Barcelona 3, Manchester United 1.
The result of the final came as no surprise to me. I predicted a 3-0 result, and as Manchester United's goal, while a moment of brilliance for Ryan Giggs and Wayne Rooney, was firmly against the run of play, a 3-0 result would have been more fitting for Barca's dominance of the Red Devils. After this type of performance, it would be easy for me to rag on Manchester United, because they are my arch-rivals. However, this performance showed me that Barcelona is the best team I have ever seen.
Barcelona has two sides of it's play - the side that showed against Manchester United yesterday, which showcased their world-class talent and skill, and the side that showed against Real Madrid, which is the ugly style of play which angers neutrals. There is no hating their style of play yesterday - it was a great watch, complete with great players, great finishes, and true team football. However, their flopping and acting against Real Madrid and other opponents can give Barca football (as well as Spanish football) a bad public image. I am jealous of Barcelona's style of play because they execute it so well, and having the best player (Messi) and midfielder (Xavi) in my opinion makes defeating the Catalans a difficult task. Nani proclaimed that Manchester United could beat Barcelona "next year" and I would just love to ask him why? The players are all in their prime and United gets older in midfield. This team should continue to be dominant for the next few years, as long as the players stay together.
For United, there is really nothing to be said. It was the same comprehensive defeat as in '09, perhaps worse because of the large difference in class. This team was built up all week, despite winning the EPL with one of the fewest point totals in its history, as being able to topple Barcelona. When you look at this team, there is no star-power other than Wayne Rooney. Hernandez has a great first season in the EPL, but many of his goals were the product of his team, not his own individual skill, and he looked lost against Barcelona's back four. Berbatov didn't even make the team, which was puzzling, considering one of United's few advantages was their aerial game. The midfield continues to stay old, with Giggs and Scholes nearing their respective ends, and Carrick and Fletcher not producing any captivating play. The back-line remains firm for United, but after Nemanja Vidic had arguably his best season ever and Edwin Van Der Sar retiring, how much better can the defense get? There are many questions for United entering next season, because their EPL crown this year could have gone to anyone. Chelsea and Arsenal will be stronger, and City is sure to continue to buy players, so United must buy in the transfer market to keep up with their rivals, as well as having any chance to beat Barcelona.
I would like to write about the FIFA scandal going on right now but the facts need to come out. I don't want to misinform anyone. My initial perceptions on Bin Hammam are that he is guilty in bribing officials for votes. Who would want the World Cup in Qatar? It seems suspicious, and his withdrawal from the FIFA election makes it looks worse. We will see though.
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