UWCL talking points: Big defeats for Arsenal, Barça; is new format a bad idea?

The 2024-25 UEFA Women’s Champions League is up and running with matchday one of the group stage complete.

Eight-time European champions Lyon kicked off on Tuesday with a 3-0 win over Galatasaray, while Group A rivals Roma beat Wolfsburg 1-0. Women’s Super League champions Chelsea beat Real Madrid 3-2, but FC Twente‘s 2-0 win over Celtic puts them top of Group B.

There were fireworks on Wednesday with Bayern Munich recording a storming 5-2 win over Arsenal to top Group C ahead of Juventus, who beat Vålerenga 1-0. In Group D, defending champions Barcelona suffered a 2-0 defeat at Manchester City and Hammarby beat St. Pölten 2-0.

We asked our writers Emily Keogh, Sophie Lawson and Sam Marsden to answer some of our burning questions.

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What stood out for you on matchday one?

Lawson: There were eight games played across the two days and I’d be remiss not to touch on all of them, but that Manchester City performance was absolutely outstanding. It was the very best we’ve seen City play under Gareth Taylor, their press was fantastic. Barcelona were completely flummoxed and quite simply, bad; it was the least Barcelona we’ve seen Barcelona in years.

Away from that match, there were some really strong debuts in the group stage. Galatasaray lost 3-0 but, given the context of their own development and playing at Lyon, I thought they were surprisingly composed and dug in well. Vålerenga lost 1-0 to Juventus, and yes the Bianconere wasted some chances but the Norwegians really should have taken something from the match having played well, but they were also horribly wayward with their finishing.

Hammarby were fantastic, they looked like an experienced side in the competition and that’s is far from the case. Celtic were probably the biggest disappointment of the first round of matches. They lost 2-0 to FC Twente and generally struggled to have an impact against the Dutch side who, like Hammarby, were really impressive.

Whenever Chelsea have played Real Madrid, it’s been a close game on the scores even if the Blues have been thoroughly dominant. Despite winning 3-2, it wasn’t good enough on Tuesday, and they’ll know that, but it’s also a good early warning as they find their footing under Sonia Bompastor.

Speaking of London teams, Arsenal’s defending was arguably the lowest point across all eight games. After making it 2-2 in the 65th minute, there was plenty of time to win the match in Munich, but the Gunners allowed Pernille Harder an easy 13-minute hat trick. There’s still plenty of time for Arsenal to recover in the group stage, but it was a performance to sound more than one alarm bell.

Lastly, Roma’s win over Wolfsburg, thanks to Manuela Giugliano‘s penalty, has blown Group A wide open. Wolfsburg were well in the game, and hit the woodwork twice, but arguably both were well below average and nowhere near clinical enough. Lyon are, of course, by far the best team in the group but Wolfsburg will already be feeling like they have it all to do.

Keogh: Bayern Munich’s dominant dismantling of Arsenal was more than just a win, it was a bold statement from the German champions that left everyone rapt. The first half saw both sides competing evenly, but Bayern’s ruthless finishing, spearheaded by Harder’s hat trick and Arsenal’s sheer defensive collapse, has left the Gunners in a precarious position. With a difficult group, this disastrous start makes it tough from here.

Manager Jonas Eidevall now faces mounting pressure. After two underwhelming seasons, his future with the team was already uncertain over the summer, but this defeat — the worst since 2017 — could mark the tipping point. For a squad with ambitions of lifting multiple major trophies, this loss only intensifies speculation that Eidevall’s tenure may not last through the group stage. This game could be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.

Marsden: Lauren Hemp‘s intensity for Man City. Every time Ona Batlle got the ball at right-back, the City and England winger was already nipping at her toes, trying to regain possession. It was just one element of a fantastic City performance which appeared to catch Barça by surprise. The holders were never given a second to breathe and, just as it seemed like they were getting a foothold in the game, Bunny Shaw struck the second on the break to go with Naomi Layzell‘s opener. After years of European disappointment, it raises the question of just how much of an impact City could have in the Champions League this season?

For Barça, the loss poses different questions. They have sleepwalked through some of their league games this season and their campaign may now be shaped by how they respond to this setback. Pere Romeu replaced Jonatan Giráldez as coach in the summer and while he has inherited an incredible squad, the bar has been set so high for him. Expectations were not met in Manchester. Once can be written off as a bad night, for now.

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Which young player (U23) impressed you most?

Marsden: It has to be City’s Layzell, right? Not only did she bundle home the opener against Barça — her first-ever goal in the professional game, on her Champions League debut, no less, and she looked as surprised as anyone — and set up the second for Shaw, but she was part of a brilliant rearguard effort which kept the Catalans out. Despite being one-on-one against both Fridolina Rolfö and Alexia Putellas at times, she defended brilliantly. It was a shame to see her hobble off with an injury late on.

