Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag feels "sorry" for Thomas Tuchel following his dismissal as boss of rivals Chelsea.

Tuchel surprisingly parted company with the Blues on Wednesday, just a day on from starting their Champions League campaign with a shock 1-0 loss at Dinamo Zagreb.

An indifferent start to their Premier League campaign that has produced three wins, two defeats and a draw has left Chelsea sixth in the table.

The news came as a surprise to many, though, given Chelsea spent big in the transfer window to sign the likes of Raheem Sterling, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Having also won the Champions League four months after joining the club in January 2021, most would have expected Tuchel to be afforded more time by the club's new owners led by Todd Boehly.

Asked for his reaction to Tuchel's sacking, Ten Hag had told reporters: "I feel sorry, but there is nothing I can say. It's Chelsea, not Man United. It's early in the season, yes."

United are one place and two points ahead of Chelsea in the infant Premier League.

Any manager who Chelsea hire now will be a downgrade on Thomas Tuchel, according to Rio Ferdinand.

Former Manchester United and England star Ferdinand insists Chelsea’s decision to sack Tuchel, which was announced on Wednesday, does not make sense.

The German was appointed as the successor to club legend Frank Lampard in January 2021 and promptly led Chelsea to Champions League glory in his first season.

More success followed in the form of trophies in the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup, but Tuchel also lost two FA Cup finals and an EFL Cup showpiece during his tenure.

A slow start to this season continued on Tuesday with a shock 1-0 Champions League defeat away to Dinamo Zagreb.

But Ferdinand feels new Chelsea owner Todd Boehly – who was a big spender in the transfer window – has acted too soon in dismissing the former Paris Saint-Germain head coach.

Ferdinand told his FIVE YouTube channel: "Anybody who comes in now, you would think it is a downgrade on Tuchel and his resume. 

"He is a proper manager. All the players I speak to talk positively about him. He is honest and direct. He has clarity on how he wants to play. 

"I can't understand it. It doesn't make sense to me.

"Tuchel has a 60 per cent win rate. A lot of managers would be delighted to have that. 

"Chelsea have set their stall out now and said, 'This is us now'. It's a giant statement from Todd Boehly and his new regime. It leads you to the point, where will they go?"

Brighton and Hove Albion boss Graham Potter has emerged as an early frontrunner to replace Tuchel.

Whether or not he takes the Chelsea job now, Ferdinand believes Potter is destined to move to a top team at some stage.

The former United defender added: "Potter has done a fantastic job. I think he will be someone called by bigger clubs than Brighton with due respect. But would he take it? 

"When he went to Brighton their style of football changed immediately. He has a clear identity.

"I think on the grass he will be great in that sense. The questions are would he be able to handle the experienced players? 

"In terms of handling big players and egos, there are a nucleus of young players there who would warm to him immediately."

Zinedine Zidane and Mauricio Pochettino are also among the early mooted contenders to replace Tuchel.

Chelsea's dismissal of Thomas Tuchel has caught the footballing world by surprise, with his exit coming just a week after the close of the transfer window and a lavish spending spree.

The Blues are on the hunt for a new manager yet again, Todd Boehly swinging the axe in the same sort of fashion that predecessor Roman Abramovich would have – although Boehly's approach seems far more fierce.

Defeats to Leeds United, Southampton and Dinamo Zagreb were certainly disappointing for the Blues but, with just six games gone in the Premier League and one game down in the Champions League, there was plenty of time to turn things around.

The hunt for Tuchel's successor will be a difficult one, particularly given the strong record the German has boasted during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Here, Stats Perform dives into Opta's insight into Tuchel's spell in west London.

Delivering on all fronts

Tuchel leaves Chelsea with a 60 per cent win percentage across all competitions, with a 55.6 per cent percentage in the Premier League standing as the fourth highest in Blues' history among managers to have taken charge of at least 50 matches.

In the Champions League, where Tuchel led Chelsea to glory just months after taking the job in XXX, the German boasted an impressive 66.7 per cent win percentage in the competition.

It was in the FA Cup where Tuchel had the best return, with an 80 per cent win percentage having led the Blues to back-to-back finals, though they suffered defeat in both to Leicester City and Liverpool.

In 589 days in charge of Chelsea, Tuchel led the club to four major finals (2x FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League) and no manager has even taken charge of the Blues in more, with Jose Mourinho also boasting four.

Best of the rest

Unable to compete with Manchester City and Liverpool at the summit of English football, Chelsea firmly established themselves as the best of the rest under the guidance of Tuchel.

Under Tuchel's guidance, Chelsea picked up 122 points from 63 Premier League matches with only City (152) and Liverpool (136) picking up more.

Chelsea's return of 168 goals across all competitions under Tuchel was again beneath only the duo, with City netting 240 and Liverpool scoring 201.

