CL: Manchester United get Bayern Munich while Chelsea draw Paris Saint-Germain; is this the end of the road?
Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
Friday mornings draw for the quarterfinals of the Champions League has produced arguably the toughest but most balanced set of matches in recent memory. Barcelona drew La Liga rivals Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid were paired with Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain get Chelsea and Manchester United must deal with holders Bayern Munich.
While I would love to break down the full field of the quarterfinals of the CL, this is after all a Premier League website so naturally I will focus on the draws for both Chelsea and United;
Paris Saint-Germain v Chelsea
This match up could quietly be the most entertaining of the lot. While Barca and Atletico have plenty of recent history since Simeone’s take-over and will know each other inside and out, that matchup could be filled with plenty of stagnant play. Real and Dortmund have recent history in CL so much the same, that match will in fact offer entertaining attacking football but they’ll know how to play against the other. PSG and Chelsea on the other hand will be unknown to the other, but beyond that, they are two incredibly similar sides and that is in no way a bad thing.
Both sides feature a ton of depth in key areas of their sides, both sides can call upon two of the worlds top keepers, are very strong at the back, can boss the midfield and are lethal going forward. PSG rely on a 4-3-3, with a top three that often features Edinson Cavani, Ezequiel Lavezzi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic – is there a better attacking trio in the world, at least on paper? Chelsea will no doubt deploy in Mourinho’s preferred 4-2-3-1, but the key for Chelsea will be who he chooses in the midfield two behind the attack.
For all their attacking talent, PSG have an excellent midfield three, which is anchored by the highly touted Paul Pogba. The key for Chelsea must be to control the midfield if they have any chance of cutting off the supply to PSG’s attack. Mourinho will have four options he can realistically choose from; Frank Lampard, Ramires, David Luiz and Nemanja Matic. Mourinho will have to decide which duo can best counter the dominant midfield trio that PSG manager Laurent Blanc can field.
There will be plenty of tactics involved in this match up – and while there are only so many match footage tapes you can watch, sometimes the best option is not to counter your opponent, but to stick with what your club does best. On the other hand, just ask Arsenal how results fair when you refuse to adjust tactics based off your opponent. The key for Chelsea in this CL tie must be to neutralize Paul Pogba and to subdue the creativity of Yohan Cabaye – this may involve more than the pairing of Lampard and Ramires. Mourinho will have to give serious consideration to deploying Matic or Luiz – that extra bit of size in midfield and the added physicality of either player may be enough to wrestle the midfield away from Parisian hands. Matches are won and lost in midfield, and that will be no different here.
Manchester United v Bayern Munich
Despite the prowess of Barcelona and Real Madrid, the Bavarian giants are the one club that everyone wanted to avoid surely. Real and Barca are in a dog with with Atl. Madrid for the La Liga title, but Bayern have the Bundesliga all but wrapped up and it’s only late march – that means Bayern will be able to fully concentrate on being the first club to win the CL two years in a row.
United did brilliantly to overturn their 2-0 first leg defeat to win 3-0 at Old Trafford and progress, but can they really hope to take on arguably the best club side in Europe and come away with progression to the semi-finals? United must be allowed to express themselves on and off the ball, free-flowing in the attack and must do it with pace, but they do not necessarily need the ball to do it. No one (apart from maybe Barcelona) possess the ball in such a threatening and positive way than Bayern currently, which will not necessarily worry United as they are quite adept at hitting teams quickly on the break and David Moyes will have to be prepared to deploy United in such a way.
The problem for United arises however, in the notion that Bayern are equally as strong as closing down space and regaining possession as they are about keeping it. The Bavarian giants are without question the most balanced and well-rounded side in Europe, and are, at least for me, the favorites to lift the CL trophy this season as well.
Tactically United have been incredibly poor all year and it will take Moyes being more aggressive in his tactics and his selected XI if he is to try to take on the Bayern juggernaut. Negative tactics against the Bavarians only solidify the fact that they will play you off the pitch before the half even ends. That is not to say that United cannot deploy in a way that allows them to soak up some pressure, but he will have to select the right players who will be able to go forward at pace and carve out chances before Bayern can regain possession. It will by no means be an easy task for Moyes and his men.
Predictions
Chelsea have a real chance to knock PSG out of CL – there are few better tacticians than Mourinho and he will no doubt come up with adjustments that will nullify the key to PSG, which is control of the midfield. There are not many harder places to win at than Stamford Bridge and PSG will find it tough there, but how Mourinho decides to deploy in Paris will be key. United on the other hand I cannot see ousting Bayern from the competition. The Bavarians have too much strength in their XI, have a very strong bench and their control of play will sap United dry. The only hope United has is a win at Old Trafford by more than one goal but they cannot allow an away goal. Munich is a fortress and highly unlikely they’ll gain a positive result on their travels there. On record however? Both Chelsea and United will crash out at this stage.