My basic problem with human beings is that they act out of fear, feeling a desperate need to control their environment as much as possible.

On a small scale, that attitude has made it a felony, in the county in which I live, to falsify applications to register your (typically minority) child in a school district which might offer him/her a better education than your local one.  In the UK, it means there are several schools where girls are not allowed to wear skirts.   To the authorities, it matters not whether the rules are having an unintended and adverse effect, or make little to no sense, only that they must be followed for the sake of control.

On a larger scale, this fear and the urge to conquer it has seen the same country which proudly displays the words, “Give me your tired, your weak, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free” at the foot of the Statue of Liberty build a wall across its southern border with Mexico, to keep out said huddled masses who, diabolically, wish to take jobs cutting grass, digging ditches and keeping house from unemployed American college graduates.  In Australia, it means that the government seeks a way to ship its huddled masses to nearby Malaysia, where there is no work, education or opportunity, but rampant disease and political oppression.  When a decision must be made between two groups of man, the rationale as to who must suffer is always better you than me, rather than both of us together.

On an environmental scale… well you get the idea.  Man tries to organise everything down to the tiniest detail, intending to raise the ‘quality of life’, but too often with the opposite result.  He fights the natural order every step of the way, when he might be better advised to trust somewhat to fate, respect the planet, and just let things be.

Yet, I am human, too.  So despite my ideology, I feel sorry for the big teams in one or two of the groups in this year’s Champions League.  These clubs have spent money, worked hard and done well, only to be pitted against each other from the outset, while poorer sides from lesser leagues have been granted an easier road, through the luck of the draw.  There is something within me that believes it would be much fairer for the teams to be properly seeded and distributed evenly throughout the groups, so that fans might see the best sides — aka the traditional, established powers — meet in the later rounds.  Yet, on a weekly, if not daily, basis, I can usually be heard asking the question, “Since when is life fair?”

It’s tough being me.

On the other hand, it’s probably tougher to be Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Napoli or Villareal.  This group contains Sergio Kun Aguero, Edin Dzeko, David Silva and Carlos Tevez in the City attack; Mario Gomez, Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Müller powering Bayern; Edinson Cavani, Marek Hamsik and Ezequiel Lavezzi for Napoli: and Giuseppe Rossi and Nilmar with Villareal.

Each of these clubs finished in the top four of one of the Big Four leagues in Europe.  City and Bayern are both perfect in the Prem and Bundesliga, respectively, running riot over the opposition, this season.  Napoli have started well in their quest to do more than challenge for the Scudetto in 2011-12.  Villareal have been sluggish out of the gate in La Liga, which can perhaps be forgiven, as the Yellow Submarine may have had its sights set on making this group stage.  At any rate, the Spaniards are the club most accustomed to dealing with powerful neighbours, being measured against Real Madrid and Barcelona, year in and year out.

If UEFA ranked its teams in a manner similar to American college football, all four squads would be in the top twenty, and, conceivably, in the top sixteen, which would put the entire group in the top half of a thirty-two team Champions League table.  Yet half of a set which all ‘deserve’to progress to the knockout rounds will not. One will drop to the Europa League, another will have its continental adventure end before Christmas, and even Man City, with their wealth of talent, realise that, in such a short competition, they could be the unfortunates.

This is not a group of death; it’s a group of utter annihilation.

As someone who believes that everyone deserves a fair shake, and who tries to maintain some objectivity in writing about football around the world, I usually make every effort to reel in my own biases when they try to creep in to my work.  In this group, however, there is one team that I will definitely be rooting against.  I don’t believe Trabzonspor, or any Turkish club, should be in this competition.

The Super Lig has acknowledged that the corruption and match-fixing in its competition is so rife that it has delayed the start of its campaign until it can be sure that the cheaters have been rooted out.  Like most other Turkish clubs, Trabzonspor have been implicated in wrong-doing.  One should be presumed innocent until proven otherwise, but, when there is sufficient reason to suspect guilt, the honourable usually step aside for the betterment of the whole.  I believe it would be best for football’s integrity, that no Turkish teams compete in Europe until their house is put in order.

That leaves three very strong clubs, however, to compete for the two berths providing passage into the round of sixteen.

Normally, Inter, with the likes of Wesley Sneijder, Esteban Cambiasso, Javier Zanetti, Maicon and the Diegos, Milito and Forlan, would be heavy favourites to win the group.  However, now on their third coach, Giampiero Gasperini, in the year since Jose Mourinho departed, there is a sense of confusion at the club which has affected their confidence, most notably goalkeeper Julio Cesar, who has been very erratic of late.  They’re still favourites, of course, but consider them as having been to Jenny Craig.

French Champions Lille were weakened by the exodus of Yohan Cabaye and Gervinho to the Premier League and Adil Rami to La Liga, but, with Eden Hazard pulling the strings, they are still a threat to anyone.

