Film Focus: Breaking Down This Week's Biggest Champions League Results

Bayern Munich's crushing defeat of Manchester City stole most of the headlines from the second week of the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League group stage. 

Yet with the likes of Arsenal, Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and several other high-profile clubs chalking up impressive performances to win their respective matches as well, there's much more to talk about than just what happened at the Etihad.

Let's take a look at some of the biggest Champions League results, breaking down the film in order to gain a better understanding of exactly what transpired.

Paris Saint-Germain def. S.L. Benfica 3-0

Having signed Edinson Cavani (along with a number of other high-profile stars) over the summer transfer window, big things were expected of the French club this season.

And big things they delivered against Benfica.

After showing their attacking tenacity in coming from behind to defeat Olympiacos only two weeks earlier, the capital club again showed how ruthless they can be when their vast array of talent all functions at the same time. Star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was the focus, netting two goals and playing a key role in the other, but this was a complete team performance.

Many will be forgiven for simply assuming that the French club's vast array of attacking talent and home-ground advantage were the reason behind the win here.

They were certainly important—no doubt—but they were not the key. That would simply be their hunger and tenacity to be first to the ball (especially in the opening half an hour), and while it's not necessarily something we've come to expect with Laurent Blanc's team, it was certainly worth watching for here, and may very well be the added ingredient needed to push PSG towards success this year.

PSG's hunger and determination was shown in the strength of their wide forwards—pushing forward with every chance they had and interchanging frequently.

That was key in the opening goal.

Early touches for PSG out wide saw Marco Verratti with the opportunity to play through Gregory van der Wiel—a ball that, it seemed, would be easily dealt with.

As the image below shows, Benfica had nine defenders behind the ball at the time it was played, and held a very tight line inside the box as well. That was likely a plan designed to keep both Cavani and Ibrahimovic under wraps, but it didn't take long to come undone.

Van der Wiel was simply hungrier in converging on the space where Verratti had laid off the pass, and managed to drive a wonderful low cross across the six-yard area where, despite having multiple defenders on hand, both Cavani and Ibrahimovic got goal-side.

The former couldn't latch on to the end; the latter of the pair could.

And as easy as you like, it was 1-0 to the Parisians.

From there, the story would be about their attacking tenacity and free-flowing movement, with Benfica never quite adjusting to the prospect of multiple attackers running centrally and out wide at the same time. If PSG can carry that threat over the remainder of the Champions League group stage this season (and indeed later on as well), they'll be very tough to break down.

Especially given that Cavani is really yet to show what he can do.

Arsenal def. SSC Napoli 2-0

Bleacher Report's Will Tidey posed the question that everyone was thinking after their 2-0 victory over Napoli, asking whether the Gunners are indeed contenders.

And I'm inclined to agree; the answer—after this result—must be yes.

The Gunners do have an injury crisis on their hands at the moment and will no doubt struggle somewhat later on in the season as fatigue catches up with them, but for now, with the likes of Santi Cazorla and Lukas Podolski still to return, the Londoners are sitting pretty.

Their attack—led by a confidence-inspiring Mesut Ozil and a resurgent Aaron Ramsey—seemingly has the potential to blow open any defense that they need to unlock.

Yet while much of the attention has been surrounding Ozil and Ramsey (in case you managed to miss the media hype over the past few weeks), it's also important to note the crucial role that the centre-forward has played for Arsenal. Olivier Giroud (who has filled that hole on the majority of occasions) is having a devastating effect with his movement and timing, and the same was true again here.

For the Gunners' first goal, Giroud's willingness to move around the forward line (knowing that he has Ozil behind him) was what allowed Ramsey to get clear down the right—helped by some lackadaisical defending and willingness to track back by Napoli's defense.

Napoli then are forced to make some key decisions.

Ramsey is clear, and with his marker unable to track back and pick him up in time, defensive midfielder Behrami covers a mountain of ground to try to pressure him.

Both Raul Albiol and Giandomenico Mesto stay in the middle to guard Tomas Rosicky.

