Premier League - Spurs manager Villas-Boas stands by Lloris call

Tottenham Hotspur manager Andre Villas-Boas stood by his controversial decision to keep goalkeeper Hugo Lloris on the pitch after he suffered concussion despite being forced to leave him out of Sunday's game against Newcastle United.

Villas-Boas was advised by his medical staff to omit Lloris from the squad after the French international sustained a head injury in the game against Everton last week but stayed on the pitch for the final 12 minutes.

He said the decision to play 42-year-old Brad Friedel, who made his 450th Premier League appearance, was in no way admitting he made a mistake.

"The medical department thought it was a bit too soon to play him (Lloris) today. Had the game been tomorrow he would have played and I expect he will play for France (in their World Cup playoff)," Villas-Boas told reporters.

France travel to Ukraine for the first leg of their World Cup playoff match on Friday.

"Clinically and medically all the signs were that he could play on last week. They gave him a different test this week called the 'Impact Test' and they decided he should not play," Villas-Boas said.

"Nothing else came to light during the week and I stand by my decision to carry on playing him last week."

He bemoaned his side's bad luck to come up against an inspired goalkeeper in Tim Krul as Newcastle grabbed the points in a shock 1-0 Premier League win at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

"Obviously we have look at ourselves and recognise our first half was very poor so that's a negative," Villas-Boas said.

"But the positive part is that we reacted so strongly and the result is unfair bearing in mind what we created, especially in the second half, but Tim Krul was key to the game and made the difference.

"I still think that if one of those opportunities had gone in we would have won the game."

World Cup - Carrick doubtful for England duty

Michael Carrick looks certain to miss England's forthcoming friendlies against Chile and Germany.

The midfielder had missed three games with an Achilles injury prior to the 1-0 win over Arsenal at Old Trafford.

Carrick was able to complete a full 90 minutes as United closed the gap on the Premier League leaders to five points.

However, he was limping badly as he left the stadium and it seems highly unlikely he will feature in the first two matches of England's build-up to next summer's World Cup finals in Brazil.

"I have been carrying the injury for a few weeks now," he said.

"I was a bit patched up to play today.

"I got through it but it doesn't look too good."

Carrick will almost certainly be joined on the list of absentees by Red Devils striker Danny Welbeck.

Although the striker was named in Hodgson's squad on Thursday, he has not featured at club level since coming on as substitute against Southampton on October 19.

Moyes has said Welbeck is suffering from fluid on the knee and as the 22-year-old was not involved this afternoon, it does not seem likely he will be released for England duty.

Mourinho making excuses for his listless Chelsea

West Brom were denied a well-deserved win by what a generous observer would call a dubious last-minute penalty in Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.

Social media feeds the hysteria that has always surrounded the game and, as expected, Twitter was awash with debate and counter-debate over the perceived injustice that referee Andre Marriner had served the Baggies.

Had Ramires dived? Had he duped the referee? Was there minimal contact from Steven Reid? Was it just a bad decision from Marriner? The consensus appeared that it wasn’t a penalty and, by extension,Chelsea were lucky to extend their unbeaten run at home under Mourinho to 66 games.

The Portuguese, often feted for his refreshing honesty in the aftermath of games, was, in the face of what appeared overwhelming evidence, insistent that the penalty call was a good one – switching the focus to the timing of the decision rather than its validity:

“The penalty comes at a moment which is difficult for the team that’s winning to accept. But a penalty is a penalty, minute one or minute 94, and this one was a penalty."

Granted, on first look, it is pretty standard fare. Mourinho couldn’t reasonably turn around and say that his player had dived particularly after he had passed judgement during the week in the wake ofAshley Young’s latest diving furore.

“I hate it. If, because of diving, a football result directly is affected, I think the player should be punished. But I don’t need to speak to my players because they don’t dive.”

However, Mourinho could have absolved his player of blame, and passed the bulk of the responsibility of the decision to Marriner – he could have said that it was a fortunate penalty to be awarded but there was some contact.

The fact that Mourinho elected to increase the debate surrounding the decision says much of Chelsea’s performance – not for the first time this season, Chelsea, at best, flattered to deceive, and, at worst, looked shorn of ideas against a functional but limited side.

The debate in the wake of this result should not be whether the penalty should have been given or not; it should, for a successive week, be on the callow nature of Chelsea’s performance.

Top-heavy with midfield schemers of a diminutive stature, it has been argued previously by Jan Molby that this Chelsea team is not a “Mourinho team”; if managers have a type, then Mourinho’s is a pulveriser. He likes to batter teams into submission.

This is not a criticism. There is a beauty to this brutality – his Real Madrid side were adept at hectoring teams before executing ferociously quick transitions, as were his original Chelsea team, but he patently does not have the personnel at his disposal for this Chelsea side to play in that way.

