Radomir Antic thinks Arsenal could go all the way in this season's Champions League.
Antic favours Arsenal
By Joe Bernstein. Thursday, 11 March 2004.
Celta Vigo manager Raddy Antic says that Arsenal are his favourites for the Champions League.
Raddy Antic knows first-hand how good Arsenal are, his Celta Vigo side were despatched from the Champions League by Arsene Wenger’s side 5-2 on aggregate this week.
English pundits have known for a while this is a special Gunners side and Antic says Europe is sitting up and taking note as well.
"Nobody will want to play Arsenal in the quarter-finals. They have discovered the secret of how to make stars play with each other as a team," he stresses."
"They are patient in their build-up when they want to be, they are a very constructive and well-balanced side. Their players have been together for some time and it shows."
So what about Real Madrid, team of Beckham, Ronaldo, Zidane et al?
The dreadful bombing in the Spanish capital this morning was a poignant reminder that football is not life and death.
But in troubled times a football club can be part of the important healing process.
Antic hopes that Real and Arsenal can both reach the Champions League final to produce a real football fiesta, and he thinks Arsenal could win the clash of the titans.
"Of course, Real Madrid have a very good side but Arsenal would be my favourites because the Real defence isn’t as good as the rest of the team.
"Arsenal’s defence has a big advantage – they have Patrick Vieira in front. He is the protector and does such a good job for them.
"Real have a lot of fixtures between now and the end of the season including the Spanish Cup Final, they will hope Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos can play again soon.
"If they are to get at an Arsenal weakness, it might be the left-side because Ashley Cole is such an attacking player.
"One thing is for certain, creative football would be the winner in an Arsenal-Real Madrid final.
"You can never discount Milan but they are not as fluid in constructing attacks as the other two teams."
Antic would put Chelsea in the second category of Champions League survivors behind the Big Three Real Madrid, AC Milan and Arsenal.
"They don’t often have the same team for two matches in a row so it will take the players longer to get used to each other," he says.
Antic’s own future is less clear. He is at Celta at least until the end of the season but after that he may work elsewhere – even England.
The self-confessed Anglophile once scored a famous goal for Luton at Manchester City that saved them from relegation, before going on to manager Barcelona and Real Madrid.
His old Luton manager David Pleat has a vacancy at Spurs and while Antic won’t comment directly if he is interested, he doesn’t mind admitting he considers the Tottenham Director of Football a close friend.
"We speak a lot and he is my neighbour in the holidays because we have apartments in southern Spain together," he says.