The good, bad, and ugly as UCL opening round hits midway point

The supersized Champions League resumed this week, with all 36 groups again in motion over 48 frenetic hours. Under, theScore’s soccer editors replicate on Matchday 4 in Europe’s premier membership competitors whereas additionally taking a step again to survey the panorama on the halfway level of the opening spherical.

Key takeaway from Matchday 4 📝

Gordon Brunt: There’s by no means a scarcity of excuses after Arsenal lose. Some complaints about exterior forces conspiring towards them have even appeared justified. However this time it is their struggling assault that should shoulder the blame. The newest perceived injustice concerned the ever-confusing handball rule in Wednesday’s 1-0 loss to Inter Milan. The choice to award Inter a spot-kick felt harsh on Mikel Merino, particularly after he was denied certainly one of his personal after being punched within the head by Inter goalkeeper Yann Sommer on the different finish. One other Arsenal grievance for the pile. From a perceived refereeing agenda towards them to accidents which have proved pricey, Arsenal routinely have one thing to moan about. However their lack of creativity after conceding proper earlier than halftime was the true motive they misplaced. The obtrusive situation that Mikel Arteta wants to repair is an Arsenal assault that may’t cope when Kai Havertz is in a stoop. Signing one other confirmed striker final summer season would possibly’ve helped.

Anthony Lopopolo: The little guys nonetheless stand an opportunity. Within the tournaments of outdated, a newcomer like Brest, who had by no means certified for the Champions League, would’ve been buried on the backside of a gaggle of heavyweights with zero likelihood of progressing. They might’ve merely loved the journey. However right here they’re in fourth place within the Champions League desk with 10 factors out of a potential 12 after Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Sparta Prague. These 10 factors must be sufficient for Brest to earn at the least a playoff spot, based on Opta’s projections. However with matches to return towards Twenty fourth-placed PSV Eindhoven and Twenty eighth-placed Shakhtar Donetsk, Brest may moderately end with the 16 factors possible essential to earn automated qualification to the knockout spherical. UEFA expanded the match to make it extra worthwhile, however in a bizarre manner, it has provided beforehand neglected groups a lifeline.

Gianluca Nesci: Matchday 4 was a turning level within the competitors. One of many largest gripes in regards to the new format, apart from fixture congestion and common resistance to alter, was that the supersized opening spherical created much less jeopardy for the highest golf equipment, which had extra time to get better from any setback as a result of there have been merely extra factors accessible. Even when some stumbled early, there was no sense of panic. That is altering now. Stunning – and complete – losses for Actual Madrid and Manchester Metropolis, the 2 overwhelming match favorites, have blown issues open, whereas different groups akin to Paris Saint-Germain, anticipated to cruise comfortably into the following spherical, nonetheless have plenty of work to do and little time to do it.

This week’s disaster membership 😬

Brunt: Manchester Metropolis. Pep Guardiola’s facet is in panic mode after getting pummeled by Sporting CP. Manchester Metropolis’s lengthy checklist of accidents was a significant speaking level heading into the encounter, and rightfully so with stars like Rodri lacking and Kevin De Bruyne not match sufficient to begin. However that did not make Tuesday’s 4-1 scoreline any much less stunning. Metropolis did nicely to get again into the sport, threatening to chop the deficit down to at least one purpose earlier than catastrophe struck when Erling Haaland’s penalty rattled off the crossbar. Heads went down and the crew confirmed an uncharacteristic lack of combat on its technique to shedding three straight video games for the primary time in over two years. Is that this the start of Metropolis’s downfall? Extremely unlikely. Nevertheless it presents a uncommon alternative for rivals to reap the benefits of a Metropolis facet that will not possible be down for lengthy.

