An all-English Premier League final in the Champions League is a distinct possibility this season as the power of football’s richest circuit becomes ever more noticeable.
If Liverpool can hold onto any part of their two-goal lead in Milan next week half of the quarterfinal field will be made up of teams from the EPL, a far cry from the days when the last eight usually was packed with teams from Italy and/or Spain.
Indeed, the only two one-nation finals since the advent of the Champions League format have featured AC Milan against Juventus in 2002 and Real Madrid against Valencia in 2000. Obviously, that’s not going to happen this time as none of those giants are around and only the EPL or Italy can have more than one team in the final eight.
Because there is no ``protection’’ in next week’s quarterfinal draw, teams from the same leagues can meet at the quarterfinal stage. Certainly the EPL powers would like to avoid one another no matter what the managerial bluster sound like because they all must know that the 2008 champion is most likely to be one them.
Who’s got the best chance? We’ve said Manchester United all along and the only reason to even suggest a doubt is the possibility that greed will cause the Old Trafford outfit to get it wrong in April-May.
Since the start of the 2007-8 season we’ve noted that Sir Alex Ferguson has his deepest, most talented team. There’s also little arguing that the venerable Scottish manager seems to have pushed all of the right buttons to date. What’s not so certain is that Ferguson and the fanatical Old Trafford faithful can resist the lure of a triple which remains very much on.
Assuming that Manchester United takes care of its FA Cup quarterfinal business this weekend, the Red Devils will hit April with realistic hopes of winning in Europe, taking the EPL title again and adding another FA Cup to their cupboard.
That’s where things could badly wrong because no matter how deep the squad might be there are two players who have to be on the field in every important match: Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. Ronaldo is having a memorable year and Rooney is the striker who worries every defense for every one of the 90 minutes.
Yes, Carlos Tevez can be a factor and goals come from other spots on the field for United, but chasing a triple could mean two games per week for Ronaldo and Rooney over the last two months of the season. That’s likely asking too much of them.
Ferguson wants a second European title more than anything else. United has won the EPL so often that it might as well be their own house league and while the FA Cup may still be magic for some supporters it is the Champions League which carries the greatest prestige today.
Manchester United should make that priority Number One.
So who has the best chance to derail them?
Liverpool, for the obvious reason that the Anfield Reds cannot seem to lose in Europe even if they cannot get it right in the EPL or the English Cups.
Chelsea, because they have managed to make the transition from Jose Mourinho to Avram Grant without losing much in the way of grit and tenacity. Even better, they’ve operated under the radar in a season dominated at home by Arsenal and Man U.
Barcelona, simply because there’s just too much talent in the side to be ignored.
Or maybe Roma, which showed plenty of steel in Madrid this week and may be rather tired of being regarded as an Italian afterthought.
What about Arsenal you say? Good as the Gunners can look, the form has declined over the past two months as injuries and inexperience have thinned the ranks. Arsene Wenger will say all the right things as he plays cheerleader, but he doesn’t have enough defensive depth and midfield options to chase both the EPL and European titles in April-May.
Fenerbahce and Schalke, you assume, are along for the ride.
Inter Milan might be the one team which could make it very hard for Manchester United, but the Italian champions need to figure out a way to get past Liverpool to even enter the mix. History says Liverpool does not lose big tests in Europe, so the Champions League title does not look like going through Milan in 2008.
Manchester United should be in Moscow in May. If the gods of the UEFA draws are kind, they should be facing an EPL opponent on that final big night of the club season.