CSKA Moscow are an unknown quantity despite their annual presence in Europe.  Seydou Doumbia is the danger man, but can’t be focused on to the exclusion of Vagner Love and Japanese set-piece magician Keisuke Honda.  Zoran Tosic and Tomas Necid are also in this squad and it shouldn’t be forgotten that keeper Igor Afinkeev was one of the names mooted to replace Edwin van der Sar before United narrowed the list to Manuel Neuer and David de Gea.

Now, Manchester United aside, here’s a group of those huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

Benfica were in the Europa League semifinals last season, but that only proved they were the third best team in Portugal, although, at the moment, they are nipping at a weakened Porto’s heels.  Having signed Joan Capdevilla from Villareal and Ezequiel Garay from Real Madrid, when players of that ilk typically travel in the opposite direction, this is not a team to take lightly.  Belgian Axel Witsel is also a promising talent in the midfield.

You’d be forgiven for not giving FC Basel a second glance had you not watched this competition, last year.  Led by Marco Streller and Alex Frei, the Swiss champion didn’t progress but gave much better opposition a game every time out.  Expect the same again this year.

I was half tempted to do a Shearer, shrug my shoulders and say that I don’t know that much about Otelul Galati.  However, unlike the Geordie legend, Wiki doesn’t strike fear into my heart or impede on my golf time.  Thus, I can proudly recite that Otelul are Romanian champions and, unsurprisingly, are made up almost exclusively of Romanians, with three Serbs and a Czech goalkeeper most of you wouldn’t be familiar with added into the mix.  The club has sprinkled in some global influence, in the form of Argentine Gabriel Viglianti, Peruvian Daniel Chavez and Nigerian John Ibeh.  Haven’t heard of them, either?  Hmmph.  Maybe Shearer organises his time better than people think.

With this trio to contend with, Sir Alex Ferguson must be feeling quite pleased with the draw.  Given that City will have to bring their A-game every weeknight, while United will likely feature Michael Owen, Dimitar Berbatov, Park Ji-sung, Michael Carrick and several other reserves with regularity and still progress easily, the wily old Scot surely sees an advantage for his club as they attempt to fend off the ‘noisy neighbours’in domestic competition.

Okay, having done with Wiki, I’ve now accessed a copy of the UEFA rulebook and nowhere inside does it say that Real Madrid must play Lyon in the Champions League every season.  So, what’s up with that, then?  The Spaniards finally got the better of the French side in the knockout round, last year, only to draw them in the group stage for ’11-12.  Still, better the enemy you know…

Los Blancos will also have a second date with Ajax, who joined them in ’10-11 to form the famous Group of Champions, along with AC Milan.   Overall, however, it shouldn’t be Jose Mourinho’s side concerned with progressing, with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, the in-form pair of Karim Benzema and Gonzalo Higuain, Angel di Maria and Mesut Özul in attack.  The Castilians will also be confident, having gained an early advantage over rivals Barcelona.

Although Dutch sides took a beating in the Europa League last season, Ajax weren’t one of the battered and bruised.  With Frank de Boer taking over for Martin Jol in mid-stream, the Amsterdammers didn’t get all their oars in the water until too late in the year.  Although Maarten Stekelenberg moved on to Roma in the summer, the club improved through the additions of Theo Janssen and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson.

Lyon, on the other hand, stood pat.  New boss Remi Garde’s first order of business will be to coax better performances from Yohan Gourcuff than Claude Puel managed.  The club’s early chances will suffer from the absence of physical midfielder Lisandro Lopez, who is out for a month with an ankle injury.  So, for the moment at least, the smart money is on the two past European champions to move on.

Dinamo Zagreb, the Croatian champion are a slightly stronger version of Otelul Galati.  Dynastic within domestic confines, they simply don’t have the quality to do more than cause an upset or steal a point somewhere along the way.  At the moment, they are sniffing around Lyon, hoping that they might be able to sneak past the preoccupied Ligue 1 club.

The ugly duckling in Group E is Racing Genk.  The Belgian side are languishing in mid-table, having drawn half of their six league games in the early going.  Given that the Jupiler League champion replaced UAE bound manager Frank Vercauteren with Mario Been, who left Feyenoord in the summer after receiving a vote of no confidence from his players, there is a bit of ‘I told you so’surrounding their current plight.  Been will have to make a positive impression quickly, if this side is to transform itself into a swan and fly on into the elimination rounds.

Like fellow Premiership title hopefuls, Man City, Chelsea are probably shaking their heads at a draw which places them in such a dangerous group, while Man United are seemingly cooling their heels in Group C.  The Blues are finding their stride in England, but it is still far from matching the leaps and bounds of the two Mancunian clubs.  Fernando Torres is beginning to settle in — at the end of the bench — while a cheeky Daniel Sturridge is making a case for being the first option in attack.  With Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka also in the picture, Juan Mata impressing immediately and John Terry helping out on the offensive end, new boss André Villas-Boas’selection problems are by and large of the positive variety, but there is not much room for error.

Valencia are perfect in La Liga’s late starting campaign and Bayer Leverkusen, with a physically and verbally in-form Michael Ballack are right there in the Bundesliga.

