The Champions League is well into full swing after matchday five saw several records broken by prestigious clubs, some for all the wrong reasons they would not want their names attached to.
Matchday five of this year’s Champions League saw a record goalscoring haul from the 36 clubs involved across 18 fixtures. Half of those games saw five goals, with four featuring six, while Atalanta’s clash with bottom-placed BSC Young Boys was the only fixture that saw seven.
Arsenal’s defensive talismans, Gabriel and William Saliba, made a statement by keeping one of Europe’s most in-form players quiet as the Brazilian scored in Arsenal’s 5-1 victory over Viktor Gyokeres’ and his Sporting teammates.
While Mikel Arteta and his Gunners got revenge for their 2022/23 Europa League exit to the Portuguese side, some of their English compatriots did not enjoy the same night as they did, with Manchester City, Liverpool and Aston Villa also in action.
Champions League sees Manchester City’s problems deepened.
Manchester City finally achieved their crowing European glory in 2022/23 when Ballon d’Or winner Rodri fired them to a 1-0 win over Italian outfit Inter Milan. That was the side’s second European final, having lost out to Chelsea previously through a Kai Havertz goal.
Since then, they have become a powerhouse in the Champions League, earlier this year breaking the record for undefeated games (26). Their unbeaten run is heavily argued due to their exit last year to Real Madrid, but the accolade does not take that into account, as it was on penalties.
However, their form has worsened all competitions, on a run of five games without a win, seeing their unbeaten run ended by Sporting in Ruben Amorim’s final game in charge before he switched to rivals Manchester United.
While many may think Liverpool’s 2005 comeback against AC Milan in Istanbul is historic, it arguably remains so since it came in the final. However, City broke an unwanted record this matchweek as they threw a 3-0 lead away at home to Dutch side Feyenoord. With the Eredivisie side’s comeback, Guardiola’s side became the first team in Champions League history to be ahead by three goals in the 75th minute and not go on to win.
Liverpool spoil Carlo Ancelotti’s Champions League party.
One man who has become synonymous with the Champions League is Real Madrid’s Carlo Ancelotti, who has a glittering record in the prestigious competition. The Italian is the only manager to have won the trophy five times, adding to the two he won as a player, and also the only manager to have competed in six finals.
This year, they have struggled for consistency in their performances, with the signing of Kylian Mbappe not proving to be the success they had hoped. Their visit to Anfield saw Ancelotti overtake Manchester United legend Sir Alex Ferguson for games in charge in the competition (215), but things did not go according to the script, with the French superstar missing a penalty for the side.
They broke two records as Liverpool saw off the champions 2-0, holding them to 37% of the ball, the lowest that the Spanish giants have seen in a Champions League group-stage game. That loss became their third in Europe this year, making them the first champions to lose three games at this stage when defending the crown.
However, like the goalscoring record, it is easier to break that record now than in the past. Three losses in the group stage before this year’s instalment of the tournament would have most likely seen you eliminated, given it is half your fixtures. With more teams now entering, each side plays two more games than before, meaning they still could qualify with the new format.
Madrid now sees themselves in danger of exiting the competition with games against Atalanta and Brest, who have both been surprise packages this season; they have a tough run of fixtures, with Red Bull Salzburg their final remaining game. Manchester City could also share the same fate but sit higher in the table in 17th, while Real Madrid are 24th, two points ahead in that final playoff spot. The English side faces a harder run, with Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus among their final three opponents with Club Brugge, but it would still require more of a drop-off than the Spanish side due to their position.
This new format has been debated due to the increase in fixtures. Situations like this show why it is exciting when some of Europe’s elite clash earlier and have to work harder to qualify from the tournament’s earlier stages.