On Wednesday night the UEFA Champions League Group Stage ended with a bang.
Shakhtar Donetsk, Benfica, Ajax, Juventus, Napoli and FC Porto all dropped to the Europa League knockout rounds after one of the most competitive pre-Christmas phases ever recorded.
Here, Discount Football Kits takes a look at some of the lessons learned over the course of the first six games.
Atletico Madrid Have the Depth to Succeed
Atletico Madrid’s strong Liga season in 2013 saw them grab a coveted Champions League spot via third place.
Excitement abounded at the Vicente Calderon, but after losing Radamel Falcao and failing to strengthen the squad significantly over the summer, fears gently settled in with regard to the fallout midweek European nights could cause.
Diego Simeone, however, has pulled a rabbit out of the hat; His summer business was good and he’s using youth products such as Oliver Torres and Javi Manquillo to great effect. Atleti are flying high domestically and crushing opponents on the Champions League stage every other week.
They’re a real force.
Arsenal REQUIRE Striking Reinforcements
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Olivier Giroud has done a magnificent job leading the line for Arsenal this season, but he’s already played (and started) 20 games.
While a consistent place in the team has been integral to him settling in and finding form, there are times when he looks beyond jaded and in need of a rest.
Arsene Wenger would love to be able to rely on Nicklas Bendtner but that’s not possible, and while Lukas Podolski is returning from injury and can play centre-forward, is he the world-class presence a title-challenging side need?
It’s been said a million times but it still rings true: Wenger needs to find a striker in January.
Unbeaten United in Strong Position to Reach the Quarterfinals
Manchester United’s season hasn’t quite gone to plan under David Moyes, but the club have coasted through the Champions League process with consummate ease so far.
They won four and drew two of their six games and conceded just three goals; topping Group A has allowed them the pick of Galatasaray, Olympiacos, Schalke, Zenit and Milan, and in truth their passage to the quarterfinals looks set in stone.
It’s arguable only Gala prove a real threat from those five teams with Milan a veritable ailing giant, and if Moyes can reach the quarters he’ll have replicated Sir Alex Ferguson’s performance in 2013.
That’s an important string for his bow come the summer when the board review what’s gone on.
Despite the Slip, Bayern Are Favourites
Bayern Munich have now accumulated an insane amount of talent that expects to win—a dangerous combination for any opposing team to take on.
They have the world’s best goalkeeper, right-back, left-back, central midfielder and a plethora of forward talent, and with Pep Guardiola at the helm they can beat any side.
Losing to Manchester City was a shock, but it doesn’t take the gloss off an incredible campaign to date and Bayern are still very much the side to beat.
They are, without doubt, the favourites to retain the trophy for the first time in its history (in current format).
Paris Saint-Germain Can Win the Champions League
PSG played stunningly well against Barcelona in last year’s quarterfinals but exited due to the savage away goals rule.
In truth they were and away the better side over the course of 180 minutes, and it was those two games that garnered recognition of the fact that the capital club are a serious force.
We’ve seen expensively assembled squads fall flat on their faces several times before, but PSG now have a great system, a strong domestic influence and a flexible, clever manager in Laurent Blanc.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic in attack, the world’s best centre-back in defence and a diverse, versatile midfield, they’re legitimate contenders for the title.
