Champions League Draws - Part 1
On 16th August 2010, the UEFA Champions League was back together when the draws took place in Monaco in order to decide which team is going to end up in which group.
The scenario ended in a very exciting mode as many intriguing possibilities came out when the draws were out. It was not only clear that many of the “big guns” are going to fight each other during the group stages, in fact, some old rivalries also came back together.
Four pools were made and the draws were taken out one by one. 8 big teams were divided into one group each from A to H. Group A was given to Inter Milan, Group B was given to Lyon, Group C was given to Manchester United, Group D was given to Barcelona, Group E was given to Bayern Munich, Group F was given to Chelsea, Group G was given to AC Milan and Group H was given to Arsenal. With all the big guns divided into 8 groups, the second “pot” was to be sorted out and teams like Real Madrid and Werder Bremen were a part of it.
As Real Madrid are even a bigger force this year, many teams were praying that they don’t get to face Jose Mourinho’s side in the group stages because that is definitely going to be a tough call for any team.
Group A was sorted out first and it was the “amazing” German team Werder Bremen which became a part of Inter Milan’s group. Later on, Tottenham Hotspurs were also sorted into Group A, which actually makes their starting a pretty tough one as the Dutch champions, Twente, also joined them in the same group. Now, with the former Champions League winners Inter Milan, Werder Bremen, Twente and Tottenham Hotspurs in the same group, it is definitely going to be a cracking competition in Group A. This is the most “open” group and many have even called it as the “group of death,” as all teams are able to compete and beat against each other. Twente have recently won the Dutch title while Hotspurs are trying to make a mark in Europe as they recently entered the European competition.
Group B was at number 2 and now it was time for Lyon to decide its fate. Portuguese team Benfica were the ones who were picked for the French Champions. Lyon probably made the “biggest upset” in the UEFA Champions League in 2009 when they knocked Real Madrid out of the European competition and made their way through to the semi-finals, shocking everyone by defeating many big teams on their way. However, they met inform German Champions Bayern Munich in the semi-finals where they were easily beaten by them. This time round, Lyon didn’t really get a “very tough” group as the team that was picked from “pot 3” was the German side Schalke; the team in which the Real Madrid legend Raul recently got transferred to. The last team they have to battle in the same group is Hapoel Tel- Aviv. They are the “new comers” and they have to make a mark in Europe as well so let’s see how it turns out for them. With teams like Lyon and Benfica in the same group, it is going to be hard for Hapoel to survive in Europe.
The next group was group C and the English club Manchester United was handed Group C this time round. Manchester United has always been a tough side under Sir Alex Ferguson. Last time round, fans witnessed inform United star Wayne Rooney proving his worth. However, after the disappointment at the FIFA World Cup 2010, is Rooney going to be the same? Well, no one can be too sure as the striker was able to score 6 goals in the starting 6 games that he played in last season. However, Rooney did not even manage an assist this time round. The Manchester United striker has lost that special “touch” that he used to have. And as they say, change brings with it newer opportunities in a volatile football market. Former Tottenham Hotspurs man Dimitar Berbatov is back in his goal scoring form and has shown how “deadly” he can be when it comes down to goal scoring and penetrating defensive lines.
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