Champions League Sods Week 1
Arsenal 3 - Sevilla 0
The Gunners looked both poised and confident, delivering perhaps their best performance of the season. Cesc opened the scoring with a “Lampard” in the 28th minute. Van Persie put through another on 59, and Eduardo put the cherry on top in injury time. They still looked a bit weak at the back, but played a dominant match from start to finish. The New Arsenal has finally begun to resemble the old.
Sporting Lisbon 0 - Manchester United 1
It was another consistent performance from the Red Devils, consistent in the sense that they looked impotent up front and sneaked a result on a late header. The tough away win will do a lot toward qualifying out of the group, but this looks like a shell of the team that decisively won the Premier League last season.
Porto 1 - Liverpool 1
Pundits expected Liverpool to play a boring and negative draw away from Anfield. They obliged. This was one of the more dismal performances that Liverpool have had in Europe in a while, though they got the result and that is all that Rafa the Gaffer will care about, paying supporters be damned. Peter Crouch was notably absent from the squad, even as a substitute to try to steal a late goal. Does Jermaine Pennant do anything besides antagonize people and pick up unnecessary cards?
Chelsea 1 - Rosenborg 1
This was the season that Chelsea were supposed to concentrate on the Champions League. Apparently, neither the fans nor the players agreed. In a noticeabley not full Stamford Bridge, Chelsea limped to a disappointing result against a vastly inferior opponent. Shevchenko proved he could score, against weak opposition and when set up perfectly. If they do not get Drogba and Lampard back soon, they will be in trouble.
Marseille 2 - Besiktas 0
L’OM finally got their first home win in all competitions with late goals from Julien Rodriguez and the Lord of the Manor of Frodsham. Marseille will hope that this result can jump start their faltering League Un campaign. Expected to compete for the title, they reside in 15th place, with a mere 7 pts from 8 matches.
Shaktar 2 - Celtic o
Celtic continued their putrid away form in Europe with a 2-0 defeat (they have never had an away win in the group stages). They have done decently in the SPL (How could one not?) However, they haven’t looked convincing in pre-season play, in qualifying, and now in the Champions League itself. Will a poor performance in the Group Stages spell the end for Gordon Strachan?
Indeed, Wednesday’s game was by some distance Liverpool’s worst performance of the season so far (even worse than the Pompey game, and that was pretty dismal.) Having said that, though, one would think that Porto away was our toughest game of the group stage, so a draw is no disaster. The game itself was indeed dire; we were defensive, but I can have little sympathy for Porto as their attack was fairly toothless (Quaresma was fantastic to watch, but his final ball was often lacking.)
As for Crouch, he’s running out of chances; last Saturday against Pompey was one such chance to prove his worth, and it was emphatically not taken (I would be surprised if he’s still at Anfield next season.) In defence of Pennant, he has been playing better this year (though, as you say, he still picks up far too many needless bookings.)