With 49 clean sheets in 100 matches, Tuchel's side stand head and shoulders above all their rivals though, City ranking second with 44 and Liverpool in third with 43.

Had them in the first half

Quickly finding steam with Chelsea, leading them to Champions League glory and the FA Cup final just months after taking the reigns, Tuchel's return in the first half of his stint with the Blues is impressive.

In all competitions, Tuchel's first 50 games yielded 32 victories, 11 draws and seven defeats, with just 24 goals conceded.

A notable decline came in the final 50 matches of Tuchel's spell, however, with four fewer wins (28), two more draws (11) and nine losses – though the most alarming stat is conceding 53 goals, over double the amount from his first 50.

Even accounting for Chelsea's shoddy start to the Champions League, few would have expected Thomas Tuchel to be out of a job by Wednesday.

The Blues started their European campaign with a lacklustre 1-0 setback at Dinamo Zagreb, a result that follows an underwhelming trend to start the season.

With three wins, two losses and one draw from six games, the Blues sit sixth in the infant Premier League table.

Still, most would have expected Tuchel – who has won the Champions League and Club World Cup with Chelsea – to be afforded more time to bed in the likes of Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly following a big-spending transfer window under the club's new owners led by Todd Boehly.

But, alas, he has not, and for the first time Chelsea are after a new boss under their new regime. We have taken a look at the most likely candidates to replace Tuchel at Stamford Bridge.

MAURICIO POCHETTINO

The last time Chelsea were looking for a successor for a sacked manager, they turned to a former Paris Saint-Germain boss in Tuchel to replace club legend Frank Lampard. Might history repeat itself here? Certainly Pochettino would be attainable after the Argentine departed the Parc des Princes in July despite winning the Ligue 1 title. Pochettino also brings extensive knowledge of the Premier League having managed Southampton before joining Tottenham in May 2014. Pochettino failed to deliver major silverware but did lead the club to the 2019 Champions League final and secured four straight top-four finishes.

GRAHAM POTTER

A name that has cropped up early in the bookmakers' odds is Brighton and Hove Albion boss Potter, a man who has earned plenty of admirers due to the attractive brand of football employed by his Seagulls side. Having coached Swedish side Ostersund for seven years, Potter joined Swansea City in 2018 and a year later made the move to the Amex Stadium. After finishing 15th and 16th in his first two top-flight seasons, Brighton placed ninth last term and Potter has long been tipped for bigger things, with his case boosted by a fantastic start to the 2022-23 season.

ZINEDINE ZIDANE

Another boss out of work, though reports suggest Zidane remains keen to take on the France job should Didier Deschamps leave after Qatar 2022. One of the greatest players of all time, Zidane has also enjoyed success in the dugout at Real Madrid. Over two spells as coach at the Santiago Bernabeu, Zidane won three Champions League titles (all in a row from 2016 to 2018), two LaLiga medals, and the Club World Cup twice among a plethora of honours. He also showed his ability to manage big egos at the Santiago Bernabeu, a trait that may appeal to Boehly.

BRENDAN RODGERS

A move that would probably represent an outside bet given Leicester City's shoddy start to the season that sees them winless after six matches and rooted to the bottom of the table, but there is context behind that – including the sale of Fofana to Chelsea. Rodgers previously managed Liverpool and went agonisingly close to winning the title in the 2013-14 season – eventually finishing runners-up to Manchester City. After an impressive spell with Celtic, Rodgers returned to English football with Leicester and defeated Chelsea in the 2020-21 FA Cup final. Moreover, Rodgers is a familiar face at Stamford Bridge having managed the club's reserve side from 2006-2008.

DIEGO SIMEONE

Simeone is an undoubted legend at Atletico Madrid, where he has managed to consistently compete against heavyweight rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona in LaLiga for over a decade. A two-time league winner, to go with medals in the Europa League, Copa del Rey and Supercopa a Espana, Simeone knows how to win trophies – even though two runs to the final of the Champions League both ended in defeat to Real Madrid. But having finished third and 15 points off the top last term, and started this season in patchy form (two wins, a draw and a defeat from four games), perhaps Simeone may finally be swayed by the prospect of pastures new.

Thomas Tuchel has sensationally been sacked by Chelsea following Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, the Blues have confirmed.

The German was appointed as the successor to club legend Frank Lampard in January 2021 and led Chelsea to Champions League glory with a 1-0 over Manchester City in May of the same year.

More success followed in the form of trophies in the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup, but Tuchel also lost two FA Cup finals and an EFL Cup final – beaten in both domestic cup showpieces on penalties to Liverpool last term.

The UK government's sanctioning of former owner Roman Abramovich amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine eventually led to a change in ownership with a consortium led by LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly completing a £4.25billion deal.

