3 Things We Learned From Wednesday Night’s Champions League Action

After last night’s fixtures, we are exactly at the halfway point of UCL’s new ‘league phase.’ Matchday four served up a few surprise results that could have big implications when January rolls around. So, as we reflect on a thrilling night in Europe, here are three key takeaways from the action.

1) New-Look Barcelona are the Real Deal 

Name a more in-form team at the moment than Hansi Flick’s Barcelona? I’ll wait because there are none. The German tactician has completely transformed Les Culers into an offensive juggernaut. Barcelona simply blow teams away with their eye-catching brand of attacking football. The latest club to feel the full force of Barcelona’s might were Serbian champions, Red Star Belgrade. Hansi Flick’s men were completely dominant on the night, as a boisterous Belgrade crowd failed to have any impact of note. Barca secured a thrilling 5-2 win over them, thanks to goals from Inigo Martinez, Robert Lewandowski, Raphinha and Fermin Lopez. 

With this dominant win, Barcelona have now set a club record by scoring 55 goals across their first 16 games of the season – surpassing 54 goals scored in 1950/51 under Ferdinand Daucik. This team feels like a new chapter for the Blaugrana, one that’s rewriting recent memories of European heartache. Since their 2015 Champions League triumph, they’ve endured some tough-to-watch defeats, like the 8-2 blowout by Bayern, Liverpool’s stunning 4-0 comeback, and Roma’s dramatic 2nd leg turnaround in 2018. But under Hansi Flick, Barcelona look like a side ready to banish those memories and chase down that elusive sixth Champions League trophy. And with other giants like Manchester City, Real Madrid, and PSG stumbling early, Barca might just find the path to glory a little less daunting. This could be their season to remind Europe of what true Catalan dominance looks like.  

2) Could the Real Mikel Arteta Please Stand Up 

Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal took the Premier League by storm after they were embroiled in a thrilling title race with Manchester City for the title during the 2022/23 season. They followed that up with an even braver title challenge last season. However, Pep Guardiola’s City pipped them to the title once against, this time by just two points. Arteta’s Arsenal achieved all this by playing an exciting attacking brand of football, which Pep Guardiola would be proud of. So, in his fifth full season as the Gunners’ head coach, many Gooners felt that Arsenal will finally leave City behind in the Prem title race and establish themselves as a real force in Europe. But after the first three months of the new season, the wheels are beginning to fall off. A toothless Arsenal side succumbed to another 1-0 defeat, this time against Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan. They have now won just once in their last four games. 

The root cause behind Arsenal’s fall off could be attributed to multiple factors – like Martin Odegaard’s absence, lack of squad depth or an injury-riddled defense. But perhaps the most significant factor is Arteta’s departure from his own footballing philosophy. Arsenal’s recent success was built on a foundation of possession-heavy, attacking play. However, following Odegaard’s injury, Arsenal are happy to surrender control of the ball to stronger opponents like City, Spurs and Atalanta. Moreover, their lack of creativity has compounded matter. Now, Arsenal rely heavily on chances and goals created from set-pieces, and last night’s performance at San Siro proved exactly that. The Gunners created hardly any chance of notice. Although they might feel hard done by the penalty decision that went Inter's way, the truth is that Arteta and Arsenal have only themselves to blame for their current predicament. 

3) Brest Continue to Prove their Doubters Wrong 

When the ‘league phase’ fixtures were announced back in August, few would have thought that French minnows Stade Brestois would be above European giants like Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Manchester City in UCL standings after four games. However, that’s exactly how the ‘league phase’ has transpired.  Stade Brestois – who are playing their home games at Stade de Roudourou, which is almost an hour away from Brest – overcame Sparta Praha by a scoreline of 2-1 thanks to a goal by Edimilson Fernandes and an own goal by Kaan Kairinen. This win has taken them to the fourth spot on the Champions League table. However, their stellar European performances come in stark contrast to their domestic form, as Brest currently languish in the 11th spot in Ligue 1 standings. 

The question of whether Brest can carry this fairytale journey all the way to a guaranteed knockout spot is a tantalizing one. With upcoming away battles against Barcelona, Shakhtar Donetsk, and PSV Eindhoven, along with a formidable home showdown against Real Madrid, Les Pirates will need every ounce of grit and resilience to emerge unscathed from this daunting lineup. Having said that, Brest will still fancy their chances of qualifying into the knockout rounds of UCL. For those who love an underdog story, Eric Roy’s men might just deliver the feel-good tale of the tournament, standing toe-to-toe with Europe’s biggest clubs and daring to dream.