It's been four wholly boring months of football since Real Madrid narrowly edged city rivals, Atletico Madrid in Italy's magnificent stadium, San Siro, to clinch Europe's elite title in a really pulsating affair. Well, that's that. Today begins another footballing battle as Europe best guns vie to determine who holds the continent's bragging rights come May next year.
I've decided to assess the major teams in this year's competition and see who really has a genuine chance to finish as Champions.
I've decided to assess the major teams in this year's competition and see who really has a genuine chance to finish as Champions.
Beginning with Real Madrid, current defending champions. The decision to appoint Zenedine Zidane, a major club hero as coach brought with it an added aura of belief just as it brusquely transformed the club's fortunes. Although they were unable to prevent Messi and co ending as league champions, the team was definitely basking elsewhere in Europe and a fecund run which saw Ronaldo scoring the decisive last spot kick has now left the club with an added responsibility of achieving a feat no club has been able to since 1992 - back to back UCL cup wins. To thier credit, they've begun this season on a high and the rapturous applause given by Los Blancos aficionados when Ronaldo's name was announced on the team's sheet just before kickoff in last week's win over Osasuna shows just how much he's been missed. With a maiden international trophy added to his vast array of accolades following Portugal's Euro triumph and a fully optimized extended break, the talismanic striker would definitely be itching to guide the club to another UCL win and better his individual chances in his personal contest against Lionel Messi. The assiduity of this task has only been compounded by the club's transfer ban coupled with their decision not to sign any player in the last transfer window. The gauntlet has been thrown in, how will they respond?
Paris St Germain has always been a household name in Europe's elite competition barring the 2009/10 season when the club failed to qualify. Funny enough though, the club has never gotten past the quarterfinals stage, a conundrum which has only been exacerbated by the departure of pivotal striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic. A decent start to the 'life without ibra' season was cut short by a 3-1 defeat to Monaco and a surprise draw at home to St Etienne over the weekend. Ending as European Champions would therefore be an improbable task while more concern should be given to progressing from the group stages in a group consisting of fellow Europe strugglers, Arsenal, with this current team a far cry from what they were last year.
The announcement of Pep Guardiola as Manchester City's new gaffer brought along previously inexistent optimism and a renewed sense of belief to a team that has continually failed to impress in the competition since their debut in the 2011/12 season. The enigmatic coach, famously known for his 'no-nonsense' approach has a huge task, though, transfering premier league form to the Champions League. Four wins in four has left his side as the most in-form English team at the moment and qualifying out of a group which includes Borussia Monchengladbach, Celtic, as well as Barcelona - a poignant return for Pep - wouldn't be much of a problem. With English teams holding the unenviable record of miserable strings of results in Europe, as no English team has gotten to the semifinals since Chelsea in 2012, much has been asked of the club and coach. It would be interesting to watch how they respond to the occasion.
Barcelona is one club whose name reverberates success. The club have been crowned Spanish champions in three of the last four years and as Frank Rijkhard once commented, the club are "readymade" for success. However a dismal 2-1 loss to newly promoted Alaves over the weekend has once again highlighted the team's overdependence on Messi who was totally out of sorts. The arrival of Cillensen, Alcacer and Gomez to strengthen a team of champions already shows great intent from the club's hierarchy and Luis Enrique shouldn't find it hard advancing past the early stages of the competition. The club's front three famously known as MSN, though, must take a leaf from Atletico Madrid and build a reputation for teamwork and not individual brilliance if they are to finish up as Champions.
For the 20th consecutive year, Arsenal are going to be featuring in the Champions League, a record which it seems the club are very content with. The high profile arrival of Switzerland's captain Granit Xhaka and German defender Mustafi complemented by relatively unknown Rob Holding and Lucas Perez have definitely given gunners fans something to cheer on and while their start to the premier league season has been somewhat lethargic, the club has been presented with a golden opportunity of finishing in first position from the group stage, which will go a long way in avoiding the bigger guns, for the first time in years. With Wenger's contract possibly expiring at the end of the season, Champions League glory would definitely be a tremendous way to round up his Arsenal career.
Juventus are famed for undeniably being Italy's most successful team of the 20th century having won the italian league a record 34 times. However they have been unable to transfer their league success to the champions league having been runners up the most, 6 times, winning it last in 1995. The contentious departure of revered midfielder, Paul Pogba to United for a world record fee has left the old lady with a gap in midfield with Pjanic having been bought to fill the void, a task he has effectively handled so far. However with Juventus placed in a tricky group containing Sevilla, Lyon, as well as previously unbeaten Dinamo Zagreb, much attention would be placed on how Allegri manages to manoeuvre his team to safer grounds.
Bayern Munchen have always delivered both locally and in Europe and remain one of the most feared names in the footballing world. However it still remains a mystery how the club have only one Uefa title to show for the past one and half decade. A team which boasts of several renowned world beaters and a hugely savvy coach in Carlo Ancelotti should very well be expected to lead the pack as their 100% start to the German bundesliga has suggested. Progression from the group stages shouldn't be much of a fuss as such, with the only strict competition for top spot in Group D coming from fellow title aspirants, Atletico Madrid.
So that's it. The battle line has been drawn! Who rules Europe?
#UEFACHAMPIONSLEAGUE
#Taulmannie
#Taulmannie
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