2011 CL Final: FC Barcelona - Manchester United FC 3-1 - Champions!

[Creepy]

Yep who would not remember it?! 90 minutes being outplayed by Bayern, then get 2 corners in injury times and win the CL!

My point is no takes the win away from us. Even Bayern were better on the night all that matters is that we won.

 

[Unbiased United]

My point is no takes the win away from us. Even Bayern were better on the night all that matters is that we won.

Exactly, we win when we play bad because of the 'never say die'attitude SAF instils in our players....when we play good teams should be very scared. Although if I was a Barca fan I'd be saying the exact same thing about Barca.

There is nothing disrespectful in my post and if so, please accept my apology. Maybe I am overly confident but this team has given me all reason to feel this way. Trust me, I am also a harsh critic of Barca as I think they can do a lot better, so I am not saying we are indomitable. I have a healthy dose of respect for ManU and I very aware of what you guys are capable of but like I stated, we are stronger in those critical departments, if not all. It will not be a walk in the part, considering we are playing against the best team in England but if our guys stay focused and mean business, it will be a tough game for you to win, simple as that. Real Madrid is a tougher side we just disposed off, so theoretically we should be able to pull this through with hard work.

My prediction is that you guys will come to defend mostly but problem is no one does this better against Barca that Mourinho albeit with dirty tricks. I see SAF is taking some tips from Mou. Teams that pose us problems are the likes of Arsenal and Shatkhar who come out attacking in full force but you guys do not have such personel, especially when you take out wild cards like Nani, although undisciplined, who IMHO is required in games like this.

Play overly disciplined defensive football and you will be beat by Barca although by a very fine margin. Also, folks like Vidic do not have the temperament to pull this kind of focused defense for 90 minutes. Come and actually try to attack and pressure the ball as this will rattle our cage a little and maybe take us off our game but how do you propose to do this all day long with Giggs marshaling the center? Love the guy but he is 37 for goodness sake! Anderson is very deterministic and is no serious threat going forward. I have the same issue on Anderson as I have with our Busquets -lack of balls. In contrast, compare this to Iniesta, Xavi and Messi and you wee why I have so much believe we can finish the job.

You guys are definitely better at set pieces so if you rattle our defenses, which is easy to do, you will get a lot more free kicks. I realize ManU can win this too but I place my bet on Barca.

Just re-read this. Also i'd love to know what you base Real M being better than United on? When was the last time they even made a CL final? We are IMO the best team in Europe...aside from Barca (but we'll soon see!

 

[Thierry]

I understand wwhy you are confident, You follow a superb football team, and I would be too. But I still think you are speaking without the full realisation of just how United operate. Watch our games, we attack at every opportunity, we are top scorers in our league and have the EPL's top scorer in our team. United under SAF have only ever played to win. Sure this season our defence has been key, and no matter what anyone says here, I believe we have the best defence in the world...That said its still going to have a rough time against Barca.

I'll run it through so you get the picture. Rooney and Hernandez, the best player in the EPL, with one of the best prospects in the EPL (not many neutral fans would argue with that), as our two strikers. valenia and Park/orNani all with skill and pace, and CONSTANTLY attacking down the wings. Plus our wing backs, Evra, and Rafael, are easily capable of playing on the wings and always make attacking runs forward.

Barca can be that good they can stop teams from attacking, but I know we will be playing to attack at every possible opportunity, luckily for you Pep won't underestimate us like you do, and will be fully aware of the threat we pose.



well said!



Scholes...no chance, Giggs...i hope so!

Well done, Well baked.
come to Spain, play Classic Missions Impossible IV without Tom Cruise.
See Mourinho bitching everywhere..and
All will be Well Fried.

I think FCB is more ready than United this time round.

 

[Alissa]

Just re-read this. Also i'd love to know what you base Real M being better than United on? When was the last time they even made a CL final? We are IMO the best team in Europe...aside from Barca (but we'll soon see!

Even if you win the final, that makes you better than Barca only by definition.

Had Real faced any other team other than Barca in the CL semi finals they would have reached the final IMO.

 

[Neil1984]

I think FCB is more ready than United this time round.

It's a final. Anything can happen.

I remember 2009, United strutted into the final, whereas Barca limped in after a fortunate semi final last minute winner over Chelsea (fortunate in the sense that if any of the penalty decisions were given it could have been all over by then) and United were heavily favoured to win.

