Post by Salem6 on Sept 13, 2004 16:55:29 GMT
The Observer
football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,1302609,00.html
GROUP A · LIVERPOOL'S OPPONENTS
Monaco are barely recognisable from the tight, impressive unit that reached last season's final. They've won only two out of four league games so far, and lost Fernando Morientes, Jerome Rothen, Dado Prso, Edouard Cissé and Hugo Ibarra in the summer. They have, though, picked up Javier Saviola from Barcelona, Uruguayan Javier Chevanton from Lecce and Mohammed Kallon has arrived from Inter, while Shabani Nonda is back after eight months out injured. Deportivo, meanwhile, have hardly changed at all after losing out to Porto in last year's semis. Nourredine Naybet, Goran Djorevic and Djalminha have gone but Mauro Silva, at the club since 1992 and now 36, is still there. Olympiakos hope that Rivaldo will return to his best after troublesome spells with Milan and Cruzeiro. Coach Dusan Bajevic is back after a spell with AEK Athens and his biggest task is to cure the side's travel blues - they've failed to score in their past six Champions League away games, conceding 18.
GROUP D · MAN UTD'S OPPONENTS
Lyon have won three consecutive French league titles and will be United's biggest threat in what looks like a relatively easy group. Coach Paul Le Guen, however, has lost both his central defenders (Edmilson to Barcelona and Patrick Muller to Real Mallorca) while Peguy Luyindula, Vikash Dhorasoo, Eric Deflandre and Eric Carriere have also gone. The squad has been bolstered though by Lamine Diatta, Eric Abidal, Cris and Sylvain Wiltord. Sparta Prague look weaker than last season when they qualified for the knockout stage. They failed to win the Czech league and only beat Ferencvaros after extra-time in the third qualifying round to qualify for this group. Team leader Karel Poborsky is not getting any younger. Fenerbahce won their first title since 2001 last season, with former Forest rebel Pierre van Hooijdonk the star. He's complimented by young and agile Turkish forward Tuncay Sanli, while keeper Rustu Recber has returned from a miserable spell at Barcelona.
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GROUP E · ARSENAL'S OPPONENTS
An eminently winnable group for Arsenal, in a group of little quality or strength in depth. PSV lost Mateja Kezman and Arjen Robben to Chelsea in the summer, and with Dennis Rommedahl, Kevin Hofland and Ronald Waterreus also gone, coach Guus Hiddink has a young, inexperienced squad. Newcomer Phillip Cocu will fill a midfield gap. Panathinaikos won the domestic double last season under Israeli coach Itzhak Shum and will be looking to improve in Europe, where they flopped out of the group stage last time round. Shum's team is an eclectic one with a strike force consisting of two Poles, a Gambian, a Cameroonian and a Cypriot. And Rosenborg are a shadow of the force that eliminated Milan at the San Siro in the mid-90s. True, they've qualified for the group stage for nine out of the last ten years, but failed last season and only beat Maccabi Haifa in this season's qualifying round via a last-minute equaliser and two goals in extra-time.
GROUP F · CELTIC'S OPPONENTS
As close to a group of death you can get with Milan and Barcelona packed with attacking venom and Shakhtar arguably the strongest team from pot four. Milan have added Jaap Stam, Hernan Crespo and Vikash Dhorasoo to a team which arguably played the best football on the continent last season. They only lost twice in Serie A and then, inexplicably, 4-0 away to Deportivo in the Champions League quarter-finals. Barcelona, meanwhile, come close to rivalling Milan's stellar squad despite some significant departures: new additions Henrik Larsson, Samuel Eto'o, Deco, Edmilson and Ludovic Giuly join the inspirational Ronaldinho. Shakhtar, meanwhile, are run by mega-rich businessman Rinat Akhmetov, who bankrolls the club and sacks manager at a rate to rival that of the late Jesús Gil. Romanian Mircea Lucescu is the current incumbent: his stars are Julius Aghahowa, Wayne Rooney-alike Ciprian Marica, and £10m Brazilian midfielder Matuzalem.
GROUP H · CHELSEA'S OPPONENTS
Porto's replacement for José Mourinho - Chievo coach Luigi Del Neri - left after six weeks, bewildered by reports of a players' mutiny and his own lousy time-keeping. Victor Fernandez has taken over but arrives at a club which has lost Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Pedro Mendes and Deco since last season's Champions League triumph. Greek full-back Giourkas Seitaridis and Brazilian wonderkid Diego are the impressive reenforcements. Paris St-Germain are led by Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic and finished second in Ligue 1 last season. Gabriel Heinze and Hugo Leal have gone, but Pauleta and Brazilian forward Reinaldo remain. CSKA Moscow have used part of their £29m sponsorship from Roman Abramovich's Sibneft oil company to buy exciting £7m Brazil forward Vagner Love from Sao Paulo. Czech international Jiri Jarosik and Russian internationals Denis Popov, Sergei Semak, Rolan Gusev and Sergei Ignashevich make the team very difficult to beat.
