What to expect in 2014 UEFA Champions League Semi Finals

What to expect in 2014 UEFA Champions League Semi Finals

Posted by Ebenezer Obasi on Thursday, April 10, 2014 0

Sponsored Advertisement?

At this stage of the competition last season, Bayern entered the semi-final by beating Juventus 4-0 on aggregate, a team that was arguably a much better team than the current Manchester United. Juve never looked like having any chance against Bayern, the same with Barcelona in the semi-final, but both Arsenal and United this season had great chances and moments against Bayern.

Arsenal were a man down when Bayern started to outplaying them in the first-leg and up until then they looked like a match for Bayern, while they held their own in the 2nd leg. Against United, they fell behind in both matches, and this season United have been outplayed by many teams across England, but they Bayern won because they're the stronger side, and strong teams know how to win when playing badly. Even City won in Munich and if it wasn't for Pellegrini's historic mix-up, they could've qualified first instead of Bayern.

My point is, at this stage last season, Heynckes' Bayern were tearing teams apart in Europe and no team had any chances against team, such high were their intensity, but Guardiola's Bayern, although unsurprisingly because of their coach's style of football, are playing the patient game, not so close to "tiki-taka", but something like that, and my opinion is that it takes away those breathtaking and aggressiveness style that Bayern produced last season. They need to play much better if they are to repeat last year's success.

The Champions League is truly wide open. All four teams are very strong teams with top managers, who I believe are among the top 5 managers in the world. Bayern and Guardiola need no introduction, although they both need to improve if they are to reach the final. Ancelotti's Madrid are arguably 2nd favorites, although they escaped another collapse at Dortmund last night, the sky is the limit for them if they play to their full potential. This will be the 4th semi-final in a row in the CL for Madrid players, so they should have enough experience from those defeats, and in Ancelotti, they have a coach with a proven resume in this competition, and their recent matches aside, Madrid have looked unbeatable during most stages of this season.

The outsiders at this stage, on paper of course, are Chelsea and Atletico Madrid, but they both have two factors in their team that's been the main reason behind their march towards the semi-final, and those factors are Mourinho and Simeone. Without them, I truly believe none of these two teams would've made it this far. Both teams have a similar style of play and charachter, although with different type of players, but they both rely on a strong and organized defense, play on counter attacks and play to their opponent's weaknesses. Both coaches have given their team a very winning and strong mentality, and with Mourinho and Simeone on the bench, anything is possible for them.

I would like to see Bayern vs Atletico, but that's mostly because I'm hoping to see Chelsea vs Real Madrid, so those few Madrid players who never let Mourinho lead his team and his players to success like he does at all of his clubs can have the chance to play against a manager who could've gained them much more success, only if they appreciated him a bit more. Ancelotti would also be facing his former players and it will just be a fantastic battle between two great coaches and teams.

Bayern vs Atletico will also be very interesting, as it will be another clash of styles, because Atletico will basically be playing a Bayern side that rely on possession and passing game, while they will once again play their deep defensive line and rely on their physical strength, although Bayern players are no Barca players, because many of them are big physical players as well, but Simeone can really give Guardiola's Bayern a tough time.

Madrid vs Chelsea
Bayern vs Atletico