Two Views: Man Utd or Barcelona to Win the Champions League?

By: Daryl | May 27th, 2009

Seems no one can split Man Utd and Barcelona ahead of the Champions League Final. Even the bookies apparently gave up and gave the two teams identical (and identically unhelpful) odds of 10/11 to lift the trophy.

But someone has to win it. So Chris and myself have played devil’s advocate, and each argued the case for one of today’s finalists.

Chris for Man Ud: I could sum this up in one succinct overused sporting phrase: Defense wins championships.

Barca’s one Achilles heel on a good day is that back line – a back line which will start out beyond depleted at the Stadio Olimpico today. Rafa Marquez sent his own knee through a wood chipper during the first leg against Chelsea; Dani Alves was suspended long before his “season ending” injury; Eric Abidal will miss out for Anelka’s thespian aspirations; and Gaby Milito…well, Maruquez has nothing on his knee. That leaves four of Puyol, Caceres, Sylvinho, Pique, Toure and Keita against three of Ronaldo, Rooney, Berbatov, Tevez, Park.

No points for guessing which club that matchup will favor.

Many are predicting a Puyol-Pique-Toure-Keita back line tomorrow. Key for Barcelona will always be controlling possession in the midfield, but if that lineup holds true, how will Sergio Busquets – playing for Barca B in the Spanish third tier at this time last year – deal with the pressure of the Champions League final – a stage which has slayed even the most hardened vets? And what will two central midfielders look like in defense? Will the loss of Alves mean everyone can double, triple and quadruple down on Lionel? The back are the legs of the structure, and if those legs go the rest comes tumbling down soon after.

On the other side, ManU have perhaps the most formidable back line in the world. Rio’s fit, Vidic is toiling in the discussion for best centerback in the world, Patrice Evra runs that left flank as well as anyone at the moment and John O’Shea…well, sometimes it’s not about the names in matinee lights, a statement which would draw a silent nod from Fergie. But more importantly they play great team defense – evidenced enough by Wayne Rooney’s performances. They’re not just a great collection of talents, but a great team under a great coach in a great system which plays great defense. And they can score a bit too.

So defense win championships, and Barca don’t have one – not today, at least – but Manchester United do – and a great one at that. Sometimes it’s just that simple.

Daryl for Barça: True, Barcelona will be missing a few defenders. But it wasn’t the defence (or “defense” if you want to spell it incorrectly) that got Barcelona this far. It was the attack. That glorious glorious attack. Messi (nice interview with him on Soccerlens by the way), Eto’o, and Henry. The deadly trident that’s scored 97 goals between them this season. Even if Henry doesn’t make it, then there are many many worse replacements than Bojan Krkic.

If precedent is any guide, then Fergie will fear those forwards and Man Utd will try to contain and counter. That’s going to be a mistake, because Utd haven’t had to try and contain a team since Liverpool came to Old Trafford. And Nemanja Vidic still has bad dreams about what Fernando Torres did to him that day. Once Barca score the first goal, Man Utd’s game plan is shot.

Midfield – where games are won and lost – is no contest. Barca have Iniesta and Xavi while Man Utd are upset that Darren Fletcher is suspended. Darren. Fletcher. An underrated player for sure, but he wouldn’t get anywhere near this Barcelona midfield.

A problem the Utd midfielders might literally have today. Who’s going to close down the Barça possession machine in midfield? Michael Carrick’s a tidy ballplayer, but he doesn’t have anything like the defensive bite to go after Xavi and/or Iniesta and stop them pulling the strings. No one on this Man Utd team has had that since Roy Keane.

Last but not least, Barcelona deserve to win this trophy. Not just because Man Utd are sponsored by AIG and Barcelona carry the UNICEF logo, but because Man Utd have been ruthless and efficient this season while Barça have played the sort of football we all dream about watching. If there’s any justice in the world, Barça will be lifting that trophy later tonight.

Remember, we’re only taking sides for the sake of argument above. The intention is just to start a discussion. We’ll have a non-biased Champions League Final LiveBlog later today.

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Category: Champions League

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FanZine

It has been decided! Pep Guardiola in his first season as manager have achieved the stuff that other managers can only dream about. Barcelona played like a dream once that first goal went in. United's heads went down as soon as it did. The reversal in terms of confidence and playing mentality was so obvious.
The commentary on the game suggests that things would have been different if United had scored in those early 10 minutes before the goal.
Well done Barca!
Ardianna

Real is the best team

In champions league i think Barqa will win...Barqa is very lucky team so they are the winners...

Real madrid (L)(L)(L)(L)....

Love this club
Manuelito

Iniesta is going to beat these fuckers nice and good.
Al

It's almost destiny for Barca to win today... but Man U is waaay too solid to rule out. I still predict a Barca win
Ibracadabra

JS Park is the difference maker, for me. No joke.

If he gets the 90 today - he'll be the crucial link between the back and the front - the tireless tracking back and defending to stop Messi / Henry running at the defense, and the excellent support play and wide runs to set up Ronaldo or Rooney or the finishers in the middle.

JS Park - an unheralded hero - will get his glory today. 2-1 United.

great preview.
Sarit

If I hear one more thing about Barcelona DESERVING to win, and that it is football justice, I will cut someone.

