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The Champions League knockout stage kicked off this week, with half of the remaining participants in action. Below, we dissect the biggest talking points from the first batch of last-16 matches.

Is anyone scared of Bayern?

Bayern Munich used to be juggernauts of every competition they entered. They bullied their rivals into selling them their best players, attracted some of the best coaches, and when they stumbled, they’d quickly rediscover their balance.

Not so this season. Every defeat – and there have been six of them thus far – has eaten away at Bayern’s confidence. A total blackout against third-tier opposition in the German Cup set off an existential crisis that threatens to leave them trophyless for the first time in 11 seasons. Tuesday’s ineffectual 1-0 capitulation to Lazio in the first leg of their last-16 Champions League matchup – in which they failed to register a single shot on target – followed a listless 3-0 loss to Bayer Leverkusen that extended the gap at the top to five points. Who knows how much farther Bayern will drop?

It’s incredible how quickly a historically well-drilled club can lose its way. Bayern used to personify German footballing excellence. But in the years since Karl-Heinz Rummenigge stepped down as CEO, there have been many messy boardroom-level breakups and public disagreements. Manager Thomas Tuchel also has a reputation for quarreling with upper management over transfers or the lack thereof. It doesn’t feel like the Bayern of old.

While Tuchel has legitimate excuses at his disposal – Bouna Sarr, Kingsley Coman, Serge Gnabry, Konrad Laimer, and Alphonso Davies are all out injured – which manager hasn’t had to deal with a thinning squad this season? Every team fighting for trophies has lost a significant number of man games due to the increasingly grueling schedule. It’s not an issue that exclusively affects Bayern (more on that later).

No wonder opponents feel emboldened to attack and harry Bayern. Lazio overran their German counterparts in midfield on Wednesday, pressing them into unusual mistakes, including the silly challenge that resulted in a red card for defender Dayot Upamecano and the winning penalty for Lazio. Bayern hadn’t lost a first-leg last-16 fixture in 12 years, and no team on record has ever fired 17 shots or more without hitting the target in a Champions League match. These are damning statistics. They may only be a sign of things to come.

KDB’s return emphasizes Foden’s growth

The concerns that Kevin De Bruyne’s return to fitness would dilute Phil Foden’s effectiveness or even reduce his game time at Manchester City soon evaporated.

Since De Bruyne’s comeback after five months of overcoming a hamstring injury, Foden has been present for 96% of the Belgian’s 366 minutes on the pitch. During that time playing together, Foden has scored five goals and assisted twice – the equivalent of a goal contribution every 50 minutes. The 23-year-old’s record across all competitions before De Bruyne’s return was a goal contribution every 134 minutes.

De Bruyne has also strutted back into gear following his spell on the sidelines, registering two goals and six assists over three starts and four substitute appearances.

The way the pair is combining for Pep Guardiola’s side is ominous for the rest of Europe and was highlighted by the one-two that led to Foden’s late goal in Tuesday’s 3-1 victory at FC Copenhagen. Foden knew exactly where to go when he slipped a ball toward the byline for De Bruyne and was there to tap it home when the subsequent pass rolled to the edge of the six-yard box.

Foden is underlining his growth in this City side. His superb run of form started months before De Bruyne was back in contention as he demonstrated his increased maturity and composure and improved decision-making. He alleviates pressure by wriggling free of opponents before passing to a man in space. He doggedly wins back possession in advantageous positions. He’s working harder for his teammates while still somehow bringing his creativity and finishing to another level.

Foden seems to have heeded Guardiola’s warning from last October.

“I think Phil has a free instinct as a footballer,” Guardiola said at the time. “He’s not a player who thinks so much when he plays; he’s a bird – fly wherever you want. But there is a step he has to gain and some duties he must do for the team.”

Foden has quickly developed into a leader capable of carrying the team on his back. He wants the responsibility. And with De Bruyne back in the team, Foden wants to ensure his influence is undiminished while proving he’s the celebrated playmaker’s equal.

When will Madrid hit breaking point?

Nobody is going to have much sympathy for Real Madrid – we’re not exactly dealing with plucky underdogs here, after all – but the constant barrage of injuries Carlo Ancelotti’s team has been forced to withstand this season is, quite frankly, preposterous. And it shows no signs of ending.

With Jude Bellingham nursing a sprained ankle, Ancelotti turned to crafty operator Brahim Diaz in his stead. The little Spaniard made the most of his opportunity, scoring a sensational winner in Tuesday’s first-leg victory over RB Leipzig. He, too, then suffered an injury, pulling up in the closing minutes of the 1-0 triumph with a calf issue – because of course.

