However, time has moved on and so has the balance of power, which is now so much in favour of the Premier League sides that the Champions League may have become a little predictable. English sides no longer fear anyone, expect Barcelona, and will normally go into any European clash as the favourites. The last five finals have been contested by at least one English side, much to the disgust of Michel Platini.

England has dominated the Champions League for the last five years but next year could be different. Without going too much off track the rise in value of the Euro and the increase in tax in the UK has meant English football is no longer so attractive. It seems like now is the time for Barcelona and Real Madrid to begin dominating the European scene once again.

New Real president Florentino Perez has certainly come in and shaken things up with his 300million Euros to spend and seems to have swung the balance of power away from England. Now you have players like David Villa and Franck Ribery no longer interested in playing in the Premier League. Instead everyone wants to be a part of the Spanish renaissance which is currently taking place.

The Premier League remains the richest league in the world but  is no longer flavour of the month. This will be good news for Platini who has all but said he is sick of seeing three English sides in the semi-finals of the Champions League.
So could next season be the birth of a new ruling party? Well quite possibly, although it will probably only be Real Madrid and Barcelona flying the Spanish flag with Sevilla and Atletico Madrid still too underfunded to compete and truly upset the football odds. English sides will still be very strong and I expect to see all four, if Arsenal qualify, make it through the group stages. However, how far they get beyond that will depend on how strong sides from other European nations become. If AC Milan use the money they made from Kaka wisely who knows where they could finish up while Inter Milan certainly weren’t pushovers last season.

The Champions League is all about beating the best sides from across Europe and while it is exciting to see Manchester United versus Arsenal semi-finals it just doesn’t hold the same appeal as one big side going head-to-head with another from across Europe. Let’s hope that Spain and Italy claim back some of the momentum from the Premier League sides as we hope for another terrific season of Champions League action.

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Clearly this Real side will not be the same one we have seen for the past few seasons, flattering to decisive in both the Spanish League and Europe. However, I can see Los Blancos still having the same frailty when it comes to the defending side on their game. Anyone who saw Real Madrid last season will know they were shocking at the back, just take the 6-2 defeat to Barcelona as the prime example of that.

So far Florentino Perez and Manuel Pellegrini have only added Raul Albiol to try and bolster their leaky backline. That won’t be enough though because Real will need a whole new defence if they want to challenge for the Champions League next season. Fabio Cannavaro is now gone, and with good reason following some dreadful displays, while Sergio Ramos is still to show me and anyone outside of the Spanish capital why he is so highly thought of. Gabriel Heinze is another one who has struggled, along with Christoph Metzelder and the frankly crazy Pepe.

In my eyes none of the aforementioned players deserve a place in the new Galaticos leaving Perez with a big problem. There is no way the spending can go on forever, despite what some may think, and if Perez keeps collecting attackers like they are stickers he could well run out of funds to strengthen the defence.

What I feel Perez will try and do is emulate Barcelona in creating a side that can keep the ball so well and score at will that the opposition are afraid to attack. But you can’t always rely on your attacking players to provide that. That is were Yaya Toure comes in for Barcelona, the defensive midfielder who I feel doesn’t get enough credit for his contribution to the side. The Ivory Coast international is immense at breaking up play and just calming things down when the going gets tough.

Where is Real’s Toure though? For that matter where is Real’s Carlos Puyol? A man who many predicted would be ripped apart in the Champions League final but instead put in one of his greatest performances to date. As everyone has figured out Real are trying to match their biggest rivals by flecking their financial muscles.

But those ‘muscles’ will need to be stretched to breaking point if Real want European success because without a spine Pellegrini’s side will collapse like a house of cards and be forced to watch Barcelona take home the silverware again.

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The Champions League is the latest incarnation of the UEFA-organised cup competition for the top European sides. It was previously known (from 1955 to 1992) as the European Cup and remains Europe`s most prestigious club tournament.

