The new Champions League causes problems for Spanish teams
The madness of the last Champions League matchday was a case of ‘I want to but I can't’, as the classics would say. Nineteen games were played, there were lots of goals, comebacks and few surprises, which meant that none of Europe's big guns were left out of the next round. What's more, after 90 minutes, no team knows exactly who their opponents will be in the next round. Only a handful of rivals are waiting for a draw.
Real Madrid beat Brest 3-0 with Rodrygo pulling the Whites' weight. A multi-million dollar offer from Saudi Arabia for Vinicius is expected, although the Brazilian talent was not present in this match due to suspension. Mbappé didn't appear much either and it was Bellingham who scored to provide the minimum services that will leave Ancelotti's side in the previous round of the last sixteen. Two more games for the legs of one of the most punished teams in Europe. Their rivals in that tie are either Guardiola's City or Celtic from Glasgow. The difference will be between staying in the Champions League in February and going through to the round of sixteen where Atlético or Xabi Alonso's Bayern Leverkusen will be.
Barcelona drew 2-2 with Atalanta at Montjuic. While the club looks for a stadium for the last 16, they already know that they will face old acquaintances such as Monaco, Benfica or PSG, who are joined by Brest. The good thing is that Flick will have more time to decide whether to continue betting on Szczęsny or to give the starting spot back to the one who should never have lost it, Iñaki Peña.
Atlético Madrid thrashed Salzburg 1-4 with Simeone in fine form on the pitch. The great Champions League campaign of the Colchoneros has no other reward than to skip the previous round because in the round of 16 they will have a terrible tie with the return leg at the Metropolitano. Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Celtic will battle it out to decide who will face the Madrilenians, fifth in the overall standings, in the next round.
Girona lost again and have only won once in their first time in the Champions League. Arsenal were too good for Michel's team, who decided to spend the run-up to the game giving football lessons to the president of Rayo Vallecano in an unseemly loser's dispute for a coach of his stature.
The new Champions League is not winning everyone over. Neither players nor fans know exactly how the draw works and much less that after this round there will be another draw to decide the path to the final in Munich. The data says that there were also high-voltage matches in the round of sixteen of the old format, but the fact of not knowing what will happen to your future as soon as the match is over, or having any benefit for being among the first eight, has the world of football confused.