Champions League to true blue champions
IT’S DIFFICULT to get over-excited about the Champions League at this fledgling stage of the season, when you can normally pick with a high degree of certainty which 16 teams will make it through to the knockout stages.
Gung-ho Liverpool brought a few early thrills to the competition when, as per usual, they excited and frustrated in equal measure during their 2-2 draw with Sevilla at Anfield.
They’re a joy to watch as they pour forward in numbers with their front three looking unstoppable at times, but the elementary mistakes they make at the back would have a schoolboys coach pulling his hair out clump by clump.
Speaking of impressive attackers, it was great to see Lionel Messi star against Juventus, and the way he’s started the season has shown there’s life in the notso-old dog yet.
There may have been rumblings in some circles that the special one was on the wane, with Luis Suarez stealing plenty of his thunder last season, but the mesmerising number ten, who turned 30 this year and has plenty of miles on the clock, looks to have found his very best form again.
At risk of going all Kevin Keegan mode, I’d love it if the little wizard could fully weave his magic in the World Cup in Russia next year.
A major tournament win would surely silence the nay-sayers once and for all. His old nemesis Ronaldo managed to get a prestigious international prize under his gold-laden belt when he helped Portugal to success in the Euros last year, and the Real Madrid superstar didn’t look half bad last week either, scoring twice as the Spanish giants began the defence of their crown with a routine 3-0 win over Apoel Nicosia.
Apart from Liverpool, who threw away a gilt-edged chance of a victory against Sevilla, the other English sides began in pleasing enough fashion, with the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea securing expected facile victories.
The most eye-catching result for an English side was Tottenham’s 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund, especially when you consider their well-documented travails at Wembley.
That said, I’d be astounded if any of the Premier League clubs are in the shake-up at the business end of the tournament, because in terms of quality they’re still miles behind the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Manchester City and United might look impressive on the domestic front, with Chelsea also seeming as dogged as ever, but I expect the English top flight sides to be long gone from Europe’s elite competition when the finishing line is in sight.
They will continue to be out- gunned by Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich and Juventus, and Paris Saint Germain have certainly thrown their hat in the ring after adding Neymar and Mbappe to their ranks.
The money-laced Champions League may seem light years away from our own All-Ireland Senior football championship, but one yawning similarity is that both are slow-burners, that don’t really ignite until the semi-finals.
After more mismatches than a cat versus mouse tournament in the early stages of the championship, it was good to see it end on a high on Sunday, with a competitive and exhilarating showdown.
Like most neutrals I felt deeply sorry for Mayo - you’d have to have a heart moulded from granite not to - but once again the ruthless Dubs showed just why they are champions by pulling it out of the fire when the westerners looked to be gaining the upper hand.
It’s a shame that we have to wait until the championship is drawing to a close to get any real excitement from it, and next year’s Super 8 is highly unlikely to address that problem.
Like the Champions League, the handful of teams that are in with a shout can be shortlisted before a ball is even kicked and no amount of tinkering with formats is going to change that sorry fact.