Chelsea were active in the transfer market, bringing in the likes of Raheem Sterling, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella.

The Blues have made an indifferent start to the season, though, winning three, losing two and drawing one of their opening six Premier League games to sit sixth in the table.

Tuesday's shock defeat to Dinamo persuaded the club's new owners the time is right to make a change.

A club statement read: "On behalf of everyone at Chelsea FC, the club would like to place on record its gratitude to Thomas and his staff for all their efforts during their time with the club.

"Thomas will rightly have a place in Chelsea's history after winning the Champions League, the Super Cup and Club World Cup in his time here.

"As the new ownership group reaches 100 days since taking over the club, and as it continues its hard work to take the club forward, the new owners believe it is the right time to make this transition.

"Chelsea's coaching staff will take charge of the team for training and the preparation of our upcoming matches as the club moves swiftly to appoint a new head coach."

Thomas Tuchel has sensationally been sacked by Chelsea following Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League, the Blues have confirmed.

The German was appointed as the successor to club legend Frank Lampard in January 2021 and led Chelsea to Champions League glory with a 1-0 over Manchester City in May of the same year.

More success followed in the form of trophies in the UEFA Super Cup and Club World Cup, but Tuchel also lost two FA Cup finals and an EFL Cup final – beaten in both domestic cup showpieces on penalties to Liverpool last term.

Tottenham are gearing up for their first Champions League campaign in three seasons with momentum on their side and expectation levels high.

A large part of that is down to head coach Antonio Conte, who guided Spurs back into Europe's elite club competition in his first half-season in charge of the north London club.

Conte boasts a CV that is the envy of many managers around the world, the Italian having won eight major trophies during his coaching career, including five top-level league titles in two countries.

But Conte's domestic success has not transferred onto the European stage, having exited the Champions League in the group stage more times than he has advanced, despite managing some of the continent's elite clubs.

Ahead of Tottenham's Group D opener against Marseille on Wednesday, in which Conte will become the fourth coach to take charge of more than one English club in the competition, Stats Perform looks at the 53-year-old's underwhelming record.

JUST ONE KNOCKOUT WIN

Tottenham will be the fourth side Conte has taken charge of in the Champions League after Juventus, Chelsea and Inter. He has managed 36 games with those three heavyweight sides but won just 12 for a 33 per cent win rate.

To put that into some context, that compares to a 65 per cent win rate in the Premier League (over a much larger sample of games) and 68 per cent win rate in Serie A.

Breaking down that European record further, Conte won six of his 16 matches as Juve boss in the competition and just three each with Chelsea and Inter across eight and 12 matches respectively.

Those victories with Juve, Inter and Chelsea, if you were wondering, came against Celtic (twice), Qarabag (twice), Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Borussia Monchengladbach, Chelsea, Copenhagen, Nordsjaelland, Shakhtar Donetsk and Slavia Prague.

Conte's best run in UEFA's elite club tournament remains his first campaign when taking Juve to the quarter-finals in the 2012-13 season, where his title winners were well beaten by Bayern Munich over two legs.

Remarkably, that season's 5-0 aggregate win over Celtic in the last 16 remains Conte's only knockout-stage success in the Champions League.

That was one of only two occasions in five attempts a Conte side has made it beyond the first round, in fact, the other instance being in the 2017-18 season when Chelsea finished second to Roma in the group and were then eliminated by Barcelona in the last 16.

Conte was unable to guide Juve out of the group stage in 2013-14, failing to finish ahead of Galatasaray for second place behind Real Madrid, and also fell at the first hurdle in successive seasons with Inter.

EXCUSES, EXCUSES

But exactly why has one of the best coaches of his generation struggled so badly when it comes to balancing domestic and European football?

One suggestion is that, like a lot of Italian coaches, Conte prioritises league titles over continental cups, but the Spurs boss laughed that idea off at a news conference on Tuesday and pointed to the success of compatriot Carlo Ancelotti, the winner of more European Cups than any other coach.

"Success in Europe with a trophy is important for every manager," Conte added when probed on his underwhelming Champions League record. "You know very well that it is not simple, not easy to lift a trophy in Europe and especially the Champions League. 

"It is important to be there and you have more probability if you are the coach of a team who expects to win. Two years ago, with Inter, we lost the final of the Europa League against Sevilla. For sure, in my heart, in my mind, in my ambition, there is the will to have success in Europe."

Conte did indeed reach the final of the Europa League with Inter in the 2019-20 season, but even that can be considered a disappointment as a much-fancied Nerazzurri lost to Sevilla in the final and were only in the competition by virtue of their early Champions League elimination.

Another theory, put forward by Conte himself, is that his squads simply have not had the depth to cope with demanding runs across multiple competitions. 

