Euroscene Paddy Agnew
After a winter of group phase Champions League football, with its inevitable quota of cynical calculation and meaningless games, Europe's premier club tournament gets down to the real thing this week with a series of mouthwatering, "do or die" quarter-final ties that involve many of football's most famous names.
For the first time in four years, too, Italian football is strongly represented with Juventus, Inter Milan and AC Milan, heading into quarter-final ties against Barcelona, Valencia and Ajax Amsterdam respectively. Intriguing as those three ties are, however, they all play second fiddle to the main fare, European Champions Real Madrid v Manchester United.
Lest the Europe-wide atmosphere was not already tense enough, United manager, Alex Ferguson, opted to further heat it up last weekend with the remarkable allegation that UEFA stagemanaged the draw in order both to make it difficult for his side whilst at the same time ensuring no "derbies" involving the three Italian and Spanish clubs still in the competition.
Speaking on Italian radio yesterday morning, FIFA executive and former Juventus player, Frenchman Michel Platini, dismissed Ferguson's allegations as little more than an attack of "pre-match nerves".
What is true though, and this without giving credence to the conspiracy theories emanating from Old Trafford, is that the draw has been kind to the Italians in that it has steered them clear not only of both Real Madrid and Manchester United but also of one another.
Given that Rome club Lazio are also involved in a UEFA Cup semi-final tie with Portuguese league leaders, Porto, this week represents something of a litmus test for Italian soccer.
Last weekend's results - Juventus beat Torino 2-0, AC Milan lost 1-0 away to Parma, Inter were held to a 3-3 draw by AS Roma and Lazio cantered home 3-0 at home to bottom of table Como - underlined just about all the current strengths and weaknesses of the Italian contenders.
Juventus continue to grind out useful results with a minimum of brio and a maximum of efficiency. AC Milan continue to mix wonderful attacking football with the occasional loss of concentration and commitment. Inter continue to look like a side whose collective whole does not match the potential of its brilliant individual parts whilst Lazio look potential world beaters, especially on the counter attack.
Lazio's Italian international Stefano Fiore underlined the importance of this week's games yesterday when saying: "It's a matter of huge satisfaction for us to find four Italian clubs still involved in the European competitions.
"We've been out of the top flight for too long. What is more, I'd say we have excellent chances of going futher in both competitions".
Fiore's optimism is understandable since his Lazio have arguably the best chance of all four Italian clubs, even if runaway Portuguese league leaders Porto, inspired by midfielder Deco and striker Paulo Ferreira, are clearly no pushover.
As for the other Italians, this neutral observer would suggest that it is a case of the probable, the possible and the unlikely. Probable that AC Milan will see off Ajax, notwithstanding their unlucky defeat by Parma.
Possible that Juventus could overcome Barcelona, notwithstanding the injury enforced absence of French striker David Trezeguet and the doubtful fitness of Alessandro Del Piero and key midfield schemer, Czech Pavel Nedved.
Finally, having watched Inter bungle their way to that 3-3 draw with Roma, it seems unlikely that their individual brilliance will overcome the redoubtable, battling qualities of Valencia. Inter's Argentine coach, Hector Cuper, due to play against the side that he led to two successive and losing Champions League finals in 2002 and 2001, did at least have the good humour to quip on Sunday night: "Well, at least in the Champions League, we don't start off five points down on the others, we're all at the same point."
Whilst Cuper must be worried about the lack of corporate team identity that allowed his side to surrender a 3-1 lead, thus dropping five points behind Juventus in the Serie A title race, he can at least take some consolation from being able to recall his best strikers in Christian Vieri, Uruguyan Alvaro Recoba and/or Argentine Hernan Crespo.
They will all be needed.
