Key ideas and evaluation from Matchday 4 within the Champions League

The Champions League rumbled on this week. Under, we dissect the largest speaking factors from Matchday 4 in Europe’s premier membership competitors.

Ten Hag to not blame for up to date collapse

Manchester United have been buzzing. It appeared like Erik ten Hag had lastly gotten by means of to his gamers. The passing was slick, the motion tidy, and probabilities have been coming by the truckload. Rasmus Hojlund buried two of the three photographs he had within the opening 40 minutes. Copenhagen had no reply for United’s swift attacking play.

However nothing is simple. Not for these Pink Devils. As soon as somewhat adversity hit them, the entire equipment short-circuited. Marcus Rashford’s admittedly unlucky purple card towards the tip of the primary half led to a collapse of epic proportions. Right down to 10 males, United seemingly forgot easy methods to defend. Copenhagen’s Mohamed Elyounoussi caught 4 defenders napping inside the realm, and Harry Maguire reprised his position as scapegoat with one other poorly conceded penalty in first-half stoppage time. Not even a present of a penalty within the second half might give United the reprieve they wanted: Copenhagen struck twice within the remaining 10 minutes to safe an unimaginable comeback victory that uncovered the dearth of non-public accountability and character in United’s more and more fractured group.

Diogo Dalot has been a mushy spot in United’s protection for a very long time, and his lack of ability to mark his man allowed Copenhagen an equally mushy equalizer with only a handful of ticks remaining on the clock. Then, Raphael Varane, who’s regarded a shell of the participant who backstopped Madrid to a number of Champions League titles, gave away possession with an absurd blooper of a move that Maguire might do nothing to corral. Copenhagen scored 23 seconds later.

Ten Hag had set United up the appropriate approach. They regarded like inevitable winners after a half hour. It was the perfect soccer they’d performed underneath the Dutchman. However there’s solely a lot teaching he can do to forestall such a large psychological collapse. He could not have presumably legislated for one of the vital senior gamers within the squad making such an informal error. Possibly he might’ve anticipated Dalot to blow his task, simply not Varane.

At a sure level, the gamers need to take their share of the blame and settle for they’re simply as a lot, if no more, of an issue. So a lot of them look in charge the opposite individual when a little bit of self-reflection would go a great distance. Ten Hag’s nonnegotiable disciplinary strategy has definitely created loads of negativity in United’s camp – and he should settle for accountability for that – however his gamers have routinely failed to fulfill the problem. He cannot bodily go on the sphere and push them into correct scoring or defending positions. They’ve to do this themselves. Both they can not or they will not. Which is worse? – Anthony Lopopolo

AC Milan save their season at crucial juncture

Milan had simply misplaced to one of many worst groups in Europe’s high 5 leagues. That they had heard the music from followers who had up till this level saved their vitriol within the hopes their continued assist would preserve the group from slipping into the abyss. However sufficient was sufficient. The whistling after Saturday’s insipid 1-0 loss to Udinese was soul-crushing. The membership’s DJ even dropped “Pioli’s on Hearth,” Milan’s championship anthem, from his traditional pregame combine.

However Milan’s response Tuesday in opposition to Paris Saint-Germain was the stuff of legend. The gamers took to the pitch with one thing to show, and it advised.

There wasn’t a single protagonist in Milan’s 2-1 win over PSG. It was really a collective effort. It confirmed the group continues to be unified, whilst discuss of dressing room unrest intensifies. There was management, character, and accountability from every of the 11 gamers on the sphere.

Nobody ditched their task. Davide Calabria shackled Kylian Mbappe. Fikayo Tomori reacted quickest to each ball. Rafael Leao scored off an overhead kick and put in severe work off the ball. He might have by no means defended so laborious in his life. Ruben Loftus-Cheek gained midfield battles and stormed up the pitch with ferociousness and an insatiable urge for food. Olivier Giroud bumped into channels and tormented PSG’s defenders. You would go on and on. Everybody purchased in. Nobody dragged their ft. Nobody waited for another person to do their job for them.

That features head coach Stefano Pioli. Outcoached in a number of large matches this season, Pioli lastly set his gamers as much as succeed. He allowed Loftus-Cheek to play increased up the sphere, utilizing him as an outlet on the counterattack, which Milan favored over the predictable possession-based soccer that had sucked the life out of their followers. Enjoying on the counter allowed Milan’s faster, extra bodily gamers to take cost.

It was a calculated gamble. A loss Tuesday would’ve left them with a snowball’s probability in hell of qualifying for the Champions League knockout spherical. Now, they are a level again of the highest two within the group of demise with two video games remaining, and the win has galvanized a squad that was drifting aimlessly. – Lopopolo

Fast free-kicks

Put some respect on Calabria’s title

Milan’s captain will get loads of flak. Followers routinely mock him on social media and belittle his makes an attempt to encourage the group. However he is a Milan lifer. He is been with the membership since he was 10. And he is proven he can ball with the perfect of them. What extra does he need to do to get the respect he deserves? What extra does Luciano Spalletti need to see to name him as much as the Italian nationwide group? Calabria simply muzzled two of probably the most harmful dribblers within the sport in Mbappe and Napoli’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, and whereas he might lack consistency, Calabria at all times offers his all and calls out his teammates after they do not. There is no hiding from it now: Calabria is captain materials and ok to begin on the earth’s greatest competitions. – Lopopolo

