the champions league...zlatan ibrahimovic never really played well against us. he didn t really pose...
TRANSCRIPT
The groups, the games, the stars
The Champions League
Champions League 03
Cristiano Ronaldo had a forgettable 2014 World Cup. Later in the year, he won the Ballon d’Or. He won it for the same reason Lionel Messi will win it in 2015: because he was the
best player in a team that won that year’s Champions League. Much as we genuinely love the World Cup, it’s yet another sign that the Champions League is, in modern football, viewed as the ultimate test of the world’s best players and strongest teams.
It’s also gloriously hard to predict. Barcelona are this season’s favourites, but in the 23 Champions Leagues since Europe’s top club competition was reorganised and renamed in 1992, no side has successfully defended the famous jug-eared trophy.
So it’s competitive. It’s unpredictable. It’s the best against the best. It’s exotic locations and late matches under floodlights. It’s Leo slaloming, Cristiano shooting, Cech saving, Aguero finishing, Robben running, Modric passing and new stars bursting through. It’s just the finest competition that football has to offer.
So, before the 2015/16 edition kicks off next week, let’s fill you in on the groups, big clashes and key contenders – with analysis from suave BT Sport host James Richardson. We also have input from two Champions League winners: Steve McManaman recalls what it’s like to score in a final, while Rio Ferdinand tells us what it’s like to defend against the world’s best attackers. Enjoy.
Champions LeagueThe true benchmark
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04 Champions League 0504 Champions League 05
You played in three Champions League finals.
How much of a step up is this competition from
the Premier League?
“You’re playing against better players, superior
teams who are set up better; and they’re cuter.
In the Premier League, sometimes, you can cheat
a little bit in terms of: ‘I’m going to stay in this
position because I know that the player who is on
the ball isn’t capable of putting the ball in a danger
area from where he is.’ Whereas, in the Champions
League, nine times out of 10 that player can put the
ball anywhere. You’ve got to change your mindset.”
What about if you find yourself in a one-on-one
situation with someone like Lionel Messi? What
can you do?
“Pray! No, you’ve got to delay – try and delay.
Ideally you’ve got to try and get numbers back
so you can get help. One against one with someone
like Lionel Messi is nearly impossible if he chooses
to take you on, because he’s quicker than probably
every defender on the planet.”
Who was the hardest player to defend against?
“Messi is probably the hardest player I’ve played
against. Messi, Brazilian Ronaldo, Raul... Dennis
Bergkamp, maybe.”
Four players who are all very different in terms
of how you would try to stop them?
“Yeah. Take Raul and Bergkamp – they never played
up against me. I never really got anywhere near
them because they used to go into areas where it
was hard for me to mark them. They’d go and play
deep and, if I tried to come out and engage with
them, someone would run behind me and they’d
play them through. They ask different questions,
but they’re equally as difficult as the others.”
Of the players you have faced recently, has there
been anyone who was surprisingly difficult to
play against?
“Karim Benzema, probably. I don’t think he gets the
credit that he deserves sometimes. He’s a real top
player, great technician, clean feet, really good
movement. There are loads of rumours about him
coming to England. I think if an English team got
him, it would be fantastic for the Premier League.”
What about the other way around? Did anyone
not live up to the hype?
“Zlatan Ibrahimovic never really played well against
us. He didn’t really pose us any problems. But he is
a fantastic player – don’t get me wrong. To do what
he’s done, winning leagues at the rate he’s done, is
just phenomenal. I just caught him on days where
he didn’t perform.”
What advice would you give to the English teams
in terms of setting up to stop opponents such as
Real Madrid or Barcelona in the knockout rounds?
“It’s difficult. If you allow a space, space kills. These
players, when they get space, they’re normally
clinical and they finish you off. That has been
Manchester City’s biggest problem: teams have had
space against them as there have been gaps from
their midfield to their defence. And so they have
been opened up on numerous occasions in the
Champions League, unlike what’s happened to
them in the Premier League.”
Are English teams lagging behind their European
counterparts in the defensive arts?
