UEFA Champions League: Notes from matchday 3 - 10 things that caught the eye

9. Pellegrini the messiah for Manchester City in Europe

Manchester City have never made it out of the group phase so far in the competition. Manuel Pellegrini could be the man to break that jinx.

The Chilean has the experience of leading comparatively weaker teams into the knockout stages of the competition (Villareal and Malaga) and that is sure to serve City well as they try and qualify for the round of 16.

A big advantage over their previous manager Roberto Mancini.

10. Atletico Madrid quietly gathering momentum

No one saw them coming; not in La Liga, not in the Champions League.

Diego Simeone’s men have been making steady progress in both competitions; they lost their first league match of the season this past weekend against Espanyol to slip to second place. Meanwhile, in Europe, it was business as usual for Atletico as they made it three wins out of three, all but guaranteeing themselves a place in the next round.

Diego Costa returned from suspension to knock in two goals as they won 3-0 on the night and their midfield comprising Koke, Tiago and Raul Garcia continues to function like a dream. They have a superb defensive line marshaled by the excellent Diego Godin and backed up in goal by the brilliant Thibaut Courtois. Arda Turan provides the creativity and the assists and David Villa tags along as an added threat to support Costa.

These guys mean business this season.