"Some important mistakes have been made at the planning stage; we can't play both the Champions League and Serie A with such a small squad," Conte said two years ago on the back of Inter's second successive group-stage exit.

"I'm tired of saying the same things over and over again. Perhaps the [club directors] could come over here and say something. I hope that this will help them understand a few things."

SIXTH TIME LUCKY WITH SPURS?

Passing the buck to those higher up is very much out of the Conte playbook, a classic ploy usually used to help get his way when the transfer window approaches.

But on the back of a busy few months of transfer activity at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in which the Italian has been backed heavily, that excuse will surely not cut it with Daniel Levy and Co.

While Tottenham are not realistically expected to challenge for the Champions League trophy this term, failing to advance from a favourable group that contains Marseille, Eintracht Frankfurt and Sporting CP would be yet another blight on Conte's CV.

However, Conte may already be laying the foundations to cover his back should Spurs miss out on a place in the last 16, with the ex-Chelsea boss hitting out at the congested fixture list this side of the World Cup.

"Honestly, to see this schedule about Tottenham is incredible, it's crazy because we played three games in six days against Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Fulham," he added on Tuesday.

"Now we are playing after four days, but we are starting to play again three important games against Marseille in the Champions League, [Manchester] City away and Sporting Lisbon away in six days. I think maybe this is my first time in my career to see a schedule like this.

"I think in this situation we are unlucky, but I think in the future, and also I spoke with the club, we have to pay great attention to speak also to the Premier League. One day more, one day less can change totally your life and you can drop points. This is no good for a team like Tottenham."

These are the same issues the likes of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel have also raised, the difference being each of those have lifted the Champions League trophy aloft during their careers.

Now, as he embarks on his sixth season in the greatest club competition of them all, Conte must put talk of fixture congestion, a lack of squad depth or simply being unlucky with the draw to one side and prove that lessons have been learned from the past.

Khvicha Kvaratskhelia played just 10 times for Lokomotiv Moscow, and only one of those appearances was as a starter.

Yet, his father claimed in 2020 that then-Lokomotiv coach Yury Syomin cried actual tears when Kvaratskhelia said he would not be staying beyond the end of his initial loan agreement. The youngster also apparently broke down.

Seemingly the teenaged Kvaratskhelia made quite the impression on his coach, though curiously not enough to play on a regular basis. It's fair to say Kvaratskhelia's decision to move on and ultimately join fellow Russian Premier League side Rubin Kazan was a smart one.

"After that, I was glad my son was in Rubin, where they let him play football," Kvaratskhelia Sr added, and it was in Kazan where the talented winger began to consistently show the talents that Napoli will hope can help them get the better of the mighty Liverpool on Wednesday.

Kvaratskhelia will make his Champions League bow when the Reds come to Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, a commendable achievement given his rollercoaster of a 2022.

Turbulent times

A couple of weeks on from Russia's invasion of Ukraine, FIFA made it possible for foreign players and coaches in both countries to suspend their contracts.

Kvaratskhelia was eligible for such action, and while he did suspend his agreement, it seemed his initial plan was to eventually return to Rubin.

However, he and the club later announced a mutual termination after it emerged his family were subject to threats due to the original decision of not permanently leaving Russia.

He saw out the remainder of the 2021-22 season back home in Georgia with Dinamo Batumi – it was clearly a level below his usual standard as he scored eight goals in 11 league games, but it helped keep Kvaratskhelia sharp for his national team, netting three times from four Nations League outings in June.

Nevertheless, few would have considered those early months of the year to be ideal for a young talent hoping to make the step up to one of Europe's major leagues – that was where he had previously looked destined to end up.

Arsenal had been known admirers for a long time, sending scouts to watch him as early as September 2019. Several other English and Italian clubs were linked with him, but it was Napoli who ultimately took the punt.

The early signs suggest it is going to pay off for them rather handsomely.

Blossoming at Napoli

Replacing a club great is never a simple task, but if Kvaratskhelia continues at his current rate, Lorenzo Insigne will become a distant memory very quickly.

Insigne's move to Toronto in Major League Soccer came as something of a surprise when initially announced, and filling that void with a player who had most recently been playing in Georgia will have raised some eyebrows.

Additionally, bringing in Kvaratskhelia for Insigne was hardly like-for-like. The latter was all about dropping deep and essentially playing as a playmaker, with his 74.1 touches and 45.2 successful passes per 90 minutes both highs among Opta-classified forwards (minimum 1,000 minutes played) in Serie A last term.

Kvaratskhelia is far more direct and intent on getting in behind the defence, while his ability on the ball makes him a threat both as a carrier and dribbler – his nine carries with a take-on is bettered by only Rafael Leao (12) among wingers this term.

A predominantly right-footed winger who prefers to operate from the left, one might expect him to be a little one-dimensional, but he has already shown in Serie A how effective he can be chopping back on to his left foot, bamboozling the Monza defence with a feint before slotting home left-footed in last month's 4-0 win.

