UEFA sets up all the rounds of their competitions through random draws. When you get results like we did in Friday morning’s Champions League draw, it seems as if there is a television producer willing those ping pong balls to go a certain way. The two semi-finals are fantastic match-ups in their own right, but they also set up two dream finals in terms of storyline and dramatic purposes. Manchester City will face Real Madrid on one side. Bayern Munich will square off with Atletico Madrid on the other. It doesn’t take a football genius to see the potential dream finals stemming from these two titanic clashes.
Manchester City was the first to upset the Champions League status quo when they ousted Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals. After a rousing 2-2 draw in the first leg, Kevin DeBruyne smashed home a 76th minute winner past PSG keeper Kevin Trapp to send City to their first UCL semi-final ever. Many, including myself, believed the Parisians were the ones destined for glory in this tournament, but the Sky Blues were the rightful winners of the contest and provide a juicy story for the final if the football gods allow it.
That is because on the other side of the Champions League bracket sits Bayern Munich. While Manuel Pellegrini plays out the stretch for Manchester City, their newly anointed manager come summer, Bayern’s Pep Guardiola, could potentially get a preview of what he’s in for in 2016-17 in the final. After staggering through the first leg with just a 1-0 win at the Allianz Arena, the Bavarian behemoths were able to hold on and advance with a 2-2 draw in Portugal. Arturo Vidal and the competition’s second leading scorer, Thomas Muller, powered them into the semis.
Guardiola’s announcement of his intentions to leave Germany at the end of the season weren’t necessarily shocking, but they sent shockwaves throughout the European managerial community. Although Bayern were quick to name his successor in Carlo Ancelotti, playing at full blast for a manager you know won’t be there next season is always a trying request. But a City/Bayern final could be tremendous for both the clubs and managers involved. Pellegrini could get the final laugh over the board at the Etihad by adding the first Champions League victory in club history to his resume. That would pile even more pressure on Guardiola coming in then it already was previously. On the other hand with a Bayern win, Pep could show his soon to be employers what a difference he could make for them. It would also be a happy ending to a tumultuous time in Germany where it seemed he always had one foot out the door. A Champions League trophy would be a spectacular “Thank you for your patience” statement by the Spaniard.
While Manchester City’s win was a breath of fresh air for the Champions League, Atletico Madrid’s took further air out of Barcelona’s suddenly windless sails. Barcelona’s departure means there still will not be a repeat European club champion in the Champions League era. But it also gives Atletico a chance to right a wrong from two seasons ago. Antoine Griezmann put home a fantastic header to put Atletico through on away goals before solidifying that stance late on from the penalty spot. There was, as with the case with so many Barcelona games in Europe, some controversy in the closing moments. Andres Iniesta, who more than likely shouldn’t even have been on the pitch after his handball allowed Griezmann to put home his second, was aggrieved by the same infraction. This one was not called by the referee though and Atleti held on and advanced.
And when you take one of Real Madrid’s rivals away, you replace it with another. Los Blancos didn’t look primed for a run at their eleventh European crown after going 2-0 to Wolfsburg after the first leg of their quarter-final. But this is the Champions League and Real Madrid have Cristiano Ronaldo, so they could never truly be counted out. CR7 erased the deficit all by his lonesome before propelling his side into the semi-finals in pure Ronaldo fashion with a perfectly weighted free kick for a hat trick. It is just the latest bit of sorcery from Madrid’s resident goal shaman, and it has helped his club continue to surge forward in Europe as well as in La Liga.
So a Madrid Derby final isn’t exactly El Clasico Redux in the eyes of the casual viewer, but it is just as compelling theater. The final two years ago proved that as Sergio Ramos snatched an equalizer deep into second half stoppage time that would eventually allow Real to win La Decima in extra time. An added caveat to this year’s potential match-up is the La Liga race. Both were title contenders in 2013-14, Atletico even won, but that was a neck and neck three way with Barcelona. This season is different as Barca’s collapse in both competitions has seemingly rejuvenated both Madrid clubs previously resigned to just a singular title aspiration. A win, and potential double, for Diego Simeone would stamp his reputation as one of the premier managers in the world. A similar outcome for Zinedine Zidane would allow him to further build his.
Now as with anything in sport, there could be a final that throws all storytelling in the trash can. But the way the draw played out, having that potential there is as good a talking point as there can be. Whether it be a Madrid Derby or a Pep Bowl, the 2015-16 UEFA Champions League final could go down as one of the finest in both quality of the product, as well as quality of the story around it.