Rosicky is very important here because as we'll see, his ability to hold his run and force both central defenders to stay on him gives Ramsey options. For about 90 percent of Ramsey's run, Rosicky is the primary target, but it'll be a tough chance for the Gunners given the defensive pressure he's under. However, in the end, his run turns out to be nothing more than a smoke screen.

Ozil—a man you definitely want to mark constantly—somehow manages to waltz his way to the top of the box and finishes fantastically to give Arsenal the lead.

Many will question why the German international was allowed so much space, and while that's certainly a valid question, the answer must lie heavily with both Giroud and Rosicky. The Frenchman ensures that he grabs some defensive attention with his return to the top of the box; Rosicky's presence forces both central defenders at the time to focus solely on him and not who's at the top of the box.

Two decoy runs led to one incredibly big goal for Arsenal. 

It's also worth giving some praise also here to the defensive effort delivered by the Gunners—an aspect of the game which they have come under fire for recently.

No other club finished the round with a shot accuracy as low as Napoli. The supposedly "dominant" Italians managed just one shot inside the Gunners' box.

Much of that was down to Arsenal's pressure in defense and their high defensive line which didn't allow Napoli to bring the ball out of their own end.

Jack Wilshere's toe was enough to spark Mesut Ozil's attacking raid for the Gunners' second goal, and really it was this pressure in defense that killed off any chance the Italians had of making their way back into the match.

Napoli were without Gonzalo Higuain in attack (which certainly didn't help their cause), but even still, it's hard to see him making that much of a difference here.

Arsenal were relentless in their chasing and pressure in their opponents' half, and forced several poor shots as a result.  

Bayern Munich def. Manchester City 3-1

Talk about a clinic!

The scoreline might have only read 3-1 (the same as when Bayern came to the Emirates Stadium last year), but in reality, this was a demolition. The defending champions were ruthless in the opening hour of this game and never allowed Manuel Pellegrini's side a sniff of victory until the result was well and truly beyond any doubt.

ESPN's John Brewin wrote after the match:

"

The effect was an evisceration of a team regarded by many as the Premier League's strongest, with midfield a particular area of that strength. Guardiola is not attempting to convert his new team into a Bavarian Barcelona. Instead, he is twisting the winning formula of Jupp Heynckes through positional switches and a greater emphasis on possession. The previous power game remains a vital cog. 

"

And he's right—it was their midfield and attack that was again key here, but most critically when they didn't have possession of the ball (which wasn't that often!).

From the opening whistle, Bayern were pressing hard.

As the image below shows, they were quick to press on City when they had the ball and force turnovers. What was most surprising here was the variety of players willing to get back and defend—midfielders, wingers, defenders—all while maintaining the potential for a quick counterattack if it arose.

Which, invariably it seems for the Bavarians, it did in the second half.

After another turnover in their opponents half, the ball was quickly flung wide to Bayern winger Arjen Robben—who was in a one-on-one with Matija Nastasic.

Nastastic was no doubt fully aware of the threat that Robben provides with his turn of pace and quick shot and didn't want to be beaten inside—a move that the Dutchman loves to execute. Instead, he positioned his body so that he would show him outside and away from his support.

Only problem was that Robben had too many options at his disposal, and that second-guessed the likes of Nastasic and Vincent Kompany in their efforts to cover.

Because Thomas Muller, Toni Kroos and Franck Ribery were all vying to get themselves in good attacking positions, Manchester City were outnumbered. Bayern were hungrier to get into the attacking third, and at the moment when Robben went to put his move on Nastasic, there were a slew of options available to him—meaning that the defender had to try and shut him down inside.

Nastasic jumped inside, and instantly, Robben went to his outside. Just like Nastasic had wanted originally, but which had changed due to the presence of inside runners.

This movement without the ball was pertinent throughout the entire match, but most evident in this goal. Robben was most likely always going to take Nastasic on (which the defender showed he wanted in his body positioning), but he was able to get the better of him with a quick body fake. City had to account for the runners inside and, in doing so, left the dangerous Dutchman free.

