Eighteen minutes in to their Champions League debut and Tottenham fans could have been forgiven for thinking life in the planets elite club competition was easy. 2-0 up and pressing for a third against a beleaguered Werder Bremen side, Spurs seemed to be adjusting to life amongst Europes top clubs in fine style.

But unfortunately things began to go wrong for Harry Redknapp’s side and conceding a goal just before the break proved to be costly as Bremen fought back to claim a deserved point. It was disappointing for Redknapp but at full-time he was probably relieved to have escaped Germany with just a point.

It was rude awakening for Redknapp and a harsh lesson was learnt. In the Champions League you need to make the most of spells when you are dominating the game.  Tottenham should have been out of sight by the time Bremen got their first goal, but they weren’t and in the second half they were made to pay for not killing the game off.

Against the quality you face in the Champions League you need to be clinical because if you give one chance away you are often cruelly punished, although I suppose if you had offered Spurs fans a point before the game – most would have taken it.

Redknapp himself was relatively satisfied with a draw. He told BBC Sport “I can’t be angry. That first half was as good as you could wish to see.

“Barcelona might be better, but that was as good as Tottenham can do. We passed the ball and opened them up time and time again. But then we conceded a bad goal which suddenly bought them back into the game.

“At 2-1 it gave them a massive lift and they got the early goal in the second half, but overall it was an excellent performance. “

Redknapp’s assessment summed up the game for Spurs, and I now expect them to work harder at making the most of the good spells they will have. Generally though I feel the point will prove a good base for the White Hart Lane club to go on make it through to the knockout stages, which I feel they will manage to do thanks to some positive results in their crucial home Champions League games.

What do you think? Was a point a good enough for Spurs tonight? Will they make it to the knockout stages? Was that the best that Redknapp’s side can play?

In what could easily be the transfer of the summer, 21 year old German wunderkid Mesut Ozil could be Premier League bound if the right price and right club come a’calling. Ozil, currently in the Bundesliga at Werder Bremen, has a current contract that expires at the end of the 2010-2011 season.

If Bremen can’t meet Ozil’s demands for a new contract, and while current talks to reach an agreement are faltering, the youngster could potentially leave the German club on a free after this upcoming season, a potential outcome Bremen won’t want to see come to fruition.

The reality of stalled contract talks could in fact be the very reason Bremen need to realize now is the time to sell and cash in on Ozil so he doesn’t leave next summer with no hefty transfer fee attached. Although a fan of the Bundesliga I am, seeing Ozil control the flow of play, spread passes across the pitch from midfield and get forward in attack would be all too tempting for me not to wish he lands with a Premier League club.

Not all signs point to England however. Bremen’s sporting director Klaus Allofs has in fact stated Bremen’s intentions to re-sign the player as priority number 1. However, if they can’t meet Ozil’s demands, they’ll be forced to cash in on the play-maker this summer as Premier League and other European clubs stand waiting in the wings.

Personally, I’d love nothing more than to see the fantastic Ozil playing in the Premier League. Easily one of the players whose stock rose highest during the month long tournament, Ozil is the kind of quick, skilled play-maker any top four or title chasing team would die to have.

Since we are in fact currently in the silly season, rumors have surfaced of the usual suspects making undisclosed offers. Manchester United and Real Madrid are reported to have made offers with nothing set in stone as of yet.

What are your thoughts on Ozil’s potential transfer from Bremen to the Premier League? Which club do you think he would fit in best at?

Never mind the fact that I’ve been subjecting myself to the pain of following Manchester City for nigh on 12 years – Despite what I and every other City fan have been singing at the top of our lungs all season, I always knew deep down I wasn’t coming to Istanbul at the end of May.

(Not only do I live in the United States, but I’m also a college student and one who is studying to become a schoolteacher.  In other words, I live far, far away from the club I love, I’m skint enough that I can’t afford flights to Turkey on a month and a half’s notice and will likely continue to be so for my entire professional career.  So there you go, that’s my excuse.)

A lot of City fans probably began to feel that way after their team survived a penalty shootout against Aalborg in the UEFA Cup’s round of 16 – their second win on penalties in the competition this season, both coming against Danish opponents – and they were hardly rewarded for advancing further than any City team has in Europe in the last 30 years.

When Blues supporters braced themselves for whatever fate was about to dealt to them at the last-ever UEFA Cup draw last month in Switzerland, they received pretty much the worst news possible.  A European cup final was still possible, but they would have to get through essentially two two-legged cup finals against Hamburg and Werder Bremen, perhaps the two most dangerous teams remaining in the competition, if they were going to the actual final on May 20.

