Going up
VFB Stuttgart: In last season’s Bundesliga it was Stuttgart rather than Bayern Munich who came second to the unbeaten champions Bayer Leverkusen. Following that up this season has proved tough for Sebastian Hoeness’s team, who lie 10th in the German league. On Tuesday night in Turin they dominated Juventus, who put in their worst performance yet under Thiago Motta, and were reduced to 10 men after Danilo’s red card. Deniz Undav’s first-half screamer for Stuttgart was rubbed out by the VAR but it seemed Mattia Perin, who saved Enzo Millot’s penalty amid a brilliant goalkeeping display, would deny the Germans. It took some dainty improvisation from El Bilal Touré to land a first Champions League win this season for a club back in the competition for the first time in 15 years.
Feyenoord: Arne Slot’s Liverpool finished the week second in the group table, but the club he left behind have acquitted themselves well without him. Brian Priske, a Dane, is Slot’s replacement at Feyenoord and his team pulled off a famous 3-1 win in Benfica’s Stadium of Light, with Ayase Ueda, the Japanese forward, scoring the opener and having another goal chalked off. The teenager Antoni Milambo scored the second and the clinching third when it looked as if Bruno Lage’s team, second-best for most of the night, might claw their way back. Hwang In-beom, the South Korean midfielder signed from Red Star Belgrade, was an outstanding performer for Feyenoord, as was Hugo Bueno, the full-back on loan from Wolves. Priske became the first Feyenoord coach to win two away games in the group stage, having beaten Girona last time out.
Lille: The French feats in this year’s competition continue. PSG, who drew with PSV, are letting the side down in 19th. After Monaco thrashed Red Star Belgrade 5-1, to go fourth, and fifth-placed Brest continued their unbeaten start by drawing with Bayer Leverkusen, Lille pulled off the best performance of all by winning 3-1 at Atlético Madrid. That followed their win over Real Madrid in the previous round. This was a comeback win, started by early substitute Edon Zhegrova’s deflected equaliser after Julián Alvarez has scored the opener for Atlético. There was definite luck for Lille’s second when the VAR inexplicably ruled for a handball when the ball had hit Benjamin André’s hand, rather than one belonging to an Atlético player. Jonathan David, also on as a sub, scored from the spot and bundled in the clincher, his 11th of the season, to follow his winner against Real Madrid. It was another coup for Lille’s coach, Bruno Génésio, who is proving an adept replacement for Paulo Fonseca.
Slipping down
Arsenal: It’s rare that a winning team features in this category but a deathly quiet Tuesday night at the Emirates gave more cause for concern than celebration. Mikel Arteta complained of tiredness in his team. They can ill afford fatigue with Liverpool their opponents on Sunday. Only a late save from David Raya denied Shakhtar an equaliser after some poor finishing from Arsenal’s forwards, including a missed penalty from Leandro Trossard. Worst of all, there was an injury to Riccardo Calafiori, who has lately added class to the Arsenal defence. He will join the likes of Bukayo Saka, Martin Ødegaard and Jurrien Timber on the casualty list. Of the four English teams, who have conceded just one goal between them in three rounds, and when compared to Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City, who have each cruised, Arsenal are making the heaviest weather of the group stage, though these things are relative.
Bayern Munich: João Palhinha is the midfielder Bayern Munich’s recruitment team chased for three transfer windows. In the summer, £43.4m was enough to pry him from Fulham, and yet the Portuguese anchorman, one of the best players in that role in the Premier League, had only played 236 minutes across seven matches before Wednesday’s match against Barcelona. Aleksandar Pavlović’s broken collarbone handed Palhinha his chance but, against Barcelona, he was run ragged, especially by Lamine Yamal and Fermín López. Palhinha wasn’t alone in suffering in Spain, but he was symbolic of the failure of Vincent Kompany’s team in dealing with Barcelona’s pace and creativity. He and Joshua Kimmich were exposed by their coach’s reckless tactics as Bayern were ravaged 4-1 by an opponent they have habitually had the better of, 2020’s 8-2 coming to mind.
RB Salzburg: Among the many questions over Jürgen Klopp’s new role with the Red Bull multi-club operation was how he might deal with the travails of his former Liverpool assistant, Pepijn Lijnders, in Austria. As Klopp is not due to start his new role until 1 January, it seems the decision will have been taken away from him by then. At home to Dinamo Zagreb, fellow strugglers at the bottom of the ladder, Salzburg put in another hapless, chaotic display, best personified by a dunderheaded handball outside the area by goalkeeper Alexander Schlager that led to his red card. Perhaps of greater concern to the incoming Red Bull supremo is that RB Leipzig are alongside their Austrian cousins on zero points.
A good week for
Vinícius Júnior: Ballon d’Or, Ballon d’Or, Ballon d’Or. With the award ceremony looming in Paris next Monday, it was a good week for Real Madrid’s main man to turn it on in the competition where his performances have made him favourite for the award. Main man? Yes, Kylian Mbappé had to look on as Madrid eventually blew Borussia Dortmund apart 5-2, with Vini smashing a hat-trick as his team recovered from two down at half-time to take control in the final 10 minutes. Mbappé ploughed on at centre-forward as the Brazilian dazzled from his favoured left side. The best goal of the three saw Vinícius blast past Emre Can on the halfway line before crashing the ball beyond Gregor Kobel.
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Christian Pulisic: He has become Milan’s Mr Reliable this season. A first group-stage win after Milan’s poor start to their Champions League campaign. After a shaky opening to their match with Club Brugge, Pulisic and Rafael Leão began to dovetail in attack. The American’s goal came directly from a corner, a spanking delivery that looped beyond everybody. A bit of luck, as Pulisic admitted afterwards with a laugh. “I didn’t try to do that but it was a good cross,” he said, smiling. Just about everything he touches turns to gold at the moment. It took him to 10 goal contributions in 10 matches, and if Tijjani Reijnders’ double secured Milan’s win, Pulisic continued to set the standards.
Raphinha: From being a player Barcelona were ready to sell in the summer, the Brazilian, who wore the captain’s armband in the Montjuic, has become a guiding light for Hansi Flick’s team. His blistering hat-trick tore Bayern apart, and a game that could have gone either way during an open first half was snatched from the German giants’ grasp. The winger signed by Jordi Cruyff linked up beautifully with Lamine Yamal in particular, as well as the remodelled, reborn Robert Lewandowski, whose showdown with Harry Kane saw the two great strikers of the age score one apiece. Amid some ruinous Barcelona spending in recent years, Raphinha, who was making his 100th Barça appearance, has proven a slow-burning hit. And now a leader.
