Champions League: 5 things we learnt from Wednesday’s games

These are five things we learnt from the Champions League on Wednesday, March 7.

The second leg round of 16 fixtures continued on Wednesday, March 7 as Juventus showed Champions League pedigree with a 2-1 away win over Tottenham to progress while Manchester City are still through despite losing to Basel.

These are five things we learnt from these games

1. Massimiliano Allegri shows managerial masterclass

He has not been linked with some of the biggest jobs in European football for nothing. Against Tottenham, Massimiliano Allegri showed managerial masterclass that turned the goal around.

The introduction of Kwadwo Asamoah in place of Blaise Matuidi was very pivotal in their eventual win with Juventus going from a three-man defence set-up to four.

With Alex Sandro pushed forward and Stephan Lichtsteiner also introduced, Juventus had the pace and width to trouble Spurs.

2. Paulo Dybala shows his worth

 

Juventus star showed that he was sorely missed in the first with his fantastic performance against Tottenham on Wednesday night.

Dybala was a nightmare for Juventus with his pace and trickery. He capped his fantastic performance with a goal and also worked hard defensively while Tottenham was looking for an equaliser.

The Argentine is regarded as one of the best under-25 players and at Wembley on Wednesday night, he showed why.

3. Spurs show tactical naivety

 

After an impressive 2-2 in the first leg, this was Tottenham’s night to seal progress to the quarter-final stage. 

But on this big night, they showed tactical naivety and lost 2-1 after going 1-0 up. As usual, they played with energy and pace but their lack of experience was glaring.

1-0 up, Mauricio Pochettino’s men were so open, pouring forward in search of more goals but were punished by a scrappy Juventus who had just three shots on target and scored from two of them.

Seven of the Spurs’ starting XI were aged 25 or under, and none of the outfielders had ever won a knockout Champions league tie before. This inexperience cost them.

Tottenham Vs Manchester City match info

4. Giorgio Chiellini is still elite

 

He might be declining as expected at the age of 33 but Giorgio Chiellini showed on Wednesday that he remains an elite defender.

Chiellini led Juventus defence as they stopped wave after wave of Tottenham attack in search of an equaliser. The highlight of his performance came in the  78 minutes when he dived to block a shot by Harry Kane.

The way Gianluigi Buffon celebrated that block tells you how important that was.

5. Pep Guardiola worried about his fringe players

 

With a 5-1 lead from the first leg, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola made six changes to his side that beat Chelsea in the Premier League on Sunday, March 4.

But his fringe players disappointed him, losing 2-1 to Basel, their first loss at home in 15 months.

With the season coming to an end, Guardiola should be worried about his fringe players who he expects to play a huge part as they look to wrap the Premier League title and keep competing in the Champions League.

posted by Campus94