After Matchday 1, we can all guess who will qualify.
But we’ll be wrong because the next four months of football isn’t predictable.
Yes, Premier League clubs have not delivered in the Champions League.
But the’ve had a decent Matchday 1 this time.
Manchester United beat Basel 3-0 on the night that Bayern Munich beat Anderlecht by the same score.
Chelsea hammered Qarabag 6-0.
Spurs beat Borussia Dortmund 3-1 without the suspended Dele Alli.
Manchester City thrashed Feyenoord 4-0 in Rotterdam last night.
Liverpool’s defending was pitiful against Sevilla and they drew 2-2.
Without the ball, Liverpool are an accident waiting to happen.
It’s a shame they’re so one-dimensional because the way they attack is electrifying..
When Liverpool were 2-1 up, Firmino took a penalty and hit the outside the post. If he scores, I think they’d have romped it.
Pochettino’s Tottenham are a highly-organised momentum team with a lot of good habits.
They took only four minutes to score against Dortmund last night.
Son made an electrifying break down the left flank and smashed a thunderous shot that beat the keeper on his near post.
Then Dortmund hit back with a phenomenal bending shot by Ukrainian winger Yarmolenko.
But Spurs replied within four minutes when the irrepressible Harry Kane broke on the left, changed feet and blasted in a fierce shot for 2-1.
Unlike Liverpool, Spurs know how to defend as well as how to stretch you.
Son, like Kane, buys a ticket for the raffle. If you don’t shoot, you can’t score. And if you miss, shoot again.
As I noted yesterday, Son is the most successful Asian footballer to play in Europe.
The move for the third goal was slick and when Eriksen found Kane, his left boot buried the chance sweetly.
On ITV, Roy Keane said, “This kid is the real deal.”
PS. Dortmund are a good side who were unlucky to have a very good goal by Aubameyang wrongly disallowed.