On May 05 2011 18:36 Stimp wrote: Have some of you guys seen Uniteds away form? The best they have going for them is the fact that they know how rubbish the wembley pitch is.
Can't see anything other than a Barca win I'm afraid.
We're talking about Champion League here buddy. And if I recall correctly, MU won all their games away from Old Trafford this season, and did not even concede a single goal.
This is Barcelona. Not Schalke or an horrendously out of form Chelsea.
a strong referee who doesnt fall for barc's diving will be great. Then again last round was spain vs spain and its common as hell in that league, looking for a well played game with no diving and I wouldlove an Enlgish team to win but I just cant see it....not unless the is a few injuries, messi is unstoppable.
On May 05 2011 18:59 Jayjay54 wrote: 100% the best teams this year. well deserved. promising final
United have been poor in the Premier League for the majority of the season. Infact nobody in the Premier League has been a stand out performer. They're kinda at the top of the league by default and despite Chelsea going on the worst run in their history under Abramovich, they can still go first this weekend if they beat them.
Barcelona however are at their peak and genuinely one of the best teams i've seen in my life time. If not the best. And I saw the Milan side of the early 90's and Ajax 95.
I very much doubt United will play 4-4-2 against Barcelona too like the OP suggests.
Tbh I can't stand Messi and all the hype around him, loads of players would be as good as him if they could get the chance to play with midfielders such as Iniesta and Xavi. Besides they dive 24/7...
On May 05 2011 21:02 Dronk wrote: Rooting for Man U!
Tbh I can't stand Messi and all the hype around him, loads of players would be as good as him if they could get the chance to play with midfielders such as Iniesta and Xavi. Besides they dive 24/7...
You really don't know what you're talking about if you think loads of people could be as good as Messi...
I hope the predicted lineup is wrong. Carrick cannot handle the amount of pressing Barca does and is prone to making costly errors.
I would play a 4-4-1-1 with: Van der Sar - Rafael, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra - Nani, Fletcher, Giggs, Valencia - Rooney, Hernandez;
Giggs has proven he can play inside, and Barcelona's mids have more speed/skill than physicality so he'll be okay in there. Park would also be a decent choice.
I hope Webb refs this. With a fair ref this should be a great game.
Individual match ups: Nani/Valencia v Puyol/Alves should be pretty one sided, the only way Puyol can stop either of these 2 is by fouling them and Dani Alves, I don't even know what he'll have to do, as of late he hasn't really stopped anyone impressively.
Messi v Whoever is always interesting, I hope it's against Anderson because I think he's one of the Man U midfielder who can keep up and contain him. I would love to see Fabio/Rafeal play against him but I don't think he'll get a spot for this game .
Rooney/Hernandez v Pique/Abidal is gonna be awesome, pique's got the height and possibly the faster speed but Rooney can definitely out muscle him to get the ball, Hernandez is going to constantly be a thorn in their side but Pique will probably be able to cover him, Abidal on the other hand might not be ready for a game like this after just coming back but we'll see.
Please, please change United's coach name to Sir Alex Ferguson. There's a reason it is called a title, you know.
Oh, and some stats for people who like that thing.
Barcelona – 2 finals in 4 years and 4 consecutive semi-finals. Man United – 3 finals in 4 years and 4 semi-finals in 5 years. (Should’ve been 5 in 5 and 4 in 4 mind you)
Barcelona – Goals Scored – 27 —- Conceded – 8 United – Scored – 18 —- Conceded – 4 (An own goal and the one today’s game should not count because our first choice did not play). Essentially United have conceded only two proper goals in 12 games of football in Europe this season.
How are Barcelona going to murder/overrun United when we have the meanest defense in all of Europe and have done so for the past few years. We’ve not conceded a goal away from home all season. That has never been done in the history of the competition so far.
Manchester United UEFA Coefficient – 151.157 Barcelona UEFA Coefficient – 139.351
People who believe Barcelona are better should take a good look at that. Guess UEFA’s own ranking system must lie then if it ranks United so much above Barcelona.