Madrid lost Thibaut Courtois and Eder Militao to ACL tears before the season even started. David Alaba, almost inconceivably, sustained the same ailment in December. Antonio Rudiger is sidelined right now. Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni, who’s also missed time this season, is playing in central defense – and doing a very admirable job.

Club captain Nacho, left-back Ferland Mendy, midfielders Eduardo Camavinga and Arda Guler, and superstar forward Vinicius Junior have all been in the treatment room for varying amounts of time this season.

And none of it matters. Not yet, at least.

Real Madrid keep rolling along. They’re five points clear atop La Liga – and a massive 10 points up on eternal rivals Barcelona in third – and are perfect in the Champions League thus far. Their slim, if contentious, win in Leipzig was their seventh in as many matches in this season’s competition. Only fellow favorites Manchester City boast a similar mark.

How long can it last, though? At some point, even for a team as loaded as Madrid, the talent drain will be too much to overcome if injuries persist into the latter stages of the competition when the opponents become more esteemed and the margin for error disappears. Even in a tournament they own, the vaunted Real Madrid mystique can only carry them so far. There has to be a limit. Right?

Quick free-kicks

Lunin cashing in on rare opportunity

When Courtois was lost for the season, Andriy Lunin was hardly a consideration as a short-term replacement. Real Madrid moved quickly to sign Kepa Arrizabalaga on loan from Chelsea, leaving Lunin, a mere spectator to his team’s success over the last few seasons, once again on the sidelines. But an injury to Kepa in November finally offered Lunin the chance he long deserved. He’s made the most of it, too, building on several star performances to cement his place in the lineup even with Kepa fit and available for selection again. The Ukrainian shot-stopper made two excellent saves in the final 20 minutes of Madrid’s win Tuesday in Germany to keep Leipzig’s pesky attackers at bay and tally his eighth clean sheet of the season. “It could have ended in a draw, let’s be honest,” Ancelotti said, according to Get Spanish Football News. “This was Lunin’s best game since I met him.”

Grealish can’t catch a break

Guardiola arguably named Manchester City’s strongest lineup for the trip to Copenhagen. But above everyone else, Jack Grealish needed to prove he belonged in that XI. Guardiola said last week that the Englishman’s dip in form was the single reason for him playing around 20 Premier League minutes and starting just one match – an FA Cup visit from Huddersfield Town – in 2024. Jeremy Doku, a direct rival for Grealish’s position, has also excited onlookers since arriving from Rennes last summer. In a huge opportunity to rediscover his touch, Grealish was seeing plenty of the ball during the early exchanges in Denmark and completed all 20 of his passes. It was going well until a muscular injury ended his match in the 21st minute. Grealish will be hoping he’s not condemned to a lengthy layoff and has time to ensure this season isn’t wasted from a purely individual perspective.

Don’t write off Real Sociedad

Imanol Alguacil played a dangerous game in remaining committed to Real Sociedad’s aggressive press and high defensive line against Paris Saint-Germain and their pacey attack – but it was working. Before the interval, PSG completed 65% of their passes in La Real’s half and 83% across the whole pitch – the lowest halftime percentages of the Luis Enrique era – and Mikel Merino struck the crossbar in the 44th minute. The Basque side was dangerous. Eventually, the apparition of Hamari Traore decided the game. Traore was off the pitch recuperating from a knock when Kylian Mbappe scored at the back post – the area that the Malian would’ve surely occupied for PSG’s corner – and did his best hologram impression when Bradley Barcola ran through to score. A similarly strong start from Real Sociedad’s attack in the second leg, paired with uncompromising defending and buoyed by a raucous Anoeta home crowd, could quickly get Alguacil’s side back in this tie. PSG don’t tend to make their lives easy in this competition.

Stakes are higher this season

With the Champions League ditching its longstanding format and becoming a 36-team competition next season, two European leagues will each be allocated an extra berth in the 2024-25 tournament, getting five places instead of the usual four. A coefficient score will determine which two leagues get the additional spots, making results in the knockout stages of the Champions League, along with the Europa and Conference Leagues, more vital than ever. If the tournaments ended today, Italy’s Serie A (14.285) and England’s Premier League (13.875) would be the big winners based on the average coefficient of their European representatives, according to a thorough breakdown of the points system from Dale Johnson of ESPN. The Bundesliga and La Liga are very much still in the mix, though. Allegiances will be tested in the coming months. Are you willing to put your tribalism aside and cheer for a hated rival if their continental success could possibly give your team a better chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League?