The team who plays best on the night will deserve to win.

Shut up numpties!
Marcus

Agree with OhYes, its a big rich saying
'All they really know (barca) is to take as many shots as they possibly can and hope a few go in.' and
when in reality its the opposite.
EG: this season in the domestics leagues
Ronaldo: 181 shots, 18 goals thats a shot to goal percent of 9.9%
Rooney: 123 shots, 12 goals and a percent of 9.8%
Messi: 114 shots, 23 goals, percent of 20.2%
Eto'o: 146 shots, 29 goals, percent of 19.9%
that speaks for itself.
'Barcelona are a huge team that can spend outlandish amounts and just buy up the best pre madonnas and pay them through their nose but none of that can compensate for the heart your opponents have.'
Cant talk there either. in regards to pre madonnas ronaldo is a bigger one than the whole barca team put together
And if you wanna talk about heart i dont see how importing youngesters from other countries can equate to a team that actually has a functioning youth academy etc. Bojan, Basquest, Xavi, Inestia the list goes on, the point is HEART cant be imported, it is brought through players that are the club like these players.

'Fact of the matter is the proper team always wins while squads no matter how much their players are worth come second.' Proper teams win, arrogant dont...next point

'Sure Manchester isn’t known worldwide like Barcelona is as a city and Barcelona spend more on huge players than any other team on the planet can muster up but that isn’t what football is about.' LMAO firstly last time i checked Barca dont fork out 20 mil per player, secondly bit rich coming from a team that spends so much, is so commercialised and needs to pay debts over 700 mil pounds and third, im from Australia, a ratio of man u fans to barca would be like 1 barca to 10 man u, man u is as global as barca.
The difference between Barca and Man U is Barca is a community a city, Man U is just commetalised i guess.
i dont even support Barca or an english team but as Rafa would say these are the 'Facts'
OhYes

Lol Tyson. Great comment. There's probably about a cubic ton of sarcasm in there. Or at least I hope there is.

I just hope it's a good game. :)
Tyson

Everybody likes to dumb down football and make it into a debate of attack vs attack but football isn't that simple at all there are many more elements to it.

Barcelona are a team that require an incredible amount of space to do anything and if you put any real pressure on them they are incapable of doing anything.

All they really know is to take as many shots as they possibly can and hope a few go in. It might make for pretty viewing for some who like to see an avalance of goals but a more seasoned football viewer prefers to see tactical battles played out and chess pieces moved into place for a great climax to a drumtight match.

When it comes down to it having a team that constantly stays on the attack and gets one or two in(naturally) in the game a good team will always take them apart.

Barcelona are a huge team that can spend outlandish amounts and just buy up the best pre madonnas and pay them through their nose but none of that can compensate for the heart your opponents have.

Sure Manchester isn't known worldwide like Barcelona is as a city and Barcelona spend more on huge players than any other team on the planet can muster up but that isn't what football is about.

Football is about constructing a good team within the constraints you have and then going to a world stage with your heart on your sleeve and winning to bring recognition to your city so more people may know about it.
Last year without Rooney and Vidic United played their heart out to take Barcelona out. This year they will give it everything they have against the team from the big city with all the money in the world and they will come through again because you can't buy what a true team possesses.

Tonight Manchester United will be playing for more than personal bragging rights and being from a superior league they will neutralise players who wouldn't do very well in the Premier League(Messi in his entire career hasn't scored a single goal against an English team) and then with a well rounded team pummel Barcelona in both defense and offense.

Fact of the matter is the proper team always wins while squads no matter how much their players are worth come second.

United will take this.. again.
realfootball!

every one is going is saying defence, defence, defence! or defense, because it has worked well with english teams against barca, most notably the case with chelski! well what people are foregetting is that chelsea only needed a draw to suffice so they kept it tight, but tonight is a different ball game, each needs to score, and if i am thinking right then manu u needs to move as much upfield as barca does, and if they do, barca has alot better edge with Xavi and Inesta in the middle. however, if man u decide to go on the counter and try to keep their mid and defense tight, then barca will have a problem however, if they leave a little space and barca try to push them into their 18 yard, man u just might be in trouble...
my 2.25 cent :)
Madridista

"If there’s any justice in the world, Barça will be lifting that trophy later tonight."

Is anyone else sick of this? Sure I don't like Barca - but remember Spain v S Korea 2002, England v Portugal 2004 - and those are just the big games - *that* is when the issue of "justice in football" comes in. The better team doesn't always win (not even the team playing the prettier football, the *better* team) - Germany v Argentina 2006, Germany v Turkey in last year's Euros, Greece v everybody in 2004.

The rule of the game says that the team that scores more goals wins, simple as that. Nowhere does it say that the team that wins is the one that plays the prettier football. If pretty football wins you games then more power to you, but pretty football doesn't mean you deserve to win.
Iggy (MBYM)

if you don't have the ball you can't score, everything revolves around the midfield, and ManU isn't gonna cut it
andersen

defense wins games.

that's right, there is none in la liga.

Enjoy your false security blanket for all 15 minutes we let you keep it.