjoyed, Barcelona remain the greatest passing team in Europe.
Their trip to Parkhead only served to exemplify this, as they mustered 89 percent possession in addition to over 900 completed passes against Celtic.
Those who offer the theory that possession hinders Barca's goal threat are misguided—Vilanova's men were ridiculously unlucky to lose this game in particular, and remain unbeaten in La Liga.
