With European football in turmoil and leading clubs out of sorts, the knockout stages offer some welcome unpredictabilityWhen the draw for the last 16 of the Champions League is made before Christmas, the warning always comes: wait till February. What can look a straightforward tie as the group stage ends may appear very different a couple of months down the line as form fluctuates and injuries, managerial changes and January signings take effect.Recently that has tended to mean the superclubs asserting themselves, financial muscle powering through whatever blips may have occurred in the autumn. But as the Champions League knockout stage begins on Tuesday, very little has settled down and the competition looks more open than it has done for...
Champions League win in Marseille raises questions about Spurs’ style – but there is a chance to build somethingNever really in doubt was it? Except, of course, for all those moments in the opening 45 minutes when it looked wholly and entirely in doubt, as Tottenham produced a mind‑numbingly cautious first half in Marseille but still had enough drive to secure what felt by the end like a pointlessly painful victory.Three points put them top of Group D, in the hat for whatever might happen in that strange, distant place known as the second half of the season. And whatever the manner of victory, this is a significant moment. Continue reading...
In obsessing over the minutiae of refereeing, the game has sacrificed its spontaneity, narrative coherence and sense of funConfusion reigned on Wednesday night. In the white-hot heat of the moment, players, pundits and fans at Tottenham filming reaction videos on phones failed to grasp the intricacies of the offside law. Even the person helming the Guardian’s Champions League clockwatch – me – was very far from sure.Could Harry Kane be adjudged offside if Emerson Royal nodded Ivan Perisic’s excellent deep cross backwards? Could Kane be offside if the ball flicked off a Sporting defender before being tucked into the net, seemingly earning Tottenham a stirring comeback victory and a place in the last 16? Continue reading...
Jürgen Klopp’s team shook off recent troubles to cruise to a 7-1 victory that should boost their confidenceJürgen Klopp had never experienced Ibrox before but thought it best, having watched enough Old Firm games down the years, to remind his players that Rangers would be a different proposition with a ferocious support at their backs to the team that walked meekly to defeat at Anfield. And so it proved, at least for 45 minutes, until a reminder of the brilliance of Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino ensured the only sound heard from those home fans left inside the stadium at the final whistle were boos.The pair led a rout that was condensed into 32 second-half minutes – the time it...
The wing-back produced an excellent all-round performance and scored with a typically emphatic finishSomething sweet happened at the end of this light, fun, convincing 3-0 Chelsea victory against a blunt Milan. As the players hugged at the final whistle, speaking to each other behind their hands like underworld informers, the referee Danny Makkelie of the Netherlands declined Reece James’s offer of a handshake and instead went right in for a full embrace, clasping Chelsea’s right‑back to his bosom in the post-match lineup.In the moment it just seemed entirely appropriate. Mainly because James was magnificent here, delivering a performance of stately, unruffled incision and total assurance in defence. Continue reading...