Ahead of the Game: Live Champions League

The news in 60 seconds

LIVE: CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Liverpool play Inter Milan in the Champions League tonight with the Anfield club in turmoil. But, as Fabio Capello said, Rafael Benitez's team save their best for this competition and it should be a fascinating first leg against the Serie A leaders. Follow it live with our rolling commentary, which will include updates from Chelsea's tie against Olympiacos. http://timesonline.typepad.com/sports_commentary/football/index.html

WENGER READY TO ATTACK
Arsene Wenger has promised that Arsenal will put behind them the thrashing by Manchester United and play with the "handbrake off" in their Champions League tie against AC Milan at the Emirates Stadium tomorrow night. "We owe everybody a good performance and the fans most of all," he said.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article3397716.ece

GIGGS JOINS 100 CLUB
Sir Alex Ferguson has called Ryan Giggs a "model professional" as he prepares to play his 100th Champions League match in Lyons tomorrow. Alain Perrin, the Lyons coach, believes United's emphasis on open football will give his side a chance.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article3397688.ece

KEEGAN: WE CAN BEAT UNITED
As positive in his outlook as ever, Kevin Keegan thinks Newcastle United could also defeat United on Saturday. "We know what is ahead of us," he said. Imagine the post-match interview if he does win.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/newcastle/article3397779.ece

COVENTRY CONFIRM COLEMAN
Coventry City have confirmed the appointment of Chris Coleman as their new manager on a three-and-a-half-year deal. "Chris is a progressive young manager with excellent credentials and has a desire to deliver success for our club," the Coventry chairman Ray Ranson said, which sounded convincing enough until he added, "I have no doubt that he will help to take this great club forward."
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/football_league/article3390805.ece

MADEJSKI EXPANSION ON ICE
Reading have put plans to expand the Madejski Stadium on hold until their Premier League future is decided. The relegation-threatened Royals have planning permission to increase the capacity from 24,000 to 38,000.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/reading/article3397916.ece

RAFA'S HUGE TASK
As if the task facing Benitez this evening was not difficult enough, the Liverpool boss could have to win the Champions League this season to keep his job.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/liverpool/article3393475.ece

GRANT TO REST TERRY AND LAMPARD
Avram Grant is preparing to take the biggest gamble of his Chelsea career by omitting John Terry and Frank Lampard this evening. The manager has one eye on Sunday's Carling Cup final.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/chelsea/article3393464.ece

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If you've got another couple of minutes

IS RAFA STILL THE RIGHT MAN FOR LIVERPOOL?
A venerable institution based in northern England is in grave difficulty. Previously financially sound, its figures no longer inspire confidence. Once synonymous with stability and success, it lacks strong leadership and the support of its members. Hard to imagine that only recently it was a rare British heavyweight in its field.
There may be similarities between the plights of Northern Rock and Liverpool Football Club but, unfortunately for the latter, the Government is not going to step in to help before the situation gets any worse.
Instead Rafael Benitez, the Liverpool manager, and Tom Hicks, the co-owner effectively in charge of the club, must cope with the resources available to them in what is possibly the most troubled period in the side's recent history. Tonight they face Inter Milan at Anfield and, as Tony Evans, deputy football editor of The Times and a diehard Liverpool fan, says, "the club is as unhappy and as divided as it has ever been".
The pages of Times Online support Evans's claim. At the last count, almost 2000 fans had voted in our poll asking whether Benitez is the right man to manage the club and the results were divided almost equally three ways. Just less than a third call for his head, the same amount insist he is allowed to stay no matter what, and the remainder ask that the Spaniard is judged on what he has achieved at the end of the season.
Read the comments below the poll or on Martin Samuel's article suggesting failure to win the Champions League this season will cost Benitez his job and the passion informing your opinions is clear.
Some say Benitez has made too many mistakes with team-selection and spent too much money on Dirk Kuyt-type duds. "Recent decisions don't appear to follow any logic," writes Jason. "Why he took off Babel at the weekend is one - he was clearly posing the biggest threat to Barnsley. Earlier in the season, when he rested Torres for a Premier League match and then played him midweek in a pointless Carling Cup match is another. Also, why play Hyypia against Barnsley? He struggles to recover in time for midweek games."
Most frustration is directed at Hicks and George Gillet Jr, the other American co-owner who is thought to have taken a step back from the running of the club. "Their treatment of Rafa was a disgrace," writes Declan in reference to the owners' meeting with Jurgen Klinsmann about the possibility of him replacing Benitez. "It damaged the confidence of the players and the manager and it showed." Aravind adds: "Had the owners known more about this great club's history they would feel embarrassed at the way they have run it. They see Liverpool as a franchise."
There are other subjects for your vitriol, too, namely David Moores, the club's honorary life president and former chairman, and Rick Parry, the chief executive. Many think they have mismanaged the club, a belief succinctly explained by Austin Maddock: "Moores made the wrong decision in selling the club to people who have little understanding of football."
Turn to fans' websites and opinions are similarly riven. On thisisanfield.com, Pidge is considering "revoking his support" for Benitez. On rivals.net, dixietheredman writes, "The truth is Benitez hasn't been backed in the market for strikers over £10m. Well, he has once - that brought Torres. He did alright there." On the same site, The Prophet says, "Rafa is a defensive coach hence no decent attacking players under £10m. He just has no eye for them."
According to reports, the situation has led to fans squaring up to one another on the Kop, desperate for someone to blame. After the defeat by Barnsley, about 350 supporters stayed behind to call for the Americans' exit. At Melwood, the club's training complex, fans this morning sprayed graffiti on walls criticising Benitez's selection policy. A critical last-16 Champions League tie could hardly have come at a worse time.
So, what is to be done? Should Benitez be given more time? He has reached two Champions League finals with Liverpool, winning one, yet reports suggest he has lost the support of his players. Should the Americans do the decent thing and sell up as quickly as they can to Dubai International Capital, the investment group hoping to buy the club? Is it time for Moores and Parry to admit their culpability and get out of Anfield? Let us know what you think while the debate still rages.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/02/is-rafa-still-r.html

