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Forward of Thursday’s draw for the 2022-23 Champions League group stage, UEFA has launched its annual technical report into final season’s competitors.
The report breaks down the whole 2021-22 event in nice element, inspecting the technical and tactical elements of each recreation from the primary spherical by way of to the ultimate, which noticed Real Madrid emerge victorious with a 1-0 verdict over Liverpool on the Stade de France, Paris.
As standard the report was compiled utilizing enter from UEFA’s choose technical observer group — a bunch that included Frank de Boer, Gareth Southgate, Robbie Keane and Claude Makelele amongst many notable names. For the primary time no less than one member of the technical observer group was in attendance at each single Champions league recreation — that is 125 video games in whole from matchday 1 onwards.
The entire UEFA document is 106 pages long and densely filled with info. We perceive if the mere considered trawling by way of such a weighty tome is daunting. Fortunately we have pressed forward and picked by way of the file in your behalf, cherry-picking essentially the most attention-grabbing details, figures and fundamentals to provide the predominant takeaways.
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Liverpool have been victims of their very own success
Whereas it was apparent to all that Liverpool have been beginning to flag by the point they reached the Champions League remaining, the UEFA technical observer group made some extent of singling out the Reds’ heavy workload as a key issue of their wrestle to compete in Paris.
Jurgen Klopp’s facet have been chasing an unprecedented Quadruple and whereas their willingness to battle on 4 fronts introduced them tantalisingly shut to creating historical past, of their breakdown of the ultimate itself the panel have been left questioning whether or not such and lengthy and arduous marketing campaign “lastly advised in Liverpool’s 63rd match” of the season.
Belgium coach Roberto Martinez famous within the report that he “did not see their regular power and so they did not have the house for the entrance three,” whereas former AC Milan and Actual MAdrid boss Fabio Capello mentioned: “I noticed Liverpool not as quick. The ball was moved slowly.”
The person efficiency of Actual goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois might need had an affect too with the Belgian instantly answerable for thwarting Liverpool on 9 events because the Premier League facet mustered 24 photographs (9 on course) compared to Los Blancos’ meagre 4 (one on course).
Former Liverpool goalkeeper David James mentioned: “If [Courtois] would not make two unimaginable saves Liverpool win the sport and now we have a very totally different dialogue right here,”
In fact, the Reds’ did finish 2021-22 with two home cups to their title, although it is maybe slightly galling to understand they could have come on the expense of a way more illustrious prize.
Benzema was the star of the present
With 15 objectives in 12 video games within the Champions League, Karim Benzema loved his most interesting season in a Actual Madrid shirt in 2021-22, passing the 40-goal mark in all competitions and all on the age of 34.
The plentiful objectives have been married with a powerful work price that noticed the veteran striker lead the road for Carlo Ancelotti’s facet with gusto, repeatedly dropping deep or shifting out extensive, holding up play and customarily serving as a one-man attacking hub for his teammates.
With the UEFA report poetically heralding him for “taking part in in a state of grace,” Benzema scored 15 objectives from 46 photographs with a conversion price of 32.6% — essentially the most environment friendly ending of any participant to attain 10 or extra objectives in final season’s Champions League.
Robert Lewandowski was second on the checklist having scored 13 objectives from 31 photographs (41.9%) for Bayern Munich whereas then-Ajax ahead Sebastian Haller was third with 11 from 24 (45.8%).
These stirring performances noticed Benzema head Actual’s cost to a 14th European title earlier than being named as UEFA’s Champions League Males’s Participant of the Season, and it is honest to say that no one else actually got here shut within the working.
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Lionel Messi speaks about profitable the 2021 Ballon d’Or forward of Robert Lewandowski and Karim Benzema’s hopes in 2022.
Champions League Purpose of the Season
Benzema capped off a first-class Champions League marketing campaign by scoring what the UEFA committee considered as the perfect objective, specifically the Actual Madrid striker’s stupendous header towards reigning champions Chelsea within the quarterfinals.