If there is a criticism, it is that Mourinho has been unwilling to adapt tactically – yes, there is nothing wrong with building from a stable base but a team should play to its own strengths and, as it stands, Chelsea are failing to do that.

Yes, Chelsea are undeniably well-positioned in the table, but this is largely down to circumstance, with the Manchester clubs, Liverpool and, to an extent, Tottenham, in the midst of transition.Eleven games in, Chelsea’s sum of 21 points will have seen them six adrift of Manchester United this time last year and 10 short of Manchester City’s total the year before, so forget the penalty, concentrate on the performance because if Chelsea continue to serve up performances of this calibre then any hopes of a first Premier League title since 2010 will soon be dashed.

Ask Moyes why I'm not playing! Kagawa vents frustration at lack of United action

Manchester United misfit Shinji Kagawa has voiced his frustration at being sidelined by new boss David Moyes.

Kagawa, who was signed by Sir Alex Ferguson last summer, has played just seven minutes for Moyes's United this season, coming off the bench in the Community Shield win over Wigan in August.

But after scoring a fine goal for Japan in Tuesday's 3-1 win over Ghana, the playmaker took the chance to admit he was disappointed by a peripheral role at Old Trafford.

'Please ask David Moyes why I'm not in the (Manchester United) side,' Kagawa told AFP.

'It is frustrating not playing but to score a goal like that gives me confidence. Hopefully I can take that back to my club with me and things will improve.

'It's hard not playing regularly. Some days the frustration is worse than others; it comes in waves.

'So it's nice to come back to Japan and get to play, and to score felt good.

'I just have to keep working hard and keep pushing for my chance. When I get back it will be a challenge to get into the team.

Kagawa was left out of the squad altogether in United's last match, where they lost 1-0 at Liverpool.


Having been signed for £12million from Dortmund last summer, Kagawa appeared 26 times for United in all competitions during Ferguson's final season, with a highlight proving his hat-trick scored in a 4-0 home win over Norwich back in March.

Even Dortmund fans have questioned United's use of Kagawa under Moyes, with fans of the German club starting a '#FreeShinji' hashtag on Twitter earlier this summer - demanding the Premier League champions release the Japan midfielder.

Alvaro Morata eager to show his worth

Alvaro Morata says his performances for Spain’s Under-21 side could convince Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti he does not need any more strikers.

The centre-forward, 20, scored again for La Rojita in Monday’s evening’s 4-0 win over Albania, with fellow Madrid youngsters Jese Rodriguez and Dani Carvajal providing a goal and an assist respectively in the qualifier for the 2015 European Under-21 Championship.

Morata told reporters in Logrono afterwards that Ancelotti would be well aware of good performances by his players for their under-age international sides.

“I am sure that Ancelotti has seen the games and is following us -- me, as well as Jese, Carvajal and [goalkeeper Fernando] Pacheco,” Morata said in AS. “I am sure that he has seen us play and will take us into account. What is left is for us to keep working. I try to do well here, to help to play for my club. This helps me to put pressure on.”

With Karim Benzema currently Ancelotti’s only specialist No. 9, speculation in Spain continues that Madrid could try and sign a big-name attacker as early as the January transfer window, with €50 million moves for Liverpool’s Luis Suarez and Monaco’s Radamel Falcao again being suggested by Marca this week.

However, Morata said that he hoped he and Jese would be able to convince Ancelotti and club president Florentino Perez to put their faith in youth.

“They [the media] always talk about these things,” he said. “We will try and do the best we possibly can until the winter, to show that we can play at Real Madrid -- as much Jese as me.”

Morata now has nine goals in seven games for Spain Under-21s. He made his debut at this level during last summer’s European Championship in Israel, then claimed the tournament’s Golden Boot with four goals in five games as Spain took the trophy.

The Madrid-born attacker also scored four times in Spain’s opening qualifier for the 2015 tournament last Thursday as they beat Austria 6-2, with Jese also getting on the scoresheet after coming off the bench.

Everton’s Gerard Deulofeu and Swansea’s Jordi Amat both started on Monday night against Albania at Logrono’s Estadio Las Gaunas. Captain Iker Muniain of Athletic Bilbao scored twice in that game.

Schalke CFO sorry for racism comments

Schalke chief financial officer Peter Peters has apologised for a statement that suggested racism drove midfielder Kevin-Prince Boateng away from Italy.

On Monday, Peters told SportBildPlus that Boateng had wanted to leave Italy" because of the racist incidents" he suffered during his time with AC Milan.

He claimed that Boateng "had an arrangement with president Silvio Berlusconi that he could leave if AC Milan qualified for the Champions League".

