UWCL talking points: Putellas' 200 goals; Hurtig saves Arsenal; are groups too easy?

Matchday four of this season’s UEFA Women’s Champions League saw a host of teams seal progress to the knockout round.

Arsenal left it late to beat Juventus 1-0, while Bayern Munich‘s shock 1-1 draw with Valerenga didn’t hurt their chances. Manchester City‘s 2-1 win over Hammarby sent them through, Barcelona eased past St. Pölten 4-1, Lyon beat Roma by the same scoreline, and Wolfsburg won 5-0 over Galatasaray again.

Chelsea stayed perfect and made things a lot easier for themselves than in the first leg by beating Celtic 3-0, while Real Madrid needed a late goal to come back to beat FC Twente 3-2.

All eyes are on matchday five now as Roma face Wolfsburg for one of the two remaining qualification spots, while Hammarby will have to produce one of the shocks of the century to oust Barcelona.

We asked our writers Emily Keogh, Beth Lindop and Sam Marsden to answer some of our burning questions.

Already qualified:

Group A: Lyon
Group B: Chelsea, Real Madrid
Group C: Bayern Munich, Arsenal
Group D: Manchester City

Still in contention: Roma, Wolfsburg, Barcelona, Hammarby

We have almost all of the quarterfinalists decided already, so will the new format help stop redundant games next year? And how key is it for a club to finish top of their group now?

Lindop: UEFA states that the adoption of the Swiss system in the Women’s Champions League next season will help to ensure “every match counts.”

Critics of the new model, which has now been implemented in the men’s competition, argue that it benefits the so-called bigger teams and removes some of the jeopardy from group-stage fixtures. So far, however, it has yielded several shock results and there is every chance the change in format will have a similar impact on the women’s competition next term.

For now, finishing top of the group has to be the aim for most of the teams hoping to progress to the quarterfinals. For Arsenal, it could be the difference between facing Lyon — eight-time Champions League winners and currently unbeaten in Division 1 Féminine — and Roma, who sit fourth in Serie A. Hopefully, that desire to top the group should preserve an element of competitiveness in the remaining games.

Keogh: Every season, we usually know several, if not all, of the teams progressing to the knockout round early, which eliminates the jeopardy of the final group games. However, even Chelsea, who have booked their place in the knockouts following four straight wins, may not top the group if Real Madrid, who also progressed from Group B, pull off a shock in the final two games. This doesn’t make the games redundant, but it does change their importance. The new format should introduce a more even playing field, allowing small teams to create shocks and making every game count more than it does now.

Marsden: The gap between the bigger teams and the rest feels as big, if not bigger than ever, so it’s hard to see why the change to the Swiss model will change things too much. But we live in hope because the competition has lacked drama so far this season.

That said, I think finishing top of the group will be hugely important and there are interesting games to come. Firstly, Wolfsburg and Roma are still battling to go through from Group A with Lyon and meet in Germany for a decider next. Then you have Arsenal and Barcelona looking to beat Bayern Munich and Manchester City respectively in their final games to jump to the top of their group. If City can somehow keep Barça at bay next month at the Olympic Stadium, it could really open up the draw with the Catalans going in as runners-up.

Arsenal striker Lina Hurtig had an eventful 10 minutes coming off the bench vs. Juventus. How big was her goal and how bad was that miss?

Keogh: Truthfully, the game was lacklustre and rather boring until the final 15 minutes. Despite the devoted 9,963 fans in attendance, the freezing weather made the game tough to watch in person. Arsenal squandered chance after chance and Juventus were stubborn, knowing a loss would knock them out.

So Hurtig was a critical introduction for the Gunners in the 79th minute. She has become something of a super sub under interim boss Renee Slegers and had four chances immediately — three missed (one from five-yards out with an empty goal in front of her); and one scored. Understanding her role has helped her as a player this season and of course she was critical to Sweden knocking the USWNT out of the 2023 World Cup, so if anyone can handle moments like this, it’s her.

Lindop: There’s no shying away from it; Hurtig’s initial miss was a bad one. But, in football, it’s all about how you respond to the setbacks and she did that admirably, bundling home a late winner from close range to secure Arsenal’s progression.

In many ways, the evening was a reflection of Hurtig’s career in north London so far. Having arrived to much fanfare from Juventus in 2022, the forward’s time at the club has been far from straightforward. A cocktail of injury issues and personal matters off the field have so far prevented her from truly hitting the heights for Arsenal but, under Slegers, Hurtig is fast becoming a hugely valuable member of the squad.

