| |
 Blockbusters New-look Champions League offers marquee matchups
Posted: Tuesday August 31, 1999 02:58 PM
It was confusing. It was convoluted. It was a maelstrom of badly pronounced names and red and blue confetti. But it was also a new dawn for what we used to call the European Cup and is now the new-look Champions League. Last week, the high priests of UEFA held the drawing for the first round of the crown jewel of European soccer in a hurricane of hype, which was only befitting, as the Champions League is now in the larvae stage, an evolutionary stepping stone, on the way to a full-fledged European Super League. Acres of print have been devoted to discussing the merits of the new format, which now allows top leagues like Italy and Germany to field up to four teams. The purists sniff: "It's not a Champions League. How can it be a Champions League if runners-up are included?" They are unhappy that the old traditional European Cup with its reassuring two-leg elimination format was scrapped. They contend that the new Champions League format, with its two group phases, is merely an excuse to play more games and generate more money. Moreover, they insist that by not limiting admittance to champions, the value of the competition has somehow been debased. They are probably right on the first count. The new system is much more lucrative and big clubs are forever looking for ways to further stuff their coffers (after all, they need to pay players those fat salaries). It also favors the more established clubs, as it cuts down on the chance of an upset. In the old days, a minnow could play out of its skin, and, with a superhuman effort and bit of luck, beat a Real Madrid or a Juventus at home, then go away, raise the barricades, and snatch a draw. That is much harder to do in a round-robin format. But as far as debasing the competition, from a fan's perspective, the Champions League is better than ever. There are more big clubs and more talent on display than ever before. Look at the first group phase. Week One we get Fiorentina-Arsenal and Bayern Munich-PSV Eindhoven. Week Two brings Milan-Galatasaray and Lazio-Dinamo Kiev and Week Three Real Madrid-Porto, Barcelona-Arsenal and Manchester United-Marseille. Blockbusters, all of them. I, for one, do not long for the days, when clubs like Aatvidabergs and Ararat made the quarterfinals of the European Cup (as they both did in 1974-75).
Fairy-tale runs by small teams are wonderful and the stuff of dreams. Rarely however do they provide top-notch entertainment. So bring on the big guns and let Rivaldo do battle with Beckham, while Hierro tries to halt Batistuta. But don't despair, there will still be plenty of room for surprises. The Monte Carlo draw has produced eight groups that are far from balanced and should allow a fair number of underdogs to gain access to Round Two. Group A should be a three-way battle between Lazio, Bayer Leverkusen and Dinamo Kiev. While the Ukrainians are an unknown quantity now that Anrdiy Shevchenko is gone, a trip to Kiev is always tough. Group B is even worse. Fiorentina's all-star frontline versus Arsenal's crusty defense versus Barcelona's Dutch-Catalan powerhouse. If that isn't enough, each of these clubs is out for revenge: Barcelona after two years of European underachievement, Arsenal after last year's disappointing first-round display and Fiorentina after decades of unkept promises. Throw in the prickly Swedes of AIK Solna and you've got a real scrap. By contrast, Group C is a walk in the park. Feyenoord is off to another great start in Holland and Borussia Dortmund has the strength in depth to grab the other spot, but look out for Rosenborg which in the past two seasons has beaten both Milan and Juventus. The holders, Manchester United, should have an easier time in Group D. Free-spending Marseille will have to hold off wily Croatia Zagreb for the other spot. Group E also has its juggernaut, Real Madrid, though Olympiakos turned many heads last season and will do so again, while Porto, after years of dominating Portugal, is keen to establish a European pedigree. Group F on the other hand is by far the most balanced. Bayern Munich is a pressure cooker of in-fighting and squabbles and, despite its star-studded squad, could be in for a tough time against Hector Cuper's stingy Valencia, mighty PSV Eindhoven and Glasgow Rangers, which, after eliminating Parma, is hungrier than ever for European respectability. Underdog City can be found in Group G. On paper, any one of these clubs could disappear from the Champions League and not be missed. Willem II, Bordeaux, Spartak Moscow, Sparta Prague ... it doesn't really matter who makes it through, because they'll just get blown out later. Which leaves Group H. After two years' absence, AC Milan returns to the big stage only to find its path blocked by Galatasaray (everybody's least favorite away trip), Hertha Berlin (last year's big surprise in the Bundesliga) and Chelsea, which boasts the highest wage bill in the English Premiership. The gloves are off, the cream of Europe is ready to do battle. Extra TimeThe first trophy of the season was handed out last Friday when Lazio defeated Manchester United in the European Super Cup. Predictably, the reaction was radically different in Italy and England. The Italians acted as if Mancini & co. had won the World Cup, whereas the British treated it like a glorified friendly. The truth is probably somewhere in between. United was not at full strength, and manager Alex Ferguson, after leaving out Dwight Yorke, Denis Irwin and Ryan Giggs, showed his lack of interest by replacing David Beckham, Andy Cole and Jaap Stam shortly after halftime (though we can only wonder if he would have done so if he hadn't been a goal down). Yet Ferguson would do well to heed the warning signs: led by Juan Veron and Pavel Nedved, Lazio simply tore through United's midfield and harassed its ponderous backline. Was it a one-off or are the European champions somehow a notch or two below last year's levels?... In his 21-year career, Lothar Matthaeus has carved out a place for himself in football lore. He has also secured a place in the history books as one of the biggest pains in the neck around. Last week, he almost came to blows with teammate Bixente Lizarazu before roundly criticizing the club and the press for the umpteenth time. The funny thing is that in the early stages of his career he was anything but a troublemaker. Rather than maturing with age, he seems to have taken the inverse course. Bayern Munich can't wait to pawn him off to Major League Soccer's New York/New Jersey MetroStars at the end of the season ... Does a glut of imports mean the end of promising youngsters? Maybe, maybe not. While Barcelona is chockful of foreigners, three standout kids have managed to claw their way into the squad: midfielders Xavi and Gabri and forward Nano. Great things are in store for them if they can keep getting decent playing time.
| |||||||||||||||||||
Copyright © 1999 CNN/SI. A Time Warner Company. Terms under which this service is provided to you.
| |||||||||||||||||||
