"Outclassed, outrun, outplayed."
The Wembley stadium in London witnessed probably the greatest Champions' League performance of all time last night. Barcelona were simply mesmerising with their quick passing, vision and finishing. Manchester United were second best throughout the game, and it was a disappointing finale to their otherwise successful campaign."They were by far the better team", admitted Sir Alex Ferguson and these words were echoed by United skipper Nemanja Vidic.
Where Barcelona won the game
1. Xavi was simply brilliant, and bossed the midfield for the entire 90 minutes.
2. Leo Messi, the best player in the world, was just too hot to handle.
3. Their defence was probably weaker out of the two teams, but it was never really tested.
4. When you have 63% of the possession, it's not that difficult to control the game.
5. SIXTEEN attempts on and off goal suggests that they didn't just keep the ball, they used it to perfection.
6. Their finishing was at the peak, with Villa and Messi scoring from distance.
7. They were vintage Barcelona, and not the team that played against Madrid in the semi-finals.
Where United lost the game
1. The full-backs let them down defensively. Evra went MIA for Pedro's opener.
2. They gave the possession away cheaply, way too cheaply. So unlike United.
3. Valencia, who's usually busy tormenting full-backs, was found making bad tackles in the middle of the field.
4. Too much was expected from Chicharito. He was flagged offside 5 times, and almost disappeared.
5. The Barca midfield was given too much time with the ball, they weren's closed down quickly.
6. Whatever possession they had, they didn't use it efficiently to attack. Proof: ZERO CORNERS
7. Rooney's equaliser was not enough to lift their spirits. The character and resilience they showed throughout the season was not there last night.
Verdict: It was a fitting finale. Barcelona thoroughly deserved it. The best team in Europe beat the second best in Europe. United played better than 2009 but they still have a long way to go before they can match up to Pep Guardiola's team's class.
Here's an interesting thing, our WAGs section on tumblr was won by Barcelona 3-1. Coincidence?
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