This is old news now. But in the middle of last week, FC Barcelona crashed out of the UEFA Champions League. They lost the semi-final second leg 1-0 away to Manchester United, at Old Trafford. So, with the goalless draw in Barcelona the week before, Barcelona bomb out 1-0 on aggregate. It means that the Champions League final this season will be an all-English affair. How am I feeling? Sad? Yes. Disappointed? Yes. Depressed? No, I won't go that far. Embarassed? Not really. Humiliated? Certainly not. Nothing humiliating or disgraceful to be beaten narrowly by very very strong opposition on their home ground.
True, I was not happy with the 1-0 loss. But I had a feeling Barcelona wouldn't win anyway, & so it proved. The result (a narrow loss) & the pattern of the match is merely a continuation of an ordinary season for Barcelona. Barcelona did have the better & more impressive general play, in terms of passing & maintaing possession. But that's basically all they did - impressed more in general play. They couldn't score, & when that's the case, u can't win a lot, can u? Barcelona are all style, but not enough substance. Their midfield didn't provide consistent support to the forwards, & the defence as a unit once again look very unconvincing. Messi played well, but unfortunately, many of his team mates didn't. Luck was also not on Barcelona's side with a couple of good chances which might have gone in on another day (e.g. Deco's shot which went narrowly wide, & Henry's second-half header straight to United's keeper).
Manchester United did look more dangerous, but the goal Barcelona conceded was a gift. Zambrotta carelessly & needlessly gave away possession to Man Utd, & Scholes made the most of the charity to score. A dumb mistake for Barcelona to make, & of all times they had to do it in a European semi. Sheessh.
Obviously, Manchester United's players & fans were delighted at reaching the Champions League final. They've had an excellent season, & to secure the final appearance probably came as no surprise considering the fine & consistent form they've been in. Yet I don't think they are truly superior to Barcelona. I mean, this one of the best United sides in a number of years, & they've been in top form. But for all that, all they did was narrowly beat a Barcelona side in crisis & playing far below their potential. The "out of sorts, crisis club" from Spain still managed to outplay United for long period of both legs. So imagine then what Barcelona would have done had they been in form, & had their forwards shown the same ruthlessness of the Barcelona of old. Having said all that, this United side are very very strong, & credit to them for reaching the final.
Anyway, the one possible good thing to come out of this is that the loss would make the Barcelona hierarchy realise that the squad needs to change. New players will be needed to replace those players who are underperforming & who are not likely to make much contribution in the long run. Perhaps a new coach may come in (personally, I like the current coach for his attacking philosophy, but a lot of people say he's not the best tactician). If losing now means winning next time, then maybe it's better to lose now, & make the necessary changes to ensure future success. I mean, if Barcelona had got past United & gone on to win the Champions League, will the Barcelona hierarchy be inclined to provide transfer funds to sign new players? Likely not. In that situation, they will conveniently forget Barcelona's inadequacies & point to the trophy as argument that if it ain't broke, don't fix it, so let's not change the squad. Then, with the problems or inadequacies not fixed, Barcelona will be shown up in the future.
Anyway, whatever Barcelona's failings or deficiencies, whatever problems they've been having this season, I appreciate their efforts in reaching the Champions League semi-finals. Better luck next time. I'll be behind Barcelona all the way. Hola Barca!
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