The 2024/25 European season saw major changes to the format of the UEFA contests. Gone is the round-robin group stage of the competition, replaced by a so-called Swiss league. We have 36 teams rather than 32, and a guaranteed eight games for each club, rather than six. Whatever the rights, wrongs or reasonings behind the new structure, it will certainly provide a little bit of a novelty factor in this, its first year, and possibly beyond.
Quite how teams will fare, and whether we will see some surprises among the eight at the top remains to be seen. Those eight will automatically make it through to the knockout phase. Of course, we might also see some shocks among the next 16 who progress to a play-off game, and also the bottom 12 who are eliminated from European competition entirely, with no safety net of the Europa League.
After two games for all 36 teams, the league table is starting to take a little shape but already we have seen some surprise results. It is very early days but the English quartet have made good starts, with all four in the top 13 at present and all but Arsenal in the crucial top eight. Overall, it would have taken a football genius, or the world’s most powerful quantum computer perhaps, to predict a top four of Borussia Dortmund, Brest, Benfica and Bayer Leverkusen.
Arsenal and Man City are the two lowest-ranked English sides, whilst giants Barca, Bayern and Real Madrid are languishing down in 16th, 15th and 17th respectively. Some of that is explained by the most recent games in the competition, which saw more than its fair share of surprises.
Villa Victorious on Magical Night
Villa’s rise (and rise) under Unai Emery has been genuinely remarkable. When he took over after 12 games of the 2022/23 season, they were just three points off the relegation zone but he turned things around quickly and guided them to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League. In just two years, the former Arsenal manager has completely changed the mood at Villa and after they finished fourth last term, they played in the Champions League for the first time in their history.
They had last played in the competition when it was called the European Cup, way back in 1982/83 when they lost to Juve in the quarters. Given where they have been for much of the intervening four decades or so, such games must have felt like a million miles away but Emery has brought the good times back. Villa actually won the European Cup in 1982, beating Bayern Munich 1-0 – could that be an omen?
Kane and Co Draw a Blank
Thanks to a stunning goal from Villa super-sub – a description that doesn’t do him justice – Jhon Duran, Emery’s team repeated that 1-0 success against Bayern. They managed to prevent Harry Kane, who is in red-hot form, from scoring, and may just now dare to dream of doing the impossible.
Villa remain a 40/1 shot to win the UCL this term but Emery has previously stated that winning the competition was his aim with the club. He wanted the players and fans not to limit their ambitions and, crazy as it sounded then, perhaps it was a more realistic target than anyone thought.
It was a memorable night at Villa Park, so many years after Peter Withe’s famous goal in Rotterdam in 1982. Bayern did not deserve to lose but Emery had a plan and his side carried it out brilliantly. They needed a brilliant late save from controversial goalie Emi Martinez to prevent Kane from nicking an equaliser at the death but ultimately they got the job done.
Two games in this revamped Champions League have brought two wins and six points. Villa sit sixth, with a total of seven teams tied on that tally and a healthy goal difference of +4. With a home game against Bologna to come, followed by a trip to Club Brugge, they could very easily have 12 points from 12. Emery will be expecting that, Villa fans will be hoping for it, and it promises to be a hell of a season for the club.
Real Madrid Stunned
Villa’s win was a surprise but it was not the biggest shock of the night. That came in the shape of Lille’s 1-0 home win over defending champions Real Madrid. The French outfit have never won this competition before – they have only played it eight times before this campaign. They have won just four Ligue 1 titles, whilst in contrast Real Madrid have lifted the UCL on a record 15 occasions, in addition to winning two UEFA Cups and a whopping 36 La Liga titles.
This was a true David versus Goliath and, sticking with form, David won. Real had not been beaten in 36 games but got a stone in the head in the shape of a goal from Lille forward Jonathan David. His penalty in stoppage time at the end of the first half was the only goal of the game and prevented Los Blancos from equalling a club record of 15 games unbeaten in this competition.
Real may have edged the clash but they were a long way away from their best and showed signs of frustration. They missed a number of decent chances and had an xG at full time almost double Lille’s. But it is goals that count and the French side’s win leaves them above PSG in the table, though behind Real on goal difference.
Another Big Surprise
Another contender for the shock of the night must be Benfica’s incredible win over Atletico Madrid. The Portuguese side strolled to a 4-0 victory at home and more surprising than the score was that it was fully deserved, Atleti not even managing a shot on target.
Benfica are managed by Bruno Lage, who survived just 51 games at Wolves, but the Portuguese boss, in his second stint with the club, very much got the better of the hugely experienced Diego Simeone. The win propelled Benfica to third in the nascent table, with Madrid down in 23rd!