The Champions League has made a thunderous return with a gripping opening round of group matches in the 2020-21 season.
Real Madrid were plunged into further crisis, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had another night to remember at the Parc des Princes and holders Bayern Munich began the defence of their trophy with a commanding victory.
Sportsmail picks out 10 things we learned from the comeback week of European football’s elite club competition.
That is, unless you are a Bayern Munich player. But on the eve of Bayern’s first group match, a devilishly tricky tie against Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid, Flick was pleading for patience with his team of Champions League winners.
‘To reach the optimum level as we did recently will be extremely difficult,’ Flick said – pointing to the departures of Thiago Alcantara, Philippe Coutinho and Ivan Perisic after winning last season’s Champions League.
‘As for now, I am fairly satisfied. We have had only one week of training with everyone together… it is a different team from last season.’
The idea that Bayern may have a few extra gears to click into is an ominous sign for the rest of Europe, as Flick’s men ran out 4-0 winners against Atletico at the Allianz Arena. Kingsley Coman got two, while Leon Goretzka and Corentin Tolisso also scored. What a way to begin the defence of the trophy.
Andrea Pirlo kicked off life as a manager in the Champions League without his talisman Cristiano Ronaldo for the match against Dynamo Kiev as he recovers from Covid-19.
Everyone knows how much Ronaldo loves the Champions League – he and Messi have sent an array of scoring records tumbling in their pursuit of greatness.
But on Tuesday, Pirlo’s Juventus beat Kiev 2-0 without the Portuguese striker. Alvaro Morata filled his place valiantly, netting both goals to hand Pirlo a victory against Kiev manager Mircea Lucescu – the man who handed Pirlo his debut as 16-year-old player at Brescia.
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A 0-0 draw is a reasonable enough start to Chelsea’s Champions League campaign – Sevilla were tricky opponents – but Frank Lampard would have hoped his side’s home advantage could have counted for more.
In his analysis of the match, Michael Owen suggested that Timo Werner needs more passes that accommodate his desire to play on the shoulder of the last defender and run in on goal. Owen’s comments turned the spotlight onto Chelsea’s attacking midfielders who, against Sevilla, were Kai Havertz, Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount, to pick out the No 9.
‘He’s always looking to be on the edge,’ Owen said. ‘If they could just find that through ball, he’ll be in.’
Werner has scored three goals in his first seven Chelsea games – two of those coming in Saturday’s 3-3 draw against Southampton.
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