THE TOP XI

GOALKEEPER

Oliver Kahn
German `keeper Oliver Kahn earns his place in the top XI courtesy of his formidable shot-stopping ability. A record signing for Bayern Munich in 1994, he helped his side to the 1999 final, where they were denied by 2 injury-time goals from Manchester United. However, Champions League glory was only delayed, with Kahn being named “Man of the Match” in Bayern`s 2001 Champions League success over Valencia, where he made crucial saves in the penalty shootout.
DEFENDERS

Marcel Desailly
Of Ghanaian descent, but a naturalised Frenchman, versatile defender Desailly joined Olympique Marseille in 1992, and was influential in their success in the inaugural Champions League tournament in 1993. He was a member of the winning side again in 1994, with AC Milan, becoming the first player to win consecutive Champions League titles with different sides.

Fernando Hierro
Hierro, another versatile performer, won 3 Champions League titles with Real Madrid in 1998, 2000 and 2002. A combination of solid defensive performances, precise passing and goalscoring ability make him well worthy of inclusion.

Paolo Maldini
Italian left-back Maldini is widely viewed as one of the greatest defenders of all time. He is renowned for his electrifying pace, precision tackling and leadership qualities. He has lifted the trophy five times, the latest coming in AC Milan`s 2-1 victory over Liverpool in the 2007 Athens final.

Ricardo Carvalho

Portuguese centre-back Carvalho, now with Chelsea, is renowned for his strength, durability and an exceptional ability to win the ball in the air. He came to prominence in 2003-04, with his exceptional performances contributing to FC Porto`s Champions League success. He was voted the best Champions League defender for that season.

MIDFIELDERS

Steven Gerrard
Steven Gerrard is a right-sided midfielder who has skippered Liverpool since 2003 and has become one of the first names on the England team sheet in recent seasons. Returning from injury, he scored what he considers his most important goal in a 2005 group match against Olympiakos, securing the Reds` progression to the knockout phase. He was also on target in the final against AC Milan (in which he was named “Man of the Match”) as Liverpool recovered for a win on penalties, having trailed 3-0 at half-time.

Zinedine Zidane
An attacking midfielder, Zidane was a losing finalist with Juventus in 1997 and 1998. However having joined Real Madrid in 2001, he scored the winning goal in the 2002 final, in a 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. With great creativity and exceptionally skilful, Zidane was voted FIFA “Player of the Year” on 3 occasions.

David Beckham
Central midfielder Beckham made his first-team debut for Manchester United in 1992. His creativity on the ball and precise crossing was influential in United`s 6 Premiership title successes and a Champions League victory in 1999. United trailed 1-0 against Bayern Munich in the 1999 final, but scored twice in injury-time, both goals coming from Beckham corners. He was runner-up in both the European “Footballer of the Year” and FIFA “World Player of the Year” in that season.

Deco
Anderson Luis de Souza, commonly known as Deco was born in Brazil, but is naturalised Portuguese. He led FC Porto to the 2004 Champions League final, scoring the 2nd goal in a 3-0 success over Monaco, being named “Man of the Match.” He was also voted UEFA “Most Valuable Player” and “Best Midfielder” in the 2004 tournament. Deco tasted success again, with Barcelona in 2006.
STRIKERS

Samuel Eto`o
Cameroon international striker Eto`o has been a prodigious goalscorer for Barcelona, with 105 goals from 139 appearances. He contributed 6 successful strikes in Barca`s 2006 Champions League campaign, including the equaliser in the final. Barcelona went on to beat Arsenal 2–1 and Eto`o was awarded with the UEFA “Best Forward of the Year” award for his accomplishments.

Raul Gonzalez
All-time leading goalscorer (64 goals) and 3-times Champions League winner with Real Madrid, second striker Raul is a must for inclusion in the starting XI.
SUBSTITUTES

Peter Schmeichel
Voted “World`s Best Goalkeeper” in 1992 and 1993, Schmeichel skippered Manchester United to Champions League success in 1999.

Rio Ferdinand
Ferdinand, who skippered Manchester United to Champions League success in 2008, is a composed centre-back, offering great physical presence.

