With the Premier League sewn up for another season, Manchester United will look to their meeting with Barcelona in this year's Champions League final as the real litmus test of where this present side ranks in the club's illustrious history.
Since the turn of the year, United have been far from convincing in their domestic and continental performances with their wavering certainly costing them a unique quintuple whilst at the same time ensuring the Premier League title race went on for at least four weeks too long.
The ship-steadying of recent weeks has all but cemented another championship crown but the Champions League semi-final displays against Arsenal only served to illustrate the decline of United's North London rivals. The second leg result in particular flattered to deceive - Arsenal were hopeless and for the most part, United could afford to casually remain in third gear. In many ways, that game offered a definitive visual of what this season has been like for United - always in a position to adjust their performance levels at any stage if required - see the Tottenham game when the second half was a blitz of non-stop peppering of Heurelho Gomes' goal. Scoring five goals in 22 minutes was a sight to behold, though once again, the combustion of a visiting side at Old Trafford was a truly bizarre occurrence.
But, for United, it's time to forget about domestic silverware. This season's 18th league title might equal Liverpool's record but it's the Merseysiders 5 European Cups that continues to irritate Sir Alex Ferguson. To the most uniterested bystander, the Scot has under-performed in the Champions League, missing out on trophy successes in 1997 and 2002 in particular. The former saw a semi-final defeat to eventual winners Borussia Dortmund while Bayern Leverkusen destroyed the dream seven years ago - a 2-2 first leg draw at Old Trafford essentially putting paid to United's hopes of a final showdown with Real Madrid.
So, what are United's chances against Barcelona? On the outside, very good. The Catalans will be missing three first choice defenders, Andres Iniesta and Thierry Henry are both doubtful while historically, despite a 4 - 0 Romario / Stoichkov-inspired thrashing at the Camp Nou back in 1995, United haven't done too badly against them. Barca have long since been the favourites for this year's Champions League crown though since the Chelsea semi-final, many feel that their creaky defence will ultimately cost them the ultimate crown. But let's concentrate on how Barca can win the game. Essentially for Barcelona, there are 8 simple ways to beat Manchester United:
(1) Learn from last year.
Twelve months ago, Thierry Henry was introduced as a substitute when Barca were chasing the game at Old Trafford. This time around, Henry, Eto' and Messi must contribute evenly up front. The Argentine carried far too much responsibility last year and requires assistance to unlock the United defence - both Eto' and Henry need to make up for their peripheral cameos in last season's semi.
(2) Probe United down the flanks.
According to sources within Old Trafford, John O'Shea has been promised a start in this year's Champions League final. Barcelona might look at this as a weakness but the Waterford native has been incredibly impressive throughout the campaign and many would consider him one of United's most valued and consistent performers this season. Rather worryingly, Patrice Evra has been flaky since the turn of the year and seems far too taken with his offensive runs than with defensive responsibilities. Against Tottenham, in particular, Evra couldn't handle Aaron Lennon - if Barca switch Henry to the right, Evra could find the going tough.
(3) Be flexible up front.
Though Bara will probably look to isolate Henry with O'Shea, a better bet will probably be to switch Messi to the left and bring Henry across to battle it out with Evra. Messi always looks to cut inside when attacking down the right but particularly if Anderson and Park are handed defensive directions, his space may be restricted. Therefore, giving him licence on the left would see him stick to creating and instigating from that side while Ronaldo will hardly be charged with tracking back to close down the gifted Argentine.
(4) Stop Cristiano Ronaldo.
Easier said than done, ain't it? But, with the probablity of Wayne Rooney playing wide left, Ronaldo becomes intrinsic to United's attacking. If, for whatever reason, he isn't having much joy down the flank, the Portugese can just as easily be pushed up front as a target man. If he plays, Keita may be given extra responsibility to track R7 while Sylvinho's sole purpose will be to shut Ronaldo out of the game. But, the flexibility of the wide-man gives United many options and it's up to Barca to be prepared for all eventualities.
(5) Be as industrious as United.
It goes without saying that Ji Sung Park and Anderson will feature in a 5-man United midfield alongside Michael Carrick, Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. With YaYa Toure deployed in front of the back four for Barca, the onus is on Xavi and Iniesta to provide perspiration as well as inspiration and counter-act the healthy work ethic of the dynamic United duo. Anderson, in particular, can be quite inconsistent though and is usually prone to gaining somewhat needless yellow cards. If United get too much space, particularly in the centre of midfield, they will exploit and punish you in other areas.
(6) Re-establish the goal rush.
In the group stages, Barca scored 18 goals in 6 games, including 5s against Sporting and Basel. The goals continued at the knock-out stage - seven against Lyon, five against Bayern. But, against Chelsea - Barca's first outing against an English team since last year's semi finals, they managed one goal from two games - that last gasp Andres Iniesta strike. So, in Barca's last four games against English opposition, they've scored just once. In the Champions League final, it's critical that they score, preferably more than once. As Wigan found out last night, United always find a way to score and can count on a variety of sources to do so. Barca need to do likewise.
(7) Keep the discipline.
Chelsea went to the Camp Nou for the semi-final first leg and delivered a superb away performance. Somewhere between the cat-calls and dissenting voices, there lay a side on the ropes - battered, beaten and unable to get dig any deeper. What let Barca down most was how they allowed Chelsea's performance to eat away at their attitude. Suddenly, everyone was out to get them - most of all the referee. Chelsea kept their heads while around them, everyone was losing theirs. On the pitch (and off it), there appeared no calming influence for Barca, no one willing to take control of the situation. Contrast this to the second leg - the winning strike from Iniesta only came about because Barca refused to give in. They had to work hard for the opportunity but kept their discipline as well as their positive brand of football. This approach is critical in the final - Barca need to be prepared for United not giving an inch but also anticipate them giving a mile.
(8) Eradicate defensive lapses.
At the Camp Nou against Lyon in the knock-out stages, Barca conceded two goals as a result of some incredibly poor defending. For the majority of the competition, the club has also had to put up with constant criticism of their defending. With Eric Abidal and Dani Alves ruled out through suspension and Rafael Márquez also missing through injury, Barca's already maligned back-line is in tatters. Sometimes though, this can be a god-send as the coach purposely advocates a tighter approach at the back owing to the change in personnel. But, the onus is on Pique and Puyol to ensure United are made work hard for their chances.
