RevSportz Comment
At first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking that it was the English Premier League table, rather than the UEFA Champions League one. Aston Villa and Liverpool are the only teams with 100 per cent records, while Manchester City in third and Arsenal in ninth have yet to concede a goal in the competition. In a week when Germany’s finest were tormented by the might of Spain’s armada, there was also an eye-catching Europa League tie that saw Jose Mourinho sent off against Manchester United, with whom he had won the competition in 2016-17.
The managerial star of the show, however, was definitely Unai Emery. The 2-0 win over Bologna – Colombia’s Jhon Duran actually started a game, instead of being super sub – took Villa, the 1982 European Cup winners, to the top of the standings. If the victory over Bayern Munich on matchday 2 was wildly celebrated, the dismissal of Bologna, Serie A’s surprise packages last season, was emphatic proof of the unbelievable job Emery has done at Villa Park.
Arne Slot will hope to have a similar impact at Liverpool, where he has started the thankless task of succeeding Jurgen Klopp with 11 wins from his first 12 matches in charge. Liverpool barely got out of third gear against RB Leipzig, but a poacher’s finish from the revitalised Darwin Nunez gave them a second away win in the competition following their 3-1 triumph at the San Siro against AC Milan.
Slot has consciously played down the hype, insisting that the bigger challenges lie ahead, and the visits of Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid to Anfield in November will certainly give a better idea as to whether his side are legitimate contenders for the trophy Klopp won in 2018-19.
Real Madrid, the holders, were in a sticky spot halfway through the rematch of the 2024 final against Borussia Dortmund. The Germans were good value for a 2-0 lead, but Vinicius Junior, who always seems to find something extra in the biggest games, delivered a virtuoso hat-trick performance to seal a thumping 5-2 win. With Kylian Mbappe settling in and Jude Bellingham on the way back to his best, Real will be hard to stop.
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City, of course, will be the biggest challengers. A wonder goal from Erling Haaland was the centre piece of a 5-0 destruction of Sparta Praha. Even without Rodri, their defensive midfield stalwart ruled out for the season, City have enough options and nous to brush aside the best.
Another team making light of injury concerns are FC Barcelona. Frenkie de Jong is out injured and Gavi just on his way back after a long-term knee problem. But with Pedri in sparkling form and standout performances from Fermin Lopez and Marc Casado, at the base of midfield, Bayern were outclassed in a thrilling 4-1 win. Raphinha took the match ball for his hat-trick, but it was the trio of youngsters in Barca’s midfield that stole the show as more questions came raining down on Vincent Kompany and Bayern.
Diego Simeone’s stint as Atletico Madrid coach has taken in two heartbreaking Champions League final losses (2014 and 2016), but the team has regressed on the big stage since. The 3-1 home loss to Lille – the much-coveted Jonathan David scored twice – left them 28th in the 36-team table, having conceded eight times in three games. Simeone’s desire to play a more expansive and attractive style of football has come at the cost of the solidity and snarl that was the hallmark of his most successful sides.
In the Europa League, Manchester United and Erik ten Hag still can’t win. Christian Eriksen’s early strike gave them the advantage in front of a hostile crowd at Fenerbahce, but it needed a jaw-dropping double-save from Andre Onana to keep them in front at half-time. Youssef En-Nesyri gave Mourinho’s team a deserved equaliser early in the second half before the incident that saw the Portuguese coach banished from the bench.
Mourinho was convinced his team should have had a penalty, and let fly with a volley of protests as Clement Turpin, the referee, ruled that Manuel Ugarte – who had his best game in a United shirt since his summer move from PSG – had committed no offence. Mourinho was at his colourful best in the post-game interviews, sarcastically calling Turpin’s the world’s best, but he will know that this was an opportunity missed against a United team still searching for cohesion and confidence.
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