2022–23 UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals Elimination Analysis

The quest for Champions League glory has come to an end for four more clubs, with a Europa League journey coming to a particularly abrupt end for another. This gives us an opportunity to take a look at where these clubs are at going into the end of this current season and with next season just around the corner.

Chelsea: Next Season Away from Europe Critical to Establish Stability Identity

Real Madrid had ample quality and experience in the Champions League knockout stages to eliminate a struggling Chelsea side. Image Credit: Independent UK.

Current League Position: 11th

Stamford Bridge: Chelsea 0–2 Real Madrid (0–2 first leg)

58’ 0–1 Rodrygo (Vinicius)

80’ 0–2 Rodrygo (Valverde)

Chelsea XI (Frank Lampard caretaker; 3–5–2 or 3–5–1–1): Kepa Arrizabalaga; Wesley Fofana, Thiago Silva(c), Trevoh Chalobah; Reece James, Mateo Kovacic, Enzo Fernandez(67’ Sterling), N’Golo Kante, Marc Cucurella(67’ Mudryk); Conor Gallagher(76’ Felix); Kai Havertz(77’ Mount)

Out: Armando Broja (knee), Ben Chilwell (suspended), Kalidou Koulibaly (hamstring)

Of all of the clubs listed here and even all 16 to reach the knockout stage of the Champions League, Chelsea have been the biggest disappointments. The issues are glaring but there’s no easy fix. While every fan wants their club to play Champions League football consistently, or at least European football of some form, Chelsea are in desperate need of a break. There’s no telling what manager would be willing to gamble their career replacing Frank Lampard as caretaker next term, nor should the club legend be given a second chance as permanent boss. More players should be exiting Stamford Bridge than entering as there’s already a surplus of potential talent.

Napoli: Future Serie A Champions to Learn from Milan Humbling

After a strong group stage campaign, Napoli became a popular dark horse pick to win the Champions League but their run ended against AC Milan. Image Credit: CBS Sports.

Stadio San Paolo: Napoli 1–1 AC Milan (0–1 first leg)

22’ Giroud penalty saved

43’ 0–1 Giroud (Leao)

82’ Khvicha Kvaratskhelia penalty saved

90+3’ 1–1 Osimhen (Raspadori)

Napoli XI (Luciano Spalletti; 4–3–3): Alex Meret; Giovanni Di Lorenzo(c), Amir Rrahmani(75’ Ostigard), Juan Jesus, Mario Rui(34’ Olivera injury sub); Tanguy Ndombele(63’ Elmas), Stanislav Lobotka, Piotr Zieliński(75’ Raspadori); Matteo Politano(34’ Lozano injury sub), Victor Osimhen, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia

Out: Kim Min-jae (suspended), Andre-Franck Zambo-Anguissa (suspended), Giovanni Simeone (thigh)

Fans of Italian football have been thoroughly entertained over the last few seasons as there will be a third new Serie A champion in as many seasons following the end of Juventus’s dominance. Furthermore, there will be five Italian clubs featuring in Semi Finals of European Competition this campaign: AC Milan and Internazionale in UCL, Juventus and AS Roma in UEL, and Fiorentina in the Conference League. Napoli narrowly missed out thanks to AC Milan, opponents that thrashed the Naples based club 4–0 in the league as well. With eight games left in the league, Napoli’s 17 point cushion over 2nd place Lazio with seven games left all but seals the title and Champions League qualification that comes with it next season. Their expectations and future depends largely on the dynamic duo up front of Victor Osimhen and Khvara Khavaratskhelia.

Bayern Munich: Too Quick on the Trigger; Patience Needed to be Kings of Europe

It was a disappointing way for Bayern Munich to go out of the Champions League, offering little resistance to Manchester City’s quality. Image credit: Bavarian Football Works.

