1994/1995 Parma 1 1999/2000 Monaco 0

1994/1995 Parma 1   1999/2000 Monaco 0
(Brolin '82)

This was classic 90s Italian two-leg cup performance from Parma and they would be well pleased to be heading to the Stade Louis II with a goal lead and no away goal dilemma. They dominated possession at a steady 60/40 ratio throughout the match and although the final shot count was level, all of their efforts were on goal, whilst Monaco were reduced to long range efforts that didn't come close to worrying Luca Bucci.

On 9 minutes Gabriele Pin stung the gloves of Barthez. Zola was buzzing between the lines of the Monaco defense and Da Costa in midfield, well supported by Baggio, Sensini and the attacking fullbacks. Monaco's tactics were to sit back, let Parma come onto them and play for a draw or unlikely win via a Trezeguet break away. That pattern continued for most of the match with most of the action taking place in the middle of the park.

Late on, Parma pushed a little more, taking off the solid Pin for the more attacking Brolin and reaped immediate reward. Eight minutes remained when Asprilla broke forward, paused and slid the ball on for the overlapping Sensini to run onto. The Argentine sent a driving shot past Barthez and off the inside of the post. The ball rolled across the goal mouth and Brolin slid in ahead of Djetou to poke the ball home and seal the contest.  

Dino Baggio was man of the match.

Match Day 2: Real Madrid 2013/2014 vs AS Roma 2000/2001

Real Madrid 2013/14  1         AS Roma 2000/2001  1
                        (Bale 76')                                (Totti 64')


Roma went to the Bernabeu knowing nothing short of a win would do and for a dozen minutes it seemed they might repeat the heroics of October 2002 when a Totti inspired Roma team (boasting 10 of the same starting lineup) won 1-0. That would have been enough to take the tie to extra time and who knows, but it was not to be. Instead the final score was the same as 2001's Champions League fixture in Madrid, 1-1, and Roma were out.

There's a sense of disappointment in that. A sense that neither fixture saw the true Roma. They had been dreadful in Rome - a post and a number of blocked shots keeping the score decent- and truth be told they were not much better in the second leg. There was much huff and puff but very little sense that the Madrid defense was in danger of being blown down. In the final statistical wash-up it's damning that Roma had 62% of possession and yet lost the shot count 11-2.

On 26 minutes there was an attack that encapsulated the frustrations of this Roma performance. A good move, built over many passes from Candela to Cafu via Emerson and Tomassi managed to work the ball to Totti. He in turn found Batistuta and instead of firing a shot at goal, he slid the ball inside Sergio Ramos into the path of Montella inside the box. Rather than cut back and shoot, Montella tried to take the ball on and instead only walked it out for a goal kick.

When a chance presented itself to Real, by contrast, they were not too shy to pepper Antonioli with shots. On 35 minutes Tomassi made a bad error and his pass went straight to Ronaldo. Although he was some way out, the Portuguese striker did not hesitate and his powerful drive had the Roma defense scrambling to secure the deflection as their keeper palmed the shot away.

Half time came and Roma seemed no closer to being in the match. Casillas had a pair of untouched gloves. Then on 64 minutes came Totti time. Another good move as before but this time the maestro did not look to slide one of his shot-shy strikers in. He made a half space for himself and curled a beautiful shot from the edge of the box past Casillas. Roma were suddenly level.

Madrid did not panic and Ronaldo as so often, came to the rescue. After a mazey, forty yard run that showed off both strength and magic control he pulled a ball back into the Roma box from the byline. Roma had men back but Ronaldo's pass was accurate, finding Gareth Bale who from six yards was never going to miss. The Welshman flicked out a boot and sent the ball flashing past Antonioli.

That still left nearly a quarter of the match for Roma to find the second away goal that would likely put them through but disappointingly they were unable to assert lasting pressure on the Madrid goal. A rasping Cafu shot on 78 minutes was the closest they came but Casillas had that well covered. The game petered out. Khedira and later Isco were solid for Madrid in closing down space and Sergio Ramos was a shadow Batistuta could never shake. He managed not one shot on goal in either match.

