Champions League Comment: And Then There Were Eight

Ewan Macdonald reflects on another thrilling night of Champions League action before looking ahead to the quarter-finals.
Mar 11, 2009 5:45:48 PM

Qualified teams (Champions League quarter-final):
Manchester United
Chelsea
Liverpool
Barcelona
Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Villarreal
Porto

Draw date:
Friday, March 20th, 2009 (12:00 CET/11:00 GMT)

Analysis:
The best eight clubs in Europe? The recriminations will begin from fans of sides such as Inter, Real Madrid, and - well, of course - Roma, but whichever way you look at it, our Champions League quarter-finalists are the ones left in competition for Europe's top crown. And four of them are from the Premier League!

Yes, English dominance, as indicated last year with fully three of the four semi-finalists hailing from the EPL, is back with a vengeance, with Arsenal joining the current top three of Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool in the next round. The latter trio top not only the Premiership but also UEFA's co-efficient list, with Arsenal sneaking in at fifth. Of Italian sides, there is no sign.

Yesterday we reflected on the four victors from last night. Today we'll do the same for Wednesday's.

Inevitably, we start with Manchester United, the defending champions. A 2-0 win over Inter at home gives Sir Alex Ferguson the kind of vindication he needs against Jose Mourinho, his old foe (or should that be protege), who bows out of the competition for the season. The Red Devils deserved their advancement; even though Inter hit the woodwork, there was cutting edge about the Old Trafford side that is impossible to deny. Above all, the verve and life of Ryan Giggs was a joy to watch.

Arsenal also head through, but first of all let's spare a thought for Roma. The walking wounded could barely put together a lineup and bench worthy of the name, the players dropping out of the line-up thick and fast prior to, and even during the encounter at the Olimpico. Yet the Giallorossi had the best of their 1-0 win over Arsenal - even though it was not enough. After a tortuous round of penalties, the Gunners held their nerve to progress as a heartbroken Max Tonetto missed from the spot.

Over in Porto, the match that provided so many goals in the first leg ended without a single ruffle of the net as Atletico Madrid bow out on away goals. Over the two legs this is a just result; the Dragons were the more accomplished side, and while Atleti's classic, free-flowing wing play - as well as the wizardry of Sergio Aguero - will be a loss to the tournament, the powerful Portuguese will look to overcome their low ranking in the next round, although they have battles domestically - both on and off the field - to worry about as well.

Finally to Barcelona, where the embattled Blaugrana finally gave their fans the kind of spectacle that they had grown to expect during the earlier part of the season. No fewer than five goals were on the agenda for the hosts, while Lyon, although for the most part poor, replied with two - a reminder to Pep Guardiola that his injury-hit backline needs severe work before the next stage.

Well, what now? The quarter-finals, that's what.

Unlike in previous rounds, there is no barrier on who can be drawn against whom. English could not meet English in the Round of 16 - in the quarter-finals, however, anything goes.

Thus from a pot looking like this (in order of UEFA co-efficient):

Manchester United
Chelsea
Liverpool
Barcelona
Arsenal
Bayern Munich
Villarreal
Porto

We could see clashes as intriguing as Arsenal-Bayern Munich, Liverpool-Villarreal... or Manchester United-Chelsea.

Yes, the battle of the Premier League is on the cards again, it seems, with just two Spanish, and lone German and Portuguese outfits remaining. Statistically it will not be a huge shock if two of these English sides are drawn together; in footballing terms, it will be a case of familiarity breeding, well, excitement, we hope.

The permutations are near-enough endless. Ties are to be played on April 7th and April 8th 2009; the draw comes next Friday, March 20th. We'll be covering it live, and we hope you'll be there, too.


Ewan Macdonald, Goal.com