“Not just individually, but collectively – massively far
behind. You look at the other teams in Europe, and
very rarely do you get one-v-one situations. If the
ball goes towards the left winger of one team, he’s
playing against the right-back, who will get help
from one of their midfielders who comes across.
I think in England people are honest, they track
back. You can track back all you want, but if it’s
not intelligent tracking back it’s pointless.”
What are your predictions for the English
teams in this season’s Champions League?
“I think quarter finals. Chelsea, maybe semis.”
And who is going to win the whole thing?
“Barca.”
Back to their best – terrifying.
“Yeah, exactly – for everyone else.”
Case forthe defenceLionel Messi, Karim Benzema, Zlatan Ibrahimovic – all names synonymous with Champions League goals. BT Sport pundit Rio Ferdinand spares a thought for the men who have to stop the star trio scoring
Rio’sdefenders to watch
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Raphael VaraneReal Madrid
“He’s the perfect specimen,
and he’s comfortable and
calm on the ball. He has
everything to be the best.”
Jerome BoatengBayern Munich
“He’s underrated on the ball;
he’s brilliant – but for some
reason he doesn’t seem like
the fashionable one to talk
about. Sometimes,
defensively, he can look a
bit lax, but more often than
not he gets things right.”
David AlabaBayern Munich
“He’s the best left-back
in the world.”
06 Champions League 07
Group A
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There are a few emotional
returns in Group A. Paris
Saint Germain will face
Real Madrid for the first
time ever in competitive
action (although they did
play a mid-season friendly
in Doha last year), which
gives Angel di Maria a first
trip back to the Bernabeu
since he was instrumental
in bringing them their
10th European Cup two
seasons ago. Rafa Benitez
is the man tasked with
securing the 11th, but has
made an unconvincing
start in La Liga.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
(below) moves around so
much that he rarely goes
more than a month
without facing one of his
old clubs, but this reunion
could be particularly
special: the Swede faces
his boyhood team Malmo,
who knocked out Celtic in
the final qualifier. Shakhtar
Donetsk are the group’s
third seeds. They have
shown remarkable
consistency despite being
moved hundreds of miles
from their home stadium
because of the ongoing
conflict in eastern Ukraine.
However, the loss of
flamboyant Brazilian
Douglas Costa to Bayern
Munich might be a blow
they find too hard to cope
with. Expect PSG and
Madrid to go through
comfortably.
Group B
Memphis walks homeAfter a year in the wilderness, Manchester United have
stumbled back on to the main road of Europe. But, like
a lost hiker with no means of shaving, they look almost
unrecognisable. Of the 18 players selected by David Moyes for
their previous European encounter (a 3-1 defeat to Bayern
Munich in April 2014) only seven will be at the club this season
(and one of those reluctantly) after a year of Louis van Gaal’s
sweeping reforms. The Dutchman’s most recent acquisition,
Memphis, gets a speedy return to his old club PSV. They are top
seeds by virtue of romping to the Dutch league title last season.
PSV are a good side, but the placing of United into this group
will have been met with a clenched fist in the northwest – there
were much harder potential draws on the table. Van Gaal’s
controlled approach has been toothless in the league at times,
but should serve well in Europe if the clinical two-legged display
against Club Brugge in the qualifying round is anything to go by.
PSV aren’t the only club in the group to have lost their star,
with Wolfsburg’s Kevin de Bruyne on his way to Manchester City
after helping his side to second in the Bundesliga and victory in
the German Cup. Meanwhile, for all the difficulties a trip to
Moscow poses, CSKA haven’t made it out of the group in four
years and seem unlikely to do so this time.
PSVMAN UTDCSKAWOLFSBURG
Key fixture
PSV v Manchester UnitedSeptember 15, 7.45pm
United’s toughest fixture of the group stages
is their first – and Phillip Cocu’s side don’t
lose at home very often.
06 Champions League 07
“Memphis Depay
has been brilliant in the
two playoff games, so
maybe he’s going to
enjoy playing even more
against European
defences. But generally,
Manchester United have
been frustrating. Even a
year on from Louis van
Gaal’s arrival, they still
look a work in progress.
He seems to be
struggling to either find
his idea or get his players
to fit into his idea – and in
the Champions League,
there’s no time for that
kind of messing about.
