Note: I had written this on the aftermath of the Champions League Final in Rome '09. Initially intended for posting, it somehow did not see the light of day and had been in my draft since then. I'm now sharing this write-up as a form of recollection and reflection for probably months or years to come.
Quizas, quizas, quizas (Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps)..
The better team won. That was the final verdict from the great man himself, Sir Alex Ferguson (SAF). Gracious and magnanimous even in defeat, SAF knew and realized the team was up against a very formidable opponent. Champions of Spain with an array of talents in every football department, this Barcelona team had everything going for them (apart from missing the suspended Eric Abidal and Dani Alves).
Now, back to United. What went right, and most significantly, wrong? In a nutshell, nothing much went right except for the first nine minutes of the game when Ronaldo’s freekick caused Valdes to spill his shot and onto the path of Park who was just a step too slow to react. Had that gone in, the complexion of the game would have changed; Barca would have definitely upped the tempo with Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez pulling the creative strings in midfield and pegging United at our own half.
As fate would have it, one quick counter attack was all Barca needed to open the scoring. Vidic, a great centre back in my opinion, just did not react fast enough to Eto’os turn and by the time he recovered, the ball had slipped below Van Der Sar’s hand and into the goal. All in one quick motion; I felt United was reeling badly from that moment onwards and it was surely a sucker punch from the onslaught at which Barca was subjected to in the opening moments of the game. This reminded me of the similar situation when United was playing Arsenal at the Emirates about 3 weeks ago in the 2nd leg of the semi-final; Arsenal had dominated the opening ten minutes and fell to United’s swift counter attack, courtesy of Park Ji Sung. Perhaps it was some sort of retribution which I’m quite sure Arsenal (and Liverpool supporters) would agree for the way United dissected Arsenal with such proficiency and efficiency back then. Perhaps Barca had taken a leaf from United’s own book; their ‘smash and grab’ was certainly rewarded handsomely. Quizas, quizas, quizas…
In all honesty, certain United players ‘did not show up’, just to quote from the commentators/pundits (especially Shebby, Macca and Viv) of the night.
Well, here’s my player-to-player analysis for United. These are my own ratings and opinions (five stars being the highest) and in no way represent the actual or ‘official’ ratings (if there was one in the first place):
Edwin Van Der Sar (4 stars): A good match on the whole and was quick to smother some of Barca’s attacks. Could not be really faulted for Barca’s two goals and actually made great saves to deny Thierry Henry, United’s sworn enemy in his Goonie days. Nevertheless, the centre backs’ defending was uncharacteristically poor and marking was loose (especially for Messi’s goal) which further compounded United’s cause.
Rio Ferdinand & Nemanja Vidic (3.5 stars each): Rio was almost always in his usual composed self but I could sense that being out of the game for a few weeks had somewhat affected his overall game. Caught ball-watching when Messi flew across and headed the killer goal. As for Vidic, he is someone we could usually depend on 99% but was jittery for most part of the game. Had to shoulder much of the blame for Barca’s first goal. Gave away a few unnecessary corners and was not really in his element.
John O’Shea and Patrice Evra (3.5 stars each): Sheasy did what he had to do; probably played in the ‘game of his life’ but did not inject much life into the game; anyway, he was not really expected to in the first place. Evra was a bit of a letdown for me; the much-hyped up battle between Lionel Messi and himself did not fully materialize and he had a part to play, albeit a negative one, in Barca’s second goal.
Michael Carrick & Anderson (3 stars each): The fulcrum of United’s play rested heavily on their shoulders to nullify Barca’s threat but the duo were overwhelmed by Xavi and Iniesta. Carrick was full of nerves and the failure of his much touted ‘final ball’ left his play severely stranded, thus denying the likes of Rooney and Ronaldo proper opportunities to hurt Barca. I certainly missed Darren Fletcher as he would run ‘until there were no more grass to run on’ with his committed and spirited display.
Park Ji Sung (3.5 stars): ‘Three-lung Park’ pushed and ran for United’s cause but to no avail and at times his physical stature (or the lack of it) was clearly no match for Barca’s physically imposing players such as Yaya Toure and Gerard Pique.
Ryan Giggs (Captain) (3 stars): One verdict: played below expectations. We all know what good ol’ Giggsy is capable of but the night did not belong to him. Needed a captain’s performance from him but was at times a passenger in the game. Missed a glorious chance to put United back into the game just after Messi scored but shot straight at Valdes instead. Had that gone in, it would surely have been game on and I believe Barca would have caved in to United’s relentless pressure with about 20 minutes left to play.