During his first press conference as a Schalke player, Boateng said that only "sporting reasons had been behind his decision" to sign for Schalke for a reported fee of €12 million this summer.

Peters’ comments sparked further discussion about racism in Italian football, but, later on Monday, he looked to clarify his comments via a statement on the club's official website.

"A statement made by Schalke finance director Peter Peters regarding the transfer of Kevin-Prince Boateng caused something of a stir on Monday, a misunderstanding that Peters deeply regrets," the statement read.

Peters said: "Having spoken to our general manager, Horst Heldt, my initial assumption proved to be completely wrong. He confirmed that racist incidents were definitely not the reason for Kevin's move to Schalke.

"As soon as I'm back at Schalke I will speak to Kevin personally and apologise for what I said. It was certainly not my intention to cast false aspersions on AC Milan or the Italian fans."

Meanwhile, Schalke have acted in the stock exchange to increase a loan, issued last year, by €15 million, leading to suggestions in several German papers that the club were in need of finances to fund the Boateng transfer.

Last week, it was reported the club have delayed all infrastructure developments -- including a new stadium for the reserve team, new training pitches and a "Footbonaut" [an advanced training facility] -- until further notice.

Kaka to be made Milan vice-captain

Kaka is to become vice-captain of AC Milan following his return to the Serie A club from Real Madrid, according to Rossoneri vice-president Adriano Galliani.The Brazilian returned to Milan on transfer deadline day, sealing a "return home" after four seasons in Spain. He previously played his way into the Rossoneri fans' hearts and was given a hero's reception upon his return a week ago, and that status is now to be confirmed by being made vice-captain.

"Riccardo Montolivo is and remains our captain, but almost certainly (Kaka) will be vice-captain," Galliani told Sky. "Let's not forget the six years he played with this shirt."

Kaka wore the captain's armband on his return to action for Milan in a 4-0 friendly win against Chiasso at the weekend, although that was a gift from Marco Amelia, who was due to lead the team onto the field. "It was great to play again," Kaka told Mediaset Premium on Saturday. "There is margin for improvement. I'm 31 and I've learnt a lot. I'm able to make better decisions and fewer mistakes." That is precisely what Milan are expecting from him this season, as part of what Galliani feels is a formidable attack. "Kaka and [Ricardo] Saponara are two additional weapons for Milan," he said. "We have an extraordinary attack now and we're going to attack all the time.

"Kaka looked to be in good shape during the friendly. He's not going to take a place away from [Stephan] El Shaarawy or anybody. In fact, he will do the whole team good."

Cavani: Falcao is "one of the best"

Paris Saint-Germain star Edinson Cavani has praised Ligue 1 rival Radamel Falcao, calling the Monaco striker "a player with a lot of class" and lauding the Colombian's eye-catching industry.

Purchased for a Ligue 1 record €64 million, Uruguayan international Cavani, 26, eclipsed the reported €60 million Monaco paid for Falcao, 27. However, four games into the French top-flight season, it is the latter who heads his fellow South American with three goals to Cavani's two.

The pair are likely, along with Cavani's PSG team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to contest the title of Ligue 1's leading scorer this season, and the former Napoli striker told AFP he is fully aware of the quality of the threat posed by Falcao. "I think Falcao is one of the best strikers because of the way he plays, more than simply being a player with a lot of class, to define a game, a style of play," he said.

"He's proven that he's a player who works hard, he's very strong both tactically and technically."

Currently on international duty with their respective countries, the pair will get a first opportunity to go toe-to-toe on the pitch in France when their two clubs meet at the Parc des Princes on September 22.

Bayern Munich v Chelsea: Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola to renew hostilities in Uefa Super Cup final

We looks back on bitter rivalry between two managers who will go head-to-head in Prague on Friday night.

The phrase: ‘él es el puto jefe, el puto amo’ was written forever into the history of Spanish football after it was aimed by Pep Guardiola at Jose Mourinho in April of 2011 in a pre-Champions League semi-final press conference. It translates as ‘he is the f******* boss; the f****** master’.

Shadow boxing: Pep Guardiola will lead Bayern Munich out in Prague for the Uefa Super Cup final where the European Cup holders will face Chelsea, managed by his old sparring partner Jose Mourinho

Delivered, chin up, eyes to camera, in front of stunned journalists, and with all the bitter sarcasm that characterised their verbal sparring across two seasons it was part of a 45 minute discourse in which Guardiola implied that while Mourinho governed in the press room he was left exposed once the drama was taken out on to the pitch.

Tonight the rivalry resumes in Prague – a different trophy and a different team – but with the same old antagonism never too far from the surface.

The two men were once on the same side. “We were together four years; he knows me and I know him,” said Guardiola in that same incendiary press conference.