Ever Banega, Aritz Aduriz and Roberto Soldado have made Mestalla faithful forget the Davids, Silva and Villa, with Adil Rami arriving from Lille to create a formidable central midfield partnership with Hedwiges Maduro.  Los Che pushed Manchester United in the group stage last season and, being stronger this year, they will enjoy a crack at Chelsea.

New Leverkusen boss Robin Dutt feels some empathy for AS Roma gaffer Luis Enrique.  With Jupp Heynckes at Bayern and Sami Hyppia retired, Dutt has chosen Simon Rolfes to fill the void in leadership but the ever-ambitious Ballack has been speaking ‘for the club’both in the press and on the pitch.  Dutt has had to pull on his reins more than once, but the competition has been healthy for the squad, so far.  Newcomer André ‘Don’t Call me’Schürrle is a nice complement to fellow young gun Stefan Kieβling.  As long as the contentious factions in the side continue to pull in the same direction, Leverkusen will be a tough proposition for the rest of the group.

Group F seems to have been reserved for the fashionably late.  Arsenal, everyone knows about.  Losing your two most influential midfielders, playing an early scoreless draw with Newcastle, a loss to Liverpool, and an absolutely crushing defeat to United is not how a title contender expects to begin their season.  Yet, if you ask Arsene Wenger, the side’s confidence was totally restored by the narrow 1-0 win over newly promoted Swansea.  As they say in French:  <cough> –Bullshit!–<cough>

Yet, Bundesliga champion Borussia Dortmund are also languishing in mid-table after a slow start.  The sophomore blues have hit Jürgen Klopp’s youngsters, with Mario Götze, Lucas Barrios and Shinji Kagawa unable to match the torrid pace set by Bayern Munich.

Marseille, meanwhile, are five matches into the Ligue 1 season, and sit on the relegation bubble.  They’ve lost two straight, after opening with three draws, and the crowds at the Stade Velodrome are not happy.  Loic Remy, Andre-Pierre Gignac and Lucho Gonzalez should make an impressive attack force, but they’re not getting it done at the moment.

Greek side Olympiakos are the ultimate procrastinators in the group, however.  While Panathanaikos has won a perfect two of two in the Greek Super Lig, their rivals have yet to play a match.  So, as is àpropos in such circumstances, if you want a prediction on how this group will shake out, I’ll have to get back to you.

Okay, all you leftist guerillas and student activists out there, here’s the group for you!  There is no favourite in this quartet; no rich, fat cat, bourgeoisie, pet of the establishment, already assured of advancing into the lucrative elimination stage.

The closest thing to that is Porto, the defending Europa League champion.  Yet, the manager that masterminded their epic run is at Chelsea, spending Roman Abramovich’s new oligarchy billions — can you say irony?  As well, the striker who carried them to Irish glory — can you say oxymoron? — is at Atletico Madrid.  Porto is used to its players and coaches selling out to the man, though, so it’s no surprise that they are right at the top of the Portuguese Super Liga again this season.

Joining Porto in this socialist experiment are 2008 and 2009 UEFA Cup winners Zenit St. Petersburg and Shakhtar Donetsk, and APOEL.  The Nicosian side, which has dominated the Cypriot league since its inception, winning over twenty titles, may be a big fish in a little pond at home, but here they are very much the minnows.  Zenit have spent decades chasing after the scraps of the Muscovites, CSKA, Spartak, Dinamo and Lokomotiv, but, under first Dick Advocaat and now Luciano Spaletti, are creating a revolution in the Russian Premier League, while Shakhtar have done much the same by overtaking Dynamo Kiev, in the Ukraine.

As all of the contenders play an open attacking system, so this may be the most exciting group to watch, provided that you can suppress all those years of subliminal advertising, peer pressure and brand marketing with which Big Brother has indoctrinated you, in order to make you an unwitting pawn of the state.  Good luck with that.

Now, after a pair of very well-balanced foursomes, we return you to your normally scheduled, predictable Champions League group.  Barcelona, the new establishment in La Liga, are paired off with Serie A champion AC Milan, owned by one of Viagra’s biggest clients, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. With Lionel Messi, Xavi and Cesc Fabregas on one side and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Antonio Cassano, Pato and Alberto Aquilani on the other, if either of these two Mediterranean giants fail to advance, I’ll eat my copy of Mao’s little red book.  Oh wait, mine was written by Harvey Penick.  You get the idea, though.

BATE Borisov and Viktoria Plzen, Belorussian and Czech champions, respectively, stand as much chance of progressing out of this group as Moammar al Gaddafi does to win a Nobel Peace Prize.  Essentially, the duo will be looking forward to playing each other, to see which will be given a second chance in the Europa League.   My vote is cast for BATE, who fought well in Europe last season, and are champions five times running, giving them a better measure of experience on the continental stage.

Try as I might, I just am not a radical at heart.

Maybe this fellow would prefer to be overlooked.

Of course, some of the kinks still have to be worked out.  For instance, they’ve installed referees behind the goals again, to try to get more calls correct.  Apparently, since Michel Platini still can’t program his DVD player, he’s against technology in any form.  So, humans it is.

