UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE:ALEX FERGUSON was not feigning his indifference to the manner in which Manchester United advanced to the last 16 of the Champions League. In the event, they did top Group B, but today his team may be drawn against runners-up who cannot be written off as also-rans. Chelsea and Arsenal face the same risk.

Some of the potential opponents present far more of a danger than they did earlier this season.

Bayern Munich typify such a transformation. At the start of last week, it seemed conceivable that Louis van Gaal’s long-term future could be in doubt as the club wondered whether it might have to appoint its sixth manager since 2004. In Turin, however, the incumbent pulled off the sort of result that transforms someone into an instant if provisional folk hero.

Few teams go there and beat Juventus emphatically. A 4-1 win is to be treasured but a very wealthy club such as Bayern ought not to have got into such trouble. Some fans could still fear that value for money has not been achieved in the transfer market, but one of the recruits, Ivica Olic, had a critical role against the Serie A team.

Opponents could be dealing with a reinvigorated Bayern. The last 16 ties are still some way off, but Van Gaal’s side beat vulnerable Bochum 5-1 at the weekend and, lying just two points behind the Bundesliga leaders, Leverkusen, must be confident. Even so, Van Gaal, for all his fame, cannot be the most eye-catching coach in the Champions League.

Whatever else he does, Jose Mourinho looks resolved to hold that position in perpetuity. Internazionale’s manager is still indefatigable when it comes to sparking a dispute. Lesser figures would have had a dull day while serving a touchline ban, but Mourinho made headlines because of his argument with a reporter following the 1-1 draw with Atalanta last weekend.

It reinforces the idea the Portuguese is living in a maelstrom. A parting with his employers seems likely in the summer. Inter’s concern must be that the manager commonly lays on more of a spectacle than his squad.

Considering the five-point lead in Serie A, Mourinho is well on his way to retaining the domestic title, but the Portuguese dare not continue Inter’s unbroken series of eliminations in the Champions League’s first knockout phase that began in 2007, the year before his appointment. Mourinho’s team laboured to get even this far.

Inter went through with nine points, the joint lowest total of any side to survive in the tournament. They did have the holders, Barcelona, for daunting company in their group, but the squad might have been expected to show that it was gathering strength. The club had bought Diego Milito and Wesley Sneijder while also acquiring Samuel Eto’o in the deal that took Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Camp Nou.

Inter went out to Manchester United at this juncture last season without scoring in either leg. As group winners, the Premier League clubs all have the reassurance of playing the return match at home, but there would still be a concern that Mourinho will not go on being a minor factor in the competition.

A venture to the city will also give pause for thought if Milan are the opponents since they may be rallying to some extent, regardless of Sunday’s home defeat by Palermo. Serie A also reasserted itself when Fiorentina topped the group in which Liverpool were knocked out, but they cannot be pitted against any more Premier League representatives in the last 16.

The one side to gather more points than Fiorentina was Laurent Blanc’s Bordeaux, who beat Bayern in both fixtures, and while any encounter with an English team will have to wait in their case it would be in the Champions League’s interests if clubs from England and Spain are given something to fear.

In any case, the last 16 will loom over us for quite a while. This year, as Uefa strive to prolong the broadcasters’ obsession with the Champions League, the ties will be contested over eight separate match dates between February 16th and March 17th. This element of the competition may not be engrossing, but the ruling body is determined to maximise its impact.

On TV:Eurosport, Setanta Ireland and Sky Sports News (11am).

- Guardian Service