A Barcelona-Manchester United matchup in the UEFA Champions League final this season will arguably confirm this opinion. The two powerhouses have met twice in only 3 European finals since 2009 with results explaining that Barcelona remain a mile ahead of Manchester United.
Bitter memories… the two games that pushed Man United to become a better team
What Red Devils supporters witnessed at the Stadio Olimpico in 2009 was rather humiliating. How did the good old Fergie seem so lost in tactics against a manager as inexperienced—yet cunning—as Pep Guardiola?
Typically, ex-Manchester United ace Cristiano Ronaldo blasted Ferguson’s impotence at the time with the following angry comments:
“We didn't do well. The tactics were not good and everything went wrong for us. We were only in it for 10 minutes and we never found ourselves again.”
Despite the blunt attitude of Ronaldo, few were those who dared to go against the Portuguese's opinion. Benching former Manchester United striker Carlos Tevez at the start of the match and playing Ronaldo as a striker with Wayne Rooney deployed around the wings and the midfield appeared as one of the worst decisions Ferguson ever took in his long managerial career.
In truth, the Red Devils had lost each and every player versus player battle against the Catalans that night. The poor performances of Rio Ferdinand and Ryan Giggs let Manchester United look even more disoriented. Living legend Giggs couldn’t describe the defeat better as he avowed:
“At times, Barcelona can make you look silly because they keep the ball so well. At times, we maybe
chased it and didn't keep our shape as well as we should have.”
But it should be upon older players and the coach that young players must look in hard times. During the 2009 UEFA Champions League final, however, Barcelona disrupted the communication between Man United’s team as Fergie bitterly admitted that night in a post-match interview.
“It was a disappointing performance and some individuals will feel it themselves. With the players we have we expected to do better,” Fergie was quoted as saying.
You’d expect a historical team like Manchester United to work things out very well in “second chance” situations. Bizarrely, this couldn't be the case when the English outfit met the Catalans for a second time in 3 years at Wembley last season. The Red Devils could give no considerable excuse for their 3-1 loss to Barca.
They lost and that was it. Even the referee wasn’t to blame. If one can remember, Wayne Rooney’s strike should even have been ruled out for offside in the buildup whereas Valencia and Evra might have been sent off for their aggressiveness on another day.
How could Ferguson make nothing out of the “home” factor when Manchester United entertained Barcelona at the Wembley Stadium in the final of the 2011 UEFA Champions League? Where did the influence of Javier Hernandez and Antonio Valencia fade? Why did the experience of veterans Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Edwin van der Sar crushed against the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta?
Have the Red Devils reached the extra-terrestrial zone?
Well, Manchester United perhaps needed these two defeats to Barcelona to get better. Speaking about getting better, they surely are now. Can anyone believe that the Red Devils are experiencing their best ever start in any top-flight competition since 1985? Stats put Manchester United on top of the English Premier League table with the following record:
A 100 percent record after 5 matches, 21 goals scored, 4 goals allowed and a (+17) goal difference with 15 points.
The remarkable thing about this record is that Manchester United’s squad is relatively young. David de Gea, Phil Jones, Jonny Evans, Anderson, Wayne Rooney, Chris Smalling, Chicharito, Nani, Danny Welbeck, Rafael and Tom Cleverley are all below 25.
“I have never had a team before that has opened a season in such blistering form and scored so freely,” Ferguson was left to say in the aftermath of his team’s 3-1 victory over Chelsea last Sunday.
“It is breaking new ground for me, and to say that at this stage of a fairly lengthy career is really something. I'm excited and why not? Because we have been privy to something rather special.
“Of course, you can't help wondering if it is going to last and, after a lifetime in the game, football has taught me that there is often a banana skin around the corner.
“I ask myself, 'Will the bubble burst?' But while accepting that our present form is exceptional, I can't help but feel that this season is going to be good for Manchester United.
“We may find it difficult to maintain the scoring spree that has been such a feature of our Premier League games so far this season. But I believe we will continue to be a handful for our opponents and make a serious championship challenge again.”
In the competitive world, nothing ever lasts but history and legacies can be created. Many records are set and some might seem more impressive than others. In future, the present time in football (starting from 2008/09) may be referred to as “the Barcelona years” and perhaps rightfully so.
In Spain, only Real Madrid come close to challenging the Catalans. But even with
all their wealth Los Blancos still lack behind their rivals for the time being.
Barcelona—remarkably made of key players from La Masia—have developed into a big monster in the eyes of opponents. They are a wall impossible to break, they are a disease impossible to heal, they’ve drawn the new line to reach for glory, and they are everything that deprives other clubs from feeling fully satisfied and complete.
What about Manchester United’s current generation of players? Will the Red Devils be able to build on their devastating form for years to come like Barcelona have done since Pep Guardiola’s appointment back in 2008?
One big notice is that Manchester United look nothing like “Barcelona copycats” in their style of play. Manchester United remain Manchester United. They are just experiencing a considerable improvement that could put them on top of the world for a long, long period of time…
