So this was the Swiss system as the new Champions League rolled out with three nights of action. Who shone, who struggled during Matchday One?
Going up
Aston Villa It had been 42 years, and the buildup had been marred by the untimely death of 1982 European Cup winner Gary Shaw, but what a return to the grand stage from the team led by Unai Emery. If Young Boys proved naive opposition, Villa ran rings round them on an artificial pitch in Bern. Opening scorer Youri Tielemans has often played his best Villa football in Europe, enjoying that fractional more time players like him receive, and Jacob Ramsey’s poacher’s finish brought back memories of Shaw, a local lad seizing the moment. Fellow Midlander Morgan Rogers also shone amid a flowing attack. Villa’s summer of careful business, cashing out Douglas Luiz to Juventus to address financial fair play concerns, bore fruit in replacement Amadou Onana’s late beauty. “Up the Villa” indeed.
Sparta Prague Another team staring down history in the competition, Sparta’s 3-0 defeat of Red Bull Salzburg was a first Champions League group-stage win in 21 years. The Austrians became the first victims since Lazio in 2003, and a precocious team had no answer to the power and speed of the Czechs. Last season, Red Bull coach Pepijn Lijnders was Jürgen Klopp’s assistant as Liverpool beat Sparta 11-2 on aggregate in the Europa League but he and Liverpool loanee Stefan Bajcetic endured a grim night. Lars Friis, a graduate of the Brentford/Midtjylland stats-based approach coaches a Sparta team with an ambitious owner, Daniel Kretínsky, who has a share in West Ham and is in the process of buying Britain’s Royal Mail. Czech football has been making inroads in the lesser competitions, now for the Champions League.
Celtic The modern Champions League has so often been cruel for Celtic, particularly under the management of Brendan Rodgers. There’s still seven matchdays to go in which to inflict the usual pain on them but for now, the satisfactory sight of Celtic second of the 36, after a 5-1 defeat of Slovan Bratislava. They can afford to drop 22 places over the next seven weeks, as Rodgers, who had only won two previous group games from 18, could speak of instilling “belief” in a club too often recognised for the noise from Parkhead fans rather than results. Arne Engels’ all-action performance - 12.6km ran – took the eye, the Belgian summer signing from Augsburg adding speed and energy. The current calculations are that nine points is enough for the play-offs. Just two more wins?
Honorable mentions: Bayer Leverkusen destroying Feyenoord 4-0, Brest beating Sturm Graz in their first ever group match.
Slipping down
Milan Perhaps the lack of take-up for a game with Liverpool, their opponents in two previous legendary finals, was the giveaway. San Siro ached with empty seats. Well before a 3-1 defeat in which they were soundly beaten once Liverpool had equalised Christian Pulisic’s early strike, all has not been well in the red half of Milan. Paulo Fonseca is already deeply unpopular after mere weeks as coach. It is expected that Zlatan Ibrahimovic, special advisor to Milan’s owners, will be the one to pull the trigger. “I am the boss,” said Zlatan, depicting himself as “lion among kittens … the level is very low”. Talk of a shock return for Massimiliano Allegri has even surfaced, and Fonseca must rely on the weekend’s Milan derby to have hopes of survival. Even that is unlikely to be enough. As for Pulisic, his influence faded after those bright beginnings. He ended up being blanked by Thierry Henry in CBS’s post-match coverage. “We can’t get going, can’t keep the ball in the opponent’s half,” he admitted to Sky Italy.
Barcelona The new format probably needed a sacrificial victim, a big noise getting turned over to suggest this can actually be a true, tough competition. It still could celebrate Lamine Yamal notching his first ever Champions League goal to become second youngest scorer behind Ansu Fati. But in Monaco, Michael Jordan caught the shock of the round, if not such a surprise once Marc-André ter Stegen’s goalkeeping error left Eric Garcia high and dry, forced to commit a professional foul on Takumi Minamino. Garcia’s dismissal came in the 10th minute, Monaco’s young side thereafter rained attempts on the Barcelona goal. Hansi Flick persisted with a high defensive line the Ligue 1 club’s forwards piled through. With the likes of Pedri and Robert Lewandowski bystanders, it was left to Lamine to provide the attacking inspiration. Defeat supported the wide opinion that Barca’s leadership of La Liga has been something of a false position.
Girona That the much smaller Catalan club are owned by the City Football Group rather dimmed the romance of a previously provincial entity toughing it out among the elite. And perhaps losing just 1-0 to PSG was no disgrace, especially considering the quality of defending exhibited by Michel’s team. Shorn of Savinho, now at big daddy Manchester City, and last season’s captain Aleix Garcia, Girona have had an indifferent start to La Liga, but a happy celebration of dogged defence seemed on its way until Paulo Gazzaniga, once of Spurs, Southampton and Fulham, dropped a goalkeeping clanger, fumbling Nuno Mendes’ cross behind the line for a sickening late winner for PSG.
A good week for …
Michael Olise Harry Kane might have scored four for Bayern as Dinamo Zagreb were handed a 9-2 thrashing but three were penalties. The wisdom of Vincent Kompany’s appointment received more evidence but perhaps Tuesday night in Munich should be recalled as the occasion Michael Olise fully arrived. Bayern beat a raft of Premier League suitors to sign the French international from Crystal Palace. He will score more spectacular goals than a close-range header and a tap-in but a player who thrives most when fully confident has something to build upon. After a tougher route to the top than many players of lesser ability, Olise is now a Champions League player.
Cody Gakpo Gakpo’s performances for his country at Euro 2024 revealed facets Liverpool fans had seen scant evidence of. A player who came to prominence at PSV when being mobile off the flanks was regularly played as a central striker by Klopp. Perhaps Arne Slot will get far more from his compatriot, a player Erik ten Hag is believed to have been desperate to sign for Manchester United. Previously on the bench under Slot, and swapped in for Luis Diaz, playing off the left, in Milan Gakpo, showed his direct running and set up Dominik Szoboszlai’s goal. “You can see it, he’s strong, he’s quick, he has an end product,” said another Dutchman in Virgil van Dijk.
Nicolo Barella Wednesday’s rematch of the 2023 final will live fondly in few onlookers’ memories, as Manchester City were held to a goalless draw by Inter in front of a becalmed Etihad crowd. England’s serial champions are cruising in the Premier League though Pep Guardiola’s selection had their important weekend assignment with Arsenal in mind. While Inter’s defence again kept Erling Haaland quiet, it was Nicolo Barella who took the eye in being the dominant figure in midfield. “We proved that we can play on the same level,” he said afterwards, the shining light on a dank night at the Etihad, winning the battle with Rodri and Rico Lewis. Small wonder he continues to be linked with a move to City.
Honorable mentions: Endrick’s first Champions League goal for Real Madrid, brilliant Florian Wirz pulling the strings for Leverkusen.
