Five Champions League takeaways: Liverpool spiral, awesome Arsenal, Estevao arrives | OneFootball

Five talking points from this week’s UEFA Champions League action as Liverpool lose again, Arsenal slay the demon, Estevao Willian announces himself, and more. 

It might be over for Arne Slot

When it rains, it pours, and Liverpool are currently being overwhelmed by a torrential downpour of biblical proportions.

There was no relief for the Reds on Wednesday as PSV Eindhoven inflicted a humbling 4-1 defeat on the Premier League champions at Anfield.

This means they have now lost nine out of their last 12 games, something they haven’t done since 1954. They have conceded three or more goals in three consecutive games for the first time in over 33 years. Most damning of all, they have the worst losing record of all clubs in Europe’s top five leagues in all competitions.

What we are seeing at Liverpool right now is an unprecedentedly bad run for the club. It’s gone beyond bad tactics or poor form of key players.

Mental malfunctions are creeping into every facet of their game. Virgil van Dijk gave away one of the stupidest penalties you will ever see, raising his hand in the air to stop the ball at a corner. The captain has conceded three penalties in all competitions this season, more than any other Premier League player.

His partner in the centre of defence continues to be a liability. Ibrahima Konate seemingly forgot how to defend for PSV’s third. His form last year attracted the attention of Real Madrid; it’s hard to imagine they would have any interest in signing him next summer, even on a free transfer.

As much as the players have to shoulder the blame for these inexplicable performances, it will be Arne Slot facing the music. Is there any way he can turn this around? Things only seem to be getting worse and at some point the club need to make a decision.

Liverpool sacking a manager so soon after winning the league title would have seemed unimaginable, but right now it feels inevitable. Sunday’s trip to West Ham has the feeling of a make or break tie for Slot.

Arsenal are the best team in Europe

Wednesday night was a real litmus test for Arsenal. Bayern Munich had not been beaten in any competition all season, have been sitting atop our Power Rankings for two whole months, and have caused the Gunners untold mental damage over the past decade.

Did any of that matter? Not one bit.

Bayern did find a way past Arsenal’s seemingly impregnable defence when they were exposed by one long ball over the top by Joshua Kimmich. Serge Gnabry played Lennart Karl in for a close range finish to cancel out Jurrien Timber’s opener.

That was their best chance of the night and the only time they really hurt the north London outfit at the Emirates Stadium.

The hosts really turned up the heat after the break, creating six big chances in the second half alone. Noni Madueke got his first goal since joining the club before Gabriel Martinelli fired one in from range.

It was a masterful performance and a huge result that sees them go top of the Champions League table. They are the gold standard right now.

Read – Arsenal vs Bayern Munich combined XI

Estevao is the next big thing

Lamine Yamal has rightly been lauded as the best emerging talent the game over the past two seasons, but he was outshone by another young starlet on the rise at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday.

Estevao Willian was sensational against Barcelona, proving to everyone that he possesses the ability and potential to become a world-class footballer. In the second half he held off two defenders with his nimble footwork before blasting the ball into the roof of the net from a tight angle. Absolute magic.

Yamal didn’t even have a bad game (he completed more dribbles and won more duels than anyone else on the pitch), but this was the Brazilian’s night to savour. We won’t repeat the chant verbatim, but the Chelsea fans let him know he’s merely the poor’s man version of Estevao.

Who needs Cole Palmer when you’ve got Estevao?

Read – Chelsea teen Estevao can be the next ‘Messi or Ronaldo’

Guardiola gamble fails to pay off

It’s been a bad week for Manchester City. After enjoying a strong run that saw them lose just once in 14 games in all competitions, they have now lost back-to-back matches to reset expectations for the season.

Defeat to Newcastle United at the weekend has, if we’re being realistic, effectively killed their hopes of winning the Premier League title. Tuesday’s loss to Bayer Leverkusen is by no means a disaster, but it did see them drop out of the top eight in the table.

Pep Guardiola took a chance by making ten changes to his starting lineup and it didn’t come off. Alejandro Grimaldo and Patrick Schick made City pay with a goal in each half.

It’s hard to blame Guardiola for his decision; he needs to rest his best players at some point, especially ahead of a congested fixture schedule which includes a trip to Real Madrid. This was perhaps the one game where they could afford to drop points, but it leaves them in a fight for direct qualification to the round of 16.

Given what happened to them in last year’s Champions League, they will be desperate to avoid the playoffs again. Real will be a huge challenge, and then they face a trip to Bodo/Glimt before hosting Galatasaray on the final matchday. They should have enough to win those last two games, but they will be tricky ties. And as this week proved, you can’t take anything for granted.

Read – Guardiola takes blame for City changes after Leverkusen loss

Spurs find the scoring touch

It’s been a rough couple of months for Tottenham Hotspur. Defeat to PSG on Wednesday means they have won just two of their last 11 games in all competitions.

There was solace to be taken from yet another disappointment, however, as Spurs managed to score three goals against one of Europe’s strongest teams. Richarlison found the net again, while Randal Kolo Muani finally got off the mark with a brace against his former club.

That is no small thing for Thomas Frank’s side, who created practically nothing in recent defeats to Chelsea and Arsenal. This time they went more direct, booting the ball forward and pressing the opposition into making mistakes. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a damn sight better than their attempts to possess the ball when they don’t have a midfield capable of doing so.

This needs to be a launch pad for Spurs to improve both performances and results heading into the busy festive period.

Read – Chelsea told to ‘start believing the hype’ with Estevao

See Also – Five classic games between Chelsea and Barcelona

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