Matchday 3 of 2024-25 uefa champions league is in the books and The table of 36 teams is starting to take shape,
Aston Villa Europe are surprising leaders, but it’s the players’ performance Christian Pulisic And Vinicius Junior Which has really caught everyone’s attention. Meanwhile, the underperforming big guns Paris Saint Germain And Bayern Munich You may have just started sweating a little.
ESPN writers Gabe Marcotti, Mark Ogden and Julian Lawrence consider some of the burning questions after round three.
Is this the real Pulisic or are we just seeing heat?
Ogden: Pulisic is now 26 and entering the peak years of his career, and I think it’s starting to show. chelsea It was a difficult step for him and it didn’t work out the way he wanted, but it took his time Premier League Made him a better player, even if it hurt his confidence at times. AC Milan Now taking advantage of his experience at Stamford Bridge.
goal against him liverpool Match Day 1 was excellent and he topped it with his goal club bruges This week. He has become the main man at Milan and you can see he is a completely different player because he looks organised, wanted and he knows he is an important part of the team. So yes, this is the real Pulisic – realizing his potential after going through some tough times.
Marcotti: He has reached maturity and that is important. He is fit and that matters even more. But I would also add that he has many intangible qualities that shine in Milan and make him so valuable. He is aware of the fact that, on the contrary United States of America In the national team, he is not much better than his teammates and does not need to be the main man. They have many other talented players but what do they need from them because others (not pointing fingers but…) rafael leo) Don’t always provide work rate, reliability and a desire to put the team first. I don’t think it’s going away, even if he’s on a hot streak (and I’m not sure he is: he’s very talented). Therefore, I think he will remain important for Milan for a long time. Or, at least, until they start clicking properly. Even against Club Brugge, of course, they won, but Rossoneri Only the last half hour felt really good.
Lawrence: This is real police And She’s on a hot streak! Both are valid and true. Now he needs to stay consistent and turn the hot streak into his ideal. The even tougher task will be to continue this form and continue to perform as he did on Tuesday and as he has for most of this season. He is more mature, remains fit. He clearly feels that his club and his manager love and value him, he also had a very good season last year. I’m sure he can become that person — The boy in Milan – especially with Leo’s poor form at the moment.
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Christian Pulisic shows off his Italian form after Olimpico goal
Christian Pulisic gives a post-match interview in Italian after scoring directly from a corner kick in Milan’s 3-1 win against Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Did Vinicius’ hat trick seal the Ballon d’Or?
Ogden: even when rodri was fit and playing Manchester CityIt seemed as if Vinicius was the clear favorite to win the Ballon d’Or, but his hat-trick against borussia dortmund The deal was sealed. Rodri’s ACL injury paved the way for Vinicius to escape the voting as he was the only real rival to the Madrid forward’s chances.
Jude Bellingham has been a virtual no-show for whites Since his incredible start in the first half of last season, while toni kross Took himself out of the race by retiring in the summer. Would it be harsh to say that 2024 has not been a vintage year for Ballon d’Or contenders? There are no outstanding candidates, so in that respect, Vinicius should call it quits for now.
Marcotti: I guess it’s an exclamation point, but nothing more. Most, if not all, of the votes are in anyway. And there are many whispers that he was in the bag. The Ballon d’Or vote is a strange beast: it rewards big performances from big teams in big games. And Vinny certainly did that against Bayern Munich. But I think he had it stitched already.
Lawrence: Vinny’s hat-trick on Tuesday will have no impact on who wins the Ballon d’Or – the votes have already been sent in and counted. They had already secured the win with their amazing second half against Borussia Dortmund. He is the best player in the world at the moment and no right-back can defend him. Personally, I prefer Rodri as the Ballon d’Or winner, but Vini is amazing and so unstoppable that he wins games on his own like he did on Tuesday.
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Ancelotti: Vinicius Junior will win the Ballon d’Or
Carlo Ancelotti praised Vinicius Junior after a hat-trick in Real Madrid’s 5-2 win over Borussia Dortmund.
