And then, there were only 16.
Matchday 6 of the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League has finally come and gone. In almost 3 months of ferocious competition, you have to admit that there were very few surprises and even fewer upsets. Makes you wonder if the competition has plateaued?
The usual suspects all got through as expected. It’s always the same teams making it to the final 8 – Barcelona have been there 5 times, Bayern and Real have progressed 4 times and Chelsea have featured in the last 8 at least 3 times. I wouldn’t be surprised if these teams repeated their feat again.
If there were any talking points, it would be Liverpool’s failure to progress. Many were expecting them to go through without too much fight. No disrespect to Basel and first-timers Ludogorets, but when you compare how the Reds amazed everyone with their football last season, can you blame fans for feeling nothing but optimism in August after the group stage draw?
AS Roma share a similar predicament with Brendan Rodgers’ men. They were outstanding last season too, but only domestically. There was a lot of promise when they qualified for Europe. Rudi Garcia’s squad is successfully replicating their form in the Serie A this season, but have not been able to carry that into Europe. They however, did find themselves in a far tougher group than the Merseysiders. It was always going to be a toss-up between Manchester City and themselves to qualify as the second best team from group E. Unfortunately, luck and a bit more form would side with the English, who booked their tickets to the round of 16 for only the second time in 4 seasons.
Turkish powerhouse Galatasaray failing to progress even to the Europa League was a bit of a surprise, personally. It is the first time they’ve failed to qualify from the group stage of the Champions League in 3 seasons. But then again, they’ve had 7 managers in the last 2 years. It is a team in disarray and a shadow of their glory days, despite the who’s who in the starting 11.
These 3 will be sorely missed in the next phase of the competition. So, what can we expect in the knockout stage?
I’d like not to see Arsenal meet either Barcelona or Bayern Munich. How many times should we put up with this fixture? Bayern and Arsenal have met in 2 seasons consecutively, in this same round. Bayern have won on both occasions and looks the more likelier of the two to make it a hattrick of wins should they face-off yet again. How about having Arsenal play Porto instead? Gooners will recall fondly the last time they met in the 2009/10 round of 16. The Gunners recorded an emphatic 5-nil win at home in the second leg to overturn a 2 – 1 first leg loss. Unfortunately, Arsene Wenger’s men only lasted till the quarterfinals in that year, bowing out to Barcelona 6 – 3 on aggregate.
Imagine Real Madrid meeting with either Paris Saint-Germain or even Juventus. Both are not as formidable as they can be when you compare them with the current prowess that is the titleholders. Both are also manager Carlo Ancelotti’s former teams. And nothing beats the idea of a manager returning to his old stomping ground. If I had to pick between the 2, I’d prefer to catch Madrid taking on PSG. Both teams have not met previously in Europe and just picture the glamour surrounding the tie. Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs Cristiano Ronaldo, anyone?
For the neutrals, what about a rehash of the 1997 Champions League final between Borussia Dortmund and Juventus? There’s been a lot of changes with both teams obviously, but that makes it even more exciting. The Bundesliga strugglers against the Serie A reigning champion and current leaders. Allegri, up against Klopp. If ever there was a mismatch, this is it.
Atletico Madrid versus Manchester City is another possible fixture to get the masses excited. There’s no history between the two in the Champions League, although Manuel Pellegrini has met Diego Simeone previously. His Malaga team however were unable to overcome El Cholo’s Atleti in 4 league meetings while Gabi and co. have managed to notch 2 prior victories. Plus, can you imagine the headlines when Sergio Aguero returns from his 6-week layoff to score the winning goal for City at his old stomping ground, the Vicente Calderon? Priceless!
But of course, we’re probably going to be served with the usual fare instead – Barcelona will take on Manchester City for a repeat of last season’s R16. Bayern are likely to draw Arsenal like a magnetic force field. Real Madrid will get the easiest of draws to progress comfortably to the semi finals, at least, and play Barcelona in the umpteenth European El Clasico. And Chelsea? Well, they will also get a favourable draw to go all the way to Berlin where they will play…..Madrid, perhaps?
I stand corrected, obviously.
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