“That said, it could
have been a much worse
group. PSV have lost
not only Memphis but
Georginio Wijnaldum [to
Newcastle] – so, their
captain and their top
scorer. CSKA looked
good in their playoff
against Sporting Lisbon.
Seydou Doumbia
[right] has been
great up front so
far. He’s one to
watch when
United go
there in
October.”
Manchester United: A work in progress
BT Sport presenter James Richardson says…
08 Champions League 09
Group C
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Portuguese champions
Benfica underwent a
seismic managerial
change this summer.
Their flamboyant,
successful, luxuriantly
coiffured boss Jorge
Jesus turned Judas and
switched to fierce rivals
Sporting Lisbon. New
boss Rui Vitoria has had to
deal with a high turnover
of players this summer, so
he had better hope they’re
all settled before the first
group game against
Kazakh banana skins
Astana this month.
Founded in 2009, Astana
are the first team from
Kazakhstan to reach
the Champions League
group stage and are
automatically every
neutral’s favourites.
The bookies’ favourites
to top Group C, however,
are Atletico Madrid, who
have started La Liga
positively, with Antoine
Griezmann continuing his
exceptional form from last
season. Galatasaray are
the team most likely to
challenge Atletico and
Benfica for the top two
spots (sorry Astana).
Istanbul always offers an
intimidating atmosphere,
but Gala didn’t win a
group game at all last
season – and the arrival
of 30-year-old Lukas
Podolski (below)
reinforces the
idea that they’re
a club that tends
to sign stars
on the slide
rather than
players
on the
up.
Group D
WhyalwaysCity?After the group-stage draw, Manchester City must have been
tempted to dig out Mario Balotelli’s old, suspiciously not-sweat-
stained ‘Why always me?’ T-shirt. Another Champions League,
another fiendishly tough group. Rather than two out-and-out
favourites, Group D boasts four quality teams. That should mean
every game has a weight of importance riding on it.
City against European football royalty Juventus has a
delicious, new-money versus old-money appeal – although it’s
the Turin club that is less established in terms of a first XI. Their
attack has a new look for 2015/16, with talented Argentinian
Paulo Dybala joining Croatian marksman Mario Mandzukic. Juve
have, however, started the Serie A season with two shock
defeats. And, with half of last season’s celebrated midfield
quartet departed (arrivederci, Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal), this
is a side Raheem Sterling and his teammates may relish a run at.
Sevilla, winners of four UEFA Cup/Europa League titles in the
past 10 years, have European pedigree. However, they have lost
key players this summer – particularly goal threat Carlos Bacca
– so we’ll have to wait to see how their new signings bed in. The
Hazard in this group is at Monchengladbach – in the form of
Eden’s little brother, Thorgan. The 22-year-old Belgian attacker is
full of pace, flair and devilish intent. Ideal for one hell of a group.
Key fixture
Manchester City v JuventusSeptember 15, 7.45pm
JuventusMAn CItYsevILLAMOnChengLAdbACh
City have displayed a lack of European
football nous at times. The Old Lady has the
wherewithals to take advantage of that.
08 Champions League 09
WhyalwaysCity?
“You can look at Group D
in two ways. One is that
Manchester City have
drawn the Europa League
winners, the Champions
League finalists and the
side that finished third in
the Bundesliga – which
sounds really tough. But
it’s more a group of mild
fever than a group of
death. This is a year of
transition for Juventus.
They’ve lost Carlos Tevez,
Arturo Vidal and Andrea
Pirlo, whose creative
influence was massive.
Sevilla have lost key
players, too. And, sure,
they won the Europa
League – but who were
they playing in that?
“Manchester City have
underperformed in
Europe – it’s bizarre how
such an experienced
group of players can look
so naive. However, I think
there were signs last year
– Sergio Aguero’s
hat-trick against Bayern
Munich, the 2-0
win against Roma
– that they are
improving.
There’s also a
new desire
about
them.
They
look very
strong.”
It’s a group of fever
BT Sport presenter James Richardson says…
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Group E
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BATE Borisov suffered
7-0, 6-0 and 5-0 defeats
in last year’s group stage.
