The Hits and Misses of the Champions League so Far
We’re at the halfway point of the Champions League group stages as Matchday 4 arrives this week. Here’s the column’s look at the hits and misses of the tournament proper (not including the play-offs, in other words) so far.
The Hits
Karim Benzema
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If Cristiano Ronaldo is ripping up domestic Real Madrid scoring records just as he repositioned the high watermark for goalscoring in the Champions League last season (hitting 17), he has not quite been centre-stage for the holders this time around.
That honour goes to Karim Benzema, whose brace in the win at Liverpool last time around took him to four for the tournament; only Shakhtar Donetsk’s Luiz Adriano, after his extraordinary five-goal salvo against BATE Borisov, has scored more.
It’s not just about the goals. In a team that is placing a greater emphasis on possession, Benzema’s brand of intuitive linking play—which brings the best out of Ronaldo—is thriving even more.
Borussia Dortmund
Hopeless in the Bundesliga, heavenly in the Champions League. Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund have been regal in the Champions League to date, showing their counter-attacking panache is intact and still highly watchable.
Their efficiency in Europe has been as remarkable as their profligacy at home has been. With only 48.2 percent possession on average, Die Schwarzgelben have produced an impressive 18.7 shots per game. Only their perennial domestic rivals Bayern Munich (21.3) have managed more, via WhoScored.com.
What’s more is that the new signings who have divided opinion at home have flourished against Arsenal, Anderlecht and Galatasaray, with Ciro Immobile and Adrian Ramos starring. The pace of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan also promises to make them a threat in the knockout stages.
Roberto
The Olympiacos goalkeeper is an unlikely hero, having traversed a topsy-turvy career path since graduating from Atletico Madrid’s youth academy. Mixed spells at Real Zaragoza and Benfica finally led the 28-year-old to the Greek Super League last year.
Roberto’s spell at Benfica, in particular, was tough. He made a series of high-profile and costly mistakes, including one in O Classico in April 2011, which led to Andre Villas-Boas’ Porto winning the Liga at the Estadio da Luz.
He had his revenge against his former employers last year, with a quite breathtaking performance to give Olympiacos a 1-0 win over Benfica in Piraeus. If that was propelled by emotion, his equally extraordinary display to keep at Juventus at the Karaiskakis a few weeks ago shows his propensity for the dramatic and the brilliant are defining characteristics.
The Misses
Juventus
Their inability to transform imperious domestic form to the European stage drove Antonio Conte to distraction (especially in the bizarre group-stage exit to Galatasaray last season), and his successor Massimiliano Allegri is also struggling.
Two defeats in the opening three matches leave Juve in a tricky (although not quite unrecoverable) situation. The loss at Atletico in a tactical slug-out was understandable but losing at Olympiacos suggested a lack of know-how—and perhaps an over-reliance on the magnificent Carlos Tevez.
Benfica
It was possible to have sympathy for Jorge Jesus after the opening night defeat to Zenit St. Petersburg, and his old friend Villas-Boas. Everything that could go wrong did, with the Eagles two down and seeing goalkeeper Artur sent off inside 20 minutes.
After the following defeat at Bayer Leverkusen, that sympathy had turned to incredulity. Jesus picked a weakened team, reasoning that the Liga—and the following game against modest Arouca—was the priority.
The Lisbon giants gained their global renown with their European Cup feats of the 1960s. Jesus has done much excellent work at the Luz, but his de-prioritising of Europe is an affront to the rich history of such a proud club.
Cesare Prandelli
Prandelli is another coach whose work inspires admiration, but his tactical compass has gone badly awry in the Champions League so far this season. His repositioning of Felipe Melo in an untried back three laid the foundations for a shambolic defensive performance in Galatasaray’s 4-1 loss at Arsenal.
Worse was to come, with an aggressive formation against Dortmund at the TT Arena inviting some of Europe’s best on the break the invitation to cut the home side to shreds. Galatasaray fans expected their side to be shrewdly coached in this season’s competition, but it’s not happened yet.