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>>>>> THE TABLOID TALE<<<<<
The Ghoulkeeper - The Sun
What you need to know: 1) Manuel Almunia's house is haunted by the ghost of a monk. 2) The Arsenal keeper's swish pad is built on the site of an old asylum. 3) Arsene Wenger has let Almunia go home at lunchtime because his wife is so frightened. 4) The goalkeeper hasn't seen the creepy cleric but is still "s***-scared".

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A quickie before you go, sir?

The members of the fans' website MyFootballClub were due to complete their takeover of Ebbsfleet United today. In November, 28,000 supporters paid £35 each for a 75 per cent controlling stake in the Blue Square Premier side. It seemed a good idea for a club in financial difficulty even if it meant Liam Daish, the manager, would eventually have to relinquish responsibility for picking the side - a task that seemed potentially tricky given that the new owners are based in more than 80 countries. It's fortunate, then, that one fan has compiled this video diary of a recent game against Stafford Rangers, including interviews with the club's touchingly loyal support and highlights from a hard-fought 1-0 victory. The footage is hardly BBC-standard but it provides a neat insight into a unique club and, given that the owners start selecting the team next month, could prove just about the best evidence they'll find to help them make their choices.
http://www.youtube.com/user/thefleettvchannel

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17
Minutes lapsed between Dave Irons resigning as manager of Gretna and being appointed in the same role at Greenock Morton today

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>>>>> THE RIVALS<<<<<
Scuby TV trial - The Sun
O'Neill tops Kop hit-list - Daily Mirror
Howard's mission - Daily Mail
Cesc: I'd sign up Eto'o in a flash - Daily Express
Benitez: stick with me and I will win title - The Guardian
Centurion Giggs ready to go all the way - Daily Telegraph

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In TheGame

Guillem Balague has responded to your comments on the Game Podcast debate. Balague insists that, as a Spaniard, he is not jealous of the popularity of the FA Cup compared to that of his country's equivalent competition but still thinks the Cup's draw is more exciting than its matches. In the podcast, Mark Pougatch stoutly defends the magic of the same competition while Frank Lampard and Gianluca Vialli meet properly for the first time for an interview at a London restaurant. In a wide-ranging chat, Lampard says he is still attracted to the idea of playing abroad and Vialli explains why he will not return to management.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/02/lunchin-with-lu.html
Our poll and debate on whether Nani was out of order against Arsenal looks set for a clear-cut finish. Almost 90 per cent of you reckon the Manchester United winger had every right to show off his ball-juggling skills mid-match.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/02/nani-showman-or.html
In Fanzine Fanzone, our Chelsea expert says an outsider could mistake Stamford Bridge for the court of the Medicis such are the machinations involving players and agents hoping to secure a summer transfer. Our writer is pleased, though, that Manchester United may have to return the £12 million compensation they paid Chelsea for Jon Obi Mikel. "Sounds like karma to me," he says.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/fanzine_fanzone/2008/02/exclusively-you.html
Bill Edgar has posted his daily trivia question: "Southampton beat Arsenal 3-2 in the last competitive game at The Dell in May 2001 but which other top-flight ground also featured a Southampton victory in the final match played there?" Our football mastermind also revealed the answer to yesterday's teaser.
http://timesonline.typepad.com/thegame/2008/02/bill-edgars-tue.html

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Joe Bloggs' Soapbox

"Regarding the physical abuse laid on Nani for his fancy footwork: this was not the first incident. Many years ago, I scored a ticket to Highbury to watch MU and Georgie Best. As usual, Best did not disappoint. Halfway through, he'd been putting up with the usual, 'where's your handbag, Georgie?' taunts when he received the ball and made his way to a corner flag at the North Bank end. Ian Ure, the hapless Gunner full back, slid in, missed and went straight off the park as Best pulled the ball back. Ure took another run at him. Best swivelled, pulled the ball back again and Ure travelled on his ass back on to the field of play with as much success as the first attempt. Even the Arsenal supporters chirped in with 'ole'. On his third attempt, the full back took out everything, including the corner flag. Best didn't came back to earth until the start of the second half but still had a grin on his face. You see, if you're going to showboat, there are certain risks involved. The pay off is that you'll be endeared to the fans. The downside is that, if you set out to humiliate another player, you'd better be ready to receive some stick - it's just how the game is played!"
Matt McGraw reckons Nani had every right to show off his skills against Arsenal.

"Those Lamps interview pics: were you all having a bad jumper face-off?"
Lampard risked a button-down pink number with white trim and Vialli wore a beige v-neck for their special get-together. Balague went for checks. For the record, Tracey, The Times did not employ a stylist.

Our apologies to the reader pointing out that Bristol City are the Robins, not Rovers, who are considerably more piratical. With heads bowed, we walk the plank...

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Tomorrow's news today

- Ferguson: Arsenal get special treatment
- We've learned from humiliation, says Fabregas
- Scudamore grilled by MPs

And expect...

Benitez to receive an email from Tom Hicks congratulating him on another famous European victory at Anfield.

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BY ROBERT DINEEN