Which big team is in trouble?
Ogden: Both Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich have struggled to live up to expectations so far, but PSG can at least point to Luis Enrique’s team being built around young talent emerging from the club’s former superstar era. The team is turning into a team. They will encounter rough spots on the road and may have to lower their sights this time. But Bayern has no such shortcomings and they have lost barcelona – after the matchday defeat at Aston Villa – revealed all the problems that will prevent them from challenging for the Champions League this season.
His centre-backs, Dayot Upamecano And Kim Min-jaeare too slow and not good enough for a club of Bayern’s stature, while others like leroy sane, Thomas Muller And manuel neur Far beyond his best. harry kane will score goals and Michael Olise A real talent, but Bayern has a lot of weaknesses. Their game against PSG next month will be interesting for many reasons.
Marcotti: I’m not sure any of the major teams are in real “trouble”, if by “trouble” you mean not making the top eight and bypassing the playoff round. Sure, Bayern, Milan and Atletico Madrid All are on three points but, equally, they are only four points off eighth place with five games left. And if you mean “trouble” like not qualifying for the playoff round, there aren’t any. Not yet anyway. I think that’s the nature of this new format.
Lawrence: I don’t think there is any problem for any team right now. We have played three games and have five more to play so 15 points are still available. So there is no need to panic PSG, Bayern, Atletico or even RB leipzigHaving said that, it is quite fun to see the pressure increasing on these big teams, especially when you know that Paris, Munich and colconeros Will be face to face in the next few weeks. There will be a lot of drama then and that’s what we want and what this new Champions League format does for you.
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Nicol: Bayern’s defensive approach ‘makes no sense’
Steve Nicol can’t understand why Bayern Munich played with such a high line in their 4-1 defeat to Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League.
with frankie de jong, dani olmo And Gavi All fit, how does Hansi Flick decide his midfield? And to whom does he lose? ancient on Saturday?
Ogden: I think the only real option for a place in the starting team against Madrid is Olmo. Gavi has only recorded 12 minutes all season, while De Jong has managed just 24 minutes in all competitions, so Flick keeping one or both in the squad would be a gamble – perhaps even reckless – especially after such a spell at Bayern. A solid win against. I don’t know how or why Flick could consider leaving mark casado Or fermin lopez, Pedri, Lamin Yamal And Rafinha Everyone has to play, so these two are most likely to miss out. But they should not do this.
Marcotti: Wednesday’s demolition of Bayern was the first game for Olmo and De Jong and, understandably, Gavi has just two matches under his belt. so maybe classico It’s too early, although if De Jong was fully fit I would definitely keep him there. Moving forward, it’s hard to see how the pieces fit. You would imagine that De Jong would reclaim his spot for Casado. Rafinha is in the best form of his career, obviously Yamal is who he is and then you have Gavi and Olmo.
I think we’ll see Gavi sharing time with Pedri and De Jong in a midfield three and Olmo sharing time with Raphinha and Yamal on the wing. They’ve both played a lot of football since then and, lest we forget, Yamal is 17 years old. I think Olmo might also like it when Robert Lewandowski However, he needs a breather (and, at 36, he probably will). ferran torres He’s probably a better fit in terms of his work with the ball. How the flick plays this out going forward is going to be absolutely interesting. There are no correct answers. But I guess that’s why he gets paid big money.
Lawrence: For the short term, and for this weekend’s Clasico, I would count on exactly the same team that beat Bayern Munich on Wednesday. There’s no reason for Flick to change anything. I would put Pedri and Casado in midfield. I would keep De Jong and Gavi on the bench. I would place Fermin in a free role in midfield, both attacking and pressing as well as dropping deeper in possession to help the double pivot. Would be risky against a high defensive line real MadridBut Barça also know he will have the ability to hurt Meringes The form Raphinha, Lewandowski and Lamin are in.