da jogodeouro： Without doubt, the 2011 Champions League Final will be decided by a midfield duel that Barcelona comfortably negotiated when the two sides met in this fixture just two years ago. It is likely that Sir Alex Ferguson has been plotting his revenge each and every day since that night in Rome, but the Manchester United manager now considers Pep Guardiola’s current side as even better than the team which triumphed at the Stadio Olimpico. So how can the Reds stop Barca this time round and avoid being taken on a “carousel” ride as in 2009?
da pixbet：
Heading in to the ’09 Final, many observers highlighted Darren Fletcher’s absence – due to his sending-off in the semi-final against Arsenal and subsequent suspension for the showpiece event – as a significant blow to United’s chances of halting the rampant Catalan attack. That night, Ferguson employed Anderson alongside Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs in a midfield three, supporting an attacking trifecta of Ronaldo, Park Ji-Sung and Wayne Rooney. The idea was to swarm the midfield, but the system collapsed following Samuel Eto’o’s early goal and Lionel Messi dropping deep in front of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta. Anderson was substituted at half-time.
The emergence this year of Javier Hernandez as a considerable goal-scoring threat may force Ferguson to play Rooney in a deeper role, similar to the position Messi played in two years ago, in order to aid a midfield three likely to be flanked wide by Antonio Valencia and Park. “I think Wayne can play anywhere as he has shown over the last few years. He’s such an enthusiastic lad,” former United midfielder Nicky Butt told BBC Sport. “With his work ethic he will work back and defend as well so I don’t see why the manager will not stick with the same line-up. Hernandez has been brilliant all year as well.”
But perhaps United’s biggest concern will be how to get the ball of their opponents and maintain possession. Barcelona’s average ball retention in the Champions League this season is 62%, with the Old Trafford club second best on 58%. Although both these figures are impressive in their own right, it would be naïve to place too much importance on prior statistics, especially considering Arsenal had only 39% possession in the first leg of their last-16 tie with Barca this season, and yet won the game 2-1. What’s more, Ferguson would have taken this in to account already, and used this aspect to cement his team’s counter-attacking principles which have worked so well for every United side the Scot has coached.
It is always difficult to predict the outcome of a game between two European heavyweights, especially as they have encountered each other on just three separate occasions in the past three years, and not once since 2009. Both sides have been close to exemplary during their respective successful League campaigns this season, and been the best two teams in the Champions League this term by a distance. “There is no doubt the two best teams have made it to the final,” claims United midfielder, Paul Scholes, who featured only briefly in the ’09 Final when the game had more or less been decided. “Barcelona are the ultimate. They are what we all look to and want to play like. There is a determination to make sure that [the 2-0 defeat in the 2009 Final] doesn’t happen again. It wasn’t a nice night and the summer afterwards felt very long. This time we intend to at least give it a go,” Scholes added.
And this is perhaps where Ferguson’s greatest attribute needs to be utilised. Albeit without Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez on this occasion – players who have both come nowhere near reaching a Champions League Final since their simultaneous Old Trafford departures in 2009 – Ferguson still retains roughly the same squad as two years ago, and will have stressed to his players continually since United’s progression from the semi-final the importance of retribution and correcting previous mistakes. All in all, Saturday night’s game promises to be an entertaining fixture due to the plethora of talent on display, and with Guardiola’s charges expected to win, Ferguson will enter Wembley in the position he has flourished in year on year for the past three decades; with his back against the wall, aiming to prove his doubters wrong.
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