Jurgen Kohler
Former German international defender Kohler tasted Champions League success with Borussia Dortmund in 1997. Famed for his defensive perception, physical strength and prowess in the air, he rates a place in the squad.

Ryan Giggs
Former Welsh international Giggs made his 800th appearance for Manchester United in April 2009. At his peak, he was a left winger with devastating pace and well worth his place in the 18.

Stefan Effenberg
Controversial, former German international midfielder Stefan Effenberg led Bayern Munich to 2001 Champions League success. A particularly elegant player, with precise passing ability and a fierce shot he was the guiding light to Bayern`s success.

Fernando Morientes
A 3-times Champions League winner with Real Madrid, former Spanish international striker Morientes possesses excellent aerial ability and has a good goalscoring strike rate.

Alessandro Del Piero
Juventus` second striker Del Piero is a creative, attacking player renowned for his free kick and penalty taking. Influential in Juventus` 1996 success and top Champions League goalscorer in reaching the 1997 final, Del Piero just misses out to Raul in the starting line-up.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE BETTING TIPS
In weighing up Champions League odds, the advice to punters is to focus on the teams, and, in particular, nations, that have been most successful in the Champions League since the inaugural tournament of 1992-93. Although Italy had no teams progressing further than the quarter-final stage in 2008-09, Italian clubs have contested 9 of the 16 finals played, with 3 wins for AC Milan and 1 for Juventus. Spain have 4 wins (3 for Real Madrid and 1 for Barcelona) and Germany 2 (Borussia Dortmund in 1997 and Bayern Munich in 2001). English clubs have been resurgent in recent seasons, with wins for Manchester United in 1999, Liverpool in 2005 and the first all-English final, in which United beat Chelsea on penalties, in 2008.

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They stopped the best attacking side in the world with relative ease, albeit playing a brand of football that certainly wasn’t easy on the eye. For those Blues fans who want Jose Mourinho back at Stamford Bridge your prayers have been answered because he seems to have taken the form of Guus Hiddink based on Tuesday night’s display. I can’t stand teams that play like this but understand why you would do it against a team like Barcelona. Manchester United did a similar thing last season when they went to the Nou Camp, albeit up against a Barcelona side who weren’t in the same form that the current one is.

As a defensive exercise Chelsea were brilliant, Michael Essien and Michael Ballack worked supremely hard in midfield, closing down Andreas Iniesta and Xavi constantly to halt the goal machine that is Barca. However the standout performer for the Blues was Petr Cech, the keeper whose form this season has been called into question on a number of occasions. Cech made a series of brilliant saves from the handful of chances Barcelona did create to keep the visitors in it.

Barcelona weren’t at their sparkling best and perhaps given a chance to get their rhythm going things could have been very different. As it is Chelsea will certainly take this result, becoming the first side to keep Barcelona from scoring at the Nou Camp this season. I think Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry might be having nightmares about yellow walls for the next few nights after coming up against one on Tuesday.

Looking ahead to the second leg and Chelsea having to open up may give Barcelona the edge they are looking for. Stamford Bridge doesn’t quite create the intimidating atmosphere you get at the Nou Camp and with the quality they have Chelsea will still have to be very careful as they go in search of a goal. Had Didier Drogba taken the chance he worked for himself in the first half then it would be advantage Chelsea but there is still nothing to choose between the sides and my football prediction remains that this contest between beauty and the beast could go right to the wire.

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From the outside it seemed their respective ties against Manchester United and Barcelona had drawn their minds away from the matter at hand. This got me to thinking whether the Champions League has become more important that the domestic game. Many would argue that today the Champions League has overtaken every other club tournament around the world in importance and difficulty. Any side who gets to lift the European Cup is in my eyes the best side in the world, without having to win FIFA’s ridiculous World Club Challenge.

Since the Champions League has become pretty much dominated by the English sides in recent years clubs from the Premier League have begun to realise that there chances of winning the tournament have increased dramatically. The other big leagues around Europe have become weaker since the European Cup was re-branded the Champions League. Now English sides who have yet to achieve Champions League glory have set lifting the big eared trophy as their top priority.