Younger Boys captain embarrasses himself

The look of disbelief on Erling Haaland’s face stated all of it after starstruck Younger Boys captain Mohamed Ali Camara requested for his shirt at halftime. The bemused Manchester Metropolis star shook his head and stated, “You can’t do that,” earlier than submitting to Camara’s oddly timed request. Younger Boys have been 2-0 down. Haaland went on to make a mockery of the Swiss facet after halftime, tucking away his second objective in a crisp new equipment to seal a win that was by no means unsure. Younger Boys head coach Raphael Wicky clearly wasn’t impressed. “I wasn’t conscious of that. I’m a bit shocked about that. I’ll have a phrase with him and see what he thought,” Wicky stated, in keeping with BBC Sport’s Simon Stone. The one constructive to return from all of that is that Camara’s embarrassing enchantment helped masks what was a brutal efficiency by a Younger Boys facet that confirmed – on and off the pitch – it is out of its depth within the Champions League. – Gordon Brunt

Griezmann again to elite degree

Two years after his profession bottomed out at Barcelona, Antoine Griezmann is clearly again to being an elite participant. The Frenchman, who turned down a profitable transfer to Saudi Arabia in the summertime, was hailed as a membership legend by Atletico head coach Diego Simeone after a powerful shift in Tuesday’s 6-0 Champions League romp over Celtic. “He was born to play for Atleti,” Simeone stated, in keeping with Fabrizio Romano. Griezmann capped off his two-goal show with an acrobatic highlight-reel strike and has now scored in three consecutive Champions League video games. With him and Alvaro Morata, who additionally had two objectives in opposition to Celtic, firing on all cylinders, Atletico Madrid unexpectedly have probably the greatest attacking partnerships in Europe. Not dangerous for a membership sometimes related to stout defending. – Brunt

10 – @atletienglish are the one group within the Prime-5 European Leagues with two completely different gamers who’ve scored 10+ objectives this season in all competitions – Alvaro Morata (12) and Antoine Griezmann (11). Duo. pic.twitter.com/Akl7aQHsiG

— OptaJose (@OptaJose) November 8, 2023

Straight from the coaching floor

Issues in the end went sideways for Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, however their opening objective in Milan was an instance of labor on the coaching pitch translating completely to an in-game state of affairs. Marquinhos met an outswinging nook kick from Vitinha and took a handful of defenders out of the play with a flick-on proper into the trail of Milan Skriniar, who had the easy process of knocking it over the road from shut vary. Followers, commentators, and pundits alike typically complain when a set piece does not beat the primary man, asking how skilled footballers can put forth such horrible deliveries. In sure instances, it is a honest critique. However oftentimes, they’re asking the flawed query. The preliminary cross, be it from a nook or free-kick, often appears to attach with a near-post runner, like Marquinhos on this case, who can then change the ball’s trajectory. Towards a set protection that has 9 – and even all 10 – gamers within the penalty space, that is one of many few methods to truly create scoring alternatives. – Gianluca Nesci

What occurred to Benfica?

Benfica got here into the 2023-24 season on the again of consecutive quarterfinal appearances within the Champions League. They gained a gaggle that included PSG and Juventus final yr, going unbeaten within the opening spherical of the competitors. How rapidly issues change. The Portuguese facet was eradicated from rivalry for the knockout stage Wednesday after a complete 3-1 defeat to Actual Sociedad. Benfica, rolling alongside in home play, is pointless after 4 matches in Europe this season. Rafa Silva’s comfort objective – when La Actual have been already 3-0 up and cruising – was their first of the group stage, making them the final group to interrupt their duck. They misplaced Goncalo Ramos and Alex Grimaldo in the summertime, however, for probably the most half, the group that dazzled final season continues to be intact, and new younger stars like Joao Neves are rising. What’s gone flawed? Angel Di Maria, who returned as a free agent, was largely nameless Wednesday. Summer season signing Orkun Kokcu is injured. Arthur Cabral, recruited for €20 million to switch Ramos, has been a complete bust to date. A continental marketing campaign to neglect for Roger Schmidt. – Nesci

Hojlund exhibits what he can do with service

Everyone knows Hojlund hasn’t scored in eight Premier League matches. These objectives will come if United tee him up the best way they did within the first half in opposition to Copenhagen. Hojlund’s motion has at all times been a powerful go well with, and he routinely finds methods to get into scoring positions. It is simply as much as his teammates to hunt him out. That occurred Wednesday, and he regarded each bit just like the £64-million striker everybody anticipated. His first objective was a tap-in born of his shifty motion within the penalty space, and his second got here off the counter, a not-so-surprising improvement contemplating his tempo off the ball. Hojlund confirmed precisely what he can do in a fleet-footed system, and it ought to encourage each Ten Hag and supporters that this funding will come good. – Lopopolo

Stat of the week

Pepe may simply preserve taking part in eternally.

40 – At 40 years and 254 days, Pepe tonight turned the primary participant aged 40+ to attain a UEFA Champions League objective. Everlasting. #PORANT pic.twitter.com/X5I9TnMTim

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 7, 2023

Tweet of the week

Manchester United followers are skilled to anticipate the worst proper now.

United comfortably successful is like being 1st in Mario Kart, you simply know that blue shell is en route

— Kome (@KahunaKome) November 8, 2023