Cristiano Ronaldo (4 stars) & Wayne Rooney (3.5 stars): Ronaldo was probably the only United player who played almost to his capabilities (apart from Van Der Sar) with his direct runs and single-mindedness for goal; too bad his rocket-launchers did not work when they mattered most. Rooney was positioned too far left upfront and most of the times he was hugging the touch-lines and trying hard to cut inside. Perhaps Sir Alex should have played Rooney at his usual role just off the shoulders of the main striker because that is where he would have been at his potent best.
The three substitutes (Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Scholes) (3 stars each): Tried to change the face of the game but as we know, their introduction did not inspire the team much. Berbatov was guilty of missing some glorious opportunities; the clear header from a corner constantly comes to mind. Tevez was in his usual terrier-like self while Scholesy came on a tad too late to influence the game (left his boot imprint on Sergio Busquets’ leg though with his one millionth misjudgment on a tackle). Hehe.. another milestone reached! :O)
All in all, I can almost say that I’m ‘glad’ (OK, I have to hold my breath and gut myself here) it was Barca who lifted the ‘Old Big Ears’ – if it was any other team, I would have been devastated (especially any English team for that matter). You would see me moping and being in a very bad mood (yes, football, especially United, affects me deeply). The thought of Steven Gerrard, Cesc Fabregas or John Terry lifting that cup would have been unthinkable and unbearable, to say the least. Here’s hoping neither one of them would be remotely close to holding the cup; well, there goes my first ‘official’ salvo for the next football season. I’m pretty sure other Red Devils are sincerely hoping for this too, haha..
So in the end, the winged quintuple dream morphed into a treble reality. Not bad for a season which saw United playing catch-up for most part of the season in the first half in the Premier League; we had our backs against the wall most of the times but managed to reel the Scousers in, point-by-point. It has, in retrospect, been a massive season for United; FIFA Club World Cup Champions, League Cup Champions and Barclays Premier League Champions.
I’m sure Sir Matt Busby would have smiled from above as Fergie’s new brood of Fledglings has arrived in substance and style. Take a bow Federico Macheda, Jonny Evans, the Da Silva brothers (Rafael and Fabio), Darron Gibson, Rodrigo Possebon and Danny Welbeck. I would have loved to add Gerard Pique to this list but his destiny lies now in Catalunya.
Congratulations to FC Barcelona; we hope to meet you again in the final (hopefully next year) to exorcise the demons of this year.
*Glory Glory Man. United…and the Reds go marching ON, ON, ON!*
Quizas, quizas, quizas (Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps)..
The better team won. That was the final verdict from the great man himself, Sir Alex Ferguson (SAF). Gracious and magnanimous even in defeat, SAF knew and realized the team was up against a very formidable opponent. Champions of Spain with an array of talents in every football department, this Barcelona team had everything going for them (apart from missing the suspended Eric Abidal and Dani Alves).
Now, back to United. What went right, and most significantly, wrong? In a nutshell, nothing much went right except for the first nine minutes of the game when Ronaldo’s freekick caused Valdes to spill his shot and onto the path of Park who was just a step too slow to react. Had that gone in, the complexion of the game would have changed; Barca would have definitely upped the tempo with Andres Iniesta and Xavi Hernandez pulling the creative strings in midfield and pegging United at our own half.
As fate would have it, one quick counter attack was all Barca needed to open the scoring. Vidic, a great centre back in my opinion, just did not react fast enough to Eto’os turn and by the time he recovered, the ball had slipped below Van Der Sar’s hand and into the goal. All in one quick motion; I felt United was reeling badly from that moment onwards and it was surely a sucker punch from the onslaught at which Barca was subjected to in the opening moments of the game. This reminded me of the similar situation when United was playing Arsenal at the Emirates about 3 weeks ago in the 2nd leg of the semi-final; Arsenal had dominated the opening ten minutes and fell to United’s swift counter attack, courtesy of Park Ji Sung. Perhaps it was some sort of retribution which I’m quite sure Arsenal (and Liverpool supporters) would agree for the way United dissected Arsenal with such proficiency and efficiency back then. Perhaps Barca had taken a leaf from United’s own book; their ‘smash and grab’ was certainly rewarded handsomely. Quizas, quizas, quizas…
In all honesty, certain United players ‘did not show up’, just to quote from the commentators/pundits (especially Shebby, Macca and Viv) of the night.
Well, here’s my player-to-player analysis for United. These are my own ratings and opinions (five stars being the highest) and in no way represent the actual or ‘official’ ratings (if there was one in the first place):
Edwin Van Der Sar (4 stars): A good match on the whole and was quick to smother some of Barca’s attacks. Could not be really faulted for Barca’s two goals and actually made great saves to deny Thierry Henry, United’s sworn enemy in his Goonie days. Nevertheless, the centre backs’ defending was uncharacteristically poor and marking was loose (especially for Messi’s goal) which further compounded United’s cause.
