- 5 Talking Points From Matchday 1
UCL Matchday 1 has been completed and here are the five talking points from the first round of matches this campaign.
The first round of matches in the UCL this season has been completed. After 49 goals and all the drama, these are 5 things we’ve learned from UCL Matchday 1.
Hardworking PSG Mean Business
Paris Saint Germain kicked off their UCL campaign with a smart 2-1 victory over Juventus. The Paris club were made to work for the victory despite their fantastic start to the game. Kylian Mbappe was once again the star of the show for the French club.
In the second half against Juventus, PSG showed a different kind of fight that has been missing in the squad for years. They were able to work well off the ball in the second half thanks to their new midfield additions.
Vitinha and Verratti were incredible in midfield and Carlos Soler also worked well in midfield when he came on. Scoring and dominating matches has never been an issue for PSG, however their work off the ball has been questionable at times, it is refreshing to see the French giants show so much hard work against Juventus.
End Of An Era For Chelsea And Tuchel
Chelsea couldn’t recover from a 13th-minute setback in their UCL Matchday one fixture against Dinamo Zagreb. The Croatian frustrated Chelsea with their low block for the whole 90 minutes.
Just hours after the game, Thomas Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea owners. That loss marked the end of a fantastic era in the Champions League for Chelsea. Thomas Tuchel led the blues a UCL triumph and also to the Quarterfinals last season, and those two UCL runs represented their best for over 7 years.
Two Spanish Giants Up For It
Barcelona and Real Madrid have started commandingly well this campaign. Real were 3-0 winners in Glasgow against Celtic, and Barcelona thrashed Viktoria Plzen 5-1 at home.
Defending champions Real were once again convincing in a match that saw Benzema sustain an injury. However, Eden Hazard came on and proved effective in attack. The former Chelsea star ran the show for half an hour before crowing his efforts with a well-worked Real Madrid goal.
Barça were also in their element on Wednesday evening at the Camp Nou. Many more Barça fans will be convinced about their team’s chances of lifting the much-coveted trophy this season than in recent years. The Catalans do not seem to have trouble finding the net thanks to star man Robert Lewandowski whose hat-trick pushed Barcelona to a routine win over their Czech opponents.
Liverpool Struggle This Season Continues In Europe
The most shocking result of the round perhaps; Liverpool were bullied and beaten by an exciting Napoli side on Wednesday. As much as Napoli deserve praise for their performance against Liverpool, The Reds haven’t looked convincing in any match this season bar their thumping of Bournemouth in the Premier League two weeks ago.
Jurgen Klopp’s team have a problem, and if he is to deliver on his promise of returning to the UCL final again this year, he needs to fix it as soon as possible.
Manchester City are favorites once again
Manchester City are favorites once again this season. The Citizens started their season with a thumping 4-0 win away at Sevilla. Erling Haaland might just be what Manchester City need to be successful in their UCL trophy hunt. The Norwegian scored twice as City continue to look more direct and efficient in attack this campaign.
