UCL talking points: Man City favorites? Onana’s redemption?،
The 2023-24 Champions League group stage is underway and matchday three is complete, with Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Barcelona the only teams to maintain a 100% record. After a series of exciting games, we asked our writers Gab Marcotti, Rob Dawson and Julien Laurens to answer some of our burning questions.
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1. Halfway through the group stage, let’s reassess: which team do you prefer to go all the way based on the first three games and which is in danger of being eliminated?
Julien Laurens: We have four teams with three perfect wins in three games so far: Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona. None of them were really impressive and all of them could (should) have dropped points, including City (away at RB Leipzig). However, the title holders remain favorites to win it again and seal back-to-back titles.
Even when star striker Erling Haaland is going through a mini-drought (five games without a goal), City still finds a way to score and win. And when you consider that midfielder Kevin De Bruyne hasn’t even played yet this season, due to injury, it becomes even scarier. The team will face obstacles and facing the likes of Real Madrid, PSG or Bayern won’t be easy, but for now they are still way above everyone else.
On the other hand, I fear for Manchester United. Even though their miraculous victory against FC Copenhagen eased some of the pressure, they are still far from the level they should reach. But at least they have three points more than Benfica (who have zero!): the Portuguese giants have been mediocre this season and could go from quarter-finalists one year to the group stage the next.
Gab Marcotti: I don’t think any team has been really impressive over three games and that’s fine. European football is so unbalanced that it’s essentially about qualifying for the big guys, ideally first place. It doesn’t matter how good you are in the fall, it’s important that you get through it and improve in the spring. That said, three teams that are all far from their ceiling stand out to me.
Barcelona, due to its very long injury list and the way the children emerge; Manchester City, because I don’t think Pep Guardiola has the right balance and De Bruyne is still out; and Paris Saint-Germain, because I have the impression that they are still coming to terms with the new boss Luis Enrique. The biggest surprise for me is Benfica. It’s a tricky group (Inter Milan, FC Salzburg, Real Sociedad), but we still wouldn’t have imagined it with zero points, zero goals. Manchester United, of course, is also present everywhere.
Rob Dawson: Manchester City still deserve to be favorites, partly because of what they achieved last year. But Bayern also look well placed as they navigate another group stage. They would probably need to sign a midfielder in January, but they still have quality players all over the pitch, especially up front. They will score goals against anyone.
Manchester United got their first points against FC Copenhagen on Tuesday, but they still look vulnerable in Group A. They need at least six points from matches against Copenhagen (away), Galatasaray (away) and Bayern (at home) – a difficult task for a team that is not playing well.
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2. What is your favorite goal so far in the group stage?
J.L.: It’s a difficult decision because there are many suitors, but I will aim for Elye Wahi’s goal for Lens against PSV on matchday 3 on Tuesday. It was incredible talent from the 20-year-old striker. There was technical quality: a ninja volley with the outside of the right foot at full speed. And the context: for the third consecutive match, Lens was behind and for the third consecutive match they came back. They are still undefeated and, with five points so far, can still dream of qualifying.
General manager: Equalizer from Ivan Provedel in added time for Lazio against Atletico Madrid. I love it when goalkeepers get into the opponent’s box and score. In his case it wasn’t one of those clumsy, uncoordinated finishes either, he looked like a centre-forward as he glanced over a header. More importantly, it saved Lazio who had been poor in this match and could prove crucial in sorting out the group.
DR: Rasmus Hojlund’s second goal for Manchester United against Galatasaray on matchday two. It came from a mistake by Galatasaray, but he still had to move away from the halfway line and then keep his composure to score his goal over the goalkeeper. At just 20 years old, Hojlund is under a lot of pressure to score goals after United brought him in from Atalanta in a £72million deal over the summer and this moment against Galatasaray seemed like a big moment in terms of how quickly he can find his feet at Old Trafford. He is yet to score in the Premier League, but three goals in three Champions League matches is a good return for such a young player.
3. Andre Onana made the first UCL penalty save by a United goalkeeper since David de Gea in 2015. Was this a one-off performance or do you think this will spark a turnaround for United and Onana?
JL: Onana’s save will be an important personal turning point in a difficult season for the goalkeeper so far. He has lacked confidence and will be boosted by his final decisive save against Copenhagen’s Jordan Larsson. However, from United’s perspective, there is still a lot of work to be done as a team. Their performance against the Danes was so poor, collectively and individually, and they were lucky to win the match 1-0. It will take more than a late penalty to improve the team and get them to play better. But at least they win despite playing poorly.
General manager: I am not sure. Obviously it’s great to have two more points in the table and United have the luxury of hosting Bayern on matchday six – at which point coach Thomas Tuchel will be through and will likely send out the second XI. But it will still depend on the head-to-head record against Galatasaray and how they perform against Copenhagen away. Yeah, if they play up to their payroll, everything will be fine. But this is not the case.
DR: Onana didn’t become a bad goalkeeper overnight and while he made some individual mistakes, the biggest problem is that the team he plays on is struggling. United have won three games in a row, but those three victories came from special moments of individual skill. They needed two stoppage-time goals from Scott McTominay to beat Brentford, a 30-yard stunner from Diogo Dalot to beat Sheffield United, then a rare Harry Maguire goal and penalty save late from Onana to beat FC Copenhagen. These moments are great for fans, but relying on random blitzes to win games is not sustainable.