Match Day Preview: 1994/1995 Parma vs 1999/2000 AS Monaco

Today Nevio Scala is Chairman of a Serie D club playing the likes of Mezzolara before a crowd of under a thousand but twenty years ago the same Nevio Scala was manager of the same club and together they conquered Europe. The intervening two decades have not been kind on Parma. The 1995 Uefa cup followed repeat visits to the Cup Winners Cup Final (1 win, 1 loss) and a squad that boasted world stars vied with Juventus, Milan and Inter for lo Scuddetto. They never quite won the league but there was another Uefa Cup in 1999 before the club's financial backer - local dairy group, Parmalat, were found to have played the financial derivatives market, lost and cooked the books. The club went into special administration in 2004 and though it narrowly avoided relegation, the glory days were gone. Just as the club under Donadoni seemed to be finding its feet once more - finishing 6th in 2014 - the financial floor once again gave way and this time the club went under.  

Football clubs are like comic book heroes: they never stay dead for long. Parma was reborn at the bottom of the Italian football pyramid and have already begun the long climb back up. Scala's return as figurehead is a nice reminder of what the club was once capable of and one day might return to. He first took charge of the side in 1989 when they were an anonymous provincial club that yo-yo'd between Serie B and Serie C. Scala took them up and up. They finished 6th in their first season in Serie A, won the Coppa Italia the following year and the Uefa Cup Winners Cup the next. What a side they were. Three solid center backs in captain Lorenzo Minotti, Luigi Apolloni (both now involved with the phoenix club)  and the disco-haired Portuguese Fernando Couto. Width came from attacking fullbacks Bennarivo, Di Chiara and Roberto Mussi while the center of the pitch was patrolled by Dino Baggio. The Guardian recently did a good piece on Baggio. An all-time great with the misfortune of sharing a surname with another all-time great. http://www.theguardian.com/football/these-football-times/2015/jan/21/remembering-dino-roberto-baggio-italy-juventus-torino

				Remembering Dino, the other Baggio Sharing a surname with the best player of his generation meant that Dino Baggio was forever living in someone else’s shadow, but the former Torino, Juventus and Par...
				View on www.theguardian.com	Preview by Yahoo

It's worth also remembering that Baggio's signing in the summer after the 1994 world cup was a close run thing for both Juventus and Parma. As the deal seemed dead, Parma turned their attention to a young Alex Del Pierro instead and got as far as agreeing the move and submitting the paperwork before Baggio had a change of heart and joined the crociati instead. Baggio is the gold standard for box-to-box midfielder. It was his goals - one in each leg - that won the Uefa Cup final against his old club in 1995 (the second of three Uefa Cups he would win). 

Ahead of Baggio, Parma's attack featured the cultured brilliance of Gianfranco Zola (before he took his magic to Chelsea), the blonde effervescence of Thomas Brolin (before his got fat in England) and the explosive genius of Tino Asprilla (before he got deified in Newcastle). As well as these there were plenty of unsung heroes in the side. Massimo Crippa, Roberto Sensini, Marco Branca and Gabriele Pin were all talented players. They didn't win too many games 5-0 (actually they didn't win any - a single 4-0 result being their biggest win of the season) but with that water tight defense they didn't have to. They were a python that smothered their opponent to death - a classic 1990s Italian side in other words.

Their opponents in this first round are Monaco. I admit I wanted to get a Monaco side into the competition but struggled to choose between three. 1994's Monaco had Klinsmann, Schifo and made the European Cup semi final. Ten years later they made the final (rather improbably) with Morientes the star. But both of those sides could only manage 3rd place domestically - their cup runs papering over some large cracks. So instead I chose the 1999-2000 side. 

