Wide open race for Europe’s top prize
WITH THE business end of the Champions League under way, we’re no closer to knowing who may lift the trophy, in what looks like one of the most open competitions in recent years.
Few would have predicted the finalists last time around, as Liverpool and Spurs battled it out in the showpiece, and again this year we could be in for a novel pairing in the decider.
Last term English sides provided all four finalists for the two European competitions but, despite predictions of a period of dominance for Premier League teams, it looks unlikely that that train of through will bear fruit this time around.
Champions Liverpool have plenty of work to do as they trail 1-0 to a dogged Atletico Madrid side after the first leg.
The Spaniards got the early goal that they would have so desperately craved and, like a stubborn terrier with a bone, it’s hard to get it off them when they have something to hold on to.
Having struggled somewhat in the past few seasons, Diego Simeone’s side returned to their infuriating best; a well-organised, defensive beast, more difficult to topple than a determined Tyson Fury.
Atletico got inside Liverpool heads, leaving the Merseysiders bitter at their inability to break through a brick wall and questioning the negative tactics of the home side.
Their deep defending shouldn’t have come as any surprise to Jurgen Klopp and his team, even on their home patch, particularly after they got an early goal, and they can expect more of the same in the return leg at Anfield.
I still fancy Liverpool to rise to the challenge and have just about enough to progress, but it will be far from easy against a team that thrives in such circumstances, so expect to see a Atletico barricade in front of goal, with plenty of tactical fouling and a masterclass in the dark arts of the game.
The future of last season’s runners-up Spurs in this year’s competition is certainly hanging by a thread after they were outclassed in a 1-0 defeat to RB Leipzig at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The Londoners may have silenced the doubters when they were written off in the competition on more than one occasion last season, before going on to reach the final.
However, that was under the more progressive Mauricio Pochettino, and even the most optimistic of fans would find it difficult to make a case for them to turn this tie around with Jose Mourinho now in the hot seat.
Of course, there’s mitigating circumstances as Spurs have lost
Harry Kane and Son Heung-min to injury, although the manner in which they were completely outplayed by the team sitting second in the Bundesliga has to be a major concern for supporters, and despite there being only a goal in it, it’s hard to see them progressing.
Manchester City, who were ousted by Tottenham during their incredible run last season, will be determined to put things right this time around, particularly when you consider the sorry mess they find themselves in at present.
Their two-year ban from European competition for ‘serious breaches’ of Financial Fair Play regulations has heaped pressure on Pep Guardiola’s side as they’re fully aware that this could be their last opportunity to claim the coveted prize with this much-vaunted crop of players.
Of course, it could work in their favour if they can summon up a siege mentality, but it could equally go against them, with star player Kevin De Bruyne admitting that the side would be looked upon as ‘failures’ if they can’t win the big prize that has eluded them thus far, and they face a mighty test from Real Madrid in the last 16.
The Spanish giants may not quite be the force of a couple of years ago, but considering their rich pedigree it would be a foolish so and so that would write the 13-times European champions off, particularly against a side that, despite all their promise, have failed to get past the semi-finals.
Liverpool, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester City, PSG and Juventus all have realistic chances of lifting the trophy, maybe in that order, or maybe not.
That said, some unheralded outfit like Borussia Dortmund, Leipzig or Atalanta will probably come bursting out of the pack and surprise everyone.
Your guess is as good as mine.