Champions League: Are Madrid in disaster? How good is Gyökeres?

Matchday 4 of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League is within the books and the 36-team desk is beginning to take form.

Shock losses for Actual Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain have set alarm bells ringing, whereas Viktor Gyökeres‘ three-goal efficiency towards Manchester Metropolis has made the complete soccer world sit up and take discover.

ESPN writers Gab Marcotti, Mark Ogden and Julien Laurens replicate on a number of the burning questions after 4 rounds.

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Are Actual Madrid in disaster, and what does Carlo Ancelotti have to do to get this group firing once more?

Ogden: Madrid are completely in disaster. Again-to-back defeats should not be an enormous deal, simply one thing that goes with the territory, however that is Actual Madrid, the place no defeat is appropriate. And when you find yourself hammered 4-0 at residence by Barcelona after which lose once more within the subsequent recreation, towards a fellow European heavyweight in AC Milan, issues have gotten actually unhealthy.

There are mitigating components, such because the retirement of Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal‘s season-long damage, Jude Bellingham having to tone down his attacking recreation to accommodate Kylian Mbappé, and Mbappé himself, who’s nowhere close to the participant Madrid anticipated him to be. Mbappé’s greatest place is huge left, however the identical applies to Vinícius Júnior, so how do you clear up that drawback?

It is a robust one for Ancelotti, who will know that his job shall be on the road if Madrid do not emerge from their droop rapidly. Ancelotti has mentioned earlier than that his number-one job is retaining the membership president pleased — and Florentino Perez will not be pleased proper now.

Marcotti: It would not take a genius to determine that Actual Madrid are a group made with Panini stickers, and that it will be a problem to make the items match collectively. We have mentioned all alongside that the group was unbalanced and Ancelotti would wish to in some way make it work. He hasn’t been in a position to (but) and, whereas they’ve extra firepower than anybody and that may paper over a whole lot of cracks, sooner or later it catches as much as you (particularly when Thibaut Courtois is not between the sticks).

Their possession recreation hasn’t been nice and clearly Kroos is a big loss (as is the truth that Luka Modric is now actually the oldest participant within the historical past of the membership and clearly cannot provide you with as many minutes as prior to now). Options? I might think about you’d have to show to the switch window in January.

Quick-term I feel you must settle for that neither Vinícius nor Mbappé will work off the ball, so urgent and profitable possession excessive is not going to occur. Meaning you have to management video games and hopefully not simply find yourself with a bunch of sterile possession. You may attempt giving extra enjoying duties to Eduardo Camavinga, or probably attempt to get Bellingham to return to his authentic spot in midfield. No less than that means you’d have some kind of a base. And possibly you’ll be able to consider a hybrid again three with Aurélien Tchouaméni dropping in there in sure conditions, permitting the full-backs to push up (however, once more… would you like Ferland Mendy pushing up? I am undecided).

The one different different is seeing if you may get Bellingham to play some kind of center-forward position with Mbappé round him. However that will imply Vinícius in left midfield, which is not ideally suited both if he isn’t going to assist his full-back. The ugly fact is that this can be a assortment of star people, not a group. Any person must make a sacrifice. And even that is probably not sufficient.

Laurens: “‘Allo Toni? It is Carlo. Please come again, this can be a mess! I want you, we want you. I urge you!”

That is what Actual Madrid should do proper now. Get on the cellphone to Kroos and persuade him to come back out of retirement to kind the unbalance and add some technical management to the midfield. Ancelotti, Perez, sporting director Juni Calafat, Antonio Rüdiger, the tea woman, the Bernabéu cleaner, the Ciudad Deportiva groundsman — I do not care who, however somebody must make the decision and get Kroos to come back again. The group is in disaster and whereas the Germany legend returning wouldn’t clear up all the issues, a minimum of the group could be higher structured and have extra management on the ball.

Then there may be the small matter of the ahead line. Mbappé isn’t a No. 9 and can by no means be a correct one. However he can nonetheless do a job there if the group round him is about up proper. Go away the left facet to Vinícius, get Bellingham greater up nearer to Mbappé, Federico Valverde on the correct, and provides extra tasks to Camavinga on the coronary heart of midfield.

Has Gyökeres proved this season that he can ship on the largest events and deserves a serious transfer? Or is that this only a flash within the pan?

Ogden: He is not a flash within the pan. Gyökeres scored 43 targets in 50 video games for Sporting CP final season having made the leap from Coventry Metropolis within the Championship to the Portuguese top-flight, and he’s persevering with to show himself as a formidable centre-forward this season.

The massive query is whether or not he can do it at the next degree than the Portuguese Primeira Liga. A Champions League hat trick towards Manchester Metropolis is an emphatic strategy to silence his naysayers, however there isn’t a doubt that Gyökeres has loved a meteoric rise. Three years in the past, Brighton & Hove Albion let him go for simply £1 million to Coventry after unproductive mortgage spells at St. Pauli, Swansea Metropolis and Coventry, who nonetheless noticed sufficient in him to signal the Sweden worldwide completely. To be nowhere at 23, however a sensation at 26 is outstanding, however my view is that he’s the true deal. He’s fast, sturdy, nice within the air and a strong finisher; Sporting will do effectively to maintain him.

Marcotti: He is clearly not a flash within the pan, as a result of he is achieved it for some time. Then once more, Gyökeres being actually good would imply that Brighton — a membership recognized for his or her ability in recognizing and nurturing expertise — bought it badly mistaken as a result of he was on their books for 5 years between the age of 19 and 24 and he by no means performed.