In 1999-2000, Monaco won the league (they have not won it since). Their Uefa Cup campaign was something of a disappointment (they couldn't recover from a disastrous night in Mallorca when at 1-1 Marquez gave away a penalty and was sent off) but the side featured a number of French stars (Barthez, Sagnol, Giuly, Trezeguet), the wily veteran Marco Simone, the mercurial Argentinian Marcello Gallardo and the aforementioned Mexican Rafael Marquez. Like Parma though, financial issues undermined the squad. Stars were sold, they were relegated and then reprieved in 2003 for financial issues which would hamstring the club (that unlikely 2004 cup run aside) until Russian billionaire Dmitriy Rybolovlev took them on in 2011. This is a what-might-have-been side if ever there was one.

It promises to be a fascinating contest. Monaco's attacking brilliance against that tight Parma defense, Asprilla vs Marquez, Baggio & Sensini vs Gallardo & Costinha.  

Parma                                                                    Monaco

GK Bucci                                                            GK Barthez

LB  Di Chiara                                                      LB Sagnol

CB  Apolloni                                                       CB Djetou

CB  Minotti                                                         CB Marquez

CB  Couto                                                            RB Riise

RB  Benarrivo                                                      LM  Lamouchi

MF  Pin                                                                DM Costinha

MF  D Baggio                                                      RM Giuly

MF  Sensini                                                          AM Gallardo

ST  Zola                                                                ST  Simone

ST  Asprilla                                                          ST  Trezeguet

Subs                                                                     Subs

Brolin, Branca, Crippa, Mussi, Galli, Fiore        Contreras, Eloi, Christanval, Prso, Rodriguez, 

Match Day 1: 2000/2001 Roma vs 2013/2014 Real Madrid

AS Roma 2000/2001    0          Real Madrid 2013/2014  1
                                                  (Benzema '21)

The gulf between these two sides was larger than the final score suggests. Real Madrid dominated for large spells and the Benzema goal - a beautiful drive from the edge of the box low into the bottom corner- came after a series of 5 blocked shots in the opening fifteen minutes. Roma could find no decent outlet to move the ball much beyond the halfway line before losing possession and having to defend again.

Batistuta in particular was guilty of not being able to hold onto the ball when it was played up to him long enough for support to arrive. Half time arrive and although the possession split was 50/50, shots were 8-2 in Real's favour. And yet Roma should have gone in at the half level. On 31 minutes they did manage to penetrate the blanket cover that Sami Khedira provided and Emerson ran onto a pass from Cafu, rode the muscular challenge of Varane on the edge of the Real box and was in one-on-one with Casillas. The Real goalkeeper pulled off a brilliant block and Sergio Ramos smuggled the ball away.

The second half was much like the first. Real again made most of the running. Roma changed both central midfielders - Marcos Assuncao and Christian Zanetti replacing Emerson and Tomassi- but the best chance fell to Real. A blistering shot from Ronaldo shivered the upright and shot across the face of the Roma goal with Antonioli rooted to the spot.

Roma had one more chance in the match, a long range shot from Zanetti after a good run by Assuncao but Casillas comfortably saved it and was largely untroubled. Roma must find a way to get better possession higher up the pitch for Totti to be involved in creating chances or else hope that Real will push more players forward at home, opening up space for the wingbacks to exploit or Batistuta to run into. With a lead and an away goal in the bag, it seems unlikely that Ancelotti will set his side up any different to how he did in this contest, with the defense fairly deep to deny space in behind and with Khedira providing an effective screen, nullifying Totti.