Lopopolo: Actual Madrid. Carlo Ancelotti is on the new seat after shedding back-to-back matches at dwelling to Barcelona and AC Milan. They conceded seven objectives throughout the pair of video games and regarded totally out of types in Tuesday’s 3-1 defeat to Serie A’s seventh-placed crew. Kylian Mbappe does not look comfy alongside Vinicius Junior, and Dani Carvajal’s injury-enforced absence has allowed opponents to wreak havoc on Madrid’s proper flank. Jude Bellingham hasn’t scored for Madrid in 177 days and appears not sure easy methods to interpret his deeper midfield position. It does not get any simpler for Los Blancos: Liverpool and Atalanta are up subsequent, they usually solely have another sport to play at dwelling. With simply six factors within the bag, Madrid need to win at the least two of their remaining 4 video games simply to have an opportunity to make the playoffs.

Nesci: RB Leipzig. A final-second away loss to Atletico Madrid on Matchday 1? Aggravating, however not panic inducing. Blowing a lead, at dwelling, towards 10-man Juventus and shedding? Tough, however it was certainly one of “these” video games. Falling to Liverpool, the very best crew within the match up to now? No disgrace in that. However Leipzig adopted up these outcomes by getting outplayed – and comfortably overwhelmed – by Celtic in a match they badly wanted to have with a view to maintain their dwindling hopes of reaching the knockout stage alive. That’s trigger for critical concern. Leipzig are certainly one of solely 5 groups within the competitors and not using a level. As a substitute of tussling with Europe’s elite, their friends on the backside of the desk are the likes of Slovan Bratislava and Sturm Graz. With no factors and a tricky remaining schedule, Leipzig now look destined for a really early exit.

Participant of the week 🌟

Brunt: Viktor Gyokeres. The Swedish striker is lastly getting the popularity he deserves. After greater than a 12 months of tormenting defenses in Portugal, it took scoring a hat-trick towards Manchester Metropolis in Tuesday’s Champions League win for the highlight to actually beam on Gyokeres. Whereas everybody’s been in awe watching Haaland rating at a record-setting tempo in England, the 26-year-old Gyokeres has mastered his craft at Sporting to turn into one of the prolific strikers on the planet. He went from scoring 21 objectives for Championship facet Coventry Metropolis in 2022 to greater than doubling that quantity with 43 objectives in his debut season for Sporting. And he is displaying no indicators of slowing down. Recording his third hat-trick of the season Tuesday provides him 23 objectives in 17 video games and launched him right into a share of the lead atop the Champions League scoring chart with 5 tallies.

Lopopolo: Luis Diaz. The Colombian’s evolution continued Tuesday with a hat-trick efficiency towards Bayer Leverkusen, the primary of his skilled profession and the strongest proof but that he can lead Liverpool’s assault. A left-winger by commerce, Diaz has performed extra centrally underneath head coach Arne Slot and reminded followers of Roberto Firmino with the way in which he hustled and pounced on alternatives in Liverpool’s 4-0 win. Diaz chipped the ‘keeper like he had finished it 1,000,000 occasions earlier than, shrugged off his marker on the far publish to attain, and completed off an odd-man rush to finish the hat-trick. He can harm opponents, and if he performs centrally, Slot can shelter Darwin Nunez on the wing the place he’ll have much less strain to attain.

Nesci: Edon Zhegrova. A baller, pure and easy. The winger was at his dynamic finest in Tuesday’s 1-1 draw with Juventus, establishing Jonathan David’s first-half purpose with certainly one of his many mesmerizing runs and incisive passes. The 25-year-old accomplished eight profitable dribbles within the match, regularly twisting Juan Cabal right into a pretzel till the Juve left-back was mercifully substituted after chasing Zhegrova’s shadow round for over an hour. No person has tried extra take-ons on this season’s Champions League than the Kosovo worldwide, who may dribble previous an opponent inside a cellphone sales space.

Finest XI up to now 😎

With the league part formally hitting the halfway level, this is a have a look at our standout gamers of the match to this point.

(Courtesy: FotMob)

The place we stand 👀

Here is the entire league part desk after Matchday 4. Bear in mind: The highest eight groups advance on to the final 16, and the edges that end ninth to Twenty fourth head to the brand new knockout part playoffs, two-legged ties that decide who joins the eight automated qualifiers within the spherical of 16. The underside 12 golf equipment are eradicated from the Champions League.