Matchday 2 proved Champions League drama is alive and well.
The absence of Camp Nou and the adventures of the high-line remain an issue for Barcelona as the Catalan side lost 2-1 to a depleted PSG. The Champions League defending champion was not even at its strongest and yet, Luis Enrique’s side came from behind and delivered a big victory at the Olympics stadium.
The French side entered the game at the top of Ligue 1 with five wins from its first six matches but it was missing many key players including Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembélé, Marquinhos, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Désiré Doué due to injuries. Barcelona meanwhile is also leading its respective league, topping La Liga with six wins and a draw from the first seven games but again, Hansi Flick is also dealing with absences including goalkeeper Joan García and Fermín Lopez. Though clearly, it was the away side with deeper injury worries. PSG had their captain and first-choice front three missing and regardless, it still won.
But the Parisians, with a tremendous squad filled with extremely talented young academy graduates, played very well and came back from behind against the Blaugrana after Ferran Torres opened the scoring. Let’s also not forget that this is a very well coached side where discipline and leadership was still present thanks to Achraf Hakimi, Nuno Mendes and Willian Pacho — all key players as part of PSG’s defensive shape.
On the other side, that’s a lesson Barcelona should learn from Wednesday’s opponent as Flick’s high line is such a dangerous, often vulnerable game to play, especially against this PSG side which has so much pace and precision, even without the aforementioned starters. And that’s how Gonçalo Ramos took full advantage for the visitors.
If Barcelona wants to win the Champions League, there’s a lot to figure out and Flick should perhaps be more conservative without the ball. As far as PSG is concerned, this was a fantastic, resilient game from their B-team (at least from an offensive standpoint).
Is Erling Haaland real?
On Wednesday, Monaco was able to eke out a draw with Manchester City, but once again, it was Erling Haaland who impressed. The Norwegian striker scored two goals, making it an astonishing 52 goals in 50 Champions League fixtures. It is a remarkable achievement and one that brings even more amazing statistics as Haaaland alone has now outscored nine teams in the competition in their first 50 matches, per Opta Joe. Amazingly, at 25 years old, he can still get even better, but there is no doubt in my mind that as purely a goal scorer, we have ever seen anything like him in the modern game.
Haaland is fast, incredibly smart and his leap is beyond comprehension. He can score in any way shape or form, but his uncanny ability to move before the pass happens is what separates him from anyone else. He’s a jaguar in the penalty area, ready to hunt and attack at any given opportunity. In the first half against Monaco, for example, he had only seven touches. That’s all he needed to score a brace in the first forty five minutes.
Man City ended up drawing 2-2 against Monaco, but as far as Haaland is concerned, the sky remains the limit.
Galatasaray exposes Liverpool’s flaws
It was a historic Tuesday evening for the Turkish side, which won 1-0 thanks to Victor Osimhen’s penalty as the hosts earned their first home win in the Champions League for the first time in seven years. The overwhelming support of their fans under their proverbial fire-pit stadium acted as the overwhelmingly powerful 12th man and Galatasaray used this energy with full force.
It also gave Liverpool its second straight loss, which is the second time that’s happened under Arne Slot but alarmingly, it once again showed the flaws of their defensive shape. Slot opted for Dominik Szoboszlai as right back and Jeremie Frimpoing as right wing and straight away, Baris Alper Yilmaz made them pay, causing havoc on multiple occasions, including the penalty that was given. It’s not to say that Liverpool didn’t have its own chances and indeed, missed a lot of them, but ultimately the loss in Istanbul — just like the loss to Palace and some previous performances — once again showcased that Slot needs to drastically improve his team’s defensive discipline.
Last season, in its opening 10 matches, it kept six clean sheets. This campaign? Liverpool has only two. Individually, Ibrahima Konate does not look like the same player he was last season and others like Milos Kerkez have failed to adapt.
From an attacking perspective, there are also other issues as Florian Wirtz has yet to earn a goal or assist in the eight matches he has played in. In addition, Alexander Isak and Mohamed Salah have not had a great start and what’s worse, Hugo Ekitike had to come off against Galatasaray in the 68th minute whilst Alisson also suffered an injury.
Look, it’s not to say that we’re in alarmist territory. Liverpool remains top of the Premier League table and it’s still too early to decipher anything from two matches in the Champions League. But I will say that Slot’s Liverpool has yet to do what it did almost immediately last season, which is find defensive solidity and attacking balance. There’s much to work on, for sure.
Category: General Sports
