Barcelona v Manchester United- Key to the Games

We have had a run through the teams and looking at which of the clubs will have the edge in each department. I am now looking at 'keys to the game' and how each side can win this game and take home the trophy.

The keys to the game:

1) The First Goal: In most 'big' games, the first goal in the contest is crucial and this game is no different. If Barcelona get it, it could be a long day for United as the Spanish team keeps the ball so well.

However, if United can get it, they have the know how defensively to make life difficult for Barcelona and could lead to a famous victory.


2) The Officials: The Officials have to be strong in this game and they cannot allow it to be overshadowed by controversy. They must also be aware of any gamesmanship taking place and must stamp their authority on the game.


3) The Midfield Battle: This is the heartbeat of the Barcelona team and it is up to Manchester United to make it hard for the Catalan club to play their brand of football. United cannot spend 70 minutes chasing shadows because it will be too tiring for them. The likes of Michael Carrick and Ji Sung Park must harry Andres Iniesta and Xavi, while Ryan Giggs must keep possession when United do get time to play.


4) Lionel Messi: The Argentine superstar may be feeling additional pressure in this game as many have tipped him to join the greatest players of all time if he can lead Barcelona to their 3rd title in 6 seasons. He has not really performed at his best against English sides in the past, even though he did score the 2nd in Rome 2 years ago.



What Must Barcelona do to Win
Barcelona's tactics to win the game will be the same as they are for most of their games- they will look to keep the possession for long periods and eventually work an opening once they have their opposition chasing shadows.

However, they must also be able to negate the United midfield by moving the ball quickly past them and not allowing United to settle into a defensive shape. A slow build up from Barcelona could play into United's hands, especially if they have not scored an early goal.

Getting the ball as often to Lionel Messi and allowing him to run at the defence. If Barcelona can get Messi into pockets of space where he can run at the defence and get them running back towards their own goal, Barcelona will see other players finding space and creating chances. Messi must influence the game as much as possible and not allow himself to get lost in the mix.

David Villa must take advantage of his likely match up with Fabio. The Spaniard has a lot more experience than the right back and he is one of the best when it comes to movement. Villa must try and expose the positioning of Fabio as he makes his runs from the left side of the front trio.

Gerard Pique must also move the ball out of defence at his feet and try and start moves to Iniesta and Xavi. I imagine United will try to cut the supply through Busquets at the bottom of the midfield three, so it is up to Pique (being more comfortable on the ball than Puyol) to start moves.

Pep Guardiola must have a 'Plan B' for this game- good defensive sides have been the achilles heal of Barcelona for some time and they must have a tactic to break down a wall of players if they are faced with it again.


What Must Manchester United do to Win
The first thing United have to do is defend well- they proved in the 2008 Semi Finals that they can defend well if they concentrate as the 1-0 win over 2 Legs demonstrated. It is a tactic that has frustrated Barcelona in the past, with Chelsea, Liverpool, Inter Milan and United all showing they can set up to make life difficult for Barcelona.

Sir Alex Ferguson is smart enough to know that Barcelona will have the lion's share of the possession, but United can limit what they do with that possession. Barcelona are one of the shortest sides in Europe, so the best option is to play narrow and force them to go wide... If they score with a cross and a header, you say too good. But I am sure United will fancy their chances with Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic that they will win the majority of balls in the air.

Further on from the possession point, force Xavi and Iniesta to look for Dani Alves and Maxwell/Eric Abidal with the ball. If Barcelona are going to have 70% of possession, make sure Alves and the left back are seeing a lot of the ball in that time. Again, if they cross and score you have to say too good.

Keeping Lionel Messi quiet will also be important for United. They must not let the diminutive Argentine find pockets of space and must have him marked quickly and not allow him to turn on the ball. I dont think they need to man mark Messi but take responsibility as a defensive unit.

United must exploit the space that Barcelona leave behind on the attack. The counter attack can be effective as both Alves and the left back charge forward and the pace of Antonio Valencia and Javier Hernandez can cause plenty of problems. Play the ball into the channels and force Puyol and Pique away from their comfort zone.

The team must use their size defensively as well as on the attack. All set pieces have to be 'put into the mixer' as United will enjoy a size advantage. Arsenal's goal at the Nou Camp came from a corner that caused panic in the backline.