Match day preview: Roma 2000/2001 vs Real Madrid 2013/2014

The most recent Champions League winners from Madrid, Ancelotti's Real boast the individual brilliance of Cristiano Ronaldo and a supporting cast of stars (Bale, Benzema, Khedira, Modric, Sergio Ramos). That final (which went to extra time before Real pulled away 4-1) gave them some measure of revenge on their city rivals after Atletico had won the league by three points from Barcelona and Real. A sense of what could have been hangs over the side who also took the Copa del Rey - one more league win (ie. the late season loss to Celta Vigo) and they would have done the triple and really made their name in the crowded Real record books. The following year they stumbled unexpectedly in the Champions League semi final against Juventus and Ancelotti's time as coach was up. The knock on them being they were a brittle side who tended to lose the big games. Still, in Ronaldo they possess one of the two superstars of the current era. 

Here they run into another "Milanese" coached side- Capello's scudetto winning Roma. That side might be short on credentials for this competition (just 1 domestic trophy and an uninspiring Uefa Cup performance) but they were a brief moment when Capello's Roma project clicked into place- when the balance between attack and defense seemed just right. Walter Samuel, Zebina and Aldair provided the defensive platform for the swashbuckling wingbacks Candela and Cafu, the measured control in midfield of Emerson and the attacking triumvirate of Totti, Montella and Batistuta. It's a fairly unorthodox formation 3-4-1-2 with three central defenders and two defensive midfielders, two wing backs and Totti as a withdrawn forward behind Montella and Batigol. 

Roma  2000-2001                                                                Real Madrid 2013-20014

GK Antonioli                                                                        GK Casillas

CB  Zebina                                                                            LB Coentrao

CB  Aldair                                                                             CB Varane

CB Samuel                                                                            CB Ramos

WB Candela                                                                          FB Carvajal               

DFM Tomassi                                                                       LM Di Maria

DFM Emerson                                                                      CM Khedira

WB Cafu                                                                               RM Modric

CAM Totti                                                                            LF   Ronaldo

ST  Batistuta                                                                        CF   Benzema

ST Montella                                                                         RF  Bale

Subs                                                                                        Subs

C Zanetti                                                                                  Marcelo

Zago                                                                                        Pepe

Del Vecchio                                                                            Isco

Di Francesco                                                                           Morata

Balbo                                                                                     Illarramendia

Match Day Preview: Barcelona '93/94 vs Paris St Germain '93/94

Barcelona 93/94 vs PSG 93/94

The Dream Team. They are remembered for the humiliating, shocking ending- a 4-0 Champions League loss to Capello's Milan (also lurking in this competition) but they remain one of the greatest sides in history. This after all is the side that smashed Real 5-0 in that year's classico on their way to a fourth consecutive title (pipping Deportivo- another side in this competition). This is the side that won the European Cup in 1992 - plus Romario. This is a side that was an incredible blend of youth team products (Guardiola, Bakero, Begiristain) and star signings (Romario, Stoichkov, Laudrup).


Their achilles heel was their coach's hubris. Cruyff turned up to the 1994 final to collect the trophy, not win it. "Barcelona are favourites," Cruyff had said before hand. "We're more complete, competitive and experienced than [in the 1992 final] at Wembley."
I watched back the 5-0 Classico win and the Champions League defeat to try and understand how they didn't win. It's hard to recognise that they are the same two teams. It's clear that in Athens that night their heads were not where they needed to be. A loose clearance from Nadal was compounded when he dived in on Savicevic, missed and left the Montenegran clean through. Cover comes from midfield as Savicevic reaches the touchline but Koeman inexplicably leaves Massaro (the only threat) to mark thin air. Savicevic's ball over finds the Italian who couldn't miss. The second goal is worse. Donadoni beats Ferrer and gets to the touch line - Barcelona are back in numbers but slow to close Donadoni down and when he cuts the ball back the Spanish defenders are like statues - all four around Savicevic while Massaro- the target of Donadoni's pass is unmarked to fire in from ten yards. The third was a piece of brilliance from Savicevic- an audacious lob from the touchline- and with that you can see they are gone. The fourth, Desailly's bulldozer of a run, is against players who have stopped playing.