Marsden: There is a skill to being in the right place at the right time, and Hurtig showed that on Thursday when Arsenal needed it most against her former side. Even though she only played for 10 minutes, she had four of the nine shots her team managed across the entire match.

She headed into the side netting, missed a sitter, then had another effort off target, at which point she may have thought it was not her night. But she kept getting into those areas and was rewarded with a late tap-in, taking her combined xG to a staggering 1.78 for the evening. The goal itself was made by three substitutes, which may enhance the case for Slegers to be given the job until the end of the season after guiding the team safely through with two games to spare.

Outside of Bompastor, who has won all her games, which new coach has impressed you most?

Lindop: With a perfect record, Bompastor is obviously the standout when it comes to new coaches excelling in Europe this term. But her successor at Lyon, Joe Montemurro, is also impressing. Though his playing style has divided opinion among the Lyon fanbase at times, you can’t argue with his results. Lyon have won all four of their Champions League games so far, scoring 12 goals and conceding once. They are also unbeaten in the French Division 1 Féminine, having won seven of their eight league matches.

Montemurro enjoyed mixed fortunes during his time in charge at Arsenal, taking charge in 2017 and leading the club to the Women’s Super League title two years later. But he is a proven winner, having also won silverware in Australia with Melbourne City and in Italy with Juventus. Despite inheriting an impressive squad from Bompastor, the 55-year-old deserves credit for Lyon’s strong start this season.

Keogh: Elena Sadiku at Celtic would be my shout. She joined in January 2024 and clinched the Scottish Premier League title before making Celtic the first Scottish side to qualify for the Women’s Champions League group stage since it was introduced in 2020-21.

Though they have failed to pick up a point so far and their time in the competition may not have gone to plan, with giants like Real Madrid and Chelsea in the group, the odds were always going to be against them. They may have managed to score only one goal in four games — during their 2-1 loss to Chelsea — it carries some significant weight as it was the first time this season that the Blues have gone behind.

It has been a positive start for Celtic on their European journey and if they can secure a spot next season with the new UWCL format, they will want to show that they can better their efforts.

Marsden: The summer’s managerial merry-go-round could have opened up a window of opportunity for the teams in the second tier trying to break into the top. Instead, so far, it looks like the status quo has been maintained. That is credit to the new hires.

Bompastor is obviously doing great at Chelsea, Lyon remain a winning machine under Montemurro, and even Barça have recovered from a slow start (by their standards) under Pere Romeu and have scored 20 goals in three games since that surprise defeat to Man City. Romeu rotates a lot but in the big games we have seen him pick a more attacking lineup than his predecessor Jonatan Giráldez, with Keira Walsh often dropped in favour of a more attacking midfielder.

Just how impressive is Alexia Putellas’ 200 goals for Barcelona?

Marsden: The 200 goals are obviously impressive and highlight the importance of Putellas in Barça’s evolution into one of the best teams in the game. However, for me, the more significant number here is 10. That’s how many goals she has this season now and is further proof that she is re-finding her best form after her ACL injury. Last year was about getting back up to speed, and there were niggles along the way, but this season she looks like she really believes she can recapture her pre-injury performances.

“I am happy and it shows on the pitch,” she said this week.

Keogh: Putellas has proven time and time again how vital she is for Barcelona. The two-time Ballon d’Or winner has been pivotal for Barça’s attack and nothing seems to be slowing her down now she has returned.

We saw how the droves of Barcelona fans celebrated Putellas during the Champions League final in Bilbao when she scored to secure the victory in the 2-0 win over Lyon. Fans aptly coined her La Reina (The Queen) and with her prolific goal-scoring nature, it is easy to see why. After surpassing Luis Suárez’s 198 goals against Real Madrid with her 199th, she moved into Barcelona’s all-time top three scorers, only behind Lionel Messi (672) and César Rodríguez (232).

Lindop: There is a reason why they call her La Reina. Putellas has already proved why she will go down as one of the best players in women’s football history, but reaching this latest landmark further reinforces that idea.

The 30-year-old has won 26 official titles with Barcelona, including eight leagues and three Champions Leagues. Her goal-scoring exploits have been central to the club’s dominance on both the domestic and the European stage. And, after taking some time to rediscover her best form, it is fantastic to see Putellas back firing on all cylinders.