Just days away, the 2011 UEFA Champions League Final is a match-up of epic proportions. The teams: Manchester United, who just won the English Premier League for a record 19th time, and FC Barcelona, Spanish La Liga winners for three years running and just two years removed from an unprecedented six-trophy year. The site: Wembley Stadium, among the most hallowed grounds of English football in the mother country of the game. And let’s not forget, it’s a much-hyped rematch of the 2009 final held in Rome.
So with mere hours left until the world is treated to one of the greatest spectacles in football culture, it’s time to take a closer look at how the squads stack up against each other.
We’ll start off with the most interesting and exciting component of the game, how the teams play in the attacking third:
Forwards
Barcelona
It’s no secret what Barcelona plans to do: let Lionel Messi work his magic. Fresh off of scoring a superman-like 54 goals in all competitions for the 2010-‘11 season, the 2010 FIFA Ballon d’Or winner is still wreaking havoc on his opponents’ backline. There’s no proven way to keep the “flea” from hopping around the pitch with ease as his low center of gravity keeps him on his feet, even after brutish tackles, and his exceptional ball skills have the ball nearly glued to his feet. Somewhat lost in the aura around Messi is David Villa, who is just as talented a goal scorer. No one knows the secret to his goal-scoring powers—perhaps it’s his legendary soul patch facial hair—but whatever it is, Villa needs to find it, and find it quickly; he’s only found the back of the net once in Barca’s last 17 games. The speedy Pedro is also a major player in Barcelona’s attacking scheme. Look for him to blaze down the line and launch dangerous crosses for the men in the box.
Man Utd.
After a woeful beginning to the season fraught with both on and off-the-pitch troubles, Wayne Rooney has rediscovered his form that saw him win the FWA Footballer of the Year in 2009-’10. A dangerous and in-form Rooney is the last thing Barca would like to see, as he can be as good as anybody when he’s playing with confidence and swagger. But Wazza is not the only one in the ranks of red shirts with attacking prowess. Javier “Chicharito” Hernández has dazzled in his rookie year in the EPL with a stunning 13 league goals. And the hulking, and sometimes brooding, Bulgarian striker Dimitar Berbatov has proven his worth with a 20 goal haul as well.
Advantage: Wash—It’s hard to not give the advantage to Barcelona who boasts the best player in the world, but both teams have incredible and equally talented depth in the forward department.
Midfield
Barcelona
This is where Barcelona makes their mark with the midfield duo of Xavi and Andrés Iniesta. The two geniuses pass with utter precision and sublime beauty that lull opposing defenders to sleep. They are the unchallenged masters of the Barcelona tiki-taka, their short and frequent passing games, and can read the pitch unlike any others. They are often paired with a holding midfielder, be it Sergio Busquets or Javier Mascherano. Say what you will about their play-acting habits, but they get the job done and force their way into the minds of the opposing players.
Man Utd.
In order to stop Barca’s mesmerizing midfield play, the Red Devils will have to rely on the hard-nosed Paul Scholes, not one known for his tackling, and the ageless Ryan Giggs. With effective bully Darren Fletcher out with a virus, Manchester is a bit thin in the midfield. They do possess some weapons in the unheralded Ji-Sung Park, who may get a starting nod, and in the pace of Antonio Valencia and the facilitating play of Nani.
Advantage Barcelona—There’s not much of an argument for Man United here. Barcelona controls the midfield in every game they play and it’s awfully hard to nick the ball off them when they get set in their triangle passing patterns.
Defense/Goalkeeping
Barcelona
Led by captain Carles Puyol and his magical mane of brown locks, the Barcelona defense is a staunch bunch that features excellent two-way players like Gerard Piqué and Dani Alves with his bombing runs down the flanks. They don’t face much pressure with Barcelona often enjoying a huge discrepancy in possession, but when put to the fire they have a tendency to lose their marking and open up holes for the opposing attack. Victor Valdes is a tremendous talent in goal and has won the Spanish equivalent of best goalkeeper for two straight years. He steps up when the going gets rough, but keep an eye on his short temper that has notoriously reared its ugly head in clashes with other players and even the likes of Jose Mourinho.
Man Utd.
The greatest strength of Manchester United is their back four. They boast two stalwart center-backs in Nemandja Vidic and Rio Ferdinand, two experienced and unflinching defenders unafraid of the hype and awe surrounding Barcelona. Vidic as captain and Ferdinand, when he was healthy, were key assets in holding their Premier League opponents to only 37 goals. Fullback Patrice Evra, for all his troubles with the French national team, remains a world-class talent and can go head-to-head with the attacking like-minded Alves. One cannot underscore the importance of Edwin van der Sar. In what will be his last game for Manchester United, look for the 40-year-old to pull off an inspired performance and bring calm when play gets hectic.
Advantage: Manchester United—Defense is the calling card of Manchester United and just because they’re going up against heralded Barcelona, don’t expect them to crumble in the face of adversity.
Chalk it up to a tie with each team coming away with a win and draw in evaluating their positional strengths and weaknesses. Fortunately for us, the final cannot end in a draw and one team will walk away as champions of Europe. The 2009 final in Rome finished 2-0 in favor of the blaugrana with Messi notching one of the goals. It seems unlikely Fergie’s men will suffer a blanking and camp in their defensive half like Real Madrid, which might lead to one exciting game.
Final Prediction: Barcelona 3-2.