All the English clubs got off to a flying start in the Champions League with victories over their opponents in the first matchweek apart from Liverpool who drew 2-2 with Sevilla. Both Manchester clubs got off to a great start as they registered victories by good margins. Manchester United won 3-0 against Basel while Manchester City registered a 4-0 victory over Feyenoord. Chelsea pulverized FC Qarabag 6-0 in their contest at the Stamford Bridge while Tottenham Hotspur managed a controversial 3-1 win over Borussia Dortmund. Below are the five things we learned about the Premier League clubs:
Premier League clubs have come to the main-stage again:
All Premier League clubs except Liverpool have hit the ground running. Manchester City, Manchester United and Chelsea all steam-rolled their opponents while Tottenham too showed that they will have to be taken seriously with a 3-1 victory against Borussia Dortmund. The fashion in which the Premier League clubs have dominated show signs of their rejuvenation of competing and dominating the Champions League and not just taking part for the sake of it.
Liverpool far from solving their defensive woes:
After a 5-0 loss at the Etihad during the weekend, Liverpool were held to a 2-2 draw by Sevilla at the Anfield. Recent performances have shown that despite having the offensive firepower to bring any good team to its knees, they are yet to solve their defensive woes. It seems quite clear that Liverpool find it really difficult to deal with decent attacking units, let alone world class ones. It is quite evident that they will have to invest in January and spend money towards improving the defence.
Both Manchester clubs showing their class:
Both Manchester clubs occupy the first and second position in the Premier League and they have again brought themselves to the fore with heavy victories over their opponents in the Champions League. Manchester United and Manchester City both strolled to 3-0 and 4-0 wins over FC Basel and Feyenoord respectively. The Manchester clubs have been playing some breathtaking football in the recent weeks and are likely to give other big clubs a run for their money in the Champions League.
Chelsea’s back up players good enough for Conte to rotate:
Michy Batshuayi, David Zappacosta and Tiemoue Bakayoko all got on the scoresheet for Chelsea in addition to playing some excellent football. Their performances would certainly have a calming effect on Conte who would now know that he has the luxury to rotate his first team players and their backup players are more than capable of doing the duty themselves. In the way Chelsea pulverized the opposition without playing all of the first team players would give Conte a lot of confidence ahead in the Premier league.
Tottenham successfully avenge Dortmund and lay to rest the Wembley hoodoo:
Tottenham withstood massive offensive pressure from Dortmund to win the game 3-1 at the Wembley and exorcise the hoodoo attached to it. The victory had numerous implications other than three points for Tottenham who not only laid to rest the ‘Wembley curse’ but also gained a lot of confidence beating the German giants. The victory will surely change their mentality playing against other teams at the Wembley.