That was one of four goals already this season, none of which were penalties – that is a haul no player can better without adding in spot-kicks, and that form helped him win the first Player of the Month award of the campaign.

Of course, it remains early days in his Napoli career, but he has taken to Serie A with promising ease and has a style of play that will endear him to a set of supporters always ready to fall in love with talented attackers.

Hopefully Syomin's tears of disappointment will turn to pride when 'Kvaradona' makes his Champions League introduction on Wednesday.

The most decorated club competition in the world is back underway, and Wednesday's Champions League action promises some fireworks.

Winners in 2019-20, Bayern Munich will travel to the San Siro to take on Inter, while last year's runners-up Liverpool head to Napoli for a game they are favoured in.

Reigning Europa League champions Eintracht Frankfurt will look to keep up Germany's strong record against Portuguese teams when they host Sporting CP, and Harry Kane will be aiming to build on his superb European record as Tottenham host Marseille.

For a closer look, Stats Perform have dove into some interesting facts and nuggets about each matchup on Wednesday to give a clearer picture about how these clashes of champions may play out.

Inter v Bayern Munich

After their last Champions League run ended in a quarter-final loss to Villarreal, Bayern Munich will be desperate for a much improved result as they seek their seventh title, beginning their campaign away from home against Inter.

The sides have evenly split their seven previous European meetings, with three wins each and one draw, although it has been over a decade since their last Champions League fixture back in 2011.

While they do not have much recent history against Bayern in this competition, Inter's games against German opponents have turned into goal-fests, with 39 total goals (19 for, 20 against) in their past 10 matches.

Bayern have had much more success against Italian sides, going unbeaten in their past 10 (8W, 2D) – with their last loss coming in that 2011 battle with Inter, and the Nerazzurri were also the last side to keep a clean sheet against them in the 2010 final.

Romelu Lukaku will be a hard man to replace for the Italians as he will be absent after suffering a thigh injury. In his 16 European contests for Inter, he has 17 goal involvements (13 goals and four assists).

Napoli v Liverpool

This will be the third time in the past five seasons that Napoli and Liverpool have landed in the same Champions League group after back-to-back years in 2018-19 and 2019-20, with the Italian side winning all three of their home games.

Napoli have not featured in the last two editions of Europe's top competition, but they were a force in the group stage before their drought, with only one loss from their previous 12 matches (5W, 6D).

Mohamed Salah's seven goals in last season's group stage was the second-most ever in a group stage from a player on an English team, trailing only Ruud van Nistelrooy's eight during Manchester United's 2004-05 campaign. Salah is also one assist away from tying James Milner and Steven Gerrard for Liverpool's record number of assists in the Champions League (12).

Tottenham v Marseille

In the first ever competitive meeting between these two sides, Tottenham will likely be confident in their ability to get the job done at home against a Marseille side long removed from any Champions League success.

From their past 15 Champions League games, Marseille have only one win, against Olympiakos in 2020. English sides have given them particular trouble as well, as they have 12 losses against Premier League sides in their history in the competition – twice as many as against any other nation (six losses against Italian teams).

Harry Kane will be looking to add to his stellar European record, with 23 goal involvements (20 goals, three assists) in 24 career fixtures. Of all players with at least 20 Champions League goals, only Erling Haaland (64), Mario Gomez (102) and Lionel Messi (103.7) have a better minutes-per-goal figure than Kane's 104.4

Eintracht Frankfurt v Sporting CP

The reigning Europa League champions, Eintracht Frankfurt are making history with their first-ever Champions League berth, becoming the 14th German side to ever qualify – breaking the tie with Spain (13) for the most by any nation.

German sides have given Sporting trouble over the years, with 13 losses and one draw from 14 tries in European competition, with that emerging as a theme between the two nations.

Against all Portuguese sides, German teams are undefeated in their past 15 Champions League matches (13W, 2L) dating back to 2006.

After netting five times in last season's Europa League triumph to take his tally up to 11, Eintracht's Daichi Kamada can enter the club's record books as one of their top-three goalscorers in European competition with one more.

Other fixtures: 

Ajax v Rangers

20 - Ajax scored 20 goals in their six matches in last year's Champions League group stage, winning all six. It is the most goals they have ever scored in a Champions League group stage, before being eliminated by Benfica in the first knockout round.

19 - This will be Rangers' first Champions League appearance since 2010-11, and in their history, only Anderlecht (17 per cent) have a worse winning percentage in the competition than Rangers' 19 per cent. They have lost all four of their previous European meetings against Ajax.

