Premier League Almost Perfect In Europe: Champions League

The English contingent has found it tough in the Champions League as of late. It would seem that the Premier League is falling behind the giants of both the Spanish and German Leagues. However, it was a perfect week for three of our teams this week but a miserable disaster for the other.

Chelsea

First to Stamford Bridge which has been somewhat of a pressure cooker as of a late. With losses piling up, Jose Mourinho could not afford another one which would have all but seen them out of Europe’s elite competition. The man under-pressure made some bold selections for the crunch game against Dynamo Kiev. Eden Hazard, who has supposedly fallen out of love with the club, was dropped to the bench, with the formerly suspended Matic returning.

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The team were quite evidently nervous and this could be seen in the opening minutes. They simply don’t look as slick as they did last season but why this is continues to be a mystery. The pressure was eventually realised after Chelsea opened the scoring after some nervous opening minutes. Willian, the London’s club saviour on more than one occasion, whipped in a dangerous cross behind Dynamo’s defence. Out of desperation, Draganov threw himself at the ball to prevent it from reaching the 6-yard box. Unfortunately for him, he inadvertently headed the ball past the wrong-footed keeper and into the back of the net. A welcome bit of luck in a torrid season so far for Chelsea.

The defender made up for his error in judgement with the equaliser in the second half. Capitalising on a rash decision by Begovic, the red-faced left-back shot home via a deflection off Terry. It was an all too familiar feeling for the home fans who have seen their team relinquish a lead too often this season. With nerves jangling and the eyes of the Chelsea board burning holes in the back of Mourinho, the club was in need of some help. Help came through a quite outstanding free-kick courtesy of Willian. Having scored 4 free-kicks already this season, the Brazilian must have been confident when stepping up. The crowd erupted as the ball whistled past the hapless goalkeeper sending the bench and Mourinho into delirium. The perfect result in some dire times for the club.

Man City

It was much easier game for Pelegrini’s men as they faced Sevilla on Tuesday night. City, perhaps England’s most likely team to win the competition, made easy work of the Spanish side with a well-deserved 3-1 win. Their attacking line up is quite terrifying at times and when they click they produce some un-stoppable performances. Many scoffed at the signing of Raheem Sterling in the summer but it was the youngster who opened the scoring. Within the first ten minutes, City had doubled their lead via the head of Fernandinho.

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Sevilla didn’t lose without a fight though. Beniot Tremoulinas brought Sevilla back into the game with a strong header past Joe Hart. All the goals came in the first half and Wilfred Bony scored the last on 36 minutes. The Ivory Coast international swept home a smart move from the visitors. They are the first English team to secure a place in the last 16 and will be confident on winning their group.

If Pellegrini can keep his best players fit and find form at the right time, City could be a dangerous dark horse in this seasons competition.

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Manchester United

Old Trafford is experiencing some tough times at the moment with the club struggling for a sense of identity. Fans expect width, pace and attacking flair from their side but have recently seen a very talented team play very pedestrian football. Everything is very slow at the moment and goals have dried up to. With no goals in their past 3 games, Van Gaal was beginning to lose the crowd. United also needed a win to boost their chances of qualifying for the knock-out stages.

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Van Gaal showed faith in his youth, giving Lingard a starting place on the wing ahead of Memphis Depay. Such a selection could go either way but an impressive display from the youngster showed that he was worthy of his place. This being said the first-half ended goalless despite Manchester United dominating possession. Rooney and Martial continued to link up in a new dual strike force but penetration of the opposition defense was few and far between.

Then came Van Gaal’s most contentious decision. With the scores locked at a miserable 0-0, the Dutchman took off Martial for Fellani. The substitution was roundly booed as chants of ‘attack attack’ rang around the stadium. However, a few minutes after the sub came the game’s only goal and once again it was courtesy of the much criticised captain. Wayne Rooney headed in a well-worked move sending the stadium into wild celebration. United now sit top of their group and looked primed to continue in the competition.

Arsenal

The club travelled to Munich in good form. They have been consistent Premier League performers and even beat Bayern at home last month. This being said, Arsenal sat bottom of their group having lost their first two opening games. Bayern were said to be out for revenge for the previous defeat and revenge they certainly got.

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Even with Ribery and Robben missing, the German outfit were so superior over a naïve looking Arsenal. The Gunner’s defence were helpless to the talent and guile on display and it didn’t take long for Bayern to find the opener. No surprises who it scored either. Man of the moment Robert Levandowski broke to offside trap and directed his header smartly past Cech. Arsenal thought they had responded well, when Ozil bundled the ball over the line. However, the official behind the goal correctly ruled it out, as Ozil can be seen to use his arm in the process.

This disallowed goal seemed to motivate Bayern more and the half ended up 3-0 in their favour. Goals from Muller and Alaba made Wenger’s half-time team talk very hard indeed. The second half was very similar to the first. Robben came on to score Bayern’s fourth before Giroud scored a smart consolation goal. The German champions added to their visitors humiliation with a final goal courtesy of Muller so totally destroy the London club. The Gunners now face a very difficult journey if they are to stand any chance of progressing in this year’s competition. This may be a blessing in disguise because they can now fully concentrate on the Premier League without the distraction of Europe.

The state of English football now rests on the shoulders of those who haven’t yet qualified. Gone are the years of an all English final, our teams are now lucky if they progress out of the group! The Premier League must keep their four CPL qualification spots so a good showing in this season’s competition is must.

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