The problem is that Platini refers to the system as a five man team.  Prior to this innovation, there was a referee, two linesman and a fourth official on the sidelines, to usher substitutes in and out, announce the added time and be given the hairdryer treatment by the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson and Big Sam Allardyce.  If you add two more officials to four, don’t you get six?  I suppose that he might be forgetting the so-called fourth official but even if you do (1,2,3,5,6) you still come out with six.

Never mind, though.  It won’t be important until they start getting the calls wrong, which by my watch should be in about 4 days time.  Meanwhile, we’ve broken down the 12 groups of 4 teams, to give you an idea of what to expect, other than an uncertain amount of officials missing obvious calls while Michel Platini tries to load the special features on his Escape To Victory Director’s Cut disc.

Read on, my friend, read on.

Group A

Manchester City will have two clear goals this season.  Ultimately, the campaign won’t be a success unless they finish top 4 in the EPL to qualify for next season’s Champions League.  Until then, Sheikh Mansour would look upon it favourably if Roberto Mancini were to secure a Europa League trophy, as an appetiser for things to come.  Although, when you consider that City has enough star power in their squad to field a pair of starting elevens that could win the FA Cup and the Europa League Final, on the same day if necessary, that last sentence may not have come off as sarcastic as intended.

Luigi Del Neri has had a busy summer preparing for his first season in charge of Juventus.  He has trimmed much of the deadwood from his squad, most notably saying goodbye to David Trezeguet and Mauro Camoranesi.  Milos Krasic has come to Turin to spread the attack and Alberto Aquilani, as well, to rediscover himself after a lost season in Liverpool.  Del Neri has retained a solid core of veterans, led by Giancarlo Buffon and Alessandro del Piero ,to keep the Old Lady relevant and they should still be in the competition after the holidays.

The Red Bull Salzburg squad takes a lot of stick for being human product placement but you have to give the energy drink corporation due credit for their commitment to building winning sides.  The Austrian version doesn’t have a Thierry Henry or a Rafa Marquez to soak in taurine, although midfielder David Mendes da Silva can kick a ball around.  Other than the Dutchman, it’s a largely anonymous squad but their betters in this group should keep in mind that the Red Bulls have run through the Austrian Bundesliga in 3 of the last 4 seasons.

If the Austrians are anonymous, then Jacek Zielinski’s Lech Poznan are the invisible men.  Having just won their first Ekstraklasa crown in 17 years, the Poles will draw on their UEFA Cup 3rd round adventure of two years ago, going down gamely in the end to the black and white of another Serie A side, Udinese.  Still, a betting man will have them going home, at least able to boast that they’ve played in Manchester and Turin.

Group B

For the second year running, La Liga can boast a continental champion.  Unfortunately, it isn’t Barca or Real and it isn’t in the Champions League.  Atletico Madrid, on the back of World Cup Golden Ball recipient, Diego Forlan, held off first Liverpool and then Roy Hodgson’s Fulham FC, to win the 2010 Europa League.  With Simao Sabrosa and Sergio Kun Aguero as holdovers and young guns Diego Costa and Fran Merida, and a hungry Tiago Mendes added to the squad, los Colchoneros are primed for another deep Europa League run.

Bayer Leverkusen were a force for most of the last Bundesliga campaign.  Sadly, they didn’t finish as strongly as they began.  They’ll have to start the new season without dynamic midfielder Toni Kroos, recalled by Bayern, but there is hope.  Michael Ballack is back in the Bundesliga and determined to lead Leverkusen’s (and Germany’s!) youngsters for the foreseeable future.  With Patrick Helmes and Stephane Kieβling, the future may be now for the Westphalia outfit.

**Editor’s note:  Hope has been put off in Leverkusen, as Ballack suffered a micro fracture just above his ankle trying to win a 50/50 ball during a 2-2 draw vs Hannover 96, on Saturday.  It was later announced he’ll be out 6 weeks.

Aris Thessalonika finished 4th in the Greek Super league in 09-10 and Rosenborg BK are the defending Norwegian champions.  Without the type of talent that Atleti and Leverkusen boast, it’s hard to see either side challenging to move on.  As for which will finish third, I’ll go with Aris, with one proviso:  if they play the utterly out of form American striker and former wunderkind, Freddy Adu, I’m switching my vote to the Nordic side.

Group C

Group C is not as clear cut as A and B.  The two major clubs are not as dominant and the two minor sides can be stubborn at times.  Over-all,Sporting CP (who inexplicably dislike being referred to as Sp. Lisbon) have the most talent and, if they can live up to it for once, should win out.  The Lisbon based club are solid in midfield and attack, featuring veterans Liedson and Maniche along with the Chilean duo of Matias Fernandez and Jaime Valdes.  Pedro Mendes will anchor the midfield, having returned home from an extended stay in the UK.  Hopefully, his presence will reassure an inconsistent back line.

