Every Champions League Team's Biggest Flaw
The 2013-14 UEFA Champions League is certainly up and running once more, with the 32 teams remaining all looking to move through the group stage unscathed.
Obviously certain teams such as Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona will fancy their chances more than the likes of Viktoria Plzen or FC Copenhagen, but with anything able to happen on the European stage, all teams will fancy their chances to some extent. Especially if they can exploit the weaknesses of their opponents, with all 32 teams showing susceptibility in one area or another.
Where is the biggest weakness or flaw in every team of the Champions League group stage this year? Read on, world football managers. Take notes and find out.
Group A
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Manchester United: Lack of Midfield Tenacity
Manchester United desperately tried to sign a central midfielder this year who could act as the perfect double-pivot partner to the veteran man in Michael Carrick.
They wanted someone who could lock up the defensive end of the field, but then push forward and help the attack. And while they had options in Tom Cleverley and Shinji Kagawa, neither offered the defensive presence that new manager David Moyes wanted in the middle of the field—which is why he signed the bustling Belgian in Marouane Fellaini to play that role.
Only problem is that so far, Fellaini hasn't lived up to expectations.
He isn't a prolific tackler in defensive midfield. He's very strong in the air and going forward, but when it comes to possession and playing in defensive midfield, he isn't the ideal man for United. And while this wasn't necessarily a problem against Bayer Leverkusen (at least before Lars Bender came on), it was certainly an issue in their 4-1 drubbing against Manchester City.
If Fellaini is expected to "do it all," there could be trouble for United.
Shakhtar Donetsk: Loss of Key Personnel
Shakhtar Donetsk have been somewhat of a regular in the Champions League over the past few years, and quietly built a very impressive squad in the process.
Yet over the past 12 months, it seems other managers and teams have started to recognise this—pinching some of their star talent. They lost the heart of their midfield in Fernandinho and their most creative forward in Willian. Henrikh Mkhitaryan also left, and while the club have managed to replace their presence with new talent such as Bernard and Wellington Nem, the Ukranians are still going through a transitional period as they learn how their new lineup is most effective.
They're obviously a tough team to break down given their home-ground advantage and quick, counterattacking skill, but transition is never easy.
That could prove to be a problem in a deceptively strong group.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Weakness at Right-Back
It's hard to fault too much about Sami Hyypia's team, with the underrated Germans certainly one to watch in both the Champions League and Bundesliga this year.
However, there is a weakness at right back with the loss of Daniel Carvajal.
Los Blancos held a buy-back clause as part of Carvajal's contract with Bayer Leverkusen last year, and activated that over the summer window. As a result, Leverkusen were forced to try and find some further defensive cover for him over the window—adding the likes of Emir Spahic, Guilio Donati, Roberto Hilbert and bringing up Nico Perrey from their under-19 team.
However, none provide the same strength that Carvajal did.
Donati (who played in the 4-2 loss to Manchester United) was the club's second-worst ranked player on the night with three goals originating down his flank.
Real Sociedad: Home Form
Real Sociedad are at their most effective when they absorb pressure in defense and quickly counterattack that through the middle of the field. That was how they nearly scored through Haris Seferovic against Barcelona when they met recently; that was how they beat Lyon in their Champions League playoff. But it isn't how they play when they're the ones at home.
The nature of Real's game means that they are most effective on the road, where absorbing pressure and counterattacking is widely considered as the norm.
La Real dominated against Shakhtar in terms of possession and territory, but they couldn't build and sustain the attack long enough to make it count on the scoresheet. This was evident last season as well, where in La Liga, Sociedad only won two more home games than they did away games, and of their 19 games at home, they drew over a third of those games.
The Spaniards simply aren't built (tactically) to win well at home.
Group B
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Real Madrid: Changing Force Under Carlo Ancelotti
Bleacher Report's Guillem Balague highlighted earlier in the week that Madrid's biggest concern might simply stem from their current setup (and manager).
"After the derby defeat to Atletico, Madrid are five points adrift from top spot in La Liga and Ancelotti is seemingly in charge of a team ill-equipped to play the style of game he has been asked to play. Things at the Bernabeu are looking shaky. Just seven games in, and already Ancelotti has changed his approach on more than one occasion...