As a one-time assistant to Bobby Robson and then Louis van Gaal, while Guardiola was a player, Mourinho had developed a sufficient bond at Barcelona with him to want him on his coaching staff when he was interviewed for the position of manager in 2008. He was not given the job; Guardiola was instead.

Revenge of sorts came two years later when Mourinho’s Inter Milan beat Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals but would only be complete if, once installed as Real Madrid manager, he could end Guardiola’s dominance and make the Barça board sorry they ever over-looked him.

There followed two seasons of intense rivalry. In their first meeting in 2010 Mourinho picked an attacking side and gave his players license to match Barcelona – pass for pass – but Madrid were beaten 5-0 and Mourinho described it as the “worst defeat” of his career.

The teams met again in the Spanish Cup final with Madrid winning 1-0 in extra-time. Guardiola complained about refereeing decisions after the match and Mourinho – so often accused of being a sore loser – did not pass up on the opportunity to point out the perceived double standard.

“There used to be two types of coaches” he said. “The ones that don’t criticise referees and the ones that criticise them when they make mistakes. Now we have a third group – a one person group – coaches that criticise referees when they get decisions right.”

Guardiola had until then refused to respond to Mourinho’s snipes but on the eve of the two teams’ Champions League semi-final first-leg he went on the attack and ‘puto amo’ entered into Spanish footballing folklore.

With Guardiola agitated and Barcelona beaten in the Cup final Mourinho had his chance to go for in for the kill in that Champions League first leg but with the memory of the 5-0 defeat earlier in the season still fresh he played safe telling his players – a frustrated Cristiano Ronaldo included – to sit in their own half, in effect to play for a 0-0 draw.

The game stayed goalless until Pepe was sent off in the second period and Lionel Messi scored twice. Mourinho’s post-match rant saying he would be “embarrassed” to win a European Cup the way Guardiola had two season’s earlier earned Mourinho a three-match Uefa ban.

There were more bans at the start of the following season when the Spanish Super Cup ended in a touchline free-for-all and Mourinho put his finger in the eye of Guardiola’s No 2 Tito Vilanova.

At the heart of the antagonism between the two has always been the idea that Guardiola has never resorted to such behaviour, nor ever needed to fall-back on the mind-games, the media messages and the general off-field theatre that are part of Mourinho’s all-encompassing battle plan.

“Hypocrite” became one of his favourite words at Madrid. It was never directly aimed at Guardiola but led one sympathetic commentator to mock the Barça coach suggesting he was so perfect he “pissed perfume”.

“Maybe I do” was one of his tired retorts as he became increasingly fatigued by the non-football aspect of the rivalry.

“He should be given a contract at Barcelona for 50 years” said Mourinho well aware that he was wearing his opposite number down.

When Mourinho claimed Guardiola was “just the same as him” the Barcelona coach responded: “I will have to revise my behaviour then.” His decision to quit in 2012 was interpreted by some as the most drastic revision possible.

 It would be foolish to suggest Mourinho forced Guardiola out, but it is clear that when he said he was “tired”, one of the principle things he was tired of was his opposite number at Madrid.

The two men’s fates, however, seem inextricably linked.

They were rivals for the Chelsea job just as they had been for the Barcelona position. Only Guardiola’s reluctance to work under Roman Abramovich sent the Chelsea owner back into Mourinho’s arms.

Much of Jose’s team has been built with Pep in mind – a band of bohemian mavericks brought together to persuade Guardiola to move to west London.

It could be argued that, by the same token, Guardiola has inherited a team more suited to Mourinho. Both are in the process of putting the furniture back where they like it. Perhaps that common ground will mean peace breaks out in the Eden Arena on Friday night.

Champions League draw

WRAP: So. There we are for another few months. Fairly simple for United - although that draw isn't really going to help their sales pitch to Leighton Baines - and also for Chelsea, who are traditionally excellent at picking off Europe's smaller fry. City's draw looks tough, but actually isn't. CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen should be good for nine points at least, and they did beat Bayern at home last time. Arsenal, though - you poor (£70-million-in-the-bank) beggars. Arsene Wenger could have used a little luck. Instead, he's got a stinker of a draw and Mathieu Flamini on a free transfer. Celtic probably won't qualify, but you can count on them to be outrageously plucky at all times. If you're going to go out, go out against the best. Or better still, don't go out at all. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your evening.

Timothy Granados: "Relatively straightforward for United. Although Shakhtar and Sociedad are potential banana skins. Leverkusen, not sure about. But group A is majorly a battle for 2nd."

I dunno. Can you have a "potential banana skin"? Isn't the potential bound up in the banana skin itself? I mean, it's not like you have to step on a banana skin in the first place. And while we're at it, have you ever seen anyone slip on a banana skin outside a cartoon or Mario Kart 64?