Keeping hold of the ball is also key for United when they get it back. Barca's pressing game means they will have more of the ball, but United cannot afford to give it away with sloppy passes as soon as they get it. It is a key to giving the defence some respite and also allowing them to maintain their shape rather than losing the ball and a goal in transistion.


Verdict
Both teams have tactics they need to enforce if they are to win this game. Lionel Messi is an absolute key to both teams as one looks to get him on the ball while the other seeks to reduce his influence as much as possible.

Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken about 'concentration' a lot this week and I feel the manager thinks the side did not concentrate properly in the Final of 2009, while they were brilliant for 180 minutes in the Semi Finals of 2008. This will be absolutely key for United who must be zoned in for every single minute of this game.

This United team is not as good as the one that beat Barcelona in 2008, but even that victory was off the back of 2 special defensive performances rather than flair going forward. With Javier Hernandez playing off the last man, United have plenty of scope going forward this season, they have to defend very well though, something they have shown themselves to be capable of.

Barcelona will look to make Wembley as wide as possible on Saturday, but United must remain focused and make the game narrow. It is unlikely that Barca will win with a superb header, especially with the Ferdinand-Vidic partnership, and by making the pitch narrow, it makes the little intricate moves Barca like that much more difficult.

While some in the media think Barcelona just need to turn up to collect the trophy, I think the game will be much tighter and just depends who can enforce their style on the other. Can United sucker punch Barcelona on the counter and defend well? Yes, they can.

Can Barcelona pass the ball and create an opening through some magic from Lionel Messi? Yes they can.

But whatever happens, I very much doubt it will be easy and the nerves will be frayed

Barcelona v Manchester United- Looking at the Teams

It is almost time for the end of season if you are based in one of the big European Leagues, and we are now just days away from the culmination of the Champions League, this year the Final being played at Wembley Stadium.It was perhaps a dream for UEFA to see Barcelona reach the Final, with the Catalan giants being lauded as 'the best club side' in the history of European football. It was also a nice touch for the marketing department to see Barca facing an English side in the finale of the competition.

The first blog I am writing about this game is comparing the teams and judging which has the advantage in the different positions. I will also be looking at the 'Keys to the Game' and trying to see the tactical matchup between the teams and how each can go on and win.

Finally I will be writing a preview of the game, and trying to find the best way to find a profit.
On to the teams:

Goalkeeper
The Barcelona goalkeeper will be Victor Valdes, as has been the case for a few seasons. He is a solid goalkeeper, but I do not believe he is in the elite of Europe and is definitely prone to errors and perhaps losing concentration when Barca hold around 70% of the possession in a game.

He looked a little clumsy in the game with Arsenal at the Emirates and I definitely think teams can get some joy out of him if they force him to make saves. Valdes will not be lacking for experience with this being his 3rd Champions League Final for Barcelona.

When it comes to talk about experience, Edwin Van der Sar is brimming at the edges with big game experience. He has been a real revelation at Old Trafford as a stream of goalkeepers tried, and failed, to replace Peter Schemeichel before his arrival in 2005. Van der Sar is already a 2 time European Cup winner and will be playing in his 5th Champions League Final.

The big Dutchman's consistency gives United a lot of belief that even when they makes mistake in defence, they will still be saved by Van der Sar.

Edge: Manchester United


Defence
The Barcelona team is much easier to predict from 1-11 than Manchester United, although they do have one question on their defence. We can expect to see Dani Alves, Gerard Pique, Carlos Puyol as 3 of the 4 starters with the question being whether they start with Eric Abidal or Maxwell.

This is quite easily the weakest part of the Barcelona team and we saw how Arsenal managed to create chances against them. Even in Rome 2009, United created quite a few decent openings in the game. The full backs spend a lot of time in the opposition half which means there are space in the channels while I believe Alves is defensively very suspect.

The centre backs are solid, but can be exposed by pace and the left back spot is perhaps the weakest in the entire XI.

Manchester United look likely to start with Fabio, Patrice Evra, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic. This back 4 have played in a number of big games towards the back end of the season and know each others game perfectly.

The centre backs have the pace and power mix that makes them the best partnership in European football (in my humble opinion), while both full backs are fairly comfortable going backwards or forwards.

I do have a few concerns with the rash nature of Fabio as you dont really want players playing on a yellow card for a long period of the game. As Ray Wilkins will likely say 1000 times during the game, the young Brazilian needs 'to stay on his feet' and not dive in a give the officials a chance to book him.

