Champions League 2014-15 by Premier League clubs’ manager:
Manchester City – Bayern Munich – AS Roma – CSKA Moscow
Manuel Pellegrini
“I think for all of us it is the aim is to try and improve. After finishing the season you analyse what you have done and you try to do better. We have signed some very good players and the aim is to improve in the Champions League, we will try to go further.
“It is always the same pressure. We are a team that always try to win every game, to play well and to give joy to our supporters, not just in the domestic league but in Europe as well.”
Manchester City will again play in the group of death of the Champions League. It is like a PokerStop.com at the table against German giant Bayern, AS Roma and the Russians of CSKA. Lets see who will have the best cards in hands.
Arsenal – Dortmund – Galatasaray – Anderlecht
Arsene Wenger:
“It’s difficult,” the boss said. “We have experienced Dortmund a few times. Today when you play against the German teams, you know it’s difficult. It looks a little bit like ‘here we go again’ because we’ve played them a few times now.
“We’ve just experienced how tough Turkish teams are [against Besiktas in the play-off] and Anderlecht I don’t know well. But it’s feasible.”
Chelsea – Schalke – Sporting CP – Maribor
Jose Mourinho:
Your question says everything: on paper. At the end of the day we play against a German team: Germans are Germans, world champions, good league, good teams, strong guys. We played them twice last season and beat them twice, but nobody can say we beat them twice this season so they are difficult.
‘I always respect Portuguese teams a lot, and not because I’m Portuguese but because I know them well. If the league is not a very strong league, the three big teams are big teams, with potential, history, status, and experienced players without fear of the big moments. Sporting is a difficult opponent.
‘Maribor brings the danger of the new guys. They have nothing to lose, everything to win, they’ve made already big money for a Slovenian club by participating, and now they will fight for points. I could see the match against Celtic. Celtic Park is difficult for everybody. They went there and played with big personality. They will take points from the other teams.
‘It’s a group with balance. The thing I like in the group is that we don’t have long, long journeys. Every time we are in the Champions League we thn play Man City, Man United, Liverpool and Arsenal – it’s a difficult situation but one to enjoy’.
Liverpool – Real Madrid – Basel – Razgrad
Brendan Rodgers
“That was last season’s hard work, what we were working towards – getting Liverpool back into a competition where we are synonymous.
“To be back in it again, no matter who we were going to play, it was always going to be exciting. But to have Real Madrid in your group, the champions last season, is going to be special.
“I’m already thinking of Anfield on that night. But there are two other good teams in it along with us. It’s a tough group but we’ll really look forward to the challenge of getting out of the group.”