The shoe was on the other foot earlier that year against Real. Romario scored a sublime hattrick, Bakero and Begiristain ran riot and without the 3 foreigners restriction, Barcelona could bring Stoichkov off and put Laundrup on at halftime. Capello speaks of his relief before the final when he found out Cruyff had chosen Laundrup to be the unlucky foreigner to miss out but there is no such rule in this competition. So Paris Saint Germain will face the full Dream Team. It looks a big mismatch but then so did the Athens final. 






Paris St Germain in 1993/94 were not an oligarch fueled side of superstars. They won the French league that year (their second ever) and lost to George Graham's Arsenal in the semi-final of the Cup Winners Cup having been Uefa Cup Semi-finalists the prior year (and domestic bridesmaids to European Cup winners Marseilles). A year later they would make the Champions League semi-final (completing a hatrick of consecutive semi-final defeats in all three competitions) but that side could only place 3rd in the league.

Goals came from George Weah- a year away from his move to Milan and World Player of the year- and a young precocious talent named David Ginola. The creative strings were pulled by two Brazilians- Valdo and the Selecao captain Rai. Paul le Guen held the midfield and the defense boasted solid players like Alain Roche and another Brazilian, Ricardo Gomes. The coach was European Cup winning coach Artur Jorge.



So this clash on paper should be the Dream Team's but PSG are every bit as capable a banana skin as Milan were. Weah could feast on slack defending (Koeman was a great distributor and free kick ace but he was no Franco Baresi when it came to marking). This tie has the potential for goals. In 1993/94, Barcelona nearly blew their European campaign at the first hurdle, losing 3-1 in Kiev before a 4-1 win in the return leg saw them through. They're a flawed genius of a side. Capable of winning it all or blowing it spectacularly at any moment.


Barcelona '94


GK Zubizaretta
FB Ferrer 
CB Nadal 
CB Koeman 
FB Sergi
MF Bakero 
MF Guardiola 
MF Amor
RF Stoichkov 
CF Romario 
LF Begiristain

Subs
Laundrup, Salinas, Eusebio, Juan Carlos, Goikoetxea, Estebaranz, Ivan,

Formation wise, both teams are roughly 4-3-3

PSG '94


GK Lama
FB Llacer 
CB Roche 
CB Ricardo 
FB Colleter
MF Valdo 
MF Le Guen 
MF Guerin
RF Rai 
CF Weah 
LF Ginola


Kombuare, Bravo, Gravelaine, Cobos, Fournier, Sassus

Match Day Two: 1998 Internazionale 0 1989 AC Milan 1

Internazional 97/98 0,  Milan 88/89 1
                                      (Gullit 13')

Arrigo Sacchi's Milan booked their place in the last 16 with a 1-0 victory over their city rivals. Whilst the losing deficit was the same, this was a vastly better performance from Inter. Gigi Simoni changed to a 5-3-1-1 formation with Bergomi, Galante, Sartor, Cauet and Moriero in for Colonnese, Fresi, Ze Elias, Winter and Zamorano. Despite the more solid formation and good early pressure, Inter found themselves swiftly behind when a Milan raid down the left saw the ball whipped into the box and Ruud Gullit rose between the Inter centre backs to power a header into the back of the net.

Inter were almost level on the night minutes later when Javier Zanetti fired a rising shot against the Milan post but whilst Inter took the game to their city rivals and enjoyed far more posession and territory than in the first leg, they could not find a way to breach the tight marking of Baresi and Co. At half time Zamorano was thrown on for Galante as Inter switched to four at the back and chased to get back into the match. The gamble almost immediately blew up in their faces when Evani broke into the box alone, squared for Van Basten and only the combined desperate efforts of Bergomi and Pagliuca kept the ball out.

On the hour Inter were handed a lifeline when the referee awarded them a penalty for a Baresi handball. Ronaldo stepped up and sent the ball straight into Galli's chest. Both sides seemed to sense that Inter's route back into the contests was over. Djorkaeff had a good chance on the 73rd minute but sent his shot wide and Milan were able to play out the final quarter in relative calm.

