The new Champions League format is well underway and some teams are having a much better times than others. This league phase as given some teams an easier path than others but its much more forgiving than past years. Halfway through the league phase lets talk who’s up and who’s down at this point.
Contenders
Barcelona – The most prolific attack and the high defensive line have Hansi Flick’s men absolutely rolling this year. Despite falling 2-1 to Monaco early on, they have responded with 3 straight wins and an aggregate score of 14-3. Raphina and Robert Lewandowski are both sat on 5 goals each so far and they show no signs of slowing down.
Liverpool – Their 4-0 victory over Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen reestablished their dominance. Despite a perfect 4 wins from 4, they have no quite been the dominant side of past years. It has been the rock solid back line keeping them in games but they made a big statement going top of the table and looked the Liverpool of prior years. With their current form, they are the team to beat.
Competitors
Inter Milan – The runner up of 2023, is yet to concede so far in the league phase. They would be a contender but they’ve been lack the attacking prowess we come to know from the Italian side. After not finding the back of the net on match-day 1, needing a late winner against Young Boys on match-day 3, and narrowly finding 3 points against Arsenal through a penalty I feel they need to show more going forward against teams of all levels to move up into the contenders.
Sporting CP – The Portuguese side has been a force to be reckoned with all season long. Lead by Viktor Gyökeres at striker he cannot be stopped at the minute. However, with the departure of Ruben Amorim looming over, their unbeaten streak may be difficult to uphold. Their powerful attacking form will assuredly continue but the overall structure and discipline may fall the wayside without their strategist at the helm.
Monaco – The only team to have taken down Barcelona so far, it is not crazy to think they can beat anyone on their schedule but the hardest is yet to come. They have meetings with Benfica, Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Inter coming up. Big performances in each game are needed to maintain their position and avoid the round-of-16 playoff.
Dortmund – A team that started so well has come upon more difficult times after the injury to Karim Adeyemi. The dynamic winger provided variance to the attack that has been lacking creating a more one dimensional attack. Since the first half against Real Madrid, they have not been able to get much going in the attacking third. They narrowly beat out Sturm Graz after a very late goal. In order to continue gaining points, they will need to break down teams while maintaining a solid defense.
Aston Villa – After a brilliant start to their first campaign back in the Champions League, they feel off slightly against Club Brugge this week. This drop form comes as no surprise given their recent Premier League performances. The increased quantity of games appears to be creating some struggle for Unai Emery’s men. The January transfer window will be pivotal to their success in order to improve squad depth and continue fighting for a guaranteed place in the Round of 16.
AC Milan – Having played the more difficult half of their schedule and still managing 6 points, I can see them climbing the table to a guaranteed spot in the Round of 16. They put on a statement performance in Spain’s capital to take down the champions Real Madrid 3-1. Despite a rather disappointing start overall this season, AC Milan seem to be finding great form and Christian Pulisic is at the heart of it all.
Lille – The giant slayers so far beating both Real and Atletico Madrid manage to only sit midtable at this point. Their performance have been impressive but lack dominance. They have proven they can go head-to-head with anyone else in the competition but as a whole lack the consistency to climb much higher in the table. They may play spoiler to some and go on a bit of a run but I don’t think they can go on a miracle run to win the whole thing.
Atalanta – The Italian side has been a brick wall at the back having not conceded a goal yet. However, they find themselves 2-0-2 as they’ve struggle to finish. Still having to face the Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona, they may only gain 6 more points and be fighting for a spot in the next round.
Never Out
Bayern München – Despite an impressive 9-2 victory over Dinamo Zagreb on match-day 1 they are now beneath them in the table. They lost back-to-back matches against Aston Villa and Barcelona followed by an unconvincing win over Benfica. Their form has been superb in the German top flight but more is needed in the Champions League to get out of playoff territory.
Man City – Pep Guardiola’s side have been titans in recent years but through injury struggles have fallen out of form. They manage to sit 10th overall but faced a devastating loss to Sporting CP. The English champions can surely bounce back in the coming weeks but it is yet to be seen.
Real Madrid – The current champions of the Champions League are up and down this season. In the beginning of their campaign it seemed scoring goals was a challenge despite their firepower in attack. However, as of late they also appear to be vulnerable in defense. With a goal difference of only +2 and just 6 points, it seems the acquisition of Kylian Mbappé has not quite given them the advantage they desired.
Needs Improvement
Juventus – The strong Italian side has shown some promise but overall has not given enough to show they can win the whole thing. They like many others have their hardest matches in front of them and securing the backline should be of the utmost importance going forward. It has been seen they score but keeping the ball out of their own net has proven a challenge.
Arsenal – Similar to Juventus, Arsenal have had good results but as of late they seem flat and struggle to attack. They have managed 7 points but only scored 3 goals in 4 matches. They lack creativity going forward and without a star striker need to add variety in the attack to better breakdown the high quality defense faced in the Champions League.
PSG – The French Champions currently sit near the bottom and facing elimination. With just 4 points from 4 games they struggled to find results as they have for many years. Dates with Bayern München and Man City on the horizon, it seems unlikely that they will earn more than 7 points from their remaining fixtures which may not be enough to get them into a playoff position.