And as we've seen many a time before, Robben isn't going to miss too often.

Borussia Dortmund def. Olympique Marseille 3-0

A similar trend emerged in the other high-profile match of the round where 2013 finalists Borussia Dortmund thumped Olympique Marseille 3-0 at home.

Dortmund have, in many ways, set the trend for forwards tracking back and nullifying the ability of a defensive midfielder to create and spark an attack. The likes of Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus and previously Mario Goetze, are all prolific in shutting down the space behind them and then quickly breaking on the counterattack when they do force a turnover.

And what a lesson in counterattacking football Dortmund gave Marseille.

We'll pick up the action with the ball deep in Dortmund's own half. Marseille have just taken a free kick, but lost it, and the Germans are about to counterattack.

Reus is in an advanced position, but he's about the only one capable of doing anything at the moment. Both defenders for Marseille are capable of shutting him down, and while there will be reinforcements for Dortmund, Marseille too have the numbers in defense.

Count them: six players from both teams.

Even if we fast-forward just a little, Dortmund's counterattack is seemingly going to fizzle out here, with just two attackers left to take on three defenders.

The defenders, to their credit, are holding a really good line.

Yet that simply isn't the case, and as we see in the next image, Dortmund's determination and hunger to get forward and attack gives them an advantage again.

Their other four attackers have blown past the three trailing defenders from Marseille and, in a matter of 20 to 30 yards, have somehow now got a six-on-three situation. And with the depth of talent they have in defense, Dortmund aren't going to mess about in this position.

The final pass comes from Erik Durm (who has a mountain of space) and can seemingly pick which option he wants—ending up with the smart choice in Lewandowski. Note here the positioning of both central defenders in what has actually become a manageable situation now courtesy of some strange passing choices from Dortmund. Both are facing Durm and neither are watching Lewandowski—a mistake which they surely won't make again next time.

A devastating counterattack from Dortmund, but the key was their willingness and determination to get forward and turn a manageable situation into their advantage.

It's worth noting, though, that this wasn't all smooth sailing.

There was one moment early on in the game (still tied at 0-0) where Saber Khelifa broke clean through the middle of Dortmund's central defensive pairing.

Durm—in his attempt to save the goal—raced back and clearly brought down the attacker in the box. It could have been a red card. It should have been a penalty.

It was neither, and Dortmund escaped.

Had the penalty been given, though, it could have been a very different story, and we may not have been talking about the dominance of the Germans in the end.

The issue is with the defensive pairing of Mats Hummels and Neven Subotic; they simply allow attackers to go straight through the middle of them far too often.

It happened on the weekend against Freiburg, but they again survived—Jonathan Schmid dragging his shot wide. As the image below shows, Hummels is caught ball-watching a little and Subotic, despite having a big head start, is beaten for pace by a fast-running Schmid.

The Freiburg attacker shouldn't be able to get into that triangle between the three defenders, but he does, and it's a problem Dortmund must watch out for.

It wouldn't be the first time that Hummels was caught out at the back.

Other Outstanding Notes and Comments

Juventus drew with Galatasaray 2-2

• This was an interesting match for Juventus, who seemed more concerned with the attacking threats of Galatasaray on the counterattack than playing their game.
• There were lots of aerial balls, which is really out character for them.
• They didn't get the result that they wanted in the end, and testing times lie ahead for the Bianconeri, who are definitely struggling this year.

Atletico Madrid def. FC Porto 2-1

• Is there a better defensive team that Atletico? Keep in mind also that they still have summer signing Toby Alderweireld to add in to this mix.
• Diego Simeone is a master of tactics and preparation.

Shakhtar Donetsk drew with Manchester United 1-1

• A frustrating result for United, but it was deserved in the end. Shakhtar attacked well in second half and deserved to get an equalizer for their efforts.
• Marouane Fellaini is still struggling to adjust, but he was better here. The key was getting him in advanced positions (not just in DCM) like he did at Everton.
• Don't rule out the importance of having Rafael back in defense.

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