Atletico Madrid v Porto

13 - This will be Atletico Madrid's 13th Champions League campaign, moving them past Valencia into the third-most for a Spanish side, trailing only Barcelona and Real Madrid (both 27). This is Atletico's 10th berth in a row, all under Diego Simeone.

26 - This is Porto's 26th Champions League, trailing only Barcelona and Real Madrid. If they were to be eliminated in the group stage this season, it would be the first time they failed to make it through the group stage in back-to-back campaigns since 1998.

Club Brugge v Bayer Leverkusen

1 - There has been only one win from a Belgian side against a German team in 24 Champions League meetings (18L, 5D) – and it was Brugge just last season, defeating RB Leipzig 2-1.

9 - Leverkusen have failed to win the opening match of their Champions League run the past nine times they have qualified (8L, 1D), with their last opening win coming in 2001.

Barcelona v Viktoria Plzen

33 - Barcelona striker Robert Lewandwoski is the top overall Champions League goal-scorer from the past three seasons, with 33 goals in 26 games. Last season, he netted nine goals in five home games,

24 - In their only two previous Champions League fixtures against Barcelona, Viktoria Plzen have averaged 24 per cent of the possession, and have lost the shot-count by a combined margin of 36-4.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola praised the performance of Jack Grealish after playing an hour in his first game back from injury in Tuesday's 4-0 Champions League win at Sevilla.

Grealish had not played since City's 4-0 Premier League win over Bournemouth on August 13 due to a minor injury.

The pressure is on the 26-year-old England international, who underwhelmed in his first season at City after joining from Aston Villa in August last year for £100million.

Grealish played 38 times, scoring six goals in all competitions last season for City, but did not live up to the expectations of his hefty transfer fee, nor play with his typical freedom.

The midfielder started and played 62 minutes against Sevilla, and while he did not score or provide an assist, Guardiola was delighted with his return.

"Jack arrived incredible in the pre-season," Guardiola said at the post-game press conference.

"In the first game against West Ham unfortunately he had a little injury. It's important for him to have again this 53, 60 minutes."

"The pitch was uncomfortable for the players. He was so aggressive in the first half, more than aggressive than Phil [Foden] in terms of goal and making the movements in there.

"Sometimes missed the last pass but it's not easy there. We need him a lot this season. Jack will be so important. He played a really good game."

Guardiola was also rapt with the debut of deadline-day signing Manuel Akanji, who only joined team training earlier this week following his move from Borussia Dortmund.

"We are delighted, just training one day and a half with us," Guardiola said.

"He showed in Dortmund his experience in Europe. A really, really good central defender that City bought to us.

"He played really well, his focus, attention. He has a quality quite similar to Aymer [Laporte], he can break the lines with a pass. He read the spaces really well. I am very pleased for him."

Erling Haaland grabbed two of City's four goals, taking his season tally to 12 since his move from Dortmund.

"I think his numbers in his career, not just here, in previous teams is quite similar," Guardiola told BT Sport. "He has an incredible sense of goal."

Haaland became the first City player to score on both his Premier League debut and Champions League debut for the club.

The 22-year-old is also the fastest player to 25 goals in Champions League history, coming across 20 games, bettering Ruud van Nistelrooy and Filippo Inzaghi's mark of 30 games.

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has scoffed at a question about Napoli being "a dangerous city" despite the club warning traveling fans they could be targeted during their Champions League visit.

The Reds take on Napoli at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday in their first Champions League fixture since May's final loss to Real Madrid in Paris, where chaotic scenes unfolded outside the venue for their fans, including bottleneck queues and being sprayed with tear gas.

In the lead-up to Wednesday's game, The club issued a series of recommendations to traveling fans, warning they could be "targeted for theft, robbery or assault".

Twitter account Liverpool FC Help posted the recommendations including remaining in their hotel to drink and eat, not congregating in public areas, and avoiding the city centre, which the club's managing director Andy Hughes reiterated. He added that traveling fans should use official coaches to get to the stadium, rather than make their own way in the interest of personal safety.

But Klopp would not be drawn on that, when asked in Tuesday's press conference if he believed Naples was a "dangerous city".

"That's an embarrassing question from you," Klopp said. "You want to create headlines. I really don't understand.

"Are you from Napoli? Do you think it's a dangerous city? I don't live a normal life in Napoli. I am protected, I go to the hotel and now you ask me what I think about Napoli.

"You know exactly what people are talking about. If 'some' supporters meet 'some' supporters then 'something' can happen. Nothing to do with the city.

"But I'm not here to create headlines for you, and if you don't know what to ask anymore then that's no problem.

"I would love to go to the hotel to be honest and concentrate on the game tomorrow. It looks like you don't know what to ask anymore because of the question."

Hughes said the club understood the trip "may be a daunting prospect" for fans in light of the events in Paris.

He added: "Our supporters have faced a number of issues when traveling to Naples in the past.