 

Donncha Ó Conmhuí: "Group E features two of only five teams from European capital cities to win the thing outright. I think you'll find that highly relevant to any prediction of the eventual champions. Somehow."

17.46 Goodness, Rio Ferdinand stopped a fashion shoot to watch the draw. What sort of businessman does that make him?

 

17.45 Here's Henry Winter's snap, 140-character verdict:

 

 

 

 

Richard Hodge: "With that draw I think Chelsea must fancy their chances at a Premier League and European double."

Tony Hood: "There goes Arsenal's consistency! Napoli and Dortmund through there I feel."

Another point. What if Wenger's been trying to buy Gundogan or someone? Would Dortmund sell them a player now?

Sean McManus writes: "Manchester City may as well throw in the towel now." They probably won't, though.

17.41 The draw is completed with Austria Vienna going into Porto's group. That's the final option on Sky Sports 4's red button if ever I saw one.

17.40 Which means City will get either Austria Vienna or Viktoria Plzen. The Czech side are the latest side out of the hat... and they go into City's group.

17.39 Copenhagen... go into Group B with Real and Juventus.

17.38 Steaua Bucharest, the 1986 winners. They go into Chelsea's group.

17.37 Here come Celtic... and it's Group H! Four former winners in that group, and three of them with a chance of qualifying...

17.36 Anderlecht into Group C.

17.35 Real Sociedad can either go into groups A, C or D. It's A. They're in United's group. Carlos Vela's return to English football, as absolutely nobody will be dubbing it.

17.34 Napoli! The one landmine in Pot D! A 67% chance they get an English team! And they do! it's Arsenal!

17.33 Paolo Sousa is the last VIP on stage. Yep, the man currently carrying out the Champions League draw is a man who once signed Dexter Blackstock. Not that he knew much about it.

Paul Kilgarriff: "The draw is probably more exciting than the group stages themselves."

17.31 And the eagle-eyed amongst you will have spotted that Borussia Dortmund are thus in Arsenal's group. They were drawn together a couple of seasons ago. Dortmund are a bit better now. Arsenal a bit worse.

17.30 Manchester City out of the pot, and they go straight into Group D.

17.30 Ajax into Group H! That's going to be brilliant!

17.29 Zenit go into Group G. Early days, but that's looking like the hipster's group of choice.

17.29 Bayer Leverkusen into United's group!

17.28 All of which means Manchester City, who have to go into the top half of the draw, but can't play United, will definitely go into Group D with Bayern Munich and CSKA Moscow.

17.27 Galatasaray... go into Group B with Real Madrid and Juventus.

17.26 Olympiakos go into Group C with Benfica and PSG.

17.25 Basel are the first team out of Pot C... and they go into Chelsea's group! Unless a Napoli leaps out of Pot D, that's looking like a reasonably comfortable group for them.

17.23 Telegraph columnist, BT Sport pundit and occasional ex-footballer Michael Owen saunters out to draw Pot C. "Now it's getting really serious," says Gianni, with all the drama of a death row guard.

17.21 Here come Juventus... either United or Real for them. Either way, it's going to be a corker. It's Real. A repeat of the 1997 final. Which means United get the none-too-easy assigment of Shakhtar Donetsk.

17.20 Atletico Madrid now. It's either United or Porto for them... and it's Porto. Which means United now get either Shakhtar or Juventus.

17.19 CSKA Moscow go into group D, Bayern Munich's group.

17.18 It's PSG! They could go into United's group... But instead, it's Benfica for them.

17.17 Schalke... go into Group E with Chelsea. "Both blue, so one of them has to change a shirt," says Gianni. That's the sort of thing that counts as a joke down Nyon way.

17.16 AC Milan now... Group H. It's Barcelona again! I think that's three years in a row those two have been drawn together. Still, Milan have Mario Balotelli now which changes everything*.

*not much

17.15 It's Marseille! But where are they going to go? Tell us, Johan!They go into Arsenal's group! Arsenal avoid AC Milan, PSG and Juventus.

17.14 Johan Cruyff on stage now to draw the Pot 2 teams. This is where things start to get interesting.

Phil Bayliss has an idea: "Keep it simple. Winners of the league pot 1, runners–up pot 2, third place pot 3, and yes you have guessed it, 4th place pot 4. I want to see English clubs play each other in the group stages!"

One problem. Only England, Spain and Germany get to send their fourth-placed teams to the Champions League. Pot 1 is going to be an awfully crowded place.

17.11 That concludes the Pot 1 teams. Billy McNeill is despatched off the stage in disgrace, with barely a ripple of applause greeting him as he finds his seat at the back of the auditorium, very possibly in one of the Restricted View areas. You had one job, Billy. One job.