There’s most likely some prejudice towards him as a result of there’s an entire historical past of huge, sturdy center-forward sorts who rating a ton of targets within the Portuguese league and do not precisely set the world on fireplace elsewhere (see Mehdi Taremi, Darwin Núñez, Carlos Vinícius… heck even Simon Banza scored 21 final yr). Final yr, he scored three targets from open play within the Europa League, this yr he has three from open play within the Champions League. With Sweden, he has 10 in 24. He is a serviceable striker, certain, however I feel groups are going to be reluctant to pay Erling Haaland-type cash, given he is already 26 and continues to be tough across the edges.

Laurens: 66 targets in 66 video games in all competitions for Sporting isn’t a fluke. However the Champions League is the perfect enviornment to guage him and his hat trick towards Manchester Metropolis on Tuesday (albeit together with two penalties), and 5 targets in 4 video games (one towards Lille and one towards Sturm Graz) exhibits he can do it there too.

He’s a correct finisher, scientific in entrance of purpose, sturdy bodily, and may run in behind too. Is he prepared for the Premier League, the perfect and hardest league on the earth? In all probability sure. He might want to step up although because the Portuguese league is simply too straightforward for him. He must work on his link-up play and develop into a extra full all-round striker, however at 26, he has loads of time for that.

Are Barcelona a power once more on the European stage whereas their largest rivals Actual Madrid are in disaster mode?

Ogden: Barcelona are most likely the perfect group in Europe proper now, but it surely’s nonetheless solely early November and the perfect groups have a tendency to come back good on the enterprise finish of the season. Hansi Flick has achieved higher than anybody would have anticipated, particularly with so many younger gamers and the accidents that hit his squad. And remember, Ilkay Gündogan jumped ship for a return to Manchester Metropolis late within the switch window. Possibly Barça are simply on the crest of a wave proper now — Raphinha definitely is — however I might nonetheless again Madrid, Metropolis and Liverpool towards Barcelona within the knockout levels. Let’s not overlook the truth that two of Barcelona’s wins have been towards Younger Boys and Pink Star Belgrade, so not the hardest assessments.

Marcotti: I imply, they have been within the quarterfinals final yr and beat Paris Saint-Germain within the first leg earlier than self-destructing at residence. So, I would not say “once more”. Flick has achieved very well, however — earlier than we get too excited — two of their 4 wins have come towards Pink Star and Younger Boys. One other was towards Bayern, certain, in a recreation that might have gone the opposite means. They play high-risk, high-reward soccer and it really works for them. I feel — and we noticed on the weekend towards Espanyol as effectively — they should add a dimension to their recreation now that the injured guys (Frenkie de Jong, Gavi, Andreas Christensen, Ronald Araújo) are both again or coming again. I do not suppose they will maintain this depth or this type of play with out doing that.

Laurens: Completely Barcelona are a power, however there’s a “however” as effectively. They’re as a result of they’ve the perfect entrance three in Europe (together with Liverpool) in Lamine Yamal, Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha. They’ve nice selection and depth within the midfield positions with Marc Casadó, Pedri, Fermín López, Dani Olmo, Gavi and De Jong. They’ve a transparent identification, nice momentum and confidence too, whereas extra injured gamers are going to come back again quickly. They play the offside entice higher than anybody and have already caught opponents 108 instances offside up to now this season.

Nonetheless, the “however” is that they play a really dangerous model of soccer with their all-attacking type and super-high defensive position. Pink Star took benefit of it to attain and make it 1-1 on Wednesday and, as soon as groups have labored them out, they’ll concede many extra possibilities, particularly towards good sides. Bayern bought demolished however threatened massively within the first half. Actual Madrid additionally had their moments too, regardless of their heavy Clasico defeat.

Now on the midway stage of the league section, what do you want — or dislike — essentially the most concerning the new format?

Ogden: I might be shocked if any of the large groups miss out on qualification — even PSG, who’re caught beneath the trapdoor proper now — however the perfect ingredient of the brand new format is the chance it has given to the likes of Brest, Aston Villa and Celtic to present themselves an opportunity of a spot within the knockout levels. The previous group stage made it robust for outliers to qualify, particularly if they’d two large golf equipment within the group, however each group is aware of they’ve possibilities to win video games now and lots of the much less fancied groups have labored that out and began strongly. Celtic, as an example, have struggled to compete within the group stage in current seasons, however they’ve now gained two and drawn one and have an ideal likelihood of qualifying. That is what we would like: surprises and new tales.

Marcotti: I feel it has been nice. Simply this midweek we have had Manchester Metropolis, Actual Madrid, Arsenal, PSG and Bayer Leverkusen all dropping. Oh, and RB Leipzig have misplaced 4 in 4, which is hilarious. We have seen some nice targets and a few good video games. To me, that is simply as necessary on this section of the competitors, particularly given two thirds of the groups are going to advance. And, by the way in which, we’ve Sporting, AS Monaco and Brest within the high 5 and VfB Stuttgart, Leipzig, Bologna, Girona and, sure, PSG at the moment lacking out on the following spherical. A lot for all that nonsense about large leagues and massive groups dominating.

Laurens: Aside from my beloved PSG’s outcomes up to now within the competitors, I am loving the whole lot about this new format. We’re midway by way of this league section, and we’ve seen large video games each week, large groups struggling, small groups excelling. Some large stars have not been good, some extra unknown gamers are rising. There was late drama and controversy. Now, the second half will begin to make issues much more fascinating and correctly tense as each level will now actually matter. We are going to begin taking a look at all of the totally different situations on who wants what to do what. It is going to be enjoyable!