First Week of 2022 UCL Knockouts Recap
This week, Mbappe made it clear that he is currently the best player on the planet, Manchester City yet again showcased their dominance, a young Salzburg side went toe to toe with a European giant, and Liverpool traveled to Milan and got a massive result despite playing far from their best football. I think it’s safe to say that the first segment of 2022’s Champions League knockouts was nothing short of enthralling. There sure is a lot to discuss so let’s get right into it.
Mbappe, Poch, Pereira, Veratti, Courtois, and some damn good wing-backs.
Amid widespread criticism this season, Mauricio Pochettino coached his side brilliantly against Real Madrid. Amid a below-average performance from Lionel Messi and the absence of Neymar until he came on in the 72nd minute, Pochettino managed to stifle a Madrid attack that has run riot in La Liga this season.
His use of Danilo Pereira was quite genius as the Portuguese defensive midfielder slotted in as an additional center-back at times in order to occupy the space that Vinicius Jr was poised to break into. Pereira was the unsung hero of the match for me as he was solid in possession and showed no issue with sacrificing moves forward to slot into the Paris defense and allow his team to continue to dominate the match.
I know Mbappe stole the show in stoppage time but something has to be said about both Nuno Mendes and Achraf Hakimi. Both wing-backs dominated their matchups and it was so much fun watching them play. Hakimi didn’t allow Vinicus Jr, who is currently in the midst of a breakout season, an inch of space. He also was great going forward as well as he seemed to be a part of every attack. Pereira sometimes slotting in as an extra center-back not only helped neutralize the space where Vinicius wanted to attack but gave Hakimi more freedom to press forward and attack and press Madrid when they were trying to get out of their own end. Something PSG did a great job of throughout the match.
As for Mendes, at just 19 years of age, he really impressed me. He has poise like that of a veteran player and his natural defensive ability at such a young age was very impressive. It looks like PSG has their full-back situation sorted for the next decade. Most definitely some of their best business in recent years.
PSG Talk
If you are still asking yourself who the best central midfielder in the world is… I’m sorry to hear that as the answer clearly is Marco Verratti. Despite injury woes, you can always count on Verratti to show out in big matches when he’s fit. He singlehandedly dominated Real’s midfield trio of Modric, Kroos, and Casemiro while spraying the ball wide and advancing the play effortlessly. It truly is a joy to watch Verratti play at the top of his game and if PSG is going to finally win the Champions League this season, he’s going to not only have to be healthy but he’s going to need to play as he did on Tuesday and I have no doubt he will continue to deliver.
As for Madrid, what a disappointing showing. Manager Carlo Ancelotti had no interest in coming away with a win as the away goal rule was scrapped for this season meaning thus taking away the incentive to play attacking football away from home. Madrid played defensive football and they didn’t register a single shot on goal. Ancelotti rushed back Benzema who only seemed to play with the necessary energy in bursts and Vinicius Jr was completely taken out of the game by Hakimi and Pereira (and Poch’s game-plan). Madrid managed to break the press a few times and possessed the ball a decent amount at times but such possession would turn to nothing and PSG would be on the front foot once again after winning the ball back. Poch’s press was almost a systematic way not to rush the opponents but to occupy the space Real sought to exploit and it worked brilliantly. Madrid seemed rushed whenever they had the ball and PSG clearly had the best game plan and deserved to come away with a win.
The only Madrid player who had a standout performance for me was Thibaut Courtois. He saved a good Lionel Messi penalty but finally broke down at the end as he conceded at the hands of Kylian Mbappe in stoppage time. That being said, if it wasn’t for Courtois the tie could’ve ended with a few more PSG goals on the score sheet.
Lastly, we need to chat about Kylian Mbappe. Amid a disappointing Messi performance, and the absence of Neymar until he came off the bench in the 72nd minute, Mbappe had no problem stepping up and we should expect nothing less given his Champions League Knockout resume thus far in his career.
After a cheeky backheel pass from Neymar, Mbappe received the ball on the left-flank outside of the Madrid 16-yard box and he immediately looked to attack despite a slew of Madrid players between him and the goal. He attacked with a calmness that only a handful of players have in stoppage time on Europe's biggest stage and he beat both Eder Militao and Lucas Vazquez with a beautiful move and then slotted home beating Courtois to send the Parc des Princes into a frenzy.
The sequence was beautiful and Mbappe deserved a moment of brilliance as he was taking it to the Madrid defense for the entire match. In fact, Daniel Carvajal seemed to be substituted because he simply could not keep up with Mbappe.
