Mikel Arteta faces a massive challenge against one of Europe’s wonderful tacticians, while Haaland against Rudiger III and Barcelona against PSG are on the card for the big midweek.
Yamine Lamal inspired Barcelona’s 3-2 win, but his La Masia compatriot Pau Cubarsi is extraordinary. We’re pretty used to seeing teenagers get into Champions League groups and flourish like Yamal, especially in Barcelona, but they still don’t play with as much composure and skill as a 17-year-old centre-back is terrifying. If you do it again, a new contract with a £1 billion release clause will be on the table on Wednesday morning amid reports of a £100m bid on the horizon from Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s Manchester United. .
Other plot issues arise with whether Xavi will continue to play football according to Sam Allardyce’s playbook or become Barcelona, whether Pedri will be available from the start after his sublime pass for Raphinha’s second goal, whether Luis Enrique will give up one or both. Of their big striker signings of the summer, any important moment after Goncalo Ramos played just five minutes at the Parc des Princes and Randal Kolo Muani remained on the bench and, most importantly, whether Kylian Mbappe will appear.
Even the loss to Manchester City two weeks ago (racial psychology aside) may have been a better time to make a mistake, as Luton and Brighton provided relatively simple games to rebuild their confidence. Instead, after the defeat to Villa at the Fortress Emirates, they will have to go to the Allianz Arena, where Bayern, despite all their problems this season, have won 16 of 19 games with an aggregate score of 58-15, and will win.
Arsenal have played three knockout games in the Champions League under Arteta and have failed to convince in any of them. This, of course, depends on the functionality of his own players as well as that of the opponent, but Arteta himself has a significant decision to make. It is a component of accountability, because it is in those close two-legged links between the world’s actors that the world’s managers need. Get up and be counted.
Thomas Tuchel, despite his setbacks at Bayern, has shown himself at this level and for more than a month he thought about these quarter-finals with the race for the name of the Bundesliga. In his last 4 seasons in the Champions League, he was either champion, as Chelsea manager in 2021, or lost to the champions, Bayern as PSG manager in 2020, Real Madrid as Chelsea manager in 2022 and Man City as Bayern manager last season.
Sailing to Old Big Ears may not be easy if Arteta triumphs over Tuchel, with tougher tests ahead, but it gives the Spaniard as much confidence as his players after having beaten one of Europe’s most productive tacticians.
They now have a smart chance after pulling off a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund at the Wanda Metropolitano last week. Diego Simeone will no doubt be frustrated with the draw, still alive after his team missed some very decent chances to put an end to that. in the first half hour of this first leg.
But it is with the draw that this is where Atletico play their best and most notorious football. We can expect a full repertoire of shenanigans from Simeone and his players on Tuesday, adding (though not limited to) do-in, acting, wasting time, hitting players and chasing the referee. All the things that commentators say “we don’t need to see” but that we should see because they’re objectively fun and really impressive when they don’t come to your team and you don’t have anything at stake. the game.
Because despite being as dominant over Haaland in last year’s first leg as he was last week, Rudiger went to the bench for the second leg at the Etihad, making way for Eder Militao, who had already recovered from injury, and scored an own goal. At 4-0, Carlo Ancelotti will not leave out Rudiger again.
The German centre-back limited Haaland to 20 touches – 3 in the box – and a shot at the Bernabeu. As he said before the game, Rüdiger made it “personal”. Haaland will have to do the same.
Because there would be nothing like a goal or two against the biggest team in world football, as he faces a decider who has humiliated him in back-to-back battles, to end the narrative of harassment on the flat road, which he will only win. momentum if Haaland continues to attract the most productive teams and centre-backs. He has to put Rudiger with his back to the back and the ball in the back of the net.
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