Ancelotti is facing these kinds of demands for the first time, but he hasn’t got the team to play the type of game he wants to. Real Madrid have pace to burn and are naturally a counter-attacking side, but the desire has always been for them to be the aggressor, the protagonist. That is how the president, Florentino Perez, wants them to play...
Ancelotti needs time, but people are very impatient at the Bernabeu.
"
Juventus: Problems with Creativity up Front
Juventus—at one point this summer—had six genuine strikers on their books. Granted they dealt with that as they sold some of them, but the reality still remains that Juve have a slew of options up front, yet not necessarily the creativity and variety required from them all.
Fabio Quagliarella and Fernando Llorente were played together earlier in the year against Chievo, and despite the Old Lady having over 70 percent possession, they were poor in their creativity. That pairing (like others that Juve could use up front), simply didn't provide the creativity needed to challenge the better teams that Juve are likely to face in the Champions League.
Carlos Tevez, Mirko Vucinic or Sebastian Giovinco must be played alongside Llorente or Quagliarella for Juventus to ensure they remain a strong attacking force.
Otherwise we might see a lot of dominance, but not a lot of goals.
FC Copenhagen: Depth of Talent
There's little doubting that FC Copenhagen have some strong players and cannot be dismissed as "secondary". Manchester United will be the first to admit that.
Fanendo Adi and Lars Jacobsen (who was there in 2006) are good players at either end of the field, and must be treated as such. However, outside of them, the problem for Copenhagen is that they simply don't have the game-winners needed to threaten the big teams.
Juventus were poor and not clinical; Copenhagen had some luck and the home ground advantage. Yet all they could manage was a draw, which at home, isn't enough.
Across 90 minutes, they just don't have the personnel required to challenge any of the three other squads in their group—and that will show this season.
Galatasaray: No Plan B to Counterattack
The Turkish powerhouse are built to counterattack.
Bruma—who could be breakout star this year—oozes pace. Wesley Sneijder does the same. Didier Drogba and Burak Yilmaz are both inherent poachers.
Their defensive unit (which is held together by Fernando Muslera and Aurelien Chedjou) allows them to sit relatively deep in their own end and then explode out from the back. When it works—such as their quarterfinal tie against Real Madrid—Galatasaray are a force to be reckoned with, and can give some of their more fancied opponents some serious cause for concern.
However, when it doesn't work, there isn't really a plan B.
This team is built to counterattack and hurt opponents right through the middle. Against a sound defensive team like Juventus, that may not work.
Then what?
Group C
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Paris Saint-Germain: Dearth of Defensive Depth
With the arrival of Edinson Cavani over the summer window, Paris Saint-Germain seemingly consolidated themselves as one of the top attacking teams in world football.
Yet they undid much of that work over the final few days.
World-class defender Mamadou Sakho was allowed to leave for Liverpool without a proper replacement being found, and with Thiago Silva also subject to strong transfer rumors, it seems that the capital club may have made a huge mistake. They did keep Silva in the end—which was no doubt a huge boost—but even still, selling Sakho wasn't a smart move for PSG's defensive structure.
Especially if injuries start to arise at some point this season.
Benfica: Problems Killing off Games
Anyone watching the UEFA Europa League Final last year will know that Benfica probably should have won. They should at least have taken the match to extra time.
Yet despite their dominance on the night (and throughout the entire tournament), the Portuguese club made it much tougher on themselves. They struggled to kill off the match like they should have, and that continues to be an increasingly important problem for them.
Their 2-1 defeat to FC Porto (after leading and largely dominating the game) last year, which ultimately cost them the domestic championship, highlighted the same problem for Benfica. Their recent 1-1 draw at home against Beleneses is further evidence still.
Olympiacos: Over-reliance on Javier Saviola
Well-traveled Argentine forward Javier Saviola brings with him a slew of experience and talent to the Greek club this year, but one wonders whether that will indeed be to their detriment. With the 31-year-old in their lineup, they have become far too one-dimensional in attack and could very well struggle to score goals other than on the counterattack as a result.
