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Let’s take a look at previous encounters and preview the lineups, formations and tactics for the final.
In 2008, Manchester United knocked Barcelona out of the semi-finals of the Champions league with a 1-0 win on aggregate at Old Trafford. Sir Alex Ferguson’s men packed the midfield and nullified Barcelona’s attack in the middle of the pitch. A lot has changed since then. A lot has changed for Manchester United since the 2009 final where Pep Guardiola had his tactics spot on.
Guardiola moved Messi into the middle of the frontline, with Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry supporting the attack from the wide. This created problems for Manchester United because Messi dropped into midfield to further support the attack. It was surprising to see Messi lead the attack in the middle of a 4-3-3, but it has now actually become the norm for Guardiola’s side. The two big differences being Eto’o and Henry do not play alongside him, rather it is David Villa on the left and Pedro on the right. Barcelona were victorious in 2009 and Lionel Messi’s false 9 role was executed to perfection.
This time around, a lot has changed, more so for Manchester United. The loss of Cristiano Ronaldo has allowed United to play a more balanced and cohesive side. United have reached the Champions League finals by playing a 4-4-1-1 formation with newcomer Javier Hernandez, also known as Chicharito leading the attack. What makes this side unique is that it is very versatile. Essentially, United have played with three wingers – Ryan Giggs, Ji Sung Park and Antonio Valencia. Although it may seem like a 4-4-1-1 on paper, United can effectively pack the middle of the pitch with Rooney dropping back and Park tucking in. This is what United have done when they don’t have possession of the ball. With Valencia and Park’s ability to track the wide runners, United effectively defend as a unit. Since 2009, Barcelona have introduced Sergio Busquets who has replaced Yaya Toure as the holding midfielder and become one of the best in his position. David Villa has replaced Eto’o and Pedro gives them a paceier, direct style of play on the wing.
Let’s take a look at how both sides could lineup in the final.
This has more or less been the United side that has dominated Schalke and Chelsea in the Champions League. The only real question marks have been about the rightback position, but Fábio has put in consistent performances towards the end of the season. His twin brother Rafael and John O’shea have more experience, but Fábio’s consistency can give him the edge to start the final. On the other hand, Rafael is the natural rightback and O’shea did start the 2009 final against the same opponent. Getting the rightback position correct will be critical as they will come up against Villa and at times Iniesta (who from the 2009 final, drifted to the left). Michael Carrick is certain to start in midfield as well as Ryan Giggs and Valencia. If Chicharito starts, he will play a very important role. Barcelona’s backline love to play a highline, and since Hernandez plays on the shoulder of the last defender, Barcelona could be forced to play deeper than preferred. Pique and Puyol will be less reluctant to carry the ball out with Hernandez trying to beat the offside trap everytime. Regardless, the team Sir Alex Ferguson picks on Saturday could have a couple surprises as he always does. Even people in the United hierarchy can not accurately predict Ferguson’s side. Recently, Sir Bobby Charlton said: ‘But I can never second-guess Alex. In the boardroom before matches we see who can get closest to his team before the sheet comes up. The best I’ve done is eight out of the 11. Pep Guardiola is a terrific coach but I doubt he will get close before they name the line-ups.”
Barcelona were missing Dani Alves in the 2009 final which meant his overlapping runs were also missed. This time he will be involved, which is a big boost for the Catalan attack. Since Barcelona do not play with conventional wingers, Alves brings much needed width, getting in behind the opposition’s fullback. The good news for Manchester United is that Park will operate on the left wing, a player that is defensively sound and known for his industrious style of play.
Iniesta whilst still hurt in 2009 was the key player. Messi will once again play through the middle of the front line and drop into midfield. Guardiola’s side is pretty much predictable as he plays almost the same side against most top teams. Abidal has been declared fit to play and captain Puyol has had time to recover from his niggling injury. Leading up to Saturday, Messi, Xavi and Iniesta will have not played a full 90-minute game for three weeks.
Key for Barcelona
Iniesta will no doubt be a key figure, drifting to the left to attack United’s right back. Manchester United’s defence is very sound but Barcelona will look to target the right back – whether it be the youngsters (Rafael, Fábio) or O’shea. As previously mentioned, Messi will drop into midfield, looking to stretch United’s midfield or bring one of Vidic or Ferdinand out of position from the defence. Defensively, Pique and Puyol have to be alert of Chicharito or Rooney’s runs as they could both hurt them on the counter attack.
Key for United
United will have to defend as a unit and use the pace of Valencia (or Nani if he starts) to hit them hard on the counter attack. Chicharito will play very high to keep Barcelona’s defence on their toes (behind the yellow line in the Barcelona diagram). Although Carrick took a lot of the blame in the 2009 final, he actually played some decent passes. He was the only United midfielder looking to spray passes out to his wingers. This time, Rooney won’t play on the left, he will play behind Chicharito and will drop into midfield when United don’t have the ball. Wayne Rooney has been in sensational form since the turn of the year where he has played in his favourite position. The new Wayne Rooney enjoys playing the number 10 role, it allows him to be more creative and pick out a pass. Therefore, United’s width will be very important in this game as Abidal and Alves love to get involved in the attack.
Barcelona are no doubt favourites for this game, but it will be very interesting if Sir Alex's men can properly carry out his tactics. Will the Catalans win their 4th European cup? Or will Manchester United win theirs in the same pitch they won it in 1968?
