Cristiano Ronaldo was always regarded as a winger during his time at Old Trafford. Not to say that he can't fit into the centre forward position but his best years at United saw him freely roaming and switching flanks as a genuine out and out winger. But it was that semi final triumph against Arsenal that persuaded Sir Alex after all. Ronaldo was employed in the wings and it weaved magic as United swept off the Gunners to march into the final at Rome. But boy did all go wrong at the Stadio Olimpico.
Basically, teams have always altered their formation while going against the mighty Catalans. 'Defensive' or maybe 'Negative Tactics' were probably the cliche's during build up to a game against Barcelona. Real Madrid certainly stopped the Catalans at the Mestalla not so long ago. But considering what happened when they clashed at the Nou Camp- with the situation not allowing Jose Mourinho's men to set-up defensively is raising up doubts over whether a team should go defensive against Barcelona.
Basically, Sir Alex Ferguson has always had a fixed formation that he uses and the ones that have brought him success are the traditional 4-4-2. His famous 1999 Treble winning squad was build with that formation in mind. United's double winning squad in 2008 saw Ronaldo exploding himself down the wings for United as Wayne Rooney and Carlos Tevez brought mayhem to opposition defence. But that night in Rome saw Fergie go with a conventional 4-3-3 with Ronaldo upfront alone.
This time around though, tradition is back on song at Old Trafford and 4-4-2 has been the key for United this season. Per contra, we believe that Sir Alex should keep his permanent tactics and go out to attack like they usually do. How do they do that? Live Soccer TV predicts their line-up for Wembley.
Goalkeeper: Edwin Van Der Sar
Defence: John O'Shea, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra
Midfield: Park Ji Sung, Ryan Giggs, Michael Carrick, Antonio Valencia
Forward: Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez
EXPLANATION
When it comes to goalkeeping, the very obvious choice is Edwin Van der Sar. And do not forget that it will be his last match for Manchester United before hanging up his boots in the summer. What a way to end your glittering career. In defence, we believe that John O'Shea is likely to be given the nod at right back. Rafael has been magnificent all season long but a recent injury has raised concerns over his fitness levels. What O'Shea provides is a defensive stability, something that Sir Alex might go for.
Nemanja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand at centre back is another obvious choice considering how good they have been beside each other. At left back, Patrice Evra will provide all the ammunition down the flank. Another easy choice too. The midfield is the critical area as we are all aware of how Barca tear teams apart by literally just passing the ball around. I mean, intelligent passes.
So, Carrick and Ryan Giggs are likely to start in the centre of midfield. Manchester United definitely missed Darren Fletcher in Rome two years ago and we do reckon that he will definitely get the nod this time around if fit. However, he has not started a match for Man United over a long period of time and if he is deemed to be not fit, then Carrick and Giggs will certainly take their spots in midfield. Look out for Anderson though.
On the right flank, Antonio Valencia has been a massive revelation since making a comeback from his horrific injury earlier this year. The Ecuadorian will almost certainly grab his spot on the right flank and will be expected to contribute his fair share of defensive duties as well. The one spot on the left flank is a heated debate between Park Ji Sung and Nani. The Portuguese winger has probably been one of Sir Alex's player of the season and some section believe he should be given the chance to prove himself against Barcelona's defence. However, our money is firmly placed on Park Ji Sung for one simple reason.
He is the one and only 'three lungs Park'. The stamina that he possesses would certainly come for good against a team of Barca's caliber. I remember United's 4-0 demolition of Milan at Old Trafford last year when Park virtually kept Andrea Pirlo out of the game for the whole 90 minutes. Believe us, that's what he is capable of doing. With Evra bombarding down the left flank as well, Park's defensive duties will also help the Red Devils assert themselves better on the left.
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Upfront, it has never been a question after all their recent exploits as striking partners. Dimitar Berbatov might be the Premier League's top scorer. But the predatory Javier Hernandez combining with the dynamic Wayne Rooney upfront represents nothing less than a world class striking partnership. This duo have been providing all the needed firepower upfront in recent times and considering how speedy Hernandez can be when provided with a clear cut chance, you know he's never going to miss them.
Wayne Rooney will be the key player for Manchester United. His presence will be felt all around Sergio Busquets within the hole in United's midfield and will certainly carry out all the dirty jobs as he seeks to bestow 'Chicharito' with chances to kill of Barcelona. After all, Pele was the one who lauded Hernandez as the next 'Lionel Messi'.
