Richarlison and Giovanni Simeone among Champions League’s first-time forwards
The first two rounds of the Champions League group stage are complete, with several forwards making their debut in this continental top flight competition. This includes Giovanni Simeone, and Richarlison, among others.
Some attackers have just made their Champions League debuts this season. They just had the opportunity to compete among the elite of the continent after sealing their move to the top clubs. The likes of Napoli’s Giovanni Simeone, and new Spurs signing, Richarlison are examples. Some have displayed their quality but others have not.
Rating the Performance of Several UCL Debutant Frontmen in 2022/23 Season
Richarlison (Tottenham)
The Brazilian forward started off well on matchday one last week as he netted a brace to help Spurs clinch three points in their home game against Marseille. No wonder that he was named the man of the match and rated the highest on whoscored.com since he was also heavily involved on the defensive side by making two tackles and one interception.
Unfortunately, such impressive form did not show in Lisbon this week. The former Everton and Watford man wasted several fairly decent chances and lacked efficiency in the six-yard box in a 2-0 by Sporting CP.
Giovanni Simeone (Napoli)
The Argentine striker performed quite well while trashing Liverpool 4-1. Despite coming off the bench, he scored once and helped his team on the defensive side. However, in the second game, the son of Atletico Madrid boss, Diego, was not in-form while facing off Glasgow Rangers. He did have one decent chance in the first half but his strike was denied by Alan McGregor. He contributed to the first penalty as he was brought down by two Rangers defenders.
Anthony Modeste (Borussia Dortmund)
The 34-year old frontman was tipped to be a temporary cover for Sebastian Haller, Dortmund’s new signing who was shockingly diagnosed for having a testicular tumour. The Ivorian forward will be sidelined until early 2023 due to his surgery and treatment. However, Die Borussen might already regret bringing him in, instead of other targets such as Cristiano Ronaldo or Giovanni Simeone. Both received mentions for a move to the Westfallenstadion.
The Frenchman, who moved on free transfer from Köln last summer, has been disappointing in the first two games of the Champions League. He had an ineffective game in the match against Manchester City as he had no shots on goal at all. His only involvement was winning the aerial duels four times throughout the game.
In the previous fixture while dismantling Copenhagen 3-0, Modeste did not score nor provide any assists. He did have two shots on goal but sadly neither was on target. Edin Terzic should come up with a better plan for the attacking side in the next four games instead of relying on the former St.Etienne man only. He has just scored once in five Bundesliga appearances so far in the 2022/23 season.
Ferran Jutgla (Club Brugge)
The former Barcelona man has finally had his chance to play more regularly after joining Belgian side Club Brugge. He did not play well in the opener, beating Bayer Leverkusen last week. Yet, he made quite an improvement while his team was taking on FC Porto on the road.
The 23-year old striker put his name on the score sheet as he bagged an opening goal from a penalty followed by an assist for the second goal in the 4-0 rout on Tuesday. Jutgla could lead his team to progress further in this European top flight competition. Though the Belgian champions have a stacked team he looks like a solid starter for them now.
Julian Alvarez (Manchester City)
The 22-year old versatile forward is merely a back-up for Erling Haaland upfront. His contribution in the first two Champions League games has not stood out either. A substitute appearance against Sevilla and the starting 11 spot this week versus Dortmund yielded nothing. In the latter game, Alvarez who already signed a contract with Manchester City in January 2022, played wide as right winger before Bernardo Silva replaced him in the second half.