Early hurdles cleared just
IT’S crucially important to get a good start in the Champions League group stages, but it is also devilishly difficult – as English teams ably demonstrated this week.
All won, but by a single goal, and all made heavy weather of games that, on paper at least, looked straightforward.
Arsenal particularly will analyse their poor performance. They played on the back foot, lacked any solidity and I have never seen them play so many wayward passes than against Standard Liege. After back-to-back defeats, they looked low on belief, but credit to them for coming back.
IN TROUBLE
Liverpool, so famous for their European performances, failed to shine whatsoever in their limp win over Debrecen. Chelsea were without Didier Drogba and suffered poor conditions but had to tough out a victory against Porto. Manchester United had the toughest game – a trip to Besiktas – but scraped their 1-0 win.
There is always huge pressure to win the first match – every team is still in the hunt and so will play out of their skins, while failing to get three points immediately puts you in trouble.
It is doubly difficult because it is too early in the season to have found any consistency. But the Premier League contingent managed it – just – and now the target is to qualify for the last 16 as quickly as possible.