1. Wenger guilty of hypocrisy not for the first time
Arsene Wenger has seldom been renowned for showing dignity in defeat and his reaction on Tuesday night is unlikely to change that perception.
After Arsenal were comfortably beaten by a far superior Bayern side over two legs, Wenger chose to make Arjen Robben the scapegoat for the loss, just as prominent sections of the English media seemed to more or less solely blame Mesut Ozil for all of the Gunners’ woes.
Both situations were depressing if not surprising examples of thoughtless, reactionary behaviour from people who should know better. In Wenger’s case particularly, his suggestion that Arjen Robben was a “good diver” rang hollow.
Granted, the Dutch international is prone to making something out of nothing when the opportunity to gain an advantage arises, but it’s amusing how the French manager grows a conscience all of a sudden, having turned a blind eye to similarly dishonest behaviour from the likes of Dennis Bergkamp, Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and so many others over the years.
And even aside from that issue, his argument is a flimsy one — it’s gotten to the point where blaming a footballer for diving is akin to complaining that politicians don’t always fulfill their promises.
2. Messi the difference between Barca and Man City
It is often said that the truly great footballers can only be identified on the big occasions that they inherently relish.
Lionel Messi is long past needing to justify his status, alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, as the world’s best player.
Yet last night, he consistently illustrated the type of qualities that distinguish him from a host of extremely talented players currently plying their trade in the game.
Manchester City produced a respectable performance in formidable circumstances — lesser teams would have wilted at the mere thought of playing Barcelona at the Nou Camp with a 2-0 first-leg deficit.
However, though City have a world-class striker in Sergio Aguero and several other top-quality players, like most teams, they lack someone on Messi’s level — a player who can dominate games and constantly influence them with a series of unrelenting, intelligent runs and ingenious passes.
3. Are there fewer top teams than ever?
(Arsenal were well beaten by Bayern on Tuesday night)
Making a wider point based purely on the latest Champions League results can often lead to unreliable conclusions.
One season, English clubs might underperform and suddenly, the Premier League is unconvincingly deemed to be in steep decline, and vice-versa.
Nevertheless, the sheer number of one-sided ties in recent Champions League matches has been eye-opening.
The aggregate scores of the four completed ties so far read as follows: 3-1, 5-1, 4-1, 6-1. Moreover, arguably all these games were all but over after the first leg, with the sides that were home in the second leg having done the hard work in the initial games.
So is this just a temporary aberration or something more significant? Last year was hardly much different – Bayern, for instance, thrashed Barca, with a 7-0 aggregate score in the semis.
Consequently, there is evidence to suggest that the spread of wealth (literally and figuratively) is growing increasingly narrow in the modern game.
4. Much to admire about high-flying Atletico Madrid
If a neutral was looking for a team to support in this year’s Champions League, they could do worse than follow Atletico Madrid.
Despite only possessing a fraction of Barcelona and Real Madrid’s resources, they have admirably kept pace with them.
Moreover, in the Champions League on Tuesday, they toppled another side who have spent considerably more than them in recent times, as they overcame AC Milan 4-1 on the night and 5-1 on aggregate.
Whereas Milan possessed a number of eccentric and unpredictable individuals such as Mario Balotelli and Adel Taarabt, Atletico by contrast produced a commendable team display that was greater than the sum of its many consummate parts.
The success they have enjoyed while spending prudently (by footballing standards) has been remarkable. Liverpool have done something similar in the Premier League this season, but Atletico’s story is an increasingly rare one, which lovers of the game will cherish and derive significant optimism from.
5. Leverkusen were always going to be out of their depth
Anyone who watched Bayer Leverkusen’s 5-0 capitulation at home against the weakest Man United side in years earlier in the competition will be far from surprised at their 6-1 aggregate loss to PSG on Wednesday.
If they couldn’t handle a team of United’s limited ability, surely restricting players of the calibre of Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani was always going to be a near-impossible task by comparison.
The fact that they kept the score down last night was more as a result of the hosts’ complacency rather than their own determination to avoid another embarrassment.
And indeed, the only surprise is that Sami Hyypia’s side have made it this far in the first place, which perhaps can be explained by the considerable weakness of their group that the similarly troubled United also qualified comfortably from.
Even domestically, they are experiencing difficulties of late, having lost five and drawn one of their previous six games in all competitions, meaning doubts over Hyypia’s future are starting to intensify.
