Best XI from the 2021-22 UEFA Champions League group stage
The 2021-22 UEFA Champions League group stage concluded last week. Atletico Madrid went from being Group B wooden spoon holders to finishing second and qualifying for the knockout stage.
Meanwhile, five-time Champions League winners Barcelona could not book their place in the Round of 16.
🔝 Sébastien Haller = 2021/22 group stage top scorer 👏
#UCL https://t.co/hi6ybqhbhy
Household names like Mohamed Salah and Robert Lewandowski made headlines in the Champions League group stage. However, some lesser-known players also shone brightly. Sebastian Haller, Christopher Nkunku, Tiago Djalo and Odysseas Vlachodimos are among a host of players who have had memorable Champions League campaigns.
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have been prolific for their new clubs in the Champions League so far. Will that be enough to earn them a place in our hypothetical team of the group stage? Let’s find out.
Note: 4-4-2 formation has been considered to accommodate the most number of attacking players.
Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois
Thibaut Courtois has gone slightly under the radar since his lacklustre first season at Real Madrid. Since then, he has firmly established himself as one of the finest shot-stoppers in European football.
Champions League coming up! 🌟
A very important trophy I'd like to add to my trophy case.
Discover all trophies I'm most proud of:
🏆 thibautcourtois.com/trophy-case https://t.co/SJcuIixeQX
Courtois has kept four clean sheets in six Champions League games this season, a joint-highest. While Manuel Neuer and Edouard Mendy also kept four clean sheets, Courtois made far more saves (22) than the pair.
Benfica’s Odysseas Vlachodimos has identical stats with Courtois in the Champions League in terms of clean sheets and saves made. However, the Real Madrid goalkeeper conceded just three goals compared to Vlachodimos’ nine.
Right-back: Trent Alexander-Arnold (2019 Champions League winner)
Much has been made of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s role in Gareth Southgate’s England side. Arguably the best right-back in the world since 2018, Alexander-Arnold is an absolute weapon for Liverpool in the Champions League.
Happy 23rd birthday to Trent ‘Corner Taken Quickly’ Alexander-Arnold 🎂🎈 https://t.co/1ULA7bk5UK
Despite featuring in just three Champions League group games this season, the 23-year-old racked up three assists. No defender made more assists than him in this season’s competition.
Liverpool rank second in terms of average possession (59.5%), and Trent Alexander-Arnold is a major reason for that. The Liverpool academy graduate completed over 70 passes per game.
Centre-back: Andreas Christensen (2021 Champions League winner)
Andreas Christensen is far from Chelsea’s first-choice centre-back in the Premier League. However, he was a rock at the back for the Londoners in the Champions League group stage.
Andreas Christensen has kept 36 clean sheets in his last 44 games for club and country…
On form, one of the best defenders in Europe currently. Don’t let it go under the radar. https://t.co/MdBWxGcjE3
In five games, the Danish defender helped keep three clean sheets. He led the way for balls recovered (33) and tackles won (5) for Chelsea in the continental competition.
Andreas Christensen also scored a sublime volley against Malmo, timing his run to perfection. Before their 3-3 draw against Zenit, Chelsea had conceded just once in the group stage, thanks to Christensen.