Pivotal Factors That Will Decide Champions League Group C
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 C contains the following teams:
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Benfica
- Monaco
- Zenit St. Petersburg
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.
Can Andre Villas-Boas Make Home Advantage Count?
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The major advantage for Russian clubs in the Champions League is that their opponents invariably have to travel long distances (in a short space of time) in order to face them, bringing fatigue and other travel-related issues into the mix.
In that regard Zenit have been fortunate this season, being drawn against three evenly matched teams that will all have to travel across most of Europe in order to play their fixtures. Zenit will have to contend with those same issues for their away games but, if Andre Villas-Boas can organise his team sufficiently to win all three of their home games, those nine points should give a foundation to escape from a group where all four teams have realistic ambitions of moving through.
How Will Benfica's New Squad Mesh Together?
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The changing practices of Portuguese football—in particular, the use of third-party investment arrangements to help fund squad-building—means even for the top teams there is a high amount of personnel turnover at the end of each season.
That is particularly true of Benfica, who perhaps should have won the Europa League last season but subsequently saw a huge portion of their preferred XI sold off in the summer, as other European clubs picked off the most promising talents.
That has forced a rebuild for Jorge Jesus, with the club searching far and wide to find the next wave of brilliant talents that, in all probability, will be sold for another huge profit a year or two down the line.
If Jesus had last season's squad at his disposal, he would probably be confident of their chances of surviving a group that has no "marquee" European name. As it is, how his new signings mesh together will dictate the level of their European ambitions this term.
Can Leonardo Jardim Turn Monaco into a Cohesive Side?
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The decision to dismiss Claudio Ranieri and replace him with Leanardo Jardim does not appear to have paid off for Monaco so far, with the French side looking (perhaps understandably) disjointed and disillusioned following the summer exits of the likes of James Rodriguez and Radamel Falcao.
Without those two stars, Monaco's hopes of progressing from the group stage are all the slimmer. If Jardim cannot find a functioning tactic to draw the best out of the talented players that he still has, however, then Monaco's bid will be over before it even starts.
Can Stefan Kiessling Prove His Critics Wrong?
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Stefan Kiessling is something of an oddity in modern football; a proven goalscorer (he has grabbed at least 15 goals in each of his last three league campaigns) yet a player consistently, persistently overlooked by the national team (he has just six caps in his career).
Tall, comfortable on the ball and prolific in front of goal, Kiessling is a great all-round striker who has seemingly never attracted the interest of a bigger European club (how many chances did Klass-Jan Huntelaar get?!) or earned the trust of his national team coach. At 30 those two chances may well have now passed him by but, still at his peak, he still has a huge amount to offer Bayer Leverkusen.
With Group C so evenly-matched, a proven goalscorer could turn draws into all-important wins. If Kiessling can convert the chances provided for him by the likes of Heung-Min Son then he could be the difference for Bayer in a number of their games.
Will Ezequiel Garay Continue His Rich Vein of Recent Form?
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Last season proved to be an impressive one for Ezequiel Garay, the former Real Madrid defender who had never quite hit the heights predicted for him from a tender age. Last term was different; he was the best defender in a Benfica side that reached the Europa League final, and he then underlined his class as Argentina reached the World Cup final later in the summer.
Those imperious performances could surely have earned him a move to any number of top clubs—instead he ended up at Zenit St. Petersburg. The move was undoubtedly very lucrative for both him and his former employers, but Russian football remains an outpost rather than a destination for players, like Garay, who are so evidently among the best at what they do.
The Champions League draw pairs Garay with his old club, ensuring two games where he will want to give the best possible account of himself. But the group as a whole gives him the chance to continue to establish his credentials—Stefan Kiessling, Dimitar Berbatov and (old team-mate) Oscar Cardozo are all great forwards, but Garay will be confident he has what it takes to keep them quiet.
The accusation against foreign players going to Russian teams is that they are only in it for the money. Garay has the chance to show that is not solely the case.
Which Goalkeeper Will Stand out from the Crowd?
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Group C is something of a rarity in this season's competition, in that you can make a reasonable case for each of the four teams getting to the last 16. Tight margins could define things come the end of Matchday 6, even something as small as a goalkeeper error.
At both Benfica and Monaco there is something of a goalkeeper competition going on, with veterans Julio Cesar and Maarten Stekelenburg drafted in during the summer to provide competition for Artur and Danijel Subasic respectively.
Zenit will rely on Russian goalkeeper Yuri Lodygin, while Bayer Leverkusen will once again have Bernd Leno between the sticks.
All four starting goalkeepers enjoy decent reputations within the world game, although perhaps none are regarded as among Europe's elite. With so little to choose between the four teams in this group, the goalkeepers—which one plays best, which ones make individual errors—could have a decisive say on how things eventually shake out.