So fans of heavy beatings
should tune into their two
games with defending
champions Barcelona,
who romped their way
to a treble under Luis
Enrique last season, with a
forward line of Luis Suarez,
Neymar and Lionel Messi.
Barca should win the
group comfortably, but
might have issues if
injuries bite thanks to the
transfer embargo, which
means new signings Aleix
Vidal (from Sevilla) and
Arda Turan (below, from
Atletico Madrid) won’t join
the fun until January.
An ancient Francesco
Totti leads Roma into the
group stages, where they
will be without Ashley
Cole – the 34-year-old,
part of the side that lost
7-1 at home to Bayern
Munich in the group stage
last season, has been left
out of the Italian side’s
European squad.
Bayer Leverkusen
round out the group. They
will attempt to make it to
the knockout stages for a
third consecutive time –
a hard task without striker
Son Heung-Min, who has
joined Tottenham.
Group F
Sights on successPep Guardiola must be twitching in his lederhosen – this
three-year Champions League drought is the longest he’s
endured in his managerial career. Going into his third season
with Bayern Munich, it’s surely top of the agenda. Particularly
bearing in mind the manner of Bayern’s exits in the past two
seasons. Those heavy aggregate defeats to Real Madrid (5-0)
and Barcelona (5-3) have inspired Guardiola to add to his squad,
with Douglas Costa from Shakhtar Donetsk and Arturo Vidal via
Juventus the star names.
Arsenal would (probably) be happy to merely make it to the
quarter finals – they’ve been knocked out in the round of 16 for
five years in a row, and two of those defeats were at the hands
of Bayern. At least that can’t happen this time. And, despite
being the only team in Europe not to sign any outfield players
over the summer, the Gunners’ settled squad is packed with
Champions League experience: Aaron Ramsey and Alex Oxlade-
Chamberlain, to name but two, have played in the competition
every season in their Emirates careers. They do, however, face a
tough away tie against Olympiacos, who have won the Greek
league five times on the trot, and have signed West Brom flop
Brown Ideye. Dinamo Zagreb should be an easier proposition;
they’ve never made it out of the group stage, but Chilean striker
Angelo Henriquez, once of Manchester United, will pose a threat.
Bayern MunicharSenaL OLyMpiacOSDinaMO ZagreB
10 Champions League 11
“Arsenal have had
trouble in Greece in the
past: they’ve lost all three
of their away games
against Olympiacos. But
Olympiacos are in a mess
and Arsenal are too good
for Dinamo Zagreb.
“Bayern look strong,
though. I thought they
were possibly an ageing
side, that Franck Ribery
[below] is someone you
can no longer rely on.
But Arturo Vidal and
especially Douglas Costa
have looked fantastic.
“Even qualifying in
second, Arsenal can have
an impact. I don’t think
many people will look at
them as Champions
League winners, but they
are a side that can come
alive in games. So they’re
dangerous in knockout
football. Some of the
sides that have made it to
the final – Juve last year,
for example – are proof
that, in cup football,
anything can happen. But
Juve could defend.
I have concerns
about Arsenal’s
defence if
injuries
start to
mount
up.”
Arsenal can come alive in games
BT Sport presenter James Richardson says…
Key fixture
Arsenal v Bayern MunichOctober 20, 7.45pm
Given their away record against Olympiacos
(played three, lost three), a result here
could prove crucial if Arsenal are to avoid
an embarrassing group-stage exit.
12 Champions League 13
Don’t write Jose off
BT Sport presenter James Richardson says…
Key fixture
Porto v ChelseaSeptember 29, 7.45pm
Jose Mourinho has achieved a lot since
2004. But his failure to win the Champions
League with Chelsea still hurts as he returns
to the club where he made his name.
“Chelsea started
pre-season late and that
has had an impact on
these early games, where
it’s looked like they’ve all
aged five years over the
summer. But the arrival
of Pedro has lit a fire up
everyone’s backside.
He’s an injection of pace,
directness and goal-
scoring ability.
“There are clearly
issues at the back, but I
think it’s been a bit of a
false impression we’ve
had so far of Chelsea.
