If there’s one thing that everyone loves in football, it’s a ‘hipster’ football team. In the past, we’ve had Borussia Dortmund under Jurgen Klopp, whilst last season it was Italian club Napoli, under Maurizio Sarri who got them firing on all cylinders.
Unfortunately for fans of Italian football, they were unable to topple Juventus who clinched their sixth Serie A title in a row, although the season was a lot closer than it has been in recent years.
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Honourable mentions include Sevilla, AS Roma with Monchi as the newly appointed sporting director, AS Monaco who, of course, delighted everyone with their counter-attacking football in the Champions League and finally, fallen giants Parma are worth a mention.
Also read: UEFA Champions League 2017/18: Five teams to watch out for
That said, here are five teams who will delight us with their football in the 2017/18 season.
#1 RB Leipzig
Although Bayern Munich once again clinched the Bundesliga with relative ease, RB Leipzig were breathing down their necks for much of the 2016/17 campaign. Ralph Hasenhuttl replaced Ralf Rangnick as head coach whilst his high pressure and counter-attacking game was a threat to most teams.
Timo Werner finished as the highest scoring German in domestic football with 21 goals, ahead of Thomas Muller, whilst the 21-year-old was deservedly awarded his first cap for Germany in March.
Alongside Werner, Emil Forsberg and Naby Keita were the key protagonists for Leipzig last season with their free-flowing football. Their performances have attracted the attention of Europe’s biggest clubs, including Liverpool and PSG.
Considering their promotion in 2016, they’ve done incredibly well to finish runners-up behind Bayern Munich, qualifying for next season’s Champions League group stages. As they prepare for their first year in European football, RB have already made moves in the transfer market, with Bruma arriving from Galatasaray and Yann Mvogo from Young Boys Bern.
#2 Hoffenheim
Staying in the Bundesliga, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim are another team that have defied the odds, qualifying for next season’s Champions League after finishing fourth.
Coaching Hoffenheim is Europe’s youngest head coach, Julian Nagelsmann. The 29-year-old has gone from saving the Sinsheim club from relegation to qualifying for the Champions League in just 18 months.
Even with the losses of Niklas Sule and Sebastian Rudy to Bayern Munich heading into next season, Hoffenheim are still expected to challenge for a place in a European competition.
#3 Villarreal
Many will remember Villarreal for their run in the 2005/06 Champions League when they faced Arsenal in the semi-final, only to be knocked out following a remarkable Jens Lehmann save to deny Juan Riquelme from the spot.
Over a decade later, the Spanish club have been relegated whilst now they have bounced back up, in impressive fashion. Although scoring just 56 La Liga goals in 38 games, Villarreal enjoyed a double over Atletico Madrid whilst securing draws against both Barcelona and Real Madrid.
With the pull of European football once again, it will be interesting to see just what they can do in the coming season – whilst no doubt their style of play will gain several new followers.
#4 AC Milan
When talking about AC Milan, there’s no doubt you can call them a fallen giant, despite their constant presence in the top flight. With seven European Cup wins, Milan haven’t featured in the illustrious competition since 2014, whilst their best result in the competition in the past nine seasons has been a poor Round of 16 showing.
However, times are changing in Milan. Investors from China are pumping money into the club whilst they’re also making headway in the transfer market ahead of their Europa League campaign next season.
Andre Silva has arrived from FC Porto in a £32 million deal excluding future incentives, whilst Mateo Musacchio and Ricardo Rodriguez arrive for a combined £30 million fee to bolster their leaky defence and to finish transfers off for now, they’ve secured one of the brightest young prospects in European football today in Franck Kessie.
With Vincenzo Montella at the helm, the former AS Roma and Italian hitman could certainly provide impetus.
#5 Olympique Lyon
If there’s one thing Euro 2016 achieved, it was raising the awareness of French football. Under the guidance of Didier Deschamps and boasting of players such as Antoine Griezmann and Paul Pogba, French football was finally brought into the spotlight.
New stadiums were constructed, one of which was the Parc Olympique Lyonnais, and despite missing out on Champions League football, Lyon look to be one of Europe’s most exciting ‘hipster’ teams heading into next season.
The biggest question in the Lyon camp is whether Alexandre Lacazette will remain at the club, with both Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund interested. They have, however, been linked with a move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez should the Frenchman depart.
With Memphis Depay at the club and the potential arrival of Bertrand Traore from Chelsea, Lyon will potentially possess one of the best attacks in French football next season, and fans will be hoping to see them in the Champions League sooner rather than later.
