Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool has again exposed the chinks in the Premier League champions’ armour, notably their defensive frailties against top level opposition.

While United overcame Rio Ferdinand’s howler in a 4-3 win over City in the Manchester derby, the England centre back’s lack of pace and cutting edge cost Alex Ferguson’s side dearly against Liverpool.

The ease with which a half-fit Fernando Torres got away from Ferdinand to score Liverpool’s opening goal will have raised not only Ferguson’s eyebrows, but also given Fabio Capello a headache.

Is Ferdinand, who has looked completely at sea in the heart of United’s defence this season and had a nightmare of a game in England’s 1-0 defeat by Ukraine, going through just a temporary loss of form or are his best days behind him?

Ferguson has no world class cover for Ferdinand in his squad and his decision to let Gerard Pique return to Barcelona after United’s 2008 Champions League triumph might come back to haunt him. That is if it hasn’t already...Pique stopped United from taking the lead in the 2009 final while Ferdinand was at fault for Barcelona’s second goal in the 2-0 defeat by the Spanish champions.

England’s potential rivals in the 2010 World Cup will also be rubbing their hands over Ferdinand becoming a liability and while Capello must hope he rediscovers his form, the Italian might also want to consider an alternative partner to John Terry in the centre of England’s defence.

PHOTO: Liverpool's Fernando Torres (front) outmuscles Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand to score during their English Premier League match at Anfield, Oct 25, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble

But do not despair, England fans, because there is an option for those of you determined to watch it on telly.

Croatia's HRT 2 state television, also viewable in Serbia on cable, is showing the game live, so here is your chance to combine a bit of light football watching with an autumn dip in the Adriatic somewhere along Croatia's mesmerising coast, or an evening spent sampling Belgrade's unique and vibrant nightlife, epitomised by boat-bars and clubs along the Danube.

And fear not that the Croatian faithful might have a go at you after their team's recent 5-1 drubbing at Wembley. They will be praying for an England win that would leave their boys in the driving seat for a runners-up spot in Group Six.

PHOTO: A subscription page is shown on a laptop computer at a cafe in central London October 5, 2009. REUTERS/Toby Melville

"It is a shameful decision, especially in view of the fact that Eduardo personifies everything that's decent in professional sport," Bilic told Zagreb daily Vecernji List after learning the verdict.

Fans and media have gone to even greater length in defending the Brazilian-born Croatia striker, who has won the hearts and sympathy of his adopted country after recovering from a horrific leg break he suffered in Arsenal's Premier League match at Birmingham in February 2008.

The sense of injustice in Croatia wasn't helped by last weekend's injury suffered by Tottenham playmaker Luka Modric, who faces up to six weeks on the sidelines after breaking his leg in a league match with Birmingham (again).

Croatia's leading sports website, www.sportnet.hr, had harsh words.

"Eduardo has been punished in a most detestable manner, supposedly so that justice is done, while justice was deaf, dumb and blind only 18 months earlier when he was in bed with his ankle shattered and his career hanging by a thread," the website said.

Is Eduardo a victim of double standards, or simply his own ill-judged decision to go down rather easily after minimum or no contact with the goalkeeper?

PHOTO: Croatia manager Slaven Bilic speaks with Luka Modric (L) and Eduardo Da Silva (R) during a training session at Poljud stadium in Split, February 5, 2008. Reuters stringer photo.

Serbia winger Zoran Tosic

The 22-year old has made only a couple of competitive first team appearances for Manchester United since his move from Serbian champions Partizan Belgrade in January and was consequently dropped by Serbia coach Radomir Antic for their 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

But Tosic's inspired performance and two goals after he came on as a substitute against the South Africans must have delighted Antic and given United manager Sir Alex Ferguson something to think about too.

With a vital qualifier against France coming up on September 9, the rejuvenated Tosic has added the much-needed depth to Serbia's squad as they aim to qualify for the finals for the first time as an independent nation.

Ferguson, on the other hand, should also welcome the extra option at hand on the left wing, especially after Nani dislocated his shoulder in United's Community Shield clash with Chelsea on Sunday.

Tosic may not break into United's first team just yet, but a good pre-season tour in Asia and the blistering performance against the World Cup hosts will certainly give him hope that he will not end up as surplus to requirements at Old Trafford.

On one hand, restructuring the qualifying campaign has opened the group stage doors to Latvian champions Venstpils, Cypriots APOEL Nicosia, Hungarian title holders Debrecen and Moldovans Sheriff Tiraspol.

On the other, it has pitted former European Cup winners Celtic against 2006 finalists Arsenal, with the loser confined to taking part in the Europa Liga, the continent's second tier competition.

The new formula means the Champions League lucrative group stage will now have more champions from obscure countries on Europe's soccer map at the expense of third and fourth-placed teams from the top leagues.

It gives unfancied teams a chance to boost their finances and close the gap on wealthier rivals, but it also runs the risk of depriving Europe's premier club competition of some of its glamour.

Would you rather watch both Celtic and Arsenal in the Champions league proper or draw pleasure from seeing a pack of underdogs take centre stage instead?

And crucially, will the new qualifying format last long enough for the new arrivals to establish themselves as regular campaigners?

Give us your thoughts.

PHOTO: UEFA President Michel Platini gestures during a news conference at the end of the organisation's executive committee meeting in Bucharest May 13, 2009. REUTERS/Bogdan Cristel

The overall entertainment, garnished with the eternal rivalry between Greek arch enemies Panathinaikos Athens and Olympiakos Piraeus, was every bit as eye-catching as the recent
NCAA Final Four in Detroit.

In the end, Panathinaikos deservedly won their fifth Euroleague title after edging old foes and 2008 champions CSKA Moscow in the final, following an equally dramatic win over Olympiakos in the semis (click here to read our full report from Berlin).

CSKA and their star-studded outfit were hot favourites to retain the title, but a poor first half cost them dearly, although they almost produced one of the greatest comebacks in the tournament's history.

Panathinaikos and their trophy-laden Serbian coach Zeljko Obradovic, who won a record seventh European Champions Cup with four different teams, erupted in joy with a visible sense of
relief after they nearly threw away a 23-point lead, as CSKA forward Ramunas Siskauskas came agonisingly close to burying a last-gasp, off-balance three-pointer.

Obradovic must be one of the most successful coaches in any sport at this level.

He who won his first premier European club trophy with Partizan Belgrade in 1992, repeated the
feat with Spanish outfits Joventut Badalona and Real Madrid before capturing an impressive haul of silverware with Panathinaikos after he took over in 1999.

The Greek giants have won eight national championships, six national cups and four Euroleague titles under Obradovic.

Good job he's shown no interest in going to the NBA (not that he'd be welcome after comments like these).

PHOTO: Panathinaikos coach Zeljko Obradovic celebrates after winning the Final Four final game against CSKA Moscow in Berlin, May 3, 2009. REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz

The above question is one that comes up now and again around Europe and my colleagues were at it again after CSKA Moscow beat Partizan Belgrade to reach their seventh consecutive Euroleague Final Four.

A lot of them think CSKA and the like could indeed pose a threat to many NBA teams today because the era of great players in the world's toughest league is gone.

It was interesting, then, to hear CSKA coach Ettore Messina flatly deny it even after watching his well-drilled do so well.

"We are too slow, not athletic enough and not one of our players is outstanding by NBA standards," he said. "We have done a good job of playing within our limits in Europe but that's not enough for the toughest basketball league in the world, so we would find it very difficult to compete."

Indeed, it is hard to imagine CSKA point guard Jon Robert Holden, who guided Russia to the 2007 European Championship title after adopting the country's citizenship, stopping even an average NBA rival, never mind someone like Miami Heat's Dwayne Wade, the driving force behind the U.S. team's gold medal in the Beijing Olympics.

Much less would their forwards Ramunas Siskauskas or Trajan Langdon, ranked among the best in European basketball, be able to hold their own against LeBron James or Kobe Bryant.

Several national teams have been able to stun U.S. "dream teams" in Olympics and Worlds down the years, fully exploiting the slight differences in NBA and international rules.

But in an NBA environment with an 82-game regular season, 12 minutes instead of 10 in each quarter and the three-point line further back than they would like it to be, CSKA would stand no chance of making an impact.

Still, that won't bother Messina as the charismatic Italian continues in his quest to win a fifth Euroleague title and make CSKA only the third team in the competition's history to retain the silverware.

Soccer leagues in the Balkans

At least three countries that emerged from the former Yugoslavia stand a good chance of reaching next year's World Cup in South Africa.

Serbia, who tightened their grip on Group Seven with a 3-2 win over neighbours Romania, are in the best position after a masterclass performance by Manchester United centre-back Nemanja Vidic and captain Dejan Stankovic, plying his trade at Italian champions Inter Milan.

Serbia have only two home-based players in their squad, which has been given a new lease of life under coach Radomir Antic in their bid to reach a first major tournament as an independent nation.

Even more impressive were Serbia's bitter Balkan foes Bosnia, who demolished Belgium 4-2 and have an excellent chance of securing a play-off spot in Group Five, where European champions Spain seem untouchable.

The Bosnians, also aiming for a maiden World Cup appearance, are reaping the benefits of having experienced exiles such as Eintracht Frankfurt striker Zlatan Bajramovic, Zvjezdan Misimovic and his 22-year old Wolfsburg team-mate Edin Dzeko, who all scored in their surprise success in Genk.

Croatia may not be able to leapfrog England into the driving seat in Group Six but they should also win a play-off berth available to the eight best second-placed teams.

The Croatians, who finished third in the 1998 World Cup in France, have a wealth of experience in a squad chasing a seventh major tournament appearance in eight attempts.

Slovenia, who faded into oblivion after back-to-back appearances in Euro 2000 and the 2002 World Cup, are in contention for one of the top two spots in a delicately balanced Group Three.

Even the Macedonians are in with a shout for a runners-up spot in Group Nine, where the Dutch have imposed their authority, while Montenegro -- newcomers to the world soccer map -- have no chance in Group Eight.

How many of these teams will come through at the end of a long and demanding road to South Africa?

Can the Balkans produce a unique treble or even a quadruple, or will the region's participation in the finals boil down to the usual one or two teams? Give us your thoughts.

PHOTO: Bosnia's Zlatan Bajramovic (L) celebrates with team mate Zvjezdan Misimovic (R) after scoring against Belgium during a World Cup qualifier at the Fenix stadium in Genk March 28, 2009. REUTERS/Yves Herman

Comments by UEFA officials that the body's president Michel Platini is "dead set" against a European Super League must come as a huge relief to a vast majority of Europe's clubs.

"People should not mix up philosophy and reality. As far as the president is concerned, such a proposal is a non-starter," a senior official close to Platini told Reuters.

The statement came several hours after France Football and Gazzetta dello Sport had published, without naming sources, detailed plans for a three-tier continental league to replace the Champions League and UEFA Cup.

For most national leagues in Europe, which would have to be reorganised to allow Super League teams to play in both competitions, that would have been the final straw.

How would anyone benefit from shredding the Premier League, Europe's wealthiest and most entertaining national championship, into five groups of four teams and a subsequent play-off so that Manchester United and Liverpool could compete?

Would it not turn Europe's top leagues into a mockery and the Premier League trophy into a piece of worthless scrap metal?

Nevermind that it would also devalue the continent's other leagues, whose clubs would never stand a chance of reaching the Super League's elite tier.

Most of them find it difficult enough to qualify for the Champions League in its present format, with the top five nations regularly providing more than half of the competition's group stage participants.

Denying clubs like Danish champions Aalborg a fair chance to impress if only for a day, like they did in their 2-2 draw at Old Trafford, would in all likelihood drive many fans away from the beautiful game.

Or, maybe you would rather watch Europe's elite clubs lock horns several times every season even if it meant condemning the other clubs to complete oblivion?

For more blogs on other sports than soccer, check out http://blogs.reuters.com/sport

The 16 teams that reached the Champions League first knockout round were again the usual suspects expected to go through. The group stage of Europe's premier club competition unfolded rather predictably after a few early shocks.

Ten of the teams qualified for the same stage last season while the other six include twice winners Juventus, who returned with a roar after a two-year absence, as well as former finalists Panathinaikos and Atletico Madrid.

Debutants CFR Cluj and Anorthosis Famagusta started brightly but the gulf in class between them and their more heralded rivals eventually condemned them to early exits from Europe.

The shortlist of potential new winners essentially boils down to last season's finalists Chelsea, 2006 finalists Arsenal and 1984 runners-up Roma, who lost that final at their Olympic Stadium to Liverpool and will hope to surpass the achievement if they reach this season's showdown at the same venue in May.

So, who will win it? Can Manchester United defend their title after an unconvincing run to top spot in their group or will Barcelona be too strong for everyone this time?

Will Jose Mourinho achieve with Inter what he could not with Chelsea? If the unimpressive group stage performances are anything to go by, it will take something special from the 'Special One' to bring the trophy to the San Siro.

While he might even be relieved that Tuesday's 2-1 defeat at Werder Bremen at least allowed him to avoid his former club in the Dec.19 draw, Mourinho said after the lacklustre display that top-level opposition will bring the best out of his outfit.

Nine-time winners Real Madrid should figure as contenders if their new coach Juande Ramos can restore the aura of confidence shattered by Bernd Schuster's defeatist comments that ultimately led to his dismissal.

Last but not least, Liverpool's commanding march into the last 16 suggests they have what it takes to go all the way while also bidding for their first English league title in 19 years.

The long-suffering Anfield faithful must be dreaming of snatching the elusive double from United's grasp, but is that dream still far-fetched at this stage of the season?

PHOTO: Miroslav Klose (C) of Bayern Munich celebrates after scoring against Olympique Lyon during their Champions League match in France, Dec 10, 2008. REUTERS/Robert Pratta