Pivotal Factors That Will Decide Champions League Group F
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 F contains the following teams:
- Ajax
- APOEL Nicosia
- Barcelona
- Paris Saint-Germain
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.
What Will a Motivated Zlatan Ibrahimovic Be Able to Produce?
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Dare to Zlatan, as the sponsor slogan goes, and this group is all about the mercurial Swede. Ibrahimovic will come up against two of his former sides—one he left on good terms, and another that he enjoys an altogether more complex relationship with.
Ibrahimovic scored 10 goals in seven European games last season, but none of those games came against former employers. He will be especially keen to show Barcelona (and, perhaps, Lionel Messi?) that the decision to jettison him so quickly was both rash and mistaken.
PSG must have been delighted when the draw came through. With Zlatan fully motivated to perform, and his team-mates following his example, they should be well-positioned to qualify for the knockout stages—and perhaps make a statement or two in the process.
How Will Luis Enrique's Changes Affect Barcelona?
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Barcelona have been Europe's pre-eminent club side for much of the past decade, but in recent seasons it has become clear that their rivals have caught up with them and—in some cases—surpassed them. For the Catalans, some changes were clearly needed.
In new head coach Luis Enrique, it is a case of evolution rather than revolution. The former Barca player seems keen to tighten up his forward line, bringing Lionel Messi into a deeper, more central position and playing the likes of Neymar and (when he is available) Luis Suarez just in front of him, with plenty of room on the flanks for the full-backs to move into.
How that slight tactical shift translates on the European stage will be interesting to see, although it should not prevent Barcelona from embarking on their usual progression to the knockout stages.
Can Ajax Find Any Way to Break Their Glass Ceiling?
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For Ajax, Group F provides an uncomfortable reminder of where they currently stand in European football's pecking order. In Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thomas Vermaelen and Luis Suarez (to name just three) the Dutch champions will come up against three of their former stars—Ajax continue to produce and develop great talents, but they are no longer able to keep hold of them.
That invariably leaves them in the same cycle—fielding a young team of prodigious talents, the best of whom get picked off by the bigger clubs as the next wave of academy graduates are then drafted into the first team. That is a fine business model to have, and good enough for plenty of domestic success, but it leaves Ajax woefully short of the firepower they need to be truly competitive at the highest levels of the game.
Consequently, the Amsterdam club have not reached the knockout stages of this competition for nearly a decade.
Drawn in a group with both Barcelona and PSG—two sides are thinking about winning the whole thing, let alone their group—means Frank de Boer has a difficult task if he wants to avoid history repeating itself yet again.
Can Lightning Strike Twice for APOEL Nicosia?
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It is only three years since APOEL Nicosia last reached the group stages of the Champions League ... and on that occasion they went on to reach the quarter-finals.
They won a group that included Zenit St Petersburg, Shakhtar Donetsk and Porto, beating Olympique Lyonnais in the last 16 before finally succumbing in a dream tie against Real Madrid.
This time around they face an altogether more challenging set of fixtures. Nevertheless, it would be ridiculous to write them off entirely—the trip to Cyprus will be a difficult challenge for every one of their Group F opponents.
Can Laurent Blanc Expose Luis Enrique's Lack of Experience?
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Following last season's quarter-final exit at the hands of Chelsea, Laurent Blanc came in for a certain amount of criticism about his tactical decision-making, with some accusing him of squandering a glorious opportunity to put Jose Mourinho's men to the sword.
Blanc may or may not have his weaknesses as a coach, but he certainly has more experience at this level of European competition than his opposite number at Barcelona, Luis Enrique.
Teaching the Spaniard a thing or two about management in the Champions League, and steering PSG to top spot in the group at the process, might change a few opinions about Blanc's attributes.
Can Anyone Stop Lionel Messi?
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Last season Lionel Messi had to take a backseat as his old foe Cristiano Ronaldo swept all before him in Europe. With a new manager and, perhaps, a new attitude, few would bet against the Argentinian being back to his incomparable best this time around.
If that is the case, perhaps there is nothing any of the other sides can do to stop Barcelona romping through the group.