Lille OSC finally opened up and earned a win in Ligue 1, this weekend, playing Lens off their own pitch 4-1.  Prior to that, they had 4 draws in their opening 5 matches.  Veterans Pierre-Alain Frau and Ivorian Gervinho each notched a brace.  If they can continue to exhibit that type of finishing, to accompany their solid defensive shape, they may live up to the pre-season hype  they were feted with in France and take this group away from the Portuguese.

If nothing else, Levski Sofia have one of the most interesting club badges in the competition.  The Bulgarian club is a perennial power in their home league, with 26 league titles and 30 domestic cups but, continentally, have remained minor players.  They’ve made the quarters of the UEFA Cup, in 06, and the 3rd round of the CL, in 02, but otherwise have just made the groups stages once in each, during the decade.  Yet, the Blue Avalanche are a solid, consistent squad, who could take a result if an opening is given them.

KAA Gent seem to have some issues with geography.  The Belgian side, based in East Flanders, sport an Indian Chief badge and are known as the Buffaloes.  This wild west influence almost has me pulling for them to progress but only if UEFA are willing to rig the draw, as it’s often alleged they do, to guarantee a tie against Moldovan club Sheriff Tirsapol.  It could happen.  Although the Buffs were shot down by Roma, 10-2 on aggregate in 09, they qualified this time by surprising Dutch power Feyenoord, 2-1 over two legs.  Still, it’s a long shot.  Maybe the two clubs will arrange a friendly, with Kevin Costner (Dances With Wolves) and Clint Eastwood serving as honourary captains!

Group D

Villareal may not have the depth of the other Spanish powers but they at least have a strong spine.  The defence is anchored by Carlos Marchena and Argentine Gonzalo Rodriguez and the venerable Marcos Senna links them to the attack.  Senna has options to the right and left in Cani and Santi Cazorla on the wings, well supported by Joan Capdevila.  Up front are Giuseppe Rossi and Nilmar.  The Yellow Submarine surely has the firepower to torpedo the rest of the group.

The second ticket out of Group D is available for the taking.  Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb seem the most seasoned of the three competitors.  Their domestic dominance has carried over into the 3rd round of the Champions League five times since 2000 and thrice into the groups stages in the old UEFA Cup format.

Greece’s PAOK Salonica will rely on a legend, as well, only they’ve had to sign theirs away from rivals Panathanaikos.  Dmitrios Salpigidis has come home to Thessalonika, where he scored 50 goals in 112 matches, as a youth, before moving on to score 25 for Kavala and 46 for Panathanaikos, in 155 matches combined.  At just 29, time is still on his side.

Club Brugge‘s European pedigree is much further in the past, having lost a European and UEFA Cup final, both to Liverpool, in the mid 70′s.  Perhaps the legends of the past can inspire the current squad.  The Belgians are definite outsiders but it’ll be interesting to see who’s alongside Villareal when the dust clears.

Group E

If any Chelsea fans are wondering what happened to Andriy Schevchenko (probably not), the 34 year old is back home, as captain of Dynamo Kyiv.  The Ukraine side are the chief rivals of Shakhtar Donetsk and just as deadly.  It was Kyiv whom Donetsk defeated to reach the UEFA Cup final in 2009.  While age may have slowed the BFF of Roman Abramovich, Sheva has support.  Artem Milevskiy and young Brazilian Guilherme, just recalled from CSKA Moscow can both find the twine.  The rest of the group will soon find that Dynamo are still an explosive side.

AZ Alkmaar are a year removed from their stunning Eredivisie triumph, under Louis van Gaal.  After a slack start to 09-10, new man Ronald Koemann was sacked.  Somehow, his replacement, Dick Advocaat, managed to salvage a 5th place finish and a return to Europe.  Advocaat has also moved on and it’s Gertjan Verbeek’s turn to squeeze blood from the stone.  The club doesn’t have an established striker and the attacking midfield is headed by Aussie Bret Holman, who flourished under Advocaat after being largely ignored by van Gaal.  Still consistency doesn’t seem to be a necessity at AZ.

The old saying that there’s a new sheriff in town was tailor made for Moldovia side Sheriff Tiraspol.  The club was founded in 1997 and has championed every season it has spent in the Moldovian top flight.   If that smells fishy to you, you’re not the only one.  The ownership, a corporation founded by former members of the special service, has its hands in a variety of businesses, is politically active and rumoured to have a mafia kingpin as a silent partner.  Certainly, the money has flowed freely into the club.  A new stadium has been built and a plethora of foreign talent recruited as the club inches closer to European success.  Last year, their first in a group stage, they managed a pair of results, including a 2-0 home victory over FC Twente.  Whether or not these Sheriffs wear a white hat, their opponents had best respect the badge.

BATE Borisov were the single Belorussian club, of a trifecta, to make the group stages of the Europa League, despite all of them having been on the cusp.  As WFC writer Eliot Rothwell recently noted the Belorussian FA has focused on the development of national players rather than its ranking in the UEFA club co-efficient.  Only three of BATE’s players are not native Belorussians.  The side may have come as far as it can expect in this competition but in years to come, expect more household names than just Alex Hleb to come out of Belarus.

