Summary: Once the Champions League group stage reaches its halfway point usually a number of shorelines and narratives become very clear as a number of favorites either fail to take advantage of their opportunities and fall short of expectations or we begin to see new contenders emerge amongst those perennial powers in Europe who will always lay claim to that biggest prize. Joining once again to look at the all important trends and figures shaping the first half of this phase is ESPN and One World Sports commentator Janusz Michallik who help us gauge the emerging trends, the key players at this juncture while always maintaining a barometer on which clubs reveal great balance and ideas in their approach at the elite level. Of particular note in this episode is the emergence of PSG as every bit a favorite as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, the unique factors shaping the group stage for AC Milan and Juventus, the resurrection of Kaka on the European stage and a rapidly growing sense that Zlatan Ibrahimovic stands to take control of this competition every bit as much as Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo and even Franck Ribery. We also examine the evolving fortunes of Manchester City and Chelsea at a key juncture and the ramifications of a late winner by Borussia Dortmund at the Emirates tossing the Group of Death into even further chaos with Jurgen Klopp and Rafa Benitez now holding an edge due to the two home matches they hold as advantage. We also evaluate the two Spanish giants who each have holes to fill in their team sheets, but come down on the fact that both Bayern Munich and PSG might just have the most complete and balanced teams in this competition at this very early stage.