Using the Arsenal skipper Cesc Fabregas as an example of this he looked to be saving himself for the trip to Old Trafford next Wednesday despite his involvement in a game which, if the Gunners had of won, would have pretty much secured fourth spot and Champions League football next season. The Spanish midfielder strolled around the Anfield pitch for much of Tuesday night’s thriller, looking as disinterested as possible at times. Arsenal’s defence certainly didn’t have their mind on the game as they produced an awful display, going against the grain for the Gunners in recent times who have been solid at the back.

For the ‘big four’ in the Premier League qualifying for the Champions League has become second nature meaning unless they are facing one another league matches have taken a back seat. The Champions League is a glorious competition and one that I enjoy a lot, but when sides start prioritising it over their domestic league fixtures then the league begins to look like a bit of a joke.

Whilst their Premier League title chances have gone I hope Arsenal and Chelsea put the effort in this weekend, although I feel I maybe be clutching at straws there as the Champions League continues to dominate the European game.

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Anyone who has seen or heard the former French international since he came to power will know that Platini isn’t the biggest fan of the Premier League. He was reportedly unhappy about last season when all four English sides were still in the Champions League at this point last year. He has also made some less than beneficial proposals to seemingly try and turn the balance of European football back towards the continent.

His ‘6+5’ idea of having at least five home-grown players involved in any top flight match would greatly restrict the Premier League in its current state. Elsewhere, his plan to ban those clubs who are in debt from playing in the Champions League would mean that only three English sides would be able to compete in the tournament.

Whilst you can argue that those rules could restrict other European sides, Platini has expressed his disdain for the Premier League on a number of occasions. It’s a well-documented fact that he is unhappy with the amount of money the English top flight generates and their continuing domination of Europe’s top competition must grate with him.

You could never accuse Platini of showing outright favouritism (not without incurring the wrath of Uefa) but nobody would be surprised to see all four English sides drawn against one another to give Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Villarreal and Porto the best chance of winning the European Cup.

Looking at those four sides, it is apparent that apart from Barcelona, any of the English sides would be able to overcome the three others over two legs without much trouble. It seems that Mr Platini has decided to ignore the dominance that other European nations enjoyed over the competition in years gone by and his vendetta against English sides could continue tomorrow depending on how the draw will go.

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There’s an old chestnut that basketball fans endure stating that you only need to watch the last 2 minute of a game. The rest of the game is meaningless since the result will be decided in the last two anyway. Don’t look now, but something very similar could be said for many football matches because of the 5-minute rule.

To the uninitiated, the 5-minute rule is a mantra coaches have been inculcating their players with for generations. Simply stated, a disproportionate number of goals are scored at three pivotal times in a game: 5 minutes into a half, 5 minutes left in a half, and 5 minutes after a goal has been scored. This mantra pays credence to the mental aspect of the game, and how a frame of mind can determine the success of a club.

With all the hours of mental training and sport psychology top flight footballers go through, surely this doesn’t happen at professional level. And most assuredly, the cream of football’s crop, the Champions League sides, would be the ones who would be more disciplined than to succumb to something labeled by its detractors as an “old wives’ tale”. Right?

Wrong.

As it turns out, the Champions league offers significant evidence to support the theory that plenty of goals are scored at the aforementioned key stages of a match. I’ve done the math on this year’s Champions League group stage and came up with some interesting numbers. But first, an explanation of how I’ve gathered evidence to quantify the 5-minute rule.

Da rules:

• A “point” is awarded for every time the criteria of the 5-minute rule is met.
• A goal can meet more than one criterion and can out-point the actual score of a match. i.e – a 2-0 win with goals in the 86th and 88th minutes are both scored in the last five minutes and the second is scored within 5 minutes of the first. That’s 3 points)
• A second goal in 5 minutes does not have to be scored by the same team. The idea is that players “gee up” after scoring, but in other cases, they get careless. Focus can easily go one way or the other after a team scores a goal. Of course, the response to giving up a goal can swing either way too.
• We’ll count extra time goals, but since the first and last five minutes is 2/3rds of a 15 minute extra time period, we’ll reduce the rule to 2-3 minute rule.
• Goals scored within 5 minutes of each other, but on either side of half (i.e. 44th minute and 48th minute,) still meet criteria even though there was a 15-minute half time break.
• Shootout goals don’t count.
• A caveat – because of the inexact nature of timing matches, I occasionally accepted a 6th minute goal.
• Yes, I’m aware that the parameters of the 5-minute rule expand with each goal scored. But that’s part of the point; as goals are scored, we’re more likely to see more goals.
• Because of the aforementioned rules and caveats, coupled with the fact that Math wasn’t my favourite subject, this exercise is not exact.

Champions League group stage, 2008

Group A

31 goals, 6 points

Group B

31 goals, 11 points

Group C

39 goals 18 points

Group D

30 goals, 10 points

Group E

31 goals, 9 points

Group F

34 goals, 13 points

Group G:

28 goals, 12 points

Group H:

23 goals, 8 points

Total:

247 goals, 87 points 35% of goals affected by the 5-minute rule.

Over a third of goals were score scored on the limited parameters of the 5-minute rule. This would seem to lend legitimacy to the theory. But many would argue that this year’s predictable group stage was full of cannon fodder for the big European clubs. Once the “real competition” begins, the knockout rounds, the concentration of quality players increases drastically and silly mental errors drop off the table. Obviously, I can’t come up with the stats for the games not yet played, but here are the stats for last year’s knockout rounds:

Round of 16 – 35 goals, 21 points = 60% of goals affected by the 5-minute rule.

Quarter-Final – 18 goals, 8 points 44%

Semi-Final – 8 goals, 3 points* 38%

Final 2 goals, 1 point. 50%

In fact, the mental aspect of the game becomes more, not less significant as the physical attributes of the players level off.

At the pinnacle of European club football, the 5-minute rule runs rampant. In the last 10 Champions League finals, we see the following:

1999: Mario Basler pots a fee kick 6 minutes into the match. In time added on, Sheringham ties it up. Moments later, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer becomes the answer to the famous song, “Who put the ball in the Germans’ net?”

2000: Fernando Morientes gets impatient and opens the scoring 6 minutes before the end of the first half, setting the scene for a comfortable Real Madrid title.

2001: Gaizka Mendieta scores three minutes into the match. Stefan Effenberg ties it 6 minutes into the second half. Bayern win on penalties.

2002: Lucio scores 5 minutes after Raul’s opening strike. Zinedane Zidane hits a wonder volley in the dying moments of the first half to take the glory.

2003 : No goals in regulation or extra time. Even the shootout was error-laden. Worst. Final. Ever.

2004: Like Morientes in 2000, Carlos Alberto gets impatient and scores 6 minutes before the half. Demitri Alenichev scores 4 minutes after Deco to blow the doors off Monaco and the “The Special One” is born.

2005: Maldini scores in the first minute. Hernan Crespo scores 2 in the last 6 minutes of the half. Scousers leave the stadium to find a drink. In the second half, Gerrard, Smicer and Alonso scored in the famous “six minutes of madness” and Scousers leave the stadium to find a drink.

2006: Late in the game, Barca score 2 in four minutes to finally put 10-man Arsenal to the sword.

2007: In a replay of the ’05 final, Pippo Inzhagi scores at the stroke of half time. Liverpool and Milan exchange goals in the last 8 minutes, but Kuyt’s 89th minute strike doesn’t leave enough time for another famous comeback.

2008: United have a handful of gilt-edged chances early. Lampard capitalised on the stroke of half time, providing the momentum for a second half Chelsea barrage. Penalties settle the matter and red is the colour in Moscow.

So, with the exception of the goalless final, every one of the last ten champions League finals have seen a 5-minute rule goal (ore pretty darn close) scored.

MYTH: CONFIRMED.

So what does this all mean? Simply stated, when settling in to watch the knockout rounds you need to follow these three rules: (1) Don’t be late, (2)Don’t leave early, (3) Don’t panic. There’s always plenty of time for your team to turn its 1-0 goal lead to a 1-2 loss in short order.

