The UEFA Champions League resumed on Tuesday night with some of the best teams in Europe in action. There were a few surprises as defending Champions Liverpool lost to Napoli while Chelsea also lost at home to Valencia.
Here, we look at the four big talking points from the first bunch of the matchday one matches.
Chelsea Shaky
Frank Lampard’s Chelsea was beaten at home by Spanish La Liga side Valencia in what was the English manager’s Champions League debut. The Blues have had a shaky start to their Premier League season and this was the case against Valencia.
Willian is past his best and wasted lots of good opportunities while Ross Barkley missed a penalty late on. Defensively, the team is all over the place and will need to tighten up before this Sunday’s clash with league leaders Liverpool at Stamford Bridge.
Julian Nagelsmann off to a flying start
The youngest head coach in world football, Julian Nagelsmann kicked off his Champions League career with a 2-1 away win to Portuguese side Benfica. The innovative tactician is one of the most highly regarded coaches at the moment at only 32 years of age.
With RB Leipzig, Nagelsmann is expected to give Bayern Munich a run for their money in the German Bundesliga but as the signs were on Tuesday night, he might also wreak havoc in the Champions League.
RB Salzburg could be this season’s surprise package
The biggest win of the night was courtesy of a 6-2drubbling of Genk by RB Salzburg. The Austrian giants have been making leaps in European football over the past few years and this year, it feels like they have something more to offer.
They favor an attacking brand of football which is pleasing to the eye and in their ranks is Erling Braut Haaland. The teenager is one of the best young players in Europe and helped himself to a hattrick on his Champions League debut against Genk. Salzburg could be this season’s surprise package.