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Referee Bjorn Kuipers during the UEFA Champions League match between Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal at the Signal Iduna Park stadium in Dortmund
Matchday 4 of the UEFA Champions League was basically a repeat of the last round of matches with the home and away teams swapping places. The results have left open a lot of possibilities and with just two teams having ensured qualification – there is much to play for and the action looks set to go on right until the final minutes of matchday 6.
Here are the major developments that caught the eye:
Bayern Munich, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid book their places in the last 16
Diego Costa celebrates scoring Atletico’s fourth goal during the UEFA Champions League group G between Atletico Madrid and FK Austria Wien
At the beginning of the campaign, after looking at the groups, if one were to ask which teams would qualify the earliest for the knockout phase, defending champions Bayern Munich would be right up there. But Atletico Madrid?
Bayern have done what Bayern do best, beat your opponents into submission, scoring 12 goals and conceding just one, in the process snatching a perfect record that has seen them through to the next round. Atletico, have done as well, the only difference in their record from that of Bayern’s is that they have let in a goal more.
While Bayern under new manager Pep Guardiola have combined their high-energy attacking game with some possession football to get even stronger (if that was possible), Atletico have just been a revelation since winning the Copa Del Rey at the end of last season with an explosive attacking combo in Diego Costa and David Villa and a mean defence marshaled by the excellent Diego Godin.
Spanish giants Barcelona and Real Madrid also registered their place in the next round.
Juventus have left it late yet again
Gianluigi Buffon and Andrea Pirlo of Juventus and Iker Casillas of Real Madrid (L) after the UEFA Champions League Group B match between Juventus and Real Madrid
The Italian champions for the second year running have left it late to secure qualification into the knockout phase. Last year, they were in a similar predicament, as pitted with Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk and Nordsjaelland, they collected just three points from their first three games, drawing every one of them.
They then won their next three to qualify as group winners with impressive wins over Chelsea and Shakhtar.
This time they have Real Madrid for company and in two matches so far, have not been able to get the better of them – losing 1-2 in Madrid and drawing 2-2 in Turin. That has left Antonio Conte’s team bottom of group B with just three points.
Juve need to win both of their remaining games to keep their hopes alive and their next game is against Copenhagen at home, a game they would be expected to win, while Galatasaray make the tough trip to Madrid.
If those two results do pan out that way, Juventus would leapfrog Gala with six points as against the Turkish club’s four at the moment and would set up the final matchday clash nicely between the two teams when The Old Lady will enter hostile territory in Turkey to try and snatch at least a point.
Manchester City’s attack is on full throttle
Alvaro Negredo of Manchester City celebrates after scoring his team’s fifth goal to complete his hat-trick during the UEFA Champions League Group D match between Manchester City and CSKA Moscow
City seem to have struck upon a winning formula as the combination of Alvaro Negredo and Sergio Aguero up front is making a killing, giving opposition defences a torrid time. Aguero is easily amongst the best strikers on the planet, and when at full throttle can skin defences in no time with his pace, dribbling and incredible finishing skills. He now has a partner in Negredo who is quite the intimidating physical presence to boss over centre-backs and act as a good foil for the Argentine.
More importantly, David Silva, has once again hit his peaks and is running the show for City from midfield. He is the leading chance creator in the Premier League as well this season.
Last season, Silva appeared jaded and struggled for form reflecting in a drop-off in City’s form too.
Zenit and Porto in a real slugfest
Zenit Saint-Petersburg’s Axel Witsel (L) vies with Porto’s Josue (C) during their UEFA Champions League group G football match
While Atletico have ensured their place in the knockout round, Zenit and Porto are slugging it out to take that second ticket.
They represent an interesting triumvirate these three clubs, having done business with each other on a few occasions. Radamel Falcao and Cristian Rodriguez were both bought by Atletico from Porto, while the Portuguese club also sold Hulk in a big money deal to Zenit.
Porto, traditional powerhouses in Europe, have looked visibly off the pace this season in Europe, struggling to cope with the loss of Joao Moutinho and James Rodriguez to Monaco in the summer. Zenit have made use of the opportunity and find themselves in with a shout as they lie second, a point ahead of Porto.
With their head-to-head clashes out of the way, it is now a case of how well they do agains the other two teams in the group. Zenit host Atletico in the next round and that could prove to a very crucial match in the scheme of things.
Celtic-Milan fixture attains epic proportions
Celtic manager Neil Lennon
Barcelona are almost there, and will in all likelihood secure qualification in their next game against Ajax.
Each of the other three teams though can still make it – with Milan, Ajax and Celtic lying second, third and fourth, separated by a point each. Ajax’s win over Celtic has brought them back in with a shout and hence the match at Celtic Park on 26 November between Celtic and Milan has attained an even bigger significance.
There will be a febrile atmosphere with Celtic fans turning out in large numbers and together with the travelling Milan fans, will contribute to making it a tense and passionate affair. They will be hoping their team can lift their performance to try and get out of last place.
