With Matchday 4 of the 2023-24 Champions League group stage over, a number of golf equipment have now booked their place within the spherical of 16: Bayern Munich, Inter Milan, Manchester Metropolis, RB Leipzig, Actual Madrid and Actual Sociedad.
Manchester United have given themselves a tricky activity after Wednesday’s loss at FC Copenhagen leaves them backside of their group, Barcelona suffered a shock lack of their very own, whereas Group F may nonetheless end with all 4 groups — AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Newcastle United — on the identical variety of factors.
We requested our writers Gab Marcotti, Rob Dawson, Alex Kirkland and Julien Laurens to reply a few of our burning questions.
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1. United have every part to play for in opposition to Bayern and Galatasary. What is going to it take to rescue their marketing campaign within the subsequent two video games?
Rob Dawson: It begins with being extra organised and defending higher. They’ve conceded 11 objectives in 4 video games — solely Celtic and Antwerp (two groups who’re additionally backside of their respective teams) have conceded extra within the group stage this season — and it is too many for any staff aiming to qualify for the spherical of 16. As weird because it sounds after a 4-3 defeat, Manchester United’s efficiency in opposition to FC Copenhagen was certainly one of their higher shows of the season and so they in all probability would have received however for Marcus Rashford‘s first-half purple card. There will probably be cautious optimism forward of a must-win recreation in Turkey in opposition to Galatasaray on matchday 5 and after that they will need to hope Bayern Munich relaxation gamers for his or her journey to Outdated Trafford.
Julien Laurens: Not making silly particular person errors would assist! From André Onana‘s horrible move in opposition to Galatasaray, which led to Casemiro‘s purple card, to Diogo Dalot‘s horrendous defending in Copenhagen or Aaron Wan-Bissaka‘s pointless again move. The truth that United have conceded one penalty in every of their first 4 video games within the competitors says all of it, actually. It reveals that they’re too beneficiant to the opposition with regards to Champions League matches.
Alex Kirkland: A brand new coach and a brand new set of gamers? No, critically, Wednesday’s defeat was a catastrophe however a take a look at the desk tells you United are nonetheless in competition to progress from the group. They’re able to profitable away at Galatasaray after which beating a Bayern facet who’ve already certified for the spherical of 16 and would possibly area a weakened staff at Outdated Trafford. However that does not imply alarm bells aren’t ringing. I used to be watching Actual Madrid on the Bernabeu whereas United had been enjoying, and could not imagine the updates coming in from Copenhagen. There’s a lot fallacious at United that it is onerous to know the place to begin. However Ten Hag’s place should be underneath critical scrutiny.
Gab Marcotti: Their largest downside — and their largest energy — is that Bayern have certified as group winners. So whereas Thomas Tuchel will speak an excellent recreation about honoring the competitors and attempting onerous within the last two group video games, he’d be foolish to not ship out the second-string, which suggests we’ll in all probability see extra of Frans Krätzig and Aleksandar Pavlovic than Harry Kane and Joshua Kimmich within the final two matches. That’ll assist United at Outdated Trafford on Matchday 6. On the flipside, it additionally helps Copenhagen on Matchday 5. So when you may see United qualifying with eight factors, it could additionally imply it could be out of their arms. Merely put, they should win in Istanbul. And that is going to be tough.
2:24
Akanji: If Metropolis do not win Treble once more it is a disappointment
Manuel Akanji sits down with ESPN FC’s Rob Dawson to talk about Manchester Metropolis’s targets for this season.
2. Which staff is your largest shock bundle up to now and why?
Laurens: RB Leipzig. Think about dropping 4 essential gamers like Josko Gvardiol, Dominik Szoboszlai, Christopher Nkunku and Konrad Laimer in a single summer time, but you keep very aggressive each within the league and the Champions League. Marco Rose and the membership have achieved an incredible job to switch these departing stars with Xavi Simons, Loïs Openda, Castello Lukeba and Christoph Baumgartner and carry out so effectively. They had been minutes away from drawing in opposition to Manchester Metropolis, and so they drew with Bayern within the Bundesliga too. Simons has been a star, however Leipzig had a plan and they’re reaping the rewards now.
Kirkland: Actual Sociedad. They’ve made their return to the Champions League for the primary time in a decade look straightforward. Final day trip, in 2013-14, they did not win a single group recreation. They started the group by dominating final 12 months’s finalists Inter Milan and had been unfortunate to accept a draw. They adopted that with back-to-back away wins at FC Salzburg and Benfica. And on Wednesday, they scored three objectives inside half an hour — and missed a penalty — on their strategy to beating Benfica 3-1 in San Sebastian to ensure their place within the spherical of 16. Imanol Alguacil’s staff are filled with homegrown expertise and play enjoyable, attacking soccer. What’s to not like?
Marcotti: Actual Sociedad have been the standout staff of the group stage, together with Manchester Metropolis, the distinction being that La Actual are doing it on a a lot slimmer price range. Brais Méndez, Take Kubo, Mikel Oyarzabal give opposing defences suits and, whereas groups in LaLiga might have figured them out to some extent (which is why they’re seventh within the desk,) the identical cannot be stated in Europe.
Dawson: Borussia Dortmund hold dropping key gamers like Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland, Manuel Akanji and Jadon Sancho however, after 4 video games in Group F, they’re sat high on seven factors. In a bunch alongside Paris Saint-Germain, AC Milan and Newcastle United, not solely have they given themselves a terrific likelihood of qualifying for the knockout section for the fifth time within the final six years, they need to even be concentrating on high spot. They had been dealt a blow within the Bundesliga on Saturday with a heavy 4-0 defeat to Bayern Munich, however back-to-back wins over Newcastle have put them in charge of their Champions League group. To lose so many high gamers and proceed to problem in Europe is spectacular.