17.09 Benfica and Porto out of the hat, which leaves Manchester United in Pot A. Gianni now having to remind Billy McNeill to hold the slip of paper up for the cameras. This is getting quite hard to watch.

17.08 Barcelona in Group H. Try to derive some significance from that. You will fail. I've tried, and I do tenuous for a living.

Tony Hood: "If the Pot system is based on success over the last five years can you explain why Arsenal, who have not won a Pot of any description for at least 7 years, are still allowed in Pot 1. They are indeed Potless!"

Consistency, Tony. It's the new trophies.

17.07 Gianni has now completely taken over ball-opening duties from Billy. Billy is being a reduced to a reading-out-bits-of-paper role. Real Madrid and Bayern Munich go into Groups B and D respectively.

17.06 Chelsea in Group E. That means both of the Manchester teams will be in Groups A-D. The four English teams are split into separate halves of the draw for optimum TV moolah.

17.05 Billy McNeill, bless him, is having a little trouble getting these little balls open. Gianni has to give him a hand.

17.04 Arsenal are the first ball out of the pot. They're in Group F. This means nothing to anyone so far.

17.02 Off we go...

Peter Emery: "Funny how Platini somehow manages to make wearing a suit and tie look scruffy."

17.00 Infantino is now talking about "stamping out this evil once and for all" and "the enormous damage it does to society". Unfortunately, he's not talking about loud music at trophy presentations. He's talking about racism.

16.58 It's our old friend, Uefa general secretary Gianni Infantino. Now with added bombast! "We are all eager to share in the excitement and passion that the most prestigious competition in the world, the Uefa Champions League, brings with it." The most prestigious competition in the world! What about Miss Universe?

16.57 Gary Lineker, you speak the words of a million men.

Marco Jackson: "Hard to look past Bayern, and would prefer to see them, or a dark horse (Napoli?) to the new money."

Juan Dickinson recalls one of my favourite groups of all time: "1998 World Cup, Spain, Nigeria, Paraguay and Bulgaria. Spain manager Javier Clemente said: 'This is not the group of death, as some people have said. It is the group of heart attacks.' Spain didn't get past the group stage, and the opening loss to Nigeria must have caused a few attacks of angina in La Furia Roja faithful."

16.53 The preambles/formalities have started. And it's Billy McNeill carrying the trophy! Someone give him a hand with that, the guy's 73 years old. Instead, our hosts simply stand there and applaud him. Heartless.

Charlie McCorkell from Glasgow writes: "'Plucky' Celtic are in pot 4! What about plucky Man City or 'plucky' any English team for that matter? 'Plucky' Glasgow Celtic came within a smidgen of beating Barcelona twice in this competition last year. So please do not patronise us."

English teams can be plucky too. Plucky Fulham in the Europa League. Plucky Wigan this season. And to be fair, Celtic are very plucky.

16.48 Given their fairly easy existence in the SPL, the Champions League draw is turning into one of the highlights of the season at Celtic.

Who does Marco Aondio fancy to win the Champions League this year? "Arsenal because they just signed Flamini. So-called world-class strikers, and goalkeepers are over-rated, right?"

16.43 So, a few of you are asking about the pots. Arsenal in pot one? Dortmund in pot four? Yes, they look fairly arbitrary, although if you look closely you'll see that they fulfil their function perfectly, which is to ensure the same teams get seeded year afer year. In order to break into that top pot you'll need to perform consistently well for at least five seasons. Which is a lot harder, of course, when you're constantly going up against seeded teams. You see? You see? There's a certain evil genius to it.

Ross Dunbar offers some much-needed perspective on so-called 'groups of death': "Has anyone actually ever died while participating in one of these? No. Well stop calling them that."

Killer email, Ross. Knocked me stone dead with that one.

16.27 Aaron Ramsey with a sentence that will make Arsenal fans' hearts go all a-flutter until he gets to the last four words...

Emma Davis: "I think when Bale signs for Real Madrid it is looking like it could be their year! But again if Chelsea have Mourinho and a very strong squad, they have more fight - not that I am biased or anything…"

Chelsea have, by the way, just announced the signing of Samuel Eto'o, Africa's all-time leading Champions League scorer.

16.22 Henry Winter has the latest on Michel Platini and Sir Alex:

"The Uefa president Michel Platini has wished Sir Alex Ferguson a 'well-earned retirement' but hopes the former Manchester United manager will be involved in 'helping shape the direction of the sport'.

"Ferguson retired last May but retains some involvement in the game as a non-executive director and club ambassador at Old Trafford and also on the end of a phone if his successor, David Moyes, needs advice. Platini indicated that he wants to tap into Ferguson’s experience. Ferguson, 71, has been on Uefa’s technical team, working for the organisation at the Champions League final at Wembley in May."

