Barcelona vs Manchester United: Clash of the Titans

Clash of the Titans

The stage is set for European soccer’s biggest night at the historic Wembley Stadium. One couldn’t have asked for more: the English champions Manchester United locking horns with champions of Spain, Barcelona, in a mouth-watering Champions League final. Arguably, it’s a contest between the best two clubs in the globe and the world is watching.

It’s hard to imagine the Red Devils, given their genius and talent, starting second favorites in a game, but their opponents, with their guile and craftiness, have taken the beautiful game to another level. There is no paucity of class in a Barcelona side, which is built around home-grown talent and managed by a home-bred tactician, Pep Guardiola. The camaraderie in the team allows them to play as a cohesive unit that causes the undoing of most of their opponents, a fact that the Premier League champions will be well aware of.

For Manchester United, revenge will be on their mind when they take the field Saturday night, as they come up against the same opposition that destroyed them in Rome two years ago in the final of the same competition. With odds heavily stacked against them, Sir Alex Ferguson’s men will have a monumental task of stopping the attack-minded Catalans. The presence of Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta in the midfield, will pose a huge threat to United’s central defenders, Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand.

Messi’s creativeness has earned him the status of being in the league of all-time greatest footballers. He is a rare talent, a once-in-a-generation sort of player. The ball simply melts at his feet. Trying to stop him from creating opportunities is a Herculean task, which no club side has been able to master yet. His composure leads him to find gaps even when a host of defenders are charging at him. What makes him stand apart is the speed with which he releases the ball after trapping a pass, even in the most difficult situation. Add to that his ability to find the back of the net, and you have arguably the most talented footballer on the planet. He is enjoying a rich vein of form having scored 52 goals this season. Manchester United’s greatest challenge would be to restrict Messi from playing his natural game, and the onus would be on Ferdinand and Vidic. However, Barcelona is not about one man.

Iniesta’s brilliance on the left, Dani Alves’ pace on the right and David Villa’s goal-poaching skills in front will keep the United defenders on their toes and may call for some emphatic saves from United’s veteran goalkeeper Edwin Van der Sar, who would don the club’s colours for one last time. Over the years, the Dutchman has been a reliable and loyal servant for the club and will like to end on a high.

What lights up the contest is the star power on both sides. If Barcelona has an illustrious attack, United too boasts of some high quality world class players. With the blistering pace of Park Ji-Sung and Antonio Valencia on the flanks and the evergreen Ryan Giggs in the middle, United would look to tear apart the Barca defence as the three would be creating opportunities for two of the finest finishers in Wayne Rooney and Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez.

Giggs, going through turbulent times in his personal life after British media leaked the news of his secret affairs, will look to turn things around in his life, with professional glory by lifting the greatest trophy in club football. He is 37, but is not showing any signs of ageing as the Welshman is coming off yet another remarkable season. United will be heavily relying on his experience in the midfield.

Up front for United, partnering the industrious Wayne Rooney will be Mexican striker Chicharito, who has already taken English football by storm. He has been a revelation in his debut season, scoring 20 goals in all competitions. Coming from a country that has been ravaged by gang wars and where fear of drug cartels has stalled normal lives, Chicharito has given his countrymen a new lease of life. He may be playing miles away but he is idolized by Mexicans. The whole nation celebrates when Chicharito scores. He is a role model, a hero who relieves people of their pains, their sufferings and brings hope to petrified eyes. If Chicharito, the first Mexican to play for Manchester United, fires against Barcelona, the whole country of Mexico would erupt in joy. But, beating the Barca defence that has Carles Puyol leading the back four, will not be an easy job.

United’s underdog status might just play in their favour, but it’s hard to call a game when the battle is between two evenly matched sides of the highest order. In the end, it would be ecstasy for one, while the other will walk away in pain, with hopes of winning the greatest matchup in recent years crushed. Whatever, the outcome the game promises to be a showdown that will be remembered for years.