4 things we learned from the Champions League's midweek tilts

With the first lot of Champions League Round of 16 fixtures over, theScore looks at what we learned in the four matches across Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tactical decimation of Barcelona

Paris Saint-Germain bullied Barcelona at the Parc des Princes on Tuesday, squeezing its illustrious opponent into submission with a sublime, relentless press, and simply striding past the midfield three of Andre Gomes, Sergio Busquets, and a seemingly fading Andres Iniesta.

Related – Anatomy of a goal: Barcelona’s midfield gets torched by PSG

The vaunted three of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar were often chasing for lost causes due to the ineptitude of what was happening behind them, but showed very little potency when they had space and possession to exert their trademark swift swagger.

It appeared Unai Emery had been preparing for this match for months – he was brought in by the Qatari owners to deliver European success, after all – while Luis Enrique, widely rumoured to be relinquishing the reins in the summer, instead looked like he’d spent the past few days mapping out his tour of the Louvre Museum.

Collapse aside, it’s the same old story for Arsenal

Laurent Koscielny was the one nut that held the Arsenal machine together, and when that dropped to the floor everything collapsed spectacularly in the 5-1 defeat.

Even with referee Milorad Mazic seeming to favour Bayern Munich’s visitor on numerous occasions, the Gunners were listless in the second stanza. The midfield had no bite whatsoever; Francis Coquelin didn’t make a tackle, and once again Mesut Ozil was anonymous.

Related – Numbers don’t lie: Stats support Bayern brilliance, awful Arsenal

There’s no doubting Ozil’s ability. He crafted a whopping 19 assists in the Premier League last term, and toyed with the Ludogorets Razgrad’s defence in this season’s Champions League group stages – but has he really improved since he teed up Real Madrid’s lightning-quick counter-attacks before his 2013 exit?

Perhaps, if Arsene Wenger can be encouraged to ditch his stolid 4-2-3-1 setup, Ozil could work well slightly more withdrawn but heading up a midfield three, with Olivier Giroud flanked by Alexis Sanchez and perhaps Theo Walcott in attack.

Napoli disappoints in Spain

When Lorenzo Insigne bounced a shot from distance beyond Keylor Navas, the upset that many in Italy believed possible – Napoli hadn’t lost a match since October – looked in the cards.

A more concerted effort from the Campania outfit’s attacking ranks in the latter stages and a switch to a 4-2-3-1 formation wasn’t enough, however, as Insigne, Dries Mertens, and Marek Hamsik failed to rehash their form – they’ve helped Napoli collect a league-high 57 strikes – on the continental scene.

Real Madrid deserved its 3-1 win in the end, tempering a quick start from Napoli and showcasing a clinic in how to use attack-minded full-backs in how high Dani Carvajal and Marcelo were up the park. Questions will be levelled at goalkeeper Keylor Navas, however, who was caught in no-man’s land for Insigne’s opener.

Auba the hill?

(Photos courtesy: Reuters)

Is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s mind already elsewhere?

The Gabon artilleryman was again wasteful for Borussia Dortmund, inexplicably lofting a gilt-edged opportunity over the bar in the opening stanza and then firing a penalty straight into the grateful hands of Benfica shot-stopper Ederson Moraes.

Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel blamed Aubameyang’s woeful outing and resulting 62nd-minute substitution on a lack of sharpness after playing at the Africa Cup of Nations but – perhaps tellingly – also cited some sloped shoulders from the striker.

“After the missed penalty, I didn’t get the feeling anymore from his body language that he was in a position to score,” said Tuchel.

It looks increasingly likely that Aubameyang will be on his way in the summer.