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For over half a century, the UEFA Champions League is the championship that European teams aspire to win. Although the modern competition has been competed for since 1992, the competition in its previous format has been played for each year since 1955. It has become known worldwide as one of the most prestigious trophy competitions in world football.

The three knockout stages begin in mid July. These knockout stages yield sixteen teams who then go through to join sixteen seeded teams in group stages consisting of eight groups of four teams. Eight group winners and eight runners up compete in the knockout stages until the final is played in May. Twenty one different clubs have won the competition. Of these, twelve have won the Champions League more than once. Real Madrid hold the record for the most wins. Milan follow with seven wins. Liverpool are the most successful British club with five wins.

The first season of the competition saw Real Madrid beat Stade de Reims 4-3 in Paris. Real Madrid dominated the competition in the first five seasons culminating in the 1960 final in Glasgow against Eintracht Frankfurt which Real Madrid won 7-3, and despite the scoreline, Eintracht played their part in a memorable game.

The first British success came in 1967 when Celtic beat Internazionale 2-1 in Lisbon. This was followed in the following year by a famous victory at Wembley by Manchester United over Benfica. United won 4-1 ten years after the tragic Munich air disaster which cruelly deprived Manchester United of some young talented players. Dutch football teams dominated the competition for the next five years followed by the emergence of a great Bayern Munich side which claimed the cup over the next three seasons. English teams followed the Bayern lead and took control of the competition for the next five years with Liverpool, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa all taking the trophy. Since the mid 1980s, no country has managed to put together a run of wins, but the big names of European football have all been represented on the winners rostrum; AC Milan, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid again. Manchester United had already won the Premiership title in England, but seemed to be losing their final in Barcelona in 1999 when two inspired substitutions by Sir Alex Ferguson saw United turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 win with almost the last kick of the game. Recent competitions again have failed to throw up a dominant country.

This year Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool have all made their way to the knockout stages of the competition and have mirrored recent European success for English teams. The final will be played in Rome on 27th May 2009, and although English teams would hope to feature in the final, there can be no guarantees as the European Champions League provides surprises and great football. For more European Champions League news go to Hotels near Chelsea.

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National Pride!

La Liga Fans defend its brilliance, backed by the National success of Spain in Euro 2008. Added to the technically driven shows of its elite clubs, beside the host of talents Spain exports to the elite clubs in Europe, by well or with no way to avoid.

And while the Calcio Fans hail the world cup winners, praising the Italian Grinta and the tactical edge of the Italian-speaking league, with teams defending their territory and bouncing forward to create chaos and smash up the opponents.

There is no doubt that Champions’ league success of the Premier League clubs created a strong case for “Crowned Lion” football fans to believe in the superiority of the premier league, backed by the marketing-Financial value of the Premier League business wise, and the quality of the infrastructure, stadiums, coverage and whatever needed to give that competition an edge. At least for the Barclays’ League loyal fans.

As a part of our coverage for the Champions league knock out stage, we open today the first chapter of the EPL series, scanning the challenges vis-à-vis EPL clubs Champions League Adventure this season. We start with the Lately crowned UEFA Champions:

Manchester United.

Led by Sir Alexander Chapman Ferguson for the past two decades, Man United hunted 25 domestic titles, 6 continental titles, one intercontinental cup, and a FIFA Club world cup. Obviously the Red Devils have the “Know how” of winning titles.

Strength:

- The Fergie Element:

It’s amazing how this guy can mix arrogance with the sense of change in his football DNA. I believe this is one of the little details that gave this coach the edge. A master of continuous improvement.

He creates a system and stick to it, but to a certain extend. He can smell the need of change and decides the right moment to turn the table around, whether he is tackling tactics and strategies to approach a game, or when he feels a player life cycle in his squad reached an end.

One game against Roma in Champions league 2007 was all what he needed to inherit then improve the Striker-free strategy. Applying that non traditional tactical methodology –Especially for an English club- earned the team an unmatched glory last season. But that wasn’t enough to mislead the old scot; the first thing he demanded for the new season is a Berbatov. He got his man and switched back to the offense structure he is aware he will need more often, being the team to beat.