The problem with United is that they've fooled everyone into thinking they've got the worst team for years. If that were true, then what would you call the rest of Europe when we make the UCL semi final for the 3rd time in 4 years.
The fact of the matter is this United "team" is as good as any other we've had before. What they lack in the individual brilliance of someone like Best, or any of the 99 Legends or Ronaldo, we overcome with sheer single-minded will and desire to win. There is no other team that can lack that something (like Messi or Ronaldo for example) but still surprise everyone by making the final of such a prestigious competition.
Also, for all the people giving credit to Barcelona's offense, the same amount of credit is not given to United's defense which is the meanest in all of Europe. And for all of Barcelona's beauty, they can only play one way. United can do a lot of different things on our day, but most of all, given the right mindset and tactics from SAF, we can stop Barcelona from scoring. And I am not sure whether Barcelona’s defense can stop us from scoring. And therein lies the rational thought that leads me to believe why United might just get revenge for 2009. We can stop them from scoring, but can they stop us from scoring. And ultimately that is what wins you matches, scoring more and conceding less than the opposition(Essential Watching: 2008 Champions League semi-final)
Also, people should not forget that we had the best chances for the opening 10 mins of the 2009 final and could’ve gone ahead. We outplayed Barca for those 10 mins. And their goal was completely against the run of play. We just sat back for that one move and allowed them to play their game which ultimately led to an easy goal for them.
But after that, I’ve never seen a United team capitulate or just wither down like we did on that fateful day. Once Etoo scored, the game was over. At least, that’s how it looked when I saw all the players. There was no fight and we had almost conceded defeat after that very moment. It was not a contest once that goal went in. But had we scored from one of our earlier chances, it might’ve been different.
Oh well, hindsight is an amazing thing, but people should not forget what happened during the last final before they start making comments on how this one will transpire. Another point to note is that the 2009 had someone named Ronaldo trying to prove he was the best player in the world and was about as selfish as any player could be. This United team as has been suggested is about 11 players, not one person.
All of this and I am not saying what will happen in the final. However, people should use their footballing brains before dismissing United as a force to be reckoned with. The Final, like all other football matches, will start with 50-50 odds to each team. The best team on the night will walk home with the title. In 2009 it was Barcelona, I hope in 2011 it is Manchester United.
even my man united supporting friend doesn't think they'll win this and thats very out of character for him. though i won't say it in front of him its possible they'll win. barca are probably a better team though, i just hope its a good match and i can watch somewhere with nice beer!
Rooting for a Man U win, i doubt it though, I think what the squad has achieved this season is pretty damn amazing when you actually look at the players that united have at the moment, especially taking into consideration the amount of time Vidic/Ferdinand have been out this season. I just hope Carrick doesn't play, I used to be a big fan but in the 09 final against Barca I lost my faith in him, he was beyond useless and I don't think he has been good since, he always appears super sloppy when I see him play.
On May 05 2011 21:55 Megatronn wrote: I hope Webb refs this. With a fair ref this should be a great game.
Individual match ups: Nani/Valencia v Puyol/Alves should be pretty one sided, the only way Puyol can stop either of these 2 is by fouling them and Dani Alves, I don't even know what he'll have to do, as of late he hasn't really stopped anyone impressively.
Messi v Whoever is always interesting, I hope it's against Anderson because I think he's one of the Man U midfielder who can keep up and contain him. I would love to see Fabio/Rafeal play against him but I don't think he'll get a spot for this game .
Rooney/Hernandez v Pique/Abidal is gonna be awesome, pique's got the height and possibly the faster speed but Rooney can definitely out muscle him to get the ball, Hernandez is going to constantly be a thorn in their side but Pique will probably be able to cover him, Abidal on the other hand might not be ready for a game like this after just coming back but we'll see.
GG's all around.
Webb is not allowed to ref it since he's from England = Man U. Referees can not be from the same country as the club in the CL and UEFA cup. Anyway, rooting for Barca cuz they are simply the best team in the world with the best players and best football.