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So here we are, the end of another long and very fruitful footballing season, but before you wonder what on earth your going to do on Saturday evenings at 10:20 pm all summer, there is the destination of one last trophy to still be decided. That trophy is of course, the champions league, which will see FC Barcelona taking on Manchester United at Wembley on the 28th of May.
For Sir Alex Ferguson's side to not only be premiership champions (for a record 19th time) but also looking forward to a champions league final is an incredible achievement for the club as a whole, and also one of Sir Alex's finest achievements in management. I refuse to go down the route of claiming this united team is 'not as good' as others previously, a view which many in the media have taken. Rather, I would prefer to concentrate on what this team has achieved already and what could be achieved in the future, in my view, you shouldn't be comparing teams from different era's until the era is over, this Manchester United team is very much still alive.
In the way of Manchester United completing the double this season is arguably the best team the world has seen over the last 20 years, FC Barcelona. For Manchester United to have a chance of winning the final they need to do what Real Madrid failed to do, believe they can win. For all Mourinho's complaining and play acting during the semi finals, one thing stood out above all the rest, that Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho in particular feared Barcelona, they didn't believe they could win and it showed. From the criminal lack of ambition shown in the first leg by selecting Pepe in the centre of midfield and playing Cristiano Ronaldo as a exceptionally lonely centre forward, United must avoid planning for the opposition too much and play their own, fact paced, counter attacking game.
This is of course all very easy to say, forget about the opposition which includes Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Dani Alves and David Villa, but that it the point, if you tried to make specific plans for barcelona you would have one for every player!Sir Alex Ferguson has already stated that Utd will 'play their own game' at Wembley on the 28th, but he must stick to his word for Utd to stand a chance of an upset. With the game being on 'home soil' and Barcelona looking increasingly tired with every game they play, stranger things have happened...
For Sir Alex Ferguson's side to not only be premiership champions (for a record 19th time) but also looking forward to a champions league final is an incredible achievement for the club as a whole, and also one of Sir Alex's finest achievements in management. I refuse to go down the route of claiming this united team is 'not as good' as others previously, a view which many in the media have taken. Rather, I would prefer to concentrate on what this team has achieved already and what could be achieved in the future, in my view, you shouldn't be comparing teams from different era's until the era is over, this Manchester United team is very much still alive.
In the way of Manchester United completing the double this season is arguably the best team the world has seen over the last 20 years, FC Barcelona. For Manchester United to have a chance of winning the final they need to do what Real Madrid failed to do, believe they can win. For all Mourinho's complaining and play acting during the semi finals, one thing stood out above all the rest, that Real Madrid and Jose Mourinho in particular feared Barcelona, they didn't believe they could win and it showed. From the criminal lack of ambition shown in the first leg by selecting Pepe in the centre of midfield and playing Cristiano Ronaldo as a exceptionally lonely centre forward, United must avoid planning for the opposition too much and play their own, fact paced, counter attacking game.
This is of course all very easy to say, forget about the opposition which includes Messi, Iniesta, Xavi, Dani Alves and David Villa, but that it the point, if you tried to make specific plans for barcelona you would have one for every player!Sir Alex Ferguson has already stated that Utd will 'play their own game' at Wembley on the 28th, but he must stick to his word for Utd to stand a chance of an upset. With the game being on 'home soil' and Barcelona looking increasingly tired with every game they play, stranger things have happened...
