Liverpool dominates, and Barcelona shines as the top scorers in Champions League nights.

The new Champions League system appears to be reshaping the balance of power among clubs, altering the dominance map. Some teams that previously shined have faced significant declines, while others have emerged as rising stars, benefiting from the varied competition in the revamped group stage. This radical change has sparked heated debates between UEFA and major European clubs.

Liverpool Leading, Real Madrid Struggling

After five rounds of the Champions League group stage, Liverpool stands as the only team with a perfect record, earning 15 points. Their recent victory over Real Madrid at Anfield, with goals from Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo, has solidified their position at the top. Inter Milan trails by two points, while Barcelona follows closely, three points behind.

On the other hand, Real Madrid, last season's champions, faces the shocking possibility of an early exit. Sitting in 24th place with just 6 points, the Spanish giants have suffered three defeats in five matches. To secure a place in the next round, they must deliver strong performances in their remaining games against Atalanta, Red Bull Salzburg, and Brest.

Barcelona: The Champions League's Top Attack

Barcelona boasts the strongest attack in this year’s competition, netting 18 goals. This is largely thanks to Robert Lewandowski, who has scored seven goals, topping the scorer's chart and joining the prestigious 100-goal club alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Seven different players have scored for Barcelona, giving them an edge over Borussia Dortmund, who have scored 16 goals. Meanwhile, Bologna has the weakest attack, managing just one goal so far.

Manchester City: Dominance in Possession Amid Struggles

Despite setbacks in both the Premier League and Champions League, including a dramatic 3-3 draw with Feyenoord that left them 17th in the standings, Manchester City continues to dominate in ball possession. Under Pep Guardiola, City leads the competition with a 67.2% possession rate, far ahead of Bayern Munich. They also boast the highest pass accuracy at 92.6%.

In contrast, Sparta Prague has the lowest possession rate, holding just 36.2% of the ball in their matches.

Inter Milan: Defensive Excellence

Inter Milan, last season's Champions League runners-up, remains the only team to keep clean sheets in all five matches. This achievement is credited to Simone Inzaghi's solid defensive strategies and the outstanding performances of goalkeeper Yann Sommer, who has made 16 saves so far. Sommer’s efforts place him 14th on the list of top-performing goalkeepers, which is led by Milan's Mike Maignan with 27 saves.

Goal-Scoring Frenzy

The Champions League has seen an impressive 288 goals scored in 90 matches, averaging 3.20 goals per game. A goal is scored roughly every 28 minutes. Last Tuesday's matches contributed significantly to this tally, with 40 goals scored in nine games, averaging 4.4 goals per match. This marked the second-highest scoring day in tournament history, just behind October 1, 1997, when 44 goals were scored in a single day.