Another good night was had in Europe on Tuesday by the majority of the English clubs. Manchester City clawed their way to a 1-0 victory over Feyenoord which confirms their winning of the group, Tottenham continued to display their new found maturity, particularly in European competition, by winning in Dortmund and Liverpool, well, they continue to be just Liverpool!
The plucky little scousers managed to snatch a draw from the jaws of victory having suffered a second-half collapse similar to that of AC Milan in the Ataturk Stadium back in 2005.
So Tottenham have won their group if they can take a point from their final game and Liverpool will guarantee qualification with a point from their final game.
What has turned around English fortunes so dramatically in Europe this season? Even tonight’s games have an air of victory about them before they are even played!
Chelsea should be too good for Qarabag in Azerbaijan and a win will guarantee qualification for Antonio Conte’s boys. On a cautionary note though, Qarabag have taken points off Atlético Madrid both at home and away and will be playing for pride in front of their own fans.
In Switzerland, Manchester United should at least pick up the point they require to guarantee qualification which, coincidentally, will also guarantee that they win the group.
So, assuming that all five of the English clubs qualify for the next round, do any of them have a realistic chance of winning the competition?
The answer has to be an emphatic “YES”!!
The obvious main contenders from these shores are Manchester City and, in fairness, they are playing better than the usual candidates Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Münich. The irony is that City, having topped their group for only the second time ever, (the first with maximum points), could still face the likes of Real Madrid or Bayern who both currently lie second in their groups.
Neither of these teams should cause Pep Guardiola any undue concern at present though and, in any game against them, City would now be favourites.
In fact, we and many others, make City favourites to win the Champion’s League this term.
Tottenham also look pretty good but their bigger test will come in the next round. Yes, they have been very impressive in beating Real Madrid at White Hart Wembley but Madrid would be a different proposition were they to meet in the knockout stages. The same can probably be said about Bayern Münich and Barcelona, neither of whom are setting the world alight at present.
It will be interesting to watch Spurs in the next round when their survival depends on the results of two games, not six.
Manchester United will also think they have a chance of winning the tournament after an impressive campaign through the group stages. They are getting big players back at the right time of the season and also have a manager who knows how to win this competition.
Again, there should be no fearing any of the teams left at this stage but we think they, like Tottenham, will fall a little short this year.
Chelsea are too inconsistent, at present anyway, to have any real chance of winning the trophy this season. Throwing away a winning lead at home to Roma and then getting hammered in Rome by a team which won’t be considered one of the favourites is hardly likely to stand them in good stead when they do meet one of the fancied teams, and they will.
Liverpool just can’t defend and, when that is the problem, the chances of winning a major trophy are reduced to somewhere between zero and minus-one. If a team like Sevilla, who are currently fifth in La Liga, can score three against them in 45 minutes, imagine what City or PSG could do to them in 90!
So barring a miracle turnaround in Liverpool’s defensive capabilities, they won’t be progressing much further in this year’s competition.
The favourites from outside of England have to be PSG at present. They are just blowing teams away with their fast, attacking football and look unstoppable.
So let’s have a final featuring two different teams this time around. Let’s keep them apart until the final and then let’s see who has spent their money the wisest, because they have both spent absolute fortunes in getting to where they are today.
No, not United and City, much as this is the one we crave the most. We are trying to be unbiased and realistic!
Bring on Manchester City versus Paris Saint-Germain at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium in Kiev on the 26th of May, 2018. It should make for quite a final.
WHY SAY ANYTHING? 