Teams without experience or money succeed.
“Monaco”
The Ligue 1 club returns to the Champions League after six years. They have no experience. Mbappé and other stars are long gone. Yesterday, Golovin only came on as a substitute, but his teammates did not disappoint. Even though Aston Villa had the ball, in the home match, the Monaco defense decided to make mistakes rather than concede goals. The only accurate shot in the opening match was enough for the victory, which allowed Golovin’s team to score 13 points. Even 11 points could theoretically be enough to qualify for the playoffs this season. The French accomplished the task with one lap remaining. There is one away match against Inter remaining. It will be difficult to surprise Inzaghi with a victory. Most likely, Monaco missed the opportunity to make the top eight. Even if no one bothers you to take risks, because you really have nothing to lose. If they manage to make the top eight, they will miss two dangerous matches in the play-offs. And if not, they will wait for the name of the first opponent.
“Bruges”
The success of Atalanta, who crushed the weak Sturm 5-0 yesterday, should not come as a surprise. One of the Serie A leaders was angry after the defeat against Napoli. Gasperini has experience of winning the Europa League. The strong Italians occupy a high place in the Champions League table. We have reached fourth place and are aiming for a coveted place in the top flight. But Bruges, although the Belgians have experience in the European Cup, was not on the list of candidates for the playoffs before the start of the tournament. But Nicky Hayen’s team showed stubbornness. Angry after the first defeat against Borussia, the Belgians beat Graz, Aston Villa and Sporting. The draw against Juventus was a question of technique, the Italians are obsessed with the world. Bruges is currently higher in the ranking than Real Madrid, Manchester City and PSG. The team has valuable young players like Greek winger Tzolis and Ecuadorian defender Ordoñez. Success in the Champions League will help them develop their careers.
“Brest”
Today, Brest has a match with Shakhtar. If they beat a tournament outsider, they will return to third place. Only Liverpool and Barcelona, who played their matches yesterday, will be higher. The Catalans’ resounding victory against Benfica allowed the favorites to maintain their position. And the calendar allows Brest to dream of a sensation. Nobody thought that the French upstarts – in the new season in ninth place – were behind PSG by almost 20 points, will experience just as much success during his first season in the Champions League. We note here the coaching work of Éric Roy and the stubbornness of the players. Brest does not have championship seasons like Bruges. It is more difficult to attract valuable players to them. But the average Frenchman stood out against weak opponents. We also lost points against Bayer and PSV. It remains to play against Shakhtar and Real. The match against Mbappe could be a draw if they score three points today.
Villa Aston
Still a beginner. Like Monaco, the Birmingham club is rich. They have expensive transfers, a cool sporting director, Monchi, and a coach, Emery, who has proven himself in European competitions. But this is the first season for Aston Villa. Experience often helped in the Champions League in the old format. And in the general ranking, some giants missed the leap of the middle peasants. Aston Villa was expected in the playoffs, here is the club nuclear submarine. But they didn’t think they could qualify for the top eight. Despite the defeat against Monaco, the Birmingham club has something to boast about. Bayern, Bologna and Leipzig were cut into sharp visors. With Juventus, of course, there was a draw. The defeat against Bruges was a hindrance, but the English will welcome Celtic at home in the final round. If they manage to beat the Scots, Birmingham, not counting “blue” football, will celebrate the first time in the city’s history that its club has qualified for the Champions League qualifiers.
PSV
Red Star could have been in their place if the Serbs had handled the previous rounds more competently. And yesterday the Dutch scored three times in the first half in Belgrade. The famous veteran tried. Later, after the red card, the visitors conceded twice, but did not give up any points. PSV often plays in the Champions League. But they have only made the playoffs twice in 15 years. The new format gave them a chance. The calendar has a big impact. For example, debutants Girona suffered against incredibly difficult opponents. A PSV luckier. The team of Peter Bosz, former coach of Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund, resisted PSG. They defeated Girona and Shakhtar. Many matches were difficult for the Dutch. They have a weak defensive line and concede a lot. But they showed their will to win. The opening defeat against Juventus didn’t bother me. However, the Dutch are not in the playoffs yet; they need the results of their competitors.
Celtic
The charm of the Champions League now gives a chance to the round of 16 to the team which lost 1-7 in Dortmund. The paradox is that before that, the Scots had scored five goals against Slovan at home. For Celtic to score five times in a Champions League match is a big deal. The German puncture refreshed them, and they managed not to lose to Atalanta in Bergamo. The goalless draw allowed smart manager Brendan Rodgers, the former Liverpool manager, to prepare for victory against Leipzig. The Germans are one of the big losers of the tournament, with six defeats in six rounds. But Celtic, thanks to draws, reached the culmination of a long eight-day journey. Today, the Scots will welcome Young Boys at home. The Swiss club has finished fighting for the playoffs, it has six defeats and is last in the list of 36 clubs. If Celtic win and Manchester City get angry PSGthen the Scots will be closer to the playoff matches than Safonov’s team.
If we summarize the playoff experience of these clubs, then over the previous five seasons there was only one playoff appearance. PSV and Bruges. The Dutch were eliminated by the players of Borussia Dortmund, who eventually reached the final, and the Belgians scored many goals from the representatives of Benfica. Now they are waiting for surprises from the middle peasants. For Brest and Aston Villa, these will be the first Champions League play-offs in the clubs’ history. And Celtic haven’t been to a knockout match in twelve years.
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