Stat of the week

Good luck stopping Manchester City from retaining their title.

Tweet of the week

You can take the players out of Tottenham, but you can’t take Tottenham out of the players, apparently.

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Pep Guardiola hailed Kevin De Bruyne’s “extraordinary” form after the Belgian was involved in all three goals as Manchester City beat FC Copenhagen 3-1 on Tuesday to close in on the Champions League quarter-finals.

De Bruyne’s early opener was cancelled out against the run of play by Magnus Mattsson.

Bernardo Silva restored City’s lead before half-time, but they had to wait until stoppage time to add further punishment for the hosts when Phil Foden turned home De Bruyne’s cut-back.

De Bruyne was sidelined for five months by a hamstring tear suffered on the opening night of the Premier League season in August.

But since his return last month, the 32-year-old has scored two goals and provided seven assists in seven appearances.

“Extraordinary,” said Guardiola of De Bruyne’s statistics. “The biggest players love to appear in the biggest stages.

“It’s the hour of truth when you are in the last 16 of the Champions League and we start well.”

The English champions have now won 11 consecutive games in all competitions as they remain on course to repeat last season’s treble of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup.

Copenhagen had not played a competitive game for two months since sealing their place in the last 16 by dumping out Manchester United and Galatasaray in the group stages.

“They had a great group stage so we had to respect them,” said De Bruyne. “We started really well but I think we made one mistake and they pounced on it.

“We played a really good game. In the second half we created a lot of chances, could have scored more and luckily in the end we scored the third one, so it is a little bit of an advantage now.”

Grealish injury blow

That lack of match sharpness from the Danish champions showed in the early stages as City stormed out of the blocks.

De Bruyne headed a glorious chance wide and Kamil Grabara denied Ruben Dias with a fine save inside six minutes.

The former Liverpool goalkeeper had no chance when De Bruyne broke the deadlock on 10 minutes with a clinical low finish from Foden’s pass.

Jack Grealish had been surprisingly handed just his second start of the year by Guardiola, but the England international lasted just 15 minutes before he pulled up with a suspected groin injury.

City had enjoyed nearly 80 percent possession and barely let Copenhagen inside their half for the first 35 minutes, yet were made to pay for one moment of sloppiness.

Ederson’s poor clearance was straight into the path of Mohamed Elyounoussi and his blocked shot fell to Mattson to mark his debut with a stunning strike from outside the box.

City regained their composure and the lead before half-time.

Mattson was unfortunate as his attempted clearance ricocheted off De Bruyne and perfectly into the path of Silva to flick beyond Grabara.

The Copenhagen goalkeeper kept his side in the tie in the early stages of the second period with spectacular stops to deny De Bruyne and Doku.

Grabara then twice won a head-to-head battle with Haaland in stoppage time.

City were keen to build up a comfortable advantage with the second leg falling between crucial Premier League games against Manchester United and Liverpool next month.

And they finally got the third goal that should kill off the tie when the in-form Foden slammed home his 15th goal of the season as City extended their unbeaten run in European competitions to 21 games.

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The International Football Association Board (IFAB) has delayed its top-level trials of blue cards and sin bins following backlash to the lawmakers’ plans, according to The Telegraph’s Ben Rumsby.

The IFAB planned to announce its upcoming tests in professional football on Friday. The trials could’ve reportedly begun as early as the summer, with the English Football Association considering volunteering the women’s and men’s FA Cups as testing grounds.

A referee brandishing a blue card was intended to signal 10 minutes in the sin bin for players who committed cynical fouls or showed dissent toward a match official. Sin bins were apparently successfully trialed in amateur and youth football in England and Wales, with yellow cards used to indicate the punishment. The IFAB announced its intention to introduce sin bins at higher levels of football last November, Sky Sports’ Kaveh Solhekol reported on Thursday.

However, the addition of blue cards shocked the football community.

FIFA, world football’s governing body, was among the many voices in the sport to speak out against the IFAB’s plans. The organization said it would only entertain further trials below soccer’s leading competitions.

“FIFA wishes to clarify that reports of the so-called ‘blue card’ at elite levels of football are incorrect and premature,” read the statement posted on X.

“Any such trials, if implemented, should be limited to testing in a responsible manner at lower levels, a position that FIFA intends to reiterate when this agenda item is discussed at the IFAB AGM on 2 March.”