No doubt, Sir Alex had and still has the quality players in his troops to win battles. But it’s also true that he was able to get the best out of his team, while some other clubs struggled even when they had more quality and depth in their squads.

- The Players:

After Peter Schmeichel retirement, Man United fans waited for long till they got the right man for the Job, Spi-der Sar. In Vidic, they have the best Defender in the world at the moment. With Ferdinand he creates one of the most impenetrable duets Assisted by one of the best Left backwards. That’s in brief the back bone of Man United. The Brazilian twins, uncle Neville, talented Evans, and the two long serving Brown and O’Shea cover the other needs and create the needed depth.

The Mix of youth and experience is the trademark of Man United midfield. With the likes of Scholes and Giggs leading and inspiring the current generation of Red Devils including Owen Hargreaves, Anderson, Michael Carrick, and Fletcher the Old Trafford Fans are calm and confident that the operation room in the midfield is well covered.

The flanks are ruled by Ronaldo, the FIFA Player of the year on one side, and With Nani, Park Ji-Sung and Giggs being the sailors on the other side. All in all, creating a lethal offense with the dual combination of looks-lazy Bulgarian Fox, Dynamic Rooney and Tevez the “Argentine prophet for the 21st century.”, as labeled once by Maradona.

Yet, what make Man Utd competitive are not the big names alone, but the mentality planted in the group. The collaborative work of the team in offense and defense, the desire to come back from behind, and the capability to win a game even when the form and performance are not meeting the best expectations are the main strengths of this club.

Weakness:

For a team winning all the titles Man Utd won last season, and performing as good as they are so far, it’s too risky for anyone to dig for defects without being hunted by the club fans. Yet, here we go, giving it a try!

1) Flanks Balance: Park work rate is admirable, and Nani may have the potentials. But with Giggs getting old, Ronaldo seems to be the only wing that can seriously generate threat from the flanks for Man Utd. That may prove being risky. Evra runs on the left feels like the only fresh breeze blowing from the left for the Devils in red.

Another unlikely surprise may happen. It’s always possible that Sir Alex may use O’shea as a left back (switching to a third CB when the team move forward), with Evra playing up front as a left wing and Silva as a right back you never know with the old man of Man Utd.

With Ronaldo cutting inside all the time, its Vital for both flanks of Man Utd to be active, not an easy challenge to tackle.
2) The Midfield: Man Utd midfield may end up complicating things for them. With all the attention spotting on how good the defense is, led by Ferdinand, Vidic and Co. with all the praise for the offense inspired by Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez and Bernatov. With Scholes and Giggs getting their fair share of paper talks. I believe Hargreaves, Anderson, Michael Carrick, and Fletcher will play THE vital role their own way, deciding the destiny of Man Utd in this Champions’ league adventure. Man Utd midfield lack a pure defensive midfielder. Hargreaves is injured, Anderson is a decent option but the same as Carrick they can’t play a defensive midfielder role perfectly, not yet. Scholes is getting old so he may not be fit to play the water carrier role when things get serious. The mentioned-younger-players need to hit their form before due time or else they will complicate things a little for Fregie.

With Evra flying on the left flank as a fullback, and if the team will have no player for the defensive midfielder role, Da Silva will unlikely play on the right back. Instead, a RB/CB player will take place to act as a third central back assisting Vidic and Ferdinand, and giving the freedom for Evra to move forward with no concerns.

3) The form and moral of back up players: Evans impressed so far, but how secure will it be to use him in Champions’ league if either Ferdinand or Vidic was not available? Will he meet the expectations? After a long break, will Neville bounce back to form? O’Shea and Brown are gambles as well; you can never expect how they will perform, with brilliance or catastrophically.

In the other hand, if Berbatov wasn’t available, there is no back up to use as a skyscraper in the box. There could be some promising names but none of them proved being reliable yet. Sir Alex will have to use last year successful structure of Rooney-Ronaldo-Tevez, but with the uncertainty surrounding Tevez transfer it may unsettle him as time goes by, and with Rooney being injury prone this option may not be definitely available as well.

