5 Things We Learned: UCL Round of 16
The UEFA Champions League Round of 16 is finally done, and ahead of Friday’s quarter-final draw, we look back at 5 of the biggest takeaways from this past round…
Money can’t buy you Prestige
Another year, another disappointing Champions League exit for Paris Saint-Germain, yet this year feels more consequential than any previous embarrassment they’ve faced (Yes, even the Remontada). After the summer they had, after the acquisition of the greatest player of all time, after seemingly putting together the best front 3 in the world… to go out like this?
Every elite team has a window, it just depends how well that window is managed and extended. Signing Messi at 34, surrounding him alongside the aging core of Marquinhos, Verratti, Di Maria, and Neymar, and (reportedly) rejecting €200 million to keep Kylian Mbappé at the club with one year left on his deal, all seemed like PSG’s last crack at their window.
For 150 minutes of their tie against Real Madrid, PSG were cruising. 2-0 up on aggregate, (courtesy of a brace from the mercurial Mbappé), it seemed like a formality that they were off to the quarter-finals. 30 minutes, and one Karim Benzema hattrick later, PSG were packing their bags back for France with nothing but a virtually sealed league campaign to play for.
What remains is a moody Messi, a rapidly diminishing Neymar, and the best player in the world in Mbappé seemingly hell bent on joining the side that just knocked the Parisians out. The window is rapidly shutting for PSG, and only a summer filled with smart decision making, well thought out signings, and a clear and concise plan will slow the slam. Not things PSG are well known for.
Man United Misery
Manchester United’s season seems done by March. Knocked out of all cup competitions, long out of the title race, and their top 4 hopes hanging on by a thread, 2021/22 has officially entered the long and illustrious list of “Worst Ever Post Sir Alex Seasons”.
When Ralf Rangnick was officially announced in November as the club’s interim manager, there was still hope the German could salvage the league campaign, whilst giving the fans one or two cup runs in the process. While United have improved structurally under him, the results have remained largely the same, and Tuesday’s elimination to one of the worst Atletico Madrid sides of the Diego Simeone era was the final nail in the coffin of what has truly been a woeful season.
Rangnick will rightfully bear the brunt of the criticism for Tuesday’s result, as over two legs Simeone easily got the better of his coaching counterpart. Rangnick’s an interim manager, though. He’s simply at the club to keep the seat hot for the next man, before making his way upstairs in a consultancy role he is far more at home in. Has his managerial tenure been a success? Definitely not, but like everything at Manchester United, there’s always more than one problem.
Rangnick’s most important job at the club comes in the summer, as he, alongside United’s new manager, will be tasked with rebuilding a squad clearly miles off challenging with England and Europe’s elite. It’s becoming increasingly clear, however, that things will get a lot worse, if they are to ever get any better for Manchester United.
La Liga Dominance
For all the talk of the strength of the Premier League, the quarter finals of the Champions League will see just as many sides from La Liga. Real and Atletico Madrid’s experience on this stage steered both sides past PSG and United respectively, but Villarreal’s emphatic victory in Turin sent shock waves around Europe.
Juventus are far from the side that made 2 finals in 3 years between 2015 and 2017, but their form in recent months suggested drawing Villarreal was as straightforward a tie as they could’ve hoped for.
For much of the second leg, Juventus pressed for the goal to break the deadlock, with Villarreal failing to register a shot on target before the 78th minute. Yet that first attempt on goal would prove to be the first of three late daggers the Yellow Submarine would hit Juve with, condemning them to a third successive round of 16 exit to yet another B-List European outfit.
For Villarreal, it’s a first quarterfinal appearance since 2009. They’ll enter Monday’s draw as one of the weaker sides in paper, but doubt Unai Emery in Europe at your own peril.
The Big Four
Going into this round of 16, 4 sides stood out above the rest as clear favorites for this competition, and two legs later, all 4 remain.
Manchester City took the suggestions that Ruben Amorim’s Sporting Lisbon might cause them problems personally, and after 58 minutes were leading 5-0 in Portugal. Bayern, despite a first half scare in Austria, made similarly light work of RB Salzburg at home, hitting them for seven in typical German ruthlessness.
Chelsea, even amongst all their off-field issues, showed why under Thomas Tuchel, they remain possibly the best cup side in the world. They professionally dealt with Lille, even with the French Champions encouraging in moments.
However, if professional performances are the subject, Liverpool’s tie with Inter deserves a mention. Inter dealt with a star-studded attack impressively, competed admirably in midfield, found themselves in promising positions in Liverpool’s final third several times, and with more individual quality, could be looking forward to a European quarter-final.
Instead, Virgil Van Dijk returned to his imperious best this round, as he marshalled his backline at times entirely by himself. One must wonder though, what would’ve happened if Alexis hadn’t been sent off just 120 seconds after Lautaro halved the deficit at Anfield…
King Karim Reigns Supreme
For the second straight season, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo exited the Champions League at the first knockout round, and if ever it was obvious that their reign of dominance at the top was over, it’s now. In their place, many have challenged for the throne, yet one man’s credv er reentials for the crown were enhanced this round more than anyone.
Mohamed Salah has been wonderful this season, leading Liverpool’s quest for a quadruple, but despite scoring the goal that would send Liverpool past Inter, the Egyptian King was largely kept quiet over both legs.
Robert Lewandowski held claim to a first half hattrick as Bayern bullied RB Salzburg in Munich, but his goals were anything but Puskas contenders. This left the French duo of Kylian Mbappé and Karim Benzema to face off in the round of 16’s premier fixture. 180 minutes later: Benzema 3-2 Mbappé.
Real Madrid are anything but a one-man team, but one has to wonder where Los Blancos would be these last 3 seasons without their talisman. This season in particular, Benzema’s 42 goal contributions have been crucial to Madrid’s quest for domestic and European success. His iconic hattrick at the Bernabeu is the crowning moment in Benzema’s illustrious career, the kind of performance all the true greats secure their legacy with.
