The first matchday of the Champions League is finished and the four English sides in the competition experienced mixed results. Champions League favourites Manchester City crashed and burned at home to France’s Lyon, 2-1. Their city rivals Manchester United hammered Young Boys 3-0, showing their penchant to be flat-track bullies once more. Meanwhile, Liverpool played out a thrilling 3-2 win against Paris Saint-Germain. Tottenham’s Champions League match against Inter Milan turned into a nightmare as they gave up a 1-0 lead, and lost 2-1. Punters can bet on all of the Champions League action this season, but they should go to fredpromocode.co.uk first to get the latest promo codes.
There are still five matchdays left in the Champions League group stage. A lot of football is left to be played. A Premier League team hasn’t won the Champions League since 2012 when Chelsea lifted the cup. So, can an English Premier League team win the Champions League this season?
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola’s team was the bookies favourite going into the tournament. Their favourite tag may have surprised football fans as Manchester City added just one player in the offseason to strength the club. That one player was Riyad Mahrez, a winger Manchester City paid £60 million to acquire.
Manchester City’s opening match loss to Lyon once again showed the weaknesses of last season. While the Blues were great going forward, gaps were left in defence and Lyon were able to beat them on the counter. Liverpool’s win over Manchester City in the Champions League quarterfinals last season was a blueprint for other teams to beat the Blues.
Guardiola needs his side to deal with pressing teams more efficiently. In addition, his expensively assembled defence must improve and not get caught on the counter so easily.
Liverpool
Liverpool had the most impressive win of the English sides to claim victory on matchday 1. The Reds also played in the most high-profile match against PSG. The Reds were fantastic and once again showed a side that has been missing under manager Jurgen Klopp until this season. Liverpool now have other ways to beat teams and they are not playing 90 minutes of ‘heavy metal’ football. The team has the ability to take its foot off the accelerator during matches.
Although PSG are expensively assembled and have one of the best forward lines in football, Liverpool limited them and made the Parisians look ordinary. The match may have ended 3-2, but PSG’s goals came from nothing and were completely against the run of play. The scoreline flattered PSG as Liverpool showed just how strong they are this season.
Manchester United
Despite being on the verge of crisis a few weeks ago, Jose Mourinho and Manchester United won their first match in the Champions League against Young Boys. While their 3-0 win was impressive, Manchester United outmatched the Swiss champions and the win should be seen as routine.
There will be far more difficult matches in the tournament for the Red Devils. Juventus and Valencia will be tougher opponents. It is difficult to predict which Manchester United team will take the pitch each week. Will it be one that attacks and goes for goal, or will it be a defensive team that parks the bus?
Tottenham
Tottenham’s decision not to buy one single player in the summer transfer window is now coming back to haunt them. Injuries, fatigue, and match congestion are piling up on manager Mauricio Pochettino. Spurs desperately need goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and midfielder Dele Alli back from injury. Harry Kane is showing signs of fatigue as carrying England through the World Cup has finally caught up with the striker.
Tuesday’s loss to Inter came in the dying minute of the match. Tottenham were tired and Pochettino’s lack of high-quality substitutes cost the team. The bench is thin and a few more injuries could hurt Tottenham dearly.