Group F

Last year, Delio Rossi took over Palermo in mid-season for Walter Zenga.  He quickly turned things around and brought the Sicilian club up to 5th in the Serie A table.   After a summer overhaul to bring in players more to his liking, the new season hasn’t trended in the same direction as last.  A scoreless draw against hated Sardinian rivals Cagliari was followed by a shock 3-2 loss to newly promoted Brescia.  The club is just too deep and Rossi too good a manager for the slide to be anything other than a short transitional period.  When the terrier like captain, Fabrizio Miccoli finally catches a whiff of goal, he won’t lose the scent.

CSKA Moscow will hope to capitalise on the temporary lull in Palermo’s form to gain an advantage in the table.  Their prolific scorer Vagner Love has returned from a short respite in the warmer climes of his native Brazil.  Serbian Zoran Tosic has come over from FC Köln to give Keisuke Honda someone to partner with in midfield and Chilean World Cup super sub Mark Gonzalez will deservedly be given more of an opportunity to shine.  Tomas Nescid provides a second option in attack, other than Love.  Sitting third in the RPL, CSKA could take command of this group if the Sicilians’fortunes don’t soon improve.

While nations have been reshaped around them, Sparta Praha have remained constant, dominating the top flight of first the CSSR, then Czechoslovakia and now the Czech Republic.  Economics lure the best talent to the larger leagues but Iron Sparta is where the next generation is forged.  When Palermo and CSKA visit the beautiful city on the Vitava, they will have to work hard to enjoy a Bohemian Rhapsody.

Lausanne is the seat of Romandy, on the French border, and is more famous for it’s true winter sports, than for its football.  This season’s Swiss Cup was Lausanne Sports’ first success for the decade, much of which was spent in the lower division.  Their renaissance has been achieved through construction of a solid, defensive minded squad fronted by the Brazilian duo of Rodrigo and Silvio.  Group F looks a bit tricky and the Swiss team, with a little luck and a mountain of hard work, could turn it on its head.

Group G

Having spent their history playing second fiddle to Moscow clubs, Zenit St. Petersburg are at last living up to their name.  First under Dick Advocaat, who led them to the UEFA Cup and Super Cup in 2008, and now Luciano Spaletti, the St. Petersburg club have reached the zenith of the RPL.  Spaletti raided two time champions Rubin Kazan for a pair of strikers, young Aleksandr Bukharov and seasoned veteran Sergie Semak, thus adding to their own already potent attack and consolidatiing their position in the table while depleting the roster of a close competitor.  The only match Zenit have lost this season, to French club Auxerre, has put them in the Europa, instead of the Champions League.

RSC Anderlecht are the Juliper League champions and are carrying the standard for an as yet unrealised resurgence of Belgian football.  Last season, the club surprised many by winning its Europa League group, which included Ajax and Dinamo Zagreb.  They went on to stun Athletic Bilbao, winning the second leg, at home, 4-0 to advance 5-1 on aggregate before falling in the quarters to Hamburg.  Young Matias Suarez is the Anderlecht assassin but American newcomer Sacha Kljestan opened his account in the first 3 games after notching just 15 in 114 appearances for the Chivas USA side he captained.

While Hajduk Split probably enjoy the fact that bitter foes Dinamo Zagreb were one of the sides Anderlecht put under last season, they have no intentions of allowing the same to happen to them.  While they’ve been unable to overtake the Blues of  Dinamo, the Whites of Split come into this competition as holders of the Croatian Cup and hopes of a continental encounter with their local enemies.

AEK Athens are a good side with a tremendous home advantage in the form of their 74,000 seat home ground, Athens’Olympic Stadium.  They will need every seat filled in their support if they’re to get beyond the clubs they’ve been drawn with here.  Brazilian Eder and Aussie Nathan Burns have been brought in, from Asteras Tripolis and Kerkyra respectively, to provide goals.  The question, though, is will the defence be able to withstand the unending attacks that Zenit, Anderlecht and Split will put forth?

Group H

Any club which plays its home games in the Mercedes-Benz Arena should expect to lead the way out of their group. VFB Stuttgart have the players to make that expectation a reasonable one.  After bailing out a drowning Markus Babbel in mid-stream, last year, Christian Gross has been given the opportunity to do things his way now.  Christian Gentner, from Wolfsburg, and Mauro Camoranesi, from Juventus, have signed on to control the centre of the pitch and provide leadership. Cacau and Pavel Pogrebnyak will be backed up by Austrian Martin Harnik, who hopes to continue his remarkable goal rate at the top flight.

Real and Atletico are the clubs that grab the headlines in Madrid but there’s a third side in the Castilian capital that can play a little football, too.  Getafe made it to the quarters of the UEFA Cup in 2008 and are back to make their mark in the new improved version.  They don’t boast the superstars of their wealthier neighbours but the strike pair of Juan Albin and Adrian Colunga can find the goal.  Hoping for some playing time Ivan Marcano (Villareal) and Victor Sanchez (Barca) have come, on loan, to shore up the defence.  Getafe’s anonymity may serve them well if they carry it like a chip on their shoulder.

