Exclusive: Former Liverpool defender Mark Seagraves speaks about the Champions League and tips Liverpool to retain their crown
It's the uncertainty, it's the fretfulness. It's the unadulterated elation, it's the unquantifiable thrill of the spectacle on show.
The only time when sitting on tenterhooks seems to be completely worth it, the UEFA Champions League finally resumes tonight, amidst a lineup of blockbuster fixtures which will see world-class teams with supremely talented players pitted against each other in what is guaranteed to provide enthralling footballing entertainment.
Last season's champions Liverpool will be desperate to retain their coveted crown, but it's going to be extremely difficult to do so, given the fact that several of the other heavyweights have levelled up significantly with quality additions to their side, having learnt the lessons from the shortcomings of the previous campaign.
There are a plethora of questions running in everybody's mind before the spectacle kicks off tonight - we had some of ours too and as such, Sportskeeda caught up with former Liverpool and Manchester City defender Mark Seagraves, who is an expert panellist at Sony Pictures Entertainment for the UEFA Champions League, to get his take on a wide-ranging variety of topics ahead before Europe's premier football competition kicks off tonight.
1. What according to you makes the Champions League such an exciting and hugely popular competition, besides the involvement of superstars?
I just think the level of football of what we see is probably equal to and better than the World Cup. What you have is that you’ve got all of these superstars there, but the level of football is amazing.
We see some of the games and the atmosphere, the crowd, it’s just really entertaining and top-quality competition. And I feel that the team that does win it, it’s probably equal to winning the World Cup for these players, because it’s such a prestigious competition, includes all of the best teams in Europe.
If around the world, you look at different leagues like South America, Asia, and North America, European football is at the moment ahead of everybody. So, yeah that’s why I think it’s the most prestigious tournament and they have all the best players in the world playing there.
2. Like always, we have our traditional favourites for the Champions League, but do you think that there's any team, who are currently not in the conversation, and who can trouble the heavyweights?
I think having watched Serie A this year, I’ve watched Inter Milan and they’ve played well so far this year. They have a very good manager in Antonio Conte and can do well. I like the look of Atletico Madrid, and I know that they are always there or thereabouts.
But I think the acquisitions that they have brought in, obviously Simeone is a very good man-manager, and a very good motivator – he’s got rid of the older generation, the likes of (Diego) Godin, and brought in new, hungry players. Other than on the weekend when they lost to Real Sociedad, they’ve had a really good start to the LaLiga (campaign) and for me, they’ll have an outside chance, albeit be the top four sides to go on and win it.
Napoli on their day could cause problems, but as we’ve seen, they’ve got a few frailties defensively.
You then look at a team like Spurs who flatter to deceive, so I think there’ll be the usual suspects like Liverpool, Manchester City, but I’d also throw Atletico Madrid in that mix along with Bayern Munich, since they have got in some very good players this year, and they’ll have a chance on being in there as well.
3. Many criticised Liverpool for not strengthening in the summer, but do you think that Klopp, with the players at his disposal, can go on and retain the title?
Absolutely, and the key to that is keeping the players that he (Jurgen Klopp) had. He didn’t bring in any sort of replacements for anybody, which might bite him somewhere along the line.
But, when you put that time out, on any given day, it can blow any given team away. We’ve seen how they’ve started their domestic league, five out of five (wins), which is a good start given how they ended their previous league campaign as well.
They’re on a roll and I don’t see out of all teams in the Champions League, and we’re looking at Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City – not one team will like to play against Liverpool, because they know that on that particular day, and we’re looking at Barcelona last year, who went into the game 3 goals to the good to then lose the tie, because that’s what Liverpool can do.
So I think that Liverpool for me are the favourites alongside Manchester City and Atletico Madrid.
4. Chelsea are undergoing a period of transition, with a lot of their academy products playing crucial roles in the first team this season due to their inability to dip into the transfer market. How do you think Frank Lampard will fare with his youthful Chelsea squad?
He’s (Lampard) gone into Chelsea at the right time for him, but also the wrong time because his hands are tied, as he cannot bring anybody in, in the transfer window. Having said all of that, that also gives him leverage to be able to say well, I can’t bring anybody in so this is how it’s supposed to be.
But, the positive side to this is, Mason Mount and Tammy Abraham, who have come in and shown everybody (how good they are), they probably wouldn’t have got a game for Chelsea if Lampard had money to spend, and now Abraham is the leading goalscorer in the league, Mount has become a really integral part of the club, so that’s the positives for him.
He had to go back to Chelsea since that was his club, it’s a huge club to be able to manage, and he’s going to get the experience of managing in the Champions League.
They aren’t going to be good enough to get to the quarters or the semis, I don’t think, but there’ll be great development from all these youngsters, and for him as a manager.
5. Real Madrid are obviously not enjoying a fruitful patch and there's quite a bit of uncertainty at the club in the present moment. However, they are known to be on their A-game in the Champions League. Will they rise again and how crucial is Hazard going to be to their Champions League hopes?
He played at the weekend didn’t he and he made his debut for the club. He’s key – I mean he’s the big, big signing. I don’t think everything is quite rosy at Real Madrid at the moment. You know, when you’ve got a team like Real Madrid, and you hear the stories coming out – Gareth Bale and that saga, he’s signed Luka Jovic from Eintracht Frankfurt for €60-80 million, and within a month he wanted to sell him away.
Hazard comes in and they say he’s about 7 kilos overweight, and he’s not fit – so that’s not Real Madrid. Also, the results haven’t been great. So, I don’t think everything is rosy in the garden.
We all look at Zinedine Zidane and he’s a great coach, and this is a big test for him now. It’s all right having a team of Ronaldo’s and all of these players and winning three Champions League's on the trot, but now they are in a bit of a transition period and it just shows that everybody can be vulnerable – Real Madrid and Zidane as well.
This Champions League campaign is going to be a big ask – they are in a relatively easy group so they should get through to the Round of 16. It’s going to be a great task for Zidane and I don’t think everything is rosy at the club right now.
6. Which are the three young players that you'll be keenly observing this year in the Champions League?
One is Joao Felix – he’s come in with a huge reputation and he’s the one that I’ve been looking at and thinking, go on then.
Another player, who isn’t young as such, but I also want to see how Philippe Coutinho does, in terms of being at Liverpool and then going to Barcelona where it did not work for him, and will that inspire him to become the player we know.
I’d like to see Phil Foden get some game-time at Manchester City and go out and show everyone that as an Englishman, they can go out there and mix it with the big boys. I think if he gets into the team, he can be a revelation.
We’ve got Jadon Sancho too – all of these players but I’m looking at Felix really. I’ve seen him in the UEFA Nations League when he played for Portugal with Cristiano Ronaldo and he looked a shadow of the player we all knew and I’m thinking oh my goodness, Simeone has spent €126 million on him, but he’s started like a house on fire in the LaLiga with Atletico so I think he could be the next superstar.
7. Give us your pick for the winners this season.
I’m going to give you three teams – Liverpool, Manchester City, Atletico Madrid. I think it’s going to be between the three of them.