football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,9753,1302609,00.html
GROUP A · LIVERPOOL'S OPPONENTS
Monaco are barely recognisable from the tight, impressive unit that reached last season's final. They've won only two out of four league games so far, and lost Fernando Morientes, Jerome Rothen, Dado Prso, Edouard Cissé and Hugo Ibarra in the summer. They have, though, picked up Javier Saviola from Barcelona, Uruguayan Javier Chevanton from Lecce and Mohammed Kallon has arrived from Inter, while Shabani Nonda is back after eight months out injured. Deportivo, meanwhile, have hardly changed at all after losing out to Porto in last year's semis. Nourredine Naybet, Goran Djorevic and Djalminha have gone but Mauro Silva, at the club since 1992 and now 36, is still there. Olympiakos hope that Rivaldo will return to his best after troublesome spells with Milan and Cruzeiro. Coach Dusan Bajevic is back after a spell with AEK Athens and his biggest task is to cure the side's travel blues - they've failed to score in their past six Champions League away games, conceding 18.
GROUP D · MAN UTD'S OPPONENTS
Lyon have won three consecutive French league titles and will be United's biggest threat in what looks like a relatively easy group. Coach Paul Le Guen, however, has lost both his central defenders (Edmilson to Barcelona and Patrick Muller to Real Mallorca) while Peguy Luyindula, Vikash Dhorasoo, Eric Deflandre and Eric Carriere have also gone. The squad has been bolstered though by Lamine Diatta, Eric Abidal, Cris and Sylvain Wiltord. Sparta Prague look weaker than last season when they qualified for the knockout stage. They failed to win the Czech league and only beat Ferencvaros after extra-time in the third qualifying round to qualify for this group. Team leader Karel Poborsky is not getting any younger. Fenerbahce won their first title since 2001 last season, with former Forest rebel Pierre van Hooijdonk the star. He's complimented by young and agile Turkish forward Tuncay Sanli, while keeper Rustu Recber has returned from a miserable spell at Barcelona.
Advertiser links
Football Shirts at LXDirect.com
Get quality apparel for all types of sports at LXdirect.com....
lxdirect.com
M&M Sports for Football Shirts
Save on your favourite team's replica shirts at M&M Sports.
mandmsports.com
Team Colours
Football kits for clubs, teams and schools. Made at...
team-colours.co.uk
GROUP E · ARSENAL'S OPPONENTS
An eminently winnable group for Arsenal, in a group of little quality or strength in depth. PSV lost Mateja Kezman and Arjen Robben to Chelsea in the summer, and with Dennis Rommedahl, Kevin Hofland and Ronald Waterreus also gone, coach Guus Hiddink has a young, inexperienced squad. Newcomer Phillip Cocu will fill a midfield gap. Panathinaikos won the domestic double last season under Israeli coach Itzhak Shum and will be looking to improve in Europe, where they flopped out of the group stage last time round. Shum's team is an eclectic one with a strike force consisting of two Poles, a Gambian, a Cameroonian and a Cypriot. And Rosenborg are a shadow of the force that eliminated Milan at the San Siro in the mid-90s. True, they've qualified for the group stage for nine out of the last ten years, but failed last season and only beat Maccabi Haifa in this season's qualifying round via a last-minute equaliser and two goals in extra-time.
GROUP F · CELTIC'S OPPONENTS
As close to a group of death you can get with Milan and Barcelona packed with attacking venom and Shakhtar arguably the strongest team from pot four. Milan have added Jaap Stam, Hernan Crespo and Vikash Dhorasoo to a team which arguably played the best football on the continent last season. They only lost twice in Serie A and then, inexplicably, 4-0 away to Deportivo in the Champions League quarter-finals. Barcelona, meanwhile, come close to rivalling Milan's stellar squad despite some significant departures: new additions Henrik Larsson, Samuel Eto'o, Deco, Edmilson and Ludovic Giuly join the inspirational Ronaldinho. Shakhtar, meanwhile, are run by mega-rich businessman Rinat Akhmetov, who bankrolls the club and sacks manager at a rate to rival that of the late Jesús Gil. Romanian Mircea Lucescu is the current incumbent: his stars are Julius Aghahowa, Wayne Rooney-alike Ciprian Marica, and £10m Brazilian midfielder Matuzalem.
GROUP H · CHELSEA'S OPPONENTS
Porto's replacement for José Mourinho - Chievo coach Luigi Del Neri - left after six weeks, bewildered by reports of a players' mutiny and his own lousy time-keeping. Victor Fernandez has taken over but arrives at a club which has lost Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Carvalho, Pedro Mendes and Deco since last season's Champions League triumph. Greek full-back Giourkas Seitaridis and Brazilian wonderkid Diego are the impressive reenforcements. Paris St-Germain are led by Bosnian Vahid Halilhodzic and finished second in Ligue 1 last season. Gabriel Heinze and Hugo Leal have gone, but Pauleta and Brazilian forward Reinaldo remain. CSKA Moscow have used part of their £29m sponsorship from Roman Abramovich's Sibneft oil company to buy exciting £7m Brazil forward Vagner Love from Sao Paulo. Czech international Jiri Jarosik and Russian internationals Denis Popov, Sergei Semak, Rolan Gusev and Sergei Ignashevich make the team very difficult to beat.