Milan on the other hand, have their own set of problems, and could arrive with a different manager in three weeks’ time. Massimiliano Allegri is under a lot of pressure to deliver and is not helped by injuries to key players.
But Milan are Milan, and expect them to come charged up for such a big match. This key clash between two clubs that boast of fiercely competitive fans, promises to be a ripper.
Arsenal have the winning habit
(R) Aaron Ramsey celebrates scoring Arsenal’s goal with (L) Mesut Ozil during the UEFA Champions League Group F match between Borussia Dortmund and Arsenal at Signal Iduna Park
There was a time not too long ago when Arsenal were deemed flaky and coming up short in the big games. In two massive games on the bounce, the current squad has displayed none of that flakiness, going on to prove that this may just be a very special season unfolding at the Emirates.
The Gunners have acquired the winning habit, a characteristic often referenced with the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, for being able to come through matches even when not playing well.
Arsenal withstood a succession of Dortmund attacks in the opening hour of their match against last year’s finalists, before making a crucial break to open the scoring themselves against the run of play.
Per Mertesacker was immense for Arsenal as they managed to hold down the fort despite Robert Lewandowski, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and the rest of the Dortmund side repeatedly knocking on the doors.
Some may say that Arsenal got lucky, but hey, if you don’t take your chances then your opponent will. And Arsenal did just that. The goal in fact acted as a switch as it suddenly brought belief into the entire side waking up the likes of Mesut Özil into action.
A third impressive win against Manchester United at Old Trafford at the weekend, will make it really hard to dissociate talks of a title from ArseneWenger’s unit.
Roberto Jimenez Gago’s monster performance
Olympiacos’ Greek midfielder Giannis Maniatis celebrates with goalkeeper Roberto Jimenez after winning the UEFA Champions League Group C football match Olympiacos vs Benfica at the Karaiskaki stadium in Athens
Most people, including this writer, did not know about Roberto Jimenez Gago. The only Gago well-known previously was the Argentine midfielder who plied his trade for a while at Real Madrid.
Roberto of Olympiacos stole the show on Matchday four with his standout performance between the posts. He made seven brilliant saves as his side withstood an absolute onslaught from Portuguese side Benfica to emerge 1-0 victors at home and establish a three-point gap to Benfica in the fight for second place in the group.
Ace marksman Kostas Mitroglou has been the biggest talking point coming out of Olympiacos all season, but it was Roberto’s turn on Matchday four.
Manchester United could still not qualify
Ryan Giggs and Phil Jones of Manchester United applaud the travelling Manchester United fans at the end of the UEFA Champions League Group A match between Real Sociedad and Manchester United at Estadio Anoeta
Where Arsenal earned a memorable victory over Dortmund in Germany, their next opponents in the league, Manchester United, endured a frustrating night at Real Sociedad. David Moyes’ side should have returned with three points as they spurned numerous chances including a missed penalty from Robin van Persie, and it could come back to haunt them.
United may be leading the group, but qualification is in no way secure, as they have to face Shakhtar and Bayer Leverkusen in their last two games, no easy task with the form Moyes’ team are in currently, starting with a trip to Leverkusen on the next matchday. It does seem likely that the fate of the group will come down to final day action when they host Shakhtar and Leverkusen travel to Sociedad.
Bale-Ronaldo tandem shaping up
Gareth Bale (L) of Real Madrid celebrates with Cristiano Ronaldo after scoring their team’s second goal during the UEFA Champions League Group B match between Juventus and Real Madrid at Juventus Arena in Turin, Italy
Money can’t guarantee you success, but it sure can help in trying to set up victories for your team. Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo played a key role in determining Madrid’s fortunes on the pitch for the third game running. Both of them got on the score-sheet as Real came away from Turin with a point and dented Juve’s hopes of progressing.
Their defence is porous, midfield disjointed and out of tune, but their forward line led by Ronaldo and Bale is beginning to strike a lovely chord and looks set to take its place amongst the most dangerous attacking trios in Europe at the moment.
The unflappable, always flopping Ashley Young
Ashley Young
In addition to their current worries, the form (or diving form) rather of their winger Ashley Young continues to be a source of constant embarrassment and distraction. The winger’s latest exploits in attaining a penalty for his side did not go down too well with both United and opposition fans alike queuing up to take their shot at Young.
A lot of pundits and former players criticized him, while he received some support from a few sections such as former referee Graham Poll who opined that the ref had indeed got it right as there was a legitimate foul.
One thing’s for sure, Young’s penchant for diving have placed him on par with Britain’s diving champ Tom Daley and continues to be a headache David Moyes and United could well do without.
Barca’s newest recruit Neymar, too did his bit to get on the scoreboard for dives employed and unlike United’s, his penalty was duly converted by one Lionel Messi.