Lawson: Wieke Kaptein is only 19 but has an incredible maturity about how she conducts herself in midfield, it speaks to her workload for how much weaker Chelsea looked when she got substituted on 66 minutes. The Dutchwoman finished the game with 91% pass accuracy as well as a handful of tackles and recoveries, but what is most impressive is how natural she looks in the midfield, as if she’d been playing for years.

Keogh: There’s a reason England boss Sarina Wiegman was eyeing Layzell as a potential senior call-up during the combined senior and under-23s camp in February, and her performance showed exactly why she’s been so highly regarded. After battling relegation with Bristol City last season, Layzell has transformed into an outstanding defender over the summer. While she likely didn’t expect to be marking Putellas so early in her City career, she handled the challenge brilliantly, making crucial interceptions and tackles against the Ballon d’Or winner.

Her goal and assist were incredible moments that silenced many doubters. When the teamsheet came out, there were concerns that Layzell’s inexperience would leave her vulnerable against Barça’s relentless attack, especially as she was playing out of her naturally favoured centre-back position. But she rose to the occasion, scoring her first senior goal and defending valiantly to prove her critics wrong.

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The Women’s UCL will move to the ‘Swiss model’ of one big group like the men’s competition in 2025-26. Is it a good move?

Lawson: No. Dear UEFA, please stop constantly changing the format of competitions. It’s been touted as something that makes each game count more, but I’m far from sold. My worry is it’s just going to help those bigger, richer, more established teams — almost like including a second-tier European competition.

There is a continued push for some kind of parity across men’s and women’s competitions, as if both are coming in with a shared history and equal footing, rather than the women’s game still desperately trying to catch up. What works for women’s football in this moment isn’t necessarily what works for the men’s game and vice versa. To bring in the change when we’ve been seeing the fruits of the current format is just unnecessary.

Keogh: I’m still adjusting to the new format, and I’m not sure it was the right move to introduce such a major change to the still-developing women’s game before seeing how it unfolds in the men’s competition. On the one hand, having teams face a wider range of opponents at this stage is exciting, and the elevated stakes add intensity, keeping the element of jeopardy high. However, some teams are understandably frustrated about losing the home advantage since the two-leg format will be scrapped.

Schedules are already jam-packed, and with concerns over player welfare, two more games (for eight teams) and expansion — while it is good for the growth of the game — are not exactly responding to players’ calls for less congested schedules. We can only hope the governing bodies will be proactive and lessons will be learned.

Marsden: Ask me again in January when we see how the new format has worked in the men’s competition. The increase in landslide wins has contrasted with surprise defeats for Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich so far, so the jury is still out. Aside from expanding from 16 to 18 teams and all fixtures being “unique,” I don’t think it will change too much in the women’s competition. Instead of seeing Barça twice against City, we might see them against City and Lyon. It does give those individual games a feel of more importance, though, so I’m hopeful it will be a positive change. I don’t see it majorly shaking up the current state of play, but over time it could help improve the depth of quality.

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It’s early, but who are your favourites to win the competition this season?

Lawson: Before a ball had been kicked in the group stage, the answer was Barcelona. The Catalans tend to get away with slip-ups and wake-up calls in the group stage, but the way they were so thoroughly outplayed by Man City on Wednesday could be an indicator of a prolonged spell of transition under Romeu … and possibly some more sizable stumbles. But of course, on paper, the pieces are all there.

Against Barça, City were fantastic in each third and should be on the radar as a team that could shake things up in the knockout rounds. Then there’s the eight-time champions, Lyon; they are a team with plenty of attacking bite and so much experience in Europe, it’s hard to ever rule out the French giants. But as for the likes of Chelsea and Bayern Munich, well there are plenty of areas of concern, frailties that will be exposed and exploited in Europe’s toughest club competition. So, after one matchday: Barcelona, Lyon and Man City.

Marsden: They may have lost to City but Barça are still the team to beat, followed by Lyon. As the season progresses, we will see if the defeat in Manchester was an early wake-up call or if the change of manager and the pressure of being the favourites will take its toll. The chasing pack are getting ever closer, though, and it will be interesting to see what sort of role City, Chelsea and Bayern Munich will have when the knockout phase arrives next year.

Keogh: Barcelona and Chelsea are almost certain to progress as far as the semis, even the final, but I’m really impressed with what I’ve seen from Bayern Munich. Last season’s disappointing run will only fuel their determination to go further this time. Their ruthless dismantling of Arsenal was a powerful statement of intent.

While it would be exciting to see two fresh teams in the final, I still believe the usual contenders will likely be there. That said, Bayern will undoubtedly make things difficult for their rivals and I think a strong group stage and quarterfinal could set the tone for Bayern to reach the final.