Tough Champions League draw

We have been drawn in a tough Champions League group with Valencia, Rangers and Bursaspor.

We’ve played Valencia on a number of occasions before in the Champions League and they are always very difficult and have been solid for a number of years. Spanish opposition are always among the toughest.

Valencia are the standout opponents in terms of quality in the group.

I would expect them to be our strongest opponent because of their record in the Champions League, the players they have and the fact that Spanish football is so strong at national level at the moment.

But that may not be the case because you can be shocked in the Champions League by any team these days if you’re not fully prepared.

The emotion involved with the Rangers games will make them difficult, due to the great rivalry between England and Scotland. I have played at Ibrox once before and it was tough. We won 1-0 on the night and believe it or not my brother Phillip scored the winner.

It was a very difficult game in a very intense, passionate atmos­phere, but it was also very enjoyable because as players we want to play in those types of matches.

I don’t know much about Bursaspor but going to Turkey is always difficult because the fans are so passionate. Turkish football has improved massively in the past 15 years and we know it will be a very hostile atmosphere.

In the Champions League all teams know they are not going to have it easy and if you look through all the groups you see there are some really difficult ties.

So we’re not happy or unhappy with our group; we expect it to be tough in the Champions League.

Tottenham Hotspur will be playing in the Champions League for the first time and they will find it is an education. Spurs have some players who have played in it before but they haven’t done it as a team.

You certainly need experience in the Champions League; we found it very tough in the first few years that we qualified. The occasions are incredible; they’re almost like cup finals in their own right. Playing away from home in the Champions League is as tough as it gets.

Spurs have been drawn with Inter Milan, while in the Europa League, Manchester City have been drawn in the same group as Juventus. They should be mouth-watering ties; as players you dream of games like that.

Don’t get carried away at this stage

Chelsea have had some big wins so far this season, but it’s very early and there are a lot of big battles to come.

We don’t want to fall too far behind and we have to win games, but we know we are going to draw matches. Fulham away is a difficult game for any team, so I thought 2-2 was a fair result in our game against them last Sunday.

We dominated possession in the first half and we could have killed the game but it didn’t happen. Fulham is a tough place to go and we’ve had difficulties there in past few years.

Craven Cottage is probably the only ground left in the Premier League that I would consider a traditional old English stadium. The pitch is tight and the fans are close and it’s just a very different type of atmosphere. But above all else, one of the main reasons it is difficult to win there is Fulham are actually a good team with some good players.

After a few games it’s far too early to make predictions about the season. We have lost our first game in the past and won the league, and we’ve enjoyed early season winning runs and still lost the league. We know the same teams will be up there but I wouldn’t get carried away by early season results.

I’m not surprised Chelsea have hit the ground running. In the Community Shield it was obvious they were behind fitness-wise and had some injuries, but they have not had any particularly difficult fixtures at the start of the season. They played West Brom at home, Wigan Athletic away and Stoke City a home, so I would have expected them to win those games. It’s not like they have beaten Arsenal at home and Liverpool away.

Scholes is a man of his word

There has been some talk about Paul Scholes returning to the England fold, but I can’t see it happening and that’s not because I have any inside information.

If he was going to go back I would have thought he would have gone back for the World Cup.

His performances have been fantastic for Manchester United so I can understand why people are talking about it. He played very well for England for a long time, but he decided to retire and he’s a man of his word so I don’t see him going back on that decision.

On the other hand, he is good enough to still play for England and I’m sure all England fans, including myself, would welcome him back because he is one of the greatest players.

Send your questions to Gary Neville to sunday@timesofmalta.com.