Tantalising precursor to South African World Cup
The Sunday Age
Sunday December 20, 2009
FIVE-TIME European champion Liverpool and la Vecchia Signora - Juventus of Italy - were the big-name casualties of what was a refreshingly unpredictable Champions League group stage, and the only certainty in the knockout stages early next year will be more damaged reputations, with an enticing mix of ties in the round of 16 announced on Friday.Defending European champion Barcelona will breathe a sigh of relief after drawing Stuttgart in what should prove a straightforward assignment for a team redefining the nexus between successful and beautiful football.Manager Josep Guardiola will hope to gain a comfortable lead away in Germany to field a weakened side at the Nou Camp as the "Blaugrana" continue to fight for titles on all fronts. Any chance to rest players could prove decisive as the season reaches its climax.Spain coach Vicente del Bosque will be praying for exactly that scenario, as Spain's chances of lifting its first FIFA World Cup trophy in July hinge on the fitness and freshness of Barca players Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta €” the two finest midfielders in the world.Shadow favouritism for the Champions League title rests with either of the English clubs €” Chelsea and Manchester United €” and both have intriguing ties against Italian clubs, with emotional returns to England for Inter coach Jose Mourinho at Stamford Bridge and David Beckham at Old Trafford.Chelsea is inconsistent but possess three elements that make it a fair prospect for its first Champions League title: depth in quality, the experience of having lost the 2008 final, and a coach in Carlo Ancelotti with the requisite experience to create history, given his record of two wins as a player with the great AC Milan team of the '90s, and two as coach with the same club.Moreover, it boasts one of the most irrepressible and ferociously aggressive strikers of recent years in Didier Drogba, who will be keen to erase the bitter memories of the semi-final loss to the titleholder last season, and his histrionics which brought a suspension and worldwide condemnation.Despite its dominance of the Serie A, Mourinho's Inter took more than 12 months to win a European match and even then required a come-from-behind win against Dinamo in an incredibly tough group. It was humiliated by a sensational Barcelona at the Nou Camp, and only sealed progression in its last game at home.Often too cautious in Europe, Inter will need to approach the tie differently to last season when it was beaten far too comfortably by Manchester United, and Mourinho €” "the Special One" €” will be only too aware that Chelsea is a side with an aggressive, attacking instinct which will want to finish the tie with an away goal in the first leg.The fascination of the knockout stage is that for Chelsea or Inter, Manchester United or Milan, failure at such an early stage is a catastrophe of such proportions that, for Milan's Leonardo, Mourinho or Ancelotti, could spell the beginning of the end at the helm of clubs which simply cannot countenance falling behind their continental rivals.With Ronaldinho back in form, Cristiano Ronaldo scoring freely and eager to prove he remains the world's leading player, Real Madrid on the improve and desperate to participate in a Bernabeu final, Barca taking all before them, Lionel Messi adding to his collection of individual honours, and a final in Madrid looming as the perfect lead-in to the World Cup, football fans can look ahead to 2010 with a sense of expectation only the world's favourite game can provide.THE DRAWChampions LeagueLast 16, knockout round:Inter Milan (Ita) v Chelsea (Eng)Lyon (Fra) v Real Madrid (Spa)AC Milan (Ita) v Manchester United (Eng)Olympiakos (Gre) v Bordeaux (Fra)FC Porto (Por) v Arsenal (Eng)CSKA Moscow (Rus) v Sevilla (Spa)Stuttgart (Ger) v Barcelona (Spa)Bayern Munich (Ger) v Fiorentina (Ita)
© 2009 The Sunday Age
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