"I do understand that some fans will want to make an occasion out of this trip. However, in this case I'd urge supporters not to wander into the city on their own, or to be wearing club colours during their stay in Naples."

Liverpool were grouped together with Napoli in both the 2018-19 and 2019-20 Champions League editions.

Marco Verratti was not surprised to see Leandro Paredes and Sergio Ramos square off in Paris Saint-Germain's clash with Juventus as "both players care so much".

Paredes was back at the Parc des Princes for Tuesday's Champions League group match, just six days after joining Juve from PSG on an initial loan basis.

The Argentina international was involved in a flashpoint during the first half of his new side's 2-1 loss when he got involved in a row with former team-mate Ramos.

As Paredes walked towards Ramos, the latter appeared to push away the midfielder by the throat, which the referee deemed worthy of a yellow card.

And speaking after the match, Verratti joked it was an incident that was always likely to happen between two passionate players.

"I'm good friends with [Paredes]. The odds on that happening were pretty good as I'd seen them go at it in training," he told Sky Sport Italia.

"I'd have bet my house on that happening. Both players care so much and put a lot of character into every challenge, but they always have a hug at the end."

Paredes managed 102 touches against his parent club – more than any other Juve player on their Champions League debut since Opta started recording such data in 2003-04.

Juve put up a strong second-half fight in Paris after Kylian Mbappe fired PSG into a commanding two-goal lead, though Weston McKennie's effort proved to be a consolation.

The Parisians have now won five successive home games in the Champions League for the first time since between November 2013 and November 2014 (a run of six wins).

"We were up against a strong opponent in Juve and knew we'd suffer to get the three points," Verratti said. "After a good first half we struggled a bit in the second.

"Juve relaxed a bit after their goal and started to believe. They are a great team but we worked together to bring home the result."

Mbappe's double took him on to 29 goals in the competition for PSG, one shy of Edinson Cavani's club record.

Lionel Messi and Neymar also performed well in attack, and Verratti praised head coach Christophe Galtier for getting the trio working as one.

"The coach is very intelligent. This is quite a tough team to coach," he said.

"But he made it clear to everyone that there is only one objective, which is to win, play together, enjoy our football and make it a team sport.

"To have a great season we need everyone, whether we have the ball or not, whether they are on the bench or on the field.

"Telling Messi what position to hold and where to pass is tricky, but he gave a sense of organisation and responsibility to everyone. 

"There are moments, as we saw today, where we all need to defend together. You can be as talented as you like, but it is all easier if we all work together."

Massimiliano Allegri was left frustrated by a "wasted chance" after his Juventus team lost 2-1 to Paris Saint-Germain.

Juve's Champions League campaign looked set to get off to a humbling start at the Parc des Princes when Kylian Mbappe's double put PSG 2-0 up inside 22 minutes.

Yet some sloppy finishing and poor defending from their hosts allowed Juve back into it in the second half, with Weston McKennie heading home to reduce the deficit.

Gianluigi Donnarumma pulled off a fine stop to deny Dusan Vlahovic and Manuel Locatelli had a late effort blocked close to the line, and while Juve were fortunate not to concede more at the other end, they ultimately gave a strong account of themselves despite losing to PSG for the first time in a competitive fixture.

Allegri previously declared Benfica – who beat Maccabi Haifa 2-0 on Tuesday – as Juve's main rivals in Group H, but the Bianconeri's coach was in the end disappointed not to get a result against PSG.

"We played a good game, it's a wasted chance, we had to be more clear-headed in the final minutes," Allegri told Canale 5, as reported by Football Italia.

"We had to create more chances on the left, we didn't do it enough. We could have been dangerous in those situations with McKennie wide on the right. We must improve, it's a wasted chance."

Juve lost their opening match to a Champions League campaign for just the second time in their 23 seasons in the competition (W13 D8), also losing to Barcelona in September 2017 (3-0), but after going down fighting – registering just two shots fewer than PSG (13 to 15) and a similar expected goals value (1.1 to 1.5) – midfielder Adrien Rabiot shared his coach's frustration.

"We started badly, in the first 20 minutes we suffered," he said, via Football Italia. "We could have done even more, being more clinical. I am a bit angry, especially because of the first half. We conceded two early goals, too early, and the game changed.

"We proved that we could do better in the second half, we had chances, but we must continue to work and think of Benfica at home [in the next game].

"We have to work, find the right system and the right players on the pitch, but I think that tonight we did better than in league games.

"Unfortunately, when we lose there is always criticism for the players and the coach. We reacted well in the second half and I am glad of it, we showed good things but we must work, it's a long season and we know it."

Thomas Tuchel accused his Chelsea team of showing a lack of hunger after their poor away form continued with a 1-0 Champions League defeat at Dinamo Zagreb.

