UEFA Champions League Analysis: PSG's Emerging Talents, Valverde's Frustration and Qarabag Shine
Key Success Stories
The Fans. The encounter with Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain was the championship match fans craved last season. This week's group phase meeting demonstrated exactly why. The fixture lived up to expectations, despite the fact that it was held in the less atmospheric Lluís Companys Stadium due to administrative issues postponing the opening of the renovated Camp Nou. Luis Enrique’s emerging Paris side engineered a turnaround in Catalonia, due to their coach’s masterful use of his roster. The 19-year-old Senny Mayulu overshadowed Lamine Yamal by scoring the leveling goal – marking the first match this season where Yamal was unable to score or create a goal. Conversely, the revitalized Marcus Rashford provided Ferran Torres’s first strike for Barcelona. PSG were deprived of Ousmane Dembélé, Désiré Doué and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, the strike force that secured last season’s crown. That was irrelevant: The 23-year-old Bradley Barcola stepped up as the lead striker and ravaged Hansi Flick’s high-line, high-risk defense. The teenage players kept arriving for PSG: The 17-year-old Ibrahim Mbaye was substituted for another teenager, Quentin Ndjantou, to partner the lively Lee Kang-in. In the end, Achraf Hakimi set up the goal for Gonçalo Ramos, another substitute, to seal the victory in stoppage time and hand Barcelona their first defeat this season. “If you’re the best team, it needs to be shown on the pitch, not merely speak,” commented Ramos, who regularly scores clutch strikes when introduced. “We hold the European title.”
Marseille. The Ligue 1 side were the first champions of the revamped Champions League in 1993, yet they have a strained relationship with the competition. That victory has a caveat: the title was taken away of their French championship the same year because of corruption. In the current campaign, Roberto De Zerbi’s passionate coaching could lead them on a lengthy journey. Having lost 2-1, yet respectably, at Real Madrid and overcome PSG last week in Ligue 1, Marseille overwhelmed another past champion in Ajax, 4-0 in a raucous Stade Velodrome. De Zerbi’s squad is a blend of unwanted talents, several known to Premier League audiences. Facing Ajax, Mason Greenwood replicated his dominant performance in Madrid. His goal was preceded by Brazilian teammate Igor Paixão’s quick brace. The fourth was scored by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who is still enjoying his football at the age of 36. De Zerbi, usually a terse taskmaster, was gushing: “I appreciate how my squad performs, the enjoyment they experience, and the bond they create with the supporters.”
Manchester United are absent from this season’s competition but Napoli’s the Danish striker is the newest player to thrive once relieved of the United jersey. Double strikes from the Dane, banished to the “bomb squad” by Ruben Amorim last season, showed why United paid £68m for him in 2023 and the potential monetary downside should his loan to Napoli be made permanent. A different ex-Manchester player, Kevin De Bruyne, delivered two precise assists in Napoli’s 2-1 win over Sporting. “Kevin is a legend in the game and when he has the ball, I trust that due to his skill he will deliver it accurately for me,” remarked Højlund.
Top Individual
Jens Petter Hauge, Bodø/Glimt. It required a late own-goal to stop Bodo/Glimt the victory over Tottenham they likely deserved. Hauge, a key figure of the Norwegian club’s journey to last season’s Europa League semi-final after returning to his hometown from spells at Milan and Eintracht Frankfurt, scored twice against Spurs this week. The two scores featured him moving centrally from the touchline to fire into the net.
In Their Words
“I am aware my form has dipped in some matches, I own it. I am not evading … Many might claim many things about me, but never can they claim that I avoid playing. I have sacrificed all, and then some, for this club. I’ve played through fractures, ailments, and not once have I objected or requested a break. I have a good relationship with the coach, which allows me to communicate my favored role … consistently, I’ve made it clear that I can play in any position, during all travels, and for each fixture.” Federico Valverde, a bench player in Real Madrid’s win at Kairat, took to social media to dispute speculation of a rift with Xabi Alonso and declining to play at right-back with the unavailability of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dani Carvajal.
Commentator's Take
“At this moment, he must come out, Liverpool must revert to last season's style, and seek to develop some confidence and a measure of consistency. Right now it appears chaotic.” Jamie Carragher’s critique of Liverpool summer signing Florian Wirtz on CBS, in the wake of their 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray.
Looking Ahead
Among the teams having two victories are Qarabag, who beat FC Copenhagen 2-0 in Baku following victory over Benfica in Portugal in their opener. The veteran coach is a stalwart of Azerbaijani football, a prolific striker now coach of the Azerbaijan's serial champions, his tenure lasting 17 years. The club’s first participation in the groups since 2017-18, merely their second in total, could hardly be going better. Their next challenge is the Spanish side, who are yet to earn a point subsequent to their 4-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund. Will the team make it three wins?
A pair of individuals hitting their stride are Arsenal’s Martin Ødegaard, full of creativity against Olympiakos on Wednesday, and Julián Alvarez, who stood out in Atlético Madrid’s weekend local rivalry crushing of Real Madrid. The Argentinian converted a stoppage-time spot-kick in Tuesday’s 5-1 rout of Eintracht Frankfurt. When Atlético visit the Emirates later this month, there will be a known figure in the VIP area. Andrea Berta, the transfer chief who acquired the players for Diego Simeone’s Atletico era, presently oversees Arsenal’s recruitment operations.
