Barcelona have no answers

Barcelona face an uphill struggle to qualify for the quarter finals of the Champions League after losing 2-0 to AC Milan in the first leg at the San Siro last night.

What went wrong?

Barcelona had a lot of possession, but lacked a cutting edge. Sounds a crazy thing to say when they've got a player who has just broken the record for the number of goals scored by an individual in a calendar year, but Lionel Messi was very quiet last night.

You have to give credit to the disciplined defence maintained by the Italian club. Apart from the fact that Italian teams have been doing just that for years, they must have learnt from the way Chelsea went about winning the trophy last season. Again last night, Barcelona had no answers.

It may not be what we want to see, but endless possession with very few shots (Barcelona last night) may not be what we want either!

Having watched Bayern Munich put Arsenal to the sword on Tuesday night, it may sound odd to say, "Come on the Germans!"

Mourinho and Beckham face old friends in Champions League

A pair of amazing ties came out of the Champions league draw today.
Firstly, Jose Mourinho was drawn against his old club as Inter Milan drew Chelsea.
Secondly, David Beckham got his wish as AC Milan (where he is on loan) were drawn to face his old club Manchester United.

Arguably, Arsenal enjoyed the easiest draw of the English clubs, against Porto. Perhaps that will will quell Arsene Wenger's recent bout of moaning.

It will be fascinating to see ex-Chelsea manager Mourinho pit his wits against current incumbent, Carlo Ancelotti. Plenty of Chelsea fans feel that Mourinho should never have been sacked.

Just as interesting will be the return of David Beckham to Old Trafford, where he will no doubt get a tremendous reception. The odds are slightly in MIlan's favour; United have not knocked them out in four attempts.

Full Draw:

Stuttgart v Barcelona

Olympiakos v Bordeaux
Inter Milan v Chelsea
Bayern Munich v Fiorentina
CSKA Moscow v Seville
Lyon v Real Madrid
FC Porto v Arsenal
AC Milan v Manchester United

Top European clubs face Champions League exit

Some of the most successful European clubs in European Cup and Champions League history face an exit at the group stage of the competition this season, including holders Barcelona.

Liverpool's failure to hold on to a 1-0 lead, succumbing to a late Lyon equaliser last night, has put them in peril of group exit. Indeed, it is highly unlikely that they will recover their position and they face the ignominy of joining the Europa League at its knock-out stage instead.

In Group F, it is actually possible that both Barcelona and Inter Milan could fail to qualify. The group is so tight that anything could happen. Barcelona, having lost at home to Rubin Kazan a couple of weeks ago, could only draw 0-0 with the same team in Russia, so will finish below them should the teams end up with the same number of points. Inter Milan leapt from last to first with their 2-1 late turn-around at Dynamo Kiev, but have only two more points (6) than Kiev in fourth. Rubin and Barcelona have 5 each.

In group A, it is Bayern Munich who are in real danger after they lost 2-0 at home to Bordeaux - who qualified as a result. Now, as well as hoping Juventus get nothing at Bordeaux in three weeks, Bayern will have to win their trip to Italy too. They are as unlikely as Liverpool to succeed.

Finally, in group C, both AC Milan and Real Madrid face tricky ties against Marseille to avoid being dumped out of the competition, especially Real, who visit Marseille on 8 December.

Beckham back at Milan to boost World Cup bid

David Beckham gave a boost to his chances of going to the World Cup with England next June by convincing AC Milan to take him on loan again this winter.

The LA Galaxy midfielder will once again take the black and red striped shirt of the Rossoneri in Serie A, where he shone last season, but this season he will be in Italy for six months - twice as long as last time round.

It will give him a much better chance of reaching his fourth World Cup and matching, or even eclipsing, Peter Shilton's England record of 125 caps. Playing in the MLS in the United States this summer, Beckham has only made 11 appearances for Galaxy, who still have a chance of silverware this month.

Beckham said: "I need to give myself the best chance possible to make the World Cup squad, and playing for Milan on loan will help me to do that."

Milan vice-president, Adriano Galliani, said: "We are very happy to see David again with the Rossoneri jersey, after the splendid experiences of last season. We are certain that this time in Europe will help the player take part in the next World Cup and to conitnue beyond his career with the Galaxy."