FC Barcelona: Kings of Europe

Image from the BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk

Congratulations to FC Barcelona. They deserved to be crowned Champions after that magnificent performance last night. I must admit it surprised me that they outclassed, and out played Manchester United to the extent they did. I fully expected Man Utd to take advantage of their make shift defence, and dominate the game.

Of course it’s difficult to dominate the game if you never have the ball. The central pairing of Ineista and Xavi must surely be the most talented midfield partnership in the World. The understanding they both seem to have with each other was a joy to watch. With the ball at either of their feet they completely controlled the middle of the park and made the Man Utd midfield look like they had no clue what they were doing.

While the superb performance of Ineista and Xavi would probably have been enough to control this match. Man Utd then had to deal with the magnificent Lionel Messi. His creative influence and attacking threat decimated the Man Utd defence. There was a moment in the match when he was surrounded by three players, fouled, and then managed to get to his feet first while still in complete control of the ball. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing and my flatmate and I both had a look of wonder on our faces for a few minutes.

I never realised how much Man Utd depended on Darren Fletcher in the middle of the park. While I doubt he would have been able to stop the domination by Barcelona, I do believe Xavi and Iniesta would not have had the same influence over the game that they had. Even with Fletcher there to attempt to wrestle control of the match from Barcelona, too many Man Utd players just didn’t perform. Much of that can be attributed to the fact that they never seemed to have the ball for more than a few seconds at a time, but their attacks just seemed rushed, and unfocused, especially when compared to Barcelona’s methodical and precise attacking style.

Barcelona truly deserved their win last night. They are the best attacking team in the world by far, and simple joy to watch. Man Utd while a fantastic team, will need to take a hard look at themselves, and strengthen that midfield for next season. There are a couple of players just not good enough, that became obvious when they stood against the current Champions of Europe, and were found wanting.