For me, after watching that Mbappe performance, it is clear that he is currently the best player in the world. It is looking increasingly likely that Mbappe will singlehandedly knock Madrid out of the Champions League and then join them as their savior this summer. What a player and what a moment.
Manchester City: Will The Cycle Repeat?
Death, Taxes, and Manchester City getting easy draws in the Champions League. The English champions drew Sporting CP and absolutely battered them away from home. It was four-nil before half-time and the draw is most definitely done and dusted. The trio of Riyad Mahrez, Bernardo Silva, and Raheem Sterling made a mockery of a Sporting side that managed to qualify for the round of 16 ahead of a strong Dortmund side.
Despite a great performance, the question remains, can Manchester City finally win the damn thing? We’ve seen them dominate mediocre sides early on in the competition but can they finally pair such performances with seeing it through? We shall see but if one thing is for sure, they’re arguably the competition's best side, although they have been for a few years now and there is no trophy to show for it.
Forza Liverpool
I can’t lie, it's a bit heartbreaking that there isn’t more Italian representation in the Champions League this season. AC Milan finished dead last in their group, Roma is nowhere near the competition, Napoli didn’t qualify, Atalanta fell down to the Europa League, and Inter fell short after what seemed like a great performance against a Liverpool side that wasn’t playing their best football.
A red-card against Real Madrid in the group stage saw Nicolo Barella suspended for the first leg of the tie and his absence was evident throughout the match. Easily one of Italy’s premier talents, he was missed although the duo of Brozovic and Vidal did a solid job of making life difficult for Liverpool’s midfield trio of Elliot, Fabinho, and Thiago.
Lautaro Martinez played a poor game and van Djik simply wasn’t troubled all game as he dropped a stellar performance stifling attack after attack.
Liverpool wasn’t at their best but it didn’t matter and that should scare every side in the competition. This Liverpool team is capable of beating anyone and they are one of my favorites to win the entire competition.
The Mirror
It’s also worth noting that Klopp’s substitutions changed the game. Firmino came on at half-time and won the game for Liverpool scoring the game-winning goal and the introduction of Luis Diaz pinned back Dumfries who was getting into good attacking positions. Lastly, Keita and Henderson took control of the game in the midfield just when Inter was just getting on the front foot thus stifling their attack and placing Liverpool firmly in the driver's seat of the match. Great match management from Klopp. This tie looks done and dusted as there’s practically no chance Inter win three-nil at Anfield next month.
Salzburg Might Win this Tie…
Salzburg, a team that consists mainly of teenagers, finished second in a group with Lille, Sevilla, and Wolfsburg. They then tied one-one at home against German powerhouse, Bayern Munich.
With only 28% possession, Salzburg found themselves in great spots time and time again as they registered 6 shots on targets (only three less than Bayern). When fearlessness can cost you against such talented sides such as Bayern sometimes taking it to them is the only way to bag a result and that’s exactly what Salzburg did.
Chukwubuike Adamu scored the opener where he calmly put a beautiful curling effort past Köhn and into the side netting. The young American Brendan Aaronson bagged a cheeky assist off Adamu’s goal sending USMNT accounts on Twitter into a frenzy as they begged their followers to get on board with him making a huge move to a top European side.
As for Aaronson, I hope he doesn’t leave Salzburg anytime soon. He’s getting a lot of playing time and the sides 33-year-old manager, Matthias Jaissle is clearly doing something right as Salzburg sit 14 points clear in first place in the Austrian Bundesliga while having his side in a position to potentially advance to the quarter-finals of the Champions League while knocking out Bayern Munich in the process. Therefore, Aaronson should stay for at least another year and continue to develop.
SI
Lastly, respect the Nigerian excellence in this squad as Okafor, Adeyemi, and Adamu all have ties back to Nigeria and all three players are exceptional young players.
That’s It
Despite the away goal advantage being removed from the competition thus taking the wind out of the sails of some of the ties we saw this week, we still were gifted some great football and the second-leg of the ties between PSG & Madrid plus Salzburg & Munich will be must-see tv. Nevertheless, Thank you for reading and I’ll be sure to put out a preview of next week's UCL clashes. As for now, enjoy the Europa League as there are some great ties!
Side Notes
Salzburg’s manager has DRIP. To have such a young side playing such football and stunting on the opposition is quite remarkable. And did I mention that he’s 33?
I really hope Barcelona loses tomorrow. Forza Napoli.
The Rangers winning their tie against Dortmund at home would be incredible and I really hope that happens.
Messi might not have the juice anymore.