Olympiacos very nearly made it to the knockout stages of the Champions League last year without Saviola, and have a number of strong strikers on their books still this season. Whether they'll get the proper chance to shine or not still remains to be seen.
Anderlecht R.S.C: Summer Exodus
The fate that catches most clubs in Europe's "smaller" leagues is the process of star players leaving for greener pastures over the summer window. Just ask Ajax.
Including fringe players, 22 names left Anderlecht this summer, and while many of those won't regular first-teamers, there were still some key losses for the club.
Jordan Lukaku, Lucas Biglia, Tom de Sutter, Dieumerci Mbokani.
Other than bringing in Aleksandar Mitrovic, Anderlecht didn't really replace any of these players, and that could very well hurt them in the European competition this season. They were deceptively strong last year and tough to break down at home, but don't have the personnel required to achieve similar performances this year due to the "traditional" summer exodus.
Group D
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Bayern Munich: Too Many Cooks to Spoil the Broth
It's hard to find too many faults with Bayern Munich. From Manuel Neuer all the way to Mario Mandzukic, they are a well-oiled, finely-strung, top-class, machine.
Their treble-winning season last year is testament to that.
However, we did gain a slight insight into the problems that may await the Bavarians this season as they transition from Jupp Heynckes' plans into that of Pep Guardiola's, and also deal with the new personnel that they have on board, with Mario Gotze and Thiago Alcantara the biggest inclusions to note.
Here's what Bleacher Report's Clark Whitney noted back in August as the defending champions kicked off the Bundesliga season is less-than-convincing fashion.
"Against Nurnberg, it seemed a case of too many cooks spoiling the broth. In Ribery, Gotze and Thiago, Bayern had three playmakers on the pitch at the start of the match. And although the Frenchman played confidently, Gotze and Thiago looked utterly confused at times, wandering in search of any purpose...
There is potential for Guardiola's system, should Bayern's many illustrious talents finally reach an understanding. Until then, though, their mutual confusion will make it much easier for opponents.
Before they can be unpredictable to opponents, Bayern's star attackers must become predictable to one another.
"
Manchester City: Don't Produce Away from Etihad
Every year we hope to see otherwise, but the fact remains that Manchester City—under Roberto Mancini or Manuel Pellegrini—just don't play well away from home.
When they won the title in 2011/12, they picked up 55 points at home and just 34 on the road. In 2012/13, that number dropped to just 33 points on the road.
They also lost all three of their away Champions League games.
Pellegrini's side is obviously talented (as their 4-1 drubbing of United earlier in the year showed), but until they can combine their dominance at home with similar performances on the road, they will struggle against Europe's elite. After all, how can they be expected to go to a place like the Westfalenstadion in February or March and hope to win when they can't even do it at Villa Park?
CSKA Moscow: Away Form
Similarly, the problem exists also for CSKA Moscow on the road.
Part of this comes with the fact that playing in Russia has huge geographical and climatic advantages throughout the colder months and thus provides a stark contrast to playing somewhere like Barcelona or Madrid. Part of it is the relocation to the Arena Khimki Stadium.
Part of it is just the fact that CSKA playing poorly away from home.
Already this season, the defending champions have dropped points away from home against lowly Russian clubs such as Terek Grozny and Ural.
If they can't win in Russia in conditions that they should be more familiar with, the question remains as to their likelihood of winning in places a long way from home.
Viktoria Plzen: Inconsistency
Viktoria Plzen—at their best—are a deceptively good team. Many have written them off as minnows in this group, and while they likely won't progress due to the presence of both City and Munich, the fact remains that the Czech champions are still very, very strong.
At home or away from home, Plzen are capable of hurting even the strongest of attacking teams, as Napoli found out firsthand in the Europa League last season.
Yet the problem is with consistency.
Plzen are just as likely to deliver a world-class performance away from home as they are repeat the hapless performance they delivered in their opening match.
It's all about which team decides to take the field.
Group E
5 of 8
Schalke 04: Struggle to Kill off Games
Bleacher Report's Clark Whitney wrote earlier in the year about Schalke 04's potential emergence as a legitimate Bundesliga and Champions League threat.
