UWCL talking points: Can anyone stop Barcelona and Lyon?

Matchday 4 of the 2023-24 Women’s Champions League group stage is over and issues are actually beginning to take form.

Real Madrid are out already after choosing up only one level in Group D as they misplaced 1-0 to Paris FC, whereas Swedish shock package deal BK Häcken have been handed their first defeat, 3-1 to Chelsea, and drop into second place behind the WSL champions.

It’s nonetheless anyone’s guess who goes by way of in Group C as Paris Saint-Germain surprised Roma 3-1 and Ajax Amsterdam went high with a high quality 1-0 win over Bayern Munich.

Elsewhere, Barcelona sealed progress from Group A with a 7-0 win over Rosengard, and Benfica drew 1-1 at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Eight-time winners Lyon additionally went by way of in Group B after a 2-2 attract Norway in opposition to SK Brann, whereas Slavia Prague match in opposition to St. Pölten was postponed.

We requested our writers Sophie Lawson, Sam Marsden and Julien Laurens to reply a few of our burning questions.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, extra (U.S.)

1. After dropping their first two video games and profitable the subsequent two, will PSG and Paris FC make it by way of now?

Julien Laurens: I can inform you proper now: each my Paris golf equipment will make it to the knockout part! PSG had a gradual begin to the season and of this European marketing campaign however, as we noticed in Rome on Wednesday, they’re rising in confidence and in stature. To have overwhelmed Roma twice and Paris FC within the league within the final week is absolutely spectacular. You have the targets of Marie-Antoinette Katoto and the tempo of Tabita Chawinga and Sandy Baltimore up entrance. You have the management of Grace Geyoro and the work charge of Jackie Groenen in midfield and defensively issues are getting higher too. You even have choices off the bench in Lieke Martens and Korbin Albert. If they beat Ajax at Parc des Princes on Jan. 24, they’ll have made an enormous step in the direction of qualifying.

For Paris FC, the fairytale continues. After beating European powerhouses Arsenal and Wolfsburg to qualify for the group stage, they’ve now received six factors in opposition to Real Madrid and have given themselves an opportunity to undergo. They play lovely, assured soccer that’s all about gamers’ motion and ball motion. Will or not it’s sufficient? They can positively get one thing away at Häcken in Matchday 5 and then it could all be right down to the final sport in opposition to Chelsea at house, on the Charlety Stadium, in an ideal environment. The gamers, the supervisor Sandrine Soubeyrand, the membership and the followers imagine they’ll do it. They have defied all the percentages up to now so there isn’t a motive to not imagine in them.

Sophie Lawson: While the respective duties for the 2 Paris groups are a bit of completely different, each have been buoyed by their first wins final week and used that confidence of their video games on Wednesday. Group C (which PSG are in) continues to be the chaos group, with everybody nonetheless capable of undergo, so PSG will successfully be taking part in two six-pointers subsequent month in opposition to Ajax and then Bayern Munich. With every sport, PSG’s star striker Katoto will get a bit of nearer to her pre-ACL type and that could be a sizeable enhance. The workforce must also be excessive on confidence after such a dominant efficiency in Rome, however it’s the chaos group for a motive.

Paris FC have a barely completely different proposition in Group D, with nearly every thing driving on their journey to Gothenburg within the first of the 2 video games on the finish of January. Whereas PSG sprung to second of their group with their pair of wins, Paris are third behind Häcken in theirs, and have the robust activity of squaring off in opposition to Chelsea of their final sport. A loss to Häcken would routinely eradicate PFC, heaping extra stress on the Parisians. The first job for Sandrine Soubeyrand’s workforce is taking part in to their strengths: one thing they struggled with initially of the group stage.

Sam Marsden: It’s been fairly the turnaround for the 2 Paris groups, however I believe just one will make it by way of: PSG. They look to be discovering type now. Back-to-back wins over Roma sandwiched an away win at Paris FC within the league, with Katoto scoring in all three video games. It’s no coincidence PSG are enhancing as she reveals indicators of discovering her greatest type after a long-term damage. They can beat Ajax and Bayern of their ultimate two video games.

The activity seems a bit of more durable for Paris FC, who will doubtless have to beat each Häcken and Chelsea to get by way of — except already eradicated Real Madrid give them a hand. A loss at Häcken of their subsequent sport, in reality, coupled with a Chelsea win over Madrid, would see them knocked out. They have proven they’re able to profitable these video games, however profitable them each feels an enormous ask.

2. Can anyone stop Barcelona and Lyon this yr? If so, which workforce may they wish to keep away from within the knockouts?

Marsden: I do not assume anyone can beat Barça over two legs, with the doable exception of Lyon. Maybe groups would have a greater likelihood in a one-off match. They have their damage issues — Mapi León, Irene Paredes, Fridolina Rolfö and Alexia Putellas are amongst their present casualties. Yet nonetheless they swatted apart Rosengard 7-0, wracking up 40 pictures as coach Jonatan Giraldez, who this week introduced he’ll go away when his contract expires subsequent summer time, made it 100 wins from 107 video games as coach.