Current League Position: 2nd (1 point behind Dortmund)

Allianz Arena: Bayern Munich 1–1 Manchester City (1–4 Aggregate)

38’ Haaland penalty miss (wide above crossbar)

57’ 1–0 Haaland (de Bruyne)

84’ 1–1 Kimmich penalty

Bayern XI (Thomas Tuchel; 4–2–3–1): Yann Sommer; Benjamin Pavard(77’ Stanisic), Matthijs De Ligt, Dayot Upamecano, João Cancelo(63’ Davies); Joshua Kimmich(c), Leon Goretzka; Leroy Sané(63’ Mane), Jamal Musiala(71’ Muller), Kingsley Coman; Eric-Maxim Choupo-Moting(71’ Tel)

Out: Manuel Neuer(leg), Theo Hernandez(knee)

This season could’ve looked a lot different had Bayern Munich just trusted Julian Nagelsmann to finish the season and hash out anything that needed to in the offseason. Winning the Bundesliga is a high honor, but having won the league every season for the last decade I think many Bayern fans could’ve gone without it this time around had it meant winning another Champions League. There’s still enough great players at this club, including young talents like Jamal Musiala, for there to be success in future seasons to come. The biggest issue is the board has caused distrust from the fanbase for that quick trigger managerial decision.

SL Benfica: Back to Back Quarter Finals the Ceiling?

Despite the second leg scoreline, Inter Milan realistically were in control of most of the tie. Image Credit: Football Italia.

Current League Position: 1st (4 points ahead of FC Porto)

San Siro: Inter Milan 3–3 Benfica (5–3 Aggregate)

1–0 14’ Barella (Martinez)

1–1 38’ Aursnes (R. Silva)

2–1 66’ Martinez (Dimarco)

3–1 78’ Correa (Dimarco)

3–2 86’ A. Silva (Grimaldo)

3–3 90–5’ Musa

Benfica XI (Roger Schmidt; 4–2–3–1): Odisseas Vlachodimos; Gilberto Junior(46’ Neres), Antonio Silva, Nicolas Otamendi(c), Alex Grimaldo; Florentino Luis, Chiquinho(81’ Musa); Rafa Silva(81’ João Neves), João Mario, Fredrik Aursnes; Goncalo Ramos(74’ Guedes)

Out: Alexander Bah(knee), Julian Draxler(ankle)

There’s no shame in a Quarter Final run for any club outside of the Big Five Leagues in Europe, and while Ajax did go one step further to the Semi Finals in the 2018–19 UEFA Champions League, Benfica might be wondering if they’ve hit their ceiling in this current football landscape. You can make a case for either the Liga Portuguese or the Eredivisie to be the next best league outside of the Big Five, and the ability for the giants in those leagues to perpetually produce talented players is phenomenal. Even this season Benfica sold Darwin Nunez to Liverpool in the summer and Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea in January and still haven’t missed a beat. But as long as the paychecks from the bigger leagues keep luring players away, it’ll be tough to envision Benfica getting a step further. At least they are looking strong and likely to win the domestic league and they showed a lot of fight and ability in the second leg against Inter.

Bonus: Manchester United’s Depth Prevents Greater Progress

Marcel Sabitzer’s brace in the first leg gave Manchester United a lift, but it was all Sevilla from there. Image Credit: Manchester Evening News.

Current League Position: 4th (Tied with Newcastle on points but behind on GD)

On one hand, Sevilla have taken down many big clubs that have swam in their Europa League waters. On the other hand, Sevilla’s shark like reputation in that competition is contrasted by their woeful La Liga campaign currently sitting 13th and only 7 points clear of relegation. Arsenal and Liverpool have found out the hard way that they can push Manchester City for a title challenge, but the even harder reality for Manchester United is that they have a long way to go to even get to that level. The starting eleven is strong while carrying question marks, the biggest being David de Gea. The Spanish shotstopper is inconsistent at best these days and doesn’t justify the monster wages he’s on.

The spine of the team is formidable with the former Real Madrid foundation of Raphael Varane at the back and Casemiro in midfield, with Lisandro Martinez a revelation of a signing too. When that trio is absent, the poor depth of the squad is exposed. Erik ten Hag remains a capable leader to build Manchester United back up to a Premier League challenging side rather than its current status as a fringe Top Four outfit, but that metamorphosis will not happen overnight. Their FA Cup Semi Final victory over Brighton on penalties presents one last opportunity to measure themselves against their cross town rivals.