Gullit was named Man of the Match, but it was Frank Rijkaard's calm assurance in the midfield that stood out.

Match Day 1: 1989 Milan 2 1998 Internazionale 1

Milan 88/89 2, Inter 97/98 1

(Van Basten 16', Ancellotti 33')    (Simeone 85')

MOTM: Ancellotti

AC Milan dominated the first leg of this Derby della Madonnina but a late Diego Simeone header gives Inter hope going into the return leg. Milan had 74% of first half possess and although Inter improved in the second half, ended the match with 65% of possession and similar territorial dominance. 

Inter's formation, the narrow 4-4-2 sweeper diamond, hamstrung the nerazzurri in the first half. With Baresi and Costacurta man marking Ronald and Zamorano, the Milanese fullbacks, Tassotti and Maldini, were able to push forward into the space afforded by the narrow Inter midfield. This dragged Simeone and Winter out wider and allowed Rijkaard and Ancellotti to dominate the center of the park, cutting off service to Inter's playmaker Djorkaeff. In addition, whilst Zanetti largely kept Colombo in check, Colonesse had a torrid time with Donadoni. Time and again Inter's clearances were hurried and fell into the laps of the excellent pair of Ancellotti and Rijkaard. It was no surprise on 16 minutes when an Ancellotti ball into the box was volleyed home by Van Basten despite the close attentions of Salvatore Fresi. It would have been 2-0 on the half hour but for a brilliant double save by Pagliuca who was the standout performer for Inter. He could do nothing about about the next Milan effort though, a top corner screamer by Ancellotti from the edge of the box. Milan were cruising and Ronaldo was a frustrated spectator. 

Simone made changes in the second half, bringing on Moriero for Ze Elias to add width and the Milanese fullback raids died out but Milan were still dominating possession and chances. Pagliuca made two more good saves while Galli didn't get his gloves dirty. Inter continued to chase the game, bringing on Recoba for the ineffective Zamorano. It was Recoba with five minutes remaining who managed to hold the ball up late on and send it across to Ronaldo who had slipped his shadow Baresi by drifting wide to the right of the box. He whipped ball back across and Simone, making a swashbuckling late run from midfield, met it unmarked and diverted it past the rooted Galli. It was their only shot on target all match to Milan's 6. 

So Inter, who at halftime looked absolutely out classed, now enter the nominal home leg needing only a 1-0 win to advance. Still a tall order and one unlikely without serious changes to the tactics and formation by Simoni. The sweeper diamond must surely be scrapped. 

One option might be to start with the players who ended the game and push Zanetti forward into a Christmas tree formation of  3-4-2-1

                                                   Fresi-West-Colonesse

                                         Moriero-Simeone-Winter-Zanetti

                                                         Djorkaeff-Recoba

                                                                Ronaldo

With Ronaldo drifting between Costacurta and Baresi feeding on the dual threat of Recoba and Djorkaeff. But in general that looks like a side chasing more than just a 1-0 deficit and one at risk of conceding a killer third goal of the tie. Simoni, may instead look to tighten up further and try to pick Milan off with a moment of Ronaldo brilliance. In that case a number of Inter's experienced defensive options could be used, in particular the old head of Bergomi. The lineup used in the Uefa cup against Strasbourg where a 2-0 away loss was overturned 3-0:

                   5-3-1-1

                                            Sartor-Galante-Bergomi-West-Zanetti

                                                          Moriero-Cauet-Simeone

                                                                       Djorkaeff

                                                                         Ronaldo

This formation would rely on Sartor and Zanetti breaking forward to add width, with the midfield trio seeking to out-muscle the crucial Ancellotti Rijkaard axis that was the key to Milan's dominance in the first leg. Club stalwart Nicola Berti or Paulo Sousa are other midfield options. Then what to do with Zamorano, who was ineffective in the first leg. Does he come off the bench or do Ganz, Branca or Kanu take his place. At least Simoni has a very deep squad to choose from. 