Jamie Cast writes: "Real Madrid to win the Champions League."

That may well happen.

16.15 Hello, everyone. Well, you know the drill. We wait hours and hours for the draw, it happens in about three minutes (with a possible musical interlude from Shakira - will keep you updated on that), we fuss over it for about half an hour, and then it's forgotten again for another six months, gone from our lives. In the meantime, some classic draw footage from 1990, proving that Sepp Blatter has genuinely never had hair.

16.05 Well, my build-up is done. I am going to hand you over to Jonathan for the main event. I'm like a live blog fluffer. Over to you, Jonathan.

16.01 Decent show from Britain again, innit. Five teams. Four English, four Germans. Four Spanish teams. I have to say, I reckon it's gone well for Benfica and Porto sneaking into pot one.

15.58 It's Philipp Lahm! "It would be nice if we could avoid the big clubs, but Man City could be in our group. It’s exciting to see what we get as defending champions. We have to get through as FCB, no matter who our opponents are."

15.51 It's a group stage debut for Austria Vienna. I think I am right in saying that they're the only newbies in the draw.

15.44 Ah, good news, readers. Jonathan Liew has arrived and he will be your guide for the draw itself. In the meantime, I wonder what the bookies odds are?

Bayern and Barca are 4/1 joint faves, Real Madrid are 11/2. Chelsea look a decent bet at 12/1 to my mind. Both Manchester clubs are around 13/1 or 14/1. We'll see what effect the draw has on those prices.

15.40 Oh, talking of groups of death. In the practice run draw earlier, one group came out: Real Madrid, PSG, City, Napoli

15.35 Would have thought Sir Fergie had better things to do than get in bed with that mob, but I suppose a gig's a gig.

15.29 Hats off to Celtic, by the way. I watched a bit of the first leg (well, it was on in the pub. Actually, they had it on in the pub with the sound down and were playing soul music, it was all a bit confusing). Anyhow, yeah. I watched a bit of it and I thought they were well beaten by that Shakhter Karagandy lot, surprised that they managed to overturn that.

15.27 That's the beauty of the draw. Permutations.

15.26 On the other hand, they could get Benfica, Marseille and Viktoria Plzen.

15.25 City look like they could have a fight on their hands if things go badly. They could end up with, say, Bayern, Atletico Madrid and, I dunno, Napoli?

15.20 Here's José Mourinho, speaking to UEFA.com ahead of Chelsea's Prague Supercup date: "The draw will be when the training session is finished, we will be watching on TV or on the internet. There’s nothing to do, you cannot choose, it is an open draw."

Magnanimous of him, no? Wot no allegations of fixing? That's become standard practice from managers, hasn't it? Anyhow, he continues.

"The draw has an influence on the competitions of course. Sometimes you get a good draw and sometimes you get a bad draw. Everyone wants to be in the Champions League. It’s the best so everyone wants to be there - it’s good for us to play against the European champions tomorrow. The Champions League is another world - we’ll wait for the draw and hopefully it won’t be the hardest one."

15.15 Afternoon all, Tyers here. Welcome to our live blog of the live draw. Live. You know the drill by now: a pretentious Uefa video, a speech or two, a hero of yesteryear wheeled out to do the draw, and then the excitement of the group stage line-ups.

Here is some more information:

Guide to the Champions League draw.

Pot 1: Bayern Munich (holders), Barcelona, Chelsea, Real Madrid,Manchester United, Arsenal, FC Porto, Benfica

Pot 2: Atletico Madrid, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan, Schalke 04, Marseille, CSKA Moscow, Paris Saint-Germain, Juventus

Pot 3: Zenit St Petersburg, Manchester City, Ajax, Borussia Dortmund, FC Basel, Olympiakos, Galatasaray, Bayer Leverkusen

Pot 4: FC Copenhagen, Napoli, Anderlecht, Celtic, Steaua Bucharest, Viktoria Plzen, Real Sociedad, Austria Vienna

How it works
Seedings are based on Uefa’s coefficient system, based on results in European competition over the past five years. One team from each of the four pots is drawn into each of the eight groups.

Teams from the same country cannot be drawn together at the group stage. The top two teams from each group go through.

Champions League draw 2013: Manchester City's atmosphere is far better now, says Txiki Begiristain

A more peaceful, positive atmosphere pervades Manchester City this season, according to the club’s sporting director, Txiki Begiristain.

Good man-manager: Manuel Pellegrini is a more inclusive character

City have suffered moments of disharmony in recent years, including Carlos Tévez’s failure to warm up at Bayern Munich, assorted dramas with Mario Balotelli and frosty relations between some of the players and Roberto Mancini, the manager who was dismissed in May.

