Darren Norris
It’s a memory that must give Alex Ferguson nightmares. Three months ago, just a few short weeks after finally knocking Liverpool of their perch the Manchester United boss could only look on helplessly as his team were humiliated by a brilliant Barcelona side on the biggest stage in European football.
He wasn’t the only spectator that night. United’s midfield simply unable to get close to Barcelona’s passing carousel, let alone disrupt it. Xavi and Iniesta were imperious. Michael Carrick, the aging Ryan Giggs and the game but limited Park Ji-Sung were outclassed. Emphatically.
Two years earlier the same two teams met at the same stage. The story was the same; United’s midfield couldn’t cope with Barcelona’s artisans. As a result United couldn’t stop Barca getting at their back four and eventually the defence creaked. It was in midfield though where United lost the war.
The game last May had greater significance, proving as it did that what happened in Rome was no once-off. It also marked the end of the career of the one midfielder on United’s books who in his prime could have got into Barcelona’s team. Paul Scholes’ 14-minute cameo as a substitute when the game had long since been lost was his final appearance of a stellar career.
His retirement leaves United’s midfield looking short on inspiration. In Scholes' absence, Ryan Giggs is their most creative central midfielder. The problem is at 37 it can’t be long until he follows Scholes into retirement.
Despite their successes domestically central midfield has been a problem position for United for some time. Carrick and Darron Gibson are terribly limited, Darren Fletcher is massively overrated, Anderson is gifted but inconsistent, while Tom Cleverley is unproven. United struggle to keep the ball and against a side like Barcelona such a weakness is a fatal one.
Ferguson may not be willing to publicly acknowledge the shortcomings of his midfield but his summer-long pursuit of Inter star Wesley Sneijder suggests he knows that he has to add a bit of fantasy if United are to make the transition from a good side to a great one.
Great central midfielders are a rarity in the modern game. That is why Arsene Wenger has tried so desperately to keep Cesc Fabregas. If Barcelona finally do manage to bring the Arsenal skipper home they will have – in Xavi, Iniesta and Fabregas - three of the world’s top four. Sneijder is the fourth.
And if United are to stand a chance of toppling Barcelona the Dutchman is the man they must get. If they fail to do that they might well still have enough to retain the Premier League but that next level, one where they can hold their own and go toe to toe with Barcelona, will remain out of reach.
Tomorrow: Who will finish where and why?
Source: http://feeds.examiner.ie/~r/iesportsblog/~3/GbRAjoTng0o/post.aspx
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