CHAMPIONS' LEAGUE (3)

The Champions' League is where you see the difference in style between English and continental football. Although the Premier League is an exciting affair played at 100 mph, it is not always that technically skilful. Continental football teams often make the Brits look like oafs.

Judging from this week's last-16 matches, it's the continentals that have the upper hand. Manchester City and Arsenal both lost at home, and Manchester United away, in all three cases well beaten by Barcelona, holders Bayern Munich and Olympiakos respectively. Only Chelsea, whom I'm watching as I write, seem to have the match of Galatasary.

I watched the last 20 minutes of the Arsenal-Bayern match in a hotel room in Rome last week. Arsenal were admittedly a man down at that stage; but even so, they hardly touched the ball. My prediction for this year's World Cup is that it won't be Ingerland that win it.

Walter Blotscher