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Champions League Last 16

There may have been surprise at the timing of Chelsea's dismissal of Phil Scolari but it has enabled the club to add a bit more managerial experience to the last 16 of the Champions League.

Guus Hiddink has taken charge at Chelsea on a temporary basis until the end of the season and alongside an illustrious international management career, Hiddink knows what it takes to win the big cup in Europe.

In 1988, Hiddink guided PSV Eindhoven to the final where they, much like their performance throughout the tournament, focused on grinding their opponents down and the game finished 0-0. PSV triumphed 6-5 in the penalty shoot-out helping to build the Dutchman's impressive managerial CV.

Hiddink Triumphs Over 2 Decades
This takes the number of managers still left in the tournament who have won it to 4. Hiddink joins Ferguson, Benitez and Mourinho as the bosses who had led their team to glory in Europe's premier tournament. Of course, Hiddink's glory was over two decades ago and long before the Champions League was created but no doubt the hope of possibly repeating his triumph has led Roman Abramovich to bring him on board. That and the fact that Abramovich has allegedly been paying Hiddink's wages in his role as the boss of the Russian national team but given the financial losses that Mr Abramovich has suffered of late, who are we to judge what he spends his money on?

Hiddink will face off against Juventus, managed by former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri. Ranieri, although criticised for squad rotation, was actually well liked in Britain by many football fans, probably because although he got Chelsea playing good football, they never won a serious honour or challenged for the league under him. Neutrals love good football but not necessarily winners or confident people so Ranieri fitted the bill perfectly, unlike Mourinho, who not only won a lot of trophies but knew how good a manager he was as well.

Both Sides Off Domestic Pace
Both managers may deny it but Chelsea and Juventus do not appear to be genuine title contenders in their own domestic campaigns this season so the Champions League may offer the best chance of genuine silverware at the end of the season but on current form, neither team looks equipped to have the necessary edge to triumph in Rome.

In recent years, Hiddink has sent teams out with a cautious approach to football but this has probably been influenced by the quality of player at his disposal in South Korea, Australia and Russia. With an abundance of top quality players in the Chelsea ranks, if their attitude is right, Hiddink may be able to add some creative flourishes to his game.

Battle of The Bosses
Elsewhere, the build up to the Alex Ferguson versus Jose Mourinho clash has rumbled on for so long that people must be the desperate for the talking to stop and the action to start. It has almost been forgotten that it is actually Manchester United versus Inter Milan on show and not just the two managers taking part in a debating contest.

As February turns to March, the top teams recognise they are entering the business end of the season and start to hit their stride. Both Manchester United and Inter Milan look ideally placed to claim another domestic title but both men know that European glory is what will further elevate them and their players to the rank of legends.

Ferguson already has two Champions League triumphs under his belt which means Mourinho will be keen to peg him back level again. The current form of both sides may indicate there will not be a lot of goals to savour in these match ups but there is likely to be a lot of enjoyable football on show.

Flowing Football on Show
With the hype of the two bosses and the fact that Manchester United are the World Champions, there is inevitably a focus on that much but for any neutral out there, the Barcelona versus Lyon tie is bound to be of interest.

Barcelona have been in scintillating form all season with many people making them favourites to be the eventual champions of Europe come May. Whatever Pep Guardiola has done to revitalise the teams' fortunes since the dark final days of Frank Rijkaard, chairmen all across Europe would be hoping for their own manager to do the same and there can't be many football fans that would turn their nose up at watching the Catalan giants.

Of course, Lyon fans may have preferred another opponent but with Benzema and Juninho, the French champions have a few major players in their own ranks as well. If the Manchester United versus Inter Milan tie promises to be about tactics rather than goals, this tie could be the very opposite.

Eduardo Return Boosts Arsenal
The majority of clubs still in the competition will be hoping for a trip to Rome in May for the final but Arsenal are facing the journey in this round where they have a tricky tie. A recognisable face to the Arsenal crowd will be Julio Baptiste who is with the Italian club but the London side may be entering this tie in a better frame of mind.

It has been a poor season for Arsenal, certainly by their standards, but the happy return of Croatian star Eduardo, with two goals against Cardiff City in the FA Cup has a put smile back on the Gunners faces. It was almost a year ago when Eduardo suffered a horrific injury and many believe that Arsenals title challenge for that season died that day.

With the striker back to add a cutting edge to the fantastic build up play that Arsenal are renowned for, perhaps the Gunners can end an unhappy season with the biggest prize of all? The odds are still against them but they are in better shape now than they were a month ago.

The usual faces are still in contention but matches like Athletico Madrid versus Porto or Villarreal versus Panathinaikos should see some unexpected names through to the last eight. Whether any of the surprise packages have what it takes to break into the final four remains to be seen but an upset or two could help develop a greater level of interest in this seasons Champions League.

The most hardened Premier League fan may take great joy in last season's event being an affirmation of the strength of England's top flight but it can only be hoped that this seasons Champions League tournament offers a bit more variety than recent seasons.

by Andrew Reilly

for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk

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