Rio Ferdinand & Nemanja Vidic (3.5 stars each): Rio was almost always in his usual composed self but I could sense that being out of the game for a few weeks had somewhat affected his overall game. Caught ball-watching when Messi flew across and headed the killer goal. As for Vidic, he is someone we could usually depend on 99% but was jittery for most part of the game. Had to shoulder much of the blame for Barca’s first goal. Gave away a few unnecessary corners and was not really in his element.
John O’Shea and Patrice Evra (3.5 stars each): Sheasy did what he had to do; probably played in the ‘game of his life’ but did not inject much life into the game; anyway, he was not really expected to in the first place. Evra was a bit of a letdown for me; the much-hyped up battle between Lionel Messi and himself did not fully materialize and he had a part to play, albeit a negative one, in Barca’s second goal.
Michael Carrick & Anderson (3 stars each): The fulcrum of United’s play rested heavily on their shoulders to nullify Barca’s threat but the duo were overwhelmed by Xavi and Iniesta. Carrick was full of nerves and the failure of his much touted ‘final ball’ left his play severely stranded, thus denying the likes of Rooney and Ronaldo proper opportunities to hurt Barca. I certainly missed Darren Fletcher as he would run ‘until there were no more grass to run on’ with his committed and spirited display.
Park Ji Sung (3.5 stars): ‘Three-lung Park’ pushed and ran for United’s cause but to no avail and at times his physical stature (or the lack of it) was clearly no match for Barca’s physically imposing players such as Yaya Toure and Gerard Pique.
Ryan Giggs (Captain) (3 stars): One verdict: played below expectations. We all know what good ol’ Giggsy is capable of but the night did not belong to him. Needed a captain’s performance from him but was at times a passenger in the game. Missed a glorious chance to put United back into the game just after Messi scored but shot straight at Valdes instead. Had that gone in, it would surely have been game on and I believe Barca would have caved in to United’s relentless pressure with about 20 minutes left to play.
Cristiano Ronaldo (4 stars) & Wayne Rooney (3.5 stars): Ronaldo was probably the only United player who played almost to his capabilities (apart from Van Der Sar) with his direct runs and single-mindedness for goal; too bad his rocket-launchers did not work when they mattered most. Rooney was positioned too far left upfront and most of the times he was hugging the touch-lines and trying hard to cut inside. Perhaps Sir Alex should have played Rooney at his usual role just off the shoulders of the main striker because that is where he would have been at his potent best.
The three substitutes (Carlos Tevez, Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Scholes) (3 stars each): Tried to change the face of the game but as we know, their introduction did not inspire the team much. Berbatov was guilty of missing some glorious opportunities; the clear header from a corner constantly comes to mind. Tevez was in his usual terrier-like self while Scholesy came on a tad too late to influence the game (left his boot imprint on Sergio Busquets’ leg though with his one millionth misjudgment on a tackle). Hehe.. another milestone reached! :O)
All in all, I can almost say that I’m ‘glad’ (OK, I have to hold my breath and gut myself here) it was Barca who lifted the ‘Old Big Ears’ – if it was any other team, I would have been devastated (especially any English team for that matter). You would see me moping and being in a very bad mood (yes, football, especially United, affects me deeply). The thought of Steven Gerrard, Cesc Fabregas or John Terry lifting that cup would have been unthinkable and unbearable, to say the least. Here’s hoping neither one of them would be remotely close to holding the cup; well, there goes my first ‘official’ salvo for the next football season. I’m pretty sure other Red Devils are sincerely hoping for this too, haha..
So in the end, the winged quintuple dream morphed into a treble reality. Not bad for a season which saw United playing catch-up for most part of the season in the first half in the Premier League; we had our backs against the wall most of the times but managed to reel the Scousers in, point-by-point. It has, in retrospect, been a massive season for United; FIFA Club World Cup Champions, League Cup Champions and Barclays Premier League Champions.
I’m sure Sir Matt Busby would have smiled from above as Fergie’s new brood of Fledglings has arrived in substance and style. Take a bow Federico Macheda, Jonny Evans, the Da Silva brothers (Rafael and Fabio), Darron Gibson, Rodrigo Possebon and Danny Welbeck. I would have loved to add Gerard Pique to this list but his destiny lies now in Catalunya.
Congratulations to FC Barcelona; we hope to meet you again in the final (hopefully next year) to exorcise the demons of this year.
*Glory Glory Man. United…and the Reds go marching ON, ON, ON!*
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