The UEFA Champions League returned this week, as the competition’s league phase reaches its most crucial stage.
After another exciting proud of matches, here are our key takeaways.
Kylian Mbappe continues to struggle at Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappe is in a rut. The 25-year-old has scored two goals in his last nine matches and missed a penalty in Real Madrid’s damaging 2-0 loss to Liverpool on Wednesday.
Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley was the latest opponent to get the best of Mbappe. He kept the Frenchman relatively quiet and frustrated him as the game went on.
Mbappe is clearly struggling to adapt to Madrid’s system and there is a growing sense among Los Blancos fans that this may have been a mistake.
Lewandowski continues to shine for Barca
Robert Lewandowski isn’t slowing down any time soon. He scored two goals in Tuesday’s win over Brest, a penalty and a simple stoppage-time finish.
The veteran striker, 36, has now become only the third player in Champions League history to crack the 100-goal barrier; he now sits at 101. Only Ronaldo (141) and Messi (129) have more.
Disappointing season for PSG
Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich and Wednesday’s subsequent results left PSG in 25th place in the table, outside the qualification places for the knockout stage.
On paper, the remaining games could be easier to navigate as Red Bull Salzburg are in a terrible place at the moment, and Manchester City are in full-blown crisis.
Stuttgart, their final opponent on Matchday 8, just got beaten 5-1 by Crvena Zvezda, but after what we have seen, there’s no reason to think PSG can beat any of them right now.
What’s wrong with Manchester City?
Pep Guardiola’s managerial career has hit a new low, with Manchester City’s recent slump reaching alarming proportions. The team’s collapse against Feyenoord, surrendering a three-goal lead to draw 3-3, was the most troubling performance of their recent skid.
This downturn can’t be attributed solely to the absence of key players like Rodri or Ruben Dias. Rather, it’s a complex issue, stemming from a lack of energy, and surprisingly for a Guardiola side, poor tactics.
What can the Catalan genius do to fix things ahead of the trip to Anfield?
Milan back in form
AC Milan are on a roll in the Champions League, after achieving three consecutive wins for the first time in 18 years.
This milestone is all the more impressive given the team’s current struggles in Serie A.
However, something seems to click for Fonseca’s men in European competition. They’ve also scored three goals in three straight European Cup matches, a feat last achieved in 1989.
Tuesday’s thrilling 3-2 victory at Slovan Bratislava means they are in pole position to achieve automatic qualification.
