Manchester United 2-1 Barcelona

The final game of the tour saw us sign off the three weeks unbeaten and a very useful workout ahead of the charity shield next week. Of course it was nice to beat Barca, even if it's a Barca without Messi, Xavi and Pique, but the most beneficial aspect of last night was the newcomers gaining the experience of seeing the workrate that the best club side in the world puts into every game.
I thought our youngsters were excellent, Welbeck was superb whilst on the pitch, Cleverley got an invaluable 90 minutes in against a class opposition and didn't look out of place in central midfield and Jonny Evans didn't do much wrong. Welbeck looked more dangerous than Rooney which says everything about his potential. De Gea did alright apart from one terrible clearance that could have been very embarrassing. He made one excellent save and his distribution was swift and creative in another promising performance.
The first half saw us look the more dangerous when we had the ball in their half and saw us match them for possession for about half an hour until they started to dominate the rest of that period without ever really threatning the United goal. Rooney had the first real chance of the match getting on the end of a Nani cross but he hit his shot the wrong side of the upright. Nani was a permanent threat down the right hand side and Welbeck was floating around the pitch causing permanent problems for the Catalans. Young had his quietest match of the tour as he found out how little time you are given on the ball against Barca, which to me highlighted how promising Welbeck's performance was.
As for Barca we saw how important Messi and Xavi are to them, as if we didn't know. They are still a class outfit without that duo but miss the brilliance, creativity and final ball that the two best players in the world provide. I thought United were too happy to let Barca dominate possession in the second half, i know that our system of two wingers means we are always going to see less of the ball. But as we saw at Wembley you just can't allow the best team in the world to hog the ball all night as eventually they will hurt you. As once again happened last night even though it took a cracking strike from Thiago to bring them level. There are some who think De Gea might have done better, but i don't see that, it was a brilliant shot that he was never going to reach.
I have to admit that i feared the worst after that but full credit to the reds as it was United who ended the match the superior outfit after Clevrley's interception and Own's cool finsih to give us the lead. Owen should have made it three right near the end but missed a sitter.
All in all this was a very encouraging night with both teams ending the game with very youthful teams on the pitch. Smalling once again looked the business at full back and Rafael had looked good whilst on the pitch, his injury was the one blot on the night.

Fergie applauds the performance of Cleverley last night whilst denying reported comments regarding Sneijder. Before last nights game Gerard Pique was telling the press how Spain had seen nothing Ferguson and talks glowingly of his man management skills.

Matt Lawton spends 40 minutes with Gary Neville and describes how he was always the England player that the press gravitated too and how he decided that the United dressing room is now a no go area for him. Another now ex red defender Wes Brown looks ahead to life away from Old trafford at the stadium of light with Sunderland. It will be interesting where Steve Bruce plays him, i think his best days at centre back are behind him and for him to prove a successful buy he must play him at right back. We shall see.
The biggest loss of all though was obviously Scholesy and he modestly thinks that replacing him will be no big deal, but we all know that it will. He is right though that there will almost certainly be no like for like replacement as the only two like for likes are at Barca and not for sale.

Flecther was interviewed on his thoughts on the Scottish national side ahead of yesterday's world cup draw, but importantly for United he said that he is now over the mystery virus. Once and for all it's to be hoped as we could do with the Fletcher of two seasons back. The last season and a half have been great to him.

Last weeks Evening news ran a question and answers session with Berbatov where he reiterated his desire to remain at United despite the press questioning his future at the club. Last night's non appearance will have probably done nothing to quell that speculation.

Gill did his bit for the Glazer's talking to the press lauding our owners and citing a post Ferguson plan as evidence that they know what they are doing and claiming that the majority of fans around the world are behind the Glazer's. Well that's alright then, the rest of the world can get behind the owners whilst the match going fans can just lump it.
Does anybody seriously believe the Glazer's have been involved to even the slightest degree in this post Ferguson plan. As Andersred has written on his blog it looks like last seasons retirements and the sale of Brown and O'shea have raised the funds for our summer business with Fergie as good as admitting the fact in one of his interviews over in the States last week. Which begs the question what is going to happen with that Ronaldo money which it would appear is still sittin in the bank.

Europe's top clubs look like they are using the continuing disarray at FIFA to flex their muscles threatning to break away with calls for revolution against footballs global leadership.

Matthew Norman calls for the Lib dems to change their leader to Vince Cable as their only hope of remaining in the game ahead of the next election. It would seem all the papers are agreed that last week saw the ressurection of the sainted Vince, with today's Independent running an interview with the business secretary titled from hero to zero and back again.
Bennedict Brogan thinks that Cable may have actually been on to something when he argued that the government is scared of vested interests with deep pockets and expensive lawyers however much he may have been playing to centre left instincts.
David Blanchflower's adice to Cable after last week's dismal growth figures were for him jump ship, but with plenty of battle still to fight that is probably the last thing on his mind. Will Hutton argues that after those dismal figues Britain needs a economic plan Asian and that only a paradigm shift in the economy will do. Steve Richards wrote that whatever Osborne wants to call it, he needs a plan B and he and the coalition government have only themselves to blame for the state of the economy. Liam Halligan shows that the right still can't stop using Greece as an excuse for it's handling of the economy arguing that Osborne has to stay the course.

Bobby Butcher argues in Propsect that localism is over politicians must think big whilst Jonathan Darbyshire reviews Blue labour's new road map for the British left which argues for that very localism. There is something to be said for both points of view, first and foremost politicians have to save the global economy by taming big finance and making economies working for everybody and not just a small financial elite. And then, in this country at least power and influence must be decentralised as much as possible away from the south east and London.

Paul Mason retraced Steinbeck's footsteps exporing thw woes of America's middle class underclass that are being left behind as the countries economic woes detiorate as the budget impasse deepens.
At least it seems sane voices of the US republican party have started at least some kind of fightback against the hijacking of their party by the " tea party " otherwise known as right wing nutters, as McCain accuses the Republican right of lying to the American public with unrealistic demands.

Charles Moore carries on where he left off last week by arguing that our leaders have lost faith in the powers of their people and that it is time for conservatives to prove that they are for the many not the few.

Simon Jenkins argues the last thing Norway needs is iliberal Britain's patronising, they have handled the tragedy in a surpremely liberal way, you just have to think what the reaction in this country would have been. We would never have heard a politician delare we will win this by introducing even more democracy, that's for sure.