While that might still seem like a little while away, the reality is that Schalke have an abundance of star players in attack (Julian Draxler, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Max Meyer). They simply don't have the solidity in defense required to shut out games like they should—something which will be key against the best attacking teams in world football.
Currently, Schalke sit 14th in the Bundesliga with just two wins in seven games. Against Hamburger, they let a one-goal lead slip. They did the same with a two-goal lead (on two separate occasions) against Hoffenheim. And they did the same against Galatasaray last year as well—snuffing out any chance that they had of making a serious indent in the Champions League power structure.
FC Basel 1893: Defensive Attention on One Player
FC Basel took down Chelsea by sitting deep and then pressing hard when Eden Hazard picked up the ball in attacking space. He was the guy they were determined to stop, and it proved pivotal in the result, with neither Frank Lampard or Oscar offering the alternative that the Blues needed in attack.
How is that a problem? The answer is their over-attention.
Throughout the Europa League last season, Basel showed a tendency to focus their defensive efforts on shutting down individual players—with mixed results in the end.
It worked (for the most part) in the short-term, but when substitutes were made and tactics switched, the Swiss club struggled to adjust. They had one game-plan, but struggled to change their structure and thinking defensively when their opponents did the same in attack.
Again, that policy will work sometimes (like it did against Hazard and Chelsea this year), but it won't always work. They must become more versatile in defense.
Chelsea: Striker Situation
Romelu Lukaku was a star last year for West Bromwich Albion. Why Jose Mourinho willingly let him leave the club on loan again is simply a mystery.
However, it's one that could seriously hurt the Blues' chances this year.
Chelsea have a star-studded squad laden with world-class wingers and creative playmakers, but they lack the consistent, physical presence at the top of their attack required to clinically finish the chances they do create. Fernando Torres isn't physical (at least legally) or clinical enough, Samuel Eto'o is seemingly past it and not making the runs or timing that Chelsea want.
Demba Ba—when he gets a chance—will struggle against a deep-lying defense that doesn't allow him the opportunity to get in behind a high defensive line.
There's certainly class for Chelsea, but against Europe's best defenses and teams that are happy to sit back against the Blues, the class might not quite be enough.
"Since start of the 2013, Romelu Lukaku has 14 #EPL goals. Demba Ba has two. Fernando Torres has one. #CFC #transfers
— Dan Talintyre (@dantalintyre) October 2, 2013"
Steaua Bucharest: Overcommitment to Defense
Steaua are a defensive-orientated team.
It's how they've achieved such strong results in Romania over the past three years (finishing with the best defensive record) and it's how they threatened Chelsea when they met last year. However, their impetus to defend and work stoutly out from the back comes at a cost, and often that cost is their attacking threat and ability to hurt teams on the counterattack.
It might work in Romania, but against the best teams in Europe, Steaua's only hope of success is to try and hit teams on the counterattack with quick strikes.
They cannot afford build like Bayern Munich or an FC Barcelona can.
Group F
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Arsenal: Lack of Top-Class Depth
Arsenal have surprised everyone with their newfound strength this year. In both the Premier League and Champions League alike, they are a confidence-filled squad thanks to the arrival of Mesut Ozil, and are playing like the team that they threatened to be for many seasons.
However, the Gunners are still in the middle of an injury crisis (regardless of the results) and will still have serious problems to deal with later in the year.
They simply don't have the depth of talent required to keep players fit by the time that April or May rolls around (should they still be in Europe). They hardly even have depth at all, with the players that they do have simply not up to the standard required to challenge Europe's elite.
That's not meant to be a potty shot against Serge Gnabry or Yaya Sanogo.
But it is still an issue for the Gunners that they must deal with over January. They cannot afford to let the present results blind their judgment for the future.
Napoli: Defensive Woes Not Addressed over Summer
Napoli dealt with a lot over the summer transfer window, and handled the departure of Edinson Cavani perfectly—something that's showed so far in their results.
They added talent seemingly all across the pitch, but not in the one area that they needed most—their defense. Defense has been Napoli's biggest problem so far this year and it seemingly appears to be their biggest problem in Europe as well against superior centre forwards.
