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Bow to Barcelona's superb work off the ball

Tony Tannous
Expert
28th May, 2009
14
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Tony Tannous
Expert
28th May, 2009
14
2458 Reads
Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, left, is challenged by Barcelona's Yaya Toure during the UEFA Champions League final soccer match between Manchester United and Barcelona in Rome, Wednesday May 27, 2009. AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo, left, is challenged by Barcelona's Yaya Toure during the UEFA Champions League final soccer match between Manchester United and Barcelona in Rome, Wednesday May 27, 2009. AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia

No doubt Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernandez and Andreas Iniesta were the stars of this wonderful Barcelona performance, but I want to pay a tribute to the unsung heroes and tactics that helped them claim their second European title in four seasons.

Leading in, I felt Manchester United held the aces. Not because they have the better front third or the best player in the world. Messi has long held that crown in mind, despite uncharacteristically quiet semi finals.

United had the psychological advantage, I sensed, because of all the changes to the Barca starting shape, both in personnel and team structure.

After all, in order to accommodate the injury to Rafa Marquez and suspensions of Dani Alves and Eric Abidal, Pep Guardiola would have to make four changes to his nominal starting structure.

The swap of Silvinho for Abidal was a like-for-like, but Brazilian has barely played this season, so there were questions as to how he would cope.

Elsewhere, Yaya Toure would have to be moved from his favoured central midfield holding role, forcing Guardiola to bring Sergi Busquets in to anchor his midfield, while skipper Carles Puyol, nominally a central defender, would have to fill in for Alves on the right.

Against Chelsea, in the second leg, Guardiola was forced to use Toure and Busquets in these positions, so there was a precedent, but truth be told, neither had a game to remember as Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard gave them constant headaches.

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With Wayne Rooney in such superb form of late, Puyol was likely to cop a hard time as well, so there were question marks all round on how the back four and Busquets would keep out the normally potent United front-line.

But Guardiola had a plan. Belying the notion that they attack and do little else, Barcelona survived an early onslaught from United and Ronaldo in particular, and then got cracking with a high pressing game, pressuring United deep in their own half and putting immense pressure on United’s goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, and central defenders, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, to play out.

Their lack of passing ability from the back, under pressure, was exposed, and United’s confidence and game unravelled.

Ferguson’s men had tried to do the same at the other end, but after some nervy work on the ball from Victor Valdes and Toure at the start, it was Michael Carrick who cracked, coughing up possession deep in his own half. With Barcelona so advanced, and the game stretched, within a couple of passes Iniesta was driving beyond Carrick and exposing the space left by Patrice Evra.

Once the Catalans had the lead they were in total control, and soon they starting stringing the wall-passes, playing their combinations and keeping the ball.

With Guardiola surprising Sir Alex by playing Messi through the middle, in the space between the holding midfielders and central defenders, as he had done here, United’s midfield trio were essentially up against a midfield diamond, with Busquets at the base, Messi at the point and Iniesta and Xavi either side.

In space, try stopping that. Carrick, Ryan Giggs and Anderson were left chasing shadows.

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Thierry Henry and Eto’o, after his goal, were relatively quiet in offence, but combined with the midfield quartet they did a superb job in pressing United.

When United did manage to get the ball forward, the back four and Busquets were outstanding, scrambling and crowding Ronaldo and Co.

It was as organised a full-field-press as you are likely to see, a platform that ultimately allowed Barca’s superior use of the ball to illuminate this final.

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