Manu Petit named some surprising sides as he picked out the teams which have impressed him so far in the Champions League.
While there are some obvious candidates to watch, such as holders Manchester City, as well as the glamour sides such as Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, the Frenchman had his eye on some outperformers.
First up from Spain, he chose Real Sociedad, telling Lord Ping: “I think that Real Sociedad have been very impressive. They are doing very well in the Champions League group as well as in La Liga, which is a surprise for me. I think they play brilliant football.”
He also picked out a Danish side, who have already given Manchester United a rough ride.
He added: “FC Copenhagen have also stood out. They were placed in a tough group (with Bayern Munich, Manchester United and Galatasaray) – they were unlucky not to pick up anything from their trip to Old Trafford and they beat Manchester United at home. They are a decent team; they don’t have big names, but they are doing OK.”
Petit also had time for a side from his own country who impressed against Arsenal, Lens, saying: “I also think RC Lens deserve some credit too. They have been out of the Champions League for about twenty-years and were playing in the second division in France only a few years ago.
“It’s brilliant to see them in the Champions League when you consider the club’s budget. Despite not having the finances of some of the biggest teams in France and in Europe, they are always competitive, and they have a brilliant team spirit. They deserve a lot of credit for what they have achieved so far.”