4) Ronaldo performance in big games has always been a question. In my opinion, the impact of this debate created more pressure on him while performing in big matches more than his performance inspired for such debates. It’s important for this yeast of players to get into a game without feeling any doubts surrounding their potentials. Being in a position to prove his worth is not the best approach for him to focus, it increases the pressure and makes his game more complicated. With time and maturity he will be able to handle that better. If “time” means this season or the following ones, the coming days will tell.

Man Utd will face Inter today, and with the injury problems in the back line, this will be a big test. Adding to the fact that Mourinho knows the team he will face, and he rarely disappointed in his Chelsea days against Man Utd.

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Next in this series: Highlighting another EPL club (Liverpool).
Beside the series covering Spanish and Italian clubs, coming soon!

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The showcase fixture has to be Werder Bremen vs AC Milan. Werder have struggled this seasons and are basically out of the running in the Bundesliga title hunt so the UEFA Cup is one of their only shots (they are also still active in the DFB Pokal) at some glory for this season. Their most recent result can be seen as a microcosm of their season. A 1-1 draw at home against last place Borussia Monchengladbach has to be viewed as another lost opportunity. Despite creating a wealth of chances and dominating posession, Werder simply could not find their touch in front of goal and dropped valuable points.

AC Milan have also seen their chances of a domestic league triumph go up in smoke after they lost 2-1 to bitter rivals Inter Milan this past weekend. The loss drops them 11 points behind Inter and while they could still make up that ground, it looks a tall order at the moment. Going into this match, Milan have two notable injury worries. Undoubtedly their best player, Kaka, is unlikely to play due to a left foot injury. David Beckham may also not be ready to go after a slight hamstring pull. Beckham has been the subject of many headlines as Milan attempted to make his loan deal permanent but have failed to reach an agreement with MLS.

I am looking for Milan’s experience and depth to pull them through this tie but it could be a close one.

A couple of teams I am pushing to make the next round are PSG and FC Twente. Both are led by coaches who have had their reputation tarnished by underperforming squads and impatience in the job. McClaren was dismissed as England manager after missing out on Euro 2008 qualifying. There has been much laughter at his expense but he has quietly done a nice job with FC Twente. They were unfortunate to be drawn against Arsenal in their Champions League qualifying attempt but have done well in UEFA Cup play. McClaren has led the club to 2nd place in the Eredivisie, currently ahead of traditional powerhouses Ajax and PSV.

Paul Le Guen was ushered out the door at Ibrox after less than a full season in charge. He landed in another job, this time with Paris St. Germain, who at the time of his hiring were lying 17th in Ligue 1 and in danger of being relegated but he led them to safety in his 1st season finishing 15th. This season he has them challenging at the other end of the table as they currently sit 2nd in the league.

My predictions for the Round of 32 are below.

Wednesday fixtures:
Dynamo Kiev (UKR) v Valencia (ESP)
Zenit St-Petersburg (RUS) v VfB Stuttgart (GER)
Olympiakos (GRE) v St Etienne (FRA)
Aston Villa (ENG) v CSKA Moscow (RUS)
Werder Bremen (GER) v AC Milan (ITA)
Paris St Germain (FRA) v VfL Wolfsburg (GER)
NEC Nijmegen (NED) v Hamburg SV (GER)
Sampdoria (ITA) v Metalist Kharkov (UKR)
Bordeaux (FRA) v Galatasaray (TUR)
Aalborg (DEN) v Deportivo La Coruna (ESP)
Braga (POR) v Standard Liege (BEL)

Thursday fixtures:
Lech Poznan (POL) v Udinese (ITA)
Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) v Tottenham (ENG)
FC Copenhagen (DEN) v Manchester City (ENG)
Marseille (FRA) v FC Twente (NED)
Fiorentina (ITA) v Ajax (NED)

Who do you see advancing? Which ties have the most potential for upset?

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