Source: Daily_Mail
MARTIN SAMUEL: Yes, they are the masters - no dispute, Barcelona deliver on their boast
And prove it they did. There is only one club with a rightful claim to be the best in the
world right now, just as there is only one player who deserves the mantle World Footballer of the Year. Barcelona and Lionel Messi are at the pinnacle, the peak that brooks no argument.
Claims were laid to supremacy before this match but these 90 minutes were an overpowering justification. This was a performance that will live long in the memory, a sublime demonstration of measured, passing football, so good it relegated a team that had conquered the world over two seasons to the shadows.
‘Barcelona seduces me,’ said Michel Platini, the UEFA president, and last night they seduced everybody. Here was one of the smoothest, most beguiling performances
a European final has seen.
Manchester United, sadly, could not compete. Not because they were fatigued or overstretched by the sheer weight of recent achievement, but because they were
passed to death in the manner of the greatest continental teams, the ball flitting around the midfield, the players always finding the space and the angles, until the opposition is rendered dizzy by the sheer speed of movement.
The passing carousel, Sir Alex Ferguson calls it. He says the way Barcelona play in full stride is as if the team has leapt on a merry-go-round, interchanges of play, taking
the ball around the pitch, swiftly, often simply, but always with a purpose.
It was the way they played against Arsenal in Paris three years ago, except this was a superior performance. United staggered off across the fairground, disconcerted and a little sick.
It is testament to Barcelona’s greatness that they convincingly beat such a fine team. This was United’s first defeat in 26 European games and it took a true feat of technical excellence to make them look this ordinary. At the end of the game, the whole United team stood and applauded as Barcelona lifted the trophy, affording them due respect. It was not just talk after all.
Barcelona came to Rome with a few boasts to back up but this was a statement of eloquence, a philosophy espoused rather than brash claims bawled from the rooftops.
The only disappointment was that the final did not provide the spectacle many had imagined; but only because Barcelona did not allow United to compete as equals. It was a proving ground, too, for Messi, whose duel with Cristiano Ronaldo had provided a mesmerising sub-plot in the weeks before this match.
This was a ground at which Ronaldo had scored one of his most memorable goals, a ferociously brave header against Roma in the Champions League last season, but,
as if to confirm the passing of the baton, Messi rose at the same end to head the goal that made certain of victory. It was not an act of courage, but it was certainly a fine goal, Messi hanging in the air and twisting his neck back to lob the ball sweetly over Edwin van der Sar.
The scoreline was not as emphatic as recent wins over Bayern Munich and Real Madrid but was, in its way, more impressive. United are the real deal, not a stellar name living off reputation. The victory compared to any Barcelona performance this season and either of their two previous final victories in this competition.
What else was proven last night? Well, something about Guus Hiddink and Chelsea, that is for sure. Without setting foot in Rome, we now know that Hiddink was even more unfortunate than many believed to have lost over two legs to Barcelona in the semi-final.
Their supremacy here simply confirmed Chelsea’s success over two legs in frustrating Barcelona and bringing the carousel to a shuddering halt. They were never taken for a ride like United and the criticism of their negative tactics now looks even more misplaced. As United chased darting shadows across the pitch, Hiddink’s game -plan appeared smarter by the minute.
Chelsea refused to let Barcelona play their game, while United were drawn into it. Josep Guardiola has created, in essence, the quintessential exponents of push and run, working the ball around the field, one touch and then off, always available, always willing to receive a pass even with white shirts in attendance. United indulged that after being stunned by Samuel Eto’o’s opening goal, Michael Carrick in particular banging long balls over the top for Wayne Rooney to chase. And with every over-hit pass, with each loose missile flying astray, so Barcelona grew in confidence and kept dangerous possession in a way Chelsea never allowed.
Messi became more influential through the middle; Andres Iniesta and Xavi were stunning. The more strikers Ferguson threw on to the pitch, the more helpless United appeared. Ronaldo lost his way in the second half, the talismanic Carlos Tevez made no impact at all.
In this respect it was almost a throw-back to old European encounters from the dark days when English football was newly returned to this competition and represented little more than cannon fodder; when United would play against teams such as Barcelona and Juventus and be outclassed.
And after each defeat, we would wonder why our players did not treat the ball with the care of the continentals. So it was in Rome. Each time United gave the ball away, the Barcelona metronome would begin again, tick, tick, tick, tick, a rhythm of passes, patient yet effective. Barcelona proved many things last night, but chief among them was football’s most basic truth: without the ball, you’re stuffed.
