Manchester United will begin the second group phase in the Artemio Franchi stadium tonight hoping that they are not quite so wasteful with their ammunition as Arsenal were when they encountered Fiorentina in the opening round.
Arsene Wenger's team had numerous opportunities, including a penalty, in both games to beat Giovanni Trapattoni's erratic side but missed them all. A scoreless draw in Florence was not the end of the world for Arsenal but defeat at Wembley, when Gabriel Batistuta scored the only goal, finished their interest in the Champions League for another season.
Now the 30-year-old Argentinian striker poses a significant threat to a United side that has yet to find its best form since winning the tournament in May. "The only time the team has really come to life this season has been in the games against Arsenal and Liverpool," Alex Ferguson said yesterday. "After last season, that's understandable.
"I think we've done well to go top of the Premier League and progress in the Champions League at the same time without reaching the heights just yet." But tonight Jaap Stam and the United defence may have to be at their sharpest to cope with the moody, mercurial Batistuta.
Ferguson was interested in bringing the Argentinian to Old Trafford before he signed Dwight Yorke from Aston Villa. "He's a big strong lad who wins games in the penalty box," United's manager observed, "and he's got great acceleration". Trapattoni was more expansive. "He's our most important player because he's one of the best centre-forwards in the world. He has been one of the most important players here in my time and as long as I'm here I don't want to lose him."
Neither will Stam this evening. Not that those who witnessed Batistuta's performances against Arsenal will easily recognise the striker from yesterday's panegyrics. In the first game he was anonymous and in the second, having been cautioned after three minutes for an awful foul on Lee Dixon, he spent most of the time complaining to the referee before eventually showing his positive side with a well-struck winner.
The likely absence of the injured Enrico Chiesa may ease the burden on United tonight although this will merely bring in another Argentinian striker, Abel Balbo. Much will depend on how well Ferguson's defence and midfield deal with Rui Costa, the Portuguese who operates in the dangerous area just behind the front runners.
Ferguson is expected to recall Denis Irwin at left-back with Gary Neville, now fit again, returning on the right. Henning Berg should partner Stam at centre-back and Paul Scholes is set to return in midfield with Nicky Butt on the bench.
Trapattoni, an old hand at the diplomacy business, praised Ferguson for mastering the art of making changes without altering his team's style and quoted last season's final as an example. "United's style is similar to Arsenal but they have better individuals like Keane, Beckham, Yorke, Cole and Sheringham," he said.
Fiorentina's coach added that Italian football now lacked players of the quality of David Beckham, Ryan Giggs and Scholes, which must be news to Ronaldo and Alessandro del Piero. "Systems are one thing but players like this can make all the difference," he insisted. "There is geometry; then there is Picasso." And he did not even wink an abstract eye as he said it.
FIXTURES
GROUP A - Hertha Berlin v Barcelona; Sparta Prague v FC Porto. GROUP B - Fiorentina v Manchester Utd; Valencia v Bordeaux.
FIORENTINA (probable, 3-5-2): Toldo; Repka, Firicano, Pierini; Di Livio, Cois, Torricelli, Heinrich; Rui Costa; Batistuta, Balbo.
MANCHESTER UNITED (probable, 4-4-2): Van der Gouw; G Neville, Berg, Stam, Irwin; Beckham, Keane, Scholes, Giggs; Cole, Yorke.
Referee: B Heynemann (Germany).