After making a below-par start in the Premier League, Chelsea were hoping for some respite from their first European outing of the campaign, but Mislav Orsic's well-taken goal condemned them to a dismal defeat on Tuesday.

The result leaves Chelsea playing catch-up in Group E after losing their first game of a Champions League campaign for just the third time (also against Basel in 2013-14 and Valencia in 2019-20).

Meanwhile, the Blues have lost three successive away games for the first time under Tuchel, enduring their worst run on the road since December 2020 under Frank Lampard.

Having cut a frustrated figure on the sidelines in Croatia, Tuchel said he was surprised by Chelsea's performance and hit out at their lack of application.

"I didn't see it coming, obviously I was in the wrong movie," Tuchel said. "I thought that the last game helped us. I thought the team was prepared, I thought we knew what this is all about.

"I don't really know where this performance today comes from. A lack of determination, a lack of hunger and a lack of intensity to actually do the things that we need at the highest level. 

"We are clearly not where we want to be. I'm angry about our performance. 

"It's not precise enough, it's not clinical enough, it's not aggressive enough on the ball, it's not determined enough. 

"It's not good enough individually, it's not good enough as a team."

Chelsea are also on their joint-longest run without a clean sheet under Tuchel, having conceded in six successive matches in all competitions.

Meanwhile, Dinamo became just the second team – alongside Juventus – to beat four different London clubs in European competition (Chelsea, West Ham, Tottenham and Arsenal).

Chelsea could not claim to have been surprised by their opponents then, and Tuchel added: "We expected what we got, and I think we got what we got. 

"It was the story of the last few games, we started okay for 15, 20 minutes but then lacked determination, precision and maybe even lacked the smell of blood.

"We conceded a goal with two players in a counter-attack, it's never happened before. I don't understand why it happened today.

"It's clearly my job to analyse it, so this is me analysing from the sideline and it will continue. We need to be much better. 

"We are not finished, we are not happy with our results, we are not happy with the way we play in general, but I thought we were on a good way. I'm a bit surprised by this performance today."

Asked whether Chelsea underestimated Dinamo, he replied: "Me, personally, no. If we did, then we have a huge problem. Honestly, we have a huge problem if we did."

Chelsea travel to Fulham for their next Premier League match on Saturday, before hosting Salzburg in the Champions League next Wednesday.

Shakhtar Donetsk captain Taras Stepanenko said it was beyond his "wildest dreams" to thrash RB Leipzig 4-1 in their Champions League opener at the Red Bull Arena.

Igor Jovicevic's team became the first Ukrainian side to compete in the Champions League since the country was invaded by Russia, and they marked the occasion with an unlikely victory on their travels.

Despite enjoying just 32 per cent of the possession and attempting a mere four shots on target, Shakhtar scored with each of those through a Marian Shved double and further goals from Mykhaylo Mudryk and Lassina Traore.

Jovicevic's visitors finished with an expected goals total of just 1.2, compared to the 1.4 of Leipzig, who thought they had got back into the game through Mohamed Simakan's equaliser – only to fall apart soon after.

The defeat for Leipzig potentially leaves coach Domenico Tedesco's future in doubt, with the Bundesliga side winning only one of five league games, but this was a memorable victory for Shakhtar.

"I could not have imagined in my wildest dreams such a game with four goals for us. But we played well and I feel we deserved that result tonight," Stepanenko told reporters.

"I have been with the club for over a decade. This is a new team, but many of these young players are from the Shakhtar academy, so they have the Shakhtar spirit and this really helps us a lot.

"We are a tight group and have a lot of spirit. When I saw the draw, I immediately knew it was going to be a tough group, but I also knew we have a good team and should be able to get results.

"We want to progress, but with young players sometimes you are lacking consistency."

Shakhtar already have more points (three) and goals (four) than they earned in the entirety of last season's group stage (two points, two goals).

Their next task will see them face Celtic, who were 3-0 losers to reigning European champions Real Madrid in the other Group F game, but for now Jovicevic expressed his delight after seeing his positivity pay dividends.

"When the counter-attack for the third goal came and the ball was at Mudryk's feet, I already raised my arms in celebration because I know from training that he scores when he is through one on one with the keeper," Jovicevic said. 

"I tried to give this positive energy and it's all about being positive."

Shved became the 10th different Ukrainian player to score on his Champions League debut and just the second of those to do so while playing for Shakhtar – after Stepanenko in November 2010.

Jovicevic added praise for Shved, who also became the first Ukrainian to score a brace in the competition since Junior Moraes for Shakhtar at Lyon in October 2018.

"I know Marian Shved from my time at Lviv, and when Sevilla took him, I wanted him back," Jovicevic said.

"Now I am happy that he is back in my team. He is a hard worker, quick and powerful, and I know what he is capable of."