“The most important thing was to change the environment of Carrington,’’ said Begiristain, speaking in Monaco after City were drawn against Bayern, CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen. “Now the atmosphere is very good. There’s a lot of confidence.’’

Begiristain chose his words carefully, deliberately avoiding criticising Mancini, who achieved a lot at the club, including winning the FA Cup and Premier League. Mancini remained popular with the fans until the end, and placed an advertisement in the Manchester Evening Newsthanking them for their support over “three unforgettable years’’. They reciprocated with a £7,000 advertisement in Gazzetta dello Sport.

Yet there were clearly some tensions in the dressing room. Mancini could be either cold or confrontational at times. Manuel Pellegrini is a more inclusive character. “This kind of manager gives a lot of confidence to the players and we are recovering the confidence of the players who were really down last season,’’ continued Begiristain. “That was really important.

“You can talk about his style of play, his experience in the Champions League and his background is really good. There’s more width and the full-backs play more forward.

"We are happy with the manager’s tactics. The manager has a lot of experience in the Champions League. We are now in the right situation to think that we will do a very good Champions League. We want the expectation. It means people think we have a very good squad and opponents think we are stronger than last season.’’

City’s faith in their recently-criticised keeper Joe Hart remained strong. “We are very, very happy with him,’’ emphasised Begiristain.

“The manager’s job is to give confidence to everybody. Maybe the manager doesn’t need to do it [with Hart] because all of us know we have the best keeper of England, and one of the best keepers in the world.’’

Begiristain sighed at the reminder of the injuries City have sustained at centre-half. Vincent Kompany is out for another fortnight with a hamstring problem, Matija Nastasic is only just returning while Micah Richards is also injured. “We are trying to improve this line,’’ said Begiristain of the back line. “We have a couple of days to try to do something.”

City are close to signing Martin Demichelis from Atletico Madrid for £4  million and have been linked with Real Madrid’s Pepe and Valencia’s Adil Rami.

Like City, Chelsea also report an improved atmosphere. “There is,’’ confirmed their chief executive, Ron Gourlay. “Last year was a difficult year in many ways.’’

Roberto Di Matteo, a fans’ favourite, was dismissed and replaced by the unpopular Rafael Benítez, who made light of the supporters’ derision by guiding the team to the Europa League.

“We just stuck together,’’ said Gourlay, “and maybe sometimes it didn’t appear that way from the outside.’’

Jose Mourinho’s appointment has united the club. “Jose is an incredible coach, an incredible man-manager and is very, very supportive to everyone around him,’’ said Gourlay.

“This was demonstrated this summer when we took the team on tour for a month. Every player was very, very supportive of what we were trying to achieve. There’s a lot of work goes in to make sure we are prepared for the season, and you could that intensity building up over that month towards the season.”

When Chelsea host Basle on Sept 18 in their opening Group E tie it will be six years to the day of Mourinho’s last Champions League game as Chelsea manager.

Gourlay was at a half-filled Bridge in 2007 when a draw with Rosenborg confirmed the end of Mourinho’s first spell in charge. “It was a very emotional night, a very difficult night,’’ said the then commercial director, “but in football certain things come back round again. We’ve moved on. We’ve had the ability as a club to keep the evolution going and hopefully we can continue to do that, this time with Jose for many years.’’

Group E should hold few fears for Chelsea, although Schalke could provide some moments of alarm.

With Financial Fair Play kicking in, Chelsea are well aware of the need for their fine crop of youngsters developing under the highly-respected academy manager, Neil Bath, to step up to the first-team stage. Bath was here in Monaco because all of the 32 teams will compete in a Uefa (Under-19) Youth League mirroring the draw.

Chelsea have invested again in overseas talent, including players like Samuel Eto’o and Willian, but they remain committed to Bath’s graduates.

“It’s very important to us,’’ said Gourlay. “You have got to have the home-grown kids and traditionally Chelsea have had them. It’s very, very important we continue that.

"This youth competition will be good experience, bringing different cultures and skill factors. The players will develop with this kind of international competition and the quality of players they compete against will help bring them through.’’

Gourlay refused to be drawn on when the club would open contract talks with John Terry, whose deal expires next summer, but he did heap praise on the centre-half, saying he was “good” at Old Trafford on Monday, “and John had a fantastic pre-season as well. He’s a superb centre-half, a superb captain for the club and he just continues to play. He wants to focus on football. We will see how things develop’’.

Gourlay reacted strongly to talk of potential exits from the Bridge. “There will be no players leaving the club,’’ he said. “David Luiz and Juan Mata, the two who have been heavily mentioned, will not be leaving Chelsea. The evolution is continuing.’’