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| Barcelona Players dissapointed after their 2-0 loss to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday night(FCBacelonawebsite). |
Arguably the most followed tournament in the World after the
World Cup is now on its latter stages after an intensifying showdown in the
quarterfinals that saw big names exit the competition. All the way from 32
teams, the race is now narrowed down to four teams. Real Madrid and Atletico
Madrid lead the line from Spain accompanied by Bayern Munich from Germany and
Manchester City, the only English club surviving in the tournament.
Many things were evident in the return leg matches played on
Tuesday and Wednesday, however, the most shocking headline was the elimination
of World and European giants Barcelona by their Spanish rivals Atletico Madrid leaving
the World’s deadliest trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar in total
despair and badly wounded. Another surprising result saw PSG axed by City while
Real survived a narrow escape past Wolfsburg, thanks to a spirited show by
Cristiano Ronaldo. Bayern on the other hand had to struggle to move past
Benfica.
Well, how sweet is football with these surprises and
setbacks? Here are some key points to note about the midweek matches.
The curse of retaining Champions league still
stands
Many teams have tried to achieve this fete but none has come
to break the deadlock, maybe its meant to stay like this for long with the latest
casualty being Barcelona. From the start of the season and all the way to the
last 16, there was no doubt that this Barcelona team led by their triumvirate of
Messi, Suarez and Neymar were on the road to break this spell.
However, the tables started turning around for the Catalans
after their El Classico loss to Real Madrid. Although they pulled a 2-1 win
over Atletico in 1st leg at Camp Nou, the Vicente Calderon battle
was far from their reach. A well planted defensive unit anchored by a dangerous
counter attacking force was enough to send Luis Enrique’s men out the
competition, loosing out 2-0 and 3-2 in aggregate. This just proves how hard it is to repeat this success and not
even the World’s best player Messi could save the champions. This is
undoubtedly deemed to last for as long as we live and maybe forever.
Bayern looking below par
Hailed as one of the
tournament favorites, Bayern Munich is yet to play to its expected standard having
displayed a dismal performance over Benfica. The two teams drew 2-2 in Portugal but the German giants sailed through thanks to a 1-0 home win in the first leg. Similar to the Catalans, Bayern
are poor defensively something that can be exploited by an opponent like
Atletico.
Without Jerome Boateng, Holger Badstuber, Benatia and Javi
Martinez, Pep Guardiola need to worry much about his defensive line as they
enter crucial stages in the competition. However as it stands, the German side
may yet again lose opportunity to claim the title under Guardiola who is on his
way out.
Man City the unlikely survivors
Having registered poor run in the domestic competition, few
would bet for City to go all the way to this stage in the Champions League.
However, football never come without surprises and this season’s slot is
occupied by City.
The Citizens knocked out French giants PSG with a plausible
display in both legs, and now are fired up to even achieve more for their outgoing
manager Manuel Palegrini before Guardiola takes over the helm at the club.
Another key concern is whether this side will replicate Chelsea’s triumph back
in 2012 despite being graded as underdogs.
Real regain power under Zidane
The appointment of Zinedine Zidane as Real Madrid manager to
replace Rafa Benitez received diverse reactions with several football pundits
labeling ‘Zizou’ unfit for the job. Barely four months later the decision to
appoint the Frenchman is now paying. A victory in El Classico, a revived hope in La
Liga title with four points behind leaders Barcelona as well as close to 180
minutes to reaching the finals of Champions league were far from the thoughts
of Madrid fans.
The tables are now turned around, all the smiles are now
shifted to the Madrid capital from Barcelona and a slight slip in the remaining
six matches will prove costly to the Catalans in what looked like a bright season
for them. Lets see if Zidane will lead Real to their 11th Champions
League title this year.
All eyes on Friday’s draw
The draw of the semi-finals of the Champions League is set to
take place on Friday with football World waiting eagerly to see who meets who. There
is no chance of getting a weaker opponent because none of the four is an easy
run. However, none of Real Madrid, City or Bayern would like to face Atletico
in the draw who to me are my favorites after knocking out the fearsome Barca.
My Predictions
Well, my picks would go Real Madrid against Bayern Munich
and Man City with Atletico. I foresee a final of Bayern and Atletico with the
Spanish sides eventually emerging winners for the first time in their history
after coming within few minutes to claiming the glory against Real in 2014.
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