What we learned from CL Week 4

1. Barca’s depleted defence pays the price

Following their demolition of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City at Camp Nou two weeks ago, Barcelona looked well-placed to inflict a second defeat on their former boss on Tuesday night.

Leo Messi handed them an early lead, and he and Luis Suarez looked to be in a determined mood in the opening stages. However, as City rallied, Barca struggled cope with the pace and movement of the hosts’ attackers, with the absence of Andres Iniesta and Gerard Pique being sorely felt.

Sergi Roberto conceded possession in the build-up to City's opener as he was pressurised into an error, and time and again Barca failed to deal with pace in behind their defence.

Samuel Umtiti was the standout defender for the Catalans, the Frenchman frequently being called into action to quell City's pressure, but without Pique’s presence in the penalty box, Ilkay Gundogan was able to score twice from close range.

Full-back Lucas Digne was out of position for City's third goal, the speed of Jesus Navas catching him out, much as Raheem Sterling had done earlier in the game, which highlighted the absence of Jordi Alba.

2. Griezmann highlights his big-game importance

Antoine Griezmann needs little reason to offer Atletico Madrid fans a reminder of his importance to the club and the Diego Simeone project. Twenty-five goals in his debut season and seven more last term have earmarked the ex-Real Sociedad forward as the key man at the Calderon.

His two-goal performance on Tuesday night against Russian side Rostov continued to emphasise just how vital he is in games in which Atleti find it difficult to break the opposition down.

With winning goals against Deportivo and Valencia already this season, Griezmann’s brilliant opener against the Russians demonstrated his instinctive quality and work-rate.

His winner in injury time, although somewhat opportunistic, again demonstrated his ability to produce a goal out of nothing as well as a refusal to settle for less than perfection, a key aspect of Simeone’s approach.

3. Madrid endure horror show in Poland

Despite bizarrely playing behind closed doors tie against Polish champions Legia Warsaw, Real Madrid started brilliantly on Wednesday night, taking an early two-goal lead via Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema.

However, defensive uncertainty was to cost them all three points as Legia staged an unlikely comeback, eventually drawing 3-3.

The hosts’ opener from Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe was an excellent strike, however no Madrid defender put him under any real pressure or made any genuine attempt to challenge the Belgian before he curled home from distance.

The second Legia goal was defended in a similarly-lacklustre fashion by Madrid, Miroslav Radovic allowed to cut in from the left, with Dani Carvajal and Toni Kroos both slow to react and recover the situation Goalkeeper Keylor Navas was also at fault for allowing Radovic’s speculative effort to creep past him.

Thibault Moulin’s third, another long-range effort, too was very preventable. Madrid waited for an offside flag that never came, Raphael Varane was left exposed, and when the play was switched to Moulin, Nacho Fernandez failed to close him down.

Zinedine Zidane’s side have been in fine form so far this season, making an unbeaten start in all competitions. However, the’ve kept just two clean sheets to date, and without Sergio Ramos in the team, their lack of a defensive leader is seemingly very apparent.

4. Sevilla turn on the style against Dinamo

Last season’s Europa League winners, Sevilla have been in excellent form under new boss Jorge Sampaoli and blew away Dinamo Zagreb to qualify them for the Champions League knockout rounds.

Goals from Luciano Vietto, Sergio Escudero, Steven N’Zonzi and Wissam Ben Yedder earned the unbeaten Andalusians a comfortable victory, and they could’ve scored even more as N’Zonzi and Sergio Escudero particularly orchestrated their play.

Sevila have shown flashes of their capabilities under Sampaoli, however this performance was their most complete, displaying a ruthless and efficient streak that they will need to progress to the next level in Europe.

5. Sevilla could be CL dark horses

Sevilla look set to move away from their dominance of the Europa League and launch an assault on the continent’s elite club tournament after an impressive autumn of results.

Their grip on Europe’s secondary competition is well known, the Andalusians having won five editions in the past 11 seasons, but they have struggled in the Champions League, reaching the knockout rounds just twice in the modern era.

That now looks likely to change, however, as their progress to the last 16 is assured, and they look a different proposition this season, one that can trouble sides across Europe.

They have improved significantly at the back following a shaky start the season, with Gabriel Mercado becoming increasingly important. N’Zonzi, Escudero and Vitolo provide the power and craft from midfield, but most important have been the goals of summer signings Samir Nasri, Ben Yedder and Vietto, all of whom have hit the ground running.

Sevilla will inevitably face tougher tests in the New Year, but they have acquitted themselves well at Juventus already, and if their experiences in the Europa League can be utilised then Los Nervionenses could dish out a shock or two.

La Liga - Club News