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4 takeaways from Wednesday's Champions League action

Reuters

Wednesday's Champions League action served up 28 goals in all - a breathless display of football across several countries.

These weren't blowouts. The biggest of clubs had problems breaking down what appeared to be inferior opposition.

Paris Saint-Germain fell behind Ludogorets before scoring three unanswered goals, Manchester City came back three times in a thriller, and Barcelona found a way to beat a ready and able Borussia Monchengladbach side that hadn't lost the past 11 matches at home in all competitions.

In the end, City dropped its first points of the Pep Guardiola era, and Carlo Ancelotti's Bayern Munich lost for the first time.

Here are the biggest takeaways from one of the best matchdays in recent Champions League history:

Walcott-Sanchez a dynamic duo

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said before Wednesday's comprehensive 2-0 win over Basel that "it doesn't matter where" Theo Walcott plays.

Although he has previously recognised himself as a striker, Walcott is clearly more effective coming off the right wing. It's in this position that he can take on defenders, find space, and go on overlapping runs.

That's exactly what's happened over the past two matches. He maneuvered his way behind the defence against Chelsea, and he was an outlet for Alexis Sanchez against Basel.

The two of them hooked up to give Arsenal a first-half lead that it wouldn't relinquish.

Walcott does have the characteristics of a striker - it's why he's scored the majority of his goals inside the penalty area - but he's much better in link-up play.

Sanchez himself wasn't an immediate fit at centre-forward, but he's made the position his own. Dropping deep and collecting the ball in midfield, the tireless Chilean gives Arsenal more mobility than Olivier Giroud.

Putting numbers behind the ball simply wasn't enough for Basel. Arsenal made decisions quicker than the Basel defenders could react, and if it wasn't for goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik's confident saves, the score could've been embarrassing.

City exposed by Celtic's ruthlessness

Guardiola's perfect record at City's helm came to end at Celtic Park, where the home side forced errors and gunned for victory right from the start.

City paid for its high line on Moussa Dembele's first goal, ugly as it was. Dembele was in the right place at the right time to chest a simple ball past Claudio Bravo, but it was City's sleepy defending that stood out.

Brendan Rodgers' side stretched the visitor and found gaps in midfield - a rare sight for any of Guardiola's teams. Fernandinho scored one of City's three equalisers, but he was ultimately culpable of pushing up and leaving far too much room behind him. It allowed Celtic to run up the pitch without a fight.

The centre-back position continues to be a worry for Guardiola as well. Aleksandar Kolarov lacked sharp passing out from the back, and made a hash of a clearance attempt moments before Dembele poached his second goal. Guardiola's known for converting players, but this one is not working.

John Stones is a much surer bet.

"The Manchester City defence has looked like a bag of washing tonight," said former Celtic boss Neil Lennon. "They are relying on three or four players to try and win them the game."

The bright spots for City were indeed Raheem Sterling - Guardiola's most improved player - and David Silva. The Spaniard assumed the injured Kevin De Bruyne's advanced role and split the defence with six key passes. He's vital in the absence of the Belgium international.

Atletico has Bayern's number

Beating Bayern is Atletico Madrid's thing.

Los Rojiblancos beat the Bavarians over two legs in last season's semi-final, and it's a combination of stout defending and relentless pressing that yields the results.

Shutting down Robert Lewandowski is no easy task, but Atletico's defenders wrapped him up and shuttled him into benign situations. Atleti seemed happy to give the visitor the majority of possession, only because Diego Simeone's men are lethal on the counterattack.

Bayern's possession generally amounted to nothing, and when there was a shot on goal, the resolute Jan Oblak was there to save it. He's developed a habit of producing clean sheets, and here was another one.

It also helps to have two-way forwards in the lineup. Although he missed an open net from close range, Fernando Torres did well to stretch Bayern and pull defenders with him. Partner Antoine Griezmann, meanwhile, harried opponents and forced hasty passes.

Simeone's formation is a 4-4-2 on paper, but it morphs on the fly. Greizmann can come back into midfield to create a 4-5-1, and when Atletico jumps on the counter, the Frenchman has the energy to change gears.

Playing at the Vicente Calderon also helps. Atletico has now conceded just four times in its past 18 home fixtures in the Champions League.

Turan is Barcelona's secret weapon

Barcelona searched endlessly for a fourth striker throughout the summer, and it ended up with Paco Alcacer.

But the real answer is Arda Turan. Coming from a midfield background, the Turkey international is a more inventive player. He is now only behind Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez in team scoring with five goals. It's a run of form that began in the preseason Supercopa de Espana.

His strike in the second half Wednesday against Monchengladbach kick-started an important 2-1 comeback win for the Catalans. Barcelona's now in control of Group C.

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