Escapologists must expect ever more stern tests. Newcastle United became the first club to lose their first three Champions League matches and still wriggle through from the opening group phase.
Yesterday's draw added stronger chains and a tighter straitjacket to Bobby Robson's side. In a city rendered ebullient by Wednesday's 3-2 win at Feyenoord, people will, at least, look forward to the grand occasions instead of fearing their consequences.
Group A pits Robson against Barcelona, one of his former clubs, as well as Internazionale, who have twice won the European Cup, and Bayer Leverkusen, who overcame both Liverpool and Manchester United before losing last season's final to Real Madrid.
Before the plotting begins, the Newcastle manager paused to remember the occasions, five seasons ago, when he was Barcelona's director of football and the Spanish club were beaten 3-2, thanks to a Faustino Asprilla hat-trick, in Newcastle.
"That thrilling home game was marvellous for Newcastle and something we would like to repeat. I knew we had more than a possibility of drawing Barcelona and I really wanted it. I can't just assume that Newcastle are going to get back into the Champions League in future seasons or that I'm going to be here with them, so this is wonderful."
Louis van Gaal was the coach in 1997 and he came back to Barcelona this summer. His forthrightness and obstinacy antagonise the locals but they have been mollified by the perfect record of six victories racked up in the opening group phase.
The Dutchman has not altered the squad radically but it does now include Juan Roman Riquelme, the Argentinian playmaker. Bayer Leverkusen continue to look diminished.
Internazionale, the leaders of Serie A, may prove the most daunting adversaries of all. They can deploy Hernan Crespo, Alvaro Recoba and Christian Vieri in attack, with the firepower directed by Hector Cuper, who took Valencia to the Champions League final in 2000 and 2001. The inevitable, if mysteriously delayed, re-emergence of Italian football, is now apparent, with all four representatives present in yesterday's draw.
There is to be a renewal of Manchester United's rivalry with Juventus, which was a feature of the late 1990s. It culminated in the 3-2 win for Alex Ferguson's side in Turin, after they had been 2-0 down, in the decisive second leg of the 1999 semi-final.
"That was the best Manchester United performance I've seen without question," the manager said yesterday. It was an achievement which invigorated the team to such an extent that they then forced the extraordinary win over Bayern Munich to take the trophy itself.
Marcello Lippi returned to the post of Juventus coach in 2001 and they are the Serie A champions. His side and United may be contesting merely the order in which they fill the top two places of Group D. Ferguson's side beat Deportivo La Coruna twice last season and should have the attacking verve to overpower Basle, who progressed at the expense of Liverpool.
Arsenal, in Group B, cannot make any assumptions. Roma recently became the first Italian team to beat Real Madrid at the Bernabeu for 35 years.
Valencia, who have become even stronger since Rafael Benitez succeeded Cuper, may be the most impressive side in Europe at present. In the previous phase they defeated Liverpool home and away. The group is completed by Ronald Koeman's attractive Ajax.
"It is a good occasion for us to show how strong we are," said Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager. "I think we will get out of this group but every game will be like a cup final. Valencia will be a good challenge for us."
He is unhappy that UEFA is to drop the second group stage after this season, but he will also smile wryly at the thought that his last experience of it is to be such an ordeal. Guardian Service
Champions League: Second phase fixtures
Matchday Seven - Tuesday, November 26th:
Group C: Lokomotiv Moscow v Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan v Real Madrid.
Group D: Basle v Man Utd, Deportivo La Coruna v Juventus.
Wednesday, November 27th:
Group A: Newcastle v Inter Milan, Bayer Leverkusen v Barcelona.
Group B: Roma v Arsenal, Valencia v Ajax.
Matchday Eight - Tuesday, December 10th:
Group A: Barcelona v Newcastle, Inter Milan v Bayer Leverkusen.
Group B: Ajax v Roma, Arsenal v Valencia.
Wednesday, December 11th:
Group C: Borussia Dortmund v AC Milan, Real Madrid v Lokomotiv Moscow.
Group D: Juventus v Basle, Man Utd v Deportivo La Coruna.
Matchday Nine - Tuesday, February 18th, 2003:
Group A: Barcelona v Inter Milan, Bayer Leverkusen v Newcastle.
Group B: Arsenal v Ajax, Roma v Valencia.
Wednesday, February 19th:
Group C: Real Madrid v Borussia Dortmund, AC Milan v Lokomotiv Moscow.
Group D: Basle v Deportivo La Coruna, Man Utd v Juventus.
Matchday Ten - Tuesday, February 25th:
Group C: Borussia Dortmund v Real Madrid, Lokomotiv Moscow v AC Milan.
Group D: Deportivo La Coruna v Basle, Juventus v Man Utd.
Wednesday, February 26th:
Group A: Inter Milan v Barcelona, Newcastle v Bayer Leverkusen.
Group B: Ajax v Arsenal, Valencia v Roma.
Matchday 11 - Tuesday, March 11th:
Group A: Barcelona v Bayer Leverkusen, Inter Milan v Newcastle.
Group B: Ajax v Valencia, Arsenal v Roma.
Wednesday, March 12th:
Group C: Borussia Dortmund v Lokomotiv Moscow, Real Madrid v AC Milan.
Group D: Juventus v Deportivo La Coruna, Man Utd v Basle.
Matchday 12 - Tuesday, March 18th:
Group C: Lokomotiv Moscow v Real Madrid, AC Milan v Borussia Dortmund.
Group D: Basle v Juventus, Deportivo La Coruna v Man Utd.
Wednesday, March 19th:
Group A: Bayer Leverkusen v Inter Milan, Newcastle v Barcelona.
Group B: Roma v Ajax, Valencia v Arsenal.