Premier League managers were asked about their thoughts on blue cards ahead of the weekend fixtures, with Tottenham Hotspur’s Ange Postecoglou and Chelsea’s Mauricio Pochettino among the prominent names speaking out against the IFAB’s idea.

“I don’t know why a different color card is going to make a difference,” Postecoglou said, according to Football London’s Lee Wilmot. “I don’t know about this taking things from other sports. Other sports are trying to make their games faster, we’re bringing in more clutter.”

Former England striker Chris Sutton, now a prominent pundit for BBC Sport, criticized the IFAB for “complicating the game even more” with its latest initiative and prioritizing it ahead of issues such as the “outdated head injury protocol.”

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Blue cards were shown the red card, for now.

Soccer’s lawmakers, the International Football Association Board (IFAB), reportedly cowered from trialing a new card color to signal 10-minute sin-bin periods on Friday following widespread backlash to the plan. The punishment for players who commit cynical fouls or show dissent was due for top-level tests as soon as this summer and potentially in competitions as revered as the women’s and men’s FA Cups in England.

This isn’t the first example of the IFAB needlessly meddling with the world’s most popular sport – and it won’t be the last. Even this scatterbrained idea isn’t dead: Blue cards and sin bins will be up for discussion at the IFAB’s annual meeting in March.

The general consensus is that this latest initiative was plucked from the laws of rugby, along with another IFAB suggestion for only captains to discuss decisions with a match referee. Taking inspiration from a sport with limited appeal when compared to the global might of soccer, and one so complicated that it regularly offers in-game explanations of officials’ decisions to television viewers, seems rather peculiar.

FIFA was keen to distance itself from the IFAB experiments being held in professional soccer when the reports surfaced on Thursday. “Any such trials, if implemented, should be limited to testing in a responsible manner at lower levels,” world football’s governing body posted on X.

“It’s not football anymore,” UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin told The Telegraph when asked about his stance on sin bins in January. Ultimately, his opinion doesn’t matter. UEFA competitions must adopt whatever the IFAB adds to the laws of the game.

The blue-card bombshell followed a report by The Times’ Martyn Ziegler on Tuesday that claimed the IFAB was proposing “cooling-off periods” when on-pitch bickering is reaching breaking point and tempers are about to boil over.

Giving footballers toddler-esque timeouts and introducing blue cards would add more stoppages to a sport that prides itself on its flow and relentlessness. There would inevitably be consistency issues, too. The use of video assistant referees (VARs) has added an extra layer to the decision-making process, and with that, further risk of human error or differing interpretations. These risks range from egregious mistakes – such as Liverpool attacker Luis Diaz’s disallowed goal from an onside position against Tottenham Hotspur last September – to minor yet incessant quibbling, such as trying to determine if a player’s arm was in a “natural position” when they potentially committed a handball or, in the case of the latest changes, which words or actions constitute dissent.

(The confusion over the handball law is another matter bungled by the IFAB. Frankly, fans shouldn’t have to read up on the ever-changing rules to enjoy the sport to the fullest. This is meant to be a hobby, a form of entertainment. Watching football on Saturday shouldn’t be the sixth day of the working week. The IFAB is directly responsible for the current scenario where refereeing – and not actual football – often dominates the post-match conversation.)

The glaring and under-discussed problem linked to sin bins, timeouts, the implementation of VAR, and other changes to the on-pitch product is that fans weren’t asked if they wanted these things. Introducing harsher punishments for tactical fouls – which usually incur a yellow card – may prove popular among some supporters, but are sin bins really the best route? Would the risk of incurring a blue card encourage teams to swap an aggressive, attacking approach for a more conservative and ultimately less entertaining game plan? Will a goalkeeper vacate the net for dissent? Is 10 minutes too much? Does the opportunity to render more game-changing decisions nudge referees closer to center stage when players should always be the stars?

Perhaps we, the people who obsess over the sport, should be invited into the discussion. The IFAB – the self-described “independent guardians” of football’s rules – shouldn’t be so autonomous.

“I don’t know why they don’t leave the game alone at times,” said Everton’s Sean Dyche, who was among a stream of Premier League managers to voice opposition to the IFAB’s blue-card campaign. “I don’t think it’s needed, I don’t think it’s wanted.”

Tottenham Hotspur boss Ange Postecoglou noted that while “other sports are trying to make their games faster, we’re bringing in more clutter.”

A growing issue in football seems to be that executives and lawmakers are trying to look busy by making tweaks to the game without consulting fans, the lifeblood of the sport.