The objective was the primary of a hat trick scored by Benzema in a 3-1 victory for Actual at Stamford Bridge — the Frenchman opening the scoring by placing an skilled of completion to a counter-attack he initiated.
In an interview with UEFA a number of months later, Benzema additionally picked the objective as his private favorite strike of 2021-22, citing the “stunning play” within the build-up with Vinicius Junior because the deciding issue.
https://twitter.com/UEFAcom_fr/status/1531587312781516801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Tactical developments du jour
At the start, the scrapping of the away objectives rule for the 2021-22 Champions League was applauded within the technical report for ushering in a brand new period of sporting spectacle within the knockout levels. The panel famous the overwhelming majority of first-leg ties particularly have been “extra enticing” as direct results of the house crew not having to be so overly occupied with conserving a clear sheet.
Elsewhere, again fives have been all the trend with 17 of the 32 groups concerned beginning no less than one recreation with both a central defensive three plus wing-backs both facet of the defence. Maybe as a direct outcome, there was additionally a notable penchant for the lesser-spotted “entrance 5,” with Bayern Munich the prime instance.
With two wingers, two superior midfielders and an ace striker in Lewandowski on the tip, Bayern used their “5 Lanes” strategy to attain extra objectives (31) than every other crew within the competitors for the third consecutive season and likewise recorded the most important single-game win (7-1 over Salzburg within the spherical of 16).
Sadly, that did not forestall Julian Nagelsmann’s attacking heavyweights from crashing out to the comparatively inexperienced underdogs Villarreal within the quarterfinals.
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Leaving it late
On common, the most efficient interval in Champions League matches by way of objectives final season was between the 61st and seventy fifth minutes although the 2021-22 marketing campaign additionally noticed extra objectives scored in second-half damage time (25) than ever earlier than.
A complete of 12 of these 25 objectives have been scored by substitutes, highlighting the significance of utilising the squad and getting contemporary tactical impetus from the bench. Total, practically 1 / 4 of objectives (23%) have been scored past the 76th minute, together with in added time.
Atletico Madrid veteran Luis Suarez scored the most recent profitable objective within the competitors together with his 97th-minute penalty conversion towards AC Milan within the group stage, whereas Actual Madrid ahead Rodrygo scored extra late objectives than every other participant — with 4 of his 5 objectives within the competitors coming within the eightieth minute or past.
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Masking the bottom
Health ranges have been greater than ever because the Champions League fairly actually broke new floor by way of distance lined.
Dynamo Kyiv might have fallen brief by way of possession however what they lacked in time on the ball they greater than made up for in distance run, with the Ukrainians masking extra of the pitch than every other facet within the competitors (a mean of 123.05 kilometres per match).
Swiss facet Young Boys have been second on the checklist (121.26 km) and Pep Guardiola’s industrious Man Metropolis crew have been third (120.57 km).
Conversely, rivals Manchester United have been rooted proper down on the backside of the checklist, wallowing in second backside with a lowly common of simply 114.3 km. Oddly, it was Paris Saint-Germain who lined much less floor in unison than every other facet, wallowing on the backside the checklist with a lowly tally of simply 106.34 km.
By way of particular person gamers, Sheriff midfielder Sebastien Thill — the scourge of Actual Madrid — lined extra distance per recreation than every other participant within the Champions League final season, with a mean of 12.81 km per match.
His crew might need been near-stationary, however PSG whippet Kylian Mbappe reclaimed his throne because the quickest participant in Europe’s elite competitors after being clocked sprinting at 36.7 km/h towards Actual Madrid within the spherical of 16. The French ahead was additionally beforehand ranked because the quickest participant within the 2019-20 marketing campaign.
Benfica‘s Darwin Nunez (now of Liverpool) clocked the second-quickest dash of 2021-22 at 36.5km/h (22.7 mp/h), together with his former teammate Rafa Silva (36.4 km/h), Bayern’s Alphonso Davies (36.3 km/h) and Madrid’s Federico Valverde (36.2 km/h) rounding off the highest 5.