Champions League team of the week: is Pepe in danger of becoming loved?
This week saw the Champions League’s trademark intrigue, with two penalty shootouts and two other matches that were by no means foregone conclusions until the last moments. The team below is a 4-3-3 in a week where fullbacks and wingers shone.
Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak, Atlético Madrid. After a wait that stretched back to 2016, we had two penalty shootouts, and the chance for four goalkeepers to be heroes. Two keepers made two penalty saves, and David Raya took the plaudits as Arsenal celebrated beating Porto. But for Champions League legacy, Oblak takes the cake. In psyching out Inter’s takers, the Slovenian came through a third shootout win, a record for the competition. Alexis Sánchez was the first save, then came Davy Klaassen, before Lautaro Martínez chose the Chris Waddle 1990 technique, having been spooked out by a keeper who remains one of the very, very best.
Defender: Jules Koundé, Barcelona. If Napoli were disappointing in the Montjuic, with their opponents Barcelona not exactly hitting the heights, then credit should be handed to a defence that kept the Italian club’s highclass forwards very quiet and saw the Catalans advance to the quarter-finals. Koundé was handed one of the toughest details in football in being asked to take care of Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. But Napoli’s star Georgian winger was unable to make much of an impression when it had appeared he was back to the form of last season in Serie A.
Defender: Ben White, Arsenal. Porto’s visit to the Emirates will be recalled for running battles but also for Arsenal’s defenders holding their nerve and temper despite provocation. White, awarded a new contract by Arsenal on
Thursday, continued his own fine form for the Gunners. He kept Porto’s dangerous forwards, Galeno and Evanilson, quiet. The latter was eventually subbed off after an ineffectual display.
Defender: Pepe, Porto. Farewell then, Pepe? Or will there be one last dance? The old boy has had a brilliant Champions League season with Porto, and there was little drop in standards at the Emirates, though he was at the crime scene when Leandro Trossard scored. At 41, Pepe appeared to have few struggles with Arsenal’s pacy forwards, remaining dominant in the air. His defensive organisation was important, too, in frustrating Arsenal. A player who was once a villain of European football has become beloved.
Defender: Wendell, Porto. Talking of tough disciplines for full-backs, another outstanding performance came from Wendell on the Porto left. Bukayo Saka had a frustrating night, with the experienced Brazilian cutting off his avenues. Saka slotted his penalty with venom as if he was taking out the tension of having Wendell breathing down his neck. Some old-school values were employed in stymieing Saka but they were effective in curbing his influence.
Midfielder: Marcel Sabitzer, Borussia Dortmund. It was quite a week for Manchester United alumni, with Sánchez’s penalty miss, and Jadon Sancho and Memphis Depay both on the scoresheet. Sabitzer, a lower-profile former United player, starred this week. Dortmund struggled to control their second leg with PSV before going through 3-1 on aggregate but the Austrian, who spent half of last season on loan in Manchester, completed 90% of his passes, screened the defence and contributed to his team’s attacks. He was the unsung hero of Dortmund reaching the last eight.
Midfielder: Declan Rice, Arsenal. In days gone by, it was known as the “round of Arsenal”, where the Gunners annually perished at the last-16 stage. Now, just as in the Premier League, Rice’s presence added assurance and though he played further forward than usual, he contributed his habitual role of sweeping up trouble. He also made it clear he would not be bowed by Porto’s gamesmanship, and slotted a well-taken penalty. That’s what £100m has added to Arsenal.
Midfielder: Martin Odegaard, Arsenal. If Rice brings leadership and responsibility to Arsenal, their actual captain does much the same but in his own, creative fashion. Odegaard’s assist for Trossard’s goal was gorgeous. He drew in Porto defenders with a driving run before slipping his colleague into a position from which he could barely miss. Aside from that, Odegaard, who is coming into form at the right time, made repeated runs into the heart of
Porto’s defence. He is living up to what was expected of him in his teenage years, and is one of the best players in Europe.
Forward: Jadon Sancho, Borussia Dortmund. Some players can be misfits at certain clubs and the right fit for others. Sancho was a flop at Manchester United but has been brilliant on his return to Dortmund. To follow his weekend goal against Werder Bremen came a long-range, low-flying strike against PSV. Walter Benítez might have done better but the goal showed that the Sancho we see for Dortmund is full of awareness and danger, a contrast to the moribund United version.
Forward: Memphis Depay, Atlético Madrid. Another player living his far better life now that he is not at Manchester United, though his association with the club ended in 2017, Depay was the impact sub who saved Atlético with a cracking late strike just when it looked like Inter could hang on. While Antoine Griezmann had shown his enduring class in knocking at the door, and scoring a rather fortunate equaliser, it took the energy of Memphis, like a man possessed, to knock the door down, finding space to rifle in the goal that took the tie into extra time.
Forward: Raphinha, Barcelona. One of those players who has embodied Barcelona’s failure to rediscover their glories via the transfer market, the club have indicated they are willing to sell Raphinha. His performance against Napoli suggested he can be useful to Xavi for the rest of the manager’s tenure and put himself in the shop window, too. His role in Barca’s two early goals helped swing the tie in his team’s favour. He supplied an assist for Fermín López then hit the post before the ball bounced to João Cancelo to slot home.