This time around Barca are heavy favourites, and rightly so, but it's a final, anything can happen in a one off game.

 

[desoe]

I understand wwhy you are confident, You follow a superb football team, and I would be too. But I still think you are speaking without the full realisation of just how United operate. Watch our games, we attack at every opportunity, we are top scorers in our league and have the EPL's top scorer in our team. United under SAF have only ever played to win. Sure this season our defence has been key, and no matter what anyone says here, I believe we have the best defence in the world...That said its still going to have a rough time against Barca.

I'll run it through so you get the picture. Rooney and Hernandez, the best player in the EPL, with one of the best prospects in the EPL (not many neutral fans would argue with that), as our two strikers. valenia and Park/orNani all with skill and pace, and CONSTANTLY attacking down the wings. Plus our wing backs, Evra, and Rafael, are easily capable of playing on the wings and always make attacking runs forward.

Barca can be that good they can stop teams from attacking, but I know we will be playing to attack at every possible opportunity, luckily for you Pep won't underestimate us like you do, and will be fully aware of the threat we pose.



well said!



Scholes...no chance, Giggs...i hope so!

It's not about United NOT being an offensive team in general, but United being a smarter team than you were in 2009. Playing more defensively this time will not be a black note for your team's name or reputation, but just a more clever tactical approach for the game.

For me sir Alex Ferguson is the best manager of all time and how I said - I'm convinced he won't make the same grave mistake, he made in 2009. When you were brave enough to open yourselves that much against Barcelona, but you ended up defeated just in a way you made it easy for us. Sure you're maybe used to see United attacking in huge periods of your EPL and CL games, but this time maybe you should get used to the idea of a different approach. I respect United a lot, but I'm sure you know very well that especially in the midfield, this United can't outplay this Barcelona.

I will repeat myself - on 28.05 it would not be something shameful, if you get out there with a more defensive approach. It's just the way you have to do it, if you want to survive and wait for your opportunities to punish us and win the trophy.

p.s. I'm from Bulgaria, but please don't mention your "EPL goalscorer" in a manner of showing your strenthgs for this one. Berbatov is my countryman, but I'd be the happiest man to see him against us out there. Because I know how shitty he could be in massive games like this

 

[Neil1984]

Even if you win the final, that makes you better than Barca only by definition.

Had Real faced any other team other than Barca in the CL semi finals they would have reached the final IMO.

This is such a smug post and superior I find it quite sad. As someone who has always cheered Barca, as my 2nd team, as passionately as most cheer their 1st team, I like the ethos and values of respect that this clubs stands for.

How do you know Real would have beaten United?

In getting to the semis they beat and drew with a Milan team who have been a shell of their former selves since 2007, beat Auxerre (wuhoo!) and Ajax (past glories) in their group, and then a Lyon team who have gone backwards since signing Gourcuff, and a naive Tottenham. Hardly inspiring stuff. In Spain, Madrid and Barca are miles ahead of everyone else, Valencia are the closest thing, a Valencia team that United beat away and comfortably drew at home in a pedestrian game where both had already qualified. Every time real have met strong opposition this year (Barca) they've been unimpressive given their star power.

United beat the aforementioned Valencia, then the Frech champions Marseille, then Chelsea (remember them) and a Schalke team who annihalated the same Inter team who won it last year.

United are unbeaten in this seasons CL and have broken so many records in Europe in the last 5 years the list would take ages to post.

Barca are a great team, one of the best ever, if not the best ever, and they deserve every plaudit going, and I certainly think that they play a far better BRAND of football than United right now (I don't subscribe to the "Tika Taka is boring" view at all, I love it), and have better team and individual players, but United have a little "je ne sais quoi" - they're not the most entertaining, don't have the superstars etc etc, but they're bloody robust and very hard to beat and seem to get it done. A bit more respect for such things would be great.

 

[Unbiased United]

Even if you win the final, that makes you better than Barca only by definition.

Had Real faced any other team other than Barca in the CL semi finals they would have reached the final IMO.

Thats too easy to say, fact is they didn't and they haven't. United are there by merit, its not a lucky one off...3 out of 4 doesn't lie!

 

[Corb]

50/50

 

[Unbiased United]

It's not about United NOT being an offensive team in general, but United being a smarter team than you were in 2009. Playing more defensively this time will not be a black note for your team's name or reputation, but just a more clever tactical approach for the game.

