At times, it was hard to make head or tail of this new Champions League draw.
I thought the computerised system would be short and sharp but it was anything but and, let’s be honest, draining to watch.
By the end, though, it did throw up plenty of mouth-watering ties for our British clubs.
The Champions League draw was made on Thursday in a new format for the competition
Cristiano Ronaldo (right) and Gianluigi Buffon (left) were involved in the league phase draw
ARNE’S CHANCE TO PROVE HE’S RIGHT MAN
Of all our teams, Liverpool’s draw produced the most games to get excited about. Kylian Mbappe heads to Anfield for the first time in six years with Real Madrid, led by a former Everton manager in Carlo Ancelotti. A trip to AC Milan and a repeat of that famous Istanbul final.
The juiciest one, though, will be when Xabi Alonso returns to Anfield in charge of Bayer Leverkusen. He seemed the outstanding candidate to replace Jurgen Klopp this summer only to commit his future to the German club.
Arne Slot will be doubly determined to win this one because if Leverkusen go to Anfield and do a job on Liverpool, how many will be saying Alonso was the true successor.
I’ve been impressed with Slot so far, though. He’s a change to the blood-and-thunder of Klopp but I like the way he’s handled himself in his understated way. It's a tough draw but they have a good chance of going deep.
Arne Slot has been given a huge chance to prove his Liverpool credentials after being given a tough Champions League draw
Liverpool will face a host of top teams in their first eight matches of the Champions League
Liverpool will host reigning champions Real Madrid at Anfield in the competition's league phase
EMOTIONAL NIGHTS FOR VILLA
It’s great to see Villa back at European football’s top table. They are a massive club and it’s been difficult for them over recent years so imagine the atmosphere when they welcome Bayern Munich to Villa Park and all those memories of beating the German giants to lift the European Cup in 1982. That’s going to be one hell of an emotional night.
And who’s not excited by the prospect of facing Celtic for the first time, a fellow former European champion. I played for both clubs so feel free to call it the Chris Sutton Derby!
If there’s anyone who knows how to enjoy European success it’s Unai Emery, a four-time Europa League winner with Sevilla and Villarreal. Villa have players, too, in the likes of Emi Martinez who know how to handle the big occasion.
My concern for Villa is whether they have the strength in depth. Their squad looks a little light, especially if they have bad luck with injuries, and we saw Newcastle struggle with that last season. If they are at full strength, though, not many teams will want to play them. They’ll pick up a scalp or two.
Aston Villa will make their Champions League debut after Unai Emery guided them to a top four Premier League finish last season
Villa Park will be a cauldron of noise when the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus visit
England captain Harry Kane will return to his home nation as Bayern Munich were drawn to face Villa
ARTETA’S DILEMMA
This new format means more fixtures but that leaves Mikel Arteta with a dilemma. Arsenal are desperate to win the Premier League after narrowly missing out the last two seasons so will Arteta prioritise his domestic campaign over the Champions League?
The key will be to qualify as quickly as possible. It’s a good draw for the Gunners but the true gauge will be when we find out in what order they’ll face their opponents. When will the tougher games be? PSG and Inter will be a real test and Atalanta are the reigning Europa League champions.
Arteta will want qualification secure before they face them. So, they need to be ruthless if the fixture list falls nicely. They don’t want to be in the play-off positions with even more fixtures and even more pressure. Get it done early and get your focus back on winning the league. That’s the dream.
Mikel Arteta faces a dilemma with Arsenal this season - either go for the Premier League title or the Champions League
NEW FORMAT, SAME OLD STROLL FOR CITY
City sailed through the old group stages and I don’t see that changing. PSG, Juventus and Inter are tricky but they’ve got a great draw. And with their strength in depth, quality and experience, they will do what they normally do and stroll through.
Again, not knowing when those ‘trickier’ games will be is key to whether this format works. There could be very little jeopardy left by the time they face the other European giants.
Since you only play teams once, the likes of Slovan Bratislava and Slavia Prague, who playing their first Champions League campaign in 19 years, will see this as a one-off shot to beat one of the European giants and give it their all. But Pep knows how to get it done, and quickly.
Manchester City previously eased through the Champions League group stages and that is likely to be the case in the new format
Pep Guardiola will task his City side with playing the likes of Slovan Bratislava and Slavia Prague
A CHANCE FOR BRENDAN
Don’t forget Celtic! They were all-but eliminated after four games last year so the extra games this time around gives them a chance to show they can be competitive in Europe under Brendan Rogers. He’ll want to make his mark, too.
There are games that will excite the fans. A Battle of Britain against Villa, a chance to face Borussia Dortmund for the first time since 1992. Supporters will remember beating them in 1987.
I do think Celtic have some players at Champions League level but also a few that aren’t. Losing Matt O’Riley to Brighton is a huge blow.
Big European nights at Celtic Park are special but you don’t just want to go for pre-match entertainment. You want to see team compete and take some big scalps. This is an opportunity to do that.
Celtic manager Brendan Rogers will want to make his mark with the Scottish side in the Champions League
WILL THE GAP JUST GET BIGGER?
If the big boys win all their early games and the minnows lose theirs, then we could be in for a pretty boring final few rounds of games. That’ll be the test of this new format.
This happened in the old group stage, too, but it does feel like this new format could show just how wide the gap is between the giants and the also-rans when they’re sat in one big 32-team table.
We’ve been told the new format is about more excitement. It’s not, is it? It’s about more money. Let’s not kid ourselves. That’s the real reason. Still, we may as well buy into it. Let’s might as well enjoy the football when it comes because there’s some great games.