Pep Guardiola is just 38 years old but has just secured Barcelona’s third European Cup, first ever treble, and humbled Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United in the process.
It was the final that promised so much and luckily on this occasion it delivered. In a game which was played at high tempo, United had the best of the opening ten minutes and should have gone ahead through Ronaldo’s free kick or his subsequent left foot drive. They failed to convert however and from there on in, the Catalan team ran the show.
Barcelona bullied United out of possession from the moment Samuel Eto’o slid his shot past Edwin Van der Sar. The Premier League champions gave the ball away too easily and the Barcelona midfield, in front of a weakend defence which was allowed a surprisingly relaxed evening, were allowed to play as they pleased.
Predictably Xavi and Iniesta were at the heart of this and they set the pace at which Barcelona played. It was Iniesta who put the ball threw for Eto’o for the first goal, and Xavi who delivered the sumptuous cross which allowed Lionel Messi to place a superb header into the United net for the second. The Argentinian answered any critics with a lively display and one which was unrecognisable from the one he turned hin during the semi-final. His goal was superbly taken for a player of his stature and marked the end of any hopes the United harboured of retaining the trophy.
On the night, United simply did not have any answers. For all his attacking endeavour, Cristiano Ronaldo was left frustrated by the lack of support he received from his team mates. Despite switching from the left side to the right, Wayne Rooney remained poor all evening, as did Anderson, Carrick and Giggs. Ferguson showed his hand early, bringing on Tevez at half time and Berbatov slightly later. The end result remained the same however.
Whilst Ferguson has already secured his place in managerial history, he has always cited his team’s limited success in Europe as his biggest disappointment. He will have to wait just that bit longer to enter the pantheon of greats, to use his own words.
In Pep Guardiola, Barcelona have a manager who could well join him there. Guardiola has achieved the unthinkable in his first season in charge at the Nou Camp, and he has done it with dignity With Barcelona players jubilantly celebrating at the final whistle, the pictures of the Barcelona manager going to shake the hand of every United player made for memorable viewing.
United will be disappointed with there performance but it is difficult to argue that Barcelona are not deserving champions. What did you think of the game? Let us know your thoughts on where the game was won and lost.
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Fantastic review. I thought the game was simply won by the fact that the Barcelona players are exquisitely technically more gifted than United’s starting eleven; they take one touch, United take two… I think we have to recognise Barca (and especially Guardiola) as one of the greatest European teams any of us have seen in our lifetime.