Arsene Wenger knows what he wants for Christmas. [url=http://www.billsnflgears.com/Customized.html?cat=908]Custom Buffalo Bills Jerseys[/url] . A change of luck. Wengers Arsenal were one of 16 teams to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions League this week and when he was asked recently wh

Arsene Wenger knows what he wants for Christmas. Custom Buffalo Bills Jerseys . A change of luck. Wengers Arsenal were one of 16 teams to qualify for the knock-out stages of the Champions League this week and when he was asked recently what he wanted ahead of Mondays draw, he was in a jovial mood. First to send a different guy (to do) the draw, he joked. If you look at our last five or six years, we have got always what we just didnt want, Wenger explained. It is true that Arsenal havent had much luck in recent years when it comes to the draw but it is a bed they have made themselves and had to lie in. Ahead of the draw for the last 16 this season, they are lying in the same bed, a bed of uncertainty as a Champions League group runner-up for the third successive season, fourth in the last five and sixth in the last eight. For a team that is seeded regularly as a top eight team, that is a record that is simply not good enough. Wenger must surely realize, then, that little people will have any sympathy with a side that often gets a powerhouse in the next round because they couldnt win their group. Arsenal will be placed in the second pot in Mondays draw and will be drawn against a group winner not from their own association (Chelsea) or their own qualifying group (Borussia Dortmund). With other countries in England struggling this season, the pot to determine Arsenals opponent is bigger than years past. Arsenal will be drawn against one of Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, Monaco, Bayern Munich, Barcelona or Porto on Monday. Wenger said his team have often been given teams they didnt want in recent years and they have lost in the last 16 in each of the last four years, twice to Bayern Munich and once each to Milan and Barcelona. This current Arsenal team will need to improve significantly between now and when the tournament restarts in February if they want to progress beyond the next round, something Wenger admitted, but no matter how much they improve, they will look at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid as teams they will stand little chance against over two legs. Similarly, Atletico Madrid will be listed as favourites if they are drawn with the Gunners. Matches against Porto or Monaco are ones that Wenger will prefer. It was the French manager who once said the Champions League is two different cup competitions in one but it is clear in recent years that performances in the knock-out stage are being more and more impacted by how a team performs in the group stage. We have now had 11 full seasons of Champions League play that have featured the current format of a round of 16 following a group stage. In the first seven seasons, only 35 group winners out of 56 progressed to the final eight (quarter-finals). During that span, only three seasons from seven saw as many as six group winners get to the last eight by advancing through the last 16 two-legged affair. In the last four seasons, this has happened every time and last season, for the first time ever, all eight group winners advanced to the last eight. The huge clubs in Europe are getting bigger and better and the divide between them and the others in this elite competition is widening every season. Of the 32 group winners in the last four seasons, 27 have progressed to the last eight – 84 per cent, compared to the 63 per cent from 2003-2010. Or, to put it another way, teams that finished runners-up in their group from 2003-2010 qualified for the last eight almost 38 per cent of the time. In the last four seasons, this has dropped to just 15 per cent, which is closer to only one non-group winning team advancing into the last eight than two. Recent history suggests no more than two teams who finished second in their group will advance beyond the next round, although this years class features some strong teams with Arsenal being joined by Juventus, Basel, Bayer Leverkusen, Manchester City, PSG, Schalke and Shakhtar Donetsk. One of these teams could go on to win the Champions League, of course, but it is unlikely. Of the 88 teams to finish second in their group over the last 11 seasons, only four have reached the final but Porto (03/04), Liverpool (04/05) and Inter Milan (09/10) did win it all that way. Here are the last 16 ranked: Teams that are the favourites 1. Bayern Munich – Strolled through a tough group and put in the best performance by obliterating Roma, 7-1. Only PSG of the group runners-up could get anywhere close to troubling them over two legs in the next stage. 2. Real Madrid – Current holders who were brilliant in the group stage. No runner-up will want them in the last 16. 3. Chelsea – Mourinhos men are tournament-proven and have an outstanding defence that will be vital in knock-out play. Contenders who could win but are not in the elite group 4. Atletico Madrid – Last years finalists have lost some key components this season but still are a force and many of their midfield starlets are getting even better. 5. Barcelona – Still vulnerable and nowhere close to the elite level they once were at but were very impressive against PSG on matchday six to win the group. 6. PSG – May have missed a massive opportunity to win the group by losing at Barcelona but this team has won big games in recent years and wont fear many in the last 16. Unlikely winners that can make a run deep 7. Man City – Probably the last team that can genuinely win the tournament and thats still a massive task for a team that just squeezed into the last 16. Now that they are there, though, they have the players to get by the last 16 for the first time. 8. Juventus – After disappointment last season, Juve absolutely had to qualify to the knock-out stage this year but it shouldnt stop there. Time is now for this superpower to go on a run and, if they can avoid any of the top 3 in the next round, theyll have a chance. 9. Borussia Dortmund – Jurgen Klopps men won their third successive Champions League group, despite not being seeded and they are starting to show signs of a turnaround after a disappointing domestic season yet the 2013 finalists are not feared the way they once were. Teams that will believe they should make the last 8 10. Porto – One of the teams a runner-up wont be disappointed to be drawn against but more than capable of getting to the quarter-finals. 11. Arsenal – Enormous draw awaits for Wenger on Monday. Should be careful what he wishes for. A favourable draw followed by a loss could be a massive setback for a man under pressure. 12. Monaco – The last of the group winners and the team the likes of Juventus, Arsenal and Man City will want. Performed well in a weak group but continue to struggle domestically. 13. Shakhtar Donetsk – Not a side to sleep on and one that could give some of the weaker group winners a difficult tie. Would not fear a matchup with Monaco or Dortmund. Unlikely to move beyond the next round 14. Basel – The Swiss giants were magnificent at Anfield and gave Liverpool a clinic in ball composure and technical quality but theyll find it very hard to move into the last 8. 15. Schalke – Quietly carving out an excellent European tradition (and co-efficient number) having reached the last 16 for the third successive season in a row but will likely end their campaign at that stage once again. 16. Bayer Leverkusen – German teams not named Dortmund and Bayern have done very well once again in this competition but by finishing second, and therefore not having a chance to play the same team domestically, have a very short pot of opponents. Will be hoping for Monaco. Jim Kelly Bills Jersey .C. -- Eric Staal kept his focus after his apparent breakaway goal was waived off early in the third period. Josh Allen Bills Jersey . Many of those eyes are in the United States of America, a country that the sport has wanted on its side for some time. On Sunday the football Gods delivered once again, only this time it was time for good old USA to experience as much heartache as joy. http://www.billsnflgears.com/Black-Tremaine-Edmunds-Bills-Jersey.html?cat=949 . Having won the first leg 1-0 in Barcelona, Madrid entered the match at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium already in control and quickly sealed its place in the semifinals when Jese Rodriguez scored in the seventh minute.When a head coach and his team sit with just a pair of wins come Thanksgiving, the playoffs are all but a mathematical long shot. Considering that the team has gone through more turnover, turmoil, and injuries than the franchise has seen in decades, it may prove difficult to keep the troops motivated. For head coach Tim Burke and the rest of the organizational brass — from acting CEO Wade Miller to acting GM Kyle Walters all the way through to the scouting and coaching staff — the collective mantra is to have the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the most advantageous position possible come training camp. "Everything were doing from here on out, were building for the future," said Burke as he prepared his 2-12 club for Mondays Week 16 visit to Montreal. "The guys who are playing here are playing to get better. I just looked at who we played this last week against Calgary. We actively played I think it was seven rookies, six second-year guys, and nine third-year guys — so were really young. Were going to use these last four weeks to just get better as a team and gain experience in the CFL. That way were making ourselves better for next year." Burke has instilled a fresh mentality in his veteran leadership, as well as into the air-lift of new bodies brought in over the last few weeks. At this juncture, one could argue every single player on the roster is auditioning for a job next spring. "Ive never been in a situation like this before at this point in the season, but honestly were out here proving ourselves to the coaches and management every day," said defensive end Greg Peach, who was brought in mid-season after being released by Hamilton. "Its not like it all of a sudden changes and oh my god, Ive got to play hard. Tremaine Edmunds Jersey. Every day that you are here youre playing for your job if its practice, games. So that hasnt changed in my mind, and I dont think a lot of the guys minds. But it is evident. We do have to play well." "Hes basically laid it out there for us that if you want to continue to play this game youre going to have to perform whenever times get tough," said fifth-year Blue Bomber Glenn January. "This is about as tough a time as you can have in this profession. Youve got to keep on coming to work every day with that hard-hat mentality, and making sure you dont put anything on film that can allow anyone to question your dedication to this game." For consecutive weeks the Blue Bombers have introduced new players into their lineup, either by way of injury, performance, or acquisition by the general manager. 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