Swiss side Young Boys put a scare into Tottenham, in CL qualifying.  Jumping out to a 3-0 first half lead in the home leg, they were ultimately unable to shut the door on the big London club, conceding two goals before the match ended and 4 more at White Hart Lane.  The opportunistic Bern club will look to take advantage of the artificial surface at the Stade de Suisse, a wrinkle that seems to confound outsiders.  A word of advice to those of you who might want to know more about the club:  make sure you type ‘BSC’in front of ‘Young Boys’if you google them.  Otherwise, the results are a little unsettling.

Odense Boldklub, from Denmark, have not been able to rise above the dominance of FC Copenhagen, which would indicate that they will struggle even more, outside their homeland.  They do have Caca, in the attack.  However, before you get too excited, I have spelled his name correctly.   All I can say to OB supporters, is don’t expect too much.

Group I

Sampdoria can score goals, although, against a good side they also tend to let them in.  That was evident at the Stadio Olimpico, yesterday, as they fought to a 3-3 draw with Group A’s Juventus in a Serie A 2nd round encounter.  Rumours abound that the loss of expected revenue, from failing to make the Champions League, may see i Blucerchiati sell off either Antonio Cassano or Giampaolo Pazzini to stay out of the red.  Nicola Pozzi’s brace in Turin may embolden that thought in the board but a strong showing in the group stage may convince them that a Europa League crown is in the offing if they keep the trio in Genoa.

Gone are the glorious days for PSV Eindhoven.  Economic realities have taught a harsh lesson and the club must now toe the bottom line.  While the Champions League is out of reach, for the time being, the club can make some noise in the lesser celebration of talent.  Balazs Dzsuzsak and Danny Koevermans know where the opposing goal is located and captain Ibrahim Afellay sees that they are provided opportunities to assault it.  Wilfred Bouma has removed the splinters accumulated from riding the Aston Villa bench and will add experience to the back line.

Hungarian champions Debreceni VSC have been unlucky to be drawn into this group.  The talent on the Italian side is too much for them and their best player, Balazs Dzsuzsak, is now a goal scoring machine for PSV.  Nor can they realistically look to dominate the remaining club in the group and hope to steal a result or two.  Metalist Kharkiv are a solid Ukrainian side, not quite at the level of Shakhtar or Kyiv but definitely not pushovers.   Expect plenty of goals from this group.

Group J

There are 3 clubs who would not be shocks to emerge from Group J but Sevilla should be out front.  The inside-out combination of Luis Fabiano and Jesus Navas, with the added punch of Frederic Kanoute, all supported in midfield by Diego Perotta, have  kept the Andalusians in the La Liga conversation for a few seasons now.  Kanoute is 33 but his goal rate of close to 1 every other game isn’t going to disappear overnight and Luis Fabiano’s refusal to listen to overtures from major clubs suggests a pride for club that tends to inspire big performances when the spotlight is turned up.

Borussia Dortmund have loitered on the edge of Bundesliga relevance in the six years since their last spell of dominance.  If they can find a couple of players to better complement young Paraguayan sensation Lucas Barrios, they may once again be front and centre.  Manager Juergen Klopp brought Mohamed Zidan for that purpose but, while he’s been effective when playing, he hasn’t been able to stay in the lineup.  French starlet Damien le Tallec may be the perfect foil for Barrios but he’s just 20.  For now, the potent Paraguayan will play alone, in front of a 5 man midfield.

Having finished 13th in Ligue 1, you might feel that Paris St. Germain doesn’t belong in this competition, yet their stunning run to claim the Coupe de France has awarded them a place.   PSG feature 37 year old Claude Makelele holding down the midfield.  His lack of pace will surely be exploited by the attacks of Sevilla and Borussia Dortmund.  Still, his experience and instincts will count for something and if young Guillaume Hoarau can round into top form, PSG will have some hope.

Karpaty Lviv, 5th in the Ukrainian league are a youth factory and the players will be best advised to look on the trips west as an advance scouting trip for what might lay ahead, if they can manufacture a promising career.   Although, they might be able to steal some points from the inconsistent Parisians.

Group K

Since most of WFC’s readers likely prefer a good curry to a plate of lasagna, my ratingNapoli at the top of Group K isn’t going to make me many friends.  Basically it’s a matter of momentum.  The Italian club has been consistently improving over the last several years, while it’s been all downhill on Merseyside.  This year thePartenopei have drawn their first two matches in Serie A, against decent sides in Bari (seriously, keep an eye on these guys) and Fiorentina.  Gaining points while new players settle is always a good sign.  Edinson Cavani has come in and contributed immediately and Paolo Cannavaro (Fabio’s little bro) is strong at the back.  Marek Hamsik is working his magic in midfield and it’s time for 25 year old Ezequiel Lavezzi to put childish things aside and emerge as the force his talent promises.

