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'Battle Royale' Party-crashers get tough Champions League draws
If World Wrestling Federation boss Vince McMahon ran UEFA, this year's Champions League would be an England vs. Spain "Battle Royale," with two spoilers, Galatasaray and Bayern Munich thrown in for fun. With Serie A run out of town, the rest of the Bundesliga sinking like a rock, and French teams displaying their usual limits, we could well se an Anglo-Spanish semifinal. Both party-crashers, Bayern and Galatasaray, were handed merciless draws. They'll be facing the bookmakers' favorites, Manchester United and Real Madrid resepctively. Bayern vs. United should be a classic. Every winter, some new controversy comes out of the German club they call FC Hollywood, usually to do with inflated egos and personality clashes.
This year was no different, with club president and local legend Franz Beckenbauer crucifying the players following their 0-3 humiliation at the hands of Lyon. Beckenbauer, ever the altruist, went so far as to invite the players to see him personally "if they need extra practice to learn how to be winners." Club captain Stefan Effenberg fired back with words that were only slightly less venomous: "None of us enjoy losing. We know when we play poorly. We don't mind criticism, but we don't think it helps anyone when we get criticized in public." Ego clashes are perhaps inevitable at Bayern Munich, a club where winning is seen as a birthright and where self-confidence sometimes gets mistaken for arrogance. Or vice versa. In that sense, Bayern is similar to its opponent. Manchester United also plays with a certain swagger and also has known little but success in recent years. The difference is that Sir Alex Ferguson rules Old Trafford with an iron fist. He can drop David Beckham with the measliest of explanations (as he has done recently) and nobody so much as squeaks. If Ottmar Hitzfeld finds a way to clog the wings and neutralize Beckham and Ryan Giggs, Bayern appears ideally suited to knocking out United, provided the rather ponderous German backline holds up. Galatasaray will need a miracle or two from Gheorghe Hagi to have a chance against Real Madrid, the darling of this year's competition. The Romanian virtuoso should have plenty of motivation, and not just because he's facing the club that shipped him off to lowly Brescia nearly 10 years ago. At 35, this is probably his last real chance to impress a worldwide audience, to provide a glimpse of his Maradona-esque left-foot. Hagi may be arrogant, he may be a prima donna, heck, he may even be crazy. But he's also the kind of guy who knows the clock is ticking and who wants to win as bad as anyone. Having said that, taking on Real is a daunting task for anyone. Galatasaray coach Mircea Lucescu might want to look at tapes of Real's clash with Lazio at the Bernabeu, the only occasion in Europe this season where Vicente Del Bosque's men were seriously threatened (and, typically, still won the game). The addition of Pablo Aimar was a bold step for Valencia boss Hector Cuper, but also one that adds a whole new dimension to the side. With Aimar playing off a lone striker, Valencia has managed to triple its offensive options, allowing Kily Gonzalez, Gaizka Mendieta and Miguel Angel Angulo more opportunities to come forward, while benefiting immensely from the young Argentine's creativity and unpredictability. For Arsenal to stop Valencia, it will need to stay injury-free (something it hasn't managed all season) and figure out a way of containing Aimar, short of man-marking him. The clash between the ferocious Basque Mendieta and the immense Patrick Vieira in the middle of the park should be a doozy. Perhaps Arsenal's only clear-cut advantage in terms of match-ups is up front, where Thierry Henry's blistering pace will be a handful for Valencia's aging backline. Of course, Arsenal's back four is also ancient, but they appear better suited to stop John Carew, who relies on strength rather than speed. This game will also be a treat for those who appreciate tactical battles as two of the finest footballing minds in the game today, Cuper and Arsenal's Arsene Wenger, go head to head. It's close, but Valencia seems to have the edge. The toughest encounter to call is between Leeds United and Deportivo La Coruna, two teams that are relative newcomers to the big stage in Europe. Javier Irureta boasts two of the most underrated wide men in the business, Victor and Fran, while Djalminha is the X-factor, the man who turns the game in an instant. Brazilian veterans Mauro Silva, Cesar Sampaio and Emerson provide experience and steady nerves. They'll need them against Leeds, a team that plays with a rare mix of aggression and enthusiasm. David O'Leary's boys lack experience, but then that can actually work to their advantage: they don't realize what their limits are and are rarely intimidated. Mark Viduka and Alan Smith are battering-ram forwards who keep opposing defenders busy, Olivier Dacourt and Eirik Bakke are nasty ball-winners who wreak havoc in the middle of the park and Harry Kewell, who was injured for a long stretch earlier this season, is O'Leary's own X-factor, a gifted player who can conjure up magic at any time. This one is just too close to call, though my gut would suggest that Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and Valencia have the edge in their encounters. Either way, we're in for some exciting quarterfinals. Which brings me to those purists who were whining about the new format of the Champions League, saying things were much better years ago, when only the champions qualified. Thirty years ago, the quarterfinalists were Ajax, Celtic Glasgow, Atletico Madrid, Lech Warsaw, Carl Zeiss, Red Star Belgrade, Everton and Panathinaikos. No offense to these guys, some of these clubs were the finest of their time, but I know who I would rather watch. Based in London, Gabriele Marcotti writes a weekly column on international soccer for CNNSI.com.
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