For me sir Alex Ferguson is the best manager of all time and how I said - I'm convinced he won't make the same grave mistake, he made in 2009. When you were brave enough to open yourselves that much against Barcelona, but you ended up defeated just in a way you made it easy for us. Sure you're maybe used to see United attacking in huge periods of your EPL and CL games, but this time maybe you should get used to the idea of a different approach. I respect United a lot, but I'm sure you know very well that especially in the midfield, this United can't outplay this Barcelona.

I will repeat myself - on 28.05 it would not be something shameful, if you get out there with a more defensive approach. It's just the way you have to do it, if you want to survive and wait for your opportunities to punish us and win the trophy.

p.s. I'm from Bulgaria, but please don't mention your "EPL goalscorer" in a manner of showing your strenthgs for this one. Berbatov is my countryman, but I'd be the happiest man to see him against us out there. Because I know how shitty he could be in massive games like this

You make some very fair points....but come on Berbatobv is a class act, and I mean class. If ever there was a luxury player, then he is it!

 

[gingerless]

how is thinking real would make it to the final - perhaps beating MU on the way smug??? it's just a thought, nobody's saying united are shit and we'll rip them into pieces yet a lot of people accusing some fans of being smug... if someone feels a team would do better than another team then that's absolutely fair don't you think? jeez... this "barca fans are smug" shit is getting old

 

[Unbiased United]

This is such a smug post and superior I find it quite sad. As someone who has always cheered Barca, as my 2nd team, as passionately as most cheer their 1st team, I like the ethos and values of respect that this clubs stands for.

How do you know Real would have beaten United?

In getting to the semis they beat and drew with a Milan team who have been a shell of their former selves since 2007, beat Auxerre (wuhoo!) and Ajax (past glories) in their group, and then a Lyon team who have gone backwards since signing Gourcuff, and a naive Tottenham. Hardly inspiring stuff. In Spain, Madrid and Barca are miles ahead of everyone else, Valencia are the closest thing, a Valencia team that United beat away and comfortably drew at home in a pedestrian game where both had already qualified. Every time real have met strong opposition this year (Barca) they've been unimpressive given their star power.

United beat the aforementioned Valencia, then the Frech champions Marseille, then Chelsea (remember them) and a Schalke team who annihalated the same Inter team who won it last year.

United are unbeaten in this seasons CL and have broken so many records in Europe in the last 5 years the list would take ages to post.

Barca are a great team, one of the best ever, if not the best ever, and they deserve every plaudit going, and I certainly think that they play a far better BRAND of football than United right now (I don't subscribe to the "Tika Taka is boring" view at all, I love it), and have better team and individual players, but United have a little "je ne sais quoi" - they're not the most entertaining, don't have the superstars etc etc, but they're bloody robust and very hard to beat and seem to get it done. A bit more respect for such things would be great.

This is one of the best comments, I have read in a while, very fair and absolutely spot on for most of it.

 

[Chainsaw]

50/50

60/40

 

[Unbiased United]

how is thinking real would make it to the final - perhaps beating MU on the way smug??? it's just a thought, nobody's saying united are shit and we'll rip them into pieces yet a lot of people accusing some fans of being smug... if someone feels a team would do better than another team then that's absolutely fair don't you think? jeez... this "barca fans are smug" shit is getting old

Read the UTD fans comments on here, they all give respect to Barca's qualites. The same cant be said for some Barca fans here (although many have been very fair too!). This is my team, Manchester United, I'll say it again 3 finals in 4 years, top of our league, one of the biggest clubs in the world. We deserve the same respect as we/I have given an amazing Barca team!

60/40

I agree...both could win but Barca have the edge.

 

[Thierry]

It's a final. Anything can happen.

I remember 2009, United strutted into the final, whereas Barca limped in after a fortunate semi final last minute winner over Chelsea (fortunate in the sense that if any of the penalty decisions were given it could have been all over by then) and United were heavily favoured to win.

This time around Barca are heavy favourites, and rightly so, but it's a final, anything can happen in a one off game.

I'm sure you will agree we weren't as ready in 2009 as we are today.
This is all I meant...simply..

You had chance and a half to put us away for dead last season. You failed.
So,How do you see this one going away from us coming in stronger now.?
Personally, I just don't know.
Do you perhaps.?