Kevin LustigManchester United to repeat glory of '99?
April 19th 2008 20:00
Over the past nine seasons, Sir Alex Ferguson has made no secret of his desire for another Champions League trophy, a prize that has eluded his team despite two semi-final and three quarter-final finishes since the stunning final minutes of the 1998/1999 championship. Now, with a team Ferguson himself has called better than the '99 trophy-winning squad, the odds look better than ever that he'll finally get that second cup. A Barcelona squad looking to make up for what seems more each week like a lost domestic season, followed by fellow EPL club Liverpool or Chelsea, stand in his way. So will it be Euro glory for Man U again, or will one of these three clubs ruin the party yet again for Ferguson's boys in red?
First up are the usually free-flowing Barcelona, a team whose quickness and skill with possession make them a threat to a Manchester United that's not the fastest team on the field. If Barcelona can captivate the midfield and separate United's playmakers in the center and on the wing from Rooney and the other goal scorers, they'll fare extremely well. However, usually free-flowing and actually free-flowing have proven to be very different things this season for Barcelona. In La Liga, Barcelona have shown flashes of genuinely woeful play, and their success in the Champions League is colored by the fact that they have yet to be truly tested. Lyon, who they faced all the way back in the group stages, was arguably the best team they have had to play this UEFA season. After storming through the early phase of the competition, Barcelona have had their hands full with a spirited Celtic and a Schalke squad that may not even be in European competition next year. Expect Anderson, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ji-Sun Park to seriously test the quick passing game of Barcelona. If the Catalan club can't shut those three down for most of the two matches, Barcelona will find that they're just not able to pick on someone their own size in competition this year.
If Man U can do their thing against Barca and progress to the final, they'll have a date with either Liverpool or Chelsea. Chelsea are of course the odds-on favorites to progress from their semi-final, given their excellent form in the late part of the Premier League and some strong finishes in UEFA competition this season. However, Liverpool seem to have some kind of a pact with the devil that has enabled them to reach two out of the three most recent Champions League finals even as they've been unable to crack the top three at home. Regardless of their UEFA mojo - or is it voodoo? - Liverpool will still be the desired opponent in the final for Manchester United. The Anfield club are weaker in basically every position around the pitch, and it seems to be only a lot of good luck and tremendous heart that keep Liverpool winning in big games. That probably won't be enough against United, who are genuine contenders for the "Best Club in the World" label at the moment. Chelsea, on the other hand, have shown that they can produce world-class stuff any day of the week, and have shown over the past few Premier League seasons that they are every bit the squad that Manchester United is when they're on form. They won't forget a 2-0 loss to United earlier this season, though, and adding to the intrigue of a Manchester United-Chelsea final is the fact that the teams play their second Premiership match less than a month before the UEFA championship match. That game could determine the winner of the domestic title, and it could add fuel to either team's fire heading into an all-English Champions League final tie. Even if they win the Premiership, Manchester United won't be satisfied, but they'll also more than likely have to be cautious facing a Chelsea team looking to hit back and regain some European pride before the long summer break.
The final opponent that may take Manchester United down in the two, or potentially three, games they have left in European competition this season is Manchester United. No team with as good a squad or as great success as United have had this season has hit as many crossbars, missed as many goals or failed to create as many chances as Manchester United. Every league has bad teams that play badly, just as they have good clubs that play well, but Manchester United are unique in being the best team that plays the worst when they're having an off match. So far this season, they haven't been bitten by this habit nearly as often as they should have, and even in games in which they snatched embarrassment from the jaws of glory, they've made up for it with flashes of greatness later on in many of the same matches. That's simply not going to cut it this late in Champions League competition. There's no doubt that good Manchester United can beat any team in the world, but bad Manchester United can beat good Manchester United on any given match day. Red shirts must be on the end of passes, shots mustn't go flying into the stands and goals must be scored when they're there for the taking if Man U want to get past Barcelona and their English foes in the title match.
So this writer's conclusion? All Manchester United needs are three more solid UEFA games and the Champions League title is theirs. But the semi-finals and the final are unforgiving, and Barcelona, Chelsea or Liverpool not only can, but will keep the Red Devils from their European dream for another year if bad United shows up.
First up are the usually free-flowing Barcelona, a team whose quickness and skill with possession make them a threat to a Manchester United that's not the fastest team on the field. If Barcelona can captivate the midfield and separate United's playmakers in the center and on the wing from Rooney and the other goal scorers, they'll fare extremely well. However, usually free-flowing and actually free-flowing have proven to be very different things this season for Barcelona. In La Liga, Barcelona have shown flashes of genuinely woeful play, and their success in the Champions League is colored by the fact that they have yet to be truly tested. Lyon, who they faced all the way back in the group stages, was arguably the best team they have had to play this UEFA season. After storming through the early phase of the competition, Barcelona have had their hands full with a spirited Celtic and a Schalke squad that may not even be in European competition next year. Expect Anderson, Cristiano Ronaldo and Ji-Sun Park to seriously test the quick passing game of Barcelona. If the Catalan club can't shut those three down for most of the two matches, Barcelona will find that they're just not able to pick on someone their own size in competition this year.
If Man U can do their thing against Barca and progress to the final, they'll have a date with either Liverpool or Chelsea. Chelsea are of course the odds-on favorites to progress from their semi-final, given their excellent form in the late part of the Premier League and some strong finishes in UEFA competition this season. However, Liverpool seem to have some kind of a pact with the devil that has enabled them to reach two out of the three most recent Champions League finals even as they've been unable to crack the top three at home. Regardless of their UEFA mojo - or is it voodoo? - Liverpool will still be the desired opponent in the final for Manchester United. The Anfield club are weaker in basically every position around the pitch, and it seems to be only a lot of good luck and tremendous heart that keep Liverpool winning in big games. That probably won't be enough against United, who are genuine contenders for the "Best Club in the World" label at the moment. Chelsea, on the other hand, have shown that they can produce world-class stuff any day of the week, and have shown over the past few Premier League seasons that they are every bit the squad that Manchester United is when they're on form. They won't forget a 2-0 loss to United earlier this season, though, and adding to the intrigue of a Manchester United-Chelsea final is the fact that the teams play their second Premiership match less than a month before the UEFA championship match. That game could determine the winner of the domestic title, and it could add fuel to either team's fire heading into an all-English Champions League final tie. Even if they win the Premiership, Manchester United won't be satisfied, but they'll also more than likely have to be cautious facing a Chelsea team looking to hit back and regain some European pride before the long summer break.
The final opponent that may take Manchester United down in the two, or potentially three, games they have left in European competition this season is Manchester United. No team with as good a squad or as great success as United have had this season has hit as many crossbars, missed as many goals or failed to create as many chances as Manchester United. Every league has bad teams that play badly, just as they have good clubs that play well, but Manchester United are unique in being the best team that plays the worst when they're having an off match. So far this season, they haven't been bitten by this habit nearly as often as they should have, and even in games in which they snatched embarrassment from the jaws of glory, they've made up for it with flashes of greatness later on in many of the same matches. That's simply not going to cut it this late in Champions League competition. There's no doubt that good Manchester United can beat any team in the world, but bad Manchester United can beat good Manchester United on any given match day. Red shirts must be on the end of passes, shots mustn't go flying into the stands and goals must be scored when they're there for the taking if Man U want to get past Barcelona and their English foes in the title match.
So this writer's conclusion? All Manchester United needs are three more solid UEFA games and the Champions League title is theirs. But the semi-finals and the final are unforgiving, and Barcelona, Chelsea or Liverpool not only can, but will keep the Red Devils from their European dream for another year if bad United shows up.
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