Julien Laurens says he doesn’t like PSG’s chances of progressing past Real Sociedad in the Champions League. (0:32)
The last year of the “old” Champions League before a radical change of format, the round of 16 will bring us something completely new thanks to the draw that pairs Paris Saint-Germain, financed in petrodollars, with Real Sociedad, promoted by the academy.
The Txuri-Urdin, coached by Imanol Alguacil, who’s spent his life at Real Sociedad, have never before faced Les Bleu et Rouges. PSG are an anomaly of an institution whose manager, former Spain and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique Fernández (born May 8, 1970), is a couple of months older than the club (Aug. 12, 1970) itself. And although the “sizzle” for the tie is the visit of the billionaire French aristocrats — with the stellar Kylian Mbappé as their cutting edge — to a club where you could add up the top five transfer spends in Real Sociedad’s history and still not quite reach what Mbappe is paid per season, the message must be “Watch out, PSG!”
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The first proof of this is that until the 59th minute of last week’s Group F matches on matchday six, Mbappé, Ousmane Dembele, Marco Asensio
That said, Luis Enrique may not want many reminders of what awaits him at Anoeta in the decisive match of the match. The PSG coach was born just a three-hour drive from San Sebastian, on Spain’s northern coast, and his playing career at Sporting Gijon, Real Madrid and Barcelona saw former Real Sociedad and Villarreal midfielder Alguacil face former Real Sociedad and Villarreal midfielder seven times. with combined results. Then, in the winter of 2015, a few weeks after Alguacil took over as coach of Real Sociedad’s reserve team, Luis Enrique arrived at Anoeta with his Barça team that would go on to win the treble that season. Notorious weekend.
On Saturday, Jan. 3, 24 hours before the match, Luis Enrique was refereeing a training match on the Tito Vilanova pitch of Barcelona’s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. He was already planning to rest a few of his Barca stars who’d used the nine-day Christmas break to head back home to South America, and whom he suspected would still be jet-lagged.
During the practice match, he opted not to whistle what Lionel Messi thought was a foul against him. The Argentinian angrily yelled at the “referee” (his boss) and the angry duo immediately found out face-to-face that the staff and players had to component tactics with wonderful delicacy and care.
The next night, in San Sebastian, Messi was on the bench, along with Neymar, Dani Alves, Gerard Pique and Ivan Rakitic, as Real Sociedad won 1-0. Catalan newspapers covered the dispute, with television footage showing Neymar smiling at Messi as Barcelona conceded a goal early in the match and on Monday Messi did not show up for training claiming he had a stomach ache.
In due course, club captain Xavi intervened, tensions eased and Luis Enrique’s three musketeers (Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez) led Barcelona to a very good treble between the Champions League, La Liga and Copa del Rey. But it was a useful learning experience on how Luis Enrique deals with his new global superstar, Mbappe, and a reminder of what can happen to any reckless visitor who arrives at Anoeta out of shape, distracted or understaffed.
The tie also provides warmer memories for the PSG coach, who is a huge admirer of La Real captain Mikel Oyarzabal and, when Spain coach, used the Basque striker to set up two Ferran Torres goals in San Siro as La Roja won the 2021 Nations League semifinal against European champions, Italy. Both teams are whole-heartedly committed to attacking football, the Spanish side will relish their “underdog” status and PSG will be fuelled by the fervour of not wanting to get eliminated this early in the competition. In other words, this might easily be the most dramatic, most open and enjoyable tie of the round.
Gab and Juls react to the draw for the Champions League round of 16, as Barcelona face the match against Napoli.
Here’s a photo finish between Barcelona-Napoli and Atletico-Inter to find out which is more thematic and which tie is more difficult to predict.
Let’s start with the audible groan that emanated from the education floor and offices of Barcelona’s stadium as John Terry, invited to UEFA headquarters, paired them with a Napoli team that happens to be taking shape and momentum. Since taking over at Barca, Xavi has rightfully complained about how terribly lucky his Bambi team has been (all foolish and volatile in their legs, but determined to persevere) during the last two dark years in Europe. Against Bayern (beaten twice), Inter (eventual finalists), Napoli (twice now), Manchester United and Eintracht Frankfurt (eventual winners) in two seasons, UEFA draws have never let down a “gimme”-type opponent. . . until this season, when Shakhtar Donetsk and Antwerp entered their own turf and then beat Barcelona.
The most undeniable thing that can be said is that if the Spanish champions show anything resembling the turgid, uninventive and porous football they did by squandering the probably undeniable organizational matches of the last few weeks, Napoli will clean the ground with them. The malevolent but accurate topic of discussion in the weeks between the first match, at the volcanic and intimidating Diego Maradona Stadium in February, is that Barcelona’s 4-2 win over Napoli in the spring of 2022 is the last. An incredibly impressive and convincing European performance. It was the third month of his reign, already two years.
At the moment, the Blaugrana, who will still be missing Gavi and Marc-Andre ter Stegen in their visit to Napoli, play much less convincing and exciting football. Neapolitan duo Victor Osimhen and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will lick their lips, while Barcelona fans will cry in their latte.
There’s a similar song to sing about the how the other LaLiga vs. Serie A tie profiles at this early stage. Inter and Atleti have only met competitively once, with Los Rojiblancos winning the UEFA Supercup 2-0 some 13 years ago. But right now, it’ll need a massive upturn in competitive aggression, form and self-belief from Diego Simeone’s team to oust Italy’s champions-elect.
Congratulations to Atleti for winning an admittedly weak Group E (Lazio, Feyenoord, Celtic), but their lackluster away defeats to Valencia, Las Palmas, Barcelona and the knocks they suffered at San Mamés at the weekend mean they are looking for that perspective. . of Athletic Club overtaking them in fourth position, who will try with ambition to win La Liga as, frankly, they deserve.
Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti says his side will have to hang in there after another serious injury after David Alaba was pulled from Madrid’s 4-1 win over Villarreal with an ACL injury.
Two old comebacks are also at stake in this tie. Antoine Griezmann, by far Atleti’s top footballer and top performer, once told me that even if he won the Champions League, he would still be haunted by his goal against the crossbar with a penalty at San Francisco 2016. Siro final of the Champions League against Real Madrid. Since then, he has scored at the magnificent San Siro stadium, against Milan, but if a penalty is awarded against Inter, before it is taken, there will be ghosts for the Frenchman.
You’d imagine that Inter’s fans will reserve some respect for Simeone himself who had two stirring seasons for the Nerazzurri including winning the UEFA Cup, but no one in Inter’s squad or their management offices will be looking at this version of Atleti and quaking.
It’s horrific to see their team exhausted by a brutal knee ligament injury (David Alaba’s last, after Thibaut Courtois and Éder Militão), but it’s a team of answers and a club used to exceeding expectations in this competition. RB Leipzig, nor ignore the fact that they beat Los Blancos 3-2 at the Red Bull Arena a year ago, but many of Marco Rose’s star players have since left the club and Carlo Ancelotti’s side are, in one way or another, facing a terrible injury crisis and starting to look like Champions League winners. Once again.
It’s not an easy round-of-16 draw for LaLiga’s sides, but there’s loads of fun and drama in store.