Things were looking good early at the HSH Nordbank Arena on Thursday, though, when Stephen Ireland’s back-and-forth with Robinho resulted in the Irishman giving the Blues a 1-0 lead and a vital away goal in the first minute of the match.  Unfortunately, Hamburg would then overturn the early deficit to take a 3-1 aggregate lead into the second leg in Manchester next week after having scored three unanswered, and anyone who watched the game would tell you it could have easily been closer to five or six.

The good news for City, however, is that one of the few things that the quarterfinal draw allowed them is still in play: Both in the league and (for the most part) in Europe, City have been miles better at the City of Manchester Stadium than they have been away from it, and they’ll have a chance to prove it once again next week.

They were completely outworked for 89 minutes in Hamburg, but Ireland’s goal in the first 35 seconds of the first leg means that a 2-0 win in the second would send the Blues through on away goals.  It’s much easier said than done, obviously, but if City can take their undoubted player of the year’s advice in his post-game interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, show their team’s quality and “be braver,” then a spot in the semifinals isn’t completely out of the question just yet.

Thursday night should have shown any myopic viewers that are solely in the tank for Premier League sides that the German Bundesliga is not to be ignored, with Hamburg and Werder Bremen taking English and Italian teams to task.  Werder Bremen has most likely already booked its passage into the semis with their own 3-1 win on Thursday, but the gap in talent between Bremen and Udinese is greater than that between Hamburg and Manchester City, and Hamburg manager Martin Jol’s men would do well to keep that in mind when they come to Eastlands next week.

Could Manchester City finally put their 33 year major trophy drought to bed this season by winning the UEFA Cup this season? Why not, what  with Ajax crashing out last night at the hands of Marseille and Zenit St Petersburg and CSKA Moscow losing today, the competition for the trophy is getting into the nitty gritty stage and it seems to be opening up for City. Mark Hughes side has been wildly inconsistent, putting 6 past Portsmouth and 5 past Hull City, but dumped out of the League Cup by Brighton on penalties and were humiliated at home 3-0 by Nottingham Forest in the F.A. Cup but they’ve been impressive in the UEFA Cup both at home and abroad this season. With only one away win in the league, it’s been a strange season for the City faithful.

Tonight they travel to Northern Jutland to face Aalborg with a 2-0 lead and a chance to move into the Quarter Finals for a real crack at the trophy. Yet, Manchester City have a history of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory which is unparalled in English Football that has seen their fans develop a very healthy ability to laugh at themselves. Surely this could be their season to finally put a proper smile on faces of the City faithful? It’s certainly a weaker UEFA Cup than it could have been with AC Milan, Aston Villa, Tottenham, Fiorentina, Bordeaux and Valencia all being removed from the competition before we even reached the last 16.I don’t think Mark Hughes will be upset to see any of those sides out at all. Their first 11 is certainly as good as some of the remaining teams in the competition, maybe one of the best, so it’s not impossible to imagine City lifting the trophy in Turkey on May 20th.

City though have perhaps received a little too much stick this season for me. Sure they’ve become the richest club in the world but it’s still a transitional season for them. Thankfully for us, Chief Executive Gary Cook seems to have kept a very low profile after his rather childish comments about AC Milan and Kaka in January, which is a blessing for us all. His rather acidic nature and bombastic attitude doesn’t sit well people and attracts as much criticism as it deserves, but Hughes has also had a fair amount of flak, unfairly I feel. It’s a learning curve for everyone at Manchester City, ever since the Robinho signing, they’ve suddenly moved onto a different level but they’ve got their best chance of some serious silverware for a long time in the UEFA Cup.

If they can negotiate tonight’s away leg, which knowing City, is no forgone conclusion, then the key teams to avoid are Werder Bremen and whoever wins in the tie of the round, Galatasaray v SV Hamburg. Martin Jol’s team have a lot to do and need to score in Turkey tonight to have any chance to get through but if they do, then they’ll become the favourite for the cup. If City can avoid those teams, then reaching the final becomes a realistic proposition for Mark Hughes. I hope they do get there, he’s dealt with rumour and counter rumour all season with supreme patience, fending questions about his future, transfers, ongoing issues with certain big name players and the change in expectations once Manchester City were ought by the Abu Dhabi United Group, with courtesy.He deserves a bit of luck after everything that’s been thrown at him throughout the season.

I wish them all the best in Europe and hope we get a Hamburg and Manchester City final for the last ever UEFA Cup final before we welcome the Europa League next season.