The last 16 of the Champions League: Simeone and Tuchel surpass Allegri and Solskjaer and five tactical lessons

The first-leg matches of the UEFA Champions League second-round matches did not yield any surprising results, but thanks to a general caution over the two weeks – seven of the remaining 16 clubs failed to score – the eight draws are suspended.

A more pessimistic reading is that the wealth disparity between top clubs and others has made the results more predictable, with individual quality outweighing tactical intelligence; Manchester City and Real Madrid were scared by

Schalke and Ajax respectively, but only for the clbad difference to shine late.

Nevertheless, it was an intriguing tactical game, with inspired replacements and half-time adjustments that made the difference at the Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid matches.

Here are five tactical focus points from the games:

Liverpool scored 18 goals in seven knockout UEFA Champions League games last season. That's why it was surprising to see Jurgen Klopp's team settle for a 0-0 draw against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.

A typical Liverpool first-half blitz could also have been the most effective strategy, as the German side looked fragile at the back in recent weeks and collapsed several times under pressure from fast attackers .

Instead, they have been cautious. The backs of the two teams remained relatively deep and neither team actually took part in the attacks, apparently hoping that the attackers could find a way to make their way through the defenders without much support from the midfield.

That's why two midfielders deemed too slow for their position – Javi Martinez and Jordan Henderson – were both outstanding players. the game was at a pace they could follow, while the lack of support for the attack meant that the cleanup was relatively simple.

It seems that the Liverpool Champions League campaign will follow their more conservative and conservative league form. Given the benefits of an Anfield cacophonic, this seems like a mistake.

Atletico Madrid beat Juventus through a dynamic and persistent tactical strategy that had all the characteristics of a clbadic Diego Simeone performance.

Sitting in a 4-4-2, their stubborn pressure at the third center prevented Juve from taking the pace while Juanfran cleverly kept Cristiano Ronaldo in silence. Atleti was more keen in the tackle and aggressive throughout the race, looking like potential champions in the process.

It was Simeone's changes in the second half that finally defined the match. Recognizing the increasing (and unusual) vulnerability of Juve both in the air and on the counter, he brought Alvaro Morata into the field and moved Antoine.

Griezmann out wide – to the devastating effect. Griezmann's was quickly advanced from the right wing, unlike Saul Niguez in the first period, to create a three-pronged attack for Atletico for the last 30 minutes. The fragile defense of Juve collapsed under pressure.

Morata scored a goal from the lead to earn a free kick in the 77th minute (through the resulting corner) to allow Jose Gimenez to score. Morata has won five aerial duels in just 32 minutes on the field.

Hesitation and caution set the first 45 minutes of opening at Old Trafford when Man Utd and Paris Saint-Germain exchanged shots timidly.

The two directors would have felt fairly confident before the break, and yet, at the final whistle, it was clear that Thomas Tuchel and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer had shown the greatest tactic. United was forced to change when Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial were injured, but Solskjaer's decision nonetheless showed a misjudgment.

It was a compact and heavy match in the first half, with limited space in the center of the field, Marco Verratti occupying midfield (mainly because Paul Pogba was out of the match by Marquinhos). Therefore, United should have sought to redefine the fight on the flanks, not to double the slow game up front; Juan Mata and Alexis Sanchez inevitably added to the feeling of claustrophobia.

Solskajer should have brought Romelu Lukaku and adopted the 4-3-1-2 which has served United's head coach well over the past month. Lukaku and Marcus Rashford could have parted, using their pace on the counter with Mata in the hole behind them.

Tuchel's half-time tactical switch confirmed Solskjaer's mistake. The boss of the PSG asked Thilo Kehrer to sit more deeply and more closely, forming a record of three for the extended defeats (he was supposed to cancel Martial, not knowing that the French was going to be replaced).

Rashford was easily smothered while Mata and Sanchez were upset by outside center defenders as they attempted to drift onto the battlefield. Did Solskjaer go to 4-3-1-2, Lukaku and

Rashford could have snuck between the three central defenders of PSG and cause much more damage.

Ajax's first appearance in the Champions League playoffs since 2006 sent a message to the world to let him know that former Cruyffian Ajax was back; their high pressure possession football overwhelmed the European champions in Amsterdam despite a 2-1 defeat.

With a little more luck, we could have seen a golden generation of Ajax graduates undertaking a Monegasque march until the final stages of the competition.

Frenzied pressing, led by Dusan Tadic, David Neres and Hakim Ziyech, prevented Real from fading from behind, with the midfielder of Ajax three becoming very close to the number of his opponents in a system of marking from man to man.

Real were disheveled and spent long periods in their own half while Ziyech and Donny van de Beek advanced effortlessly through the holes around Casemiro. It was only inexperienced decision-making in the last third, plus a shady VAR call that dropped Ajax.

Real's goals came with two counter-attacks, one on each flank, which highlighted the dangers of a high-pressure system. The legs began to get tired and Real took advantage of it, showing the cruelty we expected from a group of players with multiple medals.

It was another two half-time game and, as at Old Trafford, it was half-time tactical adjustments that changed the focus of the encounter. Jadon Sancho looked dangerous throughout the first 45 minutes of play, skilfully pbading in the half-space between left-back Jan Vertonghen and the central back Toby Alderweireld.

Mauricio Pochettino gave his players detailed tactical information at the break to correct the problem. First, the defensive line was pushed higher, which reduced the gap between the central defenders and the midfield, forcing Sancho out. But more importantly, Serge Aurier was instructed to stay more often behind, allowing the three central defenders to move randomly and Alderweireld to follow Sancho without fearing what was behind him.

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The tweak limited the influence of Sancho (he completed four dribbles in the first half and zero in a second) and released Vertonghen, who had already dropped deeper to score Sancho.

Suddenly, Tottenham had a wide outlet and the laborious possession of the first 45 became incisive. Vertonghen helped the first goal with a perfect center for Son Heung-Min, before adding the second goal himself with the kind of offensive race he could not have risked in the first half.

Jan Vertonghen's tactile map | Second Half | Tottenham 3-0 Ajax