1:05
What has occurred to Robert Lewandowski at Barca?
The “ESPN FC” crew attempt to make sense of Robert Lewandowski’s latest dip in kind after Barcelona’s loss to Shakhtar Donetsk within the Champions League.
3. Lewandowski has gone six video games with no aim for Barca, his worst aim drought for over a decade. What’s gone fallacious?
Marcotti: That is a little bit of a BS stat, is not it? Yeah, it is six video games, however solely 4 begins. And, in a kind of, he got here off after half an hour. The truth is, he performed 90 minutes simply twice throughout that run and within the final couple video games was coming off an damage. Yeah, he is outdated and we are able to debate whether or not he was a sensible funding from Barca. However he additionally scored six objectives in his first seven appearances this season. Let’s wait some time earlier than we write him off, we could?
Kirkland: It is not simply that Robert Lewandowski is not scoring. He is barely stepping into positions to attain, both. Towards Shakhtar he had two pictures, neither on course. In Barca’s go to to Actual Sociedad on Saturday, he had no pictures in just below an hour on the pitch. He had one shot, off course, in his substitute look in El Clasico, and none earlier than he was injured in opposition to FC Porto. There are mitigating elements, and context to contemplate. This barren streak comes after six objectives in 5 membership video games between August and September, and this Barca staff wrestle to create probabilities usually, with one shot on course in 90 minutes in opposition to Shakhtar. However Lewandowski cannot be absolved of all duty. He is trying his age (35,) and a few really feel a extra cellular ahead would swimsuit them higher.
Dawson: Lewandowski hasn’t become a nasty striker in a single day. He is on a poor run however he received 33 objectives for Barcelona final season and 50 the season earlier than for Bayern Munich. He received eight in seven video games for membership and nation in August and September. The objectives will return — he is too good a participant for that to not be the case — however at 35 years outdated it is solely pure that he’ll start to decelerate finally. It would not assist that Barcelona do not create a ton of probabilities, nevertheless it’s additionally not potential that he is the identical participant that he was 5 years in the past. Time catches up with even the best gamers.
Laurens: It’s kind of of every part. His age and the accidents that he’s selecting up now will not be serving to. He has simply misplaced that split-second of sharpness that he used to have and, at this degree, it reveals. Even final season, regardless of doing effectively total and being LaLiga’s Pichichi (high scorer) final season, there have been instances the place you would see he was not as efficient. There’s additionally a collective difficulty. This Barcelona facet is just not creating sufficient probabilities total, and for him particularly. I do not assume Haaland would rating many extra objectives than Lewandowski on this facet. Xavi has to discover a strategy to deliver the creativity again to assist his essential striker. The return of Pedri is nice information on that entrance.
1:28
Why Newcastle ‘received what they deserved’ vs. Dortmund
Shaka Hislop reacts to Newcastle United’s underwhelming efficiency of their 2-0 defeat at Borussia Dortmund.
4. Group F is now extensive open after Dortmund and Milan received. Who’re your favorites to undergo and why?
Dawson: The various inconsistency of each staff in Group F implies that they’re going to all imagine they’ll undergo to the final 16, however two massive golf equipment are going out. Newcastle had a spectacular win over Paris Saint-Germain at St James’ Park however Eddie Howe is coping with a mounting damage checklist and after two defeats to Borussia Dortmund, they’ll discover it very troublesome. You’ll fancy PSG to make it three residence wins out of three in opposition to Newcastle on matchday 5, a consequence which might put them on the point of qualification forward of their journey to Dortmund. The German facet are best-placed to affix them within the knock-out rounds however they’re going to want an excellent end in Milan subsequent up.
Laurens: PSG are completely unpredictable within the Champions League this season however they’re nonetheless in an excellent place. A lot in order that they might even qualify by beating Newcastle on the Parc des Princes (the place they’ve been dominant within the competitors) in three weeks’ time, with a visit to Dortmund to observe. The factor is that every one the opposite groups are additionally inconsistent and unpredictable, particularly Newcastle and Dortmund. Milan ought to have crushed them each however did not take their probabilities, however I nonetheless fancy them to undergo with PSG.
Kirkland: PSG are underneath strain after their loss in Milan however they’ve received each their residence video games on the Parc des Princes up to now and may do the identical in opposition to Newcastle on matchday 5, a consequence which might put them into the spherical of 16 if Dortmund beat Milan at San Siro that very same evening. Luis Enrique’s PSG have been up and down up to now this season however they nonetheless have such unimaginable expertise, and Enrique is an distinctive, if typically frustratingly dogmatic coach. Dortmund deserve to affix them within the spherical of16 after their spectacular back-to-back wins in opposition to Newcastle.
Marcotti: I am unable to think about PSG getting knocked out within the group stage. Even when they do not beat Newcastle at residence, they’re greater than able to dismantling Dortmund away (by no means underestimate their potential to self-destruct). I feel Milan are well-placed right here. They had been poor at PSG, however battered Dortmund and Newcastle by way of probabilities after they performed them (cumulative xG: 3.02 to 1.19). Plus, Newcastle might be eradicated by the point they play them. They clearly must beat Dortmund at San Siro, however I feel they’re going to get it achieved (and I do not know why my colleagues are so bullish on Borussia … guessing they’re massive Niclas Füllkrug followers?)