Mauricio Pochettino and Diego Simeone are two very accomplished managers who have made it all the way to the Champions League final in the recent past. But they are both struggling in this year’s competition and suffered more disappointment on Matchday 5.
Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund have suffered a shock elimination from the tournament with one game to spare, while the Real-Inter showdown for Matchday 6 is all set.
Read on below as SBOTOP lists down four of the biggest takeaways from the second batch games from Matchday 5 of the Champions League.
Poch still can’t put pieces together at PSG
Mauricio Pochettino was in Manchester amid rumours linking him with a move to United, but he did not make a particularly good impression as his PSG side lost 2-1 to Manchester City at the Etihad.
The Parisians had taken the lead through Kylian Mbappe, but City came from behind to grab the win which secured top spot in Group A with a game to spare.
Despite taking the lead, it was another less-than-convincing performance from PSG in the Champions League, which is the competition they really care about winning. They also drew with Club Brugge in their opening group game and were made to work hard in both games against struggling RB Leipzig.
Pochettino still has not found a way to get the very best out of the star-studded squad led by the front three of Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappe, and Neymar, which is a big disappointment.
Messi, who only just scored his first goal in Ligue 1, has been a shadow of his magnificent best in his first few months in Paris. Similarly, Neymar has had some of his worst outings since his arrival in France this season.
While the Champions League 2021 odds still have PSG among the favourites to win the competition, Poch’s side is more likely headed toward an early exit in the knockout stage if they do not make marked improvements to their form in Europe.
Atletico Madrid in danger of shock exit
Like fellow La Liga giants Barcelona, Atletico Madrid are in danger of a shock group-stage exit in the Champions League. The reigning Spanish champions lost 1-0 at home to AC Milan thanks to a goal from a former delivery truck driver.
The defeat sees Atleti with just four points from five games, one point behind second-placed Porto in Group B with just one game left.
Even since the latter half of last season, Atleti have looked far from convincing, and things have not improved in this campaign. They have consistently needed late goals to win or draw games, while their once rock-solid defence has been giving away more goals than usual.
Coach Diego Simeone is struggling to find answers to the team’s problems on either end of the pitch, which has to be a concern for Rojiblancos fans.
Atleti now face a must-win situation away at Porto in the last game of the group stage to qualify for the knockout stage. And based on how poorly they have played at times this season, no one should be confident that Atleti can pull off the away win they so desperately need.
Simeone is a club legend and his job should be safe even if Atleti do crash out early. But still, this season is showing clear signs that Simeone needs to make significant improvements to his side moving forward.
Disappointing Dortmund dumped out
While Atleti will be fighting for their Champions League lives on Matchday 6, Borussia Dortmund already know their fate: they are out of the competition after losing to Sporting 3-1 in Portugal.
It was a disastrous defeat for Dortmund, who were already down 2-0 by half-time thanks to a Pote brace. Pedro Porro sealed the win with a third goal on 81 minutes before Donyell Malen scored a very late consolation in stoppage time.
This early Champions League exit is a huge blow for Marco Rose, who is having an underwhelming debut campaign in Dortmund. He still has not found any solution to Dortmund’s major Achilles heel over the last few years, which is their defence.
This glaring weakness has been exposed yet again in Europe, leading to some awful Champions League 2021 results. Prior to their defeat in Portugal, they were humiliated 4-0 by Ajax in Amsterdam and were thumped again 3-1 in the reverse fixture in Dortmund.
Granted, Erling Haaland has missed significant time this season, but the star striker is likely off in the summer anyway, and there are few signs that Rose is capable of leading the BVB to a bright future without him.
Inter set up huge showdown with Real
A number of groups winners have already been decided before the final round of games. Liverpool and Ajax are among a handful of teams that have clinched to spot as they continued their perfect group-stage campaigns with routine wins.
But there’s still all to play for in Group D, with Real Madrid and Inter Milan set for a final showdown at the Santiago Bernabeu for top spot in the group.
Real – who got their revenge on Sheriff – have the edge with a two-point lead over Inter. The Nerazzurri have now won three in a row after they finally beat Shakhtar Donetsk for the first time in four tries thanks to Edin Dzeko’s brace.
However, Real have a tough run-in ahead of that big clash, with league games against Sevilla, Athletic Bilbao, and Real Sociedad coming before and the Madrid derby against Atletico coming after. That could give Inter a bit more hope that they can get the away win they need to snatch top spot from Los Blancos.
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