DIEGO SIMEONE SNUBS ARSENAL, NAMES INTER UCL'S STRONGEST TEAM
Atletico Madrid's Diego Simeone claims Inter Milan, not Arsenal or Bayern, is the top team in the Champions League this season.
Atletico Madrid's coach, Diego Simeone, says Inter Milan is the top team in the Champions League, even ahead of Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain.
His team recently grabbed a 2-1 win against Inter, which was Inter's first loss in the Champions League this season.
Now, Arsenal is the only team left in the competition that hasn't lost, especially after their solid 3-1 victory at home against Bayern Munich.
Even though Inter lost in Spain, Simeone still thinks they're the team to beat in the Champions League.
"For sure, Inter is the strongest team in the Champions League right now," Simeone stated.
He added, That’s why we tried to disrupt them in the first half. We knew we could play our best in the second half, especially with great players like Griezmann, [Alexander] Sorloth, and Nico Gonzalez, who played great and helped us score at the end.
It felt great, but our plan was always the same, no matter the score. I don’t like to be too comfortable; I’d rather keep pushing. You need to work hard and have faith, passion, and quality. My players trust me, and that’s key for any coach.
He also mentioned, Today, I had strikers on the bench who wanted to play, and when they got their chance, they proved their value.
Simeone seems to have changed his mind since last month. After Atletico Madrid lost 4-0 to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, he said that Arsenal was the best team they had played all season.
When asked if Arsenal was the best team they’d faced, Simeone told Amazon Prime, Yes, I’d say they are. They compete really well; their players are full of energy, and they have talent all over the field. They deserved to win, and I want to congratulate them. It’s a learning experience for us. We just need to keep getting better. I thought we played well at first, but after 60 minutes, they were the better team and earned the win. We need to move on from this and concentrate on what we did well in training and how we can get better.
CORNERED: HOW ALEX GRIMALDO ENDED NEWCASTLE'S AWAY-DAY UCL HOPES AT BAYARENA
Lewis Miley's historic goal looked set to secure a huge UCL win, but Alex Grimaldo's late strike exposed Newcastle's severe issue with conceding goals late in games.
Alex Grimaldo scored late, stopping Newcastle from completing a Champions League comeback win against Bayer Leverkusen, ending the game in a 2-2 draw at the BayArena.
Newcastle thought they had pulled off an amazing turnaround when Lewis Miley wrote his name in the history books, becoming the club's youngest-ever Champions League scorer at 19 with a second-half goal. Anthony Gordon, who had earlier scored Newcastle's tying goal, set up Miley perfectly. The goal raised hopes that Newcastle's struggles away from home were over, but Leverkusen didn't agree.
After losing to Marseille after leading, Gordon lamented Newcastle's tendency to concede goals late in games.
"It's happened way too often," Gordon told TNT Sports after the match. I really don't know why they are scoring late goals. Maybe it's because we're tired with so many games coming up. I think it comes down to mentality.
Newcastle's struggles with late goals continue. They've lost the most points (11) from winning positions in the Premier League this season. Only three teams have lost more points from winning positions in the Champions League than Newcastle this season (5). Of Premier League clubs, only Burnley (8) have let in more goals in the final five minutes of games than Newcastle (7).
After beating Manchester City in their last game, the Bundesliga team had their sights set on another English team when Robert Andrich's header, deflected into his own net by Newcastle captain Bruno Guimaraes, gave them the lead in the 13th minute.
Leverkusen almost got a second goal when Malick Thiaw fouled Patrick Schick just outside the box. VAR checked if the foul deserved a red card for denying a clear goal-scoring chance, but the original yellow card decision stood.
Newcastle got lucky at one end, and then, in the second half, they couldn't believe their fortune when Mark Flekken's hesitation led to him bringing down Nick Woltemade in the box. Gordon took the penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way to score his fifth Champions League goal of the season.
Newcastle then had their best period, with Gordon hitting the post while seeking a second goal. Miley, who came off the bench, then scored what Newcastle needed to improve their chance of finishing in the top eight. But Grimaldo ruined the party, firing past Aaron Ramsdale to tie the score in the 88th minute.
Howe's team has two more Champions League games in January to try and move into the top eight, starting with Eredivisie champions PSV Eindhoven at St. James' Park on Jan 21. They will then finish their league games with a tough trip to current champions PSG on Jan 28.
ANALYTICAL: TWO BODO/GLIMT COMEBACKS EXPOSE BORUSSIA DORTMUND'S DEFENSIVE FLAWS
Borussia Dortmund missed a vital chance for UCL knockout stage qualification after an unheralded Bodo/Glimt side came back twice to secure a frustrating 2-2 draw.
Borussia Dortmund's chances of immediately getting to the Champions League knockouts took a hit when Bodo/Glimt came back twice to tie the game.
This tie puts Dortmund at 11 points, a point away from the top eight. The Norwegian team is in 32nd place, still searching for their first win after six games.
Julian Brandt's goal, assisted by Fabio Silva, seemed like it would lead to an easy win for Niko Kovac's team, especially after their big win against Villarreal at home.
But Haitam Aleesami, the experienced defender, scored with a header from a great corner kick, tying the game for the visitors.
In the second half, Jens Petter Hauge, who used to play for AC Milan, scored from close range, tying the game again after Brandt had put Dortmund back in the lead.
Dortmund controlled most of the game, taking 22 shots compared to Bodo/Glimt's seven. Still, Kjetil Knutsen's team earned the praise of their traveling fans when the game ended.
Before the game started, Dortmund icons Dede and Marco Reus were honored on the field. Reus, now with LA Galaxy in MLS, was named a club ambassador. He played over 400 games for Dortmund and was the team's captain for five seasons.
Dortmund's next game is against Tottenham on Tuesday, January 20. Bodo/Glimt will play Manchester City on the same night.