Edge: Manchester United


Midfield
If anyone other than Sergei Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta start in the midfield trio for Barcelona, I would be surprised while also feeling United's chances have improved on a scale determined by which of the 3 were not starting.

These 3 players are the key to the Barcelona team as they like playing their quick one-two football while making sure the football keeps ticking over. Xavi and Iniesta are two of the very best midfielders in the World and their job is primarily to provide the bullets for the front 3. However, do not underestimate Iniesta's chances on getting on the scoresheet as he has some vital goals from midfield in his time for Barca and Spain.

Sir Alex Ferguson is a much tougher man to predict. He has two options here, either to start with the 4-5-1 tactic that has served so well in the past, or the new 4-4-2 tactic that saw United beat Chelsea and Schalke to reach this stage.

I have a feeling we will see the 4 man version with Antonio Valencia, Ji Sung Park, Michael Carrick and Ryan Giggs the ones likely to get the nod. I would be surprised if the United team is not set out to be narrower than normal and make it difficult for the likes of Xavi and Iniesta to play their game without being tormented.

Park had a two particularly good games against Barcelona in the 2008 Semi Finals when he was given the task to remain relatively close to Lionel Messi... This did not work so well in the 2009 Final so I would expect he will be used to harass the midfielders instead.

My biggest concern about that foursome is whether United can keep the ball well enough when they do get possession. With Barca expected to dominate on that front, the limited chances United get will have to be used effectively.

The likes of Giggs and Park cannot afford to have a game where they lose possession too easily. Michael Carrick too must pull the strings better when the ball is at his feet, and he does have something to prove after his performance in Rome 2 years ago.

Edge: Barcelona


Forwards
Again it seems the Barcelona 3 are easy to pick here- David Villa, Pedro and Lionel Messi will be the choice of Pep Guardiola in this game and all 3 provide pace and trickery that will keep the United defenders on their toes throughout the 90 minutes.

We all know about Lionel Messi and the quality he brings to the team. David Villa is a very good striker and United cannot afford for him to drift between the full backs and centre backs as he can be lethal in front of goal. Pedro is another who has the ability to make the diagonal runs that will be picked out by Iniesta and Xavi and get in on goal.

I expect United will counter with Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez in this game. Rooney is likely to drop off Hernandez and perhaps even sit on Sergei Busquets to prevent Barca building from the back of their midfield and also to help the 2 centre midfield players out when United do not have the ball.

Hernandez may not have played at the highest level before, but he has shown his temperament in big games with goals in the Quarter Finals against Chelsea and in the Premier League down the stretch. He also has a World Cup goal to his name and his pace is going to give Barca problems.

Hernandez is also at the right place at the right time and could be ready to enter folklore at Old Trafford.

Edge: Barcelona


Managers
Pep Guardiola is often touted as being one of the finest managers in Europe but I would like to reserve judgement on that until he manages elsewhere. I mean look what happened to Frank Rijkaard since leaving the Nou Camp.

Guardiola likes his team playing in the 'Barca way', but I have found he perhaps is lacking in a 'Plan B' if things are not going their way. Whether that is because he has firm belief that his tactics will eventually lead to his team winning, or whether he just doesnt know any better is up for debate.

We have yet to see Guardiola turn a game in his teams favour when they are struggling, the key being the 3-1 defeat to Inter last season when he failed to change the tide of the game once Barca fell behind.

If there is one manager I would guess has learned a thing or two after Rome 2009, it is Sir Alex Ferguson. So many times we have seen Fergie pick a team that has all scratching their heads, only to end with United winning. He said after Rome that he had made a mistake and he could not wait to play Barcelona again... Now is his opportunity.

Sir Alex can be pragmatic when things are not going right for United and he is not afraid to make changes no matter who it upsets.

Even if United fall behind in a game, they cannot be ruled out mainly because of the belief and desire running through this team which is down to the manager.

Edge: Manchester United


Verdict
This game is appealing to the masses, in my opinion, because the teams seem to mirror one another. United are definitely stronger defending, while Barcelona's attack is their key.

On the other side of the coin, Barcelona's defending is not their strength and that matches up with United's 'weaker' side.

Midfield is usually the biggest battle on a football pitch and while Barcelona have the edge, United do have players that can make life difficult.

The game looks fascinatingly poised and both teams will feel confident in their chances of taking home the biggest prize in European football.