England's Champions League revival remains in full swing after favourable last-16 draw
Three of England's representatives in Europe have been handed a favourable draw, adding to the sense that an English team could be crowned champions this season
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Your support makes all the difference.Right through this season, there has been a sense that change is in the air, a shift on the continent - and that is something that is only further fostered by Monday’s last-16 draw.
It is most notable by the absence of an issue that has slightly tainted the competition over the past few years - the dogged repetition of the same old fixtures. There is none of that this season, with three of the ties involving sides that have never before met competitively, and the Premier League clubs have mostly done rather well out of it. Chelsea, the only English side to finish second in their group, also got the only tie that really has any proper history to it but even that actually feels refreshing because it is now over five years since they met, and so much has changed at both clubs since those momentous matches from 2005 through to 2012.
It is also one of two proper heavyweight match-ups, along with the eye-catching clash of the Champions League establishment that is Real Madrid against the nouveau riche of Paris Saint-Germain and everything that entails. The dimensions of that alone are so alluring and could have great meaning for the rest of the season: the defending champions going for three in a row against the club most desperate to win it and banish the ghosts of defeat to Real’s great rivals Barcelona. The undercurrent of PSG refashioning the entire transfer market to disrupt Spanish power, right down to getting Kylian Mbappe over Real, adds further intrigue to the fixture. It is a tie that will clear the competition’s path, instantly removing one of the primary contenders for the trophy.
That is one reason why Manchester City are now being seen as outright favourites, along with their favourable draw against Basel, who they play for the first time. Liverpool and Manchester United benefited from similar ties - against Porto and Sevilla, respectively - and this reflects another reality of the competition worth dwelling on and that could yet distort this season.
If you are a big club or fundamentally good side that can make it as far as the last eight, it really is up for grabs. Anything is on. From there, you don’t even need that many good performances to go and win it. You need solidity and a sizeable bit of luck. That’s what knock-out football facilitates.
This is precisely why, as regards an English club finally winning this trophy for the first time in six years, it doesn’t actually matter all that much that City are so much better than everyone in the Premier League. Two legs are short enough for things to go wrong.
Manchester United and Liverpool could be very dangerous in that regard, especially since both Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp have good recent records in navigating knock-out competitions, even allowing for the great debates about their very different styles. The same could be said for Chelsea and Spurs, although they have those weightier matches in this round, and must get through that first. Antonio Conte will have to figure out how to deal with Leo Messi, and Mauricio Pochettino will have to work out last season’s finalists Juventus. Tottenham did beat the Italian champions in pre-season and for all that might be written off as a mere friendly, it is now being seen as a key match as to how the Argentine later managed to adapt his approach to go and beat last season’s champions in Real Madrid.
There remains the possibility that all of this could lead to one of the biggest clubs from the last few years actually blindsiding everyone. Bayern Munich haven’t been discussed much this season because of a poor start that saw them sack Carlo Ancelotti. They have greatly improved under their returning Champions League-winning coach Jupp Heynckes and a relatively low-wattage draw against Besiktas could help obscure that, so they are suddenly there in the latter stages and in an ominous position. They wouldn’t be the first side to benefit from a mid-season change of manager, and change of outlook.
The very fact it is being discussed in that way - after almost a decade when Barca, Real and Bayern were guaranteed semi-finalists and the benchmark to get over for everyone else - does reflect this change in the competition.
This draw only reinforces that. The opportunity is there for Premier League clubs to take advantage.
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