Pivotal Factors That Will Decide Champions League Group B
The Champions League group stage gets underway this week, as 32 teams set off (or continue) on the long road toward next June's final in Berlin.
The usual suspects will have strong ambitions of following in Real Madrid's footsteps and becoming champions of Europe, but there are bound to be a number of surprises and upsets along the way. There always are.
First things first, the 32 teams in the competition need to be whittled down to 16, as the top two from each of the eight groups bid to get into the knockout stages. Group B contains the following teams:
- Basel
- Liverpool
- Ludogorets Razgrad
- Real Madrid
Only two can progress. Click on for some of the pivotal factors that could decide which two sides are left standing at the end of this phase.
Will Real Madrid Work out How to Replace Xabi Alonso's Influence?
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Xabi Alonso's departure from Real Madrid in the summer caught many people by surprise, with plenty of rumours—some substantiated, others far less so—thrown around to attempt to explain a deal that, on the face of it, contained little logic.
So far, those concerns have proven to be well-founded. As Alonso has slotted into Bayern Munich's midfield and provided his customary security and composure on the ball, Real Madrid have looked like a porous mess in the early phase of the season—losing to both Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid already in the league.
Toni Kroos, the man who went the other way to Alonso, and Luka Modric have so far proven unable to replicate Alonso's role in the team, leaving Real looking surprisingly frail for a side with their attacking talents. Carlo Ancelotti remains confident that the tactics will sort themselves over time but how long that takes could define how easily Real negotiate this group.
Can Basel Continue Their Form Against English Sides?
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Not too long ago Basel knocked Manchester United out of the Champions League at this stage of the competition. Last season, they beat Chelsea home and away in their group meetings—although that still was not quite enough to send them through to the last 16.
Group B seems to be one with two superior sides, Real Madrid and Liverpool, but Basel have plenty of experience in this competition and should not be dismissed lightly. With Liverpool back in the competition after a five-year absence, if the Swiss side can continue their recent run of results against English sides they could potentially spring a surprise.
Does Cosmin Moti Have Any More Heroics in Store?
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Ludogorets are every neutral's guilty pleasure this season, after the spectacular way they qualified for the group stages of the Champions League. At this point almost everyone has seen Cosmin Moti's heroics—the defender scoring a penalty and then saving the decisive kick (after his side's goalkeeper had previously been sent off) to send his side past Steaua Bucharest.
Moti is unlikely to be seen between the sticks again in the competition, but he will still prove an influential figure in the heart of the Razgrad defence. Ludogorets seem to be far and away the minnows of the group—with every other team expecting to take six points off them, if Moti et al can grab a result against one of them that could have a huge impact on the final standings.
How Will Liverpool's New Boys Adjust?
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Liverpool rejoin Europe's premier competition after a five-year absence. On paper Brendan Rodgers has a decent squad at his disposal to make a real assault on a competition the club has famously won five times; plenty of attacking talent, pace on the counter and a core of experience and physical strength. They will be a match for almost any side and have been drawn in a group that they really should escape from.
The concern for Rodgers, however, is that many of those players in his squad are new to the club and/or the competition, and will naturally require a bedding-in period before they produce their best form. That quandary has already been evident this season, with the Reds producing inconsistent displays (and results) that speak to the fact a lot of players are still getting used to each other.
Rodgers is helped by the fact the first group game comes against arguably the easiest opponent, Ludogorets, but he will want his team to have found a greater level of cohesion by the time they come up against Basel if they are to avoid making this group harder than it really needs to be.
Will Cristiano Ronaldo Be Able to Continue His Rampant Goalscoring?
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Last season Cristiano Ronaldo scored an astonishing 17 goals in 11 games as Real Madrid won the fabled "Decima." Repeating that will be no easy feat; indeed, Real may actually be harmed if Ronaldo fixates on his individual statistics rather than working for the good of the team.
Nevertheless, many of those goals came in last season's group stages, as the Portuguese put the likes of Galatasaray and Copenhagen to the sword with glee. If he is similarly ruthless against Basel and Ludogorets then the Spaniards may be able to conserve a lot of their energy for the latter stages of the competition.
Can Dejan Lovren Silence the Real Madrid Attack?
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When all is said and done, it would be a surprise if Group B does not end up being a straight fight between Real Madrid and Liverpool for dominance. If that is the case, then it could be how Liverpool's defence deals with the prodigious Madrid threat that decides who ultimately tops the standings.
The Reds have a new-look back line this season, with Mamadou Sakho the only holdover from last season as Dejan Lovren, Javi Manquillo and Alberto Moreno fill out what appears to be Rodgers' preferred unit. Among those, Lovren already appears to be the leader; the one who orchestrates the others and leads by example with his uncompromising style.
Facing the likes of Ronaldo and Karim Benzema will provide a stern challenge of Lovren's qualities, but the Croat does have prior Champions League experience from his time at Lyon and will have an inkling of what to expect. If he can frustrate those two brilliant attackers, then it will give Liverpool a foundation on which to push forward and try to expose a Real defence that does not appear watertight at this stage of the season.
Real have also looked extremely susceptible from set pieces so far this season—Lovren could influence games at the other end of the pitch as well.
