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The Champions League group stage, has ended and the Road to Lisbon has become a mile shorter yet tougher for the teams. For the next two months, it is going to be a frenzy of league football and we can have ourselves geared up for that.
However, Champions League action will return after two months and we can only hope that the highest quality of football is played. Given that there are mouth-watering clashes like Bayern Munich v Arsenal and Barcelona v Manchester City, one need only hope for excitement and entertainment.
Ahead of these, we say the best possible XI this season from the teams that have qualified for the Round of 16
Ever since Jose Mourinho’s demoting of Casillas to the bench, the Spanish shot-stopper looked lost for confidence and cut a lonely figure on the bench. With the new manager, Casillas had a point to prove and he has done more than prove it. Though, Ancelloti still prefers Lopez in the League, he has placed his faith in Casillas and started him in the Champions League.
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Casillas has done nothing but warranted the fact that his benching and demoralizing by Mourinho never got to his abilities. He has performed amazingly for Real Madrid in the group stage playing a total of 464 minutes in 6 matches.
Having kept an impressive three clean sheets and made 21 saves, he has showed the world that he still is one of the best in business. His magnificent performance against Juventus gave the Madridstas more than one reason to cheer.
Well,
Saint Iker is back.
Gregory Van Der Wiel
Ever since joining PSG from Ajax, this 25-year old right-back has been on the rise. While his appearances were restricted last season due to the spot already being occupied by Christopher Jallet. However, this season, Van der Wiel has done enough to upstage the former captain and make him the first choice at right-back.
He has been amazing in the group stage of the Champions League and is one of the more prominent members responsible for PSG’s excellent showing. He has 3 of Ibrahamovic’s goals and notched up four assists totally. He has a high pass success rate. He has an amusingly low rate of defensive errors and makes an average of 2.4 tackles every game.
Surely, he is one tough chap to pass.
Kostas Manolas
Well, the name may not be familiar to you, but believe me, his name is worth enough making the front page. An integral part of the Greek side, Olympiacos, Kostas Manolas has simply been their best player in the group stage of Champions League.
Having scored two goals in 5 appearances and conceded just 4, he has clearly asserted himself as one of the best defenders in the Champions League. But, being part of an Olympiacos side whose performance has been overshadowed by PSG, he has not made the news yet.
Well, facing Manchester United in the round of 16, he will be the man to inspire Olympiacos against the English Giants.
Watch out for him, the next time you see Olympiacos play.
Marquinhos
In the recent past, PSG have had a rich vein of Brazilian players with them and the latest to join the list is the 19-year old Marquinhos. Having moved from Roma in the Summer, he has been magnificent this season in the Champions League.
Having scored two goals and assisted one more, he is the only goalscorer to have a 100% shot accuracy. Playing alongside Thiago Silva, he has developed an innate reading of the game and times his tackles to perfection.
He is already giving Alex a tough fight for a name on the team sheet. What is more impressive is his attacking abilities which have come to the fore this season. He has a passing accuracy of 93% and is rarely ever dispossessed.
We may just be seeing the next ‘Lucio’ in action at PSG.
Well, this guy does not need much of an introduction. Ever since making his debut four years ago, he has gone a long way in establishing himself as one of the most talented youngsters in the world. His boisterous pace and incredible stamina has seen him make the left back position his own at Bayern Munich.
In this year’s group stage, he has left many right-backs gasping for breath with his incredible attacking abilities. But what makes him one of the elite few is his equally effective defensive play. In a world where there has been more emphasis on full back’s ability to attack, this lad from Austria is proving everyone wrong. His impressive stats of 3 tackles per game and his 2 goals and an assist in six games clearly show why he is called as one of the best in the world.
Along with this, comes an added advantage in his game. It’s his set-pieces. Despite the presence of Robben and Ribery, this guy is preferred for set-pieces in the final third.
Well, Bayern do have their left-back spot settled for years to come.
Thiago Motta
For a man who has won the Champions League and come runner-up at the Euro, it is fair for us to expect complacence from him. That too, when he is in the twilight of his career at 32 years of age.
However, Thiago Motta has put all those reservations to bed and has shown himself as one of the best players in Europe. A defensive midfielder by trade, he has been incredible for PSG in the Champions League this season. Playing in front of an assuring back four, Thiago Motta has already scored twice and raked up three assists in six games.
