The Malaysian Insider

By Andy West

LONDON, Dec 19 — It’s difficult to work out which is the bigger story — David Beckham’s return to Manchester United or Jose Mourinho’s renewed relationship with Chelsea. Either way, the draw for the last 16 of the Champions’ League has created some fascinating stories.

Beckham’s loan spell at Italian giants AC Milan will see him return to Old Trafford for the first time since his departure to Real Madrid in 2003, while Inter Milan boss Mourinho will be making his first appearance at Stamford Bridge since his controversial and enforced departure from the manager’s hotseat in 2007.

There’s a temptation to express a wish that these personal stories, however compelling they might be, won’t be allowed to overtake our enjoyment of what could be two thrilling ties of top level football, and that we’re allowed to focus on the action that takes place on the pitch; but let’s be realistic, that ain’t gonna happen. The Beckham and Mourinho stories will dominate the headlines, leaving the actual football relegated to the status of a mere sideshow.

Although hugely successful, Beckham’s time at United, you may recall, was not entirely without complications (remember the ‘flying boot’ changing room incident?). Towards the end of his spell at Old Trafford there were misgivings that the midfielder had allowed his off-the-pitch pop star status to detract from his focus on the game, and Sir Alex Ferguson didn’t exactly appear heartbroken when Beckham took up the new challenge in Madrid.

Ferguson is a famously cold-hearted manager who will never allow sentiment to stand in the way of judgment; Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes would be booted out tomorrow if Ferguson felt they could no longer reach the required standards, irrespective of the magnificent service they’ve given to their manager for so many years. And although he’s never said it, there’s a suspicion that Ferguson might have had enough of Beckham’s iconic status and been quite happy to see him leave. Now they will meet again.

And what of the United supporters? Although football fans are a similarly fickle beast, always quick to turn on their former heroes if they feel betrayed, Beckham is diplomatic enough to ensure that he should receive, at worse, a semi-positive welcome when he returns to Old Trafford.

Yes, there will be a few gentle boos, but nothing compared to the vindictive abuse endured by, say, Sol Campbell when he returned to Tottenham in an Arsenal shirt. Beckham’s hero status among United fans is largely preserved due to the fact that he has never played for one of their domestic rivals — by moving to Madrid rather than Liverpool or Chelsea, he managed to protect the memories of his time at Old Trafford.

It should be a similar story for Mourinho when he ventures into the Stamford Bridge dug-out with Inter Milan. Chelsea fans idolised the flamboyant Portuguese boss during his time in London — and so they should after he led them to consecutive Premier League titles. Despite the behind-the-scenes wranglings that clearly dominated his last few weeks at the club, very few Chelsea fans wanted Mourinho to leave when he did and they’re likely to welcome him ‘home’ with open arms.

There is one caveat: Mourinho is a far more combustible, undiplomatic character than Beckham, and he’s also a ferociously self-confident competitor who probably won’t really relish the prospect of a nice gentle return to his former club; he may even feel that his team could get caught cold if they don’t receive an appropriately hostile welcome.

It would be perfectly in keeping with Mourinho’s nature to use the weeks leading up to the tie to stir things up a little; criticise Roman Abramovich’s running of the club; question the ability of his successors as Chelsea boss; undermine the commitment of players such as John Terry and Didier Drogba...yes, you could quite easily see that happening. If it does, Mourinho may yet receive the spiteful, poisonous welcome that he probably would secretly prefer.

Elsewhere, Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona have been handed relatively kind draws against Lyon and Stuttgart respectively, and both will enjoy the considerable advantage of playing at home in the second leg. Arsenal should also progress from their tie with Porto, while the meetings between Olympiakos-Bordeaux and CSKA Moscow-Seville mean there will be at least two ‘lesser’ teams in the last eight.

In the dimmer spotlight of the Europa League, a repeat of the 1996 Champions’ League Final between Ajax Amsterdam and Juventus is the most eye-catching tie. Hamburg v PSV Eindhoven will be another one worth watching, and don’t expect Liverpool to have an easy passage against Romanian side Unirea Urziceni — especially as they’ll have to travel away from Anfield for the second leg.

Champions’ League draw

Stuttgart v Barcelona

Olympiakos v Bordeaux

Inter Milan v Chelsea

Bayern Munich v Fiorentina

CSKA Moscow v Seville

Lyon v Real Madrid

FC Porto v Arsenal

AC Milan v Manchester United

Ties to take place 9/10 and 16/17 March

Europa League draw

Rubin Kazan v Hapoel Tel-Aviv

Athletic Bilbao v Anderlecht

FC Copenhagen v Marseille

Panathinaikos v Roma

Atletico Madrid v Galatasaray

Ajax v Juventus

Club Brugge v Valencia

Fulham v Shakhtar Donetsk

Liverpool v Unirea Urziceni

Hamburg v PSV

Villarreal v VfL Wolfsburg

Standard Liege v SV Red Bull Salzburg

FC Twente v Werder Bremen

Lille v Fenerbahce

Everton v Sporting

Hertha Berlin v Benfica

Ties to take place 18 and 25 February