In many ways, they got lucky against Borussia Dortmund, given that their midfield won the battle. However, when that does happen, they can be exposed.
Arsenal did it, and many other teams will also. This is a tough group, but Napoli can very still progress if they fix their defensive woes. Rafa Benitez must quickly find the formation and tactics that give him the most cover at the back, and then utilize his squad strength so that when the Champions League rolls around, that formation and system is completely ready to go.
Otherwise it could very well be a group stage exit for the Italians.
Borussia Dortmund: Overcommitment to Counterattacking
Watching Borussia Dortmund dismantle SC Freiburg on the weekend (even before the red card), one thing was clear watching the Champions League runners-up.
With Mario Gotze no longer in the lineup, Marco Reus adopting a more central role and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang taking his replacement as the wide-running forward, Dortmund have become even more of a counterattacking threat than they were last season.
Against Real Madrid, Dortmund dominated with swift, clinical attacks, and allowed the individual skills of Robert Lewandowski to shine. And I'm not for a minute suggesting that they shouldn't do the same this season; it's one of their biggest strengths and what makes them so tough to try and defend against.
However, at the same time, they must allow utilize their creative skills, and this is where the departure of Gotze may hurt Jurgen Klopp's team the most this year.
Dortmund have great creativity and tenacity in the attacking third when building an attack. It's perhaps the most underrated element of their game, and the temptation now (with Gotze gone and one of the fastest men in football out wide in Aubameyang) is to play counterattacking football—potentially at the expense of building an attack and allowing their creativity to shine though.
The Germans can't allow that to happen, otherwise they will become too one-dimensional and predictable. That's not to say they will be easy to beat, but they will be predictable—which somewhat undermines their greatest attacking strength of all.
The counterattack.
Olympique Marseille: Absence of Imagination and Creativity
Bleacher Report's Johnathan Johnson was free-flowing in his praise for Marseille at the start of the season, but he did highlight a serious cause for concern.
"Les Monegasques undoubtedly have the quality to challenge for the title this season, but they don’t have the know-how or, on Friday’s evidence, the consistency to do so at present. That is not to rule Claudio Ranieri’s side out over the course of the term, but Marseille did very well last season with an unspectacular policy of winning the majority of their matches by one goal to nil.
"
Away from home, their solidity and composure in both attack and defense can be a real asset, and one that will serve them well against Europe's elite this year.
However, it might not be the same at home, where they are expected to win.
Group G
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Atletico Madrid: Temptation to Tinker Starting Side
Atletico Madrid have stunned many with their unbeaten start to the La Liga season and their 1-0 defeat of rivals Real Madrid at the Bernabeu over the weekend.
Their defensive unit of Juanfran, Miranda, Diego Godin and Felipe Luis (with Thibaut Courtois behind them) is arguably the best defense in world football. The duo of Diego Costa and Koke perhaps one of the best in attack as well, but there's a real temptation for Atleti to change it.
El Cholo have former Ajax sensation Toby Alderweireld ready to add to their defense regularly; David Villa and Leo Baptistao to their attack more regularly also.
And while those players mentioned are certainly talented, the task at hand for Diego Simeone is how to keep the same squad and tactics while utilizing his best players. It's a very tough balance to find, and one that will take some "trial and error" for El Cholo this season.
The temptation to tinker the successful starting side is one that will inevitably happen from Atletico, and it's one that will hurt ( although perhaps only in the short-term).
FC Porto: Loss of Star Firepower
I cannot laud Juan Quintero highly enough as a breakout star. Yet not even he is capable of replacing the huge losses suffered by Porto over the summer window.
James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho are (or were, anyway) the heart and soul of Porto's attack. Both have moved on to AS Monaco, and while there was a strong feeling that both would leave the club at some point in the near future, losing them both in the same window is tough.
Christian Atsu going to Chelsea was simply icing on the cake.
Zenit St. Petersburg: Pressure of Underperforming
By anyone's standards, Zenit were the biggest disappointment of the Champions League group stage last year. They simply weren't as good as we'd all thought.
And two games into the tournament this year, it seems nothing has changed.