Lyon confirmed some weaknesses in opposition to Brann and could symbolize a barely simpler draw than Barça at this stage for a aspect like Chelsea, who knocked the French aspect out final season. Elsewhere, Häcken deserve some respect and whoever comes by way of Group C — two from Ajax, PSG and Bayern? — will present stern opposition, however they do not look able to inflicting an upset for the time being.

Laurens: Barcelona and Lyon are the excellent favourites to win the Champions League this season. We knew that initially and it’s much more true proper now. Forget Lyon’s draw at Brann; Lindsay Horan’s purple card modified the dynamic of that sport and the French champions conceded a late equaliser. But they’ve seemed excellent all by way of this primary half of the season, domestically and in Europe. Barcelona have executed the identical, most likely been even higher, truly.

However, you’ll be able to by no means take something with no consideration in soccer. So each OL and Barça are wanting on the opposition. Chelsea? They wouldn’t wish to play them within the quarterfinals due to Sam Kerr, their depth of squad and their expertise too. PSG? Lyon know too effectively that the Parisians might be very aggressive. Ajax? They might be robust to play in opposition to, like Häcken, however not far more than that. So it is actually PSG and Chelsea that I believe each Lyon and Barcelona would wish to keep away from within the knockouts.

Lawson: No one aside from Barcelona has been 100% convincing up to now. Most groups have had their moments in a single or two video games — even Lyon wobbled final evening in opposition to Brann. The jeopardy of a two-legged knockout forces everybody to be at their greatest for 4 halves of soccer, which, given what we have seen up to now this group stage, will not be a simple ask for anyone.

Chelsea did not get off to one of the best begin this season however have the know-how and capability to troubleshoot between video games, so are normally a workforce most will wish to keep away from, whereas the larger stage of the quarters could show to be an excessive amount of for the likes of Benfica or Brann. Otherwise, whoever makes it out of Group C group will most likely really feel fairly invincible and ought to have realized sufficient from the errors they’ve made already this season to place up a extra convincing combat.

3. Real Madrid are out already. What went incorrect there?

Lawson: At this stage final yr, after their loss to Chelsea in London, Madrid boss Alberto Toril spoke of being proud of how his workforce performed although they supplied up little or no. He highlighted how younger the workforce is, having solely been round as “Real Madrid” for 2 years at that time. Now the workforce is one other yr older, and has had one other two switch home windows to strengthen, but they do not look to be progressing underneath the coach anymore, having had a direct bounce when Toril took over from David Aznar in 2021.

The lack of Caroline Weir to an ACL damage earlier within the season has actually uncovered how a lot work the Scotland midfielder was doing and, although her teammates try to select up the slack, it is merely not coming collectively. Having been given a sizeable slice of luck in opposition to Chelsea of their first sport, there was no urgency to seek out one other gear of their subsequent matches and Madrid have been usually flat and quick on concepts in opposition to each Häcken and Paris FC. On paper, Las Blancas have a greater, deeper squad that each of these groups, however the soccer persistently disappoints and there’s a justifiable sense of humiliation as the primary workforce eradicated this season given their stature in European competitors on the boys’s aspect.

The Liga F title is all however already gone with Real Madrid 9 factors adrift after 12 video games — and leaders Barcelona, unlikely to squander many factors over the course of the season — however Las Blancas are tied for factors with each Levante and Madrid CFF and may but slide out of a qualification berth come the top of the season. Whilst Real Madrid have been anticipated to progress from this group stage, there have been loads of warning indicators alongside the best way: this is not a workforce that is been unfortunate, it is a workforce that hasn’t performed effectively.

Marsden: A mix of things. Madrid will lament a tough group and the lack of star participant Weir to damage, however the fact is that they have hit a little bit of a wall in current months. After making enormous strides ahead underneath coach Toril upon his appointment in 2021, issues have stagnated. Poor leads to Europe have been coupled with defeats domestically to Barça, Levante and Sevilla. They have the squad to do a lot better. It could also be time for a change.

Laurens: I will not lie, I did not see this one coming. This Real Madrid is inexperienced, for certain, however to already be out, after simply 4 matches, is unhealthy. Really unhealthy. Especially in a bunch with Paris FC, Chelsea and Häcken. Toril needs to be underneath stress now. This workforce has expertise, perhaps even one of the best younger expertise on the earth proper now in Linda Caicedo. It has World Cup winners with Spain, plus semifinalists and quarterfinalists from Australia and France, so it’s not acceptable to have been so unhealthy on this group stage.

They have been unfortunate at occasions, in fact, just like the penalty missed by Olga Carmona in opposition to Paris FC on Wednesday. But in addition they rode their luck, like in opposition to Chelsea the place they need to not have gotten a degree. But collectively it has not been adequate. There will not be sufficient progress from this workforce. The massive stars, like Olga, Caicedo or Signe Bruun haven’t executed sufficient to hold this workforce in Europe like they need to have executed. They had a squad to undergo however as a substitute they’ll watch the remainder of the competitors on tv as a result of there have been lower than the duty.