Champions League panic meter: Man United end skid with late drama; Atletico, Roma in trouble

Another Champions League matchday is partially in the books. There are some teams that are already halfway through the league phase, which will last until January. It's important to remember that only the top eight teams will qualify directly for the knockout rounds, while those finishing between ninth and 24th place will have to compete in a two-legged playoff in February to secure their place in the next stage. Let's now take a look at some of the big European teams and see how much they should be worried ahead of the remaining four league phase games. 

AS Roma 

The Giallorossi lost again in the final minutes of a Champions League match. Gian Piero Gasperini's side repeated the same mistakes they made last month at the Stadio Olimpico against Real Madrid, when they conceded three goals late in the second half after being up 3-1. Something similar happened against Manchester United at Old Trafford, as AS Roma lost 3-2 after scoring the first two goals of the game. Next up is a trip to PSG at the Parc des Princes, and it's difficult to imagine them bringing any points back to Rome. With four points collected after four games, they should start to worry a bit now.

 Panic level: 7/10 😤

Atletico Madrid

They are in a better spot than AS Roma. Diego Simeone's side have been quite disappointing so far, losing to Liverpool away and to Bayern Munich at home, though they did beat Manchester United in Madrid earlier. Clearly, they had a very challenging first half of the league phase, but they now have a much more doable path: Viking, PSV and Bodo/Glimt, before facing Fenerbahce in their last away game of the league phase. They should aim to finish in the top 16 at the very least.

Panic level: 6/10 🤕

Inter

After defeats against Real Madrid and Club Brugge in the opening two games of the league phase, the Nerazzurri won two in a row against Shakhtar and, most notably, 3-0 away at Feyenoord. That win came a few days after Inter lost the Derby della Madonnina 3-1 to AC Milan, a defeat that raised many doubts about Cristian Chivu's management following some disappointing performances early in the season. However, the win against Feyenoord put things in a much better place for Inter, who will now host Stuttgart at San Siro before facing Borussia Dortmund away, Liverpool in Milan and Slavia Prague in the final match of the league phase.

Panic level: 5/10 🤩

Man United

On the other hand, things finally look a bit better for Manchester United after beating AS Roma at Old Trafford. However, the big question now is: has Michael Carrick left it too late? Things will be clearer in the coming days, especially ahead of the November international break. The Red Devils have some challenging matches left in the league phase, with visits to Sporting CP and Villarreal plus home games against RB Leipzig and, most notably, Bayern Munich. It's certainly not over for them yet, but at least they can now look ahead with a little more optimism.

Panic level: 6/10 😡 

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