But, what has been most impressive is his defensive contribution and the assurance his manager has placed in him. He has committed just 8 fouls and has earned just one yellow card.
While, Ibrahimovic may be doing the headlines at PSG, this man is the unheralded hero of PSG. What ends with Ibrahimovic, usually starts with Motta.
This guy was described by Jonanthan Wilson as “perhaps the archetype of the modern attacking midfielder”. And he has not made a single mistake in saying that. Save Ribery for the Ballon d’or, this guy is currently the heart and soul of Bayern Munich. Capable of playing anywhere in the midfield, he has made himself one of the best players in Europe.
Amazingly, he has a passing accuracy of 97% from the six games he played this season in the group stages. This is indeed an achievement in itself and praise be to Kroos when you notice that Xavi himself has an accuracy of only 94%.
He has assisted two goals and averages two key passes every game. Added to this, he averages 9.5 accurate through balls every game.
Considering the star-studded Bayern squad, calling Kroos the nucleus of it may seem an overstatement, but in reality that is the truth.
Suffice it to say, I have no need to introduce the man. This man, who is poised to win the Ballon d’or showed us in the group stage why he should and why he most likely will achieve it.
The dream, Ronaldo’s unfulfilled dream for years lay before him at the start of the season. And he sought out to fulfill it this season. He started from where he left off last season and has continued his amazing run in front of the goal.
Having his transfer record broken by teammate Gareth bale, he was determined to show who the boss at the Bernabeu was. And he did, in splendid style by breaking the record set by Crespo and Nistelrooy of most goals in the group stage. He scored a record nine goals which included an incredible second half hat-trick against Galatasaray on matchday one.
And adding to his goals tally, he has 2 assists. He truly was the best player in the group stages and truly deserves the Ballon d’or this year. And I don’t think even Messi would argue that.
Angel Di Maria
Alongside every great player, you would find a genius whose performances are overshadowed. Living in Ronaldo’s shadow ever since his move to Real Madrid back in 2010, is none other than Angel Di Maria.
Bale’s arrival further threatened his position in the team and was potentially going to downsize his contributions, but he stayed put and did the talking on the pitch. He produced amazing performances in the Champions League and has scored three goals and set up five more in just four appearances. And of the four times he played, he was named man-of-match twice.
When Ronaldo was out injured, the responsibility fell on Di Maria’s shoulders to lead the attack and he justified it by putting up a stellar performance. His link-up with Bale has been most impressive and his through passes have been spot-on.
Surely, Carlo Ancelloti must be a happy man that the rumours linking Di Maria to a move away from the Bernabeu never materialized.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic
“I’m like Wine and I get better with age “ . This was said by Zlatan himself and how better to describe him. He is a man who gives himself a rating of 10 and believes that he deserves the Ballon d’or. Well, believe me, he is the real deal. The man who carries PSG on his shoulders and leads the team by example; he truly would have been the best player this season had it not been for Ronaldo.
Spectacular goals, Simple Tap-ins, Brilliant passes, excellent leadership, sublime touch and an arrogance that defies it, he is the complete package. To say that he has been brilliant this season would rather be an understatement. And that’s how good he is. Averaging 5 shots a game, he has scored 8 goals in the five matches he played in the group stage. At the age of 32, he has been one of the main contenders for the Ballon d’or and has puzzled many as to how he missed the shortlist.
To make it simple,
He is Zlatan.
He shall forever remain in the hearts of Manchester City fans as the man who won them their first title in 44 years. But, his endeavors haven’t stopped with that. After having a rather off-colour 2012-13 season, he has come to the fore once again this season.
Spearheading one of the most talented frontline in Europe, he has been at his best in the group stages. Having scored 6 goals in 5 appearances and set up two more, he is rearing to have a go at Barcelona.
Easily one of the best forwards in the game, he has taken defenders to task and has instilled fear in the mind of every opponent. His partnership with Negredo is blossoming and Manuel Pellegrini could not have hoped for a better strike duo.
Currently on a month-long injury layoff, he should be back for the round-of-16 tie against Barcelona. While Manchester City seems the underdog on the face of it, Aguero could very well set the pace and leave Barcelona despising him.