Blown off the park by a superior Atletico side in their opening group stage match, the Russians slumped to a dismal 0-0 draw at home to Austria Wien in the second week. They were undone by a woeful refereeing decision which relegated them to 10 men just before the break, but even with that, Zenit were nothing short of abysmal and wasteful in attacking positions.
The statistics surrounding their attack were simply astounding, and even adjusting for the red card, they were poor. Poor by "10 men standards" if you like.
Austria Wien: Commitment to Domestic Front
Alternatively, Austria Wien were poor against Zenit, but for different reasons. Theirs was not their wasteful nature in attack but rather their reluctance of it.
Against 10 men, Wien needed to push for victory, but didn't.
They showed hesitance driving forward and holding possession, and preferred to try and beat the Russian with aerial balls and crosses into the box.
If they stood any chance of progressing from this group, Wien needed to push for the three points on offer here. They aren't going to get too many better chances away from home than playing a poor side with just 10 men. Yet they let the opportunity pass by them without that much of a fight—something which could come back to bite them in the competition this year.
Group H
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FC Barcelona: Lack of Speed in Central Defense
Barcelona's biggest weakness was shown against AC Milan last year. It would have been shown several more times in La Liga this year had there been better finishing.
Their central pairings are, invariably, too slow.
Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol aren't the pairing that they once were in defense. Pique and Javier Mascherano hasn't lived up to expectations either.
With injuries and other issues forcing La Blaugrana to utilize Marc Bartra (who should have been played significantly more last season), it appears that the Catalan club are slowly improving in this area, but there's still work to be done. They don't have a partner capable of being the force that Bartra is, and they don't have the depth behind him when he needs to be rested.
Fast, counterattacking teams will continue to show Barcelona up until this is remedied. That much was evident watching Celtic stun them at home last season.
AC Milan: Massimiliano Allegri's Tinkering
Bleacher Report's Alex Richards noted after watching AC Milan struggle to overcome Celtic in their opening group stage match this year that "Massimiliano Allegri's tinkering leave Milan looking stale and unsure". He went on to note that the attacking changes made by the Rossoneri manager in resting players was one that didn't benefit the club at all, and almost cost them the result.
And he's 100 percent correct about it.
Milan aren't the fluent team that they were in Italy or Europe last season despite Mario Balotelli perhaps in the best goal-scoring form of his entire career to date.
Allegri needs to find his team, and then use that constantly in Europe. He cannot be caught second-guessing; that doesn't help the chemistry or dynamic.
Celtic: Departure of Key Personnel
Celtic proved that they have plenty of fight and character in their tough losses to both Barcelona and AC Milan. However, what they also proved is that they aren't quite the same team that they were last season, with the departure of key personnel perhaps putting them back a cog or two.
Midfield destroyer Victor Wanyama (who was pivotal in the Scots' counterattacking game last year) moving to Southampton was a huge blow over the summer.
Losing their top-goal scorer for the past three seasons in Gary Hooper hurt even more, and it's little surprise that these have been the areas where Celtic just aren't as good this season. They can't force turnovers like they did, and they can't poach goals on the counterattack.
It might just be two players, but the loss is significant enough.
Ajax Amsterdam: Stylish, at the Expense of Results
With a rich European history and strong football academy, Ajax Amsterdam certainly aren't short on potential world-class stars capable of some fine performances. Invariably, those players leave the club on transfers, but this current Ajax squad (sans Christian Eriksen) has a number of strong players and very complete footballers worth watching for this season.
Their problem, however, is their tendency to want to play this stylish, complete football all the time. Ajax seemingly don't have a "dirty" or "tough" style of play.
The Dutch club love the expansive, passing and move, free-flowing attack, and have the players to pull it off. And when it works, they're certainly a tough side to beat. However, when it doesn't work, they're often left without the goals that they perhaps should have and facing a one or two goal deficit. Had they played more compact and tighter, it might not have happened.
This might seem like negative tactics and a restriction of their natural skills, which it is to an extent. But it's one that needs to happen at times on the European stage. Chelsea showed us in 2012 that dogged determination alone can win you Champions League games. Celtic did the same last year.
Ajax need to be prepared to do the same also.
Not all the time, but certainly sometimes.
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