Jose Mourinho always
seems able to invent new
enemies for himself –
that’s the petrol that his
engine runs on. At the
moment, he shows no
signs of slowing down.
“Maccabi Tel Aviv
really impressed me in
their playoff win over
Basel. The Israeli
champions have Jordi
Cruyff as their sporting
director – which is just
bizarre – and the old
Watford boss Slavisa
Jokanovic [pictured]
is their manager.
So that will be
fun. But overall,
Chelsea have
got to be
pretty happy
with the
group they’ve
landed in.”
12 Champions League 13
Group H
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There’s an absence of
superclubs and British
interest, but we’re calling
it right now: Group H is
the one that will grip the
football hipsters, taking it
all in via thick-framed
glasses, sat in their
vintage Gent shirts.
Last season’s surprise
Belgian champions and
Champions League
newcomers might be
bottom seeds, but this is
a supremely even-looking
group. Zenit Saint
Petersburg are nominal
favourites, but despite
heavy investment and
Hulk tearing it up in
Russia, the side currently
managed by Andre
Villas-Boas have yet to
really make their mark in
the Champions League.
The same cannot be
said of Valencia, twice
Champions League
finalists, who have former
Manchester City striker
Alvaro Negredo to thank
for the goal that got them
into the group stage. The
loss of Nicolas Otamendi
to the Citizens, however,
could have a serious
impact on Valencia’s
defence.
An up-and-coming
Lyon side boasts a striker
who can terrorise almost
any defence: Alexandre
Lacazette (pictured), who
scored 31 goals in 40
games last
season. The
24-year-old
looks to be
the danger
marksman
in this
intriguing
group.
Return of the JoseReturning hero Jose Mourinho generally gets a terrific
reception in Porto, the place where he first won the Champions
League in 2004. The club’s new star goalkeeper is, however,
unlikely to extend that warm welcome. Mourinho and Iker
Casillas might not meet on the pitch (unless things gets really,
really desperate in Chelsea’s defensive selection), but the
pre-match media attention will be on the manager who
allegedly had an extremely frosty relationship with the Real
Madrid legend when they shared a dressing room in Spain.
Away from personal feuds, Porto versus the team currently
impersonating Chelsea is Group G’s most enticing clash. The
Portuguese powerhouse had a summer spending spree, with
£14m French midfielder Giannelli Imbula (imagine a cut-price
Paul Pogba) a highlight. They have, however, lost top scorer
Jackson Martinez to Atletico Madrid, so might not be best
placed to exploit any uncertainty in the Chelsea backline.
Ukrainian champions Dynamo Kiev have kept hold of their
own key attacker in Andriy Yarmolenko, despite a summer
of transfer speculation around the 25-year-old. But this is not
a Kiev side to compare with the Andriy Shevchenko/Serhiy
Rebrov team of the late 1990s. If Chelsea do struggle in a group
that also contains Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv (keep an eye out for
captain and star player Eran Zahavi), it may say more about their
own flaws than the strength of their opposition.
CHELSEAPorto
DynAmo KiEvmACCAbi tEL Aviv
Group G
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The BT Sport pundit
scored an angled
volley to put Real
Madrid 2-0 up on
Valencia in the 2000
Champions League final, which they
would go on to win 3-0. Real won
again in 2002, thanks to Zinedine
Zidane’s volleyed winner, with
McManaman a playing substitute.
“Roberto Carlos had a big throw-in;
somebody tried to head it clear.
It was in the air a long time, but I
managed to get in front of my
marker and placed the shot to the
side of Fernando Morientes and one
of their defenders. I was always very
comfortable hitting volleys – and
hitting volleys jumping in the air.
I was quite a technical player, so I
was able to control shots like that.
“I’m certainly not irked by
Zidane’s volley eclipsing mine [two
years later] because it means we
won the game. The one from Zizou
was equally important – it was like
the weight of the world lifted off his
shoulders when he scored. He told
me so himself, because he had had
such a hard first season.
“Scoring a goal in the Champions
League final will always stay with
you. Certainly the people in Madrid
remember it, because when I see
them they talk about it all the time.”
“I was always very comfortable hitting volleys jumping in the air”
Steve McManaman’s Champions League
final memories