TThe second week of ties in the staggered Champions League last-16 was as cagey as the first, and there was plenty to play for in each of the second games. These are the best performances from a week in which no team managed to gain more than a one-goal lead.
Goalkeeper: Only two goalkeepers kept a clean sheet, although Porto’s Diogo Costa was not asked to make a save from Arsenal, nor was Inter’s Yann Sommer asked to face a shot on goal from an Atletico player , so the most attacking match of the week: PSV 1-1 Dortmund – conceded two contenders, with both goalkeepers getting many shots. Alexander Meijer beats Walter Benitez to the crown, but is only defeated by Luuk de Jong’s clever penalty.
Defender: With Napoli under the temporary management of Francesco Calzona following the dismissal of Walter Mazzarri, senior players are happy to be captain Giovanni di Lorenzo was asked to take on a heavy responsibility against Barcelona. Given the circumstances – and the opposition – a 1-1 draw was helpful, giving Italy’s fallen champions plenty to work with. As right back, Di Lorenzo came out on top in his personal duel with Barcelona’s Pedri.
Defender: Atlético Madrid is not the power of the past, but it does have proven class, especially Antoine Griezmann. Alessandro Bastoni who set up Inter’s defense by making three important interceptions and two blocks. Bastoni represents the best of the traditional Italian defense, but with a modern edge that has seen the likes of Manchester City linked to him. He was the excellent defender in a tight game at San Siro. More of the same will be needed in Madrid next month.
Defender: The eternal competition, Pepe, showed all his tricks when Arsenal were suffocated and frustrated in Porto. He turns 41 next week and was still busy intercepting and scaring Arsenal’s rather meek attack, as he once did as a Real Madrid player. His class in getting the ball out of defense was also clearly evident. When it comes to the Champions League, few players have Pepe’s know-how and there are few signs he wants to quit.
Defender: Atlético Madrid’s glut of midfielders and defense injury crisis has meant they are short of players Axel Witsel in a three-man backline and the Belgian veteran showed that he remains a quality footballer by ensuring that the deficit with which his team returned to Spain does not widen. As Witsel said afterwards, it was ‘very unfortunate’ that a good first half was followed by a second in which Inter scored the goal.
Midfielder: In the early stages it seemed that way Nicolò Barella He might not be able to play such a big role, but after shaking off a blow, the prince of Italian football’s midfield quickly returned to his best. Atletico’s usual gritty style was employed but Barella, all poise and poise, kept the attackers at bay. It was Barella’s hunches that posed the biggest threat to Diego Simeone’s team.
Midfielder: Maybe more as a ball player than as a muscular defender Andreas Christensen has always been better suited to playing as a midfielder than a centre-back, but it is still strange to see him occupying Sergio Busquets’ position deep in Barcelona’s midfield. Against Napoli, in a scrappy match, Christensen seemed comfortable with that, if not a long-term solution to replace the irreplaceable.
Midfielder: Asked to play as part of a five-man midfield when Arsenal had the ball, Galeno, a winger by nature, was asked to chase back just as Francisco Conceição was on the other flank. During the attack, the pair were asked to be part of an attacking trident. The plan, drawn up by Sergio Conceição, Francisco’s father, worked like a dream, although Galeno might have scored before his late heartbreaker for Arsenal as he thought his second attempt at a rebound had gone in. The goalkeeping looked a bit suspect, was a gem of a chip from a player who maintained his threat throughout the 90 minutes.
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Forward: In the battle for the elite strikers at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona it ended a goal each between Robert Lewandowski and Victor Osimhen. Both scored clinical goals, with Lewandowski’s clipped in from the edge of the area, but Osimhen, with virtually his only goal attempt, shook off Iñigo Martínez to crash past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. The younger man looked tired from his AfCon efforts, but in terms of chances-to-goals ratio, the Polish grandmaster looks the part.
Forward: His goal came from the penalty spot, but PSV’s Luuk de Jong showed why he is one of the most reliable, yet underrated, players on the continent. When PSV struggled for an outlet against Dortmund, De Jong’s movement and awareness was ever-present. And the player who became a cult hero during his short spell at Barcelona was as cool as ever on the penalty spot to become PSV’s record goalscorer in the Champions League.
Forward: As a substitute, Marko Arnautovic continued the rather strange Champions League presence of ex-Stoke City players in scoring Inter’s goal against Atlético. To follow Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting’s contributions, the former Potter and Hammer seized on Lautaro Martinez’s shot which was parried to score a second goal in five days for a player who has already scored Champions League goals in 2010.