Liverpool have some much bigger names, in Steven Gerard, Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina, than the Italians but the stars lack solid support, as their fortunate escape from Birmingham this weekend proved.  Roy Hodgson did work a miracle in this tournament last time out but that was when he had the support of an effective chairman.  Recently, Roy’s been quoted as having warned Ryan Babel that he’s on his last lifeline at Anfield and this will likely be the arena where he must prove himself.  The fragility of Torres is something of which Hodgson is keenly aware.  Surely, he would prefer to save the Spaniard for league duty and Babel has been granted his wish to play inside.  With Javier Mascherano gone and Dirk Kuyt lost for the group stage, even if Babel comes through, the Reds are just too thin to dominate.  However, after some tense adventures, they should progress.

Steaua Bucharest have to be cursing their luck with this draw.  Their fortunes have declined since their UEFA Cup semi final appearance in 2006; they’re no longer the club to beat in the Romanian League and scrappy as they may be, there aren’t any points to steal here.  FC Utrecht have a strong keeper in Michael Vorm and he will be put to the test.  Still, the Dutch side will not be making a passing grade this semester.

Group L

Andres Villas-Boas has come over to FC Porto, from Academica, to stop the slide.  After winning 6 of the last 7 Super Liga titles, Jose Mourinho’s first continental champions fell to 3rd in ’09.  Of course, they won a pair of domestic cups and were runners up in the other, so it wasn’t what you would call plummeting.  Villas-Boas, though, knows his primary job is to bring them back to the fore.  They’re powered by the goalscoring prowess of Givanildo Vieira de Souza.  Yes, you know who I mean.  I just have reservations about calling someone who is under 6′ and not especially muscular or green, Hulk.  It makes me feel silly.  There is enough talent around our hero and tradition supporting him, however, that he need not tear off his shirt and go berserk (he’d be cautioned, anyway) to see Porto through to the elimination rounds.

On the other hand, Besiktas are going to do everything they can to enrage the poorly named Porto striker.  To do that, they went out and signed former Real Madrid midfielder and heartthrob, Guti, to partner Ricardo Quaresma, late of Inter, Chelsea, Barca and, ahem, FC Porto.  If the pair can gain an understanding, the supply for the Turkish club’s veteran striker, Bobo (what is it with the names in this group?), should improve drastically.

CSKA Sofia, the runnersup in Bulgaria last season, are a proud side but they don’t have the squad to pull an upset here.  However, with Brazilian veteran Michel Platini (!) having been newly signed, they should certainly feel part of the family.  Much the same can be said for perennial Austrian power, Rapid Vienna, who welcomed veteran Jan Venegoor of Hesselink from relegated English side, Hull City.

..

Okay, I’m knackered.  Who’s idea was it to put 48 clubs into this competition, anyway?  I suspect it was Michel Platini and not the one from Brazil.  The one who can’t count.

Anyway, enjoy all the European nights ahead, both Champions and Europa Leagues, and I’ll see you after the holidays to preview the knockout rounds.

Cheers!

By following the local game, I had learned to lower my expectations and I expected the Sal island native to be an overrated trickster. The first time I saw him playing was on the last national league and by half-time I knew I was wrong. Santa Maria was winning 2-0 at Académica da Praia and Rody was involved in every meaningful attack. He was replaced at the beginning of the second half and the match ended 2-2.

He reminded me of Ronaldinho, on his first brilliant years in Barcelona. Rody had impeccable technique, superb acceleration and an uncanny skill to beat his marker. A few months later, Cape Verde U-21 played against the favourites and hosts, Portugal, on the opening first match of the Lusophony Games. Rody came from the bench and he had the last 30 minutes to shine.

And shine he did, creating two clear opportunities to score and then, out of nothing, winning the penalty that settled the 1-0 win. Cape Verde won the tournament, and afterwards, nobody was surprised when Rody was snapped up by Portuguese giants FC Porto. It reminded me of another rags-to-starlet story, a long time ago.

In 1994, when I just a kid, they were “The Next Big Thing”: three Cape-Verdeans scoring dozens of goals for the FC Porto U-19 team. There was even a rumour about how they spoke Creole among themselves, to further confuse the opponents. Zeferino was the speedy forward, Tinaia the strong midfielder and Rui César the playmaker.

When the summer came around, they were off to Real Madrid B, playing every week alongside Guti, Cambiasso and Etoo. Was it the start of a glittering career? In the space of three years, all three of them were released. Zeferino is now playing in Malta and Tinaia was last seen on the Spanish fourth division.

The last one, Rui César, returned to FC Porto’s Dragon Stadium just last month. The Portuguese champions were playing a cup match against third division Sertanense. The Cape-Verdean is now 31 years old and, besides two years playing for Marítimo, never left the lower leagues.

Rui César was unexpectedly honest to the Portuguese media: “Of course I’m not happy with my career”. But “I think anybody would do the same as I did. Nobody turns down an invitation from Real Madrid”. At the time Porto wasn’t know for giving youngsters a chance on the first team. Yet “of course now I always have that doubt, whether or not it would have been better to remain at FC Porto”.