Four talking points after the Europe midweek fixtures

• We look at four major talking points in the wake of the most recent round of UEFA Champions League last-16 play.

We look at four major talking points from the midweek European matches in the wake of the most recent round of UEFA Champions League last-16 play.

Barcelona draw at the Naples

Napoli vs Barcelona. Photo/ China Daily.

Barcelona haven’t exactly been convincing this year, as the Spanish champions have had a dismal La Liga title defense. Although their trip to Napoli gave them hope, the Catalans’ dubious defensive efforts—allowing four or more goals in losses to Real Madrid, Girona, and Villarreal—have written them out as Champions League hopefuls.

At the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Barcelona was the superior team and completely shut out Napoli in the first half, with the hosts without scoring a single goal.

After Robert Lewandowski’s goal on the hour, the Catalans had a lead to defend, but Victor Osimhen equalized after an Inigo Martinez mistake. One opportunity, one objective.

Despite their best efforts, Barcelona is in an even position going into the second leg of the tie.

Are Arsenal bottling it again?

Arsenal was the clear favorite to advance from their round of 16 match against FC Porto, but they had a late loss at the Estádio do Dragão. The Gunners, who had been scoring goals freely in the Premier League lately, were unable to break through against a Porto club content to absorb the pressure at home.

Although Arsenal had the most of the ball in Portugal, they lacked innovation and originality and were unable to produce even one attempt on goal as the hosts had the better opportunities. With almost the final kick of the match, the Brazilian scored a goal in stoppage time after Galeno had inexplicably missed a double chance.

Porto center defender Pepe has played more games (118) in the Champions League than the whole Arsenal starting lineup in this tournament, demonstrating Mikel Arteta’s team’s lack of experience. Declan Rice acknowledged that Arsenal was unwise to let Porto score a late victory, and the Gunners will be hoping that their last-minute switch-off can be reversed in the rematch.

Inter showing their experience

Arnautovic celebrates the winner against Atletico Madrid. Photo/ Reuters

Last season, Inter Milan surprised everyone by making it to the Champions League final and making it there for the first time since 2010.

A few of that team left the Nerazzurri in the summer, including the seasoned quintet of Marcelo Brozovic, Edin Dzeko, Milan Skriniar, and Andre Onana. Despite those departures, Inter seems stronger under Simeone Inzaghi’s tactical leadership. He has strengthened his team by bringing in top players and by getting the most out of those who were already at San Siro.

This season, Lautaro Martinez is playing at the peak of his abilities, while Hakan Calhanoglu’s comeback as a deep-lying conductor has been brilliant. Since joining from Borussia Monchengladbach in the summer, Marcus Thuram has tallied 11 goals and seven assists; other smart arrivals include Yann Sommer, Benjamin Pavard, and Davide Frattesi.

Despite defeating Atletico Madrid 1-0 at home this week, Inter still has work to do, even if the Italians were superior. With the possible exception of Real Madrid and Manchester City, Inter, who are undefeated in Europe this year, have nothing to be concerned about based on what we’ve seen thus far in the campaign.

Is the Champions League getting boring?

Andres Iniesta. Photo/ Planet Football

Is it wrong to suggest that this season’s Champions League has been sort of boring? After the first 16 legs, was there anything noteworthy, in all honesty?

There is a noticeable absence of urgency even if nearly every tie is evenly positioned ahead of the return legs; maybe few are expecting anyone outside of a select few clubs to pose a serious threat. The thrill of the Champions League has been lost with the elimination of the away goal rule in 2021, as UEFA said that it was “no longer appropriate for an away goal to carry more weight than one scored at home.”

Go back to some of the most memorable Champions League matches from previous seasons while the away goals rule was in force. Barcelona advanced over Chelsea thanks to a last-minute equalizer from Andres Iniesta (2009). The 2018 comeback by Roma against Barcelona. Spurs defeated Ajax and Manchester City following thrilling matches (2019). Now, extra time would be played in each of those games, which is usually a tight and cagey period of football.

If the away goal was still in existence, the following three of this season’s last-16 matches—Inter vs. Atletico (1-0), Porto vs. Arsenal (1-0), and Lazio vs. Bayern (1-0)—would be ideal setups. The suspenseful, edge-of-your-seat danger of previous campaigns is absent now.