SOCCER:THE MANCHESTER clubs did not mean to lay down their lives in the group stage of the Champions League, but they have helped galvanise the tournament. Since the restructuring of the competition for the 2003-04 campaign, there had been at least three English sides present for the last 16 knockout stage, the draw for which was made today. This year there will be just Arsenal and Chelsea.
Only those who have been eliminated can mistake that for a calamity. The range of sides who have come through is once again encouraging. The draw gathers clubs from the Atlantic to the Baltic, from Benfica to Zenit St Petersburg.
The justice of the elimination is not doubted in England. Otelul Galati were the only side Manchester United could beat in their group. Manchester City extracted a point from the pair of matches with Napoli and never led in either.
The Champions League has been therapeutic for Arsenal. It did wonders for their self-esteem when all was misery on the domestic front. After seeing his side crushed 8-2 at Old Trafford, Arsene Wenger could still point to the elimination of Udinese in the play-off four days earlier.
If all else fails, Arsenal should be proud of that, particularly since the defeated club are level on points with Juventus at the head of Serie A. Odd as it may sound, the Champions League opened the path to rehabilitation in the Premier League.
Stress dipped and players regained a sense of normality. Supporters, too, did not have to question the €9.5 million signing of Per Mertesacker, a much-capped centre half for Germany who, with his 27th birthday approaching, still did not stir great interest in the transfer market at large.
The move has been useful enough to contribute to the steadying of Arsenal. Without being dismissive of Mertesacker, there still has to be an appreciation of the impact on morale achieved with the return of another centre back, Thomas Vermaelen.
Following injury in August, he did not return to action until late October. Subsequently, Vermaelen has been a constant in Wenger’s thinking and on the few occasions when the defender has come off or even been introduced as a substitute, the desire to be careful with him has underlined his importance.
If Chelsea have steadied, it is because Andre Villas-Boas showed himself to be a scrapper as much as a strategist. Despite the doubts, he did seem to motivate his men and Didier Drogba was a magnificent one-man attack against Valencia. That onslaught let the rest of the side sit deep.
Chelsea also kept plenty of men back when they rode a little luck and beat Manchester City. That was not gleaming football, but Villas-Boas’s side, like Arsenal, did what was required. In the days soon to come, it will be essential for Chelsea to achieve more expansive play.
They and Arsenal are among the top eight seeds, but each could face, among others, Milan, Napoli or United’s nemesis, Basel. English clubs have suffered a little, but the Champions League itself is in good health.
Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney has set his sights on winning the Europa League.
When asked yesterday if he was looking forward to playing in the Europa League, Rooney said: “Definitely. It’s a shame we’re out of the Champions League. That’s what we all want to play in.
“Unfortunately we went out and now we turn our attention to the Premier League and Europa League. I don’t think the manager’s won the Europa League, so I’m sure he’ll want to win it.
“Every competition we enter we want to win. There are some good teams but we have to believe, keep working and hopefully we can go on and win it.” Rooney was speaking to the club’s website, www.manutd.com, in a live webchat with supporters.
The United talisman is also not fazed by the prospect of facing arch-rivals Manchester City in the FA Cup third round next month. City won 6-1 last time the sides met and the teams are first and second in the Premier League. Rooney said: “Both teams would probably rather have met each other later on but it’s a great team to play in and if you win it then you know you’ve knocked one of your main competitors out.”
Europa League: Round of 32
Group winners
Sporting Lisbon, Besiktas, Athletic Bilbao, Schalke, FC Twente, Anderlecht, PAOK Salonika, Standard Liege, PSV Eindhoven, Atl Madrid, FC Metalist Kharkiv, Brugge.
Group runners-up
Lazio, Stoke City, FC Salzburg, Steaua Bucharest, Wisla Warsaw, Lokomotiv Moscow, Rubin Kazan, Hannover 96, Legia Warsaw, Udinese, Austria Vienna, Braga.
Champions League drop-outs
Manchester City, Manchester Utd, Trabzonspor, Ajax Amsterdam, Valencia, Olympiakos, FC Porto, Viktoria Plzen
The Round of 32 draw will see the 12 group winners and the four best third-ranked teams from the Champions League group stage, drawn against the 12 Europa League runners-up and the four remaining third-ranked teams from the Champions League.
Winners and runners-up from the same group cannot face each other. Group winners and the four best Champions League refugees will play their return legs at home. Clubs from the same association cannot meet.
The Round of 16 draw will also be made today.
Champions League: Round of 16
Group winners
Bayern Munich
Inter Milan
Benfica
Real Madrid
Chelsea
Arsenal
APOEL Nicosia
Barcelona
Group runners-up
Napoli
CSKA Moscow
FC Basel 1893
Olympique Lyon
Bayer Leverkusen
Olympique Marseille
Zenit St Petersburg
AC Milan
Who the English
clubs can meet
Arsenal
Napoli, CSKA Moscow, FC Basel, Olympique Lyon, Bayer Leverkusen, Zenit St Petersburg, AC Milan
Chelsea
Napoli, CSKA Moscow, FC Basel, Olympique Lyon, Olympique Marseille, Zenit St Petersburg, AC Milan
* Group winners will be away in the round of 16 first legs on February 14th, 15th, 21st or22nd and at home in the return matches on March 6th, 7th, 13th or 14th. No team can play a club from their group or any side from the same country.
Guardian Service
