CL draw reaction

All from the best soundbites from the Champions League draw in one handy bitesize guide.

What the managers and money men have been saying about Thursday's Champions League draw from Monaco

Thursday's draw in Monaco for the group phase of the UEFA Champions League has thrown up some intriguing clashes as Europe's finest start their bids to reach Wembley on 28th May. Tottenham's first crack at the Champions League pits them against holders Inter Milan, while elsewhere Sir Alex Ferguson and Walter Smith renew old friendships/rivalries as Manchester United and Rangers go head-to-head in a battle of Britain. Here, skysports.com brings you the best of the soundbites from British representatives, along with a series of snippets from further afield.

Manchester United view

"Walter Smith's already been on the phone, talking about tickets for Old Trafford! Like me, he's really looking forward to our games against each other. You can't complain about that, it's a good draw for us. You always look at the travelling side of it and the only one that's of any great distance is the trip to Turkey." Sir Alex Ferguson "There is the Rangers connection, we played them back in 2003/04 and Alex (Ferguson) and Walter Smith go back a long way. It will be a great atmosphere at Old Trafford and I remember when we played up there in 2003 and Phil Neville scored a fairly rare goal. It will be a great occasion, I've spoken to Sir Alex and he's looking forward to it. Valencia had a good season last season. We last played them in 2000, we've had five games against them and going out to Spain is always nice. You can talk yourself into (Bursaspor) seeming a long trip. That is the beauty of the competition, there are new teams again." United chief executive David Gill.

Tottenham view

"Are we worried about taking on Inter? Am I worried about going to the San Siro Stadium? Do my players think they are inferior? No, no and no again. We will treat every team with respect, as no one gets into this competition unless they are a top, top outfit. But on our day, we are capable of beating anyone. "I won't be changing just because we are in the Champions League. We will have a go at teams, especially at home, because that is how we are an attacking side who play an open game. When I came here to White Hart Lane the dream was to get into the group stages and we've achieved that. Everyone is looking forward to going to Inter, Bremen and Twente. We haven't made many changes to the squad here and we don't need to." Harry Redknapp

Arsenal view

"There is a real incentive for all English clubs, especially the London clubs. It would be fantastic to play in the final in London and I know Spurs and Chelsea will feel the same way. There will probably be a mini competition within a competition there. There are so many good teams in Europe. It was probably an aberration when we had three (English clubs) in the semi-final. It's probably more usual to have a more international competition. Looking at the calibre of some of the other European sides, it's going to be very tough. We probably won't see the days of three (English) teams in the semis again this year." Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis

Chelsea view

"We've got to be fairly happy with that. Since Wembley opened we've been there eight times now. You like to play a final on foreign soil, obviously for our supporters and the occasion, but you never know, Wembley is a lucky omen for us and may well be this year." Chelsea club secretary David Barnard.

Rangers view

"It's a great game to kick off the campaign with and there's no question we couldn't have had a tougher one. Any footballer worth his salt would want to go and play at Old Trafford so it is a game we will look forward to. United have a supreme pedigree when it comes to the Champions League and it is not often that they don't make it to the late stages. "They have become so adept at picking up the points they need to make it through the group stage and that is what we have to look at. They achieve a great level of consistency in Europe, but we know all about them and it will be a challenge we look forward to." Walter Smith "Manchester United and Rangers are two great British teams pitting themselves against each other but the fact that Sir Alex Ferguson and Walter Smith are such great friends - and I've been privy to the banter as the seasons have gone on - is one they'll really be looking forward to, it's nice for them. The fact we've drawn Manchester United is great. There will be no easy matches. Commercially it's lucrative to play Manchester United at this stage - you want to have a tie which captures supporters' imagination. Income will be £14million from the Champions League this season, we will really miss it if we don't get it." Rangers chief executive Martin Bain.

And a few from further afield...

"Facing Real Madrid is very evocative - it's a very stimulating challenge. The San Siro and Santiago Bernabeu will be completely full and it's sure to be a show. Ajax and Auxerre got through their playoffs brilliantly and are two very worthy opponents. We're going to have to maintain our concentration and physical condition for all these games. It's an iron-tough group." AC Milan coach Massimiliano Allegri. "It is a very difficult group of course, but very attractive for the fans (because) of all the history with these three clubs. It will be very even. We hope that he is the right man to take the team to the title. Maybe (he, Jose Mourinho, wanted) a little easier (group). But, anyway, we have to face this situation. We are Real Madrid and we will try to do our best." Madrid director of football Emilio Butragueno. "You want to win every match and when you see AC Milan and Real Madrid in the pool, you know it will be tough." Ajax coach Martin Jol. "It's a good Champions League group, with Chelsea as the team that's shaping up as the big favourite and the rest of the group is open. But compared to last season, I feel that we're better equipped." Marseille sporting director Jose Anigo. "Sometimes draws are more difficult than they seem at first. Benfica eliminated Marseille (in last season's Europa League) and Schalke made Bayern suffer. We will have to be very vigilant. It is a very balanced group and we will need to be at our best to get out of this group." Lyon club president Jean-Michel Aulas.