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Admitting, and not admitting defeat – Thoughts from two UCL matches

By on November 4, 2014

Jose Mourinho, prior to his Real Madrid side facing Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League today, said that “against the most difficult opponents, I will try to go with my best team”. It was a thinly veiled dig at Liverpool’s starting lineup, but in the end, his statement was basically true. At this moment, there is no team in the world vastly better than Madrid in which, before the match even kicks off, the match is already a all but over just because of the sheer gap in class.

That, however, is not the case for Liverpool, or Anderlecht. Even Liverpool, with their best lineup, were outclassed 3-0 by Madrid the first time they met in Group B. There was no shame then in admitting they were outclassed then. Brendan Rodgers took that into account, and as they travelled to the Bernabeu very well may have thrown away the game with his starting lineup. Rodgers rested Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling, Mario Balotelli, Steven Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho, but it can certainly be excused as they face Chelsea at the weekend. Their progression out of the group stages didn’t rely on the result, and indeed they went on to suffer a 1-0 loss, so long as they beat Ludogorets and Basel and Madrid does as well.

Brendan Rodgers and Anderlecht manager Besnik Hasi had a very similar decision to face. Anderlecht faced Arsenal today, what looked an even further forgone match for Hasi’s side. Certainly, once Alex Oxlande-Chamberlain put Arsenal up 3-0 fifty-eight minutes in, but somehow, Anderlecht came back from the dead to earn a critical 3-3 draw, which kept them in Group D. Anderlecht did need a result from the match, but the general message is clear – they never gave up, and that did them wonders. Liverpool did, even before the match began, and of course, they lost. Now, that isn’t to say that they couldn’t have gotten a point or even three from the match if The Reds had tried to win. But Rodgers should feel safe in his decision to rest key players for the weekend, and actually saw a defensively solid performance from his decision. It did, though, develop completely different matches – my thoughts on them are below.

Cristiano Ronaldo would rule the Premier League
Cristiano might have ended his nineteen match run of scoring on every game he played in, which even covered El Clasico, tonight, but his performance was not below par. Possibly, his finishing was, and Ronaldo did fail to get a touch on one brilliant first half chance coming from a clipped ball over the top by Luka Modric, but of his six shots five went on target. Moreover, not a single one Simon Mignolet managed to catch. All of them were sent at such pace and with such dip that the Belgian goalkeeper either spilled, or purposely punched away, even those right at him.

Simply, Ronaldo is too much to handle. In La Liga he scores more than a goal-a-game, a feat which surely would see whatever side he joined, whether it be Manchester United or Burnley, reach heights they never have before.

Real favorites to become first to retain Champions League title
Not since the European Cup was rebranded as the Champions League in the early nineties has any since every held it for two seasons straight. Madrid’s original Galacticos came awfully close, having won three UCL trophies in five seasons on either side of the century, but this may be their best shot yet. It is important to stress that they have done nothing special yet, and it is just a promising start, but with Ronaldo on scintillating form and Isco finding his tune, Real sit top of La Liga and are early favorites among bookmakers to retain the Champions League title they won last year.


Arsenal pay for lack of defensive depth
Arsene Wenger’s decision to bring on two attacking-minded substitutes late on with the scoreline 3-2 against Anderlecht might have seemed an odd move, however, he didn’t have much more of a choice. Of the back-ups he brought to the match, only the inexperienced, teenage full-back Hector Bellerin operates as defensive outfield player. Thus, Arsenal found it very hard to “park the bus”, eventually leading to Anderlecht’s stoppage time equalizer.

Neither result alters the groups too much
Madrid beating Liverpool was of course suspected, so hardly anything changed in Group B. Liverpool, though, might have to be a bit careful, and currently rely on other results to still get through, granted those are Madrid beating Basel.

For Arsenal it is even less troubling, with Wenger’s side sitting comfortably second in their group – even with a win tonight surpassing Borussia Dortmund at the top of Group D would have taken a miracle. And all in all, their record of a fifteenth straight visit to the Champions League knockout stages is safe.

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.