8!
Here we are, well into the business end of another UEFA Champions League, one of the last before it becomes an even more bloated cash grab... Savour what you can still manage to of it while it lasts.
But how do these quarter-finalists of 2022/23 rank?
8. Milan
For the first time since 2012, Milan are in a Champions League quarter-final, having burned through nine managers since that time. If you’d said 15 years ago that the Rossoneri would have 11 years between quarter-final appearances in a competition they’ve won seven times, it would sound absurd. But such is the youthfulness and nascence of this Milan side that even this Last 8 attendance seems ahead of schedule. Hence, why they rank lowest here. Milan saw off Spurs in the last round, but only just, and while the return of Mike Maignan is a boost, they still looked ill-equipped to go beyond this stage.
7. Chelsea
Three wins on the bounce for the Blues. Have they finally turned a corner under Graham Potter? Not really. Chelsea recovered from a first-leg setback to beat Dortmund in the Last 16, but a lot of that is still down as much to the Dortmund-ism of Dortmund as it is to the London team’s strengths; they still displayed any sense of playing superiority against opponents. The defence is not half-bad, and looks like the only area with a modicum of stability in this still-chaotic side, but if Chelsea are to make it two Champions League titles in three years, conviction has to come fast.
6. Inter
Like their city rivals, Inter are in a Champions League quarter-final for the first time since 2012. And like their city rivals, they haven’t offered the most convincing argument of going any further than this round so far. The Nerazzurri mostly held on and rode their luck in the second leg against Porto, and have played jump-rope with the consistency scale since the World Cup; so much so that inner voices about maybe getting rid of Simone Inzaghi are starting to become whispers. A quarter-final exit would by no means be a shame, and one might be forthcoming.
5. Benfica
Two quarter-final appearances in a row for Benfica, which hasn’t happened in the history of the Champions League since its rebranding. But while last season’s appearance was more of a shock, this has felt like an expectation, if not inevitability. Benfica have been next-to-imperious this season, not least in the Champions League, where they are yet to taste defeat. They were expected to beat Club Brugge in the last round, but provided a statement aggregate win to go with it. No one is looking forward to getting them in Friday’s draw.
4. Bayern Munich
Speaking of being imperious, Bayern Munich have won every game in the Champions League this season. In fact, the only goals they’ve conceded in this competition were to Viktoria Plzen in October – and they were already 4-0 up in that game. Julian Nagelsmann’s side dusted off PSG in the last round with some ease and almost reckless abandon, for a fourth quarter-final in a row. So, why don’t they rank higher on this list? Perhaps the unanswered question about Nagelsmann at Bayern Munich is what would happen when he comes up against the elite managers of other European giants, which one could say he hasn’t really done yet in his time in Munich. Plus, they were outwitted by Villarreal at this stage last season. All is looking up on the continent for Die Roten, but there’s still a ceiling to smash.
3. Manchester City
A 7-0 win is always welcome, and City are finally looking like they’re hitting their stride in 2022/23. But ‘finally looking like’ might be the set of words to look out for here. There’s no doubting City’s quality or Pep Guardiola’s will to win this competition – miniscule event changes here and there, and they could easily have won two in a row by now – and they seemed to have found a way to stifle opposition counter-attacks. But City still look a little off the pace up front, despite having a striker who’s scored 39 goals in 36 games this season, and even when they get into gear, have a habit of passing up chances. It cost them last season; they’ll be wary of that this time. Then again, there’s something beneficial about having a striker who’s scored 39 goals in 36 games.
2. Napoli
Yes. Napoli are inexperienced on this front. Yes. Luciano Spalletti is no old-stager at this stage of European competition. Yes. Tournament football is so dependent on so many variables and strokes of fortune, that sometimes, playing good football is hardly enough. But, boy, Napoli are playing some good football. There are the sheer numbers in itself; 87 goals in all competitions this season, only 24 conceded, an 82% win rate so far; 25 goals and seven wins in eight in the Champions League (the only defeat an inconsequential one), Khvicha Kvaratskhelia has 25 goals and assists combined, Victor Osimhen has 25 goals alone. Then there’s the eye test; not just with how good the football is, but the smug sense of inevitability with Napoli whenever they play, a sense that they will have their way come what may. A first league title in over three decades is all but wrapped up, and there’s no betting against them completing a league and European cup double.
1. Real Madrid
Ultimately, it’s them. It’s still them. What marks Real Madrid out from everyone else is multi-faceted quality they possess; the ability to outplay you, if that fails outfight you, and if that fails out-maximise you. The unrelenting aura of rolling with the punches before delivering some devastating blows of their own. Even when Liverpool raced into a two-goal in the first leg of the Last 16, and Real looked like architects of their own downfall, they never looked flustered. They’ve been here too many times to be. The Champions Leagues continues to ‘unlock special powers’ for Los Blancos, and they have the perfect manager in Carlo Ancelotti. Their form in the league in 2023 hasn’t been the best, and they did display vulnerability against Liverpool. But none of this is new. Real almost bait you into the challenge, and almost seem to relish tempting you that have a shot with them. But until you prove otherwise, you don’t. and sometimes, even when you do, you still don’t. They’ll never be the best team on the continent or lay down a marker in terms of what to imitate and emulate on the pitch. But they sure know how to do the job.
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