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Although the draw for the quarter final is only on Friday, the results of the first knock-out rounds certainly saw some interesting anomalies. Whilst some teams, like Real Madrid and PSG romped to the quarters, for others, like Chelsea and Bayern Munich, it was a tight affair. Although, a couple of upsets were one the cards, none were forthcoming as all the usual suspects made it through. Here are the five major talking points.
#1 Can anybody stop Bayern or Real Madrid?
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If there are two teams that everyone will be hoping to avoid when the draw for the quarter-finals happens in Nyon on Friday, it will be Real Madrid and Bayern Munich. Both clubs have established themselves as front runners for this year’s big prize. Whilst the German club is looking to become the first club to retain their Champions League crown, Los Blancos are in search of “La Décima”.
With the addition of Pep Guardiola to their ranks, Bayern have done the impossible, they have added to an already perfect team. And their 50 game unbeaten streak is a testament to that. In the Champions League, they have cruised along thus far, but you can be sure that they will turn on the style if it needs be. One team who have always been about the style has been Real Madrid. Their 9-2 aggregate win over Schalke was their biggest in the Champions League and in Cristiano Ronaldo, they have a player, who already has 41 goals this season, including 13 in the Champions League – his career-best haul. Can anybody stop them, on current form, it doesn’t look likely. But stranger things have happened. If, however both sides meet up, it should make for a fascinating encounter.
#2 It is no vintage Bara, but they still have Messi
Are Barcelona as invincible as they were under Pep Guardiola? No. Have they addressed the defensive problems that has been plaguing them for the past few years? No. Are they still a good team? Damn right they are. They might not be as good as they were under Guardiola, but they are still more than a match for most sides.
As City found out, Barcelona are still capable of killing you by a thousand passes. Xavi might have gotten older, but they still have Lionel Messi – arguably the greatest player of his generation, a player who recently became the club’s all-time leading goal scorer. With him leading the line, the Catalans are still a threat. They might not be defensively sound, but they still keep the ball as well as they did under Guardiola. And they now have Neymar, Messi, A Sanchez and Pedro to shoulder the boulder of goal scoring. When the lots are drawn on Friday, not many would like fancy their chances against the Catalans.
#3 How far can Atltico go?
Under the tutelage of Diego Simeone, Atlético Madrid are now finally where they want to be. Before he took over, the club was already winning in Europe, but that was in the Europa League. Under Simeone, not only have Atlético started to play much better. In the League, they are second, only behind Real, but more importantly also look like a side that can trouble any opposition. One of the biggest strengths has been their unity and solidarity, something drilled in by their coach.
That, coupled with an array of attacking talents, including Diego Costa and their defensive discipline means that Atlético can now consider themselves one of the elite European teams. Whilst the club might not have what it takes to win the Champions League this year, they can certainly give most teams a run for their money. Having broken the duopoly in the League, Atlético will be hoping to do the same in Europe as well.
#4 PSG look ready to finally shed their dark-horses tag
Having spent of millions of pounds trying to recreate what they never could have otherwise, Paris Saint-Germain look like they might be finally onto something. Their League form has been exemplary so far, they are in pole position to win the League and are through to the quarter-finals in the Champions League. Their 6-1 aggregate win over Bayer Leverkusen only showed the world, just how good they actually are.
For the last couple of seasons, they have been written off as under-dogs, although they came mighty close to knocking Barcelona out last season. This season, they have gotten even better. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is in the form of his life, he has broken numerous goal scoring records. Zlatan now has 25 League goals, same as Ronaldo and Suarez and has in total 40 goals this season – a club record. With Cavani beside him and the January acquisition of Cabaye, PSG have only gotten stronger. In the quarter-finals, they will be a match for anyone and this might well be the year in which they finally shed their dark-horse tag.
#5 English clubs find the going tough
Even before the draw for the first knock-out round was made, English teams were already at a disadvantage. Arsenal and Manchester City’s inability to finish top of their group meant that both clubs were destined for a tough draw when the balls were drawn. And so it panned out as the pair landed themselves two of the last three winners. Although the other two were handed out easier draws, it looked like the going was to be tough for the English sides.
After the first legs were completed, none of the English sides had won and only Chelsea had even managed to draw. For a while, it looked as though none of them would make it through. But morale-boosting home victories for both Chelsea and United, ensured that the British Isles had some representation in the quarter-finals in Europe’s elite competition. But, neither of them looked particularly convincing, and it would be a surprise if either of them made it to the semis. These are worrying times indeed, for the Premier League.
