Barcelona 2-0 Manchester United

Well my confidence before this match was completely out of place as apart from the opening 10 minutes we were totally outplayed. There are some fans and pundits saying we were outclassed, but i wouldn't go that far. If we had played anywhere near our best and got taken apart like that then fair enough, but those opening 10 minutes aside we were woeful all over the pitch. We can obviously play far better than that. Whenever we play them again, if we put in a better performance than that and still get beat i would accept that they are a lot better than us. I had a sneaking feeling before the game that Ferguson would spring a surprise and play either Tevez or Berbatov up front and play Ronaldo and Rooney wide. Wrong again, my thinking had been that Barca had played us twice last season so knew the type of formation that we had beaten Arsenal with. Therefore they might either work out how to play against it better, especially as they have just had 2 games against Chelsea playing the same way. Even though we started, well i wonder whether he wishes he had done this now as he spent the last 60 minutes going from formation to formation in an effort to try and get some kind of performance going by the shirts.
Of course all this is being wise after the event, because if United had finished one of those chances in the opening 10 minutes everything might well have been different. The most disappointing aspect of last night has to be the way the goal just seemed to kill us as Barca took a complete stranglehold of the game that they never let go. From all pundits and a lot of us fans thinking that Barca had no plan B, it was shown that against opponents of the highest calibre neither did we. Or that at least that the team picked couldn't make any of the various formations work. I feel sorry for Rooney, i have read one article say that he should have disregarded Fergie and gone looking for the ball and given up on his defensive duties as the game went completely away from us. But this is a team game and he is a great team man, so he was never going to do that. But i can't disagree with the fact he was totally wasted last night, he never got into the game at all last night. You have to credit Barca partly with that as that man Iniesta called the shots in the middle of the park. But it has to be said that it was also partly due to the nightmare performance that we saw from our midfiled. Which couldn't protect the defence, couldn't keep hold of the ball and consequently couldn't create any pressure to open up the Catalan defence to give Rooney or Ronaldo a sniff of goal after out bright opening. How we missed Flecther last night. The disaster against Liverpool at home and now this must prove to that ever shrinking club of Fletcher doubters that he is a must start in all the big games from now on.
We were so bad last nght it is probably a bit harsh singling anybody out, but Anderson is not my idea of a United midfielder. His passing isn't good enough and he isn't a defensive midfielder. When he has had decent games playing in this position it has been either next to Fletcher or Hargreaves ( another player that would have been more than handy last night ). I like Park but i have to confess skill wise he didn't belong on that pitch last night, he obviously does a good job tracking back and makes up at times for Ronaldo's lack of workrate when he is on the other flank. But when they scored it turned into the type of game where he is far less useful.
As for the goals, just like the game against Liverpool they were so soft it was unbelievable and just like that game the midfield and defence were both culpable.Vidic didn't have a great game against top class strikers again and who knows whether Ferdinand was fully fit. Still though i am gutted it's not on the same level as being beaten last year would have been. That was why i wanted Barca to beat Chelsea in the semi. I have a lot of time for Barca the sporting institution and i love the way they play football, though i still prefer ours at it's free flowing dynamic best. So to be beat by them is not something that hurts like losing to a Chelsea would have done. And it goes without saying it is no disgrace.
This was also the icing on the cake for a lot of us, at the start of the season equalling that 18 titles was the target. And in that we have achieved what we all wanted, if we had won that it would have been dream time. Having won that title not really playing anywhere near our best for the vast majority of the time shows that what a good job Fergie has done. The signing of Berbatov looked like it might be the final piece of the jigsaw for the squad, a skilful front man with presence which is what the squad over the two years previous had lacked due to Saha's injury problems. But it hasn't worked out like that as Berbatov hasn't had the best debut season. And with Tevez seemingly on his way out, i wonder what the future holds for our front line.We are a team in transition with both Scholes and Giggs nearing the end of their careers and youngsters like Evans, the Da Silva's, Welbeck and Macheda coming through. So to have won a third title on the trot, a league cup, world club championship, a FA cup semi final appearance and a Champions league final defat has been some performance.

Ronaldo won't let it lie, i suppose we shouldn't be surprised.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/5398293/Manchester-United-v-Barcelona-Cristiano-Ronaldo-blames-tactics-for-Rome-defeat.html

Rooney pays credit to Barca
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/

Cascarino thinks Rooney was wasted, can't argue
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article6375271.ece

Ferdinand reckons the reds will bounce back
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/european/manchester-united-can-handle-defeat-says-ferdinand-1692298.html

James Lawton on beautiful Barca
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/james-lawton-beautiful-barccedila-strip-the-fallen-of-their-crown-1691943.html

Henry Winter on the real United not turning up
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/manutd/5394857/Manchester-United-0-Barcelona-2-Champions-League-final-2009-match-report.html