There is no grey when it comes to the Champions League. After an epic week of last-16 action in Europe, Chelsea and Liverpool are world-beaters. Arsenal and Manchester United are losers, ready to dismantle their galaxies of fallen stars. In the fickle world of modern football, failure in the globe’s greatest club competition leaves no room for error.
Arsenal fell a single goal short of the quarterfinals after Thierry Henry’s 66th-minute strike against Bayern Munich at Highbury. They went out 3-2 on aggregate after that appalling 3-1 first-leg defeat in Germany and coach Arsène Wenger, restrained by police from getting to the referee after the game, said: ”The facts are the facts. People say we are not good enough to win the Champions League and at the moment I can’t say that’s not true. We gave everything but Bayern deserve to go through.”
The night before, a very modest Manchester United were beaten 1-0 at the San Siro as AC Milan cruised in to the last eight 2-0 on aggregate. Captain Roy Keane admitted: ”Going out in the last 16 is no good to anybody at all. We want to be mentioned in the same breath as Milan and Juventus, who are constantly getting to European finals. But chances are running out.”
So while the sides currently second and third in the Premiership lick their wounds, fifth-placed Liverpool, enduring the agony of trailing behind neighbours Everton domestically, enjoy unexpected European optimism.
Luis Garcia was the Bayer Slayer, scoring twice in an emphatic 3-1 win at Leverkusen to record a 6-2 aggregate triumph. Remember, this is a Reds side that slipped up to such mighty outfits as Burnley and Birmingham in recent weeks. Just last week there was talk of dismantling the current squad. Yet now we find them firmly in the top eight in Europe with boss Rafael Benitez insisting: ”Other teams will see this performance and they will be wary.”
But of course England’s great threat comes from the superteam built by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich at Stamford Bridge.
Their epic 4-2 win over La Liga leaders Barcelona, featuring a very dodgy late winner from John Terry (television replays reveal the Barca goalkeeper was wrestled out of the way before the header looped in), left Frank Lampard cooing: ”We proved to everyone in Europe our character and the quality of our play. We showed great belief and confidence.”
All true of course. England can now claim two of the quarterfinal berths, but with Juventus eliminating Real Madrid in extra-time, Spain’s La Liga, considered the greatest in the world, is not represented in the last eight.
Assuming Inter Milan put paid to holders Porto next week (the first leg ended 1-1 in Portugal), the Italian Serie A, so dominant in the lire-laden early 1990s, can claim three quarterfinalists, the Germans, French and Dutch making up the rest with one each.
Lyon’s emphatic triumph over Werder Bremen, 10-2 on aggregate, saw former Arsenal striker Sylvain Wiltord score four times over two legs from the French league leaders. Was that the problem with the Gunners? Why let Wiltord go when he’s younger and quicker than Dennis Bergkamp, more experienced at this level than Jose Reyes? But no, Wiltord wouldn’t have been the answer.
The problem Wenger has is in the midfield, where 17-year-old Cesc Fabregas has had to replace the injured Brazilians, Gilberto Silva and Edu. Neither is the world’s greatest footballer, but they are hard working and diligent. Silva breaks things down, leaving a hole for Patrick Vieira to work in. Edu sprays the ball about, keeps things civilised.
United’s problem? I guess that comes down to a rusty, rehabilitating Ruud van Nistelrooy. How Sir Alex Ferguson would love to have bought on 1999 Champions League substitute sensation Ole Gunnar Solksjaer.
The problem with Liverpool and Chelsea? They have none. They are through, they live to fight on at this exalted level where losers are nothing and winning is all that matters.
My prediction? Liverpool will go no further, while Chelsea may get to the final, such is their strength in depth.
But this year’s Champions League, on numbers alone, belongs to Italy. Juventus got past Real Madrid with red-carded Ronaldo, David Beckham and rest of the Bernebeu galacticos suddenly rendered impotent.
Now that Barcelona have been hustled out at Stamford Bridge, this year belongs to Juve or Milan. No question.