The UEFA Cup group stage draw threw up a few surprises, not least how Tottenham managed to get themselves into the group of top seeds without winning a European trophy in the last thirty years. Still, it’s over now, and all the mathematical co-efficients in the world won’t change a thing.

The result is that all of the groups containing English teams drew a collective teeth-drier from the fans concerned because of the way the draw was put together. The plum ties are clearly Portsmouth against AC Milan and Villa against Ajax, but each English team has to overcome some pretty stiff opposition to get into the latter stages.

Only, that’s not entirely true. Last season, seven out of eight third placed teams in the group stages reached post-Christmas footy wile coming away with just one group stage win. That’s a whopping 87%. So realistically, if each of the English teams gets two wins from four games, then that’s the second phase reached. Hell, even if they win one, draw two and lose one to the ‘scary’ team in the group, they would probably still sneak through. I’d take those odds.

But the hyperbole about the draw misses the point of the draw entirely. Yes, it’s not realistic to expect Portsmouth to top their group, Aston Villa theirs or even Manchester City with all the undoubted talent in their squad. All of our teams face sides with recent Champions League experience, but sounding the doom bell is a little premature. After all, didn’t Bolton visit Bayern Munich and come away with a draw? Didn’t Middlesbrough and Rangers reach the Final in recent seasons?

The most obvious thing you can say about the draw is that it won’t be easy to qualify, but it’s be made a damn sight harder by fans expecting their teams to wilt in the pressure cooker of facing teams with established European pedigree. Who knows what might happen in those big games? To my mind, it’s the little guys you need to take care of before you can think about beating the likes of PSG or Schalke.

I’m tempted to say that some of those teams are more scared of our lads than we are of them, but that would make them sound like a nest of spiders rather than twenty-three adults wearing polyester. But let’s not be too hard on the English sides. They play in one of the best leagues in the world. Their scouting will be second to none, and for Villa, City and Pompey especially, their home ties after such a long time out of the European limelight (or not even that, in Portsmouth’s case) will be sell-out affairs, fans desperate to see the big sides put to the sword under floodlights.

And besides, for English sides to truly take their place amongst the European elite, they need to be playing the big sides on a regular basis. It’s all very well crossing your fingers for an easy draw, but what good is topping the group if you get put out by the German cup winners after the New Year? These tests, and they are real tests, will show those four sides just how far they’ve got left to go before they become feared European teams.

Besides which, there was no easy draw in the UEFA Cup this season. There hasn’t been since the format was tinkered with a few seasons ago. With the exception of maybe Tottenham, who must be down on their knees thanking Dimitar Berbatov’s contribution for them in Europe, the remaining English sides knew they would have to face big names, famous names that bring on a football-based Proustian rush.

I myself grew up watching Villa in Europe. My team reached Europe in the first season following the Heysel ban and I’ll never forget nights on the Holte End as Villa beat Inter Milan (twice!) and Atletico Madrid. I don’t expect Villa to flatten Ajax but I certainly don’t see any reason to be depressed. It’s Ajax, for heaven’s sake! You don’t get to play them if you spend your career in the Third Division.

And when all’s said and done, that’s how a player judges his career. I played against the best sides in Europe, and here’s the medal to prove it, they might end up saying. But for my money, I’d rather be facing AC Milan and Ajax than Grimsby in the League Cup. Our teams have the same chance as any of those teams of going all the way, so let’s start them off on the good foot and give them the support they need.

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