Premier League, take note: PSG and Bayern Munich's flying forward lines are the future of football

Just like pretty much everyone else on the planet, former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock thoroughly enjoyed Bayern Munich's thrilling Champions League quarter-final against Real Madrid. The tie ebbed and flowed for 180 mesmerising minutes before the Bavarians eventually prevailed 6-4 on aggregate, thanks in no small part to Eduardo Camavinga's idiotic dismissal in the closing stages of the second leg.

However, even though Bayern had ended up winning both legs, and by playing front-foot football from start to finish, Warnock had his doubts over the Germans' ability to go all the way.

"Both teams were brilliant going forward, but defensively both have been poor,"

The obvious - and correct - answer is, yes, because Bayern's next opponents, Paris Saint-Germain, proved as much by lifting the trophy less than a year ago. What's more, during a season in which English football has moved in a very worrying direction, anyone with a real love of 'The Beautiful Game' should be grateful for the fact that one of those two teams will be in the final against either Arsenal or Atletico Madrid...

Arteta's 'different sources'

Back in February, Mikel Arteta was genuinely astounded to learn that Arsenal had earned a reputation as the most boring team in England. "I hear completely the opposite,"

That's clearly the case, because you'd be hard pressed to find anyone across the football world that finds Arsenal 'exciting'. At their best, though, they are extremely effective and highly efficient, which is why they've reached last four of the Champions League for the second successive season - and without losing a single game.

Arsenal are also the poster boys for an increasingly pragmatic Premier League, one in which teams score more goals from set-pieces and fewer from open play. In that sense, they're something of a throwback to a bygone era, more George Graham than Arsene Wenger, and the old-school, '1-0 to the Arsenal" approach could yet win them the title - and the Champions League, meaning the ends would justify the means.

However, PSG and Bayern are showing that there's a different way. Indeed, if Arsenal embody some core principles of the dark, defensive days of the past, PSG and Bayern are thrilling examples of the potential for a much brighter future.

Another winger?!

PSG's signing of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia during the 2025 January transfer window appeared unnecessary. With Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Bradley Barcola, Luis Enrique wasn't exactly short on wide players. As far as the Spaniard was concerned, though, the more wingers in his attack, the better.

Shortly before Kvaratskhelia's arrival, Luis Enrique had come up with what

It proved a stunningly successful strategy, with Luis Enrique's fantastically fluid forward line propelling PSG to a thrilling treble that culminated in

Changed the game

PSG's tournament triumph was also a victory for attacking football. Even before they ran riot at the Allianz Arena, they had racked up more goals and shots than any other team in the knockout stage, while also registering the highest amount of possession.

For example, Liverpool's summer transfer business was undoubtedly influenced by their last-16 loss to PSG, with Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez clearly acquired in the hope of providing the same dynamism at full-back as Hakimi and Nuno Mendes. Of course, it hasn't worked out like that at all for the Reds, but perhaps the bigger issue is that Liverpool's recruitment team missed the main point.

Instead of adding another world-class winger to their team, they let one leave, with Luis Diaz allowed to join Bayern, who, coincidentally, have become the biggest threat to PSG's hopes of retaining their continental crown.

'Perfect fit'

As Max Eberl has subsequently pointed out, Bayern copped a bit of criticism over the Diaz deal. Nobody was questioning the Colombian's quality, but paying €75 million for a 28-year-old attacker was very unlike Bayern. Or, at least, it would have been in the past. Harry Kane had already fully vindicated the €100m outlay on him after arriving from Tottenham in 2023 at 29, so Eberl was in no doubt that Diaz would prove just as sound an investment.

"We knew what we were doing,"

Bayern couldn't have been more correct. Diaz has slotted seamlessly into Vincent Kompany's starting XI, while at the same time elevating the forward line to a whole other level.

"What makes Diaz special,"

'Proud to be part of this attack'

Tellingly, Diaz is more than happy to run himself into the ground for Bayern. He's always been an industrious player anyway, but he considers it both a pleasure and a privilege playing alongside Kane and Michael Olise, arguably the two best players in the world in their respective positions right now.

"They are both spectacular,"

"Michael destroys you one-on-one; he’s so technically gifted and makes the difference. He’s a calm guy. On the pitch, he’s very communicative. He helps a lot, pays attention to many details, and sometimes says, ‘Hey, let’s defend like this or that.’

"These are the details that help you grow as a footballer and make you feel comfortable. It's incredible to play with players like this. I’m very proud to be part of this attack."

'Fun to watch'

Of course, industry is just as important to PSG's forward line, with the once infuriatingly lazy Dembele pointing out last year that he and his team-mates are acutely aware that if they don't press with sufficient intensity, they'll be immediately replaced in Luis Enrique's starting 11. Kompany even admitted before the league-phase meeting between the two sides back in November that

It was also clear during that game at Parc des Princes that Bayern are very close to matching PSG in terms of movement. Kane may not be quite as fast or nimble as Dembele, but there's arguably no more mobile or intelligent No.9 in the game today, while Diaz was bought as much for his inability to play through the middle as he was for his devastating dribbling skills. With Olise constantly cutting inside onto his lethal left foot to devastating effect, Bayern have become a riddle that very few teams have managed to work out.

"We like that all experts are asking themselves 'who was our striker tonight? Who was the attacking midfielder? Who was the playmaker?'"

It's an approach that's certainly made them

So, the question isn't really whether Bayern could win the Champions League playing the way they do, but rather whether anyone but the equally exciting PSG can possibly stop them?