Milan by contrast must now decide whether to push forward for the away goal or sit deep and try to nick one instead or at least not concede. They must be wary not to cede the momentum. 

Match day Preview 1988/89 Milan vs 1997/98 Internazionale

1988/1989 AC Milan                                 vs 1997/1998 Internazionale


GK Giovanni Galli                                       GK Gianluca Paglicua
RB Mauro Tassotti                                        SW  Salvatore Fresi
CB  Franco Baresi                                         CB  Taribo West
CB  Alessandro Costacurta                           RB  Francsco Colonnese
LB   Paulo Maldini                                        LB  Javier Zanetti
LM  Roberto Donadoni                                LM Diego Simeone
CM  Carlo Ancelotti                                     CM  Ze Elias
CM  Frank Rijkaard                                      RM  Aron Winter
RM  Angelo Colombo                                  AM  Youri Djorkaeff
CF   Ruud Gullit                                           CF  Ivan Zamorano
CF   Marco Van Basten                                CF  Ronaldo

Subs                                                              Subs
Alberigo Evani                                             Benoit Cauet
Roberto Mussi                                              Francesco Morieiro
Pietro Virdis                                                 Alvaro Recoba
Filippo Galli                                                 Luigi Sartor
                                 
Manager: Arrigo Sacchi                               Manager Luigi Simone

The attacking flair of Ronaldo and Djorkaeff will have to find a way to unlock the compact brilliance of AC Milan's classic back four. Sacchi's team pressed their defensive line high up the pitch, squeezing the space between the lines- so Djorkaeff may find it difficult to operate, especially with Rijkaard and Ancelotti snapping at his heals. At the opposite end, the combative Taribo West will have his hands full with Ruud Gullit's power and movement.

The Inter shape is quite narrow. There could be space out wide for Donadoni and Colombo to prosper in. But this is prime Ronaldo. He destroyed Milan in the 1998 derby and he is capable of winning this all by himself.

1st Round Draw:

1988/1989 AC Milan
vs
1997/1998 Inter Milan

1993/1994 PSG
vs
1993/1994 Barcelona

2013/2014 Real Madrid
vs
2000/2001 Roma

1999/2000 Monaco
vs
1994/1995 Parma

1999/2000 Lazio
vs
2012/2013 Bayern Munich

2001/2002 Olympique Lyonnais
vs
1999/2000 Valencia

1997/1998 Arsenal
vs
1993/1994 Inter Milan

1992/1993 Deportivo La Coruna
vs
1995/1996 Bayern Munich

1990/1991 Red Star Belgrade
vs
1995/1996 Fiorentina

1992/1993 IFK Gotenborg
vs
1993/1994 AC Milan

2004/2005 AC Milan
vs
1994/1995 Ajax

1992/1993 Marseilles
vs
1993/1994 Sampdoria

2010/2011 Barcelona
vs
1996/1997 Borussia Dortmund

1998/1999 Man United
vs
2002/2003 Arsenal

1998/1999 Dynamo Kiev
vs
1994/1995 Juventus

2001/2002 Real Madrid
vs
2003/2004 Porto

Highlights of the draw:

A Milan derby for the ages: AC's "Three Dutchmen" 1989 side face the 1998 Internationale side of Ronaldo that won a Uefa Cup and had a Scudetto snatched from their grasp by some controversial Juve-friendly officiating.

There's a "Bergkamp derby" as the 1994 Uefa Cup winning Inter side play the 1998 Arsenal double winners.

Similarly Clarence Seedorf will face Clarence Seedorf across the decade when 1995 Ajax and 2005 Milan meet.

Pick of the round though must be a classic Wenger vs Ferguson confrontation. Sir Alex's treble winners from 1999 take on "The Invincibles".

After 30 years of watching European football, not for the first time I began to wonder which was the greatest side I had seen in that time. This blog is an attempt to record an experimentation in nostalgia, football and modern computer gaming.

I have selected 32 European teams from the period 1989-2015. Using a modded version of Fifa I am going to have them play a tournament to see which will be crowned Champions of Uefa.

This is not a scientific experiment. It will inevitably be skewed by personal bias, both conscious (in the selection of the 32 team short list) and likely unconscious (in the player ratings I give to the edited Fifa players). I'll do my best to set the teams up along the formations and tactics of their then managers.  A number of players will appear on several teams (Clarence Seedorf in particular). I'll try and get the balance right, so Seedorf's attributes will hopefully reflect the player he was in that particular vintage (i.e. the slower, measured controller at Milan vs the running machine at Ajax). I also plan to watch back youtube / tapes of these sides to refresh the memory of players and hopefully limit the nostalgia bias.

The tournament is an old school Uefa Cup format. Two leg knockout with away goals. Red card will be 1 match ban. Accumulated three yellows will be 1 match ban. The computer will control both teams so my lack of gaming skill cannot impact on things. Fixtures will be decided by a random draw after each round.

The 32 teams are:

Team                                              Qualification

1988/1989 AC Milan                       European Cup Winners
1990/1991 Red Star Belgrade          European Cup Winners
1992/1993 Marseilles                       European Cup Winners
1993/1994 AC Milan                       European Cup Winners
1994/1995 Ajax                                European Cup Winners
1996/1997 Borussia Dortmund        European Cup Winners
1998/1999 Manchester United         European Cup Winners
2001/2002 Real Madrid                   European Cup Winners
2003/2004 Porto                              European Cup Winners
2008/2009 Barcelona                      European Cup Winners
2012/2013 Bayern Munich            European Cup Winners
2013/2014 Real Madrid                  European Cup Winners
1993/1994 Barcelona                     European Cup Finalists
1999/2000 Valencia                       European Cup Finalists
2004/2005 AC Milan                     European Cup Finalists
1993/1994 Inter Milan                   Uefa Cup Winners
1994/1995 Juventus                       Uefa Cup Runners Up
1995/1996 Bayern Munich            Uefa Cup Winners
1997/1998 Inter Milan                   Uefa Cup Winners
1999/2000 Lazio                            Uefa Super Cup Winners, Scudetto
1994/1995 Parma                          Uefa Cup Winners

Wild Cards

2000/2001 Roma                          Scudetto Winners

2002/2003 Arsenal                       "The Invincibles"

1997/1998 Arsenal                       Double Winners
1992/1993 Deportivo La Coruna  Finished level on points with Barcelona
1993/1994 Paris St Germain         Ligue 1 Winners
2001/2002 Olympique Lyonnais  Ligue 1 Winners
1993/1994 Sampdoria                   Coppa Italia
1995/1996 Fiorentina                    Coppa Italia
1998/1999 Dynamo Kiev             Champions League Semi Finalists
1993/1994 IFK Gotenborg            Champions League Group winners
1999/2000 AS Monaco                 Ligue 1 Winners

Of course there will be a number of sides that you might say are more deserving than some of those I have included. Chelsea's Champions league side for example. And Liverpool fans will decry the exclusion of their Istanbul heroes while the vanquished Milan team gets in. But to me that really was a freakish 45 minutes. Only a scouser could argue that if they played that final a hundred more times, Milan wouldn't win 99 of them.

I could have included at least 1 more great Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern side but I wanted some variety and so classic sides like Batistuta's exciting Fiorentina and Jesper Blomqvist's giant killers from Sweden come in despite having little silverware to show. If I had to make a prediction now on which of the above is top seed I'd say a short list of 1989 Milan, 2002 Real Madrid and 2009 Barcelona.

On to the draw and the laborious exercise of getting the Fifa sides created just so.