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Jose Mourinho announced that he wanted an English club in the last 16 of the Champions League - and "The Special One" usually gets what he wants.

So it was with a degree of inevitability that Mourinho's Inter Milan were paired with holders Manchester United in a draw that will have Europe's football community drooling.

Mourinho is box office and big headlines all wrapped up in an expensive black overcoat, and that will be some walk down the touchline for the second leg at Old Trafford.

United's meeting with Inter is the main news - but the rest of the draw is littered with reunions and mouth-watering games that also give England's quartet every chance of reaching the quarter-finals.

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Blackburn Rovers - an admired model of Premier League stability and common sense - have illustrated the fear factor running through the top flight by .

John Williams is not a chairman who indulges in a revolving door managerial policy. .

Ince's predecessors as Blackburn boss, and , were reluctantly allowed to join other clubs as opposed to being shown the door.

But the unpalatable prospect of the loss of Premier League status meant there was a grim inevitability about Ince's dismissal after only three wins in 17 games.

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The Premier League's elite quartet ensured it was business as usual in the Champions League as they made their way into the last 16 and the knockout phase - but the passage was not always smooth.

Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal have cast a huge shadow over the tournament, with an English presence in every final since 2005.

Sir Alex Ferguson, Rafael Benitez, Luiz Felipe Scolari and Arsene Wenger will now have their sights set on after achieving the first goal of navigating their way out of the group stage.

So how should we rate their chances as the Champions League moves towards the business end?

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Didier Drogba has been called many things in his turbulent time at Chelsea - , drama queen and prima donna being three of the more printable tags attached to this enigmatic and often infuriating figure.

No-one, however, has ever accused Drogba of being a bad player and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari was made aware of a simple fact of life as Chelsea to reach the Champions League knockout phase.

Drogba, for all his foibles and failings, must be kept onside and at Chelsea if they are to fulfil the ambitions Scolari has for them at home and abroad.

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Rafael Benitez preferred to see his glass as half-full as Liverpool hit the Premier League summit on a wave of Anfield indifference.

to overhaul Chelsea at the top of the table - but this was two points lost rather than one gained and a combination of jeers and disappointment at the final whistle reflected the mood.

Benitez stated that Liverpool's fans will study the league table on Tuesday and be happy with their position as leaders in what promises to be the tightest title race in years.

But you would have needed an industrial-sized microscope to detect any signs of happiness around a freezing Anfield after another goalless let-down..

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