How Will The 2013-2014 Champions League Shape Up With New Managers At Top Teams?
Nicholas Spiller
The upcoming European soccer year is set to be an extremely enticing one. With the 2014 World Cup in Brazil just one year away, players are desperately trying to assert themselves within their national teams, while knowing that only good performances in high-profile matches will merit legitimate World Cup squad consideration.
Enter the 2013-2014 UEFA Champions League. The most prominent matches in Europe will take place in the Champions League. Players and teams will be desperate to claim this prize next May in order to boost confidence ahead of their World Cup summer.
But there is a major catch when predicting favorites for who will win the Champions League: nearly every contender has undergone a managerial change, leaving this competition as wide open as it has ever been!
The following teams enter this season with a new manager: Bayern Munich (winners in 2013), Chelsea (winners in 2012), Barcelona (winners in 2006, 2009, and 2011), Manchester United (winners in 2008), Real Madrid (winners in 2002), Porto (winners in 2004), PSG, Manchester City, and Napoli.
Although, the last few teams mentioned have yet to win the competition, their teams are among the big spenders and house some of the best players in the world, suggesting that they will be in contention for the Champions League this season.
And so with such a sweeping change of managers flowing through the major European clubs this year, what can we expect from these teams? I feel there will be several major upsets in the early group stages of the Champions League.
Managers often bring new styles to clubs, and can sometimes have issues in properly organizing a new team for success, especially in clubs where there are superstar players. Just ask Jose Mourinho how his managerial days finished in Real Madrid.
The question, however, is will a major club end up dropping out of the Champions League altogether following the group stage? I believe that at least one or two of the above clubs will have that tragic fate, likely resulting in a very early sacking of their new manager.
As far as the clubs contending for the Champions League, one glance at the squads suggests a strong likelihood that the winner will come from this group of teams. The players on these squads are the best in the world, and they have much trophy-winning experience, both internationally and with their clubs.
Soccer is a sport played by the players, not the managers, so one would presume that there is still a strong possibility that someone like Barcelona or Chelsea will be hoisting the trophy in May.
And speaking of Chelsea, was their 2012 Champions League victory not produced by an interim manager named Roberto Di Matteo, who had taken over the managerial role in March, just two months before his team won the tournament? I still feel that star striker Didier Drogba had more to do with that run through his late-game heroics, but the fact remains that it is possible for a new manager to win trophies.
Nevertheless, the fact that so many of the Champions League contenders have new managers for the season leads me to suggest that the door may be open for a less prominent club to actually compete for and win the Champions League this season.
Consistency can be a good thing for a soccer club, and the following teams have not only experienced some successful runs in the tournament but also have managers that have been around for several years: Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, AC Milan, Shaktar Donetsk, Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Galatasaray, Shalke 04, Zenit St. Petersburg, Lyon.
These teams have consistently reached the knockout stages of the Champions League in recent seasons but usually end up bowing out of the tournament at the hands of a major club like Real Madrid or Manchester United. They have suffered, often experiencing moments of joy but rarely completing the feat to lift the trophy.
Even the historically successful Italian clubs like Juventus and AC Milan are surrounded with questions. Juventus is still trying to come back to form after a terrible betting scandal shook the club's foundation in 2006. They did just win Serie A and have several key players like Andrea Pirlo, Gianluigi Buffon, and newly signed Carlos Tevez.
AC Milan meanwhile is in a period of rebuilding. Although they have several young star players like Mario Balotelli and Stephan El Shaaraway, they lack veteran maturity. Nevertheless, both these clubs have had stable leadership from the manager and could click better as a team as the season wears on. The clubs also have prestigious histories of winning the competition.
Borussia Dortmund is another intriguing possibility, especially after their incredible run to the Champions League final last season. Although several key players are in the midst of defecting from the team, there is a very talented core group of players that play brilliantly under the direction of manager Jurgen Klopp. Perhaps this year the club can take the final step and win!
Then there is Arsenal. The London club is entering their 18th season under Arsene Wenger, and although there is just a lone 2006 Champions League final appearance, they could find themselves contending this season.
There are several talented players who are beginning to assert themselves on the international stage like Theo Walcott and Santi Cazorla. Both will be looking for strong seasons to earn a starting role at the Brazil World Cup for England and Spain.
Another fascinating second-tier European contender is Galatasaray from Turkey. Last year's quarterfinal run was spurred on by world stars like Didier Drogba and Wesley Sneijder, while the Turkish spine of players like Burak Yilmaz and Hamit Altintop display strength and eye-catching goals. Manager Fatih Terim has been in charge since 2011, but now has a squad that knows each other well and has tasted some success in the competition.
And so while the heavyweight contenders are still going to be the ones favored for winning this season's Champions League, I suspect that the new managers will actually have a tough time putting together their talented squads to work together.
Many of the various lesser clubs will now have stability, something that can inspire a strong run in such a tournament. Therefore, I expect this Champions League to be very competitive, result in several big upsets, and maybe even have a surprise winner from a non-major soccer club!
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