Thiago and Aguero shine in Champions League team of the round
It’s fair to say that the return of the Champions League didn’t disappoint over the last ten days, with all eight matches in the first knockout phase providing real entertainment. There were certainly some matches that stood out more than others, with PSG’s mauling of Barcelona and Manchester City’s 8-goal thriller with Monaco perhaps the most memorable.
With 34 goals scored across the first legs of the round of 16 ties, there were unsurprisingly some outstanding individual displays to boot, with as many as seven sides represented in WhoScored.com’s Champions League team of the round.
One of three goalkeepers to keep a clean sheet, it’s little surprise that Ederson Moraes makes the cut as his heroics ensured Benfica will take a slender advantage to the Westfalenstadion. The young Brazilian is being closely monitored by the biggest clubs on the continent and if last Tuesday’s showing was anything to go by it isn’t hard to see why. A second half penalty stop from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyamng was one of five saves to earn Moraes the WhoScored.com man of the match award against Dortmund.
Defenders from Juventus, PSG and Benfica make up a back four that failed to ship a single goal either, with Moraes’ teammate and captain Luisao at its heart. The veteran centre-back not only performed admirably to keep Thomas Tuchel’s men at bay, with 3 tackles, 5 interceptions and 9 clearances, but also provided the assist for Kostas Mitroglu’s decider just after half-time.
The 36-year old is partnered by Giorgio Chiellini, who had a more comfortable night than he would have anticipated at the Dragao. The big news ahead of the game was that Leonardo Bonucci had been dropped, putting pressure on Chiellini and Barzagli to perform, but in truth their tasked was made straightforward by Alex Telles’ first half dismissal. Nevertheless, the Italy international was in fine form, producing 3 interceptions and completing 97 of 100 passes.
Teammate Alex Sandro joins Chiellini in defence after a man of the match showing back at his old club. The left-back provided the assist for what could prove a decisive second goal from compatriot Dani Alves, which was one of four key passes on the night. With a further four tackles and four accurate crosses it’s fair to say the Porto fans saw the best of their former flyer.
Completing the backline, Thomas Meunier was one of a large number of PSG players to excel as the Parisians ran riot against Barcelona. The Belgian produced the most tackles of any player over the last week (8) to really limit Neymar’s influence, while a total of 7 clearances was the most for Emery’s side. Moreover, the 25-year old then turned provider as Edinson Cavani completed one of the most shocking humiliations in recent memory in the Champions League.
Accompanying Meunier in the XI are clubmates Di Maria and Draxler, who gave the hosts a deserved 3-0 lead at the Parc des Princes last Tuesday. The former scored two superb goals prior to being withdrawn on the hour mark, while also creating a team high of four key passes. It means that the former United winger has now scored twice as many Champions League goals (4) as he has managed in a faltering Ligue 1 campaign, and the Argentine seems to have been sparked into life by the arrival of Draxler.
Desperate to avoid losing his place in the side after a disappointing run of form, Di Maria has improved markedly, while Draxler himself has also made an immediate impression. His powerful finish last week ensured the German had scored on his cup, league and European debut for PSG since a move to the French capital, with 3 dribbles and 4 interceptions proving just how effective the 23-year old was both with and without the ball.
There’s an enviable blend of steel and style at the heart of the midfield, with Casemiro providing the former despite the fact that his standout moment from last Wednesday was one of great beauty. Arriving late to a scrappy Real Madrid attack, the Brazilian saw the ball drop to him from 25-yards out and duly volleyed a stunning strike into Pepe Reina’s net. It was a third goal of great importance to Zidane’s side, who had conceded an early away goal that would have left the second leg in Naples very much in the balance, while the 7 interceptions he made on the night was the highest of any player from the latest round of fixtures.
Casemiro’s midfield partner is Thiago Alcantara, whose dominance of proceedings against an Arsenal side that fell to pieces at the Allianz earns him the player of the round accolade, with a perfect 10 rating. The Spain international scored twice and registered the assist for Muller’s late strike to hand Bayern a huge 5-1 win over the Gunners, with the 25-year old at the heart of every attack from Ancelotti’s men. Alcantara had 113 touches on the night and completed 92.2% of his passes, including 12 out of 12 long ball attempts.
Kevin Gameiro takes his place up front as he again linked up superbly with compatriot Antoine Griezmann and while the latter understandably takes the plaudits more often than not, it was the former Sevilla striker that stole the show on Tuesday. The 29-year old scored from the spot having assisted Griezmann in the first half - one of six times he has done so in the league and Champions League this season - hitting the woodwork with another effort and completing 3 dribbles in a 4-2 win at Bayer Leverkusen.
Meanwhile, Sergio Aguero completes the line up having scored a decisive brace at the Etihad in a game that will go down in Champions League history as the first ever knockout tie to see eight goals scored in total. The Argentine’s future at City may be up in the air, particularly following the instant impact of the now-injured Gabriel Jesus, but he proved that he is still among the continent’s most clinical finishers and key to Guardiola’s hopes of progressing to the quarter-finals for the ninth successive season as a manager. His assist for the hosts’